Author's POV

Natasha stepped away from her door to the railing, talking with Ralph on her mobile in a hushed tone.

" She's fine. "

Ralph breathed on the other line, shaky breaths and grunts leaving his lips. He had just told her how he was yanked out of his bed out of the blue by Rehan Khan only to find Mrs Barlow and Mrs Roux right beside his bed. Then he was suffocated with question after question until they received an incarnation from the Headmaster about Dahlia's sudden appearance in the Thunderwelt castle.

Only then they left both Ralph and his nanny to breathe.

" She found a secret passage out of the school within two weeks. " Natasha muttered, absent-mindedly, earning a scoff from the other side.

Ralph " Which had gotten her in a severe corner. "

" Whatever. But is there really a passage—

" No. There could never be such in Metaneart, Natasha. I've been studying here for a year and believe me, when I say I had to force off half of my life here because of my—

" What if you didn't notice them around? "

" Who wouldn't notice it— Maybe, I would sometimes. Then...let me ask some experts. " saying so, Ralph declined the call, leaving Natasha huff in silence.

Looking back at the closed door and after Scrazzy left her room, Natasha decided to take a short walk to clear her head and magically, appeared before the infirmary.

She walked inside, lazily, thinking she'd go to her room after bidding night for Amanda but the sight of Jwan standing close to one of the cabinets caught her off.

As Jwan picked Natasha's presence long before she entered the floor, he called her with a nod.

Natasha's eyes stayed on the bed where Dahlia was supposed to be before they moved to Amanda when Jwan walked to her bed. She saw him stretching his hand over her forehead with a blue glow covering his palm for a few seconds and retreating it.

" She's been calm. The chaos has calmed down it seems. "

Natasha blinked, baffled, yet didn't raise questions as Jwan stretched his hand again to her head, now with an electric green glow, and closed his eyes.

" What's wrong, Mama? "

Jwan opened his eyes and shook his head. " I was searching for her conscious. Usually, it takes two to three months for Werewolves to retain their human self after losing their wolf. For Amanda, as an Alpha and surviving with no wolf for such a long time, it should have been only a matter of time to regain her posture. But... "

" She has no improvement yet? "

" Yes. " he sighed, tiredly. " I can't pinpoint why is this happening to her when she's actually in a forced slumber. For Rayon, we know it was because of both— " Jwan clicked his tongue when he realised he jumped a line, shaking his head.

" Erik was forced into rest? For what? "

Jwan avoided Natasha's eyes and fortunately, Daniel, out of the blue, entered the infirmary calling for him.

Natasha whipped her eyes to her brother on seeing him in the middle of the night, still, in his uniform and a bit exhausted from whatever he was doing.

" Kwang Joon Daniel Dark, you were alive?! " she grunted rushing to his side to punch a fist right at his chest, knowing well it was nothing more than an ant bite to him.

" Hey, Princess. I missed—

Of course, Daniel had no chance to speak since Natasha had picked up something from a cabinet to break it down on his head beyond the line of frustration.

Thankfully, Jwan managed to save the innocent brother from the angry sister with lots and lots of sorrys and screams of help me from Daniel.

" Talk to me only when you've calmed Reena down. " Natasha finally huffed and whisked her head, dramatically, folding her arms across her chest.

After hearing his mate's name, Daniel would've run crying his heart out to the next floor if it wasn't for Jwan grabbing him back to Amanda's bed.

" You can run to your mate after this, son. Start your thing. " he said consoling him once again, saying his mate was sleeping soundly and wouldn't like being disturbed right now.

" Where— " Daniel hadn't asked before his eyes reached Amanda close by. " She is... " he stopped not finding the right words.

" I searched her conscious. Found none. Her soul had calmed down after two weeks. "

" So, she truly lost her child? " Daniel asked walking around the bed to get close to her before Jwan nodded. " I'm not sure how long it'll take... I've never felt her magic or wolf before... "

His eyes glinted emerald when Daniel grabbed her hands but he flinched when an icy presence threw him out of her mind as soon as he tried to break the inside of her mind.

Jwan and Natasha, surprised, walked to Daniel's aid as he stepped back from the bed to stare at Amanda with widened eyes.

" She's conscious, Father. "

Jwan frowned.

Daniel immediately shook his head. " Her mind is blocked. I can't see—

" Joon, there is no consciousness in her mind. She hasn't recovered yet to block her mind from another's power. There's no way. "

" But her presence is blocking me, Father. Something must be wrong. "

Natasha watched her Mama and brother in a heated discourse. She could barely understand them yet the last question her brother asked the other peaked her confusion.

" How long did it take for Rayon to calm down? "

Jwan trailed, hesitantly, glancing at Natasha. But Daniel didn't seem to bother her around as if what Jwas was supposed to say would be nothing.

" For Daios, we didn't notice. " So, Jwan opened up with a sigh. " Damon, it took centuries and approximately, after 80 such years, Rayon woke up. "

" After Natasha— " It was Daniel's turn to halt after he let things easily slip out of his lips with his sister right behind him.

" After Natasha, what? " Natasha asked, her eyes glued on them.

" It's not the right time, Sweetheart. " Jwan sighed, stopping the siblings' eye contest.

" Why was Erik forced? And...and what does it have to do with Amanda? And me? " she continued asking the racing questions.

If she let them slip once again, she'd never get an answer.

" Rayon had to be forced to stop him from demolishing lands. He...he woke up during the time of your birth. " Jwan answered, finally.

" Since that demon took most of his control through the centuries, we weren't able to stop him a lot of times. Rayon lost control first and Daios did sometime after while the other guy stayed on until we found him somewhere near Evangeline Mountain. "

" Only when Damon lost, Rayon's conscious was found. And— " Jwan blinked and turned to stare at Daniel. " Joon, what are you coming at? "

" Rayon's body was under the demon's control. I think Amanda might be under someone's control too. " Daniel nodded when Jwan was right at the point. " If the chaos in her head calmed down long before and you say that her conscious couldn't be found, then it's no doubt someone or something within her is controlling her. "

" Just because Chulyong is controlled, it cannot mean everyone around us is. " Jwan snapped, annoyed, at the mention of the topic they had forcefully put down a few hours ago. " If she really is, could you give me a hunch? "

Daniel's lips were sealed tight as he thought about what he felt when he touched Amanda. She's always cold, nothing strange about it, but a mind being icy was different.

" No. But...something is blocking her mind. I'll tell you once I put my hands on these unknown races we haven't found yet. "

" What do you mean by unknown races? There's none like that, right? "

" We can't say so just because we have seen Ukiyo from the very beginning, Natasha. Our ancestors always told us there were mysteries buried elsewhere around the Land of Misery. "

They sure didn't notice Laura walking inside due to their loud commotion but Natasha didn't fail to miss the horrible flinch of her Mama at the end of her remark.

Jwan's horrible past with wails and screams of his beloved family, whom he lost to the hands of death, managed to haunt him in no time along with everything he thought he had forgotten. It took a solid five minutes for Jwan to hold himself together before his mate, already, managed to come to his aid followed by their elder son.

" Love, what's wrong? " Wonhae embraced his mate when he picked his mate's distressed pheromones and panic dancing in his eyes.

Jwan blinked, rapidly, getting rid of the swelling tears as he fought with words. Others were pretty baffled at the sight of the elder mates, who looked nothing out of ordinary as always even though Wonhae's eyes continued to search for the cause of Jwan's fear.

" The prophecy... " Jwan managed to whisper into his ears before Wonhae went icy cold.

Only then the Alpha noticed Natasha among the others and asked them what had happened. He listened to Daniel's explanation of the probability of Amanda being controlled by an unknown energy and nodded.

Wonhae didn't look surprised by the information as he already had a hunch about it.

" Where's Rayon? " Jwan asked his mate, an unknown desperation concealed deep in his tone when the silence prolonged and expected a positive answer.

" Rayon left. " But Wonhae avoided his eyes and looked at Daniel.  " What about Isa? "

" I have to try again, Alpha. I'm not sure. " Daniel said.

" Your Royal Majesty, can I? " Laura suddenly asked. Once Wonhae nodded, she spoke in a clear voice. " I tried to work on Dahlia's mark. I can assure you, it's from a Soul Bond. "

" What? It's...impossible. " Jwan gulped while others along with Wonhae blinked at the unfamiliar name.

What the hell was this Soul Bond? Natasha thought staring at all of them for answers.

" I'm sure none of you know it. Soul Bond is also a part of the 4 bonds based on the Sacred Mate Bond. "

" There are 5 more bonds just like a Mate Bond? Wasn't it just a...tell-tale then? " Wonhae asked his mate for answers.

" I...I thought so too. But...but there was no such evidence to prove those bonds. So...they left it out to be just a tale or something... "

" Yes. But Ryunz continued to believe them, Your Royal Majesty. This Soul Bond was considered extinct since this bond was the only one which bonded two souls by using a spell, compared to others which are made from one's birth. "

" What's the spell? " Hyu-Jun jutted in, curiously.

" No one knows. "

After a dreadful silence, Jwan had had enough and pulled away from his mate. 

" Stop this. Let us concentrate on one thing. " he snapped, annoyed and mostly terrified by too many problems strangling them all at once. " Ms Valentine, I'll need your help to find what's with Chulyong and Dahlia. " he said to the Witch and then turned to Daniel. " Joon, we need your help here. Get some rest. "

With that said, he told everyone to rest and clear their mind for once the night had to end.

Yet the mates stayed to glance at Amanda, helplessly. They had their hands stretched to help her and they'll do so as possible until they could.

" Look at me, Love. It's okay. We'll get this through. Let's give Amanda some time and wait. " Wonhae gently encouraged the elder with a soft smile as he grabbed his face in his palms. " Ray had started digging. We'll pick some old contacts in the meantime and you have to tell me about these bonds tomorrow. "

" I'll try though I don't remember about a lot of them... " Jwan breathed, tiredly, trying to ignore the way his chest tightened with each inhale. " It's very long before, you see. "

Wonhae hugged him saying that anything he could remember was fine.

#

Daniel had dragged Natasha outside the infirmary but before he could embrace her again, she had slipped out of his arms.

" Bro, I'm damn serious. Go to Reena. She...she is— I don't know! Give me my sister-in-law back or I'll do something horrible to you! " she yelled throwing her hands in the air, frustrated and annoyed at how she immediately calmed down when her brother pulled her inside his arms.

The angry Natasha, who wanted to pounce on her brother went somewhere to the Antarctic Ocean when Daniel had secured in his hold with soft sorrys. It wasn't too long when the dam between the siblings broke and Natasha basked herself in her brother's warmth which she knew was the only thing that never changed in her life.

" I'm sorry, sis. I promise I'll never repeat it. " Daniel smooched his sister's head, caressing her braided hair. " I'm so sorry, I missed you so much. I'll give you back your sister-in-law, alright? "

Sniffing on his chest, Natasha nodded with a reddened nose and forcefully pushed him away from her to his mate, now, with a small smile. Daniel chuckled at his adorable little sister.

The siblings then parted ways to their bedrooms thinking about their mates. In time, Natasha's mobile buzzed thrice with Ralph's contact on the screen.

**Ralph Champ**
' Found something. I'll tell u tomorrow. '

Natasha texted him back and sighed before she reached her bedroom where someone looked like he'd been waiting for her to appear with a snoozing Alvaro in his arms looking oh so comfortable.

" What are you doing here? "

Erik shifted on his feet. His slight movement was enough for the pup to blink her eyes as she watched her fosters looking at each other.

" Wanted to see you. " Erik said.

" I know you're leaving again. " Natasha gnashed her teeth, walking inside her bedroom, annoyed.

Erik rubbed his neck and followed her steps. Cassia blinked, glancing at them, sensing something was wrong.

" Natcha... "

Natasha exhaled a heavy breath and plopped on her bed, closing her eyes. " Trust me, I want to hear nothing from you. "

Left with nothing to say, Erik looked at her.

" I heard you spend a lot of time with Amanda, " he sighed and turned to look away to the only window in Natasha's bedroom which opened to the forest behind the castle.

Natasha said no words and continued to make herself comfortable in bed and stared up at him, silently.

" I know...you don't want to hear and I have no justification. "

" I heard you were comatosed. " Natasha shifted elsewhere and stared at the wall while Cassia wiggled out of Erik's grasp and waddled to her side. " When was it? "

" A long time ago... " Erik could see her rolling her eyes at the indefinite answer yet he couldn't help but only swallow hard.

" How was it like and how long were you out? "

" Probably... " he clicked his tongue as his answers came out almost like a question. " Three to four centuries...? "

" Are you asking me? " she grunted quietly, combing Cassia's fur which nuzzled closer to her neck.

" I— I'm not sure— " he tried but ended up swallowing again. " Natcha, it was too long ago and I barely remember anything. Damon had been the one to have control for the longest. But it truly was very calm when I woke up. "

Natasha's eyes perked up as Erik added it at the end as if it was merely a mumble, nothing she was supposed to hear. " Explain. "

" The silence in my head at the absence of my wolf and demon was very calm. " he gave her what he believed was a smile. " Not the good type of calm though I, and everyone around me, was very much satisfied with just me. I almost thought I lost both of them if it weren't for some moments in the last twenty years. "

" So, it is true...you can lose your wolf... "

Erik nodded, nonchalantly. " Of course. But it's not a surprise for my wolf to withstand such calamities in life. He's a whiny brat. "

" I would like to hear about Daios some more. " Natasha knew what she was doing when she slowly got up from the bed.

She could see he turned pale not even in a blink yet stayed as calm as ever as if she really thought she could stand from what might happen.

She flinched by the tremendous thunder breaking the night skies into fragments and before she could turn away from the window, the mere seconds of darkness had vanished the presence of the Trueblood, who stood before her a thunder ago.

To be continued

DhiraDhi_Writes