Jake

　　I tuck in my shoulders and clap my hands as I walk forward to my room.

　　My mind is filled with endless possibilities on the next steps to take and I feel so happy that my plans are slowly working. Opposite me, a room is open with loud grunts coming from it. I turn my head to the side and see where a wizard is trying to turn himself into a woman. I pause at the action and shake my head, before walking into the room and conjuring up a spellbook in my head.

　　I immediately hand it over to the guy who looks at me with a thankful expression and bows his head till I walk out. Another good deed done today and my mood is still soaring high. This is how a leader is supposed to act towards his subjects, with love and compassion for them. Behind me, I hear a popping sound and grin as the wizard walks out with a lady's body. Unsurprisingly, I noticed the claws and feathers sprouted on his back as well as the tears in his eyes.

　　I shrug and continue on my journey, absently whistling a tune till I get to the door of my room which opens without a sound. It's not my fault if the wizard didn't read the instructions well before using them. I push him to the back of my mind and focus on the task at hand, which is finding my beloved. I raise myself a few feet off the ground and slowly levitate inside, quickly using my fingers to clear the chaos.

　　With a single goal in mind, I move towards the mirror and drop myself to the ground. I stare at it for a moment, silently chanting a mantra in my head. In less than five seconds, the image of the wolf king appears and I frown as I squint my eyes and fold my arms. He appears to be outside, looking pale and cold as the rain pours down on him. I turn to look outside my window where the day is bright and sunny and I break out into laughter. One of the perks of being the wizard king is the fact that I can control so much, including the weather in my kingdom and others.

　　I turn my attention back to Damon who is still sitting with a guilty look on his face. I have no doubt that he's thinking about how Carlisle caught him with another lady. I raise an eyebrow and smile again as I remember how everything worked out so perfectly. It was so easy to get him to drink that wine and get drunk, but the easiest part was convincing the stripper to follow and seduce him. All I needed was a bit of black powder which worked like magic.

　　I grin at the thought and relax my arms, slowly rubbing my fingers along the edge of the intricately designed mirror. I never regretted my capabilities as a wizard and now that I have found Carlisle, it is time to put them into best use. In my opinion, the wolf king didn't deserve anything good that he got, including her. If I had the chance, I would have taken his kingdom a long time ago and converted all the wolves to wizards.

　　However, he unfortunately had the protection of the goddess as well as an impenetrable wall. As I glare at him, I vaguely remember that the witches and fae had been able to get inside and capture Carlisle. However, I don't know why no wizard can pass through the barrier and I suspect that it is because of their goddess. However, that doesn't stop me from doing what I want, which is to ruin his life and frustrate him until he dies.

　　As I watch, the sky begins to clear above him and he finally stands up from his seat with a hopeful expression on his face. I glare at him and nearly hit my mirror, if it will wipe the smile off his face. However, I can do nothing but watch as he moves inside the pack house and my mirror reverts to normal. The more I think about his expression, the more my skin begins to tingle and I sport a frown as creases appear in my forehead.

　　There is only one reason why he would be smiling like that, and it is Carlisle. I move away from the mirror and pound my fists on the table as my head begins to swell. I cannot let him have her, especially after everything I've worked for. I'm aware that Damon will die in a few years if he's not reconciled with his mate and I'm very eager to allow that to happen. If he perishes, it'll be easier for me to take over his kingdom.

　　However, I have also developed a soft spot for Carlisle. A smile creeps onto my face as I remember the moments she was at my pack and my groin throbs. She is very delicate and seems like a perfect fit for a queen. I have no doubt that she'll rule very well beside me, way better than if she's with Damon. I clear my throat and glide towards the window of my room, where I notice other wizards eagerly practicing. The wizard game is already at hand and with three days to go, everyone is giving their best to find a place as one of my trusted advisors.

　　I bend my head in thought and silently think about what it would mean for my kingdom. Another trusted advisor will emerge and yet, still no queen to call my own. I run my hands through my hair and after a minute, I clap in delight. It's now clear what I have to do and I have to make it fast, before the wolf king catches up to me. If I want Carlisle all to myself and at the mercy of my kingdom, I have to bring her to me before her so-called mate finds her.

　　I move towards my door and send a mind-link to my guards who come running into my room a few seconds later. Each of them enters with their heads bowed and a blank expression on their faces. Just the way I like it. I carefully squint my eyes at all of them to be sure they're actually my guards and not some people pretending to be them. Being the king of the wizard kingdom has done a lot of damage to my ability to trust others.

　　"I have a task for the five of you," I start and instantly, they all nod their heads as a sigh for me to continue. I quietly grin at their sync and continue on, trying to gather my thoughts into one place as I address them. "I want you to capture Carlisle for me. The girl who came here looking for shelter some days ago."

　　This time, they don't nod immediately and I sigh before linking her face to the five of them. Quickly, they catch on and nod again while I smile at their bowed heads. I'm very aware of the fact that most of them didn't notice her and just thought she was one of the few passersby who got lost on their way to other places. However, she is special to me and I can't afford to let her be with Damon.

　　"You'll find her in a penthouse where she's staying with an old woman. You can kill the woman if she proves too difficult, but I want the girl alive. Do you understand?" I ask with a sudden boom to my voice and I watch as they jump for a second before nodding again.

　　"Use whatever means necessary to bring her here and do not come back if you don't have her with you. Now go and come back with her within six hours." I finish and all of them nod one last time and move out of the room, leaving me with my thoughts as I continue to watch the wizards perform.

　　•

　　•

　　Carlisle>

　　I slowly walk down the stairs and rub across my eyes as my nose picks up the familiar scent of breakfast. I still feel like going back to bed but the pain my stomach is going through is enough to make me open my eyes again and complete the walk downstairs.

　　I am greeted by the old woman arranging the table for the both of us and I dash across the room, taking over the work. With a grateful smile, she nods at me and tenderly pats my cheek. I mumble a 'good morning' at her and she swiftly replies before going back into the kitchen to get the food. Once again, my stomach grumbles but I ignore it and continue to calmly set the table as the woman brings in the food.

　　Within a few minutes, a heap of food is already on both our plates and we sit down to enjoy the meal. As we dig into the food, she asks me about my night and I respond with another mumble even as a shiver runs down my spine. I can't tell her that I couldn't sleep throughout the night because of the fearful dreams I kept having. Something tells me that the day won't be good and as the sky outside darkens, so does my mood change.

　　However, I smile at the woman and ask about her own night. Just like me, she responds that it was fine and proceeds to talk to me about her activities of the day. I learned that she plans to tend to the gardens and go into the local market to get a few supplies. I'm painfully aware of the fact that I have not been able to step out of my room and as if the old woman reads my mind, she asks if I want to come along.

　　I quickly shake my head and assure her that I'll be fine. Truthfully, I'm dreading going out anywhere and being spotted by the people who are looking for me. Also, the horrifying dreams of me getting captured and beaten to death continue to play in my head and I can't focus. As I'm lost in my thoughts, a loud clap of thunder booms overhead and I jump in fright.

　　I turn to look at the window again, surprised to see how dark the place has become within a few minutes. Beside me, the old woman stands and looks at the cloud with a curious expression on my face. She stares at it for a moment longer and pats my hand again, causing me to focus my attention on her. "Let me go and check out what is happening. Stay right here. I'll be back soon."

　　I watch with dread as she walks away and I'm tempted to call out to her and stop her from going outside. However, I hold back because she's been here for a long time so she must know what's going on and it would be best for me not to get involved. I take another look at my unfinished plate of food and take a small bite of it before grimacing and pushing it away from me. I have lost appetite for the food and my mood is only darkening like the weather.

　　I continue to sit silently for a few minutes, occasionally looking towards the front door as I wait for the old woman to come back. Another flash of light appears in the sky and I instinctively close my ears as I await the sound of thunder, but nothing comes. I slowly release my ears and look outside as the weather becomes slightly clearer, but there is still no sign of the old woman.

　　I wait for half a minute, slowly counting the seconds in my head before I get up and move towards the entrance of the door. When I touch the knob, a tingle runs through my back and I feel like going back to my former position but I let out a breath and boldly open the door. I am greeted by a gust of harsh air blowing towards my side and I shiver for a bit as I look around me. There is no trace of the old woman anywhere and it seems too silent.

　　Something tells me once again to enter inside the house and lock all the doors, but I ignore the thought and instead begin to walk towards the side of the building where the garden is. There is nothing at the side except some shrubs and flowers, so I make my way to the back even as a sudden wind suddenly hits me. I only wrap my arms around myself and let out breaths of cold air as I reach the back of the house.

　　A scream escapes my lips when I see what is lying there waiting for me. In the center of the garden is the old woman lying in a pool of blood. Her eyes are open, showing a glassy white and an arrow is embedded in the center of her chest where blood continues to gush out from. I bend to the ground and begin to repeatedly shake her in the hopes that she'll wake up. However, she doesn't and I vaguely realize how stiff and blue her body is becoming.

　　A tear leaks out of my eyes and I glance around me to see if there is anyone with me. Even as I do so, goosebumps appear on my arms partly from the cold and also from the fact that the old woman that was laughing with me less than an hour ago is now dead. Even though I only spent a few days with her, I grew to like her in that short time and it is hard to believe that she is dead.

　　Suddenly, I feel a large shadow come over me and I raise my head and turn to my right side where I see some people in masked figures, dressed in all black. My heart skips a beat as I notice their hands filled with arrows and I quickly make the connection that these people killed the old woman and are now after me. I gulp in fear and instantly stand up from where the old woman is lying as I turn my full focus to these people. I quickly run my eyes across the figures and count five of them slowly approaching me and I shift backward in response.

　　After that, everything comes to a halt for a moment. Above us, the sky darkens again and I stare up at the cloud for a second before turning back to the people who suddenly increase their speed and dash towards where I am standing across the garden.