Chapter 8: Seth's POV
1904 Words
I might be the jokester of my family, and most of the time, I don't take things seriously, but now... I was left speechless. I've never seen such devastation. The whole place was burned to the ground, and I couldn't feel a single survivor. My usual smirk vanished as I looked at what was supposed to be a village.
Blackened timbers jutted from the earth like broken bones, and the acrid scent of smoke still clung to the air, thick and suffocating.
I stepped forward, my boots crunching over ash and debris. "This is the blast?" I asked Jacob.
He looked as astonished as I was. We had never seen a creature cause this damage. "I... I think so."
"It looks like a freaking bomb fell over," I commented.
Jacob crouched, running his fingers over the scorched ground. I had to admit it: He was a great tracker and more intelligent than I was, probably because he always took things seriously. "No bodies," he noted. "Either they got out before this happened, or..."
"Or whoever did this burned them to a crisp," I finished, my stomach twisting.
Jacob stood, dusting off his hands. "We should check the perimeter. Maybe there’s a trail."
I nodded, and we split up, moving silently through the wreckage. The deeper we went, the more unsettling it became. No blood, no signs of struggle—just utter annihilation.
Then, I caught it.
A faint scent, buried beneath the smoke.
Sweet. Floral.
She was no longer here, but the way this scent made my wolf stir could only mean one thing.
Mate.
Was she killed here?
"No!" Jariko barked. "She is still alive," He exclaimed.
"Then where is she?" I asked as I looked around in desperation.
"Dunno, but she is alive," He assured me.
If our parents ever taught us anything, it was to trust our wolves, even if I wasn't entirely sure about Jariko's statement.
"I hope you are right, buddy," I sighed.
"I'm never wrong," He counted.
I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart and decided to search for Jacob. I had to tell him what I found.
As I walked back, I tried to assess the damage. This village was in shambles; whatever destroyed it and took my mate was stronger than any being I had encountered.
And I've been to Hell.
Hmm, perhaps Lillian's sister-in-law might know what she is.
"Don't involve anyone else," Jariko interrupted before I could say anything else.
"Why?" I asked, but of f*****g course he decided it was time to stay silent. "You wolves and the desire of being cryptic!" I accused.
"It's what the Moon Goddess wants," He retorted.
The worst part is that I couldn't press further. If the Moon Goddess didn't want us to know, our wolves couldn't do s**t.
I found Jacob standing near the remnants of what might have once been a house, his back rigid, his fists clenched at his sides. The wind shifted, carrying two scents.
The one I had smelled before, but here it was much stronger, and my brother's. The latter was tainted with something else, and I recognized those feelings quickly because I had felt them moments before.
I opened my mouth to call out to him, to inform him of the scent I was catching up, but when he turned around and I saw his face...
His blue eyes, identical to mine, were wide, his nostrils flared, and his entire body thrumming with the same realization I’d just had.
No.
No, no, no.
Jacob turned to me before I could speak, his voice rough.
"Seth."
That single word was enough.
I swallowed hard. "You too?"
He gave a stiff nod.
A beat of silence. Then—
"Fuck."
I dragged a hand through my hair, my mind racing. I had a feeling we would share a mate, but I never expected to catch her scent in a situation like this one.
We were in the middle of a destroyed village, with no way to find out mate, and I am going to lose my f*****g mind!
Jacob’s jaw tightened. "We need to find her."
I nodded, my usual humor gone, replaced by something darker. "Jariko says she is alive, but now we need to find who the f**k took her."
Jacob’s gaze swept over the ruins, his voice low. "She is on the run, probably hiding. We can do a tracking spell."
"Wouldn't that alert whoever is after her?" I asked.
The problem here was that we didn't have anything of our mate with us—only her scent.
"We need to get Arlen; she is the best with magic," Jacob stated.
Our older sister was the best with magic and could track anyone without much effort. Perhaps she can find a trail, but she is in her realm... with her mate.
"She is pregnant, I'm not sure Varianlir will let her come," I mumbled as I felt my anxiety spike.
I didn't want our mate to be in danger, but we needed help.
"Aunt Esmeralda, then, she is the best," he suggested, and this time, I agreed. The problem was that our aunt Esmeralda decided to leave the pack years ago, when Michelle, her mate, had their pup.
She wanted to leave far away from pack conflict, and finding her wouldn't be easy. To add up, one of us had to stay behind in case our mate or the thing after our mate returned.
And so I made a decision.
"I'll go," I said. "I'll find Aunt Esmeralda and bring her. Don't you worry," I assured Jacob.
He nodded in acknowledgment. He might tell me I don't take things seriously, but he knows I would never risk my mate or her security.
I used my magic to open a portal, and soon found myself back in the pack. Aunt Esmeralda had given us countless gifts, so it wasn't hard to find something that once belonged to her.
With a bit of magic and some maps, I got her location and stepped through the portal before I could second-guess myself.
The world twisted, then settled into a quiet forest clearing—one I didn’t recognize. Tall pines surrounded me, their scent crisp in the cool air. A small cabin stood in the distance, smoke curling from its chimney.
Gotcha.
I didn’t even make it three steps before a sharp voice cut through the silence.
"Stop right there."
A woman stepped from the trees. My auntie Esmeralda had cut her hair, and now her long locks were a big afro. Since she lived in the forest, her dark skin was not as dark anymore, but you could see she was happier than ever.
The glow around her proved it.
Of course, she would sense me. Aunt Esmeralda hadn't lost her edge.
I held up my hands. "Hey, Auntie. Miss me?"
"Of course not," She deadpanned.
If it were other circumstances, I would joke around until she admitted how much she missed me, but since I was in a hurry, I couldn't play my jokes.
"Auntie, Jacob and I need your help," I declared, making her golden eyes widen.
"You found her?" She asked, meaning she probably knew why I was here.
"My mother?" I asked and she nodded. "Then you know Jacob and I are after our mate."
Again, she nodded.
I exhaled sharply. "She’s missing. Her whole village was burned to the ground. We think she’s running—or worse, someone took her."
Esmeralda’s gaze darkened. She turned on her heel and marched toward the cabin without another word. "Michelle! Pack my bag. I'm leaving for two days."
A muffled voice called back, "What? Why?"
Esmeralda didn’t slow down. "Because my i***t nephews finally found their mate, and of course, it’s a disaster."
I winced but didn’t argue.
"Stupid Kaid, now you are all paying for his mistakes," she grumbled under her breath as she entered her home.
Soon enough, I saw Esmeralda and her mate coming out. Contrary to my parents, Michelle and Esmeralda aged, slowly than humans did, but still.
"Esmeralda chose to age," Jariko reminded me.
It was true that when witches are as strong as Esmeralda, they can slow down or even stop aging. Esmeralda had lived for almost two hundred years when she decided to break the spell, and it was only after she met her mate.
"Hi Seth!" Michelle greeted me. "Would you like to come in and say hello?" she asked.
I haven't seen their daughter in years, but... I couldn't. My mate needed me.
"I wish I could..." I trailed off.
Michelle smiled softly in understanding. "I know. You need to find your mate. Go," she said, ushering Esmeralda and me away.
I used the portal once again and brought us back to the destroyed village.
Jacob was waiting for us, sitting in the ashes with his head in his hands. The moment he saw us arrive, I saw something in his eyes I've never seen before.
Jacob is the calm between us; he isn't fazed by anything and always keeps calm, even when the situation is chaotic. Now, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was angry.
"Took you long enough," he growled, but the relief in his voice was palpable.
Aunt Esmeralda arched an eyebrow. She wasn't used to this side of Jacob, and I wasn't either.
"Calm your nerves, pup," she ordered, making Jacob shake his head.
He knew better than to piss her off. "Sorry," he mumbled under his breath.
Aunt Esmeralda didn't tease him, even though she loved to do that, and instead focused on the village.
"You weren't kidding when you said this place was burnt down," she told me. "Do you know what did it?"
"Do you?" I asked back.
She nodded. "Phoenix," she muttered, her golden eyes flashing.
Jacob and I exchanged a glance.
"What?" I demanded.
Esmeralda crouched, dragging her fingers through the ashes. "Your mate isn’t just any supernatural. She’s a phoenix."
Jacob went rigid. "A phoenix? They’re extinct."
"Not extinct," Esmeralda corrected sharply. "Almost extinct, I had no idea where they were, but apparently they have been hiding in plain sight." She grabbed more ash and played with it between her fingers. "Well... not anymore."
"What do you mean by that?" Jacob asked. "Is our mate dead?!"
"Our brother is about to lose it," Jeriko pointed out, like we were any f*****g better.
"Why aren't you worried?" I asked, exasperated that he wasn't more worried about our mate.
"Because I can tell she is fine," He replied.
Esmeralda shook her head. "No, she is not dead. She was taken somewhere to heal. She was the one who destroyed the whole village. I imagine she lost control of her spirit, which caused this hell."
What?
Our mate?
"Why would she lose control?" I asked this time. My mate can't be evil, so if something made her destroy this place...
"Our mate had to do it," Jeriko uttered, but of course, he didn't say anything else.
Wolves can be so annoying sometimes.
"My guess? The people in this village deserved it. They must have done something, and she snapped. Either way, let's see if we can track her. This accident happened almost a week ago, but since she was weak..."
"She must be close," Jacob finished.
Esmeralda nodded and finally cleaned her hands.
"Exactly, so are you ready to find your mate?"
- Writer
