Chapter 9

Mia's Pov

I sighed, looking at the two warrior men following me. Bulky while possessing strong and muscular physiques, showcasing their physical strength and endurance. Gifted with broad shoulders, well-developed arms, and powerful legs, indicating their training and combat readiness. Their imposing stature and robust build would instill a sense of fear and respect among their adversaries, but not me.

Now the question was if I could take them down single-handedly. Well, I had no other choice but to give it a try. With a flick of my wrist, I pivoted, the blades I hid under my shirt slashing through the air. Surprise flickered in the eyes of the two men as my strikes found their mark, rendering them momentarily defenseless.

The forest bore witness to my movements, which were a symphony of calculated strikes and evasions, my daggers a deadly extension of my thoughts. With a swift, calculated blow, I disarmed one of them, leaving him bewildered. This is what I was trained for all my life!

The other one launched at me. But before he could get his hands on me, I swung my fist, letting my sharp rings collide with his jaw, drawing out blood instantly. I always saved these rings, a special gift from dad for situations like these. They always came in handy and never disappointed me. He stumbled back from the impact of the blow before recovering. But it was too late as I had flung my dagger at him, meeting its mark on his shoulder. I took the chance to fling two more and they immediately met their targets, both in the center of their chests. Bullseye.

In the hushed aftermath of this battle, the warriors lay on the forest floor, unconscious and defeated. Stupid of them to not shift into their wolves. Or maybe I was just extremely quick and didn't give them enough time to even think. Either way, it worked out for me. My eyes glinted with determination as I scanned her surroundings, ensuring no other threats lingered. Satisfied, I melted back into the shadows, my silhouette blending seamlessly with the shadows of the trees.

I heaved out a sigh of relief, an instant smile crossed my lips as I saw the familiar view of home not twenty steps away from me. I jogged covering the remaining distance, a sense of joy filling me to return to the place I called home. Walking through the same corridors hit me with nostalgia as I made my way to where my dad resides most of the time. His office, of course.

I was about to turn the knob to enter when I heard rushing whispers coming from behind the door.

"And what if she finds out?" I heard Anthony's voice. He was father's most trusted man out there, who always stuck to him like a leach. Honestly, I wasn't very fond of him as his vibes were off. Not only did he look scary, but his personality would make you run for the hills. Let's just say you would not want to get on his bad side.

"She can never. There is no way. I am not a fool to come to this point after 20 years of preparation, planning and action only to ruin all my chances for myself," this time dad spoke. What was this about? What did I miss? I noticed they had gone quiet for a moment, which made me lean in more. But I jerked back when the door suddenly swung open and I was met by Anthony's single eye. Yep, only one because the other one was under an eye patch since he lost his blessing in one of the wars with werewolves, is what I have heard.

"It's not very nice to eavesdrop, Mia. Did Balthazar forget to teach you that?" I heard his grim voice, making me gulp.

"Let her come in," dad said from behind him. He stepped out of my way not before giving me a glare. See, what I told you about his personality?

"Dad," I huffed, seeing him after a long time waiting for him to finally acknowledge that I was back and maybe appreciate my escape? But that's not what I got.

"Mia," he spoke in a bored manner, completely unimpressed by my presence. "I see you found your way back. Although I've got to admit, you disappointed me. Being captured by the werewolves was not what I trained you for, Mia? Took you long enough." I thought he would be worried sick for me, looking for ways to get me back, but here I am met with his casual everyday lifestyle like I was never taken away.

"No dad! I'm so sorry, I disappointed you. But I swear my stay there didn't go to waste. I have some vital information for you. Every small detail of the Red Moon pack, I have it. We can use it to finally wipe them off the face of earth the next time we attack." He looked at me momentarily, observing keenly.

"Hmm, I see," I didn't understand why his tone was so aloof. "So you getting kidnapped didn't go to waste after all."

"Sure," Anthony interrupted, "we need to leave." Dad looked at him and gave him a small nod of acknowledgement.

"I have to go for a little trip which can't wait, Mia. You shall fill me in when I return in the next two days." I knew dad used to go on these trips to join alliances with other covens and all to grow our army strong. I gave him a single nod before both of them left within a second. I released a sigh I didn't know I was holding. For the first time ever, I felt out of place and uncomfortable talking to him in his office. This was unusual. There had been a shift in the air. I wasn't dumb to not notice it.

I was about to leave when a particular object grabbed my attention. More like a book which had been off limits to me.

The Grimoire of Eldritch enchantments.

I gasped, knowing what it was. One of the most powerful weapons the Shadow Weavers possess. This very book lying in front of me had the most malevolent spells to exist, spells which could destroy generations. Spells that teach you basic to master level of dark magic.

I had hinted a few times that I was interested in learning witchcraft like every other person in the Shadow Weavers and knew he could teach me with the help of this very book. But dad always kept me away from it, saying it can corrupt souls and that's not what he wanted for me. He wanted to keep me away from this, saying that I was too innocent to handle it. Was that really the reason?

My heart thumped in excitement, my brain screaming to have a peak. Would it hurt to just have a look? I guess not. And so, I let the curious side of mine pick it up and turn some pages. And the next thing I was met with were spells. Hundreds and thousands of them. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I made sense of each and every word quoted on the pages. I slowly trailed my fingers over the cream pages of art that was kept hidden from me for as long as I remember.

And then there was something specific that caught my eye. A symbol. The exact one that was tattooed on my wrist and was supposed to be the symbol of belonging to Shadow Weavers. I read the heading which said 'The charm of delusion'. What?

Before I could read further, I heard footsteps approaching, making me alert instantly. I thanked god that I was wearing a jumper over my shirt and the book wasn't that thick to be so notable. So I did the first thing that came to my mind. I slipped the book under my shirt, tucked the cloth in my pants to prevent it from slipping out and immediately pulled up the zipper of my jumper.

I immediately bent down, crouching on the floor as if looking for something. "What are you doing here?" I heard the guard's voice roar as he noticed me. I acted clueless, getting up from my position.

"Oh, I came in earlier to talk to dad. Unfortunately, I dropped my earring so I was looking for it. Found it," I showed him the earring that I managed to pull off from my ear to show him for the excuse.

"Leave. Sire wants his office locked so it's going to be off limits. Daughter or not."

"Of course. Goes without saying." I gave him a polite smile before taking my leave.

Two days. I had exactly two days to digest this book. Easy peasy.