The Moon Phase Trilogy | Protected
Nineteen

Jayden watched as Asher was being punished by the strange man that just showed up, “But sir! She was taunting me!” Asher growled.

“Doesn’t matter, wolf. We agreed she wouldn’t be harmed,” the man hissed. He turned to look at the teens that were spread about the warehouse and lowered his head, “I apologize for Asher’s behavior. Please come upstairs with me, bring Ericka with you. Ruby, there is more medicine upstairs to help her heal quicker,” he mentioned and picked up Ericka gently who was still in her wolf form.

Asher observed angrily as Jayden and Shaun followed upstairs with Ruby and Skull right behind them, “Skull, you better come back here,” he growled.

Skull turned around, glaring at Asher with a scowl across her mouth, “I want to help others, not harm them. I’m staying with Ruby and the others,” she snarled. She quickly turned on her heel and sped up the stairs, catching up to the others.

“You gonna be okay?” Jayden asked, looking back to her. Skull nodded and gave a small smile. He turned his attention to the front and continued to follow the man that carried Ericka, “I should have never left your side,” he said softly.

“Jayden, she will be alright. Ruby will heal her right up. Skull, you may help Ruby if you’d like. Shaun and Jayden, I would like you both to come with me. I’d like you to see something in my office,” the man spoke.

“Yes sir,” Ruby saluted and grabbed Skull’s hand, pulling her off to the medic part of the building.

Shaun growled, “How do we know you aren’t going to hurt us?”

The man chuckled, “If I were to harm any of you, I would have done it by now. I am not one to harm, unless they are a threat. You kids don’t seem like a threat. Stay on my good side and you won’t die,” he became very serious. He set Ericka down on the couch that was nearby his office and guided Jayden and Shaun inside.

The office was huge, Shaun almost lost her jaw and Jayden was in shock. They both were. It had Victorian trinkets and possible heirlooms throughout the whole office. The room had no windows, but it was painted a nice shade of red to make it look a little less scary. The man’s desk was the length of the office, but it was thin, so there was plenty of room for a coffin and a nice seating area. “So um...sir, what did you want to show us?” Shaun asked nervously. She played with the ends of her hair as she waited for an answer.

“Please, call me Winston,” he corrected kindly. His fangs could be seen subtly as he smiled. “I wanted to show you two this,” Winston went behind his desk, revealing a hidden bookcase. He reached for a specific book on the middle shelf that was off to the right. He tugged on it, revealing another bookcase. As he stepped towards it, it swiveled to let him through. “Come with me,” he turned to Jayden and Shaun with an arm out. He could tell the teens were nervous, “I promise, I won’t leave you down here to rot. You are not a threat to me,” he reassured.

Shaun went along, but Jayden was still hesitant, “Jay, it’s okay. If he does anything, we can shift,” she told him.

Winston shook his head, “This place is a no power zone. I will not be able to do anything to you two,” he explained. Once Jayden knew that, he went right along with it.

The three of them went down at least three flights of stairs before they got to another door. This door looked historical and fragile. Winston slowly turned the handle, as he opened it, the door made a creaking sound. “What is this place?” Jayden breathlessly asked.

“This is the artifact room. Not even the twins know this exists. This is a place where certain artifacts sit and wait until they are either brought to their owner, or their owner is brought to them. In this case, you are brought to your own artifacts. There is an artifact for Ericka and Ruby as well. You just need to figure out what they are,” he smirked.

Jayden looked at him with raised brows, “How the hell do we do that, if they aren’t even down here?” He questioned Winston’s logic.

Winston bellowed a laugh, “You will feel their pull on the artifact. The moon phase necklace that my children took was in the wrong piece of jewelry. Ericka will not get it’s full power if it stays in its original piece. Jayden, the moon phase necklace you have was put in that piece purposely.

“The twins think I need the necklace for another purpose, along with Ericka, but I do not. Someone else however, does. He goes by the name Zandyr and he is threatened by those more powerful than him. He wants to destroy Ericka’s necklace so she can’t use it anymore,” Winston explained.

Jayden and Shaun looked at each other perplexed, “So you’re saying that moonphase necklaces that we have had since we were born make us stronger? Make us more powerful?” Shaun asked, her eyes just about out of her sockets. Winston nodded and revealed a piece that he had for Ericka’s moon phase. It was a wolf howling and the place where the moon phase would go was touching the muzzle of the wolf. “Do you have her necklace?”

“I do not, my son Grant does. He hasn’t given it to me yet. He will give it to me tonight, that is when I will make the switch of the necklaces. I need you two to meet me back in my office at midnight. I will give you the necklace and Ericka should be fully healed by then. Ruby will guide you to where Zandyr is hiding and she will train you all as you start your journey before Ericka gets taken again,” Winston explained.

The two nodded in understanding, but Jayden had one question, “Who is this Zandyr guy anyway?”

Winston sighed and lowered his gaze, “He is...my younger brother...” he replied unhappily. “Now, find the artifacts that speak to you and we will meet in my office in a few hours,” he instructed before he left the room.

Jayden and Shaun exchanged glances and began to look for their artifacts along with Ericka’s, Ruby’s, and Skull’s.

Time went by and Shaun had found her artifact, but Jayden hadn’t found his yet. Shaun was admiring her artifact as Jayden kept looking. Her artifact was an onyx wolf statue with bronze markings. The wolf was howling and when she held it, she felt stronger. “Can you stop admiring your wolf and help me look for mine?” Jayden snapped.

Shaun rolled her eyes, “Quit being such a baby, Jay. Remember, it will glow when you have found it,” she reminded.

Jayden rolled his eyes annoyed, “Don’t you think I’ve been doing that this whole time?!” He snapped again.

Shaun growled at him and smacked him in the face. “Pull yourself together, Jayden! Ericka needs us to find this stuff. Do you want Zandyr to kill her, and maybe even us?” Shaun growled. Jayden had grown frightened by Shaun’s actions and shook his head frantically. “I didn’t think so. Now, I will help you try and find yours, but we need to work together to find the others. Got it?”

“Y--yes ma’am,” he saluted and began to look again.

~*~*~*~*~

Ruby and Skull were in a room filled with herbs and homemade medicine. Ericka, still in her wolf form, laid so still on the examining table that was in front of the two medics. Winston had brought Ericka in the room after he had spoken to Jayden and Shaun. “So, why were you down in the warehouse if Mr. Winston wanted you up here the whole time?” Skull tried to make small talk.

Ruby glanced up from her concoction, looking at Skull, “He wanted me down there so I could meet the three new wolves and help them. Be their guide in a way. I am the Patron of Wisdom after all,” she smiled, becoming a little too into herself. “Sorry...I’m usually not like this.”

Skull giggled, “It’s okay. After you help Ericka, do you think you could help me regain my memory?” She became shy and awkward after saying what she had.

“Of course. What are friends for, if not to help one another out,” Ruby smiled. She finished up the healing potion and stood proudly. “Let’s try this out,” she said and looked to Skull, “Hold her steady, and make sure her lips are parted, so I can get her to drink it.”

Skull nodded and did as she was told. Ruby slowly poured the potion into Ericka’s mouth with a thin beaker. She slowly shifted back to her human form as the potion went in her mouth perfectly and as soon as the last drop went into Ericka’s system, she began to cough. Her eyes shot open and she shot up, looking around frantically, “Where am I? Where is everyone else? What is going on?!”

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