══☆Third party═══

I have to find her...
time is running out.

I did not expect to come across patrols over the passage. That passway is no longer secured, but I was not informed in time jeopardizing my mission and the resistance.

I was Spotted and followed. I killed them, but one was quick enough to teleport his way out. tried. I  can only hope to make it back alive. If I died after delivering the message, my death wouldn't have been in vain.

"I found what we were looking for. This information will change the course of our existence. A new beginning." He says to himself excited.

The energy fuels my body with this thought giving strength to my spell and helping me move even faster.

A clue brought me to these coordinates, looking around, I dug into the ground and found a grey box and a piece of paper. Climbing over a tree, I hide between the branches making sure that my magic cape blends with the texture of the branch. The instructions are written in a foreign language, chanting an incantation the words become readable. The grey rectangular object is called a cellphone and the paper has instructions on how to use it.

Just a little longer and my mission will be completed.

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ANNIE pov
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Like an automaton, I keep smiling, pretending that everything is all right when it isn't. Time seems to have slowed down its pace making it harder with each remaining minute. As it wasn't hard enough already to keep my magic under control, Leah has been acting up. She is revulsed by what we witnessed earlier today.

Frowning, I dry the wetness on my forehead and get back to filling the files. The clerk is at the admission desk working on the computer and the others are busy finishing paperwork or scrutinizing more subjects. It was an endless process quite like all the other days. I was the only one acting up after what I saw.

Relief washes through me when I notice Tom by the main entrance. He is a natural con artist, how does he do it? He is always acting so cool around the place while he harbours so many plans to bring the place down. Leaning over the counter he is now talking to the secretary, he is flirting by the way she is fluttering her lashes. She is so obvious and willing to play in his hand. I remember my assumption when I met him. A gigolo. I didn't know then that I wasn't so far from the truth. He has a natural skill to lure women to him. Some wise trait he kept in his DNA and all things considered he was grateful to his father for that. It came in handy more times than not.

"Annie" Lara calls out to me. "How long will you eavesdrop?"

Crossing my arms, she gives me a look and I hurry to look elsewhere hiding how flustered I am. I am so bad at playing coy when all I want is to get that annoying smile out of her face, but I need to play my role right and be the perfect con artist. Without her knowledge, Tom is currently penetrating her brain and subtracting information.  Curiously, Tom's powers are more intricate than what he lets us think.

Sighting at the view once more, I look for my pile of work instead. I have to admit it, it bothers me, she is so obvious, it's disgusting!!! After a few excruciating minutes, it's finally time to leave. On the bright side, I wasn't thinking about what happened earlier.

" Well, are you done flirting? Let's go. I'm hungry!" Already on my way out, I pretend that I am not annoyed by them.

" Ok," he sighs before he sends a, "see you soon!" I keep my face stoic, wondering why he needed to say that so loudly. My insides twist that girl is a fool. She had even adapted her schedule to mine. If this continues, they will end up on a date.

"Don't even think about it, it makes my skin crawl."A strange feeling ran down my spine. Leah didn't like the many outcomes I imagined for this situation.

Quickly reinforcing my protective spell, I wait for Tom by the exit door.

" Why not, he should have a girl for him," and I wish that for him. It would be easier for me if he was taken.

" He is mine," she replies.

" You are a wolf, he is a human and I get to decide over my body," still I can't stop the frenzy in my body each time he makes contact with my skin. Even his words have sometimes an effect, sending a sparkling sensation over my body.

"Stop pretending you're OK every time you see him around other girls. I can feel your skin crawl."

My body stiffens. Biting my inner cheek, I recall that she is inside me and can read my thoughts, could I really be falling for him? Unless I can master my spell and prevent her from taking over my emotions, I won't be able to know for sure.
" My life is too complicated, I can't get into an emotional relationship. I don't even know which emotions are my own or if I am just being confused by empathic senses." I tell her.
Getting used to magic and my wolf is my priority, followed by my family and my studies. Tom is at the very bottom. He isn't the priority.

Finally sitting in the car, he breaks our inner conversation.

"  What do you want to eat?" the car is already in motion.
We have a coded language now and tonight is one of those days where I need to be sure that we are not followed.
" I don't know, roll a little, I'll tell you what tempts me."

He forcefully smiles, and I know that he comprehends the meaning of my request. Keeping pretenses, I did some petty chatting about running from one side to the other of the archives and my feet. Until I was sure we reached the 30 miles an hour, only then did I breathe in relief. While moving, it is difficult to do a ranged spell or for a wolf to hear a full conversation. This was the only way to have a private conversation.

Looking one last time for any suspicious car, I finally relax a little. Overseen something I shouldn't have, and many suspicious eyes were on me after the incident left me paranoid. Finally extending my barrier to include Tom in it, Leah beats me to the chase.

" Hello Tom, did you miss me?"I shake my head annoyed by her.

"Always a beauty," he winks at me.

Rolling my eyes, I can't help the excitement filling my skin knowing well that she is the source ofit." Tom, do not encourage her. We have things that matter to discuss. Today something happened." I take a deep breath, bringing my thoughts back to where they should be. "A mother arrived with her daughter today. I couldn't hear, what transpired without risking Leah's security." I play with my hands as I continue. "The mother came out of the room and the little one stayed there. It was heartbreaking, she was howling in desperation. I swear she must have been 11 at the most and her werewolf had made itself known." My voice breaks. "She is 11! do you know how badly she was treated? They didn't care, they called in a response team, the little girl was terrified, jumping over the walls, it was horrible and the mother did nothing. The team overpowered the girl screaming for help. A help that wouldn't come. I couldn't do anything.  They took her to a van. It was heartbreaking, I nearly lost it until she was sedated. By the time the van arrived, I couldn't find the courage to remain there and went back to filing the archives. I stood there and let that happen!"

Out of breath, my heart is pounding while I press my hands together making my fingers crack.

It was a child. Why was she sent in that facility knowing that I was there? Was it a test?
They knew firsthand that she had the wolf since the mother delivered her child. She wasn't even treated into oblivion. It was in the report I filed later on. My insides twist at the thought of it, Tom grabs my hand.

"What will they do to the girl now? I know the mother didn't need to be reprogrammed since she left on her own, but the girl? What will become of her?" My voice broke, it was a poor sight. I took a break in the bathroom to recollect myself too shaken by it.

" It depends on the logo on the car, was the medicine symbol blue or red?" he adds without a hint of emotion.

" Red, the logos were red," I raged, but the colour brought questions to my mind, it was my first time seeing that one that is why I remembered it so clearly.

He marks a pause leaving my hand and uses it to play with his hair. Whenever something is important, he does that. I look at him and take a deep inhale, the wait is nerve-racking. It must be bad news.

My thought pulling him back to reality, he says:
" It's quite rare nowadays. She must be special. The red unit takes the disposable. You see, the younger they transform, the stronger the wolf, we don't have many of them on this side. They tend to reveal themselves every time they get emotional and are considered dangerous. The youngsters are taken to be programmed since the wolf is often wild and the kid is too young to control it. Sometimes the reprogramming burns so much cells that they barely have a spirit of their own. The wolf is nurtured and trained while the human is magically trapped inside with no means to come out. That is the future for the little girl. Her only hope is to die, that is if she is lucky. Otherwise, she will be trapped forever."

As the information sinks, my mouth goes dry.
" Lucky? Since when being put to death is considered luck."  My body stiffens until my muscles ache. It's been a long and stressful day, his answers are just waking up a need for justice for that little girl.

"Believe me when I tell you that the ones to die  are the lucky ones." His voice is steady and emotionless making it sound sinister and giving me a chill.

" But, I was about eight when I heard Leah for the first time, she told me so, then why wasn't I taken from my mother." I ask playing with the chain around my neck. It's been my thing since Tom gifted it to me for no apparent reason.

" I don't understand either, perhaps your mom's status helped into protecting you. Since you are the descendant of the most powerful which, perhaps they wanted to nurture your magic. Perhaps the inhalers convinced them that they had suppressed the wolf within you." He shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't tell them about you not using them anymore, you know." Looking forward, he doesn't see my jaw drop.

That statement means that he knew something was off from the beginning. When did he begin being suspicious about my many gifts and abilities? I know that he was meant to spy on me on their behalf, just as he was meant to do so for the resistance, but he was also keeping secrets from everyone all together.

" Our Tom is a knight without an armour. He is always protecting us. He is perfect, accept him as a man for a woman."

Closing my eyes, I can't help the sadness creeping inside. Leah is a pure soul and doesn't understand how humans can be cunning. He is no different, but she can't see it and I feel like I have to play the bad guy most of the time.It's a bittersweet situation since I would love to befriend him truly. Tom has filled a void in my life, but that is all he is. He is here now, but he might not be around for long since he is planing on joining the resistance.

Remembering that he is included in my magical circle and hearing everything I think I look at him and see  him brush his hair. He always does that whenever he is annoyed.

"She is annoying, I know."
Recoiling in my seat, I blush knowing that one again, I let him overhear more than he should.

One thing is sure, Leah needs to understand how the world works.  "Leah, please keep in mind that he hasn't given us away to the council because he has bigger plans for us. Remember?"

Looking ahead, I realize that we have been turning in circles around the same area. We must come with a destination, someone might notice our odd behaviour.

" I admit, in the beginning, I did, until I got to know you a little more."  Crossing my arms, my forehead wrinkles to his words. He clears his throat, looking sideways at me "I don't care if you don't believe me, I told you, I will stay with you as long as you want me to remain by your side, or until you find the one meant for you,"  he tells me.

Hating where the conversation is heading, I jump over my window and point to a restaurant.
" There, I want to eat there."

Closing my protective bubble around me I can finally express myself: Damn him! Shrugging my shoulders from the tingling sensation that his words awaken inside me, I inhale deeply pressing my heart to break its erratic beat.

" Stop pretending to be sweet and innocent. You want him! Coward!" Leah clashes to me.

Making a devilish smile as I walk out of the car, I spit acid words at her."You want me to be like you! An easy tool drooling and doing whatever he wants?"

That shut her off for a second while we walks inside the restaurant, and I just blocked her altogether following Phil's lessons. Today, more than ever that lesson is useful. She is in heat, I have trouble keeping her quiet when she smells Tom. She is freaking annoying, moaning all the time.

She constantly pines for him, while I am certain that I only feel gratitude as a result of the help he has given me these past few weeks or should I say months. Since she came out, I can always feel a tingling sensation and my heart pounds whenever he is around and I am certain that all of that is related to her. I can't trust my body anymore since she came into my life.

Some days, it's troublesome looking into his eyes. Leah sends me horny images throughout the day showing me her wishes. They even take over my dreams, I never experienced those before.

Gulping at the memory of it, my hands get moist.

He holds my hand lying on the table interlacing our fingers, I let him. His eyes bring peace and security, calming the storm inside me. He always does for some reason, though I don't know why and I have no one to ask how love evolves among werewolves. 

"Annie, earlier. The little girl shouldn't be able to transform so young. The change usually happens in the later teenage years. If she shifted with that intensity, it means either her wolf was afraid for her life or she was very protective of her human host." His voice drops, even though he has secured this conversation.

He doesn't even use his lips, he's mind-linking now, so why does he pause in between? I swallow, this must be bad, really bad.

He nods and forces a smile for our audience to see.

"Some time ago, when I was appointed Commander, I had access to some information. It required a vote, about the children with the wolf genes," he swallows, his eyes searching mine with intensity, "they are forced to change before time, even if it means bringing the host to the brink of death. You see, the cubs are easy to manipulate, so it is possible to turn off the wolf gene. I don't know exactly how, but it's possible. Annie, it's genocide."

My eyes flutter in disbelief, I don't know what to say. Who is fighting for them? People will die or be reprogrammed and live without knowing that they have lost their inner twin. Just like me, if I am abducted, I will lose Leah forever. My emotions are twisting inside me, she may be annoying, but I can't see myself without her. Could I do something to change things for them? . 

Startled by the thought, I smile and break the link between us, the waiter is here, but I can't seem to focus on the moment. I know I am strong, my magic seems to grow with time . It's overwhelming and scary, it consumes me at times as if the magic was alive and using me and the other way around. It's only a mather of time before I am discovered, Tom won't be able to hide my magic forever. 

The aroma of the food makes my stomach sing with joy. It brings me back. Tom looks at me and laughs. I smile back at him. I wish for a simple life filled with moments like this. My heart aches, knowing that I will never be normal. My eyes itch and I bend down to grab the fork just to hide my eyes. The magic inside me will eventually take over and kill everyone around me. I have no control and there is no one to help me.

✧˖*°࿐

        Note...

I am so excited! The end is near and their lives will change forever.

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