"Don't go..." Hope sniffled again, she shook her head vigorously. "DON'T GO!"
This time Hope shouted and got the attention of everyone who was present.
In fact, Lilac, who had stopped crying, but was still in Raine's arms, was also staring at her with swollen eyes.
However, Hope's scream had no effect on Serefina, because she still smiled at Hope and said very slowly, so that Hope could only read the movement of her lips.
'I have to,' Serefina said.
Hope shook her head again, but instead, Serefina turned her gaze to Jedrek and bent down while whispering to his ears...
'I love you. Always'
After that Serefina kissed the top of Jedrek's head before her body finally disappeared into the wind.
Like a mist...
The witch was really gone now...
Bringing away her love for Jedrek while hoping that the man can live a happier life after this.
Maybe, even though it took long, Jedrek would get his happiness back.
Or maybe not...
==============
Belinda grimaced as she saw how Calleb, in his beast form, went berserk and once again banged his head against the invisible wall around him, which left him unable to move freely and commit another murder.
This was not real, right...?
Belinda had never seen Calleb lose control over his beast to this extent. He didn't care about anything anymore and nothing was more important in his eyes now.
"We can't stay here any longer than this," Belinda told Sybil next to her.
They couldn't stay there forever because the humans would return with reinforcements much stronger than before and Calleb would neither be controlled nor cooperated with.
They had lost so many people, so many people they knew and Belinda wouldn't let the same thing happen to Calleb.
Belinda didn't know how a lycan could get through the phase where they could accept the fact that their mates didn't exist anymore, or whether they would become feral or not, becoming a being possessed only by the killing instinct.
But whatever it might take, Belinda wouldn't let anything bad happen to Calleb. She had known the lycan for a very long time and she would help him in any way she could.
"Do you have any ideas?" Sybil asked, sounding exhausted and a little skeptical that things would get better.
"We can't do this alone and let the lycanthropes fight again when the humans come back later." Belinda didn't even dare to imagine how things would turn out when they were forced to fight again and kill the humans. It would make them reach their limits and worse things would happen.
"We have to join the Donovans," Sybil said, her white hair fluttered by the wind and she had to brush the strands off her face.
Belinda looked doubtful when she heard the suggestion.
"I am not sure if they are in a better situation than here..." Belinda muttered.
And that was when someone said, walking unsteadily, up to them. "Take Calleb to the Donovans, things are under control there."
Simultaneously, the two witches turned around and found that Sterling was walking toward them.
"Sterling, are you all right?" Belinda approached the man. She thought that Sterling would not survive the tragedy that hit his family at the castle the other day and even though she heard that this man had been rescued by Lidya, his condition was not very good.
"I can't say that I am fine..." Sterling's eyes were fixed on the beast, trapped in an invisible magical box in front of him.
Calleb was still on a rampage and everyone seemed to be completely lost about how to handle the beast or calm him down.
And Sterling also didn't have anything to say, because he also knew what it felt like to lose your mate...
"I am sorry for your loss..." Belinda expressed her condolences.
But then, Sterling changed the subject, in a very husky, deep voice, "Where are Ethan and Rossie?"
Belinda looked surprised. "They are over there..." she pointed in the direction where the two siblings were, but then she seemed hesitant to continue her sentence. "But, Rossie..."
"I know..." Sterling interrupted her words and stumbled toward his children.
Even the appearance of Sterling's distant silhouette made the hearts of anyone who saw him very sad.
"We must meet the Donovans..." Belinda decided.
It would be an arduous task to teleport a hundred more lycanthropes with them, but not impossible.
==============
Torak walked over to Jedrek who was still silent in his original position, after he was sure that his older brother had had enough time to mourn for the loss of Serefina.
Torak also felt sadness at the sudden demise of the witch, although not as deep as Kace or Jedrek, because after all, it was the witch who had guided Raine all this time, even though not all of the methods she used had gotten Torak approval...
But also because the relationship between Torak and Serefina was not as close as Kace and the witch.
Regardless, he was grateful for what Serefina had done for them.
If they won this war eventually, then all of that could be considered as the fruits of Serefina's tremendous efforts.
"Jedrek," Torak called out to his brother, crouching down beside him and gently squeezing his shoulder to let his presence known. "You have to let her go," he said.
Jedrek did not move, he was still sitting frozen in his position.
Torak don't know which outcome was much better; seeing Jedrek turn feral after losing Serefina like what happened hundreds of years ago, or seeing Jedrek became very silent and letting all his emotions hide away, which would later forge into a time bomb over time that might destroy himself.
"You have to let her go," Torak repeated his words.
But, how could Jedrek let Serefina go?
"We have to give her a proper burial," Torak said again. "She deserves that."
"I love her, Torak..." Jedrek said in a voice like a whisper.
Torak was silent for a moment, he stared at Lilac, who was still sobbing lightly in Raine's arms, but looked much better now.
"You will only hurt Lilac by loving her," Torak stated an undeniable fact.