Marked

01

Chapter One

In which a wolf visited a witch.

Third Person’s Point of View

Through the outskirt of the town lies the city of mages.

In the naked eye scope, one would see the place as something that is deserted land, clearly long forgotten of the same people who had once lived here. The place almost seemed beautiful but haunted, the very reason why most humans would travel all around the world to see it, gathering tourists to a world that was unknown to them. 

Humans are always interested in the paranormal and see them as something that was plausible. Fearing the unknown had always given them thrill, one that paranormals do not understand. Humans only see the tip of their world. If they would see more horrors about the creatures they fear so much, they would not romanticize it too much. 

Some people might come here to humor someone while others were long time fanatics who had served a tremendous time on the internet searching about the place. No matter which category they choose, there will always be one end: everyone would be leaving with witches' interest.

It is a normal practice in the place, binding everyone who had walked inside.

While everyone could enter the place if they wanted to, only a limited number of people or paranormals were ever aware of how the mages could be of your service. Houses and small businesses were gathered around the small town, but as some scoffed about the idea of witches and others who were looking around for signs—they grew more invisible to people.

“Excuse me.” A small woman muttered as she walked to a counter. Someone who seemed to age at the same level as she walked to her and smiled. Before she could offer the menu, the woman was quick to reply. “I needed one tall cavani drink with a pump of strawberry and four shots of vanilla.”

The woman frowned, surprised with the order as she was aware of what it entails. “Would that be iced or hot?”

“Frappe.” She replied.

Despite her surprise at the orders, the server found herself nodding before showing the cup to her. “Do you want it served in this cup or take-away?”

“Tall glass, one that is transparent, which will let me see the levels of my drink clearly.”

The server nodded before pointing her in the right direction. Upon reaching the room that was offered to her, she had opened the door and wait for a couple of seconds before it changed the scenario—finally making her see the true version of this world.

Despite the structures and rich in history that it had upfront to the people, it is still nothing but nature, which only bounded anyone who had entered to see it as a perspective of beauty that they think it would show. In reality, it was nothing but forces of life, and all the people who are serving them are nothing but fairies and people from nature.

She frowned. “Does the Mage of Fire know this is being functioned?”

“What do you want, child?” The witch then asked, clearly not interested to who is before her. It took the witch some time to gathering herself to look at the one who had gained access to her place.

Standing before her was a wolf, with hair reaching to the length of her shoulders and the face of someone who looked very young and beautiful. To humans, she would be having men grovel at her feet and pronounce their love. However, she was well aware that this wolf had not ventured into their land for beauty or some spell.

She wanted to achieve something.

Looking at her bodice, she saw a seal from the palace. It was nothing of a surprise that someone would be looking for her now that the year in which the reaping would happen was drawing near. Even if she was someone connected to the palace and had signed an oath to be loyal to the King, the current man sitting on the throne was sentenced to be the most influential of all. 

Every she-wolf would be fighting for his honor. 

A small smirk escaped her lips. No matter how these wolf praises to their leaders, some were always too intense with their affections. Werewolves are different breed, one that is different than all. Their need to have their affections granted is like a personality trait. 

“Are you here to know about how the reaping will be going by this year?” 

“Yes.” The wolf easily replied, not really interested in delaying this further.

The mage never got any wolf that had come to her for the reaping. No one ever does anything this risque. For someone to walk in the witches' land to know what she needed to in order to win was very dangerous to do. Paranormal knew better that if they were asking something from a witch, it would come back to them at such a high price. Power is something that is very dangerous to work it —for if this woman had a cheat sheet in being a Queen, she would gain something that is not meant for her.

The witch grimaced, vexed at her audacity to talk such things that could get her killed. “We do not meddle with things in relation to the King of the Wolves, same with any other realm. All their services will be out of our range, little lady. I think you’re here for war, and I do not condone it.”

“The Alpha King adores me.” says the she-wolf.

She raised a brow, wanting to laugh at such high and prideful words. “He clearly did not feel any affection towards you if you are here and willing to beg me to get the answers that you needed.”

Rollia bites her tongue, knowing the witches are intelligent breeds —especially them, witches that are old enough for her and everyone else. She could not offer gold or diamond as they rarely care about possession. 

But Rollia wanted to be in the place where Blayze would be seated.

She wanted to be his Queen.

“Someone will get it from another witch, anyway.” She replied.

The witch was amused, for she knows that this was impossible. She was the only one who can hold such information, and no other witch is allowed to see what she does. Before she could bark any snarly remark to such foolish words, there was a pause from the witch. It took her a moment to frown as the future flash before her eyes. Rollia was not aware of what was happening, only looking at the woman who seemed to be thinking about what she should offer.

As soon as the future had settled, she had put the coffee back on the table and looked at the one who she had failed to identify. There are always people who looked serene, one that seemed too nice. She could not believe that she had not guessed that this wolf was dangerous. For the years that people had claimed power, this seemed to be something that she did not see coming.

Why is the younger generation more dangerous than them?

Then again—does she have a choice?

It was foretold.

“Sit down, child.” She said, surprising the wolf.

Rollia easily did as she was told and sat on the chair next to the witch. It was terrifying for her to look this woman in the eyes and see what she is capable of doing if this was not given. To how people could have something like this power in their hands does not scare her, but it gives her worry about how evil people are more dangerous than they should be.

“You wanted to know what would happen in the reaping?” She asked.

With full interest and what seems like her tail wagging behind her, Rollia agreed. “I needed to know what I needed to do in order to win that crown.”

From her words alone, the witch did her best to hide the disappointment that followed her brain. Seeing the future mold into reality had always been painful and sad. Like she had seen, it was impossible that this was happening... but then again, that family had always been special than most. They had won through the crown even if Jace was not supposed to. 

It was how the universe had aligned itself for King Jace.

Despite how Jace was supposed to be cursed from the second he took the throne, his wife was already aware that they were mates and was bounded with the pull. It was the very reason why Blayze, who will be their successor, was bound to have a mate. He is more powerful than any of the past Kings who had lived before him. 

“There will be no reaping.” She announced.    

Rollia lost the smile that gathered in her face, almost confused at such words. “What do you mean? There will always be reaping.”

“Not this time, poor child.” The witch states as she seemed not willing to share such information. She knows that she was not the only one who would be aware of this. “Blayze Hawthrone has a mate. Therefore, he did not need to have to reap for his wife.”

“That’s impossible!” She screamed, pushing herself up from where she was seated.

“Do you oppose me, child?” The witch questioned, looking at her right in the eyes as her blue eyes wavered before her, making her aware that she was angering the witch.

Rollia grumbled, sitting back down. As far as she was aware, there was no king seated on a throne that has a mate. For 500 years, no king had sat on that throne with a mate in hand.

Nobody has that power.

The witch only watched her struggle, already knowing what her future words will become. Despite her sisters seeing it unfair that she had the power to see the future, the mage had always hated this ability. For it was nothing but a curse, and it only seemed majestic when you needed it.

But her power does not come that way.

All her visions were all too sudden.

She can see the future that is hard to accept, something she wanted to change, and those who will end everyone. But she can never change it; all she can do is channel it to people to who that future belonged and choose the path they wanted to have.

Her words could not tell what their future entails, but only some particles that they needed. She could see horrors of what people have done with just passing a glance by them, and it terrifies her to see how gentle people are more destructive than those who pose a threat.

“Who will be his mate?” Rollia asked something she had known she would.

Wanting to give her a chance to align her choice, the witch asked. “And what would you do with that information?”

“I will kill her.” She replied, not even hesitating.

Then again, there are these people that can never do their best to align their mistakes. The woman before her was beautiful, and there is no second guess that she will be a great leader, but she’s looking at the wrong pack. Already knowing that she had little to no choice but to follow through with what was given to her, she sighed.

“You cannot kill her.”

Rollia frowned. “Who said?”

The universe. 

“Blayze knew that he has a mate. If you kill her, there is no guarantee that the reaping would happen. He will end up being without a mate if ever the chances go in your way.”

That was a lie.

Blayze was not aware that he has a mate, so she needed to fix that lie before this woman would be nothing but an i***t actually to do what she was foretold to do. She could see the winds working on the woman as she struggled, not knowing how she could be able to phrase her words.

“Then, I will make him believe that we are mates.” 

She rolled her eyes. “In what way can you achieve that?”

There is one way, and it seemed like she was aware of that. To how this woman—who clearly knows no magic was aware of that seemed to have pushed some warnings in her mind.

Not only that, but how did a wolf know how she could be contacted?    

She had ordered a code that was special, and it states that she wanted to offer something for me in order for some information. Not a lot of people knew that code, but the witch could see that there was no struggle in her words.

This woman knew where she was going and what she needed to say.

How can that be possible?

“That is my problem,” Rollia replied as she looked at the witch. “Now, where is this woman who is supposed to be the Queen?”

She raised a brow. Haste and anger seemed to control the wolf. This was always dangerous in her kind, but the witch knew that if this wolf ever tried to harm her, there are creatures that could take care of this. “I cannot give you what you want until you offered the needed sacrifice for that information.”

“What do you want?”

The witch looked at her, seeking something specific until he stopped in her necklace. It was jade, and she knew that she could not take that—she will need to take what she could not have after this, not to save her but the people she will be hurting and having to struggle after this.

“I need two things from you.” She replied.

“What?” Rollia screamed.

The witch raised a brow. “My door is open for you to leave.”

“Fine!”

“Good.” She nodded, handing her hand as she pointed to the necklace that was strapped in her neck. “I needed that necklace… and your rejection to your mate.”

Rollia frowned, her wolf growing silent from inside of her. Her voice seemed weak as she asked with a confused face. “What?”

“Oh. Are you having seconds thoughts knowing that you have a mate, dear?”

“No.” She replied, too immediate that she did not have a time to think it through.

Before the witch could press more damage to her determination, the woman tugged her necklace off her neck and gave it willingly. Knowing that she will be rejecting the man that was made for her seemed to be a struggle until she remembers the power and the love that she will have from Blayze.

Yes.

The man is enough.

“What do I need to do in order to reject my mate?” She asked.

The witch smirked. “You already did.” her hand raised the necklace. “by simply handing me this piece, you gave your right to having a mate.”

Amusement crept to the witch as the wolf seemed to be weak than ever. While it was tempting to let her aware who she had rejected, it did not do any change. Rollia does not realize what she had sacrificed for a power that she could not have—even if the mage needed to feel apologetic, a part of her could not feel remorse upon knowing the danger that this young wolf will do to their realm.

“As for your information.” She said, gathering the attention of the female. Her attentiveness grew half hearted now. Whether it was because of the wolf or her doubts, the mage did not seem to press further. “It comes with a big risk. Are you willing to do it?”

“Yes.” Rollia replied, even nodding her head to emphasize her willingness.

She had already rejected her mate, what could have been more risk than that? 

“Good.” The witch muttered, trapping the necklace into a jar. “Because I do not offer a refund, my dear. I hope you made the right decision in your lifeline.”

Rollia nodded whilst looking at the sealed necklace with such longing.