Madeline's smile was a victorious one. The moment the arrow pierced into his skin and she could see that the area where the arrow stayed was beginning to tint a red color. She sent a mocking glance to George who was frantic. What was going to happen next?
Calhoun simply looked down at the arrow, he placed his hand on the stick and pulled it out. The wound closed up and it stopped bleeding. Madeline's smile faltered on her face. Not just that it faltered, but it also began to shake terribly. Calhoun wasn't staring at her. He was concerned about the people who were gathered around him.
"Guards, ensure that the people return to their homes. We have a battle to fight." Calhoun announced. The people began to complain and cry out. Calhoun's earlier concern began to morph into anger and he growled loudly. They quietened instantly.
"Return to your houses!" He commanded. The villagers began to scurry around, each one trying to find their family members so they could return home.
"George, take our prisoner and ensure she is safely guarded in the dungeon," Calhoun ordered. Madeline scowled. She wasn't a prisoner.
"My king will come for you." She spat before Calhoun.
"You didn't ever tell me why you, a measly petty human, will mean so much to a werewolf king." Calhoun suddenly said. "Are you perhaps his second wife? Disguised?"
Madeline's expression turned dark. "How dare you accuse my king?!"
"You certainly do protect him a lot. Just like a good little wife."
Madeline growled. "I am not!"
"Not what?" Calhoun asked. "Not a good wife or not a little wife?"
"I'm not a good little wife."
"Then you must be the big bad wife," Calhoun said. He liked using his words to enrage people. It made him feel superior.
"You cannot control me!" She huffed angrily.
"Alright, take her away George," Calhoun said. "Oh and make sure she is securely chained and guarded properly."
George nodded and began to pull her away. Madeline allowed herself to be pulled away. Once they had left, Calhoun turned to face the direction where the arrow had come from. He squinted his eyes, staring at the distance. Slowly, he brought the arrow to his gaze. The design on the tip of the arrow seemed too familiar like he had seen it before.
"Let's leave." He ordered. The guards opened the door of his car but he had already slid in through the open window. "Hurry up." He ordered.
The drive to the castle was only a few minutes and immediately he alighted the car, he jumped straight to the balcony of his chamber, leaving his guards in awe.
"Guard the castle gates! No one goes in and no one goes out! Guard the garden behind, no one must pass through the forest into the castle."
"Yes, my Lord." The guard bowed and left.
"My king!" Another guard hurried to his chamber, falling on his knees. "The lady, she has turned into something else!"
"Something else?"
"Yes, my king! George requested that you come hastily! She is not a werewolf." The guard cried.
Calhoun hummed in response. "Go. I will come right after you."
The guard bowed and left, hurrying to meet George. Calhoun tsked, he walked into his inner chamber and found his bath ready. Patricia must have been here.
He walked back outside to find another guard at his door.
"Call Patricia." He said.
The man bowed and hurried to get Patricia. They knew that there was a storm brewing but they also couldn't say where it was coming from, or how dangerous it was going to be.
Diana, having sent the letter back to Calhoun, resumed her work with the mail company. After a few days, the governor visited the post office. He went to the department that received mail to ask if they saw mail from Wisteria. They said they hadn't.
He began to trace the days back and they figured it was the day when Diana had worked there so she was summoned to meet him.
"Good day sir." She greeted. Her hazel eyes glowed before him and he could see the bravery in her eyes.
"Are you Diana?"
"Yes sir."
"Hm." He said. "Well, I heard you worked in the incoming mail department a few days back. A week, if I'm correct."
"Yes sir."
"Well, I believe there was an incoming mail from Wisteria. Did you see it?"
Diana was silent for a few seconds. If she answered hastily, she would be asked how she knew what Wisteria's seal looked like.
"I don't think I can recall any letter having that sender's address." She answered.
"Well, it didn't have the address, it had a seal. A red seal with the golden inscription of the letter W." He explained. "There is also a faint watermark holding the same sign at the top right corner of the paper, only that this one is a W sitting on a crown."
Diana shook her head. "I don't recall seeing such. Perhaps there was a delay and it might come in soon."
The man hummed in thought. "Well, the delivery men said they had mail to deliver to Wisteria too."
Diana sighed. She wasn't bothered because she had sent her letter in another envelope to Maggie, asking her to help her deliver it to Wisteria. So even if it was traced, it would only stop at Sunshine town.
"And I heard you had a late mail to deliver." He said, staring at her.
"You don't say. Sir, I had mail to deliver to my friend in Sunshine town. She had been with me after I delivered my son, and then something happened to have us move away from that town to the capital city." Diana explained. "I had to inform her of the update just in case she wants to visit me."
The governor nodded. It was a plausible explanation and he believed it. He was in awe of her bravery. Many people being interrogated by the governor would begin to shake and tremble, often putting themselves in problems they were innocent of.
"You just gave birth?" The governor asked.
"You don't look like it."
"It's over six months," Diana answered.
"Yes, well, I noticed that you're a very brave woman. Have you ever considered joining the army? We need women like you who can stand before mighty men and still maintain your composure."
Diana chuckled faintly. "Pardon me, but I just said I gave birth recently. You surely don't expect me to leave my six-month-old child and join the army."
"We will assign you help to take care of your child. Give you a nice apartment and you will get wonderful treatment." He said.
"I'll pass."
The man stared at her. "Being a werewolf isn't something to be ignored in this town." He said.
Diana's eyes flared in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? I can sniff you, Diana." He said. "You are a werewolf."
"Your kind is hated in and around Fraco. We only recruit them to join the army to prevent them from being easily spotted."
"I fail to comprehend your utterance, sir," Diana said. "If the matter regarding the missing mail has been resolved, I think I ought to leave... Return to work."
"Sit down, Diana." He said. "We have a lot to talk about." His eyes glowed bright deep green and Diana felt compelled to sit immediately.
"I am Eugene." He introduced.
"It's hard not knowing the name of the governor," Diana muttered. "I don't see the point of all these, sir."
"Call me Eugene. We are of the same kind." He said, showing her his sharp teeth and claws.
"Don't try to act differently to me, I know who you are."
"I don't understand what you are talking about. I'm not a werewolf, I have never seen one in my entire life." She lied easily. It was daytime and not night so she wasn't exactly bothered.
"Are you telling me that my sniff is misleading?"
"Exactly," Diana said, chuckling a little. "Do you think I would be a werewolf and I would work so hard just to care for my child? I would make a wood house in the forest and live there."
Eugene stared at her. If she wasn't a werewolf then exposing himself was dangerous, he had to clear her memory. He stared at her, deeply with his glowing green eyes.
Diana stared back at him, emotionless. She knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to compel her and she wasn't going to be compelled. She stared back, using her willpower to block him from getting into her mind.
Eugene tried hard and when he felt he had succeeded, his eyes returned to normal.
Diana still held the same expression which she had held since the start of their conversation. "May I leave sir?"
"Yes, Diana. But consider my proposal of joining the army."
"I will think about it." She said, getting up from her seat. Without sparing him another glance, she left the office.
It was almost evening and she felt quite exhausted, maintaining her human form while being compelled by a stronger wolf was hard and it had taken much strength, she was tired.
She went to pick Coco up from the nanny's home.
"Oh, did you not send your sister to pick him up?" Nana said. "She did come here and she took him home, not even long after you dropped him."
Diana was surprised. What sister?
"Perhaps it's Julitta." She said, "Thanks, Nana. I'll be on my way now."
"I could have sworn you sent her," Nana said again.
Diana returned home, expecting to find Julitta with Coco. Instead, she found Maggie and her kids and Coco.
"Maggie." She said, "How did you locate this place?"
"In your letter, you said everything that had happened, it was quite easy. Besides, I found your soldier sister, Julitta. She was with Coco." Maggie explained.
"Oh, so that's how you found her," Diana said. "Well, where is she?"
"She had to grab something I guess," Maggie answered. "Diana, what was all that letter to Wisteria about?"
Diana sighed. "There seems to be trouble."
"How can you tell?"
"I can feel what my mate feels, especially if it's a strong emotion." She explained. "I can tell that he has been going through a lot of stress of late. Although, I'm not afraid of him because I know how cruel he is, he could burn all his enemies in one strike."
"Then why wouldn't he do it?" Maggie asked.
"Because he enjoys having trouble all around him."
Coco began to cry softly. It was uncommon for them. Coco was always quiet and would play by himself, having him cry was something Diana was not accustomed to. She quickly carried him up and she could feel that his temperature was rising.
"He might be having a fever," Maggie said. "What can you do? He's a werewolf child, will you treat him the same way you treat human babies?"
"I have zero ideas, Maggie," Diana said.
"Perhaps we can take him to the hospital?"
"That would also mean blowing your undercover," Maggie said. "I think you should take him to the military clinic."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because if there are wolves in the army, don't you think the military doctors will know how to treat wolves?"
Diana was reserved. Did Eugene manipulate this? How can Coco unexpectedly have a fever right after she stood up for being a werewolf? She would have to admit it now.
"How long did Julitta say she was going to stay?" Diana asked. Coco's body rose to an even higher temperature and Diana was alarmed. "Maggie, what do I do?!"
Maggie shrugged. "Usually, we douse a towel in cool water and dab it around their forehead but that's for humans, I don't know about wolves!"
"He's still a human for now! He hasn't altered yet, he just has the blood in him." Diana clamored. "Let's try the water thing."
Coco's cry got louder and louder and Diana was misplacing her cool.