"What did he say?" asked Adrianna getting suspicious already.

"He said that he has exquisite diamond necklaces in the marketplace of the town. Humans like that kind of stuff. Nate became very excited when he heard that and said, "Oh yes, that is what I was looking for!" and went with him."

​​

"Can you explain what kind of tattoo he had on his neck?" asked Adrianna hoping that it might give them some sort of clue or idea to go on, .

"It was a strange one… I think it looked like a seahorse …"

Adrianna was astounded at this revelation. She kept her hand on her mouth. "Adri, is it what I am thinking?" asked Dmitri.

"Yes," came a subdued reply.

"Then what happened?" asked Dmitri.

"Then Nate walked out with that man. I was very angry with him for poaching my customer, so I walked out to fight with him but I saw that they had walked quite a distance away in such a short time, which was surprising…"

"Where did they go? Do you have any idea?" enquired Dmitri.

"Yes, Alpha. I asked my boy here to follow them but my boy returned saying that they disappeared somewhere… the last he saw them was on the road to the marketplace."

Adrianna held her head and went out of the shop. Others followed her. "So what I can gather is that this is the same man with a tattoo that lured Nate out. He is the monster. Once Nate followed him, he must have taken him to a place where he could knock him out and take him to his world. But how did he know about Nate and me?"

"I feel that the monster couldn't have traveled too far. It is possible that he is still somewhere in a nearby water body. Is there a lake around here, which connects to a river, which then opens into a sea?" asked Adrianna.

"Yes, the lake for which your father fought for – the one that falls within the territory of the Lake Moon Pack…" answered Dmitri.

All of them were walking back through the portal and into the gardens of Dmitri's mansion when a guard came to them. "Alpha, the chief of the Lake Moon Pack is here and requests to have an audience with you urgently."

Adrianna looked at Dmitri. "Call him inside now!"

The chief of the Lake Moon Pack came inside. He looked apprehensive and knackered. "Alpha, I have never ever faced this kind of situation before. You have to help me!"

"What is wrong?" asked Dmitri getting up from his place in anticipation that he had found Nate.

"Most of the water that is supplied to the packs is through the lake that is within our territory. The problem is that the water is receding at a very quick rate. Within a day the water has gone down by ten feet. The children playing around the lake reported seeing a huge strange creature swimming around the lake. So I went there to investigate the truth. While none of us have seen any creature, I am afraid that the water level is going down at a rapid rate and at this rate the entire werewolf kingdom would be affected within a matter of weeks . You have to do something alpha because I am unable to understand as to where is the leak taking place from. My team is not able to find it. We ran around the entire territory to find the culprit but there is nobody! I am really getting confused by this issue." The chief of the Lake Moon Pack was looked helpless. There was panic written all over his face.

Adrianna got up from her place and came forward, "Take me to your pack."

"Sure, Luna," replied the chief.

It was not long before all of them had shape shifted and were running further inside the forest, as Fleur and rest of the wizards and witches flew above them with the potions safely tucked in her dress.

Instead of going to his house, all of them first went to the lake. When they reached the banks, they realized that the water level was indeed going down at a rapid rate.

Suddenly the chief shouted as he pointed far inside the lake, "Why is the water turning black over there?"

Adrianna's face became stern. She looked at Dmitri and said, "I need to go inside."

"I will go with you," he answered.

"I will go too," said Liam.

"No, none of you will come with me!" shouted Adrianna.

"It's not for you to decide Adrianna," Dmitri warned her.

It was the first time Adrianna could feel Dmitri's immense anger directed at her. Even Liam was extremely angry. It was just that none of them were voicing their thoughts because they knew that as soon as they opened their mouth, only a slew of harsh words would be spoken, which wouldn't help them and instead, hurt them on a visceral level.