DINNER
The dining room of the Cabin was filled with tension and curiosity as Cassian, Dorian, and Kane awaited the arrival of their parents. Ignis, accompanying them, seemed to carry additional knowledge that had not yet been shared. In her serene posture, she directed her attention to Kane.
“Kane, did you sleep well?”
Kane smiled at Ignis, responding enthusiastically. “Yes, I slept very well.”
Ignis smiled gently at Kane. “I'm glad you slept well, Kane. Now we just need to wait for your mother.”
Dorian, curious, turned to Ignis. “Is it true that our parents are coming, Ignis?”
Cassian, confirming Dorian's statement, added, “Yes, Zora said they are on their way.”
Ignis, suddenly serious, fixed her gaze on Cassian. “I would like you to pay attention to what will happen next, Cassian.”
Cassian frowned, confused. “What do you mean by that? What's happening?”
Before Ignis could respond, the dining room door opened. Two wolves entered, transforming into humans as they did so. A tall man with white hair and a brunette woman. Ignis greeted them.
“Good, Garm and Cierce have come for dinner.”
Garm greeted Ignis courteously. “It's a pleasure to see you again, Ignis.”
Ignis replied, maintaining her calm posture. “Likewise, Garm, even under these circumstances.”
Cierce, however, eyed Ignis suspiciously. “What are you doing here, Ignis?”
Unfazed, Ignis retorted. “And why the question, Cierce? Is it because of Jeff? Are you worried about him?”
At that moment, Zora entered the dining room, greeting everyone with joy.
“I'm happy to see everyone together. In case the boys don't know, these are Garm and Cierce, members of the pack.”
Ignis remained attentive, observing everyone's reactions. Cassian, Dorian, and Kane looked between Ignis, Garm, Cierce, and Zora. Ignis, despite her exterior serenity, carried an aura of mystery.
Garm addressed the boys with a warm smile. “It's a pleasure to meet the sons of the Alpha Hunter I serve.”
Cierce, approaching with friendliness, added, “I'm also very happy to meet Fierce's sons.”
Zora, responsible for preparing dinner, intervened as she spoke. “Make yourselves comfortable; I'm finishing up dinner.”
Kane, as curious as ever, didn't hesitate to ask, “What's for dinner?”
Dorian, however, gently reprimanded his brother. “Kane, we can't ask those things.”
Innocently, Kane questioned, “Why can't I ask? What if she's making something we don't like?”
Understanding the child's curiosity, Zora smiled and revealed the menu: “I'll be making spaghetti with meatballs.”
Kane grimaced, expressing his disapproval of Zora's culinary choice. Dorian, aware of the situation, questioned Zora about her decision.
“Do you know what you're doing?”
Zora, confident, smiled at the boys and replied, “You can bet on it.”
Ignis, with her mysterious smile, looked at the boys. “How about we add garlic to the food today, huh?”
Kane and Dorian exchanged confused glances, as Ignis was aware that they hated garlic. Cassian, more perceptive, understood what was happening. Ignis was using a code. Cassian, with a serious expression, replied.
“Yes, I'd love the spaghetti with lots of garlic.”
Zora, noticing the peculiarity of the situation, stared at Cassian with a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure, Cassian? It's a quite peculiar request...”
Cassian looked at Zora determinedly. “Absolutely.”
The code went unnoticed by the adults in the room. Ignis, with her sharp gaze, realized that Zora didn't catch what was happening. Cierce and Garm watched, curious, the interaction between the triplets and Ignis.
Zora, deciding to lighten the mood, smiled at the boys. “So, lots of garlic for everyone!”
Cierce approached Ignis, sitting beside her. With an intriguing tone, Cierce commented, “Undoubtedly, this dinner will be quite interesting.”
Ignis, holding her wine glass, replied to Cierce with a penetrating look. “Count on it.”
Garm, sitting across from the boys, broke the tense silence by asking about their experience during the abduction.
“How was it being kidnapped for all this time?”
The expressions on the triplets' faces became serious, reflecting the difficult memory they had of the time they were kidnapped. The triplets exchanged hesitant glances before Cassian, taking on the role of spokesperson, began to share.
“It was scary. We didn't know if we were going to go back home,” Cassian began to recount. “We were locked in a dark place. We didn't like it much, but we tried to think about how to escape so we wouldn't get sad.”
Dorian, adding to Cassian's words, said with eyes expressing sadness, “They said bad things. They said we couldn't talk about anything, or we would pay for it.”
Kane murmured, “We missed Mom.”
Garm and Cierce listened attentively, aware that those traumatic moments would leave marks on the little ones. Ignis, despite her serene demeanor, was attentive to the boys' reactions to the painful memory of their kidnapping.
In the luxurious dining room of the Cabin, Cassian, Dorian, and Kane, the six-year-old triplets, were seated at the table with Ignis, Zora, Cierce, and Garm. The atmosphere was charged with curiosity and tension, especially when Cierce directed her attention to the boys.
“At what point did you find Ignis?” Cierce asked, looking directly at the triplets.
Ignis, maintaining her composure, replied, “Actually, it wasn't them who found me. It was I who found them.”
The disdainful expression in Cierce's eyes did not escape Ignis, who smiled enigmatically. “Who knows, you might be surprised when I tell you what happened to Jeff.”
Cierce, intrigued and somewhat apprehensive, widened her eyes and questioned. “What happened to him?”
Before Ignis could answer, Zora appeared in the dining room, carrying a steaming tray of spaghetti.
“Dinner is ready,” announced Zora, trying to divert attention from the delicate subject.
Cierce, on the other hand, was not willing to let the matter drop and stared at Ignis firmly. “What happened to Jeff?”
Zora, sensing the tension in the air, intervened seriously. “It would be better to discuss these delicate matters at the end of dinner when everyone is more relaxed. Let's enjoy the food, and then we'll clarify all of this.”
Cierce, still suspicious, reluctantly agreed. Everyone settled at the table, and Zora served the spaghetti, starting with the triplets, followed by Garm, Cierce, and finally, Ignis. The boys enjoyed the meal enthusiastically, each forkful revealing Zora's culinary talent. However, the harmony was disrupted when Ignis, after a forkful, grabbed Zora's arm, her expression turning serious.
“What's wrong?” asked Zora, confused.
Ignis stared intensely at her. “I smell pepper.”
Zora, not fully understanding, said, “There's pepper in the food.”
“It's not just pepper, Zora. There's more than that in the food, and there's also something outside,” warned Ignis, giving a significant look to the triplets.
Zora, still not understanding, asked, “What are you talking about, Ignis?” Ignis directed her gaze to the triplets. “Stop eating,” she ordered, causing the three brothers to pause their forkfuls, confused.
Zora stared at Ignis, perplexed. “What's happening? Why should they stop eating?”
“There's Wolfbane in the food,” affirmed Ignis, causing a tense silence in the dining room.
The word "Wolfbane” echoed in the dining room, and Zora dropped the tray, incredulous. “Wolfbane?”
Ignis nodded gravely. “Yes.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Cierce questioned, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Ignis, holding her firm posture, replied, “I came to restore the natural order of things. To leave as they should be.”
Zora, concerned about what was happening, addressed the triplets. “Children, step back,” she instructed, her serious expression revealing the gravity of the situation.
Ignis, undeterred, looked at Cierce and posed an intriguing question. “Do you still want to know about the werewolf destined for you?”
Cierce, furious, stood up from her seat. “What did you do to Jeff?” she demanded to know.
Ignis also stood up, maintaining her calm in the face of Cierce's anger. “I did nothing. I simply fulfilled what the Moon Goddess commanded. You no longer need to worry about the obligation to be with Jeff due to destiny.”
The news caught Cierce by surprise, but her anger did not diminish. Taking a deep breath to contain her imminent transformation due to fury, she threatened, “You will pay for this, Ignis.”
Ignis, without losing her composure, explained, “The Moon Goddess ordered a change. Everyone here will receive what she determined.”
While Cierce confronted Ignis, Cassian gripped his neck, his expression contorted by the sudden feeling of discomfort. Dorian and Kane also felt a strange unease.
“I'm not feeling well,” said Cassian, his voice weak.
Ignis, noticing the discomfort of the triplets, calmly asserted, “Stay calm; you'll be fine.” Then, she raised her hands and conjured a blue energy ball, launching it toward the triplets.
Meanwhile, Cierce, still furious, advanced toward Ignis, transforming. “What have you done?” she shouted.
The energy ball enveloped Cassian, Dorian, and Kane, causing a strange sensation to course through their bodies. A bright light surrounded them for a moment, leaving everyone in the dining room in suspense.