XXVIII. Same Coin

Raine’s POV:

Witches, similar to werewolves, have two sides. Different from werewolves, their two personalities never interact - light and dark.

Average during sunrise, but when the sunsets, witches can do the sickest things imaginable.

Helen and her family, unlike many witches, take supplements to suppress their inner darkness. Supplements feed their dark side appetite for evil. It can also cost a fortune per pill—the main reason why they cast a spell around their house; it’s to keep themselves inside. Anyone who takes a simple step will turn to dust.

It’s no joke when Helen says she has a curfew until she’s married.

Helen’s cousin died a few months ago because his inner darkness tried to escape from his family spell.

“You’re kidding me,” I said.

She shook her head, “I wish it was a joke.”

My hands rush up and down my face. I couldn’t hold back the groan from surfacing. “Alright,” I said. Helen stares at me. “I will go to Leon-”

“Leon?” she interrupts.

“The Alpha.”

She nods, “Oh, Leon is a nice name. Is it short for something?”

“How am I supposed to know? I met the guy twice, and I ran away for one of them.” I shook my head and adjusted my position. “Now, I will go to meet Leon, and we’ll find a way for you to leave. Hopefully, catch a flight back home before dawn.”

“You think he will go for it?”

“I hope so.”

“How are you going to get him?”

I look at the door, “I’m certain someone out there is watching me.” Even when I say it loud, it still sounds scary. I got out of bed and opened the door. There are two new sets of guards standing outside. “Hey,” I said. They look at me. “Mind...Mind linking Alpha Leon? I need to speak to him.”

“In regards to what matters?”

“Private matters. Thanks.” I close the door before they can rebuttal.

After an hour or so, someone knocks on the door. “That must be him,” I said.

“Wait,” Helen screams. Immediately, she rushes toward the bathroom to fix her hair and adjust her clothes.

“Is that your mate outside of the door?” I question.

She combs her hair with her fingers, “No, but you don’t want him. I heard Alphas are yummy.” Helen giggles, “You should look in a mirror. Red looks great on you.”

I roll my eyes, “Whatever. Sleep with him. I don’t care.”

“Oh?” I can pick up her amusement. “Maybe, I will. Someone got to comfort the lonely boy after his first rejection.”

“Go ahead. I hope you’re his second chance.”

Helen scoffs, “I’m no one, second chance. It’s all me or nothing at all, baby.” She wiggles her body. “I mean, look at all these goodies. How can it be someone’s second chance?” She flap her arms like bird wings.

My laughter erupts inside the door. “Please, stop!” I threw my head back and crushed myself towards the wall while Helen continued doing her chicken dance.

“Seriously,” she said. “You should ask him if you can go with me.”

“What do you mean? Like, trick him?”

“Something like that.”

“I don’t see it ending well,” I said.

The knock made us stop talking.

I forgot someone is waiting for us to open the door.

With my hand against the knob, I twist it open. It appears that Leon did not get my message.

“I’m here to take you to the Pack House,” Miguel grumbled.

I step back, “No, thank you. I’ll stay here.” I close the door.

Miguel stuck his leg between the crack. “Come on! I’m sorry!”

“No, you’re not!” I look back. “Helen! Help me.” Immediately, Helen rushes towards the door and presses all her power against it.

I can hear a short exhale from the other side before Helen and I got pushed to the ground. Miguel enters the room with his arms cross, barely breaking a sweat. “Look. I was doing my job as a Beta.”

I stood up and wiped the dust off my butt. I doubt there’s any dust on the floor, though. “I never knew you could put the ability to kidnap and drugged others on a resume.”

His eyes flinch slightly at my aggressive tone, or maybe he feels guilty. “I really am sorry,” he said. “It’s just our Alpha is just urg.”

“Urg?” I tilt my head. “He’s a good guy.”

“Our Alpha?”

I nod.

“The Alpha of Crescent Moon?”

I nod.

“Alpha Leonardo?”

“Is that his full first name?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“Then, yes. Your Alpha of Crescent Moon is a good guy.”

He exhales and rushes his hands through his hair. “Okay. Look. Follow me.”

“No drugs?” I question.

“None.”

“First, give me my bag.”

“You’re the one who requested to see Leon.”

“I know!” I refused to go anywhere with my kidnapper until I got some defensive items on me. “But I need my bag.”

Miguel rolls his eyes, “Fine.”

Twenty minutes later, someone came with both of our bags. Helen grabs her phone and cuddles it like it’s her baby. I check my bag and notice how nothing was taken out - including the gun. I dig through my purse for the cell phone to see a list of missed messages. There were a few here and there from Helen’s parents, Cory’s parents, my boss, and Cory. The majority of them were from Wolfie.

I look at the most recent message.

Wolfie: Is everything okay? Please, respond when you can. :(

I smile at the message.

When I looked up, my smile dropped, Miguel was staring at me.

“What?” I ask.

“You’re smiling,” he stated an observation.

“Yeah. I do that sometimes.”

His eyes narrow, “No. That’s not an everyday smile.”

“There are different types of smiles?” I ask.

“Yeah. Your type of smile looks like one of those girls who’s talking to their cru-” he stops talking and stares at me. His eyes drop towards my phone then back towards me. “The answer is no.”

I scoff, “No, what?”

“No. You may not continue talking to whoever it is on the other end of the phone.”

I took a step back and put my phone back inside my bag. “Who are you to tell me what to do.”

“Because Leon won’t like-” he stops again. Miguel hums slowly, “You know what-” his attitude suddenly changes. “You’re right. Who am I to tell you what to do. Keep talking to whoever it is.” He turned around and spread an arm. “This way, ladies.”

Helen and I clung onto each other while we headed out of the hospital. The phone was attached to her face; her arm secured tightly around me. I peek over and notice she was writing an essay to Cory. Most likely, she is informing Cory about our situation.

Down the hallway, down the stairs, and out the revolving door. My eyes widen at the sight of the fancy car. Miguel opens the passenger door. I chuckle, “I’ll sit in the back with Helen just like when you kidnapped us.”

Miguel smiles, “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”

I smiled and shook my head, “No.”

Miguel closed the door and took two steps forward to open the backseat. He nudges his head as a signal to get inside. The creepy smile is still on his face. Helen and I got into the back of the car while Miguel talked to someone. It was surprisingly clean, and there’s a charming scent. A burst of light caught me by surprise. After a few blinks, I look forward. There’s a key strap with a picture inside.

I lean in closer.

It’s Miguel and a young girl who’s carrying a baby.

I tug at Helen’s sleeve, and she looks at me after she put on her seatbelt. “Look,” I said.

Her head turns forward, “Must be his mate,” she said. She went in closer, like me, and nodded. “Wow. She’s so out of his league.”

The door opens, and we lean back.

Miguel straps on his seatbelt and turns around, “What?” he asks.

Helen and I look at each other than back towards him. “Nothing,” we said at the same time.

Miguel turns back and starts the car. My fingers pick against the dirt stain on the shirt. The further we got from the hospital, the more anxious I got. I look outside to dial down the anxiety. It wasn’t any different from the human community, except the doors are bigger. I assume it’s because werewolves, even in human forms, are taller. Buildings seem to be universal; squares and rectangles.

I took a few blinks when I saw two giant wolves running down the street at high speed.

I turn my head towards the seat in front of me.

I’m done observing the community I’m imprisoned in for the day.

“So-” Helen said, “Is that your mate?”

Miguel’s head turns slightly, “Yeah.”

“She’s pretty,” Helen responded.

“Thanks.”

“Out of your league.”

Miguel stops at a yellow light a bit too harshly. Both of our bodies thrust forward and hit the back of the chair. “What the fu-”

“My bad,” Miguel said. “I didn’t want to run a red light.”

“It was yellow!” Helen screamed.

Miguel looks back, “Yellow means slow down.”

Helen points a finger at him. “You-”

“Okay. Stop,” I said. “You insulted him, and he got you back by nearly killing us. Let’s stop the bickering and call it even.”

“But-” Helen whines, but I shook my head. She exhaled dramatically and folded her arms.

When Miguel resumes driving, I grab my phone and message Helen. When her phone buzzes, she grabs it and steadily, a smirk makes its appearance.

With due time.

She clicks her phone off and places it on her lap; her back somehow a bit straighter.

Yes, we will get our revenge.