Turquoise Charm

A Worthy Surprise

She was forever

unexpected

and I was drunk

on that

about her.

- Atticus

"Someone's here to meet us?" Sarah wondered out loud.

"Do you think it's the Alpha?" Syn whispered to Cassie.

"Let's go in and find out." Joan rolled her eyes.

The girls went in, following close behind Elora. They paused their steps almost simultaneously on seeing the "one waiting for them".

"Uhh, hi?!" He stood up with a nervous smile. He had his eyes trained on the girl in green.

All of a sudden he felt his breath being knocked out. To say that he was surprised at her reaction would have been the understatement of the year. He recovered fast enough to hold her close and return the hug.

"I missed you, Liam."

"I missed you too, my little red."

"Oh, please. I can't handle all this public display of affection. Somebody rescue me." Cassie wailed with a stupid, happy smile on her face.

"Will I do?" a husky voice came from top of the staircase.

"You too?" Syn spoke with words laced with disbelief.

"Hey kiddo." He came down and picked her up to give her a bear hug.

"Don't call me that." She grumpled while hugging him back.

"You are the baby." He shrugged.

"I'm not. We're equal." Syn gave him a death stare.

"Not again. We've had more than fair share of this argument. Could you two zip it?" Sarah interrupted the duo who was clearly gearing up to have a full blown argument.

"Yes, mama." Syn and the young man answered in unison.

"Their synchronisation is truly annoying." Sarah complained.

"I feel you sista, I feel you." Cassie gave her a sympathetic smile.

Syn made a face at them by putting her tongue out and turned to the young man. He was taller than her, almost 6' feet. He had thick dark brown hair, long enough to be tied into a bun at the top of his head. His eyes were identical to Syn's and they now twinkled with affection.

"So what brings you here?" Syn started the interrogation session. "Clearly those two are going to be too busy having the "eyes to eyes" conversation to answer our questions." She made it sound like a complaint but her eyes and lips were showing the signs of joy.

Elora who was watching this byplay from the sides had a wide smile on her face. "Let's talk while we eat. Come into the dining room. Or else the scones are going to cool down." They agreed whole-heartedly and entered the dining room. They were unaware of a dangerous gaze burning with fury, following their actions.

---------------------------------

"You are a wonder, Elora. These scones are the best I've tasted in my life." Syn managed to say in between the bites.

"Why, thank you!" Elora beamed.

"And here I was under the delusion that she wanted to know why we showed up at Rauland just a day after they arrived." Tobias shook his head at his twin.

"Huh!? As if you could ever measure upto delicious food in her heart." Sarah scoffed. Others were literally in pain trying to hold in their laughter.

"Enough chit chat, my people. The scones are finished. Now, give us an explanation." Syn looked at her Twin.

" Well, someone got stinking drunk and started wailing. It went on like, 'I shouldn't have raged at her. I shouldn't have brought up break up issue with her. I don't deserve her. Oh, I love her. She loves me too. But I miss her.' So on." Tobias explained the situation while perfectly imitating his best friend. Liam's cheeks were bright red in embarrassment. He shrugged indicating that him missing his dearest fiance was normal. "So I proceeded to book the earliest flight to Rauland. I couldn't let him come alone. He was clearly seduced by the alcohol to such an extent that he couldn't walk straight."

"But the coven...." Syn started to say something.

"Don't worry, Tammy. Mother said it's alright. To be honest, I think she was glad to let me come here. She worries about you." Tobias reassured her in a soft voice. She sighed.

Joan was shook to the core knowing that Liam, who had never even attempted to touch alcohol in his whole life, got drunk because of her. She stared at him with a complicated expression. "I'm so..." She was interrupted by Liam's finger on her lips.

"Don't apologise. It's my fault and I'm man enough to admit it. I knew how much you care about your friends. And I knew why you were needed here. I knew why you couldn't refuse. I'm sorry sweetheart. I let my anger and the fear of losing you get into my head. Never again." Liam explained in a small voice and brought his forehead close to hers.

Everyone else was trying not to break their sweet moment of reunion. But they couldn't help but talk among themselves. "Listen up, my ladies and gentleman. I want a man like our Liam over here. Someone who has guts enough to admit his mistakes and apologize without any hesitation. Someone who is not ashamed to cry. Someone who'll cross the seas and oceans to see me." Sarah announced in mock seriousness. " And if it seems like I'm falling for some scumbag, you are bestowed with all the rights to pull me away." She finished with a dramatic pose.

"Roger that." Syn, Cassie and Jo replied immediately. The men raised their mugs of hot chocolate in agreement. A moment of silence hung in the room. In the next moment, the room was filled with lively laughter.

---------------------------------

Elora who had left them to their own private reunion was smiling at her husband on hearing the happy laughter of the young.

"I wish this could last." Logan sighed.

"Me too. But we'll have to face the reality sooner or later. The addition of two extremely talented wizards will surely turn the odds in our favour. But I'm afraid for Fleur. Could she afford to let more people come to our aid when she is facing a crisis as well?" Elora disclosed her worries.

"Have faith in her, min lille spion. She's not the most powerful witch of all time for nothing. She must have some alternate plan." Logan sounded confident.

"I hope so. But I suspect it was her concern for her daughter which drove her to give permission to the lads. And also the fact that Liam was missing his fiance." She chuckled.

"Of course." Logan laughed out loud. "Where do you think is our son?" He asked out of blue.

"With Lorenzo and others. Lorenzo just mind linked me. They have some pack business to take care of." Elora replied and shared an enigmatic look with her husband.

--------------------------------

"Tammy, let's have a talk." Tobias used their telepathic power to communicate with her. Syn nodded discretely and followed him out of the back door of the pack house.

"How could you let her convince you to come out here?" Syn voiced out in irritation.

"The final decision is hers to make, not to mention the fact that she's our mother. I think she's expecting us to wrap up the trouble here as soon as possible and return home. Have you had a meeting with the Alpha yet? We have to know the details and set up a plan. However vague it maybe." Tobias explained in a calm and collected voice.

"I know, Tobbs. But it's been just a day since we arrived. It didn't seem polite to outright ask them to give us the details of the enemy and the problems they face, not when they are trying their best to make us feel welcome. I don't want them to feel as if we consider this mission a burden. To answer your question, nop. I haven't seen him yet. He was at the pack borders, supposedly. Gathering info maybe. " Syn elaborated.

"I'll set up a meeting with him. Meanwhile, may I gather that you are kind and sweet enough to help me to fill out the necessary forms from the University?" Tobias probed with an innocent smile.

"What do you offer, my sweet twin?" Syn gazed at him with calculative eyes.

"You glutton!" Tobias sighed. "Fine!! Whatever you want to have for two days."

"Aah....now you are talking." Syn threw up her hands in glee.

"Don't tell them that we are siblings at University." Tobias shuddered with mock horror.

Syn sneered at him and proceeded into the Alpha house. Tobias followed suit, but not before placing a few more protection spells around the house.

-----------------------------

At night:

"I wish I could take you back with us when we return, Elora. You are a treasure." Syn enthused after downing a large plate of chicken pasta with a touch of cheese. "The flavour just bursts in my mouth and I drown in a pool of pure ecstasy." Syn had a blissful expression on her face after taking the first bite of the cheesecake that posed as the dessert.

"No stealing my mate, young lady." Logan warned with a playful smile.

"Alas! Your words generate grief in my heart, Monsieur." Syn wailed.

"This drama queen!" Jo shook her head.

"May I know when the Alpha will be available to have a chat?" Tobias asked Logan.

"I'm sorry, Tobias. I know his marked disappearance is indeed a bit rude. But he was needed at the borders." Logan paused and let out a weary breath. "There's been casualties." He informed them.

"What?" A shocked chorus rang out in the room.

"Why wasn't the pack informed, Papa?" Aurora asked in a distressed voice.

"Alpha is suppressing the link and pain. They'll live. Don't worry. It's just that they are injured so heavily and with vanadium to top that. It's fatal than silver. They are trying to drain it out of them." Logan explained.

"That's pure stupidity." Joan sounded outraged.

"We have no other options." Logan looked defeated.

"I can help. I'm a healer." Jo volunteered. "Let me go to them. I can surely do a better job than draining their blood to let out the vanadium." Joan declared in a strong voice.

"I'll go with her. I should be able to protect her well." Liam piped up.

"But the borders are dangerous. You may..." Elora started to protest.

"We came here to lend a helping hand. Let Joan do this." Syn said in a voice that brook no arguments.

Elora gave a resigned smile. "Go ahead, then. Stay safe."

"Please wear thick clothes, I'll personally take you there. Aurora, let your brother know that we are coming. Give a call to Lorenzo. They have closed the mind links due to the extra effort that is spend on keeping them alive."

"Yes, papa. On it."

Joan and Liam rushed upstairs to wear warmer clothes and collect Joan's medical bag. It was a small square leather bag that could be attached at the waist. It was an enchanted bag, a graduation gift from Fleur herself to Joan. It had several compartments, filled to the brim with rare medicinal herbs. Joan was born into a long standing family of healers. It was a hereditary position. The reason being that they had their own magic. The sort that helped them heal the sick and injured. Healers were treasured to such an extent that Jo had felt uncomfortable very often. She was a down-to-earth girl.

The duo returned soon and got into the Audi A4 Allroad Quattro of Logan. After hurried good byes they set off to the borders.

"Well, that was so sudden." Cassie remarked.

"Yes. But that brings us back to the elephant in the room. Elora, you were the Luna. And now, the Alpha's mother. Surely you know about the situation. We wish you would share it with us." Tobias turned to the former Luna.

"Oh yes. I will tell you. We didn't want you all to be burdened with all this as soon as you arrived. But I guess it's high time you knew the details."

" The disturbance at the borders started almost six months ago. It was something we expected to happen. Because the whole werewolf community was facing troubles from an unknown foe. The packs were subjected to sudden attacks followed by aquisition. Many innocents were slaughtered in cold blood. At first these incidents were isolated occurings. But then the frequency rose up sharply. The werewolf council called for a meeting and the most powerful Alphas gathered together after almost one and half centuries. The anonymity of the enemy had a greater impact than one could imagine. Nobody knew what they were against, who they were against. The attacks were carried out by werewolves, but they seemed different somehow."

"Different?" Syn tilted her head to the side, filled with curiosity.

"I don't know the details. No survivers do. It was like their memories were somehow erased or distorted. Therefore we couldn't get the required info. All we know is that those werewolves are brutal to the core. They could withstand more injuries than a normal one. The attack on us was actually a blessing in disguise. Since we were prepared, the casualties were very minimum. And it seemed like they changed their strategy of instant kill. Afterall, we have the strongest Alpha of the past five centuries." Elora said.

"But our defences were wearing thin. That's why I decided to seek your mother's help. Having magic on our side will definitely let us have an edge over them." Elora concluded.

"What about the mastermind behind this? Were you unable to collect even an inkling about this person? What about the rumours?" Syn wondered out loud.

"Dead men tell no tales." Elora said in a quiet voice.

An ominous silence hung in the room.

Suddenly Aurora spoke up. "Well, there is something I heard brother discuss with Lorenzo. He hasn't disclosed this with anyone else because the doubts and conclusions are very vague. I accidentally came across their conversation. They seemed to talking about some Rock Alpha."

"Oh, Moon Goddess!! Elora exclaimed with distress. "Let the enemy be anyone but him!!"

"Why!?"

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