-20
CALEB’S POV
“You have to decide quickly Caleb. The Dark Lord is getting restless by the day. He has left a reminder for you.” Meredith said entering with a huge box.
I took the box from her and opened it with trembling hands only to shut it back quickly.
“What’s inside?” Meredith asked, opening the lid of the box but I grabbed her hand and shook my head, and whispered, “Vondur…”
“No!! How can he do that?” Meredith said massaging her head.
Exhaling deeply, I said, “He is famous for his ruthlessness…”
“Does that mean we have no choice in this matter?”
“Don’t worry! I will think of a way…” I reassured her but the fact was that I was stuck with him unless a better choice presented itself before me.
“Alpha Caleb, Ummm….”
“Speak up! I don’t have all day.” I said casting a sideward glance at the guard who was standing with his head bowed.
“Umm…”
“Do you want me to seal your lips so that it can only say ‘Umm!” I asked in an irritated voice.
“Tyson is here. He is carrying the flag of Code Red.” He blurted out.
I shook my head and cleared my ears before asking, “What did you just say?”
“The Dragon King, Tyson; his brother, Aslan, and his sister, Zarina is here. They are holding a flag of ‘Code Red’. Should we open fire on them?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was such a good opportunity to kill them. But, my curiosity got the better of me and I ordered the guard to seat them in the conference room.
“Do you think this is a plot, Caleb?”
“Code Red is very sacred, Meredith. It is used only in emergencies. Tyson wouldn’t bring in his whole family unless it is an emergency. Let’s go and see.”
My heart raced and adrenaline coursed through my veins. The erratic heartbeats of the people inside indicated that they were as nervous as me.
Drawing in a deep breath, I stepped inside with Meredith.
“You must be desperate to request ‘Code Red’,” I said with a confident smirk.
“We do need your help, Caleb,” Aslan said standing up. Tyson remained seated with a haughty expression. So typical of him.
“What made you think I will help you after you both annihilated our pack. Aren’t you afraid I will butcher the three of you?” I sneered.
“Caleb, Code Red is a sacred vow between werewolves and dragons. You wouldn’t want to break it.”
My blood boiled at his tone. I stepped forward to grasp his neck but was thrown back by an invisible wall.
“I have created this violence-free circle. You can’t enter it unless your heart is pure.” Zarina stood up and hissed.
I hadn’t expected them to come prepared. Exhaling deeply I said, “Tell me your problem. Then, I will decide if I want to enter the circle.”
“Aurora has been missing for a month. We have exhausted all our resources but couldn’t find her.”
I staggered slightly at this piece of information. Aurora had been missing for a MONTH.
I stepped forward and blurted out, “How can I help?”
Without realizing it, I had entered the circle. So, I sat down as if that was my intention all along.
“She is your mate right. We want you to help us in locating her.”
I was about to say that I had rejected her but I held back. This was a great opportunity.
“What do I gain from this, Aslan?”
“If we save her we both will have the chance to find ‘The Heart of Magic’ once the baby is born,” Tyson said leaning forward.
Hmm… so he was playing the ‘Temptation card.’ If I was going to get into this mess, I might as well make sure that I did benefit from it.
“ I can help you but I have one condition.”
“Don’t test our patience, Dog!” Aslan roared and lunged for my throat but he was thrown out of the circle instantly.
He glared at me and grabbed Meredith by her throat. I was about to get up and go to help her but Tyson’s voice sounded, “Aslan! Leave her. We are not here to fight.”
He released her and stepped back into the circle. I pulled Meredith inside too. I didn’t want to be at a disadvantage.
“State your condition, Caleb. I will honor it… that is if it is not too audacious.” Tyson said in an even tone. I often wondered how he remained so calm even in adversity. Maybe, it was because he didn’t care for anything.
I cleared my throat and said, “We will break this code only after ‘The Heart of Magic’ is retrieved.”
The expression on Tyson’s face turned ugly. I was hundred percent sure that he would refuse but he surprised me by saying, “We have a deal.”
Zarina exhaled deeply and said, “Alright, then. I will seal the bond. If anyone wants to step out, now is the chance. Once the spell is cast, our lives will be bound together. We can’t hurt each other till we find the ‘Heart of Magic.”
“Meredith, if you don’t want…” I started saying but she placed her finger on my lips.
“There should at least be one more person who can represent us.”
“True… ‘Code Red’ is based on fair agreement. I will act as a mere binder in this process. Aslan and Tyson will represent the dragons while Caleb and Meredith will represent the werewolves.” Zarina said and closed her eyes.
Her lips trembled like flower petals in the wind as she chanted the spell. Golden light erupted from her fingertips and engulfed us.
I could sense a kind of bond forming between the four of us. It wasn’t something tangible, just a feeling. The hatred and fury I felt towards the dragons were gone.
Once we had discussed our plan, Zarina teleported them back to their palace. It made me wonder if I should hire a witch too. Teleporting saved such a lot of travel time and effort.
“You rejected Aurora, right. How will you track her?” Meredith’s anxious voice drew my attention to her.
She was right in worrying. If the dragons found that I was lying, they would descend on us like vultures. I had to find a way to track Aurora…
.