The moment I stepped inside, my gaze fell upon everyone; the table was laden with food, the faces were pale.. and Night was missing. I caught sight of 'Zoe' there, lost in thought as if she were in another world.
I shouted loudly, cutting through their heavy silence:
"Good morning, guys!"
Everyone turned their attention to me, and I caught a flash of joy rescuing their features from despair.
But Zoe didn't stop at just looking; she stood up and ran toward me like a madwoman, throwing herself into my embrace in a hug that nearly crushed my ribs, sobbing bitterly in a way that shook my core.
'What's wrong with this idiot?' I whispered to myself, panic gnawing at my heart; could it be that Night actually did it? Has Max been lost forever?
I patted her back firmly, trying to gather her scattered pieces, then pushed her away from me timidly as I wiped her falling tears:
"Why are you crying, Zoe? Could it be that Max has..."
She interrupted me with a quick denial as she tried to catch her breath:
"I.. I'm sorry, Cyra, this is all my fault.."
A wave of annoyance washed over me; an apology right now is the last thing I need. I tapped the back of her head lightly and said in a sharp yet affectionate tone:
"Idiot! That won't change anything. We're fine now, right? So shut up and let's eat.. I'm starving!"
I pulled her behind me firmly and we sat at the seats, trying to bury the ghost of fear beneath the clatter of spoons, hoping from the bottom of my heart that Night's punishment was merciful enough.
I sat in the midst of them, and as words of reassurance flowed from Klaus and Oren's mouths, I felt as though I was drowning in a warmth I had missed for a long time.
I looked at Lauren as she spoke enthusiastically about finishing the decoding of the ancient book, and how she had dug into the history of the stone and my mysterious lineage.
I listened to her with a broad smile, a genuine smile of joy stemming from the depths of my heart.
The sight of them gathered around the table sent a strange energy through my soul; I do not want this unity to break apart, nor do I want these laughs to be extinguished under the weight of blood.
But behind that smile, there was a stern voice in my mind whispering the bitter truth to me.
I felt a tightness in my chest as I looked at their faces one by one.
"I must settle this," I addressed myself bitterly.
I felt the coldness of the decision creep into my nerves; I will stop this cursed war, even if I have to trade my soul.
I will not allow anyone from my kingdom to be killed, and I will not let this table become a sad memory.
I clenched my fists under the table until my knuckles turned white, and while Lauren was uncovering the secrets of my lineage, I was writing the end of my story in my mind; an end that ensures their survival, even if the price is my eternal absence from this place.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
Silence blanketed Night's office, a silence that precedes the storm while Lauren deciphered the riddles of fate for us.
She stood seriously, her eyes scanning our faces as if she were bidding us farewell before the catastrophe:
"The Blood Moon date.. one week from now."
I burst up from my seat, and the sound of my scream
"Whaaaat?!"
echoed in the corners of the room like a gunshot. I felt my heart drop into an abyss; a week? Is that all we have left? I caught Night watching me, the concern in his eyes was not for the moon, but for me.. he knew that my mind was beginning to weave a plan from which I might not return.
I ignored his piercing gazes that penetrated my soul, and tried to breathe rhythmically amidst my confusion.
Oren tried to break the tension, asking me with astonishment about the group I was training.
And when he told me of their successful transformation, I felt a spark of hope ignite in my blood. In a single second, I transformed from terror into sheer madness; I began to laugh out loud,
"Yes!"
and jump in my place like a madwoman, dancing over my pain with staggering elation. Even Night, with his usual dignity, couldn't contain himself and began to chuckle at my childish display.
Suddenly, I froze in my place. My noise subsided and gave way to a booby-trapped stillness.
I shifted my gaze toward 'Klaus' with a wicked smile that made his color drain, and said to 'Oren' in a commanding tone that accepted no argument:
"Call Carla.. right now!"
Oren exchanged questioning glances with Night, then left, closing the door behind him. I looked at Night and found that he had crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow with a cunning smile; he understood me, the only one who realized what lay behind this madness.
As for Klaus the fool, he kept staring at us in total bewilderment, shifting his gaze between us as if trying to solve a complex chemical puzzle beyond his capacity.
"Ooh Klaus.. save those looks to thank me later!"
I said it with a sideways smile dripping with malice, while I was about to burst with excitement to watch his upcoming show.
I was sure that his clumsy features would be the most precious thing I would see today.
I laughed internally in victory, and with the very first knock on the door, my smile widened and I began looking at him one moment and at Night the next like someone watching a bomb about to explode.
'Oren' entered, followed by 'Carla', who advanced with a hesitation that made her look like a gazelle entering a lion's den.
Suddenly, Klaus's features wrinkled with disgusting annoyance. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, then placed his hand on his nose while staring at me in confusion.
"Goodness! Does this idiot think the scent that caressed his nose came from me?"
I put my hand on my face in utter displeasure, and without hesitation, grabbed one of the heavy notebooks from the meeting table and threw it at him with all my might.
"Take your hand off your nose, you fool! Pay a little attention to our guest and you'll know the source of this scent!"
I screamed in anger that genuinely frayed my nerves, and exhaled my breath in exasperation as I saw him grimace at me in annoyance.
However, the moment he directed his gaze toward Carla, time stopped.
Klaus froze in his place for a moment as if a lightning bolt struck his core; the expression of annoyance vanished, replaced by an existential astonishment.
The veins in his neck bulged fiercely, and his hands that had been on his nose twitched before he tossed them aside.
Their eyes met, and their pupils dilated in a violent electrical shock.
Klaus rose from his seat with such a savage movement that the chair crashed down behind him noisily, and in a single moment, a scream shook the corners of the office—a scream mixed with the howling of their hungry wolves as they cried out in unison:
"Mate!".. "My king!"
It was a scream of astonishment and confession, a scream that told me my plan hadn't just succeeded, but that fate had finally decided to grant this fool his share of madness.
Night stared at me despite his surprise, a look of acknowledgment gleaming in his eyes.
A slow, sideways smile curved across his lips, and he looked at me with a gaze that said:
"You really did it, you cunning girl."
I stood rooted to the spot, watching Oren retreat with a goofy smile, making way for this emotional earthquake.
Klaus stepped forward with trembling strides, his eyes sparkling with a magical glint I had never seen in him before; the glint of a drowning man who had finally found his lifeline.
But the true shock came from Carla; she surged forward with rapid strides, and in a movement that reached the peak of boldness, she grabbed the collar of his shirt with a force that threw him off balance, pressing a wild kiss onto his lips.
That fool didn't hesitate for a second; he tightened his grip on her waist with savage possession, wrapping his other hand behind her head to plunge with her into a deep, passionate kiss that made their bodies press together as if refusing any distance between them.
My pupils dilated in shock, and I felt that hot flush invade my cheeks, nearly burning them from sheer embarrassment.
I quickly averted my face in search of any escape for my gaze, and my eyes landed on Night.
Good lord! He was staring at them with icy coldness and astonishing indifference, as if watching a fly buzz around the room rather than two mates meeting after long torment.
That blankness in his features made me want to scream.. How can he be this calm in the middle of this emotional explosion?
I felt a bitterness in my throat as I saw this suspicious coldness in Night's eyes.
My features wrinkled with exasperation I couldn't suppress, and I cried out angrily:
"What are you looking at?"
He shifted his gaze toward me at a provocative, slow pace, raising an eyebrow as if I were the strange one here, and replied in a tone dripping with coldness:
"What? Since they didn't shame themselves by doing it in front of everyone.. what's wrong with watching?"
"Whaaaat?!"
.. A muffled scream slipped out. Has shamelessness reached this point? I looked around in astonishment; even Oren was following the scene with teary eyes as if watching the climax of a romantic movie!
And Lauren covered her face with her palm in intense shyness. Damn them all, if I left them now they would complete their mating rituals right here on the meeting table and in public without the slightest care.
Patience was no longer an option. I placed my hand on my hips and began stamping the floor with my feet with a force that vented all my embarrassment, and yelled at Klaus:
"For goodness sake, man! If you can't control your instinct, take her to your suite! I don't want to see a pornographic scene in front of me right now and with all this blatant display!"
My words were enough to awaken Carla from her trance. She jolted away from him, burying her face in his chest with a shyness that turned her cheeks crimson.
As for him, he didn't care about our presence at all; he pulled her closer to him with greater force, inhaling her fragrance with savage rapture, as if his wolf had finally attained its desire.
We all congratulated him amidst his excitement that nearly blew up the room, and when he asked permission to leave dragging her behind him, I couldn't help myself and chuckled loudly; I wished him from the bottom of my heart a happiness befitting his long wait, while I remained facing the coldness lurking before me.
I sat on the chair with feigned calm, trying to gather the pieces of my pride that had scattered moments ago.
I looked at Night, and he confronted me with his usual coldness that provoked my nerves.
I narrowed my eyes at him in defiance, and he did nothing less than smile wickedly, melting my steadfastness as he whispered impertinently:
"Don't tell me you were jealous.. and want a kiss?"
Damn you, Night! I knew that's what your cunning mind would think.
I averted my gaze from him with a coldness I tried to match to his frost, and said curtly:
"No.. thanks."
I shifted my focus entirely toward Lauren, who was still struggling with the remnants of her shyness, and asked her seriously:
"Is there anything else regarding the book?"
Lauren's features transformed in a second; the shyness melted away and was replaced by a sternness that made my heart contract.
She said hesitantly:
"Yes.. but there is something I didn't understand."
I motioned for her to continue, and she began reading words that seemed as though they were written in dried blood rather than ink:
"She shall be plunged into her darkness.. with neither road nor way.. either she illuminates her soul as a ransom for the universe, or she grows dark with a ruinous blackness for souls."
The words fell into the room like the thud of a stone in a deep well.
My features wrinkled with incomprehension mixed with innate terror; who is this that the book speaks of? And what is this suicidal choice? I looked around, and saw Night and Oren with mystery shrouding their features.
Question marks were screaming in their eyes, and the atmosphere that had been charged with teasing moments ago had now turned into a nightmarish heaviness, foretelling that what comes next will not merely be a war.. but annihilation or redemption.