The three of us get ready for dinner.

Nara wears her usual full on black outfit. Jenny has put on an over-the-top red dress that's more appropriate for a night club. I'm in a green sweater and blue jeans.

Sometimes I wonder how we ended up as friends: we couldn't be more different from each other.

Nara is the tsundere tomboy who had been mistaken for a boy many times. Jenny is a sexy, sassy, flirty redhead, and I'm a petite, dark-haired and sane person.

We've been together ever since I could remember. So expectedly, they both will become my vice when I'll lead my coven. For now, however, we are only a group of eighteen years old witches, prone to get in trouble.

––––

At the dinner table, I luckily get a seat from where I can't see Leon.

But unfortunately, not so far from another person.

Jenny nudges. "The blonde in the yellow dress, that's ." My spell ensures whatever my friends and I say to each other can only be heard by us.

I glance at the girl on the left. She looks like a model jumped out of a Vogue cover – beautiful and classy, with the right amount of sexiness. As soon as it seems like she's about to look my way, I turn back to my plate.

Through our gossip circle in the coven, I heard a girl named Irene is going to be Leon's mate. She's also Jack, the Beta's, younger sister.

I can see why she's chosen to be the Luna of Red Peak. She's already a familiar face, and on top of that, that familiar face looks drop-dead gorgeous.

But of course, that doesn't mean I've to be happy for her, do I? I hate that he's going to be with someone else. Even though I don't know her, I don't like her.

––––

The next day, Nara and I visit Hannah's coven. Jenny is still sleeping.

Some small covens live nearby large werewolf or vampire packs for protection. It's a sort of symbiosis between them: The coven gets safety; The packs get the witches' services.

Lately, incidents involving dark magic and rogues have been happening in the werewolf packs and witch covens that live close to each other.

As one of the prime and independent covens, this problem was brought to my coven's attention.

My mother had already sent our coven's best witches to look into this. By the time this problem appeared in Red Peak, only I was left who could be sent here.

So far, none of the other witches have found the cause of the incidents.

We reach Hannah's house by ten. Hannah is a short, plump, forty years old woman. She has one of the friendliest disposition I've ever seen.

She nearly runs to us, and hugs me. "Cassie! It's so good to see you! Look at you! Gotten so thin! Are you girls eating or not?"

I smile. It's always the same with the older witches: They think we are malnourished so they could feed us to their hearts' content.

And just as I'd expected, Hannah had prepared us a feast. Good thing Nara and I skipped breakfast.

We fill up our stomachs before starting on the business we're here for.

Sitting at the dining table, I say, "So, Hanna, let's hear the details."

"Last week, kids twice saw a dark cloud while playing outside. I heard the same happened in some covens that live nearby werewolf packs, so I got worried. I heard that soon after the dark cloud appears, rogues start attacking the packs and covens. Leon and his men have increased the security in the borders. So far, we've not seen a rogue, but I'm afraid something might happen."

I think about what to make of the dark cloud. Hannah's description matches the incidents happening at the other places perfectly.

In midst of my thoughts, I hear the door knock. Hannah leaves us to see the guest. I ask Nara, "What do you think?"

"I don't know. Dark cloud... that's vague. It could be anything. We need to focus on the rogues. We heard the rogues looked cursed. We need to find one of them."

I shake my head. "You heard her. No rogue spotted here. We'll have to work with what we got." I lean back on my chair and mutter to myself, "Dark cloud," hoping it might give me a clue.

"Please come in," I hear Hannah's voice say.

I turn and see Leon and Jack entering the kitchen.

I get nervous.

"You guys are here already?" Jack says, while Hannah goes to reheat the coffee. Leon takes a seat opposite me at the farthest side of the table. Jack sits next to me.

"Where's your other friend?" Jack asks.

"She's not a morning person. We'll be done here by the time she wakes up."

Hannah gives Leon and Jack, each, a cup of coffee.

"Found out anything useful?" Jack asks before sipping his hot beverage.

"We don't know what to make of the dark cloud. Nara thinks our best bet is to see one of the rogues."

Nara nods.

Jack says, "We haven't seen one yet. We've even sent our men farther out the boundary, looking for those rogues. So far, nothing."

"If you find one, will you guys be able to catch it alive?" Nara asks.

"We can try," Jack says. "But we can't promise. The rogues are violent. They don't go down easily."

"What about tranquilizers?" I ask him.

"Doesn't work on all rogues."

Nara turns to me. "No one else managed to catch one either. Because of that, our witches couldn't find why it's happening. What if the same happens to us?"

I silently try to find the answer to that.

"Why do you need one of those rogues?" I hear Leon's voice.

I look at Nara, slightly panicking at hearing him talk. She calmly replies, "So we could check if it's a curse, as the rumors say. And if it is, we can find out who cursed them."

"And if it's not a curse?" he asks.

Nara looks at me. "Then we're screwed. That's another dead end," she says.

"Then perhaps you should find another way to look into this," he says.

Nara shrugs. "We don't have one. What do you think, Cassie?"

"The dark cloud might help," I quietly say.

"But that could be anything. Just black smoke conjured by someone who is sending the rogues later," she says.

"It's the only thing we've now."

"We haven't seen it ourselves."

"But the kids have," I tell Nara, before turning to Hannah. "Can I talk to the kids who saw it?"

Hannah glances at Leon before answering, "You'll have to ask the Alpha. There were werewolf kids, too."

"Sure," Leon says, looking straight at me. He and Jack take us to the playground. I follow, doing my best to erase the effect of the eye contact I had with him.