Chapter 27

My eyes trailed over the group of eager teenagers, all anxious to try the new spells they learned on the dummies.
As the head of the largest Coven in the country, my job was to make sure these young witches and wizards knew every spell in the book and when to use them. 
"When you come across an enemy unexpectedly, you should not use Mortemous alegerda!" I said loudly, pacing in front of the young group.
There was a chorus of groans and a few confused faces, causing me to chuckle at their disappointment.
I stopped pacing and raised my eyebrows, "Does anyone want to guess why?"
A hand shot up, and my eyes flew to the short brunette boy, who had a broad smile on his face, "Since the enemy caught us off guard, we won't have enough concentration to perform the death spell correctly in the short time frame before they attack."
"Exactly, very good, Theodore," I smiled, causing his beam to brighten.
"Does anyone know the story of the wizard named Ernest who turned himself into a frog?" 
There were a few nods and a few heads shaking.
I began to walk down the line again, "Ernest was a classmate of mine who did not pay attention to this warning. When he was attacked by an animal in the woods, he tried to perform the death spell but got distracted by his pet frog, Ro, who hopped out of his bag. The spell ended up backfiring on him when he yelled Rortemous instead of Mortemous. No one has seen him since, but legend has it he lives on with Ro the frog."
There was some laughter, and someone yelled, "We're not that stupid!"
I smiled half-heartedly, "Ernest thought the same. He stood in the same places you did, laughing at how ridiculous the warning supposedly was. Look where he is now. He's making tadpoles with his pet."
The laughter died down immediately, and I laughed inwardly at the serious looks on their faces. 
The younger teenagers thought they knew everything and ruled the world. It was time they learned how to be brought down a few notches.
"We stress this rule for a reason. You should not use the stronger spells until you are completely focused and immersed in the fight. It is easier for older wizards because they have performed such spells numerous times. So until you have reached their level of experience, start off simple and work your way up. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
I walked to the sidelines and waved my wand at the wooden dummies. A few of them spun in place before their arms raised with their wooden weapons. 
"We will first practice some simple spells like disarming and freezing. However, if you choose to do the freezing spell, please don't freeze each other. The hospital wasn't pleased with how many of you got frostbite last time," I said amusedly, eyeing the two sheepish witches who had been the unfortunate ice cubes last time. 
"Begin!"
I backed away to give them some room only to run into Meredith, who was panting heavily.
"Mer? What are you doing here?" I frowned, patting her back as she started coughing. When she was done with her coughing fit, she straightened and shook her red locks away from her face, "I need to talk to you. Like now-now."
I turned to Anton, my assistant, "Do you think you could supervise for a while?"
He nodded, "Of course, Ms. Jaslynn."
Before I could thank him, Meredith grabbed my hand and dragged me into the Coven building. She was practically running down the hallway, and I pulled my hand out of her grasp so I could keep up the pace by her side.
When we were finally in my office, I locked the door and leaned against it with an eyebrow raised, "You know, I'm always ready to hang out, but what is it that couldn't wait till after my training session?"
She rolled her eyes and plopped on the loveseat next to my desk, "You got a call from the Minister."
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. 
"You mean the Minister himself called? Or his assistant?"
"He called. Believe me, I made myself look like a total idiot with all the stuttering I did. "
I bit my lip nervously, "What did he say?"
"He wanted to tell you that he's moving the annual meeting to tomorrow because there are 'some matters that needed to be attended to right away.'" She said, making quotations around the last bit.
My stomach churned from anxiety. If he pushed the meeting to tomorrow, there must be an emergency of some sort or something that came up unexpectedly.
Something like him.
My hands clenched into fists as I stared at the gray carpet, "What if it's about him? What if he's come back?"
Meredith shook her head, "I doubt it. You would have known before anyone else. I think it's about the werewolves because the Minister mentioned Alpha Alrik Kuznetsov was coming to the meeting as well."
I scoffed at the mention on the infamous Alpha, "So Alpha Alrik has finally decided to pull his head out of his ass to attend the meeting?"
"I guess so. You don't like him?" Meredith asked curiously.
"I never met him, but I've heard about the things he's done and how all werewolves fear him. He doesn't exactly have a good reputation even though he's known as the unofficial Alpha King."
"Does that mean you'll fear him?" Meredith asked with a smug smirk, "You know, cause you've got werewolf blood in you?"
I threw my coat at her face, "Very funny, Mer. I'm the last person that would be scared of him. He's just an Alpha who let power to get to his head. If I see him at the meeting, I don't plan on turning into a quivering pile of–"
I was cut off by Meredith's shriek as she tumbled to the floor ungracefully.
"What the f–"
She pointed at the window with a shaky hand, "F–fairies. Over there. I saw them. They were the size of toothpicks. One was bald and–"
Fairies? Was she playing me?
"Mer, I think the talk about Alpha Alrik is messing with your head. Go sleep it off," I chuckled, turning around and unlocking the door again.
She glared at me and threw a cushion at my back, "I wasn't hallucinating. There really were two fairies outside your window."
It was a beautiful morning to wake up to.
The rain was pounding the rooftops, lightning was flashing left and right, and thunder rumbled every few minutes like my stomach when I hadn't tasted blood in a long time. Not just any blood though, the blood of those who betrayed me, my enemies.
It was why some called me cruel and insane, but in my eyes, I saw a realistic and practical wolf.
We lived in a world where those who have the hunger have the most power. I hungered to have complete control over my kind, to be the one who led them to victorious pursuits around the world. 
That hunger hasn't died. It has continued to rumble in my stomach, and no food or blood will ever satiate it. 
Until the werewolf species had flourished to their full potential, I was not going to stand still. I would fight until the Moon Goddess granted me my last breath.
I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt back up and started walking back to the house, relishing in the raindrops that soaked through the thin cloth and pierced my skin with their iciness. The best kind of rain was the kind that hurt. It was like having a reality check or a sudden epiphany. 
When I reached the back door, I could hear my cooks running around frantically, trying to get my breakfast set up before I sat down at the table. They knew I was picky about waiting for my food. 
I decided to give them a few more seconds before I stepped through the door because I knew they wouldn't be able to function properly when I did enter. 
They would be too busy trembling with fear. 
Their goal was to avoid me at all costs, dropping the food off and running, which is what they did. 
When I finally stepped in after having some mercy on them, it was quiet and no wolf was in my line of vision.
I walked across the silent kitchen calmly and sat down at the table, eyeing all the food in front of me with a blank expression.
It may not look like it, but I liked tasting different foods around the world. It was one of the two pleasures I allowed myself to indulge in that did not have to do with werewolf prosperity.
I dug into my meal and grunted at the explosion of flavor. My cooks may act like headless chickens, but they knew how to put together a good meal.
"Alrik!"
Unfortunately for me, my meal was about to be interrupted by my commander. She marched into the kitchen and took a seat beside me.
"Good morning, Alrik."
I grunted again.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed a plate for herself, "As charming as ever, I see."
"Commander Reece, if you have nothing useful to say, then stop chattering and eat the food you have stolen from me."
"Lucky for you, I do have some useful things to say," she huffed, pulling up a checklist on her phone, "Five rogues were found on the eastern border. They are–"
"Commander, you should know the routine by now. Behead them. Heads on the rogue wall."