Chapter Two

Dean is acting as if he didn't notice Jacob and Sarina fighting behind the computer, as is customary for him. Elias was nowhere to be seen when I searched the area for him, which could only mean one thing.

“Nice of you to join us, Azalea," he remarked behind me.

I spun around to see him leaning against the wall with one knee crossed over the other, fiddling with a knife. I affirmed,

"Boss, I'm not late."

“Well, I see now. But you took your time to get here, my buddy, and I've been waiting for you”, he added, pointing the knife at me.

"Sorry, boss. I had to eat dinner and make the perilous walk home. I apologize for not arriving on time.” I spoke, partially trying to control my sarcasm but still coming off as snarky.

"Nice try, Azalea." He rolled the knife around his pinkie and asked, "Are you being considerate or just plain sarcastic?"

"Am serious, Boss." I said.

"Hmm, let's see. For the time being, I would like you to memorize this information regarding the royalty pack," he stated, changing the tone of his voice from conversational to solemn.

“The loyalty pack? Isn't that the pack of the werewolf king?” I queried him, taken aback by how casually he brought it up. Isn't he a werewolf as well, I reasoned.

"Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't have taken this letter from an anonymous sender if it hadn't been for the cash price. This message has been distributed to a number of additional covert groups in addition to our own. And there is a lot of money. If you do this, you could fund your schooling”, he advised.

I never explained to him why I toiled so hard to earn the money. I accepted his assumption that I wanted to finish my education. Nobody could possibly be aware of my twin. Elias questioned me why I attended school as two different individuals, and I said that I enjoyed mimicry when he found out. He made a joke about my having a twin or wanting a twin, so I don't think he really thought I was telling the truth. I refrained from commenting and let it go. He never brought it up again, and I'm pleased he didn't since for some reason he didn't realize I was lying. He is a werewolf, and werewolves can spot lies quite easily, which he enjoys using to his advantage. He's not a patient man, and there's no way he would have caught on to my fib and wanted to use it to his advantage, thus I think he can't tell if I was lying or not.

“What's the matter?” The question came from me.

“Clearly, someone wants the crown prince killed. It provided a precise time and location for when the prince would be defenseless.

“Unarmed? As if, the prince is a werewolf. Will he ever be defenseless?” The question came from me.

"I have no idea. His assassination is your responsibility, and someone with control over fire is needed for the message.” Elias commented while he was savoring a pickle.

“What?! This might be a trap,”I remarked, “Somebody wants me killed.”

While attempting to prevent her crimson curls from getting in her eyes, Sarina suddenly burst out laughing. She asked between giggles,

"Why will anyone want you dead?"

“They must be numerous if they want you dead, thus it can't be a guard.” says Jacob

With their argument forgotten, Jacob held Sarina around the waist and Sarina leant her long body on him. Their relationship is one very confusing subject. At one point, it would seem like they would break up soon but then, they would start kissing and tearing each other's clothes and I would think they would last. There's always something new to argue about with them and everyone is tired of it. I wonder what they would do if they found their mates.

“No one can know the crown prince like that without getting close. And it would be stupid to assume that the king or the second prince would want to harm the crown prince. What are the odds that that's wrong?” I said, trying to understand how all this could be avoided.

“It could be or he could have a friend who hates his guts. Anyway, you've got to do it tonight before some other half dragon or worse, a full-blooded dragon takes up the challenge.” Elias said, while flipping through a book that wasn't there a minute ago.

I exhaled a breath of air and thought, I have to do this; prince or not, I need the money.

“Count me in. Let me go change.”

I left the meeting room and went to the suit-room to suite up. I heard a moan and groaned. There were two couples among us. Jacob and Sarina are in a complicated relationship and so are Ellie and Savannah, but they are mates. I don't know if they plan on breeding children or if they love sex so much as to have it anywhere and anytime they were horny. My strong nose picked up the pungent smell of leftover sexual desire in the air. I should have smelt the air before I entered the room, I thought. Releasing a breath, I screamed, using my dragon voice,

“ES, can you leave the suit-room? While you are at it, please cleanup your mess. I don't like the smell you are leaving in the air. It's disgusting.”

Away from the corridor, I could hear Elias' booming laughter and Dean's chuckling. The first day I got to know of the watch shop, I met Elias and Dean. Dean is four years older than me but I had a crush on him at first sight. For an omega, he has muscles dominating his figure like someone working out every time. But Dean is one guy far away from working out. He spends his time on the computer like a geek. He also has the glasses to makeup the outlook but he's anything but. After I found out who he really was, I stopped looking at him like I did before. He's a womanizer who lost his mate to a rogue attack two months after meeting her. He started working for Elias after that and slept with only human women. He said that sleeping with a supernatural would make him feel like he's cheating on his mate. I beg to differ.

ES dragged themselves out of the room, sheepishly. I raised an eyebrow at Savannah and she had the guts to look down seeming ashamed of herself. They reek of sexual desire and I had to cover my nose.

“Can you leave? Am feeling suffocated here.” I said to them.

“You will understand when you find your mate.” Savannah said, rubbing her right elbow while staring at the wall behind me.

Savannah is my age mate and we were close until Ellie showed up. Ellie, short for Elliot, is an orphan living off pick-pocketing and stealing food from the market. He was dirty and smelling when he came into the watch shop to steal an expensive watch that he would sell to get money but Elias caught him before he could get away. Elias would have killed him but Savannah was there in time to save him. I still can't believe how Savannah had hugged him even if he was dirty. In the long run, Elias found his talent. He's a beta werewolf alright but he's a werewolf healer. He could heal himself and heal everyone around him too. It is a very advantage attribute and I am glad that he wasn't killed but sometimes, I would wish that I rather kill him than live with the pungent of sexual desire in the air every time they are horny.

“Just leave. Am on schedule right now and I've got work to get to.”

“Sorry, Lea.” Ellie mumbled.

“Don't, Ellie. Go.” I said, pointing towards the corridor.

The two of them held hands as they walked down the corridor. I placed my hands underneath my nose and went in to suit up. My suit is black consisting of a steel getup that ended in a puffed skirt and tights. It is long sleeved, flexible and easy to move around with. My helmet is cat like and it fits my small face. But there's one way to describe my getup, I hate it. Savannah told me that Elias purposely gave me this getup because I hate skirts and cats were the bane of my existence. I complained about it but as usual, Elias said,

“It's not the costume, Azalea. It's the job and people describe what they see as what they see. Do your job and leave the rest to the costume.”

He was right. Everyone describes me as the dangerous cat. That was my nickname outside the organization and I heard it more than once. I was popular amongst the supernatural and I would rather I hid behind the mask that created it than change it.

“Okay. Here is the scroll. Memorize all you can ’cause if you are caught, you are dead to me and I don't know you. Are we clear?” Elias said.

I tried to stop myself from rolling my eyes and said,

“Affirmative.”

“Off you go. Make me proud.” Elias said while he made himself comfortable on his sit.

I went into the take off room. I took out the scroll and memorized the information. One talent Elias didn't know about me is the ability to cast spells. This is one of the many things that have helped me over the years and it's one of my mother's second nature. She was endowed with the power of a dragon and a witch but I don't know if am a witch. I found one if mum's spell books in the basement and I practiced with it. I might be one but I have no way to prove it. Sadly, neither me nor Alee took after my father's gene. I rolled the scroll after using magic to memorize the words. Standing on the disappearance machine, I got ready for that familiar feeling of fading away from the world and pushed the green button. Before I faded away completely, I heard Dean's voice saying, “Up, up and away!”