Chapter 35: Crime and punishment

"So you're telling me that the evil man told you that you cannot sleep with your mate, and you agreed?!" Agatha asked, her voice rising.

"Hush Agatha! Lower your voice!" Elize whispered, quickly grabbing her friend's arm.

But it was too late. Every eye in the huge dining hall was trained towards the two of them. Taking into consideration that this was already lunch time, it was a lot of eyes. Elize smiled back sheepishly.

"Oh we're talking about a book. Don't mind us." Elize said trying to dispel the attention.

As soon as she said that, the crowd relapsed into their own conversations, losing interest in them. But a few people seated next to their table were still staring at the two, shaking their heads at them. Realizing that the situation was more or less averted, Elize turned back to her friend with a glare.

"You better keep it low or save it for later Agatha. We are sitting in a room full of wolves. Remember that they can even hear you breath. So please stop referring to him as the evil man!" She hissed.

"Okay fine." Agatha said, stuffing her mouth with rice.

Elize shook her head and picked up what little food was left in her plate. She never knew food could taste so good until she had a bite of the pack house's burger the first day she arrived there. Apparently Zack's family was rich enough to hire the world's best chefs year- round. It would be a pity if she didn't finish the delicacy on her plate, Elize thought as she took another bite of her sandwich.

"I don't think I can finish this. Do you want my half eaten sandwich?" Elize asked, shoving the plate towards the witch sitting in front of her.

Suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed the plate from the table. Elize looked up, annoyed. Although she was willing to share it with Agatha, it didn't mean that she'd share it with anyone else. Especially if they tried to take it from her.

"Mmm. This is soo good." Brandt said, stuffing the half eaten sandwich into his mouth.

"Eww that was gross." Agatha said, pulling her plate protectively towards herself.

Elize rolled her eyes at the kid standing in front of her. Unlike the other day, Brandt was looking healthy again. His muddy brown eyes sparkled seeing her frown. Suddenly he pushed Elize to the side and sat next to her on the wooden bench. She narrowed her eyes at him. If it wasn't for Nina, she would smack his little ass right off the pack house, Elize thought.

"You know you look really beautiful when you're annoyed." He said, displaying a wide grin.

Elize ignored the remark and slid further away from him. Brandt was about to reach out and grab her when Agatha snapped her fingers. Elize watched as the kid shiver once and then quickly retreat his hand. He stared at it with his eyes wide open for a straight five minutes. The color on his face was getting paler by the second. Just as he was about to open his mouth to scream, Agatha snapped her fingers again. In a moment's time Brandt was back to normal. He quickly lowered his hand and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Witch." He hissed.

"Watch it kid. The next time you try to touch her, I wouldn't be so kind. I'll simply drop you in front of your Alpha. And you know what's waiting for you there." Agatha warned. A light grin was displayed on her face, but her eyes were dead serious. Brandt quickly looked away, shivering.

"What did you do?" Elize asked, finding the whole episode amusing.

"Just a small illusion. He thought his fingers turned into-"

"Okay fine fine. I won't touch her again. Don't tell her about it!" Brandt complained, pointing his hand towards Elize.

"Tell her about what?" Nina asked, suddenly walking in on them.

Brandt looked away embarrassed. It was clear to Elize that he didn't expect to see his sister there. All of a sudden she got an idea, seeing his sorry state.

"Oh we were just guessing about Brandt's worst fears." She lied, keeping her eyes on the teenager in front of her.

Brandt looked at her with a clueless expression. But it soon gave way to a shocked one seeing the smile on her face. Before he could do anything, Nina spoke up.

"Oh that's simple. It's snakes." She said, taking a seat next to Agatha.

Elize couldn't stop laughing as Brandt started arguing with his sister. Agatha had a smug look on her face.

"I'll tell dad that you're bullying me!" Brandt shouted, pointing his finger at Nina.

"What? What did I do?" Nina asked, clueless.

"You always do this to me!"

"Okay fine fine. Break it up guys." Elize said, keeping a hand on Brandt's shoulder.

Instantaneously, he calmed down. He slowly turned towards Elize with a smile.

"I love-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Elize shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

"Hey! That was my food!" Agatha protested.

Elize shrugged and turned towards Nina. "So, what's been decided?"

The red haired girl sighed. Her hazel eyes looked at Elize with a tinge of sadness. Elize knew at that moment, that she din't carry good news. Not long after Zack had agreed to Aileen's request, Elize was asked to go out of the room. Although Zack had protested the move, he had to give in to the old man's threats finally. Nina was summoned to the room soon after, along with Mikail. The last thing she heard before being ushered out to the first floor was Nina's shouts.

"Mikail will be punished tonight for not being able to protect you and Zack." She replied with her head bent low.

"But-"

"I know Elize. We can't do anything about it right now. That old bugger threatened to punish the whole crew who went out yesterday. That's when Mikail chose to receive the punishment himself as the leader of the group."

Elize felt sad hearing what Nina had to say. Although Mikail was mean to her every single time they met, it had all changed in the clearing yesterday night. She had already started seeing him as a part of her family. The thought of something happening to him hurt her.

"Didn't Zack say anything?" She asked, her voice breaking.

Nina shook her head. "I know what you're thinking Elize. Zack might be the Alpha here. But that old man is more powerful than you can ever imagine. Given the fact that he already has his troops inside the Island, it wouldn't be a wise decision to taunt him too much."

"It's you!" A high pitched voice echoed through the room.

Elize looked towards the direction of the sound. A girl about Brandt's age was standing in the middle of the room, her face covered in tear marks and her eyes looking wild. She had her finger pointed towards Elize.

"Uhh Heidi, I think you should calm down." Brandt said, getting up from his seat and blocking her path towards Elize.

"Move Brandt! She is the reason Mikail is being punished! How can you stand by and watch as this witch breaks havoc in our pack?!" The girl's shrill voice rose higher.

Elize quickly looked at Agatha, who turned towards her with a clueless expression. Agatha had her head buried behind Nina's back. It was a funny scene. Agatha would be the first witch to cover behind a wolf's back, Elize thought, laughing in her mind.

"Heidi, that is no way to speak to your elders!" Nina warned.

"Humph! She's no elder of mine! She's just a witch! And I am going to end this today." The girl said, a low growl emitting from her body.