WITH SUCH A cold look aimed at her, Alinta couldn't help but blink innocently. What exactly did she do? This was their 'first' meeting. Why was she getting a deadly vibe from this guy? Before she could respond abrasively Severino turned his back and ordered everyone to leave.
Alinta let out a sigh. She followed him in silence. They were, after all, travelling in the same direction. She was observing him as he walked to the tower.
Hmmm...
So, Severino has always been this awkward?
She kept following him for several minutes. And she did so unintentionally. As a result, it wasn't until they arrived at a specific location that she realized they weren't going into the tower.
"..." said Alinta. Where had they gone? When she looked around, all she saw was a dense forest. She couldn't even recall how she got there.
The older she gets, the dumber she becomes!
"Why are you following me?" Severino said, his gaze fixed on her.
"I thought you were returning to the tower," Alinta explained calmly.
Severino scowled. "Do I look stupid to you?" His path was definitely not to the tower, yet this woman followed him anyhow.
This woman was obviously following him!
No. He wasn't stupid; she was.
Alinta sighed and tried to reason her way out. "I have no sense of direction. I don't remember the way back to the tower. So, I thought we were going the right way." She shrugged. It was up to him whether he believed her or not.
Severino observed the woman for a while before deciding to ignore her. Many ladies tried to get on his good side just to persuade him to accept being their mate. This lady appeared to be one of them. He might as well disregard her. So he left.
Alinta noticed his movement. She was debating whether to follow him or return to the tower. It's not like Atara was concerned about her, but...
Well, there was no reason to rush back. She'd follow him!
"Why are you still following me?" Severino snarled fiercely at her.
Alinta took a breather. "I don't know how to get back; all I can do is follow you," she said innocently. Yes, ah! Get enraged! Fume at her! It was so unusual to see him so enraged! It was a novelty!
"Follow where we came from, and you'll get back to the city!" Severino pinched the centre of his brows helplessly. This lady was Lady Atara's part-time disciple. He had to be patient with her!
Alinta took a look behind her. Her smile widened as her sight returned to Severino. "I'm not sure which way to go." Where was this guy headed anyway?
There was complete silence.
Since the other did not speak, Alinta did the same. And when she believed they'd waste time staring at each other, Severino huffed and suddenly collapsed heavily. He coughed and began to sweat.
Alinta, stunned, rushed to his aid. "Are you alright?"
Severino clenched his teeth and shoved Alinta aside. "Don't touch me!"
Alinta's expression clouded. She whacked him on the head, enraged at his attitude. "Who wants to touch you?"
"You---!"
Alinta rose to her feet. "You just shifted successfully a few days ago," she sneered. "Instead of resting in a comfy room, you went out and used your power. You should be regulating your energy, not wasting it to a bitch."
Severino painfully clutched his chest. His venomous look was directed at Alinta. "Leave me alone. And don't tell this to my mother. Otherwise..." he said. The way he phrased it had a frightening tone to it.
Of course, Alinta was not in any way threatened.
"I'll tell Morrigan," she declared. "What can you do to me? I am under the protection of Lady Atara!"
Severino didn't want to talk to her anymore. He ignored her and attempted to stand alone. Alinta just stood behind him, arms folded, observing him. He took a deep breath to relieve the pain as he fell again. A cracking sound was heard. His bones were shifting.
"I'm going to shift," Severino stated. Fine! He would swallow his pride this time. But he would undoubtedly return the favour! "But my wolf form is still unstable. I need to go to a certain place in this forest."
The corner of Alinta's mouth raised. "If you'd asked earlier, maybe we'd already be there." He'd wasted time arguing with her.
They eventually arrived at a spring. Alinta tossed him into the water before inspecting the spring's purity.
"This is good!" exclaimed Alinta. "What a pure energy!" It had a healing quality, 100% healing quality! She looked at Severino, who had finally relaxed. "If you're having trouble shifting, tell the priestess; if not, tell your father." What was the point of hiding it?
"What does it have to do with you?"
Alinta eventually became disinterested. What a damn man!
"My father's away," Severino remarked after a brief silence.
So, why was he telling her this now? What did it have to do with her? Alinta harrumphed.
"My mother has a lot of issues facing her right now. Besides, my wolf not being able to sync with me is my own problem. Even if my mother knew about it, the problem should be resolved by me. No one else." He had a vicious wolf. It aimed to tear people apart from the time it was born. All it could think was to kill, and kill, and kill!
But he couldn't allow his wolf to do such a thing as the son of Priestess Morrigan. He couldn't let his wolf put his mother in jeopardy. So all he could do was go to the spring to keep himself from shifting. Since he had just recently turned into a full-fledged wolf, he could not control it yet.
"Then ask Lady Atara for a solution," Alinta advised. She, too, immersed herself in the water. It would be silly of her not to.
"Then, she would tell it to my mother."
Alinta considered it and agreed. Atara would not tell Morrigan out of care, but rather to make fun of her.
"I'll help you then."
"You?" Severino was surprised. Would this stranger assist him? His eyes squinted. He couldn't help but wonder about the woman's motivation. Did she want to be his mate so badly that she would do everything to get on his good side? He then gave the woman a strange look. She was stunning. He had never seen a more beautiful woman. Men would flock around her if it weren't for the fact that she appeared frail. "How can you help me?"
"Lady Atara has a grimoire containing a lot of impossible spells," replied Alinta. "There might be something there to help you with your predicament." In any case, she had nothing to do but compete and wait for this world to return her to the future. So she might as well squander her time with Severino. It was time to nurture their feelings. In any case, they were already mates.
She also no longer despised being his mate. Alinta had no idea when it began, but she had accepted their fates along the way. Of course, she had to make him pay for forcibly mating her first!
"Lady Atara's spells are impossible to cast," Severino said as he examined the woman from head to toe. She was weak. "How can you possibly perform any of them?"
Alinta couldn't help but feel insignificant in the face of his stare. "If I said I can do it, then I can do it. Don't judge me without seeing the result yet!"
Severino kept his attention fixed on Alinta.
Fine! If this woman could keep his vicious wolf in check, he would mate with her! She was gorgeous in any way, and if she succeeded, it meant she was powerful. Most significantly, he was at ease with her. Taking her would certainly gratify him!
---
They returned to the tower after spending time in the spring. Morrigan suddenly had an epiphany when she discovered the two were together. So she walked straight to her son, who was working in her mate's study room.
"Sevvy!" Morrigan shouted joyfully.
"Mother," Severino murmured without looking up.
Morrigan wasn't bothered by his attitude. As soon as she sat, her grin grew. "How are you today? I heard you toured Atara's part-time disciple in town," she sighed to hide her delight. "What do you think of her?"
If Severino liked the girl, she would immediately bless the marriage! The sooner, the better! If that girl became her son's mate, Atara would also become her relative. Morrigan would now have an excuse to see Atara every day, irritating the woman every second!
Despite her attempt to cover up her intention, Severino still managed to see through her.
"It's too early to think of my mate," said Severino.
"What do you mean? I'm just curious how your day went with Atara's part-time disciple," Morrigan asked innocently.
"You're easy to read, Mother."
Morrigan's face flushed. "Well, you can't blame me for that. I am your mother. Of course, I am excited about your future, especially now that you've come of age!"
Severino chose to ignore his mother.
Helpless, Morrigan could only let go of that topic. "Anyway," she stated, "I also heard about Vlad's daughter making trouble in a restaurant. Is Atara's part-time disciple alright?"
"She doesn't seem to need anyone's help," Severino said, recalling Alinta striking the vampires down. She has the strength to defend herself.
Morrigan let out a sigh. "Vlad's getting impatient. I keep hoping he will change his mind, but in the end, he still can't let go of his pride," she remarked. It had been decades since Atara came to this land. That woman subdued everyone and gained everyone's respect. However, there were still many who refused to give up, wishing to dominate the world with their own hands. Vladimir was one of those folks.
"I noticed several vampires lurking around the capital. There were also a number of armies surrounding us."
"I know."
Vladimir continued to overestimate himself. Did he believe he could defeat Atara? His 'hidden' army had already been exposed by that woman, but he was as arrogant as ever.
---
"Grandma," Alinta murmured when she noticed Atara sitting on the bed, reading something. The book appeared to be familiar. "Do you have the grimoire with you? Can I borrow it?"
Atara crossed her legs and arched one of her brows at this shameless descendant. "I do," she said, waving the book in front of her. "What do you want this for?"
"There's a spell written there that can help us seal Vasta," explained Alinta. "I want to study and learn it."
Atara tossed the book to Alinta. "Give that back to me after, I'm not done with it yet," she said as she walked away.
When Alinta opened the grimoire, she discovered an incomplete spell on the last page.
Oh.
Her grandmother was still making up spells.
She read the last spell before searching for the appropriate spells to vanquish Vasta and assist Severino. When she found them, she started writing them in her own book.