The Lycan Twins and the Phoenix Warrior

Chapter 9: Jacob's POV

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Almost three months later...

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I'm restless. We have searched for months and still haven't found our mate. Aunt Esmeralda helped us, but at some point she lost her trail. We think someone is hiding her, but we aren't sure how, meaning we're dealing with powerful magic—something strong enough to cloak a phoenix’s fire.

I pace the length of my room, claws digging into my palms. Every second we waste is another second our mate could be suffering. Another second, her hunters could be closing in.

A sharp knock at my door.

Before I can answer, Seth barges in, his usual smirk replaced by a grimace. "We’ve got a lead."

My head snaps up. "Where?"

"There was another explosion near the area," he said, and I instantly paled.

"Let's go then," I said, grabbing my coat.

Seth nodded and created a portal. When we went through it, we found ourselves in the middle of the forest. Right before us, several huts, like a small hideout, had been set up, and some of them were destroyed.

I could see some bodies lying around, so I exchanged a glance with Seth. He nodded, and we knew what had to be done.

As we approached the place, some of the people's heads snapped towards us. Some were wary, almost as if they were scared. They were attacked previously, so this reaction wasn't unexpected. Their eyes darted between us, waiting for what we would do next.

Then, a woman stepped forward, her dark hair streaked with blood, her silver eyes squinting.

"Who are you?" She asked with a rough voice.

Seth tilted his head. "Wolves," he stated.

The woman squinted her eyes even more, and I saw how her fingers produced little sparks, ready to attack us.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I said coolly. She immediately glared at me.

She was not as strong as our mother, but I could tell she had some tricks up her sleeve.

"And why is that?" She barked.

"We are here to help you and see if you have met someone we are looking for."

Her aura immediately turned murderous. She was ready to fight us when a kid came running to her side. "Don't! They are good," the child exclaimed.

I looked down, but didn't sense anything particular from this child.

"Some supernatural hide until they are of age," Silas, my wolf, explained.

Hmmm, so this hideout has different supernaturals. Interesting.

She was going to say something to the kid, so I intervened. "The child is right, my name is Jacob Hills, and this is my brother Seth," I introduced us.

"Uh... why did you give our names to the enemy?" Seth asked through the link.

I rolled my eyes. He should know I am not stupid enough to make such a foolish decision. "They are not the enemy."

Seth grumbled through our link, but on the outside, he looked calm and collected.

"You are the princes?" This woman asked, to which I nodded. "You never cared about us before..." she trailed off.

Seth and I exchanged a glance.

"This place is not in our jurisdiction," I stated, making her chuckle in disbelief. "Something wrong?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Her eyes blasted with fury when her gaze focused on me. "Yeah, I love how you royals love to throw the ball around to avoid the responsibility of your actions."

"They don't like us," Silas pointed out.

"Yeah, you don't say," I countered. "If you didn't tell me, then I wouldn't have noticed," I finished sarcastically.

This woman was not going to make things easy for us. It was clear she hated Seth and me to the core, even if we hadn't done anything.

"Let us help you," Seth said softly. "We came here because we are looking for someone, but we are not going to leave if you are all..."

He didn't dare finish that sentence.

However, he didn't need to; she understood what he implied, and of course, her reaction was another scoff. "We don't need your help. You haven't cared before, so you shouldn't care now," she spat, her silver eyes flashing with defiance. The sparks at her fingertips flared brighter, casting eerie shadows across her face.

I exhaled through my nose, forcing patience. "You do need our help," I said as I looked around. "You are not a pack, and judging by all your members, I'm guessing you were all driven away from your respective covens, packs, or dens, so that's why nobody helped you in the past. Am I wrong?"

Her fists clenched; she knew I was right, even if she didn't want to admit it.

I have no clue why so many species are gathered here, but after all this is done and I find my mate, I intend to find out.

"Ariana?" A man called. "Who are these people?" He asked the woman.

"Now we know her name," Seth snickered.

I looked at Ariana, and she was glaring at the man who had just come in. He looked around eighteen, and it was clear he was human.

What was a human doing here with so many supernatural?

"So your name is Ariana," I stated. The man quickly realized his mistake, paling slightly. Ariana shot him a withering glare before turning back to us, her jaw clenched.

"Fine," she snapped. "You want to help? Then start by telling me why you’re really here."

I didn’t hesitate. "We already told you. We are trying to find someone important to us. Months ago, we caught her scent a couple of miles away, and since today there was another incident, we came to see if we could find her."

Ariana’s expression flickered—surprise, then suspicion. "And you think we have her?"

Seth stepped forward. "No, we would know. But we think you saw her, perhaps even know who took her."

Ariana bit the inside of her cheek. She knew something. "You know who I am talking about," I stated.

Her eyes turned to me once again. She was debating on her next move, but Silas and I had been on edge ever since we caught her scent, but not her. "I would love to stay civil, but if you keep her away from us, I might not be able to hold my wolf back," I warned.

Of course, Ariana didn't like my tone.

Seth closed the distance between us and grabbed my arm. "Stop," He said.

"Excuse my brother, he is not like this." His tone was lighter than mine. "She is really important to us, that is why he is behaving like an asshole."

I arched one eyebrow.

I'm the asshole?

"Right now, yes," Silas backed Seth.

Ariana was still wary of us, but thanks to Seth's intervention, it didn't look like she wanted to murder me anymore. She lifted her fist, pressed it against her lips, and cleared her throat.

"What are you going to do to her?" She asked.

"We want to talk," Seth replied.

Ariana lifted an eyebrow. "You are not going to take her to prison for what she did?"

What she did?

"If you mean destroying a village. No. A friend of ours already investigated the matter, and she concluded that everyone there deserved it," Seth replied once more.

It would have been better if he had handled this situation, I was not in my right mind.

"And your friend is?" She asked, as if she didn't believe us.

Seth smirked. "Esmeralda."

Ariana's eyes widened. Of course, she knew who Esmeralda was. Everyone did, my aunt made quite a name for herself.

"Come," she ordered. "Niles, please check if someone else is injured, and if they are, take them to the infirmary. The princes over here are going to lend us money to build back this place."

I didn't argue because in the end, we did offer our help, and it was our duty to fulfill our word. I quickly sent a message to Killian, briefly explaining the situation and asking for help.

Our brother accepted our request, meaning this place would soon be packed with our people.

Ariana took us to a small hut at the edge of the clearing, its wooden door hanging slightly askew from recent damage. She pushed it open with more force than necessary, revealing a dimly lit interior. The scent hit me immediately—smoke, herbs, and beneath it all, her.

My mate.

She had been here, and not long ago.

"I would tell you to take a seat, but many things were destroyed during the attack."

"She... was... here," I managed to say through clenched teeth. Silas started pushing, asking us to turn and follow her scent.

Ariana nodded. "She was, but she is not."

"Where is she?" I demanded, to which Seth intervened once again and slapped me on the back of my head.

I glared at my brother.

"Sorry, excuse his bad manners, again," he apologized on my behalf.

Ariana studied us with narrowed eyes before sighing. "She was here. You are right. We brought her here because a friend of hers asked for our help. I am not sure why she snapped back at her village, but it almost killed her."

My breath got caught in my throat.

"We don't know much about phoenixes, but basically, when one loses control, they consume your body," She explained. "Astrid was able to overcome that, but she couldn't use her phoenix again."

Astrid... that's her name, and it is beautiful.

"She stayed here for three months, training and healing, but today... We were attacked. You never found this place because we had a magic barrier that made us invincible to the outside world."

Then how the heck did she expect us to know the situation of this place?

"The person who attacked us was her father, or at least that is what she told us. She left because she knew he would return. We are not sure what he wants from her, but it is clear he will attack Astrid again. I'm not sure where she left."

"When was that?" I asked, frantic.

"At least four hours ago, but before you leave," Seth and I had already moved towards the door. "She learned how to hide her scent and is good at it. You won't find her again."

"We are good trackers," I stated.

Ariana shook her head as she sighed. "I know what you are capable of, but I also know Astrid. I am a healer because my mother was a wolf and my father a warlock. I never developed my wolf side, probably because I was blessed with the ability to heal every injury."

"I'm not trying to be mean," Seth said. "But what does that have to do with Astrid?"

"I'm telling you this because I want you to understand that the witches who are here are not common ones. They wanted to help Astrid, too, so I'm sure they gave her something before she left. If you want to find her, you will need help, unfortunately..." she trailed off.

I didn't like her tone. We were so close to our mate, she was here, and not long ago.

"The person who can help you was injured during the fight, and she is still recovering," she explained.

Seth and I glanced at each other

"We should track her on our own," I said through the link. She might think her witches are capable, but she had no idea what we could do.

"I don't know... if we leave..."

He didn't have to finish.

"How long will it take her to wake up?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

She sighed. "I don't know. A day? A week? A month? But she is your best option."