"I can’t believe she just cast a spell like that." Christoff shivered as he thought about what Ava did. "Can witches really do that without... you know, exhausting themselves?" He held the beer close to his mouth before putting it on the table again.
"Are you really capable of doing something like that?" he asked.
"We can. At least the ones who were old enough. Priestesses and shamans should be able to do that."
"How does magick work, anyway? I mean... you are supposed to grow it by either understanding or practicing, right?"
"Right."
"So... how was she able to erase everyone’s memory without some repercussion?"
The three of them stared at Damon.
"I wouldn’t know," Damon said. "For now, I asked her to stay at my Villa. I am going to supply her with the ingredients and let her brew some potion for everyone."
"And?"
"And then we strike when everything is ready."
"Can we really trust her?"
"We don’t need to. We made a deal. She will not fight with us. Her job is to supply us with potions."
"That’s all?" Christoff asked.
"Yes, that’s all."
"But she’s powerful," James added. "She would be very helpful."
"We don’t know that."
The three men looked at Alex. "The fact that she could create an illusion, then make them forget everything was troublesome enough. She was able to fool James. I am certain she could do it to Christoff and me. She just came out of nowhere. What if — What if someone sent her?" she lowered her voice, making sure that the other people inside the pub couldn’t hear them.
What they didn’t know is the fact that Ava, who told them she would be staying in her room, was just standing next to them. Being invisible had obvious perks, and listening to gossip is just one of them.
Ava smirked as she slowly distanced herself from the group.
They were currently on their way to Damon’s Villa, just a few miles away from Lord Welton’s town. They were riding a carriage, and they needed to rest in this inn before they reached their destination today.
Ava went back to her room.
She already accomplished her mission, and that is to be as flashy as possible. She didn’t know why the old man told her not to hide her abilities at this place, but she guessed it had something to do with Damon and maybe... just maybe it had something to do with Josef Asad too.
She thought about the image that Damon created in his hand. That face really looked like Matthew’s face.
Was it really a coincidence that the old man would send her here to gain experience just as Damon and his group were going to hunt someone who looked just like Matthew?
She sat in a lotus position and closed her eyes.
She couldn’t just think about things that she didn’t understand. Overthinking could only make her mental state worse. And inside this place, having a bad mental state could easily kill a witch.
Or at least that’s what the old man told her.
"I want you to tell me why you refuse to marry someone," A loud voice almost made Ava’s insides shake. She flinched, but fought the urge to open her eyes.
She’s... doing astral projection.
Without even thinking about it.
The old man told her that her control wouldn’t be as good inside this place. It would be ten times harder... maybe even a hundred times harder. But this doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Dream walkers could cross planes and realms. There is a big possibility that she could do it too.
The old man never promised her anything.
But a low possibility doesn’t actually mean zero possibility.
So, she had been doing her best to reach Matthew and the realm outside of this place.
The image that Damon showed her must have triggered it as she immediately entered this space the moment she closed her eyes.
"Matthew, you vowed to protect our kind." The man who was speaking continued. His voice was deep and full of authority. Ava didn’t need to ask questions to know who it was.
The man is the current King of Lycans. King Josiah Rowland Graydon.
Slowly, the darkness that surrounded her cleared up. The view changed.
Ava was currently inside a large study that was probably even bigger than Matthew’s room. A man wearing a luxurious red robe was sitting on a chair that was probably more luxurious than the throne room in Buckingham Palace.
"You have responsibilities, my son." The man continued.
Ava’s eyes landed on Matthew. He was looking out of the window, his expression grim.
"I have a mate," Matthew said. "And I intend to find her."
At the mention of the word mate, Ava’s heart almost took a tumble. Her palm suddenly turned sweaty.
Damnit!
She was certain she would feel worse the moment she met her future in-laws!
Future in-laws?
Why was she thinking about these now?
She gulped and shook the thought away from her head.
"We live a very long life. You can spend the rest of the time looking for mates, but right now your priority is cementing your position by marrying one of the noble houses. You are the only one without a wife, and people are asking questions."
"I don’t want to be king."
"And yet you are here, are you not?" the king smirked, enhancing his already handsome features. Now that Ava saw him, she immediately understood where Drigo and Kieran got their looks. Though Matthew still looked more handsome than this man. "You are here to claim your throne and yet you refuse to even sleep with the women who wanted your child. I failed to comprehend your way of thinking." The man stood and walked next to Matthew.
"Mates exist, but you have to have the blessings of the moon goddess to be able to find yours. I kid you not. Having that blessing is more difficult than you think."
"Instead of thinking about my marriage, why don’t you think about the documents that I gave you? The noble houses wanted to revolt. They are working with the witches and have now started to work with hybrids. Are you just going to let them do what they want?"
"What choice do I have?" The King said, the crease in between his eyebrows deepened as he looked outside of the window. "Over the years, our blood had become weaker. I cannot execute another house just because of some accusations without valid proof."
"So, you are letting them do what they want?"
"For now," the king nodded. "Are you doing this because of that dead... witch? Ah, was it revenge? Did they anger you when they blow up that witch’s body?" That wasn’t a question, but an attempt at mockery. Even Ava, who was only staring at them, could feel the King’s disgust towards her.
"That is none of your concern."
"I suggest you stop deceiving your own father, Matthew."
Matthew turned toward his father.
"I want you to take at least three witches and I am not going to talk about your marriage at least until you turn thirty-two." The King said.
"I am not taking any witches. Baba is enough."
"That woman isn’t one of us!"
Matthew snorted. "I don’t think we need to talk about this again. Since you refuse to confront them, then I guess I have no reasons to come here anymore. I will be in my quarters waiting for you to change your mind."
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