Chapter 23
1046 Words
Bale stood on his balcony, inhaling the evening's cool breeze as he observed the Druid's yard with newfound respect. In a way, this was also his method of escaping his problems. He inhaled again, filling his lungs with this therapeutic breeze before his eyes caught something, and his face contorted into a frown.
Back in the passenger's seat of the cabriolet, Penny buried herself in Topher's arms as Jane drove loudly into the Druid's compound. She smiled to herself, delighting at the thought of the fun she had had with Topher earlier: When they'd gone swimming after their meal, for some reason Jane had left the stream, leaving the two of them alone. And as fate may have it, one thing led to another and they ended up making out. Although they weren't opportune to go all the way in, as Jane returned shortly, she was grateful she got pleasured enough. She smiled to herself again over that naughty moment, then decided to keep her attention back on the road before Bale suddenly showed up in front of them. And by sheer luck, Jane was able to match the brakes just in time. When they recovered from the shock, Jane was the first to jump out of the car.
"Hey, what were you thinking running up on us like that? I could've run you over!" she yelled at Bale, her heart still thumping furiously from the shock.
"It wouldn't hurt me" he replied her rather calmly.
"Hell, I wasn't worried about you." she retorted. "You'd survive without a scratch, but my car wouldn't. And it costs a fortune to get her fixed" she made clear to him her concern.
"I'm glad to hear that. That was an irony, but Jane what are you doing?" his face changed from calm to angry. "You know the rules here, and how the druids feel about us disregarding it. And to say that times are dangerous, yet you were still out by this time of the night. What if one of you got seriously hurt?" he scolded her.
"B-but we didn't go that far" Jane defended. "Besides, we're still on sabbatical. What could go wrong?"
"A lot." Bale snapped. "I don't know if you've heard, but something happened last night, and now I'm not sure if this sabbatical is going to last for long"
"What happened?"
"Long story short, The Council just broke in two, and now the other half is going to disregard the sabbatical and fight the reptiles, which means very bad things are about to happen."
"Oh, okay that's terrible" Jane's voice became low. "Alright, I'm sorry... " she was about to apologize before a very young druid approached Bale from behind and whispered something to him. She didn't get what the young druid said, but judging from Bale's countenance afterward, she surmised it wasn't pleasant.
"Penelope, come with me. Hendell wants to see us." Bale passed the information and shortly the two of them left afterward.
Hendell sat in his opulently furnished office, his pensive eyes gazing intently on an old photo he had in his hands. He wallowed in the nostalgia of it as the photo was a picture of him, Stephan, Harry, and his brother Noah; the merry men, they called themselves then. Despite how troubled the world was then, they made him feel alive, but with half of them mysteriously gone, he felt alone now. He stared at the picture once more, then slipped it back into his journal before Bale and Penelope entered his office.
"Make yourselves comfortable," he instructed them, then turned to go take his seat.
"Is everything alright, Hendell?" Penny asked immediately she noticed the druid's demeanor.
"I wish I could say yes, Ms. Aubrey, but the truth is, everything is not fine" Hendell confessed. "I'm even ashamed to say, that we might be needing your powers soon." he sighed, then continued. "I don't know if you've heard, but the peacekeeping is going to end sooner than expected. I wish there was time to explain everything to you, but there isn't, and we need your help."
"So what do you want me to do?" Penny folded her arms across her chest, evidently displeased.
"Right now all I want you to do is put your differences aside and let your alpha here train you, for your safety and for ours too."
"My alpha? It's funny how you just assumed I've agreed to join the Bloomfield Hills Pack or any pack at all." Penny scoffed.
"Well, considering you're still new, I know you can't be a lone wolf because it's too tough. Plus, your friends are in the Bloomfield Hills Pack, your dad used to be in it, and you and your mom live in Bloomfield Hills, so it makes more sense if you joined them too. Unless you intend on moving out, which I doubt." Hendell explained himself, but Penny was still pissed.
"Does he have to be the one to train me?" she pointed out her concern.
"Behave yourself, I don't like this idea any more than you do" Bale spoke for the first time, scolding her through gritted teeth.
"Please," Hendell apologized to Bale, then turned to Penny. "He doesn't but considering how tight things are now, we can't afford to spare you anyone other than him," he explained. "Look Penelope, I know I've already asked much, but just consider this as a marriage of convenience. A heroic act for the greater good" he reasoned with Penny, and after a few thoughts, she finally agreed to be of service.
"I guess that's all, I can leave now?" she asked rising to her feet, together with Bale.
"Yes, you can, but you stay, Bale" he answered her then shifted his gaze to Bale. None of them spoke a word until she left.
"What's the matter?" Bale was the first to speak.
"I phoned most of The Council members this morning, and I must say things are not looking good" Hendell's face creased with worry.
"What happened?"
"Some of them are already considering joining The Resistance. They think we're acting too slow. And when I spoke with Canaan, he suggested we take some DRASTIC measures."
"How drastic?" Bale enquired.
"Like, really drastic measures. The type that must involve someone dying"
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