Lucas and Philip had successfully snuck out of the school during the lunch break. They had boarded a cab that took them directly to Lucas house. By the time they got to Lucas house, Lucas was already shaking. He was anxious and was beginning to have goosebumps. Philip on the other hand looked excited and smiled all through the trip to Lucas house.
Philip swung the door wide open and led the way into the house. The house was cold and quiet. Lucas slowly walked into the house as his eyeballs rolled round every corner of the sitting room. Then, he shut the door behind him. Nanny Doodlehead rushed into the sitting room to see who was inside the house and was surprised to see Lucas and his friend inside the house during school hours.
"Lucas. What are you doing at home by this time of the day? Aren't you supposed to be at school ?" She asked. Lucas was quiet.
"Uhh, hi, I'm Philip, Philip Walker". Philip said as he stretched out his hand to Nanny Doodlehead for a handshake. Nanny Doodlehead fixed her gaze on Lucas who in turn fixed his gaze on the wall clock. Philip then dropped his hand and let out a dry cough.
"Why are you guys here now?" Nanny Doodlehead asked.
"We're here for answers. I mean we need your help. Lucas, actually, Lucas needs your help!" Philip said.
"Lucas. Is that true?" Nanny Doodlehead asked.
"You heard the young man!" Lucas said as he fixed his gaze on her. Then, she sighed.
"Come with me". She said as she headed for her room. Philip and Lucas fixed their gaze on each other. Then, they walked hurriedly behind her....
Nanny Doodlehead swung the door to her room wide open. The room was warm. Lucas felt relaxed. Philip looked at the entire room in less than a minute. The room looked empty to him.
"So you're Nanny Doodlehead?" He said in a weird tone.
"Yes". Nanny Doodlehead replied in a low tone.
"You're cool having that name?" Philip asked almost in laughter.
"Yes". Nanny Doodlehead replied. He shook his head.
"The answers we need are in your room?" Lucas asked. Nanny Doodlehead was quiet. Then she stared at the boys before clearing her throat.
Nanny Doodlehead's expression darkened as she glanced at the closed door, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Lucas, your father… was King Rhaegor of the Lycanthros pack and lived in the palace, Obsidian Hollow. He was a mighty Alpha, but feared more than loved. He ruled with an iron heart. The omegas, we are the lowest rank in the pack, we were treated like shadows under his reign. He believed strength was the only way to preserve dominance."
Philip shifted uncomfortably. "That's… harsh."
"You're a werewolf?" Lucas asked.
Nanny Doodlehead nodded slowly. "King Rhaegor wasn't always that way. The power, the responsibility, the threats, they hardened him. Especially when the pack came under siege from the Drakari… the vampire realm beyond the River of Ash."
Lucas raised a brow. "Vampires?" Philip asked.
"Yes. Whispers of an impending war hung heavy in the air". Nanny Doodlehead said.
"War?" Lucas asked, almost afraid of the answer.
She looked him square in the eyes. "Yes. War!"
Philip leaned forward.
Nanny Doodlehead nodded. "Everyone feared the war that was coming. The omegas saw hope but Rhaegor… saw a threat...." Nanny Doodlehead said. Then she paused. "The war came. No one knows what happened that night, but there was chaos in the palace. Blood spilled. The king and queen vanished with the baby… you…"
She paused, her eyes misting.
"Rhaegor and Seraphina were found two days later. Their bodies were burnt, clawed and surrounded by blood. No one saw you after the chaos that night. A search party was conducted for you but all was to no avail. After some years, all hope was lost. No one saw you again and the pack couldn't continue without an alpha, not when the sound of war still rummaged the pack and it became one of the weakest packs in the werewolf factions, so the first son of the king was crowned king of the pack." Nanny Doodlehead said.
Lucas's heart dropped. "Who?"
"Ares Rhaegor," Nanny Doodlehead said.
Lucas was quiet, lost in the swirl of names and memories that didn't belong to him… yet felt tied to his soul.
Philip whistled softly. "So… your dad was a cold-hearted king, him and your mum were brutally murdered and now, your step brother rules the pack".
Nanny Doodlehead gave him a sharp look. "Yes".
Lucas took a breath. "So I'm shifting slowly? The signs are showing… the fangs, the hunger, the dreams…" Nanny Doodlehead shook her head. "I fell into a trance last night". Lucas said as he looked at nanny Doodlehead with his eyes full of fear and anxiety.
"What did you see?" Nanny Doodlehead asked.
"Two ladies. I guess one was the queen, I don't know what to call the other lady but she was old, they had a conversation about a curse.." Lucas said. Nanny Doodlehead sighed heavily.
"That isn't something I can talk about!" She said as she turned to another direction of the room. Philip frowned his face.
"Why?" He asked.
"I'm an omega. I'm not permitted to say that, especially not in front of the Prince!" She said. Lucas sucked his teeth.
"Bullshit!" He murmured.
"Wait, how did you know Lucas was the missing child?" Philip asked as the room became very quiet. Lucas gave her a dead stare.
"Some spies have been sent to this world lots of times, like I said before, a search was conducted!" She said.
"But you said when I wasn't found, the other guy, what's his name again?, Ares, yes Ares, you said he was crowned king!" Lucas said.
"The seer didn't give up on you. She continued searching for you secretly because she knew you were the chosen and cursed one!" She said.
"There you go with the curse and you can't tell us what it is!" Philip said. Lucas sucked his teeth and sighed.
"You need to go to the pack Lucas. We all need you. Ares isn't who we taught he was! I can't explain all that to you". She said. Philip spread his eyes wide open.
"What the fuck?! I have a life here! I have a family, friends, school, basketball, ohh yeah, I have a game in less than two weeks, so there's no way I'm leaving to go to some damned pack or whatever!" Lucas said in a tone filled with anger. Nanny Doodlehead shook her head in fear. Her eyes was filled with worry.
"You'll be doing yourself more harm than good if you don't go!" She said as she walked up to Lucas. Philip was quiet.
"How will he go?" Philip managed to ask. Nanny Doodlehead fixed her gaze on him.
"I can create a portal that's going to lead him there and he'll find his way!" She said.
"The hell? I'll find my way? You've got to be kidding me!" Lucas said as he rubbed his forehead.
"She's right Lucas. You need to go!" Philip said. Nanny Doodlehead shook her head in affirmation to what Philip said.
"Bro, what will my parents do? Huh? Have you thought about that? Everyone's gonna be worried sick!" Lucas said.
"I can make a clone of you!" Nanny Doodlehead said. The boys were quiet.
"For real?" Philip asked.
"Yes, I'll make sure it has all your attributes and no one would suspect a thing!" Nanny Doodlehead said.
"Okay! That's cool!" Philip said as he smiled in bewilderment. Lucas was quiet.
"I don't know what to do or say. I'm confused!" He said in a low tone. Philip walked up to him and placed his hands on his shoulders.
"Lucas Thompson, you have to go save your werewolf peeps and set yourself free from whatever curse was placed on you!" Philip said to him in a serious tone. Lucas was quiet for some minutes. Nanny Doodlehead bit her fingers anxiously. Then, Lucas broke the silence.
"You're sure the clones gonna be legit?" He asked nanny Doodlehead.
"Yes. It is!" She replied. Then he sighed.
"Create the portal then". Lucas said in a low tone. A wide smile beamed on Philip's face. Nanny Doodlehead smiled too....
The apartment was silent, the kind of silence that made clocks feel louder and shadows stretch longer. Lucas stood near the center of the living room, his palms sweating, heart thudding. Philip stood at a corner with a faint smile on his face. Nanny Doodlehead was already moving with practiced calm, her mismatched shawl trailing behind her like a whisper of smoke.
"Stand still," she murmured, her voice low but firm, eyes glowing faintly amber in the dim light. "You're not just visiting. You're going home, home to blood, bone, and memory."
Lucas swallowed hard. "Will it hurt?"
Nanny Doodlehead didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached into her old carpetbag and pulled out a thin strip of silver fur, a cracked bone charm, and a small vial of deep crimson liquid. She knelt, her knees cracking, and began drawing a rune in chalk across the floor, an intricate, spiraling pattern that seemed to shift the air around it.
"This world and theirs don't like touching," she said softly. "It's like skin and fire, when they meet, something always burns. But today, the moon's thinning the veil."
She poured the crimson liquid into the center of the rune, and the chalk lines flared to life, glowing a pale, eerie blue that lit up the room like moonlight through water.
Lucas took a step back as the center of the rune began to twist, warp, shimmer, like looking into a puddle where the reflection didn't match the sky.
"I don't want anyone to suspect the fake me," he said in a harsh tone.
"No one will," she replied without looking at him. "Be cautious and strong. Be prepared for the worst too!"
The portal pulsed, soft howls and wind filtering through the opening now, the scent of pine and something older, wilder. Lucas looked at her, his eyes wide.
She smiled faintly, the kind of smile that carried both sadness and pride. "I'll be here when, if, you return. Just remember: not everything with fangs is your enemy. And not everything with your blood is your family."
Lucas nodded, steeled himself, and stepped into the swirling light.
Just as the portal was about closing behind him, Philip ran into it hurridely. Nanny Doodlehead stared at the fading chalk circle, her hand trembling slightly. Philip had gone with Lucas!
"That boy!" She said as she gritted her teeth almost angrily....