The Lycan’s Secret Lair

Verona wasn't introduced to the rest of the family, as a matter of fact her room was far removed from the royal wing, like they did not deem her a part of them.

Gal returned an hour later with the stench of blood around her. Nothing was discussed because there wasn't any need. Verona only muttered a short prayer for the woman's soul and forged ahead with their plans.

They needed to identify those five Lycan assassins but there was no such presence within the palace. She could vividly remember the unique but terrifying features of the one who had been their leader; his dark curly hair and green eyes that shined bright in the dead of the night and also the female who was amongst them.

"There is an emissary coming in tonight. I've been told Beta Oberion had issued an early curfew to take effect an hour from now." Farah spoke in between hiss sounds.

"Do you think it would be them?" That was Sophiet's voice as she looked towards the brooding redhead.

"Maybe, maybe not. We'll get to find out later."

"Will we be allowed to wander the palace after the curfew? I hear it is binding on everyone within the building."

Verona understood Sophiet's concerns and was already thinking about it. This was no longer the case of when they entered the palace while security was a bit lax, now the building is littered with guards ready to arrest anyone who would go against the decree, not even if it's the Luna.

"Don't worry. I'll figure it out." She responded curtly and crawled into her bed without uttering another word.The three serpents looked towards her and it was clear they did not appreciate her behavior, but at the same time they knew there was nothing to be done.

Verona was their major piece in the puzzle and her fury was the driving force to the success of their mission.

"Keep an eye on her" Farah spoke to no one in particular but the girls understood.

Shortly after the curfew began and the palace became engulfed in chilling silence. The redhead was forced out of her sleep like someone who was running from danger.

She looked through the window and saw from a far distance what seemed like the shadow of a wolf howling loudly while standing on a cliff.It howled again and the birds flapped away for safety as if they just heard something ominous.

Rushing to the window she raised the glass ushering in a gust of wind. Her eyes kept looking at the wolf who didn't stop howling. She wondered if no one else could hear it noticing that the palace was still very much calm.

Her gaze looked towards the direction of where the wolf was facing and all she saw was just a normal forest covered in darkness, nothing seemed odd. But when her eyes went back to the wolf on the cliff she collided with the burning gold embers of its eyes directly starring at her. 

The shock had her falling backwards as she tried to grasps onto anything close. She waited for when her body would collide with the floors but it never came, rather Verona opened her eyes again and found herself in her bed.

The curtains were shut close and Sophiet sat sleeping on a chair close by.

At first she thought it a mere dream, but her nightdress was soaked in sweat and there was a small cut on her thumb from when she fell. That was the sign that convinced her she'd just witnessed a vision, one she knew no meaning to.

The wolf was real and it somehow looked familiar, like she had known it from a different time.She stood to get a cup of water that sat on a table not far from the bed but felt something move under her feet.

Suddenly,the floors seemed to vibrate at interval almost like someone was hitting something on the ground.

Verona looked at the clock and saw it was way past midnight. Surely the strange visitors must be here already. Not wanting to miss them she quickly grabbed onto her outer robe along with a dagger she pulled from a nearby cabinet. Weapons like these she had stashed everywhere around the room for her own convenience.

As she rounded a corner she almost came face to face with a brown wolf patrolling that floor. It was big but not big enough, telling her he must be a Beta. She barely escaped getting within his line of sight and managed to sidestep using an adjoining staircase.

Verona flew through the stairs and found herself in the next wing far away from her quarters. She began to hear someone whistling but saw nobody. It seemed to be coming from the walls and she pondered on its possibility.

After severally walking through the wing and finding no opening, she almost gave up hope not until she felt the thud again, only this time it sounded even closer to her. Verona placed her hand on the wall and slowly slid it across until she reached the other end.

She knocked on the surface and rather than the feeling of brick her knuckle instead met with an echo.There was a door hidden there designed to blend in with the wall.It didn't take her long to find the edge and her fingers pulled until the door opened revealing a long spiral staircase that kept going down till it disappeared.

The room was dark and she had to use her vision ability to climb down the stairs.Verona debated letting the girls know but on second thought she changed her mind. She couldn't risk them getting discovered so it was best to do this alone.

As she climbed down deeper and deeper it began to dawn on her that this was no ordinary passageway. It was a deliberate attempt to keep away from public knowledge for whatever reason. The walls seemed old and it wasn't coated with plaster, just rough and plain.

She came upon a door at the last stair, a plain metal door with no handle. It looked unused but harbored an aura of something powerful behind it. The curious redhead touched the door slightly and it clicked open with a soft sound.

Verona felt dread wash over her, not even to mention the sour taste on her tongue. But she was here already, there was no going back.

The new Luna pulled the dagger out of its leather pouch and held it like one who was skilled in the art of killing. She went through the door and came upon a dimly lit wide hallway with high ceilings.

That powerful aura was stronger here but she was barely able to take another step when she began to hear the vibration again.It seemed to be coming from the other end and headed towards her direction.

Very quickly she dived behind a large sculpted pot that was sitting there aimlessly. There she hid until she saw what or rather who was making such sounds. It wasn't a weight getting hit on the grounds, instead it was the sound of a man's foot connecting with the floors. A man with the aura of a Lycan, and a Lycan who smelled like the one who was there that night when Omar was killed.

Her first instinct was to rush the giant beast since his back was turned but her attention was forcefully drawn to another person who followed behind.

This one had the smell of a normal wolf but when she caught a glimpse of his face, Verona froze at the spot.

It couldn't be…Her eyes were surely deceiving her…But it wasn't a mistake.

He passed by the pot and she saw him very clearly; his silver hair packed in a ponytail and the missing thumb was enough to dispel her confusion.This was Casper Grendel, Omar's younger brother.

The woman was for the first time in five years spellbound and unable to form any words. She wasn't even aware when she came out from the spot and now stood watching their retreating backs.

So many questions plagued her mind with no answers in sight.

Why was he here? 

He acted the most affected by his brother's death and was almost at the brink of killing himself safe for the intervention of the wolf council in charge of the village. Casper had disappeared after that and she hadn't set eyes on him again, so why now was he walking behind a Lycan in such dinghy secret passage.

Verona made move to follow them but a hand came out from nowhere and connected with her face, forcing her to fly backwards and collide with a wall in a mighty crash.

Her body immediately went into shock as she landed on the ground and the dagger fell towards another direction.Her eyes turned blurry and there was a trickle of something liquid and red across her face.

But even in that haziness she could still make out a familiar face starring down at her in anger.The King of the Wolves didn't look pleased to see her there.