THE BLOOD OATH

HOMECOMING

Back into the house, everybody was waiting for me.

- "Astera, my dear, I am so sorry I caused you so much pain. I will never hurt you again!" Of course he would say that. What an hypocrite!

- "Darling, we might have a plan. You all must return to your world and talk to Blacklilly. Find out if the crystal exists and if it does, find out where it is. We can use magic to communicate, without you risking your lives coming down here." Sierra said to me.

- "Yes, about that, WHY are you here?" I asked / accused my father and his little “gang”.

- "It's a long story and now we do not have the time for it. You should return as soon as possible because a day in here is like 5 out there, and you already spend 2 days in here. You don't have much time! We will figure it all out when you will have solved all of this mess. I promise! I have all my trust in you! You are the only one who can do it! Now quick, leave this world before someone recognizes you!" Father, or better said, Ivan told me.

- "And David? What's he gonna do? And how in the earth's name can he access his wolf?" Maximus asked. Smart guy! I was also thinking about that.

- "With magic, of course! He has been "branded" with an ancient symbol that gives him the protection he needs down here, without taking away his… useful abilities. And he can do as he pleases. If he wants and if you'll have him in our pack, he will join you." Ivan told me.

- " MY pack! You are no longer member of Blackmoon pack! Don't forget that!"

- "Yes, yes! Of course, your pack! So, Astera, it's up to you. Will you accept him as a member of YOUR pack?" Ivan asked me.

- "If Dina wants to give him a chance after what he did, I will allow his presence around my pack without being part of the pack. To join MY pack, he will have to prove himself to me, to the pack and, of course, to Dina. Dina? Do you want him?" I looked at her, knowing what she will say.

- "I accept his presence under these terms. Thank you, Alpha!" She said to me, showing her neck into submission.

- "David, do you accept the terms of this agreement?" I asked him, without even looking at him. I despise him, i do not trust him, I do not trust my father, I do not trust Sierra, I do not believe a word of what they are saying and I really hope David will decline my offer.

- "I most gratefully accept your kind offer, Alpha!" And he showed me his neck into "submission". What a buffoon!

- "So be it! We should leave now! Thank you father, Sierra! Was really a surprise to see you!" A bad one, I might add! I faked a 'sincere' smile and I got out of there, hoping that they bought my act. Something does not smell right, but I can't figure out what and that is driving me crazy!

- "Are you ok?" Maximus's soft voice whispered into my ear. I wished I could have Saradi so I could mind link him, asking for his opinion on this fishy situation.

- "Aham." I said to him, looking straight into his eyes, letting him know I was not ok. He understood my hint and he dropped it for the moment, figuring out really fast that i did not trust David, Ivan, Sierra. Basically, nobody beside my pack. MY pack! We went back to the strange woods when I suddenly hear Idris's loud growl. Wait, WHAT?? GROWL?? HE DID NOT! I look at him and I see him with his thread broken, his wolf present, his fangs out and a HUGE poisonous leaf on his chest. His eyes were shining, letting us know his wolf is present. Maximus and I run towards him and, surprise, surprise, David shouts at us:

- “Don’t touch the leaf! It’s poisonous and it will make your wolf go crazy!” F*ck you, David! I told to myself and approached Idris. His wolf’s eyes were starting to look rabid. I pick up the leaf and my fingers started to burn like hell! My hands were soon covered in blisters. Maximus was holding Idris’s hand. His eyes were filled with rage and his chest was just raw flesh, it looked like leftovers from an animal who had eaten half of his chest and could not finish the meal. This was the smallest of our problems. Soon, we were surrounded by all kind of beings, some of them from hell, some of them from other realms. Just now I begin to understand what Blacklilly warned us about. Werewolves were made from white magic, and white magic ran through our veins. These other beings were made from black magic, like vampires or their white magic turned black. Idris’s light gave out our whereabouts and soon, all of them looked like hyenas and we looked like a good prey. I rolled my eyes, I was in no mood for fighting right now, but what can we do? I removed the protection thread that hung around my neck, and I shifted to Saradi in an instant. The rest of my pack followed my lead and soon we all shifted. We surround Idris’s tormented body and we started to fight anyone who engaged in the battle. We were 2 Alphas, one Beta, and one Gamma. We were all merciless killers when it come to protecting our own. I was going crazy in a killing spree, ripping everybody’s head or pulling their hearts out. I turned around to see how the team is holding and I was glad to see that they were as ferocious killers as I was. I must admit I was impressed of Xander’s fighting skills. I have never ever seen anyone so good in battle. There was blood and bodies everywhere. It looked like a scene from that movie with the m******e. How was it call? Ah, yeah, “Texas m******e”. Soon, there was no one left to kill, so Maximus still in wolf form grabbed Idris’s body which now being to enter into a state of shock, and we run to the river, waiting for Khanos to appear.

I saw David approaching the river. Something felt really off.

- "What are you doing???" I asked him nervously.

- "Do you know what happens if this water touches your body?" He asked me with a sinister smirk on his face. Saradi's mind and mine were merged at this point, which meant that something really bad was going to happen. I was in Saradi's form but we both were in control.

- "David, get away from the river!" I commanded him, using all of my Alpha authority. Although he was not a member in my pack, he submitted to my command and he distanced himself from the river.

- "You did not answer. Tell me, oh, mighty Alpha, do you know what happens?"

- "David!" I shouted, my eyes filled with burning fire. "I swear to the Moon Goddess! If you are thinking about doing something crazy, I will rip your head off!"

- "If the water touches a pure magical being, it instantly became damned and the darkness overcomes the one who was touched by it." Ivan's voice cracked the air.

- "What the f... what are you doing here?" I asked.

- "Well, I must admit I am a bit impressed. I did not think it was possible to overcome all the darkness down here and win the battle with all the dark ones. I was hoping you were all killed during the fight. That would have solved all of our problems. But it doesn't matter now. Give me your coins, Astera! Give them all to me! I will not stay a moment longer in this inferno!"

- "You must be joking! I could squash your petty little heart in a second! I will not ask you twice! Go away!"

- "It's not polite to interrupt your father when he's speaking. Did your mother teached you nothing? Knock it off with the bad ass attitude, Astera, and give me the coins or else I will ask my fairies to splash everyone with the deadly water, damning you all to an eternity of darkness!" In a blink of an eye, 4 fairies appeared in front of each of my pack members, including Maximus and Idris. "Also, to see that I am reasonable, I will allow you to save Idris and yourself and bring him back with you. Of course, Dina, Michaya and Maximus must take the punch and give us their "tickets" to return into our realm. Or you can all be damned. Or Sierra could kill you all. It's your choice. Look how thoughtful I am and you still think of me as if I was a degenerate father... Shame to you, daughter!" I analyzed my options and I decided that Maximus and Idris should go and me alongside with Michaya and Dina would remain here.

- “I have one condition! You will take Prince Maximus and Idris with you.” I looked at Dina and Michaya and they approved my decision.

- “No way! You are insane if you think I will leave you down here!” Maximus said, using his Alpha tone on me. Luckily, it had no effect on me. He gently placed Idris’s almost dead body on the ground and launched himself at Ivan.

- “Heel, boy!” Ivan’s creepy voice said to Maximus. “If any of YOU do something to me, do you know what effect does that have on the blood oath? It will brake it, meaning that your precious mother will also die, along side with me, and maybe Astera. Or maybe she will just go nuts forever, whilst the rest of us will just be… dead.” I saw Maximus’s eyes become darker and darker, and he jumped behind Sierra, ripping her head off using just one hand. He then took her head off the floor and throw it at my father’s feet.

- “Michaya’s coming too!” Maximus said without even blink. He returned to Idris, picked his body up on his shoulder and hopped into Khanos’s boat. My father let out the most horrible growl I have ever heard.

- “You will pay for this! I will make you suffer in ways you did not imagine existed!” Ivan threatened Maximus.

- “David?” Dina called.

- “Yes, mate?” David asked.

- “I, Dina Jackson, Beta of Blackmoon Pack, I reject you David… ‘shithead’ as my mate!” and with that, she jumped on his back and snapped his neck. “Astera, go!” she screamed at me. I got up in the boat, holding her  hand. I had planned this all along, but I did not expected her to kill David. I was just going to take his coin and give it to Dina. As I hold Dina’s hand, I snatch her and I shifted places with her, forcing her to leave and me leaping back to the shore. In the snatch, I might have broke her hand, her shoulder and maybe 2 ribs, but I am sure she will be fully healed by the time she will arrive on the other side. I heard them shout my name and I am positively sure that Dina called me a b***h. I mind linked them and I told them that I did what I had to and that I will find a way out and we will soon be back together.

- “Dina, I am sorry for your loss! You did not have to kill him, though, you crazy bit*h.”

- “No harm done. I will be better off without that motherf*cker! But you will not get off that easy with the shitty scheme you pulled on me. Also, Maximus is raging and Idris might not make it to the other side. I am barely holding Michaya from killing Ivan. It’s a f*cking mess out here!” Dina said.

- “I am so sorry! I promise I will find a way to fix this! Until then, I fully trust you can protect the pack until I will return.”

- “You better! I have never seen anyone so angry as Prince Maximus is. He will whoop you’re ass when he will come and rescue you! I can tell you by the rabid look in his eyes, you’re in big trouble.” She added. 

- "Take care, and try to link me when you arrive home! Maybe it will work!" I said to her. I heard a faint heart beat nearby. Who could have possibly survived in all the blood bath we engaged earlier? I looked around and I followed the sound. NO! It can't be! I could not believe my eyes!