When Dad asked Vanessa about her mom, she did something strange. She started saying weird words and moving her hands in a funny way. Suddenly, we all felt dizzy and confused, like we were in a dream.
Then, Vanessa ran away, laughing, and the room burst into flames. Smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe. I felt scared and helpless as everything around us burned. Vanessa had tricked us and left us in danger! All this time, she just wanted to kill the three of us!
I screamed for help and my throat became itchy from the smoke. I watched my Dad trying to help Mom but something else made him too weak, and I wondered if Vanessa had given him some pills just like what she did to me before.

“Dad, did you really kill Vanessa’s Mom?” I asked before I could forget about it. Then, Dad took a long time to respond, and when he did, I wasn’t ready for his response.
“I am not sure, Isabella. There were so many similar incidents in the past, and I am not acquainted with Vanessa’s mother,” he replied.
“She once told me that her Mom died from being burned alive,” I mentioned while trying to get out of the room. I ran to the windows to open it, but the open air just made the flames worse.
“Burned alive? Hold on, something like that happened in the past, but we only burned witches, Isabella! Could it be that Vanessa’s mom was a witch?”
“William, I think I know her mother,” Mom said.
“Who?” Dad asked.

“That woman, she tried to bewitch you and our daughter, remember?”
“Alice?”
“Yes! It’s Alice for sure!”
“Who is Alice?” I asked even if I struggled to breath because of the thick smoke.

“Your Dad’s mistress,” Mom replied without any hesitation, and when I glanced at my father for confirmation, he just looked at me with those apologetic eyes.
A deep sigh escaped from my lips as I looked at them. Everyone made a mistake, but Dad’s mistake would cost Pembroke a lot. “If only men can keep their lust in check,” I mumbled as I accepted the fact that our family was doomed since that woman’s death.
But then, just when I thought we were about to die, the door burst open and masked men entered. I recognized the masked men because they wore the same mask as Luke. As fast as they could, they grabbed us, and led us out of the burning house to keep us safe.
Outside, the fresh air felt like a relief, but when I looked around, I didn’t see Luke Skywalker. So, I called one of the men who helped us earlier to inquire. “Where is Luke? I didn’t see him,” I asked.
“He is badly injured, Miss Isabella,” he informed me.
I was relieved when I survived the fire but then, I found out that Luke got really hurt in his fight with Aric. It felt like a punch in the stomach because he was just trying to help us. “Then, where is he? I want to see him!” I demanded.
Although the main residence of the Alpha of Pembroke had caught a fire, my Dad’s men were able to extinguish the fire, and the damage was minimized. Because of the fire, Luke was taken to a guest house reserved for my Dad’s vip guest.
Since my parents loved to host parties in the past, with guests from faraway land, Dad built several guest houses for that purpose. In fact, my parents were resting in one of the guest houses to calm down their nerves, and for their safety.
As I followed Luke’s men to the guest house, I was nervous as hell. I was worried about him so I had to run faster and go ahead of Luke’s warrior. Then, I gasped in horror the moment I entered the guest house.
Luke’s injury was severe, and he was battered and bruised from head to toe. His body bore the marks of the fierce battle he had endured. Cuts and bruises marred his skin like a map of his struggles, and every movement sent waves of pain coursing through him. From the looks of it, it was clear that he would need time to heal, but then, I remembered that I could help him to heal faster.
Even if I wasn’t personally there during the fight, I heard it was intense, and they even transformed into their werewolf forms. I knew that once their primal instincts would take over, they would become formidable opponents. Their claws and teeth would gleam in the moonlight during the clash.
Earlier, while we were on the way to the guest house to see Luke, his men reiterated what happened during the fight. He narrated that the ground of Pembroke was filled with the sound of snarls and growls as Luke and Aric circled each other. With each swipe of their claws and snap of their jaws, both men battled fiercely.
Luke fought with all his might, but Aric was no easy opponent. Aric fought back with equal ferocity, and his movements were precise as he dodged and countered Luke’s attacks. Well, I shouldn’t be surprised about Aric’s skill because I saw him fight before, and he was skilled in fighting.
As the fight raged on, they seemed evenly matched, and their blows rained down upon each other in a relentless battle, but then, in a moment of desperation and anger, Aric landed a powerful blow that sent Luke reeling, and his body crashed to the ground with a sickening thud.
“You should have assisted him when he was losing against Aric Stormheart!” I scolded one of his men.
“He wouldn’t let us, Miss Isabella. He said he had a score to settle with the traitor’s son,” he told me.
As I scolded his men, I heard Luke groaned in pain, and he was struggling to regain his bearings. Pain probably laced through him as he fought to stay conscious, but even as darkness threatened to engulf him, he refused to give up. With a fierce roar, he pushed himself to his feet.
“Isabella,” he mumbled my name as soon as he recognized my scent.
Instead of acknowledging Luke’s words, I turned to his men and requested them to leave me and Luke alone. Initially, they refused to step away but I insisted. Fortunately, Luke realized I was desperate to be alone with him because I had so much to ask him about the recent event.
“Leave us,” he commanded and his men immediately left.