Thirty three

DAVID

Pulling off a chill demeanor was near impossible but I did my best to conceal any cracks in my act. I certainly could not let them know. Telling Elder Quentin would mean Satake would get to know, then all things were sure to go to hell then. The Alphas of the Crow pack did not know I existed and that was a good thing because who knew what would have become of me. I needed to keep things that way. If the Primrose elder knew, Jason would hear of it. The man was frightened of Jason and the reason beat me because Elder Quentin was an old one. He knew tremendous spells. They could not be as great as the ones my family had gathered over the years but he had experience and powers beyond my imagination. I believed if the elder wanted to, he, along with the other court elders could wage a war against the high and mighty werewolves. There would be casualties but the witch kind would have victory. I was certain of it.

"Thank you," Satake said, intruding on my train of thoughts. I stopped as we reached the non-descript front door, I could feel the nerves I’d managed to squash earlier resurface. I despised looking into that man's face. As much as I did not want to admit it, Satake Crow did things to me. Things I could kill to get out of my mind. It was almost a blessing he was not human or a witch. But he was not a werewolf either. I felt a shudder dance through my spine upon remembering that Satake was a relic. I turned to him and so did Elder Quentin, just to hear him out.

"For what?" I probed. I know. The snobbish bitchy attitude I gave Satake every time he spoke was beginning to piss me off too but there was nothing I could do. Being cold and distant, if that was even what I was doing, was the only way for me to cope. The last thing I wanted was to blurt out something incriminating accidentally.

Satake sighed. "For helping me out. I know you bunch aren't too happy with the way we werewolves are running things. So yeah, thank you for helping out."

I wondered if this was all an elaborate act for him too. Surely, he could be in the dark. With that kind of power pumping out of his very essence, Satake had to know he wasn't a werewolf. There was a dangerous urge for me to just blurt it out. I wanted him to know that I knew his secret but that also meant putting him at risk. As if he could go through this length to keep himself a secret, he had to be hiding from something dangerous. Instead of submitting to my selfish nature, I managed to flash Satake a warm smile. We slowly turned to go out the way when Satake spoke for the second time.

"I also wanted to apologize. For real this time. Whatever I said or how I acted in there is no excuse for being such a dick head. I am aware that not everyone is the same and that goes for witches and no matter how difficult I have had it, you guys are not that person. I'm sorry."

Red welts formed on my cheeks for the most prosperous reason; I got the hots because Satake apologized. The bar was so low. I think he noticed because there was a sly curve in his lips when I looked into his eyes. It was almost like he knew the effect he had on me and he seemed to enjoy every moment of it.

"I'm glad you are seeing the error of your ways. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks after all."

He smiled at my bland joke but it only lasted for a split second. Again, his gaze turned cold and he whispered, "If you do find that witch, I need you to inform me. Whoever they might be, they have to pay."

"Of course," I assured Satake.

Satake gave a grateful nod and stepped back to shut the door. Then, it was just me and Elder Quentin again. As we walked down the halls that led to the elevator, I found Elder Quentin staring. The man had questions but he did not know how to go about them or perhaps he worried that the werewolf's hearing might be too dangerous for the conversation he wanted to have with me.

"So what transpired while you were in that girl's mind?" Elder Quentin finally spoke once we entered the lift.

"It was Candice alright," I answered, avoiding his gaze completely.

"That was not the question David. You came back screaming and that is not normal. Did you really exorcise your sister?" Something about the way he said it, with an air of danger, sent shivers down my spine. Whatever look I gave him seemed to cement his suspicions. He grabbed unto me and pulled me close, staring into my eyes like he could touch my soul. "David, tell me you exorcised that bitch?"

I swallowed. The words Candice had whispered into my ears began to echo. If I wanted peace, whether it be a fragile simulation of it, I had to lie. "Of course," I retorted, shrugging the Elder's calloused hands off my shoulders. "I exorcised her. What's with the interrogation?"

"The way you came back." The warlock answered. "David, I saw fear in your eyes. It might have been years since we had a conversation but I dare say I know you enough to know that you would have come back to this plane a smug and arrogant man. What scared you so much, David?"

"I..." I began my sentence but I could not finish it. I wanted to trust Elder Quentin but with his reputation in the supernatural society and Candice being Candice, I knew the truth was not an option. So I settled for the easy way out. "Candice stabbed me as I exorcised her. If I didn't get out of that girl's mind as quickly as I could, I could have died." It was a blatant lie but it was a believable one.

Why?"

"Because she did not hesitate to stab me to save her skin," I answered. "It's almost impossible for me to still picture my sister as the villain but there it was. Candice choosing herself over me."

"You did well." Elder Quentin patted me on the back in a vain attempt to pacify me for making the right call.

I gave a long sigh. Now I was in this fight alone.

***

OLAMIDE

As quickly as she came, Candice disappeared. I believed it had something to do with the footsteps swiftly approaching me. I looked up and saw Satake. He stood there for a while, unsure of how to strike a conversation with me considering all that happened. While he had a mental battle in his head on whether or not to talk to me, I took the opportunity to hide the torn pages beneath the sheets.

"How are you holding up?" He asked me, still maintaining a fair distance between us.

"I'm great," I assured him for the second time. Perhaps even the third. I didn't know him from Adam so the fact that he was concerned about me was beginning to choke me. I did have a lingering suspicion that he was doing it out of fear. I could be wrong but I highly doubted it.

"That's good to hear," He continued, this time, he slowly made his way to my side. "I do have to ask you for a favor and I hope it will not be a hassle for you."

"Of course, shoot."

"Can you maybe not tell Jason about what transpired tonight?"

I looked at him, surprised. It was very specific and I could not help but wonder why he wanted to keep Jason in the dark. I was fairly certain that this was not something that Axel would do. My silence seemed to worry Satake.

"You know. you fainting, the witches coming over to help. It would do us both no good if this gets to Jason or Devin's ears."

"Why?" I had to ask.

"A witch was responsible for the almost extinction of our pack when his parents were still Alpha and Luna. If it gets to his ears that his mate almost suffered a similar fate, Jason could go berserk once again."

I hated that the subject matter interested me so much. Of course, I intended to keep the awakening of Candice Blossom a secret. He obviously had bad blood with the witch and I absolutely refused to be dragged into it. Plus, I was already hiding the fact that I could read the mind of his arch-nemesis. Satake did not need to beg me for that to happen but the words Satake just spoke caught my interest in ways that terrified me. I knew next to nothing about Jason while he was so close to knowing everything there was to know about me, I needed to tip the scale.

"What happened?"

Satake sighed. "I'm not really supposed to talk about it."

"If I am going to be doing Something awful like keeping secrets, I believe I need to know why."

"Gosh, you are so difficult!" The man muttered between gritted teeth. "Okay, I'll tell you but again, this has to be our little secret. Jason would kill me if he knew."

"I promise." I winked then I pat a side of the bed, steering him to come over and have a seat. Satake obliged. The bed sank under his weight as he made himself comfortable and began talking.

"Sixteen years ago, a nefarious shadow organization known as the order of Silverlaws attacked our pack. Their reason? They did not like the way Jason's father, the late Alpha Lucius did things. You see Jason's father wanted to amalgamate the packs in this district and for a good reason. Back then, things were rough for packs segregated in different territories. It was eat or be eaten. But Alpha Lucius could paint a bigger picture. He wanted to build a world where werewolves did not have to fight like dogs for power and resources and that was only possible if all packs were merged into one. There would be no conflict for resources or power. Of course, certain individuals feared that if this came to fruition, we would be unstoppable so they had to stop it. It was not easy, however. Jason's father was loved by many and his ideologies were supported. It was difficult for them to find a Judas. Things were going really well. Well, until they found their Judas. A witch to be specific."

"I don't understand..." I cut in. "I haven't seen a witch around since I arrived until today and from what I can tell, your kind and their kind don't seem that close. How could a witch have caused your downfall then?"

"You would know. If you just let me finish." Satake chastised much to my chagrin but I was so curious to hear the aftermath of his story that I let it slide. "The witch in question," Satake continued. "was the fated mate of Alpha Sofiane. You might know him."

I tried to process what he was telling me. Sofiane! That could only mean that the mate Satake was speaking of was Candice. The very witch I currently shared a body with.

"... Alpha Sofiane's father was good friends with Jason. So the man always had information about what Lucius was doing and where he was at. That meant people affiliated with the Hobbstone pack knew everything there was to know about Lucius. Somehow, the order bought her over and she ratted the pack out. It was brutal." Satake then paused. He rubbed his hand over his forehead like he was reliving the worst of the worst memories one could think of.

"They died?" I interjected.

"Yes. The order slaughtered everyone on their path. Children included. If our parents weren't protective, we might have shared the same fate."

As Satake continued, I realized I was right about Candice all along. Jason could not have murdered her all for anything. Candice's fate was karma at its finest. She was a murderer. Just thinking about the many children that had been slaughtered made my stomach coil. They might not have been human but they were children nonetheless. What excuse could someone have for being so cruel? I couldn't fathom a valid reason. I hated myself even more for daring to ask that voice at the back of my head why she did it. What could have been her reason for hurting so many innocent people? It had to be reasonable...right? I was wrong.

"Power," Candice whispered. "I wanted power."

A firm hand suddenly clamped down on my hands and I slowly looked up. Satake smiled at me but I could tell he was hurting more than he wanted to give away.

"So promise me Olamide," He said with glossy eyes. I felt almost guilty for existing. "Tell me you'll keep this a secret. It's going so well for him. I don't want him reopening old wounds. Not at this critical point of our lives at least."

I was going to give him a frantic yes and hug the pain out of him but I was forced to remember I could not hide anything from Jason. That accursed link we shared would make it near impossible. It was hell enough ensuring that Jason did not know I could read Alpha Sofiane's mind. Another secret was sure to be the death of me.

"I want to. I really do, Satake, but Jason is my mate. It is almost impossible to keep secrets from him. Not when he can read my thoughts. But I promise you that I will try my best."

Satake looked at me like I had just uttered greek. "You do know you can shut him out. Right?"

No. I felt the need to stress that truth once again. No, I did not freaking know.