Chapter 22

Giselle sat beside Emily on the couch, crying intently. She looked up at Emily and noticed smoke issuing out of her.

"Does anyone see what I'm seeing?" She looked up at Emily's parents.

"Rebecca?" Richard called.

"She's coming back." Rebecca's face lit up. 

"The couch is burning." Giselle jumped off of the couch.

"Rebecca, put her out." Richard commanded.

"I create and manipulate fire, not quench it." 

Richard tried to take Emily off the couch, but he yelled as her body burned his hands. He readied himself again and quickly took her from the couch and placed her on the floor.

They stood and watched as Emily ignited into flames and continued burning until what they saw on the ground was a heap of ashes.

After a while, they saw Emily's hand stretched out from underneath the ashes. She sat up from the ashes and looked at herself. She looked up at them and asked with a frown, "What happened?"

************

Michael opened his eyes slowly and observed the room he was in before he sprang up. He sat on the bed and tried to reminisce about last night. He remembered he was fighting with Chris before he passed out. He sighed. He had to get used to waking up in an unfamiliar room anytime he fought with Chris. He stood up gently and moved to the door. When he opened the door, he walked through a not-too-wide passage, occasionally coming across some doors. He kept quiet and stretched his ears to hear any suspicious sounds. 

Soon, he came across a staircase. He was about to descend the stairs when his eyes caught Sydney standing at the extreme of the hallway, which was open and extended out in a balcony.

He walked up to him slowly and asked, "Sydney, what's this place?" 

"My house," Sydney replied, still backing him up.

"What about the others?" Michael asked, his eyes immediately widening in worry. "Where is Jacob?"

"The one you stabbed in the heart with a sliver dagger?" Sydney asked, turning to face Michael.

Michael's heart jumped to his throat, his eyes darted, and he felt like smashing his head against the wall. He was angry at himself, at his wolf and his inability to control it. He thought himself not different from Chris for killing someone innocent. He was sad and angry at the same time. His eyes flashed green as he tried to contain his wolf.

Sydney strode up to Michael and said, "Let's talk about that wolf eye of yours."

"Why?" Michael asked.

"Because you shouldn't have it." Sydney said, causing a frown to form on Michael's forehead. Have you ever asked your dad what kind of wolf you are? Your brother's wolf eyes are blue, which means both of you are different. "

"It's just a wolf's eye color. It changes due to werewolves gifts. "

"Let me guess, your wolf eyes have been green since your first transition."

"How did you know that?" Michael asked.

"Your brother is a regular werewolf but you're a different kind of wolf which doesn't make any sense because you're siblings, right?"

"Why am I different from Chris?" Michael asked.

"I don't think I'm the person you should be asking that." Sydney moved behind Michael. "Your friends are waiting for you in the living room." He said, before he left.

Michael stood there for a moment, pondering over what Sydney had just told him. He walked to the stairs and climbed down the curved staircase. He didn't realise how beautiful Sydney's house was until he arrived at the living room. It was simply magnificent and luxurious, making Michael curious about why Sydney was working at Nich's eatery when his parents were that rich.

Something drew Michael's attention from the beautiful living room; he was dumbstruck. Jacob was seated on one of the leather couches, far from where Elsa and Chris were seated. He didn't know what to say at the moment. Should he run and hide his face in shame or apologize and settle things with him? At the end of his pondering, he chose the latter.

"I'm sorry for what I did yesterday. I lost control. I wasn't myself. " Michael hastened his footsteps towards Jacob. "But how are you alive?" But Michael couldn't help his curiosity. "I stabbed you with a sliver dagger in the heart."

"And you want me to be dead?" Jacob asked. 

"No, it's just that... It's strange. Silver hurts werewolves badly, and when they are stabbed in the heart with it, they die."

"I guess I have my way of escaping death. What you don't remember is that I'm not an ordinary werewolf. I'm obviously a wolf merged with a raven, so things like that can't kill me. " Jacob stood up from his seat and stalked towards Michael. "What if I was just a werewolf and I died last night? How many people do you want to kill before you start learning how to control your wolf? "

"You've been a werewolf for what? six days? Should I remind you that I became a werewolf five years ago? "

"Then you should start acting like a mature wolf." Jacob walked up to Michael till he was an inch away from him, then he whispered, locking his gaze with Michael's. "Next time, I won't give you the chance to stab me. If you try to kill me again, I'll make sure to kill you first. " Michael lowered his gaze as Jacob walked past him and left the house. 

He understood Jacob's situation and didn't blame him if he refused to forgive him. He raised his eyes and they met Chris's. Chris looked away immediately and stood up, walking out with Elsa. Michael sighed, following them out.

Michael noticed Chris's quietness and sad countenance as they walked home. He turned to Elsa and asked, "I'm I the only one or do you also notice that something's off with Chris?" 

"I don't know," Elsa shrugged. "Maybe he's feeling sad about what he did."

"He's dark, he shouldn't be remorseful." Michael furrowed his brows, and his gaze narrowed on her. "Elsa, what did you do?" He asked.

"There was no other way. You were going to kill not only Chris but everyone, and you expected me to just stand there and watch? " 

Michael was speechless. He sighed frustratedly. He was grateful for what she did; she had saved him from... His eyes widened. He remembered what Kayla had shown him. It was what would have happened if Elsa hadn't intervened with the dark magic.

"I will not forgive myself if anything happens to you." 

"I can take care of myself." She assured him with a small nod before taking the turn that led to her house.

Michael was alone with Chris. His mind began to replay the flashing images from the previous night. When Chris clawed Emily's throat and when he stabbed Jacob. A sudden rush of anger ran through him, and he glared at Chris, who looked melancholy.

He took another way, leaving Chris to walk home alone on the road; he headed to Emily's house.

He stood before Emily's door and knocked on the door. He looked down at his shoes as he waited for someone to open the door. When the door opened, he looked up and fought the urge to start running with a scream. 

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Emily smirked.

"How am I sure that I'm not standing before one?" Michael frowned.

Emily chuckled and pulled him into the room. "I came back to life. I'm part phoenix, remember?" 

"You never told me you were an avian hybrid. I heard you telling Elsa."

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" Emily asked, leading him to a couch.

"I was sitting at the bar counter, actually." Michael pointed at his ears and said, "Wolf ears?" He smirked, but it disappeared immediately. "But your mother said your phoenix is too weak to regenerate." He settled on the couch.

"Guess it isn't that feeble after all." Emily smiled, folding one of her legs under the other as she sat close to Michael.

"You scared me." Michael breathed.

"Did I?" She raised her brow.

"Yeah, I did something really drastic though." Michael looked away, his face turning pale.

"Did you fight with Chris?" She asked.

"Don't worry about that; you're alive, and that's all that matters." Michael smiled, staring into her eyes. 

"Uh... You want a drink?" She darted her eyes from his.

"I've got to go. I'll see you later." The smile was still plastered on his face as he stood up.

"Okay." She nodded.

Emily walked Michael to the door and bade him goodbye before returning to the room. She went to the kitchen to get a drink from the refrigerator. She held the handle to open it, and dark energy spun around her fist. She didn't notice until she pulled the refrigerator door and it broke. She held it in her hands, wide-eyed; the fridge was left without a door.

.

.

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When Elsa got home, she apologised to her parents for not coming home last night. She told them that she slept over at Emily's place. Her father told her to always tell them whenever she was going to sleep over at a friend's place. She nodded and headed to her room.

Eve, Philip's wife, went to the courtyard to water the flowers. Philip lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling. He heard a knock on the door, and he stood up to check who it was.

When he opened the door, he saw two guys and a lady. "Why are you here?" He recognized them immediately.

They served the King of the coven he came from, and he knew their visits were never pleasant.

"It's been a long time, Philip. Where's the girl? We were sent to take her. " The girl spoke.

"Who?" Philip frowned.

"Don't pretend you don't know why we are here." One of the guys spoke.

"You're hiding her, aren't you?" The other guy asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." 

"You sure do." The girl held her hands out to Philip, and he felt a force launch him backward into the air. She pinned him against the wall, and they stepped into the house.

"Sasha, I don't know what you're talking about." Philip struggled to free himself from the strong force he felt around his neck, causing him to choke. 

"She did dark magic again." Sasha said.

"Wait, you were all there?" They heard a voice from upstairs, and they looked up to see who spoke.

"Hey Elsa, I know you don't remember the rules. It's not your fault though. Whenever you're reborn, you tend to be more stupid than your previous life, so let me refresh your dumb memory. Anytime a witch from our coven does dark magic, the crystal ball turns red. It shows us the witch and helps us locate her. " Sasha strode up to Philip, her hands still stretched out to him, her eyes not leaving him. "Get the girl." She ordered the guys.

"Elsa, run!!" Philip yelled.