The Prophecy Of The Wolves I - The Beginning
~ Chapter Nineteen ~

When he heard it, Cayden was sitting in his office, getting some work done and trying to figure out several battle plans. Plates crashed to the floor, followed by a loud thud that could only be a body. He jumped to his feet and rushed toward the kitchen. He stood frozen when he came across Liliana’s unconscious body in the middle of the hallway.

Cayden rushed to her and tried to shake her awake. He groaned when he realized that she had most likely gotten summoned by Artemis. He sighed as he picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. Cayden gently laid Liliana down and took off her shoes before he covered her up and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He returned downstairs and cleaned the broken glass and food off the floor.

Once Cayden ensured no more glass was on the floor, he returned to his office to get more work. He never knew how long Artemis would have her in the realm of the gods. He just hoped that nothing terrible was happening right under their noses.

It had been two hours since Liliana finally walked into his office. Cayden sighed in relief as he clambered to his feet and rushed to her. “Are you alright, little dove?” He questioned as he gently caressed her face. “You didn’t get hurt when you fell, did you?”

Liliana let out a rough giggle before rubbing her throat, which she had wrapped a lace scarf around. Finally, she cleared her throat with a wince and quietly said. “No, the fall didn’t hurt me.”

Cayden frowned as he watched her continue to rub her throat. “What’s wrong with your throat, dove?” He asked as he lightly touched the scarf.

Liliana sighed heavily before looking at the ground as she slowly took the scarf off.

Cayden let out a dark growl as she revealed the bruises around her neck. “What happened?” He managed to get out through his clenched teeth.

Liliana sighed as she moved to sit in the window seat she always sat in when she was in his office. “Artemis summoned me. First, it was to tell me that Atlas had trapped Jacques in Tartarus. He’s had some warlock put an impenetrable spell around the area so that no one can get in except the warlock, Atlas, and me,” she shook her head. “Then she was summoned to a council meeting with many other gods and goddesses. Artemis thought that it’d be a good idea for me to explain to them what we were doing for this war. So I did. I explained everything. Ares got mad when I told them Adrestia had taken Anna’s place. He said it was my fault that she was now underneath Uranus.”

Cayden let out a menacing growl as he paced in front of her. “I swear I will kill him for putting his hands on you.”

Liliana quickly rushed to her feet and gently grabbed onto his arms. “Sh, my beloved. You can’t go against Ares. You know that.” she caressed his face and pressed a light kiss to his lips. “I’m okay. The bruises will fade within the next couple of hours. There’s no lasting damage,” she sighed as she looked into his eyes. “You would have done the same thing if it were our daughter,” she whispered against his lips.

Cayden let out a shaky breath as he calmed down. “You’re right,” he said after a minute.

Liliana smiled as she kissed his lips again. “Now we need to go and talk to Kaine because it seems that I have potent magic flowing through my veins, and I need him to start teaching me.”

Cayden looked at her in shock. “What?” He questioned.

Liliana giggled at the look on his face. “Hecate told me during the meeting with the gods. She said my ancestors must have been witches or warlocks because my magic is ancient and very powerful. She said that I could do every type of magic.”

“That’s amazing,” Cayden said in awe.

Liliana kissed his cheek before dragging him out of the house and to the packhouse. They walked in to replace Kaine sitting in the kitchen. “Hey, Kaine,” she said happily.

Kaine turned to them and frowned when he saw the bruises around her throat. “What the hell happened to you?” He demanded, causing others to look in their direction.

“Shit,” Liliana softly swore as she pulled her hair forward to cover her throat. “Let’s just say that Ares wasn’t too happy when he found out that his daughter was now underneath Uranus,” she whispered to him. “That’s not why we’re here, though.”

Kaine cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck. “What is it?” He asked after a minute.

“I need you to help me with my magic,” she said quietly.

Kaine raised an eyebrow. “How do you have magic?” He questioned. “I thought that both of your parents had been wolves,” he said in confusion.

Liliana nodded. “Yes, they are. Hecate says that my ancestors must have been powerful warlocks or witches because it’s in my blood.”

Kaine was shocked, but he nodded. “Alright. We can get started tomorrow after your training session with Cayden. I’ll teach you what I can, but there are some types of magic that I don’t know. So I’ll have to call in a favor or two to get someone up here to teach them to you,” he explained.

Liliana nodded in understanding. She turned to walk away but quickly turned back to him. “Oh, I wanted to know if you could recruit some other witches and warlocks to our side. The more that we have, the better we’ll be.”

Kaine groaned. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do, but most witches and warlocks are hard to replace. They’d rather be left alone.”

Liliana gave him a small smile. “It’s alright. Just try and get as many as you can.”

Kaine pulled her into a quick hug before glancing at the clock on the wall. “I’ll go and get started now. I know a couple I can get to know, but they move quite often, so the sooner, the better.”

Liliana nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Be careful.”

Kaine chuckled. “Always am, little one.”

Liliana giggled as he disappeared.

Liliana turned to Cayden. “Let’s go home and relax for the rest of the day.”

Cayden nodded and pulled her into his arms. “We also need to figure out what to do about Jacques.”

Liliana nodded as she grew sad. “Yeah. I’m sure Atlas will be calling with some creature that can copy Jacques’s voice. He’ll try to lure me to him so that he can most likely torture me and then send me to Tartarus.”

Cayden blew out a rough breath as they walked back to their house. “I don’t like it,” he said.

Liliana leaned into him as she let out a long exhale. “I know, but I’m the only one that can get him out.”

“Fine, but I’m going with you,” he stated, leaving no room for argument.

Liliana looked up at him with a smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, my beloved.”

Cayden pressed a kiss to her temple before they went home and spent the rest of the day together.

The next day they called a pack meeting. Everyone was to attend, including the children. Everyone had to know why they were training. They had to know why there was so much security. Once everyone gathered, Cayden let out a booming shout that gained their attention. “Now, I’m sure you’re all wondering why we have called this meeting,” he started as he held Liliana’s hand. “We will explain everything. All I ask is that you don’t ask any questions or interrupt until we fully explain the situation.”

Cayden looked at Liliana and nodded. Liliana sighed as she took a small step forward and started explaining everything happening. As soon as she finished explaining, everyone started shouting and demanding answers. Liliana ran a hand through her hair before letting out a loud whistle. She waited until everyone was quiet before speaking. “Now I know that this is happening very suddenly. I know it’s also frightening, but I can promise you that we are doing everything we can to ensure everyone is safe. Of course, there will be a fight, but that is why we have everyone train. The younger kids will not be fighting, but we want them to train alongside everyone else. I want everyone to be able to protect themselves no matter what. We will ensure that the kids, elders, and anyone else who can’t fight are very well protected and safe, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

Liliana sighed as Cayden continued for her. “We have recently learned from the gods that Liliana is a mighty witch. Her ancestors must have been mighty because she has raw power. She can use every type of magic there is. She will ensure that the house those who aren’t fighting in is very well protected, and we will also have guards outside and inside. So nothing will happen to those that won’t be fighting.”

Everyone started murmuring and talking amongst themselves. Liliana shook her head. “This is going to be difficult,” she mumbled as she watched their pack and family speak, slightly panicked. Liliana let out another whistle. “I promise that everything is going to be fine. We have the help of the gods, and we’ve already begun gathering our allies. We are also going to be gaining new allies. These new allies will be different creatures. Creatures that we have only ever heard about in myths and legends. Yes, they will be frightening, but we all must remember that they are on our side,” she gestured to the titan in the back of the crowd. “Like Prometheus over there,” she said with a smile.

Everyone laughed as they calmed down. “We can promise you that everything is going to be fine. I promise I will do everything I can to protect you guys. I will also be fighting alongside the warriors when the time comes. That’s all we know for now, but we will ensure that everyone is updated once things progress. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask either of us,” she said as she gestured between her and Cayden. “Or Sebastian.”

They stepped off the stage they used for meetings and talked with everyone who came up to them. Liliana knew they were frightened, but she also knew they felt safe with them. That they knew their alpha and luna would protect them.

~ Two Weeks Later ~

“I don’t know why Atlas hasn’t called us yet. Or sent someone to give us the message,” Liliana said in frustration as she watched Cayden’s every move.

As they were training, Cayden said. “Maybe he’s waiting until Jacques is in bad shape,” he clicked his tongue. “It would make it harder for you to get him out if he’s unable to move very well on his own.”

Liliana swore as she blocked a kick from Cayden. “I guess it’s good that I’ve been practicing my magic. Teleporting is almost second nature to me now,” she breathlessly said as they continued sparring.

Cayden chuckled. “Well, that’s good. We could easily teleport out of Tartarus,” he said with a small smile.

Liliana sighed as she pinned Cayden to the mat. “Let’s just hope it’s that easy,” she said softly.

Cayden quickly flipped them, so he had her pinned to the mat and pressed a light kiss to her lips. “Things will work out. I promise, little dove.”

Liliana sighed as he helped her stand up. “I’m going to replace Kaine. I want to practice my magic some more. The stronger my magic gets, the less trouble I’ll have,” she shook her head. “I hope,” she muttered as they walked out of the gym.

They found Kaine in the field behind the pack house. He was with one of the warlocks he had managed to get on their side. This warlock was a bit older than Kaine. He had been a warlock before a vampire turned him out of spite. It had been difficult for the warlock because he thought he had lost his magic, but he had kept it by some miracle. So over the years, he studied every single type of magic that he could replace and mastered it.

“Hey, Kaine. Hey, Axel. Ready for our training session?” Liliana asked as Cayden wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

Liliana leaned into him as they turned to face them. “Sure thing. What are we working on today?” Kaine asked.

Liliana shrugged as Cayden let her go. “Let’s quickly go over everything I’ve already learned and then go from there. I especially want to focus on anything that’ll help me in Tartarus.”

Kaine nodded and turned to Axel. They spoke quietly to each other before getting started.

Cayden watched as Liliana practiced her magic. Liliana went through a refresher course on the elements. Liliana was able to bend all of the elements to her will. She could even summon the elements out of nothing. She learned that she could heal people, although it took a lot of her. She could teleport anywhere in the world, including the underworld and Olympus. She could take however many people she wanted with her unless she went to the underworld or Olympus. Then, she could only take one person with her when she went to either place.

Once they had finished their refresher course, they started with new abilities. They learned that Liliana could summon shadows and darkness and use it against her enemies. She could also conjure brightness and light and use them to her will. She could use dark magic and light magic.

When Liliana started getting exhausted from using her magic, they had her sit in the grass and look through some spellbooks. They didn’t want her to use any more magic because she was already exhausted. She was just to read through them and memorize the spells for later practice.

After a couple of hours, they finally decided that she had finished for the day. Cayden helped her to her feet and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him as she finally felt the full effects of the exhaustion. “Why is she so tired?” Cayden questioned in concern.

Kaine shook his head as he stood up with Axel. “It’s nothing to be worried about,” Axel explained. “She just used a lot of her magic. Witches and warlocks only have a certain amount of magic, and once they use up most of it, they’re exhausted,” he tilted his head slightly as he studied Liliana. “I have to say, though. I’ve never seen anyone with as much magic as you,” he said to her.

Kaine nodded in agreement. “You have much more magic than any witch or warlock I’ve seen in all my years.”

Liliana gave them a weak smile. “I guess that means I can use more during the fight,” she mumbled as she leaned into Cayden.

Cayden looked down at her in concern and easily lifted her into his arms. “I’m going to get her home so she can sleep this off.”

Kaine nodded. “Just make sure she eats and drinks plenty of water and juice.”

Cayden gave him a nod. “I’ll make sure she eats before she goes to sleep.”

Cayden walked to his house and made his way upstairs to his room. He gently laid Liliana down on their bed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m going to make you something to eat, dove. Try to stay awake,” he whispered before pressing a featherlight kiss to her lips.

Liliana gave him a tired smile. “I’ll try, love.”

Cayden rushed downstairs and quickly made her something to eat. He ensured there was plenty of food on her plate and grabbed a bottle of water. He went upstairs and chuckled when he saw Liliana ultimately passed out, hugging his pillow to her body. He walked to her and set the plate and water on the nightstand. He sat on the edge next to her and gently moved her hair out of her face. “My dove. You need to wake up and eat,” he said softly.

Liliana moaned and grumbled as she hugged the pillow tighter. Cayden chuckled again and gently shook her. “Come on, dove.”

Liliana swatted at his hand as she tried going back to sleep. “No,” she moaned.

Cayden shook his head with an adoring smile. “I just need you to eat quickly, and then you can go back to sleep.”

Liliana grumbled as she shoved her hair out of her face and sluggishly sat up. Cayden handed her the plate of food he had made for her and couldn’t help but laugh as she quickly devoured the plate of food. It only took her a few minutes to eat everything on the plate. Finally, he took the plate from her and handed her the water bottle. “Drink this, dove.”

Liliana quickly guzzled the water bottle before tossing it at him and lying back down. Cayden chuckled as she snuggled into his pillow and went back to sleep. He pressed a kiss to her temple before taking her plate downstairs. He sighed as he leaned against the counter. He knew that Jacques being in Tartarus was taking a toll on Liliana. She had tried to get to him, but whatever spell was around him wouldn’t let her in. He guessed it wouldn’t let her in until Atlas wanted her to get in.

Cayden sighed as he turned to look outside. There had been storm clouds in the sky all day, and thunder and lightning finally started their symphony across the sky. He felt as if there were something more coming their way. Something ten times more dangerous than a thunderstorm.

Cayden was lost in his tracks when he heard a sharp cry from his bedroom where Liliana was sleeping.

Cayden rushed upstairs as quickly as he could and burst into his room. He quickly scanned the room but found no one besides Liliana. She was tossing and turning on the bed and was crying and mumbling. As he sat next to her, he frowned and listened to what she said. “Mama. Daddy. No.”

Cayden gently shook her awake. “Sh. Little dove, I’m here. Everything is okay.”

Liliana sat up so fast that she almost hit him in the head. She was panting and gasping for air as she looked around the room as if she weren’t sure where she was. Cayden moved to be in her direct line of sight and gently caressed her face. “It’s okay, little dove. You’re safe.”

Liliana stared into his eyes as she caught her breath. Then, after a few minutes, she nodded slightly. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

Cayden pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “What happened, dove?”

Liliana shook her head as she took a deep breath. “I don’t know,” she mumbled. “I was sleeping just fine, and I wasn’t dreaming about anything, but it all changed suddenly,” she sniffled. “I haven’t thought about their deaths in such a long time,” she whispered into his chest. “I don’t even know how they died apart from the fact that they were killed by rogues while trying to save our pack and me. I was too young for Ryan and Evelyn to tell me back then. Then, as I got older, I decided it would be better if I didn’t know. It would bring too much heartache to know how they truly died.”

“But this dream you just had was of them dying?” Cayden guessed as he held her tighter.

Liliana nodded into his chest. “It was like I was there, watching it happen with my own eyes,” she took several deep breaths before continuing. “They were torn apart. It was like the gory parts in horror movies,” she shook her head. “I wanted to look away so badly, but it was like some type of force was holding me there, forcing me to watch their demise.”

Cayden shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a normal dream,” he said softly. Cayden gently let her go and stood up. “I’m going to get Kaine and Axel,” he pressed a loving kiss to her lips. “I’ll be right back, little dove.”

Liliana sighed as she leaned back in the bed and watched him leave their room.

It didn’t take long for Cayden to return with Kaine and Axel. “Cayden said that something strange has happened,” Axel said as he stood at the foot of the bed.

Liliana nodded with a frown. “Yes. I think a witch or warlock managed to get into my head while I was sleeping,” she said in agitation.

Kaine frowned as he sat on the bed next to her. “That’s impossible. We’ve both felt your magic. There’s no way that any witch or warlock would have been able to get into your mind.”

“It would be difficult, but it would be possible if she were asleep,” Axel said with a frown and a creased forehead.

Kaine sighed heavily. “Lay down flat, my dear,” he said gently.

Liliana laid down flat and closed her eyes as he rested his fingers on either of her temples. “Just relax and let me in,” Kaine whispered.

Liliana did as he asked and let out a quiet groan as he entered her mind. Kaine quickly searched her mind and exhaled as he pulled out of her mind. He sat back slightly as he cleared his mind. “Yeah. Someone has been in your mind, dear,” he slowly took a deep breath before continuing. “I know who it was too. Samson,” he clicked his tongue and shook his head as he stood up and started pacing. Samson is a bit younger than I am, but he’s still quite powerful. So do not underestimate him,” he turned to look at Liliana. “I’m going to put protection spells on you, mind and body. I know magic doesn’t work on you, but hopefully, this will be one of the exceptions.”

As Liliana lay there with her eyes closed, she willed the magic flowing through her veins to let Kaine put the protection spells on her. It took a few attempts, but she finally felt the warmth of Kaine’s magic wrap around her mind. She let out a sigh of relief as Kaine finished the spell and pulled away from her.

Cayden sat next to Liliana with concern in his eyes. “Did it work?” He asked softly.

Liliana nodded with a small smile. “It finally worked,” she whispered.

Cayden pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning to Kaine. “What else can you tell us about Samson?” He questioned.

Kaine blew a rough breath as he stood up and walked to the window. “Well, as I’ve said, he’s quite powerful. Do not underestimate him. He had been trained by a powerful warlock and a powerful witch,” he took a deep breath. “He trained with me and my mentor, Silas,” he leaned against the wall next to the window and crossed his arms over his chest. Kaine looked at Liliana and said. “Silas was like you. His power was pure, raw power. He could do all of it. Also, like you, he vowed to stay away from dark magic. He had seen the corruption and destruction that it caused,” he chuckled and shook his head. “He was an amazing warlock. He was like a brother to me by the time Samson sought him out,” he clicked his tongue as he ran a hand through his hair. “At first, Samson was like me. He was eager to learn and looking for the best teacher he could replace. I had just finished my training. There was nothing else for Silas to teach me. So he agreed to teach him. I went off on my own but stayed closed. All of this was way before I met Jacques. So Silas was the only family I had. I wanted to stay close because when I met Samson, something felt off about him. I didn’t trust him,” he sighed heavily. “And I was right not to.”

Liliana watched him with sad eyes. “What happened, Kaine?” She asked in a gentle tone.

Kaine shook his head. “It didn’t take long for Silas to teach him everything he knew about light magic. Samson wanted to know more, though. He wanted to know about dark magic. He tried everything that he could think of to get Silas to teach him about dark magic. Silas refused every single time. Finally, Silas could see just how badly Samson wanted to learn about dark magic. How badly he craved it. So Silas kicked him out. I told him that he would die before he’d teach anyone anything about dark magic,” he took a deep breath as he scrubbed his hands over his face. “That same night, Samson snuck back into Silas’s house and killed him.”

“How did you replace out about him dying?” Axel asked from the corner.

Kaine gulped down the emotional lump in his throat. “There’s a spell that can bind witches and warlocks together. Whoever shares the bond can feel each other’s emotions. They can feel each other’s pain. They can also easily locate each other.”

“What happens if one of them dies?” Liliana asked in a whisper.

“The other feels it, every second of it. When the other person is gone, there’s a hole left in the other’s very soul,” he shook his head with anguish in his eyes. “It never truly fades away, but it does get easier.”

Liliana stood up and walked over to him. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so sorry for your loss Kaine,” she whispered as she hugged him tighter.

Kaine sighed as he hugged her back. “It’s okay. It happened a very long time ago.”

Liliana looked up at him with tears shining in her eyes. “It doesn’t matter how long ago it happened. It still hurts. Trust me,” she whispered. “I know.”

Kaine frowned as he watched her. He studied her closely for a minute before clearing his throat and looking away.

To help ease the tension a bit, Cayden asked. “What happened to Samson after that?”

Kaine clicked his tongue. “I started hunting him down. I wasn’t going to let my brother’s death go unpunished. Unfortunately for me, he went underground. While in hiding, he found a witch that taught him everything about dark magic. When he finally surfaced, I tried to kill him, unaware of his dark magic. He almost killed me, but I managed to trap him with a freeze spell long enough to teleport away. That was the last time I saw him.”

“I’m going to assume you stayed off the grid for a bit after that,” Cayden said as Liliana sat down next to him.

Kaine nodded. “I stayed underground for a bit before moving around. Until I met Jacques, I was always on the move. I never stayed in one place for too long.”

Liliana sighed as she leaned into Cayden. “I’m glad that you met Jacques. He’s made things better for the both of us.”

Kaine nodded at that. “Yeah, he did,” he let out a slow breath. “We’ll let you two get some rest. Or whatever your plans for the rest of the day are.”

Without waiting for anyone to say anything else, Kaine teleported out of the room. “He’s going to need the rest of the day alone,” Liliana said softly.

Axel gave her a nod before teleporting out of the room.

Liliana took a long breath as she closed her eyes and leaned into Cayden. “This is going to be a long war,” she mumbled.

Cayden chuckled. “Yes, but we will be together no matter what.”

Liliana pressed a loving kiss to his lips. “Thank you, my beloved,” she whispered as she felt sleep pull her under again.

Cayden shook his head and let out a light laugh. He kissed her forehead as she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.