Bab 81: Chapter 76: He's still alive!

"From the looks of this, this is indeed wolfsbane, Alpha," Paccia stated as she showed Lachlan the roots of the plant. Although the plant was still intact, some of the roots had been cut off by Paccia as she needed to examine them.

Lachlan nodded as he looked down with a grave look on his face. Fergus was standing behind him, quietly studying the roots as well.

Although being in close range with the wolfsbane makes a werewolf weak and delirious, it doesn't have that much of an impact for the two shifters. This was because even though it was still their weakness, they can still gain control of their senses and power.

They were inside Paccia's house, where she had her cauldron placed in the middle of the room. Immediately after the meeting, the two shifters joined Paccia at her house to discuss the wolfsbane and the ashes of the warlock.

Several tables were set up on the side of the room where she had placed the plant and the ashes of the warlock. The tables were filled with unknown apparatus and bottles that were probably used for her experiment.

She had been explaining to the Alpha and the Beta on her views and opinions of the plant. She was convinced that they were using the wolfsbane to create either a potion or a concoction. For what, that she wasn't sure. But she was positive that this was one of the reasons why the rogues and warlocks had joined together. It was impossible for the rogues to work alone when it comes to wolfsbane.

She then walked over to where the ashes of the warlock had been kept in a jar. She poured a bit of the ashes and spread it on the surface of the table, using her wand.

"Unfortunately, there wasn't much that I can get from these ashes but I could tell that this warlock had eaten bits of the wolfsbane," she commented.

"Wait, what? You mean, he actually ate the wolfsbane?" Fergus asked in disbelief. Even Lachlan looked surprised. From what they know, not only does the wolfsbane seem dangerous for the werewolves but as a plant itself, it was actually poisonous as well.

Paccia nodded solemnly. She then brought a bit of the ashes and threw them into her boiling cauldron.

In less than a minute, there was a small explosion from the cauldron, blasting liquid and ashes in the air. The three of them immediately stepped back to avoid the blast.

Once it had settled down, Paccia beckoned the two shifters to come closer.

Inside the cauldron, the liquid inside was still boiling, popping with bubbles. But they could see the swirling liquid, as if it was creating a mini tornado inside. And what surprised them was that there were black, red and silver fine particles floating in the liquid.

"Those black fine particles represent the black magic that was inside the warlock," Paccia explained. "As for the red and silver particles are the residue from the wolfsbane. Apparently, it doesn't mix well with the black magic, hence why it created the little explosion."

Fergus peered into the cauldron and frowned. "What silver particles?" he asked, confused.

Paccia pointed at the glossy particles floating in the liquid. "Those are the silver particles," she explained patiently.

She then continued to report her findings. And the more she talked, the more solemn Lachlan and Fergus' faces became.

The fact that the warlocks were cooperating with the rogues was one thing. Added that they were using wolfsbane, the two shifters knew that this wasn't something simple.

Lachlan believed that this is not something that involved their pack but also the other werewolves in other packs.

Before they end their conversation, Lachlan turned to Fergus and Paccia and said, "Alright. Take note that this is confidential information. I don't want the news about the wolfsbane and warlocks spread in the pack. We will deal with them once we're ready."

"Yes, Alpha!" both Fergus and Paccia said in unison.

----

In a faraway town, there was a diplatated mansion that looked centuries old standing tall in the middle of the town. The town itself was empty where most of the townspeople had moved away, due to drought. Yet, there were still dwellers still living in that town.

The mansion was the only place with the livings, where vines covered almost every wall of the house and the weeds growing furiously in the front lawn with dead tree roots everywhere. The windows were smashed and the door was broken with a long gash in front.

Inside the mansion, there was a burly man, with scars on his face. The most noticeable scar was the long and deep mark that runs from his right ear and across to his left side of his chin. The shirt he was wearing was unbuttoned, showing his hairy but muscular pecs and abs. He looked aggressive and wild with his long beard.

He was sitting on a large armchair, his long fingers impatiently tapping on the armrest while his chin propped on his other hand. His eyes were narrowed, silently studying the quivering man kneeling in front of him.

"So, you're telling me that all the rogues that I have sent are dead?" he snarled.

The man squirmed under the blazing glare of the scar-faced man. He felt the latter's deadly aura was suffocating him, making it hard to breath. "Y-yes… M-m-my Lord…" he stammered. "Dead… A-and c-c-caught…"

Before the squirming man could react, he was knocked off his feet and was sent flying across the room, hitting the bricked wall.

Blood spurted out from his mouth as he fell face front, knocking him unconscious.

The scar-faced man stood where the squirming man was kneeling before. Apparently, he had kicked the latter without any notice.

"Useless bunch of rogues," he spat out.

He then said, "Rehan."

A shadow suddenly appeared behind the scar-faced man, his hand placed above his heart as he bowed his head. "Yes, my lord?"

"What happened to the Cairin pack?"

"They did not speak of a word," Rehan said, still bowing his head.

The scar-faced man cackled loudly, his hands on his hips. "How's our guest?" he asked sarcastically.

"Makena Cairin is still holding up," Rehan reported.

The Cairin pack was actually known to have a bloodline of werewolves with undefeatable fast healing rate, compared to the other packs. Hence, why Makena Cairin was kidnapped years ago. Not many people know of her kidnapping, other than the Cairin pack and these people.

The scar-faced man snorted, an evil smile blooming on his face. "Good, good. Don't kill her just yet. We still need her. Make sure to send another of her fingers to the Cairin pack. They should know what will happen to her if they disobey me," he commanded.

"Yes, my lord," Rehan said before disappearing.

The scar-faced man walked towards the unconscious man and grabbed him by the neck. He then held the latter up, tightening his grip around his neck.

The man suddenly opened his eyes, clawing at the scar-faced man's arm, trying to breathe. Fur started to appear on his face and body as he started to shift.

"Go back to the warlocks and tell them that we need to talk," the scar-faced man instructed. "Go now before I kill you."

The man furiously nodded his head, his eyes bulging. He was already fully shifted. Yet, his strength was still not strong enough to overpower the scar-faced man's might.

The scar-faced man flicked his wrist, throwing the shifter away.

The latter quickly got up to his feet and ran out of the room, panting as he gulped on air.

The scar-faced man turned around and went back to his seat. Another smile appeared on his face. "Looks like he is still alive…" he murmured to himself thoughtfully as he recalled the reports that he had received from his subordinates.

"Dane."