LEILANI ***Under Editing***

⚫Chapter 22⚫

Saturday, November 17

"Are you sure we won't get caught?" Elias asked me as I led him to the underground part of our house.

"Yeah, my dad never wakes up during the middle of the night. We won't get caught."

We finally arrived at its door. I took out my father's keys and placed the smallest one into the keyhole. I slowly turned the key clockwise and pushed the door causing it to loudly creak open. I turned to look at Elias as he rolled his eyes.

I finally released the door handle and took out the keys. I then turned on the light switch and stared in awe at the room filled with books.

"Woah, this place is insane," Elias said as he stepped into the room after me.

The room held ten shelves filled with books. "This is my father's library. This room is out of bounds, but if we want to know what to expect when we get to The Other Side, we need to read up on it."

"What do you already know about The Other Side?" Elias asked before walking towards the nearest bookshelf. "Nothing. I've asked my parents about it before, but they just dodged the question. All I really know is that there's supposedly a war over there..."

"You know just as much as me. Now, how are we going to find a book about The Other Side? Where do we even start?"

"Well, I guess we should stop talking and get to looking," I stated before walking over to the farthest bookshelf. I heard Elias grunt which made me smile.

After about twenty minutes of searching, we had made no progress. "This is ridiculous," Elias complained before sliding down onto the floor.

"There has to be at least one book in here that talks about The Other Side..." I muttered while travelling my eyes across every bookshelf.

"Well, I'm tired and it's way too early to be doing this," he stated before getting back up. He was right about that. It was currently around 4:00 am. In the process of getting up, he knocked down a book from its shelf.

"Hey what's that one about?" I asked before walking over towards him. Elias reached down and picked up the book.

"The Other Side," he read. He brought the book to the table and sat down. I followed and pulled up a chair beside him.

"How old is this thing?" he asked before wiping the dust off its cover.

"Very old, I'm guessing. We don't have time to read the whole thing. Let's just quickly browse through it." Elias opened the book and flipped to the first page.

"Fan-flipping-tastic. It's in Latin," I exclaimed while staring down at the writing displayed on the page.

"Fan-flipping-tastic?" Elias questioned. I stuck out my tongue at him before grabbing the book. "Well, that's that. Let's get out of here."

"Wait, who said I couldn't read Latin?"

"Are you serious? You can read Latin?" I asked feeling impressed. What else could this mysterious guy do? "Matter of fact, yes. I can."

"Great, read it please."

"Latum Alterum, quod etiam notum est Álterum Latus III-"

"In English please."

"Latum Alterum, also known as The Other Side, is a 3-dimensional world where werewolves dwell. It was created by the moon goddess as a gift of freedom to the werewolves. In Latum Alterum, there are four domains ruled by four powerful Alphas. Alpha Ignis, Alpha Aqua, Alpha Caeli, and Alpha Terra. Alpha Ignis controls the element of fire, Alpha Aqua controls the element of water, Alpha Caeli controls the element of air, and Alpha Terra controls the element of earth."

"This is crazy..." I muttered.

"Every twenty years, werewolves between the ages sixteen to twenty-three that are apart of a pack on earth must be sent to Latum Alterum. One wolf must complete a deed chosen by the Moon Goddess before everyone can return back to earth. If they complete their deed, the Moon Goddess will be pleased and will be reminded that werewolves can live on earth with other inhabitants without causing destruction or havoc."

"That's enough. We need to get out of here," I stated. "But there's still so much to read..."

"Elias! We need to leave now!" I exclaimed. I grabbed the book out of his grasp and placed it back on the shelf. I immediately rushed out of the room after flicking off the light switch. I waited for Elias to exit before locking the door.

"What's wrong?" he asked me as we ascended up the stairs.

"I don't think I want to go over there."

"Leilani, just listen to yourself. What have you got to lose?"

"You. My friends. What if this is all a trap and our parents just want to get rid of us?"

"Come on. That's ridiculous." He was right. That did sound ridiculous. Maybe I was overreacting.

"It's just that four months ago everything was somewhat normal. I had a plan for my life. Now I'm a freaking vampire, I have a werewolf mate, I'm on house arrest, and I'm about to go to a whole other world where I will literally be the only vampire there. It's just things are getting crazy and I'm not sure I can handle this."

Once we got upstairs Elias walked towards the front door as I followed behind him.

"I get it. Your life has drastically changed in a matter of four months, but who knows. Maybe you're destined to go to The Other Side. And there's nothing you have to worry about. Your friends will be there and I'll be there."

"I guess you're right," I agreed. Elias opened the door and stepped outside.

"Wait," I said. Just as he turned around I pushed myself into him and gave him a hug. I was instantly greeted by his musky scent. The butterflies in my stomach moved rapidly making me feel tingly.

"T-Thanks for giving me a c-chance," I stammered.

He hesitated at first and then wrapped his arms around my petite body. The part of my back he was touching felt like it was on fire. I was overwhelmed with the electricity of our connection causing me to shake a bit.

"From now on, you'll always have me and I will try my best to protect you and take care of you. No matter what comes our way."