Chapter 2 Chapter 2

"Fucking bitch," Max groaned exactly twelve hours later.

"Oh goody! you can move," I exclaimed taking my feet off his kitchen table and putting the bag of popcorn I found in his cupboard down.

"You could have at least moved me off the hard floor," he complained slowly getting to his feet.

"You should have said something! How was I meant to know you were uncomfortable?" I said and he scowled at me whilst rubbing his shoulder. "Plus...you could of at least not left me in a cold cellar for twenty-four hours with my arch enemy who almost killed me... although I seem to remember you doing it anyway didn't you?" I added with a sarky smile.

He shot me a glare before stretching his arms and cracking his neck.

"But I'm not here simply for the fun of stirring up our three-year-old hatred for one another,' I said. "I came here because-" I began.

"I know why you came here. I've almost been expecting you. My sister is thirteen and fast becoming a woman. Her power is getting out of control, isn't it?" Max replied basically stealing the words from my mouth as he dragged himself to one of the many chairs in a stiff fashion.

"Over the past three years, I've been checking in on Milly every once in a while partly for my own curiosity, since you buggered off without telling me a single thing, but also to ensure she is alright. And for the most part, she was. But little things would happen every now and then and they became more frequent as she grew older. Like sometimes when she talked about you, she'd get a little upset and the weather would suddenly change for the worst. At first, I thought it was a coincidence but then it happened again and again and again. Every time she felt a strong emotion in fact. Occasionally, she'd tell me a dream too and I found that parts of her dreams would come true. These dreams also progressed to visions during the day that would also come true. Last week, when I went to visit her, was when I decided something had to be done to help her. She told me she'd had a weird dream about the future of the pack but all she saw was death and destruction and she felt guilty for it- like it was going to be her fault. As she was telling me tears began to stream and a strong storm cast over the entire territory. Nobody was killed but some people were injured and others lost their homes," I explained.

"I've always known this would happen at some point but the truth is: the reason I didn't tell you before I left it because I don't know why she is who she is or what to do about it. From the age of four, weird stuff like what you have described has been happening and nine years later I still don't know any more information about what is causing it,"  Max said with little optimism. "I can't help you because I don't know."

"Neither do I but I bet I'm closer than you," I said pulling three thick books from my bag and slamming them on the table.  

He rolled his eyes and looked at me with a bored expression.

"You think the answer is in some musty old books?" he asked. "Trust me, I've looked."

"Just listen," I ordered. "I spent hours in the Alpha's library trying to find something...anything about witchcraft. After scrawling through almost every book I was beginning to think I was going mad but then I realised something. The books I was looking through were stories and historical facts about the pack- not top secret information concerning magic. A long and exhausted story involving a thorough search for a key no bigger than my thumbnail later I had access to the one room at the top floor of the Alpha's house that I had never been in before. My theories were confirmed when I opened the door to yet another bookshelf. Don't ask me why the Alpha locked away books because I don't know," I explained. "Anyway, there were three of particular interest," I said pointing to what I had put on the table. "Hecate Chiaramonti dea ariolandi, Chronica de prima Luna and Munera a quod deae."

"Hecate Chiaramonti the goddess of witchcraft, the Chronicle of the first Luna and Gifts from the goddesses," Max translated

"Precisely. And All three of these mention the existence of magic time and time again. Hecate Chiaramonti is the Goddess of witchcraft. She is less known now but 2000 years ago they would worship her at the turn of every new moon, a sacrifice would take place once yearly on the new moon of the Aries constellation. This is said to be the only time in a year when Hecate can harness and release power directly from and to humans. So the sacrifice, usually of someone accused of witchcraft, was our ancient ancestors' way of feeding and pleasing Hecate so she wouldn't use her power that night to do evil on humans. Anyway, it is also said that sometimes in a very rare circumstance, it doesn't specify what, a descendant of Hecate anywhere along her bloodline, could somehow be gifted some of her powers.

The theme of witchcraft continues in the Chronicle of the first Luna. Potestas, the first Alpha of the Stell pack, was said to have a mate with some kind of supernatural powers. From the age of 15 she somehow knew what would happen seconds later and by 17 she was having visions of future big events, like the stillbirth of her first child. There are also parts about controlling her surroundings. It says here that when she felt a strong emotion strange things began to happen around her. For example, at the time of the birth of her dead child, a vicious storm was cast over the pack territory before the hour was up. This killed 204 pack members and injured countless others. It says later on in the book that by the time she was 25 she was able to control it. No emotions got the better of her anymore, she made predictions that greatly profited the pack and allegedly had some healing power too. This was all because of a gift from the Goddesses.

Which brings me to the final book. Gifts from the Goddesses. This is all about Potestas Loren's five original possessions. As we know and the book confirms, The Praesidium Deae Astra is one of them but Leo said the other 4 were either lost or destroyed. One of these four particularly sparked my interest," I said flicking to the correct page. "The Descendant of Hecate's amulet. It's a necklace said to have witchcraft controlling powers that was given to Potestas as one of the five objects. He gave it to his Luna and she miraculously got control of her powers.'

"So the first Luna is a Descendant of Hecate and she had powers from the 'rare circumstances'?" Max said.

"Yes and all the things it mentions in the 2nd book: the predicting the future, the emotions thing, the healing. Milly has it all," I said.

"As far as I know, we aren't descendants of the Goddess of witchcraft," Max said.

"This was so long ago and by now the bloodline will be hard to track back to her," I explained.

"Then how can we possibly know for sure?" Max asked.

"There's a book that is meant to be in the Alpha's secret library. It's missing and I'm not entirely sure what it looks like, but it's called Chiaramonti Hereditarium," I said. "And that's what we have to find."

"The Chiaramonti Hereditary. Like Hecate's family tree?" Max asked.

"Yep and somebody somewhere might still be keeping it updated. If your family is in Hecate's bloodline, your name's will be on it," I said. 

"And where on earth do we even begin to look for such a thing. It could be anywhere in the world and that's if it even still exists. If any of this even exists."

I delved into my bag and found the faded piece of paper that was in the designated space of the Hereditary in Leo's secret library. On it was a note written in old-fashioned cursive handwriting reading:

Chiaramonti Hereditarium, removed under Alpha's orders and placed in the possession of Andrea Chiaramonti, Italia 1721, for updating and maintenance.

"So some guy who lived in Italy in 1721 had it? This narrows it down how....?" He asked raising his eyebrow again.

"If someone was given the task of maintaining it 300 years ago then there is a chance it still exists and we can at least try to look for it," I said rolling my eyes. "And if we are going to join forces in order to help your sister, you can stop being such a negative asshole right now."

"How would you feel if someone disrupted your peaceful new life and demanded that your search the entire world for an ancient book with them?" he protested.

Fair point.

"By peaceful do you mean boring? What the fuck do you do in this tiny house alone day after day for three years?"

"You see this?!" he said gesturing to the vineyards outside of the window. "Grapes and olives don't grow themselves, you know?!"

"I don't know what has happened to you, Maximus, and frankly I don't want to. How someone can go from starting wars to being a fucking farmer in the Italian countryside, I can't even begin to imagine. But you are going to help do this for your sister and you are going to try your best not to be a grumpy prick about it, okay?

"Whatever," he grumbled. "For my sister," he added just to be sure that I knew that he wasn't trying to do me any favours here."

"Then let's go," I replied with a sarcastic smile as I picked up my satchel.

He rolled his eyes and began to follow me. 

"I didn't know you could be so fucking bossy."