Chapter 40: A flair for trouble

"Calm down Elize. You're more powerful than your enemy." She whispered under her breath.

"Huh? Are you talking to yourself?" Agatha asked, looking at her friend as if she was crazy.

"Yeah you would too. If you see what I can." Elize replied, shaking her head.

"Eh?"

"Never mind. Keep a lookout for Nina."

"Umm Elize?" Meifeng called, tugging at her sleeves.

Elize turned towards the she-wolf. She could see that Meifeng was clearly worried. "What is it Meifeng?" She asked.

"I have a feeling that Nina will not be turning up tonight." Meifeng said awkwardly.

"Why?"

"Alex just said that something came up."

"What?!" Elize asked, trying to control her anger.

Great. Just when she thought that it couldn't get worse, it just had to. Elize thought to herself.

"I don't know. What should we do now?" Meifeng asked.

"It doesn't matter. Stick to the plan then." Elize replied sharply, furrowing her brows in irritation. Nina's absence could pose a problem to their plan, but she was determined to see it through. There was no way that she would abandon her pack mate, she thought. She kept her attention focused on the sight in front of her, taking a quick glance at Mikael's limp body. It was covered in angry red marks, resembling the shape of claws. Given the quick recovery rate of a werewolf's body mechanism, she guessed that they could only be recently healed wounds. Elize's blood boiled. How dare the old man torture a member of her pack?!

Murmurs rose up in the crowd as Alpha Li nodded towards his subordinate. Li Jun bent down to pick up Mikail's body. He swung it over his shoulder and walked towards the red colored podium.

"Behold, the punishment for betrayal." Alpha Li's voice boomed, above the murmurs of the crowd. He continued, "As some of you might know, the Tohar Sehlah has been on this Island since time immemorial, a sacred rock which was given to the very first witches and the wolves on this land by the moon goddess herself to cleanse the sins of the traitors." he stopped, and looked intently at the crowd, his face slowly registering a cruel smile.

What was the meaning of all this? Did this hold some element of truth? Was the rock truly divine? Elize pondered, nervously chewing her lips.

Agatha gasped. "How?! This is impossible!" She hissed. Elize looked at her friend in confusion. Did she know something about this?

"Agatha?" Elize asked, confused.

"This is bad. We need to get out of here right now Elize!" Agatha said, grabbing her friend's hand. Her face was construed in fear.

"What? No! We're not going anywhere without Mikail! We had a deal Agatha!" Elize said furiously. Trying to shake off her friend's grip on her hand.

"Elize, you don't understand this-"

Before she could voice that thought aloud, the old man's voice once again rose up. "For centuries, the rock has been nothing but a myth, lost to the inhabitants of this place. After days of painstaking efforts, my men and I unearthed the rock yesterday from this very spot. As for its validity, we'll know after we let the stone do its work on the traitor. "

As soon as he completed the sentence, Mikail's body was flung on to the rock.

"Shit! Agatha release me!" Elize shouted.

"I can't! I'm sorry Elize!" Agatha said, preparing to start another spell. She opened her mouth to start the spell"Obstu-"

Elize sighed. She didn't want to do this but, her friend gave her no choice. Quickly raising her own free hand she chanted "Hear my plea oh spirit of my ancestors, absorb what binds me and release me at once."

Agatha cursed under her breath, her own spell shattering into oblivion before it could fully form.

That was when Elize noticed it. A crack in the invisibility barrier. Elize quickly raised her hand, slashing through Agatha's spell in a second. The blonde witch staggered back, releasing her friend's hand in response, surprise flashing through her eyes. Without wasting another second, Elize teleported to Mikail, landing right next to the podium.

She bent down next to the huge rock which was now giving off an eerie red glow. Something told her that she should run as far away as she could from the rock. She shook her head, clearing her mind. This was no time to be hesitant. She had come too far to back off now and also she had to quickly get out of here with Mikail, if she were to avoid the old man Elize thought. She reached out to grab the unconscious man's hand.

As she was about to touch the him, a strange force emanating from the rock slammed her hand on to its surface. It was as if two opposite poles of a magnet came together. Elize gasped, her eyes widening in surprise at the force. In the next moment, a huge mass of light exploded from the rock, blinding her momentarily. Elize felt a surge of energy being forcefully shoved into her body. She screamed in agony. The pain was unbearable. It felt like a thousand nails being hammered into her body, tearing through her muscles layer by layer.

All of a sudden, she was yanked back violently. In the blink of an eye, she was standing at the edge of the clearing, strong arms binding her in place. She struggled with all her might, but the grip on her body remained strong.

"Leave me!" She screamed, thrashing her limbs helplessly.

"I was wondering when you would show yourself." A familiar voice whispered into her ears, making her body suddenly go limp with shock.

Elize slowly looked up at the man holding her tightly against his body. Pure hatred filled her eyes, but it was marred with an evident trace of fear. "Let. Me. Go." She spat, word by word.

Her hands were locked tightly behind her, making it impossible for her to cast a spell in her defense. Elize twisted her hands in For some weird reason, she was unable to feel the magic in her body anymore. Elize panicked. What was happening?!

Alpha Li laughed at the threat, the sound carrying a malicious intent. He suddenly stopped and turned her around forcefully, raising her chin up against his own face.

"You amuse me." The man said in a low husky voice, his eyes brimming with desire.

Elize's eyes widened in fear as the old man's vile breath fanned her face. "You better leave me if you want to live." She said, trying her very best to get out of his hold.

"Who are you trying to fool little girl? You clearly absorbed the power from the rock. You are helpless right now."

*THUMP*

Suddenly something landed near her feet. Elize stilled and quickly looked down in confusion. Li Jun's body lay there, struggling for breath. Blood oozed out from the various gashes on his body.

"Let her go." A deep voice commanded. Elize's heart skipped a beat hearing his voice. He came for her!

"Aren't you going to thank me for saving your little plaything?" Alpha Li asked, his grip on her tightening. Elize cried out in pain.

"Grandfather! Let her go now!" Zack screamed, his face contorted in rage.

Alpha Li growled, but quickly shoved her against his grandson and disappeared from the place. Zack moved forward and caught Elize without sparing an effort. He sighed, holding her tightly within his arms. With pain- filled eyes he looked down at his mate's face.

"Why do you always jump right into trouble?" He asked.

"I think I have a flair for it." Elize replied with a weak smile. "Is everyone-?"

"Yes. Thanks to you." He replied, rolling his eyes.

Elize chuckled. She leaned onto Zack, suddenly feeling weak. "Alpha Li?"

"He's going to have to give me some answers." He replied between clenched teeth.