AT NOON

2025

What in the world was going on? Who in their right senses had the guts to kidnap both Mr.woods' son and the mayor's niece? Was the person nuts? If not, the person must mean real game.

What the heck did the person want? Zayn and Hera found themselves pondering over unknown answers in silence.

Two heavily built men who had their faces shielded with a scary black masks came into the room. Beads of sweat slowly begin to form on Hera's face and she glanced over to zayn as she chew against her already pale lips.

Something in his eyes flickered as he met her gaze and she wondered if it was just in her imagination that zayn cast her a worried look and not a look of being worried about himself but someone else. That someone couldn't be her right?

The two men headed in her direction and she could feel her veins pulsing in her neck.

What was she supposed to do with her hands and legs tied up like this? She also didn't have her phone with her. She guessed they had long removed it from her back pockets. She could alone pray that tiger and Lucas found her quickly.

They held her roughly at her shoulders, raising her to her feet and she stammered.

"Wh..ere... A.re.. yo..u... Ta..king... Me... T..o?",

"lose the chains", one of the guards said instead, and the other bent to perform the order.

"Move it", one of the guards said, hitting her hard on her shoulders and she winced. They held her firmly so she couldn't do anything then led her into an inner room.

" let go of me! you crazy bastards! Who the heck are you? You crazy mother furckers! I'll kill you all!", she screamed as they effortlessly dragged her deep into the torture room and she could feel her eyes get misty from the horror of what might happen to her.

She found her eyes taking a glimpse at zayn. He was inhaling noisily through pursed lips as he struggled to shake off the chains on his body. He stopped, once his eyes found hers and she could decipher his expression.

It was pain-, the pain of being completely useless.

***

Inside the room, she was placed on a hot iron chair and each time she was asked a question and she hesitated. They would regulate the hotness with a remote.

"Where did you keep the dust chain?", they asked for like the hundredth, and Hera's brows rose and pulled together.

" My answer remains the same. I've never heard of it so I don't have it and I can't help you-"

She was cut by the remote regulator and she screamed feeling the heat sipping into her skin.

"I'll ask you for the last time", he uttered in a threatening voice and she cursed at him.

" d**k, you creep. I said I have no idea, so go tell your crappy master how stupid he is for", she was cut by a slap that had the power to wipe her memory away, if possible and she grimaced in pain.

"Who are you to talk about our master like that? I'll teach you a good lesson today", the guy with the remote uttered as he increased the hotness to the highest point and hera screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling the heat destroying her structure.

" Ah... Make it stop!", she screamed, prominent lines forming between her eyebrows, and the other guard instantly snatched the remote from his mate's hands.

He turned the iron chair off. His nostrils flared at his mate, "he said we shouldn't harm her", he reminded.

"what have you done? You know what master would do to you if he finds out what you have done. I suggest you kill yourself now", Hera heard their voices like light echoes ricocheting into her ears.

The floor swayed beneath her and the last thing she saw before the darkness consumed her completely was a man aiming his gun at his own head. At the echoing sound of the bullets, her lids closed.

***

1919

There was of heaviness in the air, the wind whipped against their hair and clothes. The loud claps of the thunder signified the turning of the sunny season to a familiar cold, dull and rainy weather.

Luther Vodrak, the vamp-lord was standing beside his best friend, Silas at the monthly supernatural gathering.

The last time they had this meeting, everyone seemed to have much more cheerfulness in their eyes but today, they seemed to be the exact opposite.

In front of them were the witches and on the left-hand side were the wolves. Luther's eyes fell on Roman, the leader of his pack who was standing alone in today's gathering.

That was weird. He always brought shadow or hunter along, just in case things got ugly.

"Good to see your faces again, it's been a long time since we've crossed paths. Don't you think?",Luther uttered as he soaked his fingers into his pockets and roman chuckled while sage and Neville cast him an ice glare that told him they meant business.

"I wish I could say the same, luth?", Neville, the brown-eyed witch uttered in a tight-lipped smile and Luther thrust his jaw forward glancing at him with a half-lidded eyes.

" Luther vodrak, what have you been up to?", Roman asked, glancing at him with a clenched jaw and Luther frowned.

"Why exactly did you two call a sudden meeting?", he asked, jumping into the business of the day.

"well, luth. You see things. Precious artifacts have been disappearing in both our realms while nothing seems to be off in yours. It's only natural that-", sage began and Silas cut her short.

"You think we stole it"

Sage met his eyes with her lips curled, "you are very smart, Silas"

"Cut the crap, sage. We don't need your tools or his, for anything", Luther scowled, pressing his lips firmly together.

" you really love trouble. Don't you? If not, you dare tell us what you supposed we stole?",Silas uttered with a blank stare.

"The onyx diamond", Neville uttered and Luther frowned.

Onyx diamond, has the power to create and destroy witches.

" our rings are missing, including mine", Roman muttered and Luther's frown deepened while Silas stared with Wide-eyes.