Alpha Raven | #1 in the Trueblood Series

Azraiel rubbed his palms over his face and leaned back on the chair. He knew this would have happened, yet the tears streaming on her face were making it unbearable for him to just sit there and not hold her, comfort her. She was right to be scared.

The existence of supernatural beings has been unknown to the human world. For them, supernaturals are nothing more than fantasy and fiction but the harsh truth is that in their history, every human that has learned of their existence has done nothing but harm them for their own selfish motives. Hence, in order to protect themselves, the werewolf king had long ago decided to conceal their identities and locations with the help of geographical barriers and magic. This is the very reason that the Blue Orchid pack is located in the depths of Rysterbian forest protected by several layers of magic.

Whatever Charlotte just described to him was the first layer of magic. It used an individual's fears and love for dear ones to deter them from continuing to venture into the forest. It played with one’s mind to confuse and scare them to the point that they go running back. A lot of humans who have tried to enter the forest had seen how the magic plays them. It feeds on emotions and memories and after that, the person never remains the same. He himself had seen the aftermaths of the illusions played by the magic and they were not pretty. Not pretty at all.

Azraiel couldn't understand any of this. The magic was put in place to deter people from entering into the forest. Then, why the hell did it lure Charlotte in when she was just ready to leave on her own. Or was it that she wasn't telling him the truth? No…..He didn't think she was lying this time, at least not about seeing her uncle like that. She had to be a really good actor to lie this good….with the waterworks and all…

He glanced at Charlotte to find her staring blankly at her lap, her cheeks wet from tears. He lifted himself up and pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her. She abruptly turned towards him when his hand came into her sight. It was as if she had already forgotten he was here. Anyhow, she gently accepted it and muttered a low thanks.

He watched as she slowly wiped the tears off her face. "We can continue later. You should rest now." Azraiel spoke, his voice incredibly soft as if afraid that his words would trigger her.

He watched as she shook her head, " No..No...please...Stay....I just...I just want to let it out. I'll go crazy if I don't tell you what I saw. Please..." Azraiel could hear the desperation in her voice and see the anguish on her face. She really looked like she was losing her mind bit by bit. Her eyes were wide...filled again with tears and her heart beating faster than when he entered the room.

The emotions displayed on her face made him much more scared for her than what she has already seen and survived. The way she was behaving right now had planted one more goal in front of him. He now knew he had to look out for her life as well as sanity until she completed her shift. At this rate, she would lose control over her mind before she lost control to her wolf. He couldn't leave her alone.

Never.

"Okay...Okay...Relax..okay..I am not going anywhere. Alright? Just relax." Azraiel spoke as softly as he could and took his place on the chair again. Azraiel watched as she nodded to herself and did that thing again...where she would count to five and take five deep breaths to control her nerves. So...she is used to these attacks.

The more he watched her..the more sure he became that her presence in the woods wasn't a coincidence by any means. This is too real to be a coincidence. His gut told him that she was destined to be here.

With him.

For him.

"What happened after that? " Azraiel asked, curious to find out the intentions of magic behind calling her in.

"I got scared...I had never seen such thing...I could see that he was my uncle....but...but it wasn't his voice....it wasn't even Archie's voice anymore. It sounded more like those horrible voice distortions of that of villains in animated movies. Instinctively, I jerked and stood up...I was moving backwards...away from him....His eyes...they were still open staring at me.

I knew something was wrong here. I should have known better. My uncle was in Canada when I talked to him on Saturday, so there was no way that the man lying in front of me was my uncle. I turned around and ran in the direction I came from, but I don't think I went into the right one, because I could still hear that horrible sound.

I just..I just kept running, trying to get away from there as soon as possible. After running for around ten minutes....I came to another clearing. I stopped there to catch my breath…I looked around to see if I could see someone....I even shouted for help....but there was no one. The voice that has been calling for me had become louder.

Instinctively, I turned towards the direction from where the voice was coming…When I turned around I saw that....he...he was standing few meters away but in front of me, his mouth moving...blood still oozing and dripping on the ground. He was looking right at me…like I was some sort of prey he had decided to feast on. When I looked behind him…I noticed something… I realized that it was the same clearing where first saw him. I had run and reached from where I have started. It was like running on a treadmill…I never left the place but I ran? It…It didn’t make any sense. My head started spinning at the thought of being trapped there forever. I felt like throwing up. And then…I saw him moving….He was moving towards me slowly…And then….I don’t remember after that..

because….

I fainted.."