"Where are you taking me?" Freya had forgotten how many times she'd asked. She'd never thought about being claustrophobic but at that moment, she'd started considering the possibility.

"We found a witch and she refused to talk to us without meeting you," Tristan said after a while. "Have any idea why?"

Freya felt like she was on a hidden camera show. "No, of course not," she said, appalled.

Things like this don't just happen, she felt like she was at war with her mind. Had everyone suddenly become absolutely crazy or had she just not seen it before?

"So you broke into the house and terrorised us so a freaking witch can meet me?" Freya raised her voice. It was ridiculous to feel betrayed, she reasoned with herself. They didn't owe her anything, she thought and yet, she still felt like she was owed some extent of common decency.

He didn't reply.

"Are you a psychopath? What is wrong with you people?" Freya's emotions were riling up as confusion and fear spiraled in her.

Freya looked outside the window, terrified of the people she thought she knew. But she realised she didn't know them at all and that they were all lunatics.

She then began to think about the charms and why they didn't work. The wolves had managed to get inside which made her body turn cold. If the house was unprotected then how did they survive the night. She tried to remember if she painted them wrong or anything else she'd messed up. But more importantly, how Greg was left in an unprotected house without her now. Would he realise that he's unprotected in time?

Her mind was racing and she could feel her head start to hurt. Tristan looked at her through the mirror and then back at the road. The horror of knowing that she could've been killed while she slept dawned on her and suddenly felt the paranoia creep in.

She looked back at Jade and Tristan at the front, regretting the moment she let her path cross theirs.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"Can you shut up?" Jade snapped from the passenger seat.

Freya kicked her seat with both legs, enraged by the treatment she was receiving. "You have no right to kidnap me and then tell me to shut up!"

Jade breathed deeply through her nose and glanced at Tristan who looked troubled.

Finally, the car slowed down and stopped near the edge of the forest. She looked outside to see a dark skinned woman standing in a long velvet dress who appeared to be waiting for them. The woman had a large ruby on the ring on her left hand and prominent facial features that would make anyone envy her appearance.

Jade pulled Freya out of the car roughly and took her towards the woman who watched Freya, carefully. She slowly turned her head to Tristan who looked uncomfortable by the whole situation.

"Where is the wolf?" she asked.

"Taken care of," Tristan replied, simply.

Cordelia nodded and Freya looked at Tristan in shock, what did he mean by 'taken care of?'

Another woman walked out from the small house, carrying a large envelope. She handed it to Cordelia before walking away.

Cordelia held out the red envelope for Tristan to take.

Tristan was about to take the envelope when he suddenly stopped himself. "What are you going to do with her?" he asked.

Cordelia sighed.

"Take the envelope and leave, Alpha."

"Is she not returning with us?" Tristan asked.

Jade looked at her brother with annoyance. Why did he care? She hated Freya for no reason more than the fact that she was a human. Why wasn't that enough for Tristan to hate her, too?

However, deep down she knew that her brother had way more empathy than she could ever understand. Knowing Tristan, he'd never live it down if he knew he allowed a life to be taken when there was something he could do about it. Even if it was a human's.

Cordelia pursed her lips. "I asked for her company, not a two minute look at her. I will take her back to her home when she requests it."

Tristan still looked skeptical.

Cordelia held her finger to the top of her breast, "Witch's honour."

Freya slowly understood what was happening. She looked at Tristan with anger and with a venomous hatred she'd never experienced before.

Tristan hesitantly took the envelope and with a final look at Freya, walked back to his car.

Freya watched the wolves leave and slowly looked back at Cordelia who had a soft look on her face. "Freya? That is your name?"

"Y-yes."

"I am Madame' Cordelia, head of this coven but you may call me Cordelia. "

Freya didn't say anything.

Cordelia twirled her finger in the air, releasing Freya's hands from the restraint. "You are my guest, Freya. Not my prisoner. Come, walk with me."

Freya walked beside the graceful woman, thoughts racing in her mind. She could run, she thought. Glancing at Cordelia, however made her realise that she wouldn't really get that far even if she tried. She was a witch, after all.

"Tell me Freya, how did you know Heather?"

"Sorry?" Freya stuttered, surprised by the question.

"Heather Jones, you knew her, yes?"

"I guess so. She was a neighbor," Freya said, uncomfortably.

Cordelia said nothing as they turned at a bend where a white table, covered by a light pink cloth had been set outside. There were two chairs and a basket of bread waiting for them.

"Please, sit."

Cordelia took her seat as Freya hesitated with her hand on the chair, unsure of what was going on. The bread smelled fragrant and freshly made, instantly making Freya's stomach rumble.

"Please," Cordelia said.

Freya took her seat begrudgingly, avoiding eye contact.

"You have a brother, a werewolf."

Freya was unsure of what to say. It seemed as if Cordelia knew everything already.

"He's a newly turned one, tell me how did that happen?"

Freya stared at Cordelia, intimidated by her features. "He was bitten."

"By Alpha Tristan?" Cordelia said, knowingly.

"Yeah," Freya replied, feeling impatient by where the conversation was going.

"How does it make you feel, knowing your brother is one of them?"

"Nothing, it doesn't make me feel anything."

"I think it bothers you," Cordelia said, leaning back. "I don't think you like the pack very much."

"Of course I don't. All they've done is ruin our lives."

Cordelia smirked but let it fall. She picked up the tea pot and poured herself some in a white china cup. "Tea?"

Freya didn't answer but instead stared back at her, a look of annoyance on her face.

"Everyone loves tea, come on," Cordelia said.

"Why am I here?" Freya finally asked as Cordelia poured her some anyway.

"Because I wanted to meet you."

"Why would you want to meet me?"

Cordelia smiled, "With all the death that the smoke has brought, having a human still alive is quite remarkable. I want to know how you did it. Nobody else did so what makes you so special?"

"I'm not special. Mrs. Jones provided us with protection and that's all there is to it."

"Yes, Heather is a kindred spirit. She has the biggest heart of us all," she said, putting sugar in her cup before mixing it with a silver spoon.

Freya caught on how Cordelia used the present tense for Mrs. Jones but didn't feel like breaking the news to her. At least not yet.

"I'll tell you something, Freya. I like you," she said, pausing for a sip of tea. "And I'm so sorry the wolves scared you like that but believe me when I say I only wished to invite to meet you."

Freya blinked, still so utterly confused. What was she supposed to say to that?

"Honey, your tea will go cold and nobody likes cold tea."

Freya looked down at the pink tea, in serious doubt.

"What will the wolves do to my brother?" she asked.

"Nothing, I only asked for you."

"Will you let me leave?"

"Of course, I will. As I said, you're my guest. However, I do want to get to know you. After that, you're free to leave."

Freya nodded and then glanced back at the tea. She watched the steam rise and form loops in the air as time passed. Finally, she picked up the cup and smelled it, discretely.

Part of her screamed at her not to drink it but she was drawn to the scent of it. Slowly, she pressed her lips to the cup and sipped the tea. Enchanted by the aroma, she drank the whole cup only to realise what she had done.

She dropped the cup on the table which then rolled on to the floor, shattering into pieces.

Looking back at Cordelia, she saw the calm expression on her face. Her vision began to distort as she felt a wave of fatigue wash over her and she let her head fall on to plate into a peaceful sleep.

•

Tristan threw the envelope into his drawer and looked up at his Beta, Billy who was sitting on the chair on the other side of his desk.

"So what do we do now?"

Tristan leaned forward with his elbows on the table, his white shirt stretching as he did. "We have to check out this place. If it's real then this will help us put a stop to this damn genocide."

Billy nodded, "When do we go? I'll gather the guys."

Tristan glanced at the clock and thought for a while. "Tomorrow morning, 6am. Everyone should be at the pack house. And make sure our trunk has weapons, I don't want us walking into a battle ground without proper armory."

"Absolutely," Billy said before leaving the room.

Tristan stood up with his glass of scotch, firmly in his grasp. Finishing it, he leaned against the desk and thought about Cordelia. He still wasn't sure why she wanted Freya so bad but as Jade had said earlier, he shouldn't care.

He heard someone walk up the stairs and knock on his door. "Tristan?"

"Come in," he said, putting his glass on the table and crossing his arms over his chest.

"What's up?" she asked as she walked to the side to make herself a drink.

"6am tomorrow, we're leaving then."

"Can't wait," Jade said.

"So what do you think Cordelia is up to?"

"Who cares?"

"She was pretty eager."

"Witches are crazy, Tristan. Who knows what the crazy bitch is up to? I don't. I never do," Jade said.

"Yeah, I know but-"

"Look," Jade interrupted. "I get it, you feel bad for the human. But you have your hands full here Tristan so maybe just focus on tomorrow."

Tristan raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"If it bothers you so much, just remember what her kind did to us, okay? Her kind got what was coming to them and it shouldn't keep you up at night. I know it doesn't keep me up," she said, putting her glass down before leaving the room.

Tristan sighed as painful images flashed in his mind. He hated it when Jade did that to him. Part of him knew that rationalising it was unreasonable but deep down it still angered him to the core. He picked up his glass and threw it at the wall in blind frustration, hearing it crash into pieces.

Downstairs, Jade lit a cigarette and wiped a tear away that had managed to escape.

•