Chapter 89

Oliver

“No. You will go to Granny’s Best with your kin, but you know the law… I cannot let you keep your little ones. As it is both of them had the right to kill you in this office, yet didn’t out of respect.”

“I know…” she looked kindly at the now upset children, who revolted to my words.

“But Grandma!” Said one of the little boys, he hugged her grandmother tightly. It hurt me to see this, because in a few hours this little boy won’t remember her face if the spell took… but it was either that or watch Reggie drain these small pups.

Agatha came in with Penny, the little necklace guardian, who wasn’t so little anymore. She looked much older now, like she was in her mid 50’s. This surprised me, as I linked my warrior to send word for a master mind eraser. Hunters were resistant to stuff like this, and I didn’t know rightly what to do. She was a keeper of the necklace on my neck, and Agatha was a child… I didn’t want her involved with this. Though with a wave of her hand the humans were paused in place, not even breathing.

She paused them in time, as around them was a thin ripple of light distortion… but I didn’t know she was that powerful. I didn’t even know it was possible.

“Alpha.” They bowed their heads in unison.

“I want both of you to go home. I don’t want this on your conscious.” I said without a growl. It would weigh on me to have essentially children do it, but only Penny bowed.

“Yes Master.” I said as if I’d punished her. I didn’t know why she looked so upset, but I was genuinely… shocked at the confrontational look given to me by one usually so timid.

“…Alpha how could you.” Agatha said angrily. She smelled more of fear as she spoke, and I realized this was probably the first time she’d ever defended someone else. “All she’s ever talked about was how you gave her a name, and you deny her when she finally musters up the courage to see you. She’s been living with me a week now, and she’s so sweet. How could you?”

“I don’t understand… I sent her home.” I was confused, but she grabbed Penny’s hand, and put it on the table gently in front of mine as if I would know what to do with it.

“You send her home without a home; you use her energy without returning any…. And when she greets you, you dismiss her.” She said sadly. “Do you know how painful that is to a construct? They Live to Serve. If she isn’t pleasing you, she’s being punished. That’s how that kind of magic works. She’s a living breathing creature created out of cruelty… but I thought you would be better.” She growled. “I came because my matron, the earth goddess Lia, is the most neutral of all the gods, and will be the one most likely to allow a spell to be done on these hunters since the Lord of Light gives them a special blessing.”

Agatha took her hand and put it on mine, but Penny looked upset. “Master I have no permission…. But I am very hungry.”

“… why didn’t you say anything?” I asked, feeling wrong and stupid. It seemed my life today was filled with hurting everyone around me. “I didn’t know you had nowhere to go either… I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok. I stayed with the other witches until I was too old to protect you with them… I am not allowed to ask anything of you. I serve or I die.” She mumbled.

“Saffron Coven tried to curse you, but we intercepted it…. Some of the pure blooded covens are against you taking over, but you’ll have to go in person to legally stop them.” Said Agatha. I wasn’t surprised… but now I understood why the dragon scale probably went inside the amulet. It was magic starved… Penny was a physical representation of its health.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more use to you Master.” She said quietly, but this didn’t sit right with me.

“Alpha’s fine. You have my permission… and I would like reminders of your feeding schedule…. Also, I’m giving you the guest apartment under mine.” I said it more confidently than I’d actually felt. ‘Reminders of her feeding schedule’ was a command. If I told her the way I wanted to, she’d have probably been unable to accept just telling me.

She was about to say something, but I grabbed her hand, feeling drained, but she looked in her late twenties now. It was slow at first, but in a few seconds I felt like I’d trained all day, and she looked rejuvenated. “Thank you Alpha.” She said quietly, and I patted Autumn’s chair for her to sit. She looked a breath away from passing out… but now her skin had a golden sheen. She had gold dragon scales for skin.

“No one gives you an instruction manual for this stuff… but I swear I will read every text left to me to keep this from happening again…” I swore that to her, but she didn’t seem to be able to reciprocate anything. She’d fallen asleep, and Agatha was still upset.

“You feel so much like a witch I forgot you weren’t… sorry for speaking out of term sir.” She apologized, and I looked at the old woman. She blinked, so did the oldest one.

“So they’re going to just delete our memories?” asked the teen boy. He broke the spell Agatha placed on them, no longer stuck temporarily in time.

“For you… you’re already resistant… but maybe for the rest I can help them Alpha.” Said Agatha. “We can’t let you guys go as you are.”

Another witch came in the room. She had tree bark skin and green hair, but I think that was an additional form.

“I’ve come to help… though I don’t know how much since the old one is pretending.” She sneered, but the old woman smiled.

“I didn’t think it wise to interrupt…. Can I at least say goodbye to the little ones?” She asked, but the older witch immediately denied her.

“If I break the spell, they may become immune…. And as it is I don’t know what Master will rule on the boy.”

“So be it then. I surrendered because I saw the hatred in that dragon’s eyes… they saw all the devastation. There’s nothing left to go back to, and I have no real means to care for them. I’ll be 95 next year, at best I could probably squeeze out a few more years since hunters live ever so slightly longer, but I doubt it… that kind of thing is rare…”

“You smell sick.” I blurted.

“I’m just old.” She corrected. “You don’t age, or get sick… your people amass wealth fathoms beyond what one man can do in one lifetime… You could be two thousand, or in your twenties. For you… you have time…. please use it with compassion.” She said sadly. I got up and rummaged around in my desk until I found some handcuff keys. I unlocked her so she could hug her grandchildren. She gave them kisses and told each of them that she loved them.

This was the reason I treated Autumn so coldly… I just hoped she would forgive me.

One by one, Agatha chanted a spell starting with the oldest, as he needed more magic to remove their memories of this place. she couldn’t make him forget his past, but she could keep our location secure. After each child glowed slightly green, she magically put them to sleep. There was a small fear that wafted in the air, as they could see what was happening, but they didn’t understand.

Agatha seemed unphased, as she felt she was doing them a mercy. She was. To my understanding, she removed hunter’s knowledge from them, as well as locations and dates. Anyone under 7 could be adopted without issue, but for the 14 year old, I was now supposed to do something with him. He and Mrs. Smith were resistant, as their Hunter’s blood was strong enough to fight such a permanent spell… shit.

I let the little ones sleep on the floor of my office. “What will you do with the boy?” Asked Agatha, not bothering to do anything to the youngest except block his abilities. He was only about 2, so there was no reason to take her memories, he’d forget them on her own.

“I won’t kill children, even though by law I am supposed to. Your father and friends broke the treaty’s laws, but you are not your fathers.”

“The fear is that one day you will be.” Mrs. Smith chimed in. Her and the preteen were the only ones awake. The two small boys were knocked out and drooling.

“This is all that stupid dragon’s fault… he killed my family.” Growled the boy.

“He would have left you all alone if the adults wouldn’t have put his son in the hospital. He saw your pack as a threat after that.” I told him, knowing that with his human rationality he wouldn’t care.

“I don’t care! Everyone I know is gone!” He began crying, wiping away hot tears. I got up and hugged the kid. It made Mrs. Smith nervous, because I could only assume she thought I’d snap the kid’s neck. His scent alerted instincts, but they were easy enough to fight.

“I know it hurts… I know how it feels to lose good family to bad people.” I kneeled to their eye levels, though he was the only one awake. “The problem is… is that as good as they were to you, they were bad to everyone else. As it stands, I am supposed to put you down. But… I have an idea if you’re willing to work with me. Would you like to go with Mrs. Smith with your other brothers?”

“Lord Gray! If Reginald or King Sai-” I cut off the tree skinned witch.

“I KNOW he will kill me proper, if I can even since I’m Already Dead. You have to promise off hunting, or I truly will have to kill you. I really… really don’t want to have to do that though.”

“I’ll make sure they behave.” Said Mrs. Smith.

“I’ll send Tim to arrange a schedule at Granny’s Best to make sure of that.”

-----Autumn-----

How DARE he! How dare he send me away like that!

“Put Me DOWN!” I commanded once we got on the elevator, and he looked at me coldly, Yanking me to the stairs instead.

“I do what Alpha Asks mortal. I don’t see how he puts up with you….” he held his ear. He wasn’t as big as Oliver, but I wasn’t as strong as he was.

“You will show your Luna respect.” I demanded, and he glared at me. I kept stumbling because he refused to slow down…

“You will adjust your tone.” He sneered. “I am no pack of yours; I am Warrior Franz of EbonyMoon; Alpha Damian is sick of Maximus and his little games.” He chuckled.

“Wait… you’re a spy, aren’t you?” I asked, and he stopped and smiled. I felt something cold press into my side.

“You won’t make a fuss, or I pull the trigger.” He whispered… and I had no choice but to follow. What was he going to do to me and where was he taking me? I tried thinking of a way out of this. … what would he want with me?