Cristal stood nervously at the gates of Veilstone Academy. It was her first day, and Oliver was there to see her off.
"Are you ready?" Oliver asked gently.
"Dad, I don't want to go," Cristal replied, her voice trembling.
"Hey, it's going to be okay. Just give it a chance. You'll make plenty of friends," Oliver encouraged her with a warm smile.
"No, I won't. They'll hate me," she said quietly.
Cristal had always been treated differently—everyone was afraid of her. When Oliver had brought her to the pack, the news had spread like wildfire.
"Did you hear? Oliver had a child with a vampire," someone whispered.
"But isn't that impossible?" another questioned.
"It's true. It was confirmed," the first replied.
"I should get myself a vampire lover," someone joked from the crowd, earning shocked gasps.
"Do you want to be executed?" a friend warned, shifting the mood.
The gossip quickly changed course.
"Is Oliver going to be executed?" someone asked.
The crowd fell into a tense silence.
The meeting between the alpha's was tense ,some thought it was a good fortune to the werewolves community, they have an upper hand and a tramp card against the other kindred, some were adamant about the rules, and some were scared of the child.
"So what do you have to say for yourself, victor,"great alpha Kai asked, everyone turned waiting for the answer.
"I didn't know, about Oliver and the vampire," victor lied with a straight face ,"but don't you think it's a good thing ,"
"How so," alpha Timothy asked,Victor went ahead and explained.
,There was a competition that was held between the three kindred to determine the percentage share of resources. The competition was held every year,With Cristal they can dominate the competition and reap the rewards, increasing their power.
Some of the alphas nodded solemnly. "We didn't make the rule," one said. "The other leaders might have their reasons for pushing this—and possibly starting a war," the great Alpha Kai added.
The annual meeting was scheduled for four months from now, but an emergency session had been called—just two days away.
"The other leaders will arrive in two days," Kai announced.
"Isn't it Willbenders' turn to host the meeting?" Timothy asked, then quickly realized the gravity of the situation. "Oh."
"We can't execute one of our own," Victor stated firmly.
Kai raised his hand. "This meeting is adjourned. The final decision will be made in two days. Until then, Oliver will remain in the dungeon, and Cristal will stay here."
Tension filled the air over the next two days. Everyone was on edge, whispering rumors and speculations behind closed doors.
When the leaders of the kindred gathered around the table, the room was unusually quiet. This time, Kai did not open the meeting; instead, someone else took the floor.
"So," Pam of the Willbenders began, "we all know why we are here."
A curious voice broke the silence. "How is this even possible?"
All eyes turned toward the speaker. "Don't look at me like that," John said defensively. "But if it is possible…"
Before he could finish, an authoritative voice cut in. "Do you want to be executed alongside Oliver?" Brian asked sharply.
The room fell silent once more. The leaders had convened with one agenda: convict Oliver. But John's words had sown doubt—was it truly impossible to have a child between different kindreds? If it were possible, everything they thought they knew was a lie.
"Is it confirmed the child is born of two different kindreds?" someone asked.
All turned to Victor, the only one who could answer.
"Yes. The mother was a vampire, and my son is—" Victor was interrupted.
"Who is the mother?" Brian demanded.
Victor shook his head. "I don't know. I never asked."
A witch from the Willbenders spoke up. "We should find her. Maybe there's something we're missing."
"Agreed," the others murmured.
"Bring Oliver," Kai ordered the guard standing by the door. Moments later, Oliver was escorted in, handcuffed behind his back. He stood silently in the center of the room.
"Oliver, who is the mother of your child?" John asked impatiently.
"Leah," Oliver replied flatly.
"We mean the biological mother," a calm voice clarified.
Oliver scanned the room and caught his father Victor's gaze. Victor quickly looked away. "I don't know. I met her once," Oliver lied.
"Once? Then how do you know the child is yours?" Pam challenged.
Oliver panicked internally. Damn, I didn't think of that.
"She told me," Oliver blurted out.
"But you said you only met her once. She didn't tell you then?" Pam raised an eyebrow.
"She told me when she handed me the baby," Oliver said.
Victor shook his head in disappointment. Son, you're making this worse, he thought.
"How about we run a test?" Victor suggested, trying to ease the tension—and it worked.
A guard returned with Cristal. Pam, known as the strongest witch among them, began drawing intricate symbols on the ground. At the center, she placed a crystal.
"Place the child here," Pam instructed, pointing to the center where the lines met. "And you stand there," she told Oliver, indicating another spot.
"If you are the father, the crystal will light up," Pam explained.
Cristal and Oliver took their places. Pam began chanting softly, the room falling into a heavy silence.
Suddenly, gasps echoed through the chamber. The crystal glowed brightly.
"What if he's lying about the mother being a vampire?" someone skeptical asked.
Pam began chanting again. "If you answer truthfully, the crystal will glow."
John quickly asked, "Do you know the mother of your child?"
"No," Oliver answered.
The room waited. But no glow appeared.
"Is the mother a vampire," Kai asked
"Yes ,"this time they didn't have to wait the crystal glowed brightly.
"Where is she,"someone asked
"I don't know," Oliver replied which made the crystal glow.
"It means he was telling the truth about not knowing her," victor took advantage of the situation.
'he might not be the strongest but he is clearly the smartest,' Kai thought understanding victor's approach.
"Oliver leave the room we will now discuss the appropriate punishment," Kai said ,he was sure no one wanted Oliver dead ,he was holding a very important information.
After what felt like hours Oliver was called back , "the judgment has been passed," lord Brian started taking the role ."Oliver Barn, you are hereby stripped of your tittle as the heir to the alpha position ,with all previlages ,that came with it. You are barned from visiting the other two kindred territory."