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Chapter 3

The journey home was a lull, an eerie quiet that matched the mood. Divina felt a pang in her head, sharper than any headache, as a realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The party. Melissa. The sitting room, it flooded her mind.

Alcohol! She was a walking dead girl, and the smoke from the stoners had clouded her mind. In her heart, she prayed, despite her lack of faith. She hoped that somewhere, somehow, there was a god who would save her from any potential consequences of her foolishness.

Oh, please, God, please let Mum overlook the state of the sitting room. No one could ignore the litter of bottles, cups and papers scattered about, but Divina clung to the hope that her mother wouldn't notice and fly off the handle.

Divina's mother beat her to the house, but it was the immaculate state of the sitting room that caught Divina's eye. She blinked in disbelief as she surveyed the room, immaculate, free from any sign of the wild party. Melissa, of course. Divina grinned, her heart swelling with gratitude towards her loyal best friend.

Amy bustled in and began rooting through the pantry and fridge, preparing a meal. Divina ate heartily before taking a refreshing shower and taking some aspirin. She slipped into a deep sleep in minutes, the chaos of the night before melting into the distance.


Amy's nerves were frayed, her hands shaking as she checked on her daughter, making sure she was safely asleep. Only then did she pick up her phone with trembling fingers and dial the familiar number.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was calm and collected, a stark contrast to Amy's frazzled state.

"It's me, Amy." She tried to steady her voice, but couldn't quell the tremble entirely.

"He's here!" The words spilt out of her in a rush, almost yelling down the line before catching herself.

"Who's here? What's going on, Amy?" The voice on the other end was patient, soothing.

"He's been cursed," Amy said, the panic rising in her voice almost to the point of hysteria. "Someone gave your father the bite of a Lycan curse."

There was a moment of stunned silence. "Are you sure?"

"I know what I saw," Amy snapped, frustration and fear warring inside her. "You promised me this wouldn't happen."

"That has to be the work of a Lycan," the voice said softly.

"I trusted you," Amy said, her voice cracking with emotion. "And now look what's happened. If I'd known, I never would have let Divina go to Macy's Woods."

"It's going to be okay," the voice promised, but Amy wasn't sure she believed it. "We'll figure this out."

“Calm down Amy, we will work this out together,” the male said calmly.

"Together, we must keep Divina safe," Amy began, her voice trembling with fear.

"But there is no 'we' without my daughter," the receiver interrupted, his voice firm and unyielding.

Amy's heart sank. She had always known this day would come, but she had hoped that she could protect her daughter from the dangerous world they lived in.

"Our daughter is safe, but it is time to do the right thing," he continued, his voice low and serious.

Amy tried to feign ignorance, hoping that he would change his mind. The last thing she wanted was for her daughter to be pulled into the dark and dangerous world that surrounded them.

"You know what I mean, Amy," he replied, his voice growing impatient. "Divina has the power to protect us all. Her clan needs her now more than ever."

Amy recoiled in horror. How could he suggest such a thing? "Never! I can't allow that," she spat, her voice rising with anger.

"Then you must hold it together until I can get to the root of this," he said, his tone hard and unyielding.

"What are you suggesting, Aiden? That I put our daughter in danger because of your incompetence?" Amy was fuming, her anger threatening to boil over.

"Please, just keep it together," he pleaded.

It had been five years since Aiden and Amy had separated, and the question of their daughter's safety had always been a point of contention between them. Amy had wanted to shield Divina from the dangerous life of their clan, while Aiden believed that she needed to know who she was and where she came from.

As she hung up the phone, Amy knew she had to act fast. The question of the Lycan in town was a dangerous one, and she needed to protect her daughter at all costs. She took a deep breath and resolved to return to the hospital to figure out her next move.

The thought of what Aiden had asked of her lingered in her mind like a curse. It was an impossible task, one that would bring only destruction, and he knew it as well as she did. Despite the many hardships they had faced before, their daughter had always been kept far from harm's reach. She was young and innocent, deserving of nothing but love and protection.

Amy took a moment to check on her little girl before leaving. Her heart ached at the sight of the girl tossing and turning, her dreams plagued by unknown terrors. It was clear that seeing her grandfather so unhinged had left a mark deeper than they could have ever imagined.

But Amy wouldn't stand idly by and let her daughter suffer. She would do whatever it takes to keep her safe and whole, even if it meant going against Aiden's will.


Divina's eyes flew open as she jerked awake, her whole body numb from being tied up for goodness knew how long. She lifted her head just enough to meet the cold, grey gaze of one of her captors. She didn't know how she knew she had been kidnapped, but something about the sinister energy in the room screamed at her.

The creatures in front of her looked almost human, but their skin held a deadly pallor that made her think otherwise. A necklace dangled around one of their necks, a pendant glinting in the dim light. Divina had a gut feeling that it held some sort of significance, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

The captor who had been staring at her leered at her, a sinister smile stretching his lips. Divina tried to hide her fear, staring back at him with icy resolve.

"I need water," she managed to croak out, her dry throat protesting.

Ten minutes passed without a response. Frustration began to boil inside her, and she found herself yelling at them with a voice that surprised her with its power.

"Are you deaf or something? I need water!" Her words echoed off the walls, bouncing around her in a bizarre cacophony.

The captor merely sneered at her, the horrible grin on his face sending chills down her spine.

"I'm not your personal servant, human," he spat out cruelly. Divina's mind rebelled against the word 'human', urging her to consider the impossible: that these creatures may not be human at all.

With a casual wave of his hand, he tossed her a vile-looking liquid. "Drink that. It should be enough to fill you up."

Divina couldn't help but wonder what these creatures wanted with her. If they were going to kill her, why even bother kidnapping her in the first place?

One of her captors stirred from his slumber, his grunts and groans filling the air. She turned her gaze to him, trying to gauge his reaction to their current predicament.

A jagged scar twisted from the corner of his left eye down to his mouth, a constant reminder of battles fought in distant, darker lands. Stirred from slumber by the sound of their exchange, he rose and inquired if it was his turn to keep watch. But the boorish one rebuffed him with a sharp tongue and a shake of his head, leaving him to wander off into the nearby bush under the pretence of relieving himself.

Feigning fearlessness, Divina rose from her bedroll and approached her captor, determined to pry information from his lips and sow seeds of chaos amongst the unidentified, shadowy figures that surrounded them.

"'Scuse me," she began tentatively, "so, are you going to kill me or... or worse?"

His eyes greedily drank her in, ravenous and insatiable, but they held a hint of hesitation. It was clear they were mere pawns in a larger game, working for someone else's twisted agenda. As he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, Divina sensed his uncertainty and knew she had an opportunity to gain the upper hand.

Without missing a beat, she pressed on, eager to uncover any scrap of information that might help her escape this perilous situation.

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