Fated to the Enemy

6

[Roar!]

[The sound of skin tearing wetly.]

Rena's words ignited the anger of the three lycans about to pounce and finish her. Rena turned away, not wanting to watch the vile Lycan as they violently tore her body to pieces.

"STOP! WHY ARE YOU IGNORING MY ORDERS?!" Kaius is inflamed. Stop the actions of the Chaser troops who want to finish off Verena.

Kaius' charming face was bright red. "BACK OFF! ALL OF YOU!!!"

Mael and Hunter came in with a hunting breath, this intense tension smothering the air like a boulder squeezing their chest cavity. The security forces of Chaser Osiris are very reliable in battle. They're killing machines specially trained and selected by the late Nolan Morgenstern. Sensitive to werewolves. Their eternal task is only to finish off the werewolf!

[Roar!]

"Grandmaster—"Mael hissed softly behind him; fighting them was a bad idea, but Mael's footsteps stopped, and he failed to prevent Kaius, realizing the Chasers were disobeying his orders. It is the first time they have refused it.

Kaius quickly blocks their steps to slaughter Verena. "Don't make me do it again!"

They growled viciously, stepping forward intimidatingly, refusing to heed Kaius' words. One of them answers through a mind-link. [She is a werewolf! I'll kill her! Get out of my way! She didn't even deserve to be in this holy place! How could she be here?!]

"This is not war, Luther! She's a prisoner!" Kai lashed out outrageously.

The Lycan with Jaws full of blood barked forward; he was Luther Tiberius—the head of The Chaser squad leader whose undoubted ability and loyalty to Nolan Morgenstern, could not accept Kai's remarks. [I have sworn to Sir Nolan to protect the Digris Northlandic and yourself from harm, including the werewolves! This action of yours is out of bounds! You're out of your mind, son!]

Once again, Kai commemorated the Chaser through his commander's voice, which sounded deep and cold. Kai's eyes darkened, and his jaws hardened. Kai's left hand let out crimson smoke the color of blood; his arm muscles turned into black, hairy arms as dark as night — the giant fingers with pointed claws as sharp as daggers looked shiny. "I Told You, Luther! BACK OFF!"

"Luther, stop!" Mael growled. The situation was tense and intense, so Mael could not allow Luther to hurt Kaius. "Step back right now! We'll talk this through!"

Something strange happened; the blood flooding on Verena's fallen arm flowed down the trunk and roots of the maple tree as it moved, then absorbed into it.

Arlo elbowed Mael's arm beside him; Arlo's facial expression, which seemed amazed, confused Mael. "Look at that—!"

"What the? Grand Master, the Maple Leaf —?" Mael said, astonished; it was hard to believe what he saw.

Kai glanced, watching the maple leaves that had been dark for decades due to being frozen by snow ice. But this time, it looks pulsating and warming. A miracle happens; how amazing it is when slowly all the leaves change color, showing the bright red that creeps like in autumn. Never before had they seen such a brilliant shining color beauty; even Kai was stunned by it.

A gust of cold wind blew slowly, and the entire ice that froze the maple tree melted.

Verena looked up as cold water fell over her head. Her brows furrowed in shock at the change in the strange maple tree that sheltered her. "What?"

Before getting lost and trapped in this strange place, Rena saw this maple tree die due to being frozen by ice crystals. A new life process that is fast and astounding; one of the leaves fell from a branch, free fell, and landed on Rena's lap. It was shining golden under her shimmering golden hair. However, she needs to learn what it means. The incident made The Chaser retreat, and Kaius Morgenstern, Mael, and Arlo fell silent. Their facial expressions were stunned, as if they could not express it with words.

Kai's eyes focused only on Rena. The blinding light came from nowhere, and Kai seemed to feel Shaera's presence there. [Impossible, a werewolf—? Why?!]

Verena chuckled bitterly inside her heart. [Is this some holy place for you, Lycan Bastards?! Such an essential and sacred tree, huh? Ridiculous!]

Chasers curving tame, they retreated away into the heart of the forest mist with a strange roar.

Mael was still flabbergasted. "What the hell happened? So, the prophecy—?"

"Mael, call doctor Ophelia." Kaius' order shattered Beta Mael's reveries. "Arlo, tell Luther I'll see him in a minute. Go now."

"Yes. We go." Mael dragged Arlo's shoulders into the thickening Forest Fog again.

After a long silence, Kai approached Verena, whose face seemed pale blue. A flood of blood from her arm seeped down into the snow.

Rena confirmed vexedly. She hated Kai's cold eyes that looked shady. "Let me go. I'm not going to hurt anybody here."

"You're a prisoner of Osiris. Do you think it's that easy to want something? That's not how it works." Kai replied expressionlessly, taking off his coat.

"I don't want to deal with you, Lycans!" Rena rebuked, not caring. The killing pressure on her left arm restrained her anger. She's outraged again. "Don't you understand?! I'm a werewolf! Almost all the time, Osiris examined me with hatred and wanted to kill me! Even a child is afraid of me! You're my greatest enemy! What the hell do you want from me?!"

"I won't just let you go." Kai refused firmly.

Surprisingly, Rena's cursing immediately stopped when Kaius knelt before her; Kai took a maple leaf that was still brilliant red in his hand — amazed incessantly. He put it in the pocket of his black shirt, and Kai ignored Rena's barrage of tantrums that buzzed in his ears like moths to a flame. Instead, Kaius gave up his black coat to warm Rena's body.

"We need to talk." Kai docked his coat slowly and carefully, making Rena uncomfortable and misbehaving!

Rena goes berserk, rebelling as Kai lifts her body. "What the hell are you doing?! Let go of me! Put me down!"

“Blessed are Nolan and Shaera Morgenstern." Kai muttered inwardly, a faint smile rising on his full lips.

The more Rena grumbled, the more Kai tightened his arms until Rena had difficulty moving or rebelling. Kaius lifted Rena's body with one hand, carrying her on his shoulders and not letting her move freely.

Rena was helpless because of her injury, forcing extreme moves — the damage weakened her again.

"Are you crazy?! Get off me!" Rena shouted, hit Kaius on the back of the heavy muscle, and felt warm. "You are insane!"

"Just do as you please. It's no use fighting back. We need to talk nicely, right?"

Rena bit her lip. She hated this jerk. [I have no idea why the Moon Goddess trapped me in such a vexed situation?! Kaius Morgenstern is tyrannical, cold, and insane, too!]

Kai confirms his words before he takes Rena back to the Lakeview Mansion. "You're like a wild cat that wants to bite me, you know that? You have to tell me how you got around outside. Who helped you? If you refuse to talk, I'll hang the people who last opened your door. Two guards and a maidservant who delivers food to you. They will bear it."

***

"I'M JUST ASKING YOU TO TAKE CARE OF HER! Is that hard for you?!" Kai growled. His face was red — clenched fists on his throne.

"Forgive us, Grand Master. We don't know what happened! We —"

The two guards bowed deeply, not daring to show their faces or look at Kaius.

"Who is the waiter who takes care of the food? I heard she didn't touch the food at all?! Can't you treat her like a proper guest?!"

Kaius' voice boomed in his office, leaving the residents of Lakeview Mansion startled in eerie silence. Kai is always known to be calm, relaxed, efficient, and not easily irritable. Today, the mansion is in disarray. No one knows what makes Kaius Morgenstern rage and restless.

Danika and the chef knelt after being dragged by the Butler, who lowered his face because he could not bear the shame before Kaius Morgenstern.

"Yours sincerely, Grand Master," uttered Butler Weston, bowing; the middle-aged older man felt responsible for the entire incident in the Lakeview Mansion, especially the kitchen area. "I apologize for the mistakes made by the servants under my command."

Danika's shoulders rumbled loudly; she was in tears. Too afraid to show her face. She bowed deeply, her tongue too mute to speak or defend herself.

Kai let out a long sigh, massaging his forehead slowly. His silver hair dimmed under the overcast light from the outside window. "You can't think of her as my guest? Why? Do you want to kill her? Poison her? Is that how you treat her?"

Danika heard the chef beside her squeaking sarcastically. Since the werewolf woman was there, she had shown various reactions. Most of them, of course, do not like her and still consider her an enemy.

"I apologize. I promise this will not happen again. Please forgive us, Grand Master." Weston bowed respectfully.

Kai's eyes glanced at Danika. "You brought food for her, didn't you? Why didn't she want to touch and eat it?"

[Hear beats flattering!]

Danika's body shivered. Her face was pale without blood. "I-I..."

"Never mind, I don't want to hear any more excuses," Kai stated sternly. His eyes were cold and darkened, and his commander's voice was full of firmness. "I consider it an act of defiance. Do you know what the punishment is? DEATH."

***