Arcane Coven

“HE IS DEAD.”

Hearing the word ‘dead’ made Aseyana sigh frustratingly. “Any final words or anything?” she asked, “Or at least a name? Did he not say a name or place?”

The doctor looked at her, eyes dismayed, and then shook his head. “He tried to speak,” he explained, “Unfortunately, his words seemed blocked. He couldn’t utter a single word. We could only hear whimpers and wails,” crunching up his nose, he accentuated, “painful ones.”

“Damn it!” she cursed.

The doctor nodded. “Damn, indeed,” he agreed, “Our town seemed to be plagued by an unknown force lately. I heard Alpha Jared is starting to lose his mind from all the deaths knocking on his door.”

“Don’t forget about Luna Jane,” Aseyana added, “The stress is starting to cloud her mind. I saw her gibbering the other day while holding a cooking pot. Then, she suddenly lost it and used it to fight with one of the women in the pack.”

The doctor’s eyes twinkled in amusement. “Now, that is a scene must watch!” he chuckled. Then, turning serious, he asked, “How is your investigation, by the way? The hospital only received werewolves. I am starting to wonder that the targets might be these shapeshifter beings.”

Aseyana shook her head. “We don’t know that yet. Frankly speaking, there is still no progress in our investigation,” she admitted, “The man earlier was our hope for this case to move. Unfortunately, he died without even saying a word.”

“You are a witch,” said the doctor, “Can you not use a spell or ritual?”

“I can,” she replied, smiling, “But the victims’ families do not want to cooperate. Yet, they demanded justice from us like a storm.”

The doctor clicked his tongue before saying, “Werewolves.”

Aseyana stayed for a moment and checked the man’s body before finally leaving the hospital. That man was the only one alive among the victims, yet they didn’t get any information from him.

The plague had already taken fifteen lives. All of which were werewolves. The doctors did not find any anomalies within their bodies. There were no diseases, no viruses, and no bacteria.

Nothing.

But those werewolves died after 24 hours. Their organs deteriorated, and they already looked like skeletons clothed in skins. If only Aseyana could perform a ritual. Or, at least, let her do thorough checking using her powers. Then, maybe this case was already closed.

Aseyana and her coven suspected that a curse was plaguing the town. But without proof, they couldn’t let the townspeople know about it. It would only result in a panic. And what if they were wrong? Those werewolves would surely kill them.

“Let me guess. Based on your mellow face, you got nothing.”

Aseyana looked at the woman who spoke.

Charlotte Bianchi. She was one of the four members of the Arcane Coven.

She stood in the parking lot with her five-inches stiletto, chin high, and reddish lips. And her dark eyes looked at Aseyana in a teasing manner while curling her blond hair.

“Well, let me tell you,” said Aseyana, “You guessed it right!”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Stupid werewolves,” she muttered, “Why don’t you just use a spell regardless of their protest? What’s important is that we solved the case. Period!”

Aseyana gave Charlotte a wry look. “We can’t,” she started and then opened the car on the driver’s side. When Charlotte was already inside the passenger seat, she continued, “If I did it without the families’ permission and they began having evil thoughts, it would bear a curse. The last thing I want is to add another case after this one. I’ve had enough of these demanding and narrow-minded werewolves.”

“I told you, didn’t I?” said Charlotte with one of her eyebrows raised. “We shouldn’t have taken this case for them. Have you forgotten the profanities and curses they threw at us? And now, despite asking us for help, they never cease to show us their frowns and anger!” She paused, blew a breath, and then continued, “Those werewolves would snarl and growl at me every time I take a step in their territories! I’m not even allowed to enter their hospital. How frustrating!”

Aseyana drove left. She was about to reply when her phone suddenly rang. She gave Charlotte a look, and the latter immediately took the phone from the bag and answered the call.

“Good evening,” Charlotte greeted, “Beautiful Charlotte speaking!”

“Why are you the one answering?” said the man on the other line. He couldn’t even hide the disgust in his tone as he uttered those words.

“I am the one available. What can you do about it?” Charlotte replied, smirking.

“I want to speak with Aseyana. Give her the phone,” the man said with authority.

“She is busy. If you have something to say, tell me. I have a lot of time to lend you my precious ears.”

The man growled.

“Come on. Tell the tale already. It’s not like I want to talk to a smelly werewolf. My time is precious. I don’t want it wasted on you,” said Charlotte.

Then, she heard the man take a deep breath, sigh frustratingly, and then he said, “I’ve had enough of you people. From now on, you don’t have to take on this case. We already found a suitable witch, a powerful one, and she has no acquaintances like you.”

Charlotte frowned and then looked at Aseyana in annoyance. Aseyana noticed her mood and mouthed, ‘What is it?’

Charlotte raised her palm, indicating for Aseyana to wait. “What do you mean?” she asked, her voice starting to rise, “We are doing our work right while you people are being uncooperative. Aseyana and I barely sleep to give you results. I don’t care if you’re unsatisfied with our service. We are very disappointed with you, smelly werewolves, as well! I hope you die a miserable death. And continue to experience this plague until your next generation! Goodbye!”

Aseyana instantly stopped the car on the side and looked at Charlotte with an unbelievable gaze. “What the heck happened?” she asked, “Why are you cursing our client?” She didn’t mind doing so, but it would feel better to curse them after solving the case.

Charlotte huffed and then tossed the phone back into Aseyana’s bag. She was frustrated, annoyed, and freaking angry! She tried harder than the coconut shell to have patience with those werewolves, but they didn’t value it at all!

“I’m telling you now,” she said, glaring at Aseyana, “I am not taking any cases related to werewolves ever again!”

Aseyana opened her mouth. But before she could say a word, Charlotte continued, “They have found a new witch to take the case, by the way. We are no longer associated with them. Hah! Thank goodness!”

Aseyana raised a brow. She remained silent for a moment. And seconds later, she shrugged. “School’s about to start three days from now, anyway. We won’t have much time to take care of them. And I hope the witch they got is truly sincere. My kind is rare, after all. And not all have the same kindness as I have.”

“I hope not,” Charlotte disagreed in disgust, “Otherwise, how would my curse occur? Werewolves are almost dominating the world. It’s time to decrease their booming population.”

Aseyana shrugged. Then, she started the engine. “The plague is consuming them, anyway. Though, it’s not a guarantee that they were the only chosen victims. We have to be alert and observe our surroundings. Vampires, other packs of werewolves, mermaids, witches, and other beings might suddenly come knocking on our door.”

Aseyana didn’t feel right by lowering her guard. She had been feeling uncomfortable lately, and the plague bothered her. Now that they are no longer involved with those ingrate werewolves, she would find a way to get a body to examine. If not, she hoped to find a new victim who was not related to any of the bloodlines. It sounded cold-blooded to hope for a new victim. But she truly wanted to get over this plague as soon as possible.

SAVANNAH CLASPED HER HANDS TOGETHER. She was sitting in front of the principal while her grandmother sat beside her. The two were talking about her transfer, while she only listened on the side.

She sighed.

New school. New people. New environment.

If possible, she didn’t want to transfer and become a topic for other people’s amusement. But with the death of her parents, and she wasn’t even an adult yet, she could only follow her grandmother to her hometown.

Arcane town.

The people in the place already knew each other since ancient times. So, Savannah felt like she didn’t belong there. After a month of staying in the town, she still had not found a friend. She tried to communicate and add herself to a group, but she knew they didn’t want her. Her grandmother always appeased her and encouraged her to associate with others more. But what else could she do when other people blatantly showed that they didn’t want her?

Now, she was in the process of bei