Chapter 61: Chapter 61
Vlad immediately halted his steps as he approached the castle, even though he hadn't entered his own castle yet. He could already sense that the scent of Aurel was no longer in the vicinity, causing him to quickly rush inside. He opened the door to Aurel's previously occupied room, only to find it empty. Similarly, there was no trace of Loma's aroma in his castle. Vlad growled in frustration, clenching his fists and tightening his jaw.
"Damn siren really took Aurel away," Vlad muttered to himself before resuming his search. If they had recently left, it meant they were still within the Naighthell territory. Vlad couldn't afford to let Aurel slip away after the grave mistake he had made before.
Vlad still hesitated to meet Aurel face to face, fearing that she would be scared and hate him. That's why Vlad had been trying to make Aurel accustomed to living in the castle with him before he decided to confront her. However, before his plan could come to fruition, Loma had already spirited Aurel away. The pain of losing a woman who looked so much like Aurel still gnawed at his heart, disappearing from his life hundreds of years ago.
It happened centuries ago when a Wolfwoman had caught the attention of Vlad, a vampire, to the point where he risked being banished from his vampire clan just to admire her. She turned out to be destined to be the mate of an Alpha, the leader of the wolf pack. She became a Luna, admired and respected by the wolf pack, even though Vlad had initially been content to watch her from afar. That had been enough to console him until vampires were prohibited from entering Wentira territory, leaving Vlad in panic as he couldn't see the woman he had admired.
Vlad had tried everything to find a way to enter and at least meet the Luna who had the exact same face as Aurel did now. But all his efforts were in vain until he met Erebus, and they devised a plan to take control of Wentira. With that power, Vlad believed he could easily meet the Luna. However, all his grand plans fell apart, especially when he heard that the woman he loved had died, leaving an heir to the Wentira throne. This fueled Vlad's desire to eradicate all the wolves who had forbidden him entry, especially his grudge against the Alpha King and his successor, making it impossible for Vlad to heal his heart.
For hundreds of years, Vlad had waited, and then he received news that someone with the same face as the Luna had been reborn. Suddenly, Vlad, who had once wanted to end his feelings, found a glimmer of hope in his heart. At first, he only observed Aurel from a distance, her face resembling Luna's as if she had been reborn in the same form as before. Vlad meticulously planned it until he successfully brought Aurel to his castle and sought Loma's help, as Loma owed him a life debt.
Vlad thought Loma could protect Aurel, but it turns out that Loma had betrayed him. Vlad couldn't fathom the reasons behind Loma's actions, whether the siren had met Erebus and offered greater benefits than him. Vlad stopped in the middle of the Naighthell forest, their scents faintly lingering but long enough to indicate that Loma had successfully taken Aurel out of the forest. Vlad growled again, his eyes turning red with anger.
Meanwhile, elsewhere,
Gray's rampage in the Plantea territory had Brenda, Rex, and the others slightly overwhelmed. The creatures of the fairy realm appeared frightened when a werewolf with his full strength wreaked havoc in their territory. Some fairies with magical abilities tried to stop him, but it was in vain.
"If you continue like this, we'll truly have to involve the Alpha King in our affairs. Can you be patient?" Brenda said, making Gray look at her with his bright silver eyes, a sign that his Alpha persona was in control.
"I've been patient and dormant here for two days, but what the Old Tree said is just nonsense. I should really destroy and clear this territory so they know who they're dealing with," Gray said, but once again, Brenda stopped him.
"In that case, we just need to leave this territory and search for Aurel elsewhere. We can deal with this place after we find her. We can't waste any more time and energy. What if you need your strength later to save Aurel?" Brenda suggested, finally calming Gray down.
Several injured fairies and burned trees were evidence of Gray's rage.
"Why don't you just obliterate me?" Sherman, who seemed unfazed by Gray's anger, asked.
"I still need you until I completely expend you after finding Aurel. So, you just wait your turn after I reunite with my mate. I'll truly erase you from this world," Gray said, leaving Sherman speechless with his determined gaze.
"Do you really want your mate back that much?"
"Have you not revealed all you know about that Siren?" Gray finally asked, causing Sherman to rustle his already brittle branches.
"She's associated with a vampire named Vlad in Naighthell. Perhaps that might be your destination after you conquer this Plantea territory. But if you encounter the Siren, I hope you won't kill her because I still need her. That's all I ask of you. Consider it my final request," Sherman said, making Gray look towards Brenda.
"I acknowledge your information, but I can't promise I'll keep your request," Gray said. After that, he led Brenda and their group towards Naighthell, where Sherman had mentioned the Siren's connection to a vampire.
The question that remained was if Aurel was with them, what purpose did the Siren and the vampire have in kidnapping his mate? Gray wondered.
"Are you feeling more at ease now?" Brenda asked amidst their rapid movement.
"I don't have time to answer all your questions, Brenda. All I want is to meet Aurel quickly," Gray replied. They communicated using their pack link. They arrived at the border leading into Naighthell, which was vastly different from Plantea, shrouded in thick black fog.
"Isn't this the exile place where Erebus resides?" Gray inquired, causing Brenda to nod.
"Naighthell isn't the only place for exiled individuals. I believe the vampire Sherman mentioned is also somewhere within this vast territory. We can't rush through this area to find Aurel, whether it's Erebus or Vlad. We have to choose one," Brenda said, making Gray sigh.
"It seems I should follow what the Old Tree said. We should head to Vlad first to ensure if Aurel is there or not, and after that, we can go to Erebus, my beloved uncle," Gray said, and they sped into Naighthell. For some reason, Gray and the others felt that entering this forbidden territory was surprisingly easy. They eventually stopped their movement when Erebus's group stood before them.
"What's this surprise?" Erebus said, making Gray look at him with a sharp gaze, fully aware of his uncle's half-deformed face.
"What brings this honorable pack of wolves into the exiled territory?" Erebus said, irritating Gray with his words.
"I've just conquered the Plantea territory, and I don't want to cause chaos here and deplete my energy, so you'd better let me pass," Gray said, causing Erebus to respond with a raised eyebrow. Erebus had questions about why Gray ventured into the Immortal territory, especially causing trouble in the peaceful Plantea territory, which was known for its lack of conflicts with other territories.
"It seems I'm in a bit of a predicament," Erebus remarked, still trying to appear nonchalant.
"You don't need to pretend not to know, or perhaps I should be suspicious of you right now," Gray said, making Erebus look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Erebus asked.
"Are you the one who has hidden my mate?" Gray inquired, causing Erebus to fall silent, but then he burst into laughter. It seemed like he was mocking Gray's situation.
"So, it's true that you've orchestrated all of this. Then where's my partner?" Gray asked, still not ceasing his laughter.
"So, the vampire has really carried out his plan. It sounds impressive, but he hasn't met me yet and told me that he's eliminated the partner of Wentira's heir," Erebus said, causing Gray and the others to widen their eyes. Was this really Erebus's initial plan?
"You know, I previously instructed Vlad to kidnap your partner and dispose of her. He also has grudges, doesn't he? Do you know he liked your late mother, who died honorably giving birth to an Alpha successor? And now, he's doing the same thing. He'll snatch your partner and eliminate her so that you can feel the pain he once experienced," Erebus's words left Gray clenching his fists, and the others were beginning to ignite with emotions due to Erebus's words. However, just as Gray was about to unleash his power, a voice from another direction halted him.
"I haven't eliminated her, and I don't plan to," Vlad said, now present in the midst of them.