Northwood

The group finally made it to the old farm house that looked more home to Adline than any other place she had lived. Stepping on to the property she took a deep breath in, it was a bittersweet moment for her. The moment would have been more meaningful had she someone to share it with be it her grandmother, parents or even Kane. Though her brothers and Kane were all present it wasn’t the same. There was so much hatred in the air but as they entered the home and Harvey placed Mollie on the floor in what looked like the formal parlor she couldn’t help but feel sad.

Adline had felt this feeling once before and it had catastrophic consequences. She was now at risk of losing someone she had become fond of. Someone who no matter how rough their initial interaction had turned into a man she could see herself with and that had never happened before in her life. The weeks had been slow and at first more than a little miserable but she had now come to love and accept where she was and who she was with even if she was afraid of saying it.

“What the hell are we meant to do? I should be out there fighting with Kane!” His voice thundered through the lower level of the old home. “Fuck this I’m going out there!” Harvey stormed towards the door with a foul temper and severe determination.

“You go out there Harv and Kane is gonna deal you your ass! You’re charged with keeping Adline safe,” Frosty reminded him. The threatening undertone in her voice did very little to soothe his temper. “And look at her, she’s hurt.”

“I’m a fighter!” He growled menacingly as he stormed towards Babel. “I’m not a fucking babysitter! I should be out there instead of Neal!” Harvey’s hand gestures grew large as his anger took over.

“Stop yelling and have some respect!” Adline demanded calmly. “You’re acting like a bratty child who’s been denied sweets. You’ll help me move that table,” She said pointing towards the formal dining room she’d seen in her grandmother’s memories. “The floorboards directly beneath it need to be lifted. I need something under there.” She demanded insistently as Harvey and Taylor did as she asked.

“What is it Addle?” Babel queried her gently. Those not privy to what Mollie had done were completely confused.

“Trust me, it’ll save us and defeat Nox,” Adline replied as the boys easily moved the table and yanked up the boards.

“They’re fighting Luce and Ambrose dumb ass,” Harvey scolded her angrily.

“You could make this easier by not being such a jackass Harvey.” Adline responded with as much bite as Harvey. “I prayed to the Moon Goddess to help me escape and guess what?!” She questioned the trio sarcastically. “It turns out she has a brother and that brother is evil as fuck! His name is Nox and he is all things dark and weak and will use it to his advantage.” Her knees rubbed against the hard wood floors as Adline pressed her face against the cool grain and plunged her hand into the space beneath the floor.

Feeling a cool breeze against her skin she fumbled around clumsily before her fingers grasped something with a thick layer of dust, the remnants of years of peace.

“Great! Just fucking brilliant!” Cried Harvey as his anger seemed to dissipate a little but was quickly replaced by annoyance.

“What’s your problem now?!” Adline questioned him as she pulled the box from beneath the floor. It was nothing spectacular or extraordinary and gave no hints as to what it contained but thanks to her grandmother she already knew.

“When we were all children,” Babel began as she paced around the room suddenly entrenched in deep thought. “We were taught about a great evil that once threatened our kind with extinction.” She gave a wry laugh at that. “I always thought it was just a children’s story but it looks like there was some truth to it.”

Adline couldn’t help but furrow her brow in confusion as Babel took note of it and walked towards her with a smile. “Borne of love pure and true, hatred then takes from you. Find your courage, know your strength and you shall conquer all your fears.”

The words seemed to have meaning to Babel as an intense hope danced through her shining eyes excitedly.

“It’s just a children’s rhyme! It doesn’t apply to her.” Scolded Harvey quickly.

“I disagree. Her parents were true mates so she was born of pure love. Ambrose must have hated your father for some reason and so did what he did. It makes sense to me.” Babel seemed to be positively glowing with assurance that the short prose pertained to Adline in some way.

“It isn’t her! She’s weak and useless and were all gonna die cause she let out some fucking myth from its hiding hole. If that is about her then that makes her magnum reginae,” he growled in disbelief.

Adline was bewildered by it all. She knew what she had to do and that was it.

Babel stormed towards Harvey with a dark scowl on her face. Her fists balled at her sides as she pulled them up and swung at Harvey. Her second attempt hit him in the side of the head and sent him falling sideways.

He staggered towards the door before recovering. In an instant he contemplated how much he would be punished if he hit Babel. With Adline and Taylor standing there and if Adline was magnum reginae then it would definitely end badly for him.

“I have had enough of your shitty comments Harvey. If you want to be useful get out that door and keep us safe.” Babel snapped at him fiercely. The tone of her voice begging for him to challenge her. “Taylor!” Babel yelled again as he appeared at her side. “You get out there too but stay in human form and relay what you see. I want to know what’s happening.”

The two boys left the house before anything else could be said. It had been a long day and Babel was feeling the stress and strain of it all. She hated that Harvey was so rude and inconsiderate, that he had absolutely no respect for Adline.

“You do what you need to do Addle. No interruptions.” Babel concluded with a small smile.

“Remind me to never piss you off.” Mused Adline as she placed the ancient looking box on the table and took a deep breath.

“How did your gran get this stuff? Wasn’t she Alpha Female?” Babel questioned Adline as she thought about what she was doing. Seeing many of her grandmother’s memories brought sadness to the young woman as she flipped the lid of the old box and marveled at what it contained.

“She was but she wasn’t a werewolf. She was a witch,” it dawned on Adline then why her father forbade her to visit Mollie and for Mollie to even be part of the pack. “That’s why she was made an Omega!” She exclaimed at her realization. “Gran comes from a long line of witches and this secret to keeping Nox in check is only handed down through the female line. My gran did not have any girls so wanted to teach me but my father refused. It all makes sense now!” Adline felt even more sympathy for her grandmother, she was only doing what she needed to do to keep them all safe. “That’s why Nox was able to get me. My grans power had already weakened and she was only just holding on so she could share her memories with me. Babel!” Adline exclaimed again, “I have to make sure that Nox is defeated. For good!” As all the pieces of her family’s past came together Adline felt a sense of wonder and intrigue. There was so much she didn’t know and now that she had some insight into certain things she wanted to know more, she wanted to know everything.

“So how do we beat this bastard?” Questioned Babel with a slightly dark smirk plastered to her lips. She wanted a peaceful pack, one that she could bring her child into without fear of anything.

“With this!” Adline held up a stone so black it blocked all light.

“Obsidian?” Questioned Babel again as her brow furrowed in confusion. “How is that supposed to help us?” She wondered out loud.

“Its darker than a starless night or any shadow cast by the sun and moon. If I trap him in here then he’ll be stuck forever.” The only thing Addie had to do was make sure he could never again escape.

“Well then lets get this party started!” Smiled Babel as they heard a knock on the window that seemed rather hurried.

Both girls walked towards one of many windows that faced the open field, Babel felt her head spin and Adline took a deep breath in. Almost all the wolves were laying flat on the ground and some seemed to struggle against it as Ambrose, possessed by Nox, walked through them. Adline couldn’t help but hold her breath as he stopped in front of two of the only wolves that wouldn’t lay down.

“That’s Kane isn’t it?” Adline asked rather grimly as she recognized his coat.

Babel nodded her head and took a deep breath in, “that’s David next to him. It looks like Alpha’s are more resistant.”

The girls watched as there seemed to be some kind of exchange between them all. The sky had grown darker outside and it wasn’t looking good. An involuntary scream escaped Babel’s lips as David’s head popped clean off of his wolfs shoulders and rolled through the thick grass to land at Nox’s feet.