Advice (1)

Ophelia let go of the necklace. She couldn't bring herself to do it.

"What are you doing? Pull it off and see that I am telling the truth. Don't you want to have your mate?" Hannah asked.

"I want to know if you are right, but I don't want it to be him. He hates me, and I don't want everything to change simply because he knows I am his real mate. Nothing about what he will feel now will be real," Ophelia explained her reason. "I don't want to be here. I want to go home."

"But your mate is here. I have already told Sylas that he has found his mate, so he will be watching you closely, and he might treat you differently. I know right now he seems like a monster, and he is," Hannah said, unable to lie. "But it's because the war is still fresh."

"He had to kill his brothers before they killed him and other innocent people. He did good by getting rid of alphas who didn't care about their packs. He's been alone all-"

"This is all wonderful that you want to share this, but I don't want to hear it from you. I should be hearing about this from my mate. Nothing about this has changed what I think of him," Ophelia said.

"You're a fake. Whoever put you up to this in the Porter household would be killed along with the others. You don't have to love him now, but at least protect yourself. You are being silly right now," Hannah said, wanting to hit Ophelia's hand.

"They have someone I love holding captive. They will kill him the moment they learn I have betrayed them. Until he is out of their hold, I will continue this act, but I won't kill him. No one's death will be on my hands," Ophelia said, determined to save Alex and ruin the Porters' plans.

Hannah sighed. "This sounds like a bad idea. Sylas could create a plan to go after the Porters and save your little friend. What did he do that you do not trust him? He is not the one who forced you into this. Is it because his pack dislikes you?"

Ophelia shook her head. "For a moment, I thought we could get along, but he let someone who tried to kill me get away. I understand why, since she's part of his pack, but I don't like what else he said after that."

Ophelia continued to say, "Even when I reveal that I am his mate and that I am not a Porter, this will never be my home. When I can, I want to leave without him searching for me."

It stung, but she could give up Alex and free him so he could go find his mate. All she wanted was to go home to her parents. 

"I understand what you are saying, but you would save yourself so much bad treatment and attacks on your life if you would just tell the truth. I've known Sylas for years to be able to say he is a good man. It is hard for him to feel anything for you with that magic and him thinking you are a Porter," Hannah explained.

Hannah continued to say, "The one thing that can change everything is the thing on your neck. You can take that off and work with Sylas to save who they are holding prisoner."

"I trusted him last night and he failed me. This is a lot for me to take in at once, so I need some time to think. Please," Ophelia pleaded. Maybe she could come to her senses after having more time to think about this. 

She knew what she said now was ridiculous, but she failed to trust Sylas. It wouldn't feel right if everything just changed because she took off the necklace.

Could she get him to genuinely trust her without it? Was he going to listen to everything she had to say and truly help her?

If they could not fall in love, would he let her leave, or would he keep her trapped here?

"I hope you will make the right choice. Your maids and guards didn't look too happy that you decided to speak with me. I'm sure it won't be long before one of them tries to eavesdrop, so I will leave now, but I will be back. Goodbye," Hannah parted from Ophelia.

On her way out, Hannah tried to think of which witch could create such a spell to give Ophelia a fake scent. 

'Everything about these two is crazy,' Hannah thought as she opened the door. 

"You." Hannah glared at the young woman standing before her. "I should turn you into a frog for being a nosey little thing. You should be careful."

Hannah planned to keep her eyes on the maid as well. 

Hannah left Ophelia to deal with the maid as she went in search of Sylas. He was the reason she visited the castle.

After a long time of searching, Hannah was able to find him in a library.

"I don't like how far you need to walk to find anyone. Werewolves don't belong in a castle. You should have a house just big enough to fit all of you but not too big. I have come with news," Hannah said, closing the door behind her. 

Sylas closed the book he was reading. "What are you doing here, Hannah? Is Ester here with you?"

It wasn't every day that Hannah came to the castle since she and Ester liked to stay hidden, only revealing themselves to him since he was a good visitor.

"She's your mate. If you allow others to attack her and do nothing about it, how is she going to open up to you? How is she going to trust you? I thought her wanting to keep the secret from you was silly, but I understand her. Everyone around her wants to kill her, so help her," Hannah advised Sylas.

Hannah imagined how some would react after hearing Ophelia agree to the Porter's plans. They wouldn't trust her, especially when they already hated her. They might always be wary, so Sylas had to be the one to fix this. 

While Hannah would keep that Ophelia was Joel's fake daughter to herself and Ester, she felt she owed Sylas to tell him about the necklace. After all, she had known him longer, so she was well aware of how much he wanted to have a mate and break his curse.

Hannah hoped that, in time, Ophelia could trust Sylas to tell him about what the Porters did and who they captured. For now, she needed these two to act like mates. 

"What secret is she keeping from me?" Sylas asked, but there was another question which needed to be answered first. "When did you speak to Ophelia?"

"I managed to spot her when she was disagreeing with your beta. When people like Rick can do as they like to their Luna, she's going to do everything she can to get away from you. She'll view you as a monster who is going to hurt her no matter what, so she is going to make bad decisions," said Hannah,

"She's in an unfamiliar place where everyone wants her dead, so if you could-"

"Hannah," Sylas stopped her rambling. "What did you find out?"

"The necklace she wears is interfering with the bond. Once you take that off, you'll feel it. That's all I am going to say. Wait, wait, wait," Hannah repeated, panicking as Sylas started to walk to the door. "You can't do that."