I closed the door behind me as soon as I entered the house. My eyes were searching for the only person who was responsible for all of it.
I quickly sprinted in the direction of the kitchen; August’s scent was the most prominent there.
“Why did you do this to me?” I bellowed. August looked perplexed by my sudden outbreak; his face was covered in confusion. He must have noticed my swelled eyes and tear-stained cheeks because, in the next moment, he was by my side.
“What happened, Emmy?” he asked, and I knew he was purely intact from the whole situation.
“Where is Diana?” I asked instead, and he jolted back a little, hearing the anger and hatred in my voice.
“She has locked herself in her room since morning. I tried to ask her, but she only asked me to go away,” he said, and his face fell momentarily.
As soon the words were out of his mouth, I was quick on my heels and knocked on the door. August silently followed me without saying anything. He knew I was not in the mood for an argument.
“Just open the fucking door, or I will break it into two, Diana,” I warned from the other side, banging the door. I could feel her presence from the other side. I could hear her heartbeat and…the sound of her sobbing. I immediately stopped.
“Why?” I asked barely above a whisper. I could feel the bed dips, her footsteps, and I knew she was standing on the other side of the door. Only three inches away.
“I didn’t do anything,” she said, frustrated. “I didn’t see anything. They were my people too; I too share a bond with them,” she cried from the other side.
Losing the people of your pack was the worst pain you could think of. It was the second most painful feeling for a pack member—the first was losing your mate.
A long, painful silence stretched between us, and none of us spoke anything. I had told Reed to return to his pack. Diana was hurting because of his people. August was restless because his mate was upset.
“I asked him to go back,” I whispered after countless seconds went by. Suddenly I heard the sound of her shifting from the other side.
The door opened painfully slowly only to reveal Diana. Her eyes were swelled and teary, and her face was flushed.
“You did what?” she asked, finally opening the door completely. She quickly pulled me by my wrist and closed the door before August could enter inside.
He kicked the door. “Open the door, Diana.” He sounded desperate and frustrated, and I knew he was already trying hard to control his wolf.
The whole room was dark and messy. The books were scattered on the floor and bed. Numerous candles were lit at the farthest corner of the room.
Without any delay, I walked in their direction. A large circle was formed with salt and sugar on the floor, and the candles were placed on the circle's boundaries.
Inside a circle, there was a small star. Inside it was three candles and an ancient book. Diana followed me inside the room.
“They were to find who killed those warriors,” she explained and sat at the center of the circle, engaged in reading the book.
“What did you say to Reed?” she asked, not looking up from the book. I sighed. My heart tugged as I remembered his face, the hurt in his eyes. When I didn’t speak, she finally looked in my direction.
“I saw it today only…” she trailed. Now, this got my attention.
“What? The murders, or me and Reed’s fight?” I asked. My voice was a little harsher than I had meant. She looked down at her lap.
“I didn’t see the murders; it was Reed who told me about them before leaving,” she said lowly. She was frustrated, and I could relate to her with the powerless feeling. I felt the same when Reed or Diana kept things from me. She continued.
“I saw that you were crying and asked Reed to leave you alone…” She struggled again, and by now, I was losing my patience again.
“But you were not alone, there…there was someone else with you,” she said, and a knot formed in the middle of my brows.
“Who?” I asked. I was sure as hell there was no one there except Reed and me. We were alone in the forest.
“The same hooded figure. It was behind you,” she said, and I could feel her shuddering in fear along with me. I have never seen her like this. She never got scared, not from the Oracle, not from Hecate.
The dots soon connected. My eyes widened as I remembered the vision of Diana and the deaths of the warriors. Their heads were the same as mine. My blood turned cold.
“The witches have an ally.” I voiced my thoughts, and Diana nodded. She soon turned the pages of her book and started rereading it.
“What are you doing exactly?” I asked, genuinely intrigued now. Before now, we knew who we were fighting exactly. But now, we had no idea who or what we were facing. The danger was lurking outside.
“It is an ancient incantation spell. This will tell us something about it, anything related to it,” she said and started saying something in a foreign language. She looked up from her book.
“Your hands.” She signaled me to come forward.
“You freed them from the tree. Their blood is still on your hands. Let me see if you are still connected to them,” she said and took a knife from her right side before slitting my palm.
I gasped as my blood, instead of dropping down on the floor, froze on my hand, and for a second, I doubted if it had just traveled up. Wherever the drop flowed, my skin heated. A very light pinch of pain occurred before it subdued.
Diana continued reciting something, and in the next second, her eyes glowed the brightest shade of purple. They looked past me, and I knew she saw a vision. Her hands started shaking, and her whole body trembled.
“Emmy, what the hell is happening? Tell me before I break this stupid damn door,” August growled from the other side. I took the knife from her hand and threw it under the bed. My wound was already healed.
“Diana?” I put my hands on her shoulders, trying to get her back to reality. She continued speaking something, and suddenly the candles extinguished, and the book closed automatically.
Diana’s eyes went back to normal; she looked at me.
“A wolf. He is one of you,” she said before her eyes closed again, and she collapsed on the ground, lying unconscious.
The door kicked open, revealing none other than August. His eyes landed on Diana, and with speed, he was quick to hold her in his arms. He touched her face and his eyes filled with worry.
“What happened?” he asked desperately, trying to shake Diana. I could feel his heart in his mouth.
“Nothing, she was doing magic and get exhausted. She will be alright,” I said and picked the book from her hands.
“Put her on the bed,” I ordered. He carried her bridal style and rested her on the bed before turning back to me.
“For the fuck’s sake, Emmy, will you tell me what happened? Why the fuck did you come crying? Why the fuck did Diana lock herself in the room? Why was she doing magic?” He asked all the questions in one breath.
By the look on his face, I knew he wouldn’t stop until he got his answers. I sighed and looked at Diana.
“Not here. Come downstairs. And where are the folks?”
“Don’t worry about them. They have gone to the city,” he said, already on his feet to go downstairs.
I shook my head; August was stubborn, just like me.