chapter 20. SECRETS: THE FOUR HIDDEN BOTTLES.

Wolfaraine chuckled lightly and crossed his arm, "Alright, let's hear what you have to say."

"What if there is a barricade between you and me before you shift to your cougar form? You know, some kind of boundary that will restrict it from attacking?" Ismena suggested, her face radiant with the hope bubbling through her.

But his smile faltered and he visibly stiffened. "That will make things worse. I hate being caged or bound so much that just the suggestion of it is awakening my primitive sides. The cougar loathes every single thought of it, you will only get a mad, raging animal in your hands. It's like walking into a nightmare."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot! It was very insensitive of me to even come up with that after everything..." Her face mirrored her remorse and alarm, "I'm very sorry..."

He waved her away, "It's okay, Ena. I know you mean no harm." His hand massaged his forehead where he could feel a throb beginning. A throb that can easily turn to a headache if the wolf does not settle and stop banging against it.

"Thank you. That idea was very insensitive but I have another one, can I go on?"

She looked so hopeful that a smile ghosted his face again, "Alright, go on."

"Thank you, thank you." She took a deep breath and began, "Our biggest problem with the cougar is its hatred for my kind. Because of that, it reacts with its natural instincts to kill and destroy at the scent of a human. What if it's not the scent of a human that it sniffs? What if the scent was dipped in another scent...one that our raging cougar actually likes?"

His brows furrowed in thought, "I do not understand, Ena. Besides, you are dipped in my scent already-OUR scent, including the cougar's-and it didn't work."

"I'm not talking about you this time around, I'm talking about Nalaila." She offered, smugly.

"My sister?" He asked, confused.

She began walking closer to him, "What if I have Nalaila's scent? Or better still, what if Nalaila is there during the encounter? I know the cougar loves her just like the wolf and the man does. The first time you told me about Nalaila, you said that sometimes she doesn't eat, and sometimes, you have to shift to the cougar form to offer her food. All of those times, she eats. You said that it's like they formed a different, special bond after the horrors at The Facility. You remember?"

Wolfaraine was starting to see where she was going with her analysis. For the first time since she began her persistent, crazy journey on her how to meet the cougar, he actually felt a flicker of hope.

"I remember." The cougar does love Nalaila. He was the one that stopped going to her in that form because it was like Broken meeting Broken. It does not help any of them heal.

"Yes. While I was thinking hard on it, I even remembered that very day the cougar chased me to...uhm...to take a bite out of me, but Alphose helped stop the attack," the memory never stopped making her shiver and it did so now, "I remembered that you were with Nalaila in cougar form that day too. So, I know that if I have Nalaila's scent or if I'm with her, the cougar might not attack me."

A lot of thoughts and possibilities started going through his own head. "I see the sense in that thought." He admitted.

Her cheeks spread to the widest grin he'd ever seen. "Yes!" She exclaimed, triumphantly.

He let her have the small victorious moment, for a few seconds before he went ahead to say, "It's something but it's not enough."

He continued before she could say anything else, "Nalaila's presence can only work for that moment and I doubt the cougar will give you much attention with the wolf there in the room. Its concern and desperation to interact with the wolf will steal all its focus from you, you will not be able to bond with the cougar enough for it NOT to want a piece of you once the wolf is no longer present."

"Hmm," her head was whirling, "So, it means that even if we bring Nalaila into the room, she still has to leave before I get the attention of the cougar?"

"That is if you do not get attacked because the cougar misread the room, thinking you are holding Nalaila captive...just like your kind did before?" He added.

Ismena was already shaking her head, "Not if it sees for itself my interactions with the wolf, how the wolf likes me. It might make the cougar see me as less of an enemy. And it might continue that way if I have the wolf's scent, even after the wolf is no longer present in the room."

"Which is the most important part. The wolf has to leave if you want to get the cougar's attention on you. But whether it listens to you afterward, or pounces on you to kill, is the tricky unknown here. It's too dangerous, Ismena."

Silence descended upon them.

She moved around his desk to stand closely behind him. Her hands reached for one of his and enclosed the big, strong hand into hers. She squeezed gently, "I know it is. But, I want to try it."

"Ismena..." He trailed off, unsure.

"You promised to give it a try if there is the slightest way that my idea might work. I want to be with you completely in every way possible, without restraint. I want to feel you come inside me. I want to be with you in every position you want without the fear of losing control. I want to sleep and wake up in your arms. I want the cougar to accept me as the Wolfe did. Please Wolfe, just consider trying. It's not as dangerous if we play it safe enough."

He went silent again. This time, it was longer than the first time. More tensed too.

The more time passed, she started getting the feeling that he would not agree after all. Everything about him said she was right; from the look on his face to the tautness of his muscles.

Her shoulders slumped in crippling defeat. "Okay then, let's not-"

"Let's do it." He looked at her and added more conviction, "Let us give it a try."

Her mouth opened but no words came out. Her eyes watered. Then she threw her arms around his neck, "Thank you! Thank you! Yes! Oh, yes!"

"But we will do it my way." He added.

"Okay, I agree. Anything at all!"

Her utter selflessness never ceases to amaze him. Her genuine happiness slowly bled into him, washing away his fear and uncertainty.

His arms went around her and enclosed her tightly, "I have never met a woman like you before, Ismena."

They stayed that way for a few moments before he pulled away and rose from his chair. Taking her hand, he began walking her out of his study, "Come. There is something I need to show you."

Ismena followed him dutifully as he led her to a part of the Tower she has never been to before. The basement.

Hell she had no idea it existed in the first place.

Her eyes took in the spacious, clean room they entered. Locked metal boxes are scattered around the room, some huge while some are average boxes. Everything in this place was wrapped or covered, even the paintings on the wall.

"Wow. I didn't know there was a place like this here." She breathed, openly looking around.

"No one is allowed to come here, only Mirian. She is the one that takes care of this place. These metal boxes are filled with artifacts, properties, and collectibles that have been in my family for many generations. The Throne's family has so much history, sometimes, some of them are used as a moonlight tale for young changelings."

"Wow, that is fascinating." Finally, she dragged her wandering eyes back to him, "What are we doing here?"

"If I'm going to allow you to meet the cougar, I have to make sure its dangers are as reduced as possible. I will feel better if I know you can be able to protect yourself if push comes to shove." He turned away from her and began walking to the end of the room.

She followed him. They passed table by table of metal boxes until they got to the last table. Among the boxes there, is a small metal box-the smallest she has seen in the room.He stopped in front of it.

He fished for something in the pocket of his black robe and brought up a key. Placing the key in the lock, the sound of it unlocking filled the air. Wolfaraine opened the box and stepped aside, leaving room for her to stand in front of the box.

There were four bottles inside that box.

"Get the bottles out one after another and open them." He instructed.

She went ahead to do what he said. The content of one looked like some kind of grinded old leaves. Another contained a silver powder of some sort. Another contains something that looks like dried garlic cut into little pieces, while the last one contains some kind of black powder.

"These four bottles contain our greatest weakness. Even for a changeling as strong as I am. What I am telling you now is what no other breathing soul knows because it is our greatest weakness." He began.

Reaching out, he picked up the bottle that contained the grinded old leaves and raised it for her to see.

"These are leaves from a tree called Sigillaria. Sigillaria went extinct around 300 million years ago. These grinded leaves are the last of their kind and a drop of it in a drink is very dangerous to changelings. Three drops at a time can kill a changeling." He dropped it and picked up another bottle.

It was the bottle that looked like silver powder. He raised it for her to see. "This is Rhodium powder. It is not as dangerous as the leaves from the Sigillaria tree, but it is just lethal for us. The humans know about this one. You remember what that gunshot wound to my leg that time I came back from the human world?"

She nodded quickly, "That time you were attacked by Wolfhunters right?"

"Yes. The bullets were made of rhodium. I caught two of those bullets then. For another changeling, it would have immobilized him and made him easy to be captured. Rhodium weakens us very much."

He dropped it afterward and picked up another bottle. It's the bottle contained powder too, but the powder is black in color, unlike the other one that was silver.

"This is iron fillings, mostly from Morgan Silver. It can weaken us too and make us easy to capture. An average of it can keep a changeling weak for weeks, unable to get up from bed. Werewolves are more susceptible to this. A lot of it can kill a werewolf changeling." He instructed before dropping it and picking up the last bottle.

"These are called Russian giant garlic. This one is not dangerous to us, but our animal forms hate it. The smell of it can force our animal form to retreat and when that happens, the male comes forward. That means it can practically force a shift when the animal is in charge."

He paused, "Of course, the male does not like the scent either and would prefer not to ever perceive it because it makes the animal go berserk inside him; making it hard to control, making it hard to think, and causing a pounding headache to develop."

He dropped the bottle, "So, the male tends to avoid it as much as the animal."

Finally, he went silent, turning to glance at her.

Ismena was fascinated and she looked at it. "Wow," she breathed, speechless.

Wolfaraine nodded, unsurprised. "The Wolfhunters know about iron fillings and rhodium. They might even know about the grinded garlic, but I'm not sure. But you see the Sigillaria tree leaves? That is the most dangerous of them all and that is the one they do not know about and should never know about. It is our greatest weakness...even mine. I heard that the males in my family hunted for these leaves before they were able to collect this one..." he pointed at the bottle, "...so that no one will ever be able to use it on us. My family was very happy when it went extinct."

"A drop of it in a drink can kill you?" She asked, staring at the bottle in sheer horror.

He shook his head, "That can incapacitate me. Sigillaria can kill me, but it is gonna take five drops or six." he shrugged noncommittally, "Three drops can kill an average changeling. Four drops can kill an Alpha."

Ismena gawked at him in horror, "You're talking about a deadly poison that can kill you as if you're discussing the weather?"

"Death is inevitable, honey. I am not afraid of death." He deadpanned.

"Well, I am!" She huffed, "How many drops can everything in this bottle make?"

"The grinded leaves here are enough to make about two hundred drops. Or three hundred."

"Jesus. It can kill an entire army." Ismena shivered. "Shouldn't you burn it or something? Why keep something that dangerous with you?"

He smiled then, "It has been here for so many centuries, safe in this box, with no one having any knowledge that something like that exists. It's not for me to throw away."

"Why did you tell me all these, Wolfe? These are..." she swallowed, flapping her hand around, "This is a very important secret and you just told me about it."

"I trust you wholeheartedly." He stated firmly. "I never thought I would ever say that word to anyone in this life, much less to a woman. But I am saying it now, and I mean it."

Her heart warmed. "Thank you, Wolfe. I will take this secret to my grave. You said the humans don't know about this Sigillaria leaves, but what about changelings?"

"I told you about Werewolf and Cougars seeing themselves as the strongest and most powerful changelings right?"

"Yeah. You even told me about all about the Dominant War, when both clans fought for supreme leadership as Alpha King." She provided.

"Good. Three families are the founding families in the Werewolf clan, and the Throne's family-my family-is one of them. Another founding family of is the Doninee Family."

"Is it Alphose's family?" She asked. "According to Eline; There are many Alphas in a clan just as there are Betas and Omegas, but only the Alpha males from the founding families are allowed to lead the clan or become Head Sentinels."

"She is right. But no, it's not Alphose's family. They are the Steele Family and they are also among the founding families of the cougar clan. But they are not the Doninee Family. The Doninee Family is in the Werewolf Clan. According to my grandfather, they are the only family that knows about the Sigillaria leaves. Although, I don't know if his generation passed the knowledge on. The oldest male in the Doninee Family at the moment is Cronus Doninee."

"The Werewolf Alpha in charge of the NAALC branch in New York?"

He nodded, "Yes. That is him. As there is no other male in my family, and Nalaila and I do not have any male child...if I am to die today, Cronus is the next changeling fit to be Alpha King because at fifty-five, he is the oldest of all the Alphas of the founding families."

The pain that his lineage will die with him rose, scrapping his skin like shredded glasses and acid, but he forced himself to push the pain away.

Instead he continued, "Anyway, I am not sure Cronus or Raid...his Beta brother, inherited the knowledge about the Sigillaria leaves from their grandfather."

"Okay." She looked at all the bottles again, "So, why did you show all these to me?"

"I will have Mirian prepare a liquid with a combination of Iron fillings and rhodium powder for you. If you are going to meet the cougar, you need to keep that liquid hidden somewhere in the room. Once you get the feeling that the cougar will attack, you should open it and throw the liquid at the cougar."

She winced, "Wouldn't it hurt?"

"A little bit, but it will weaken. Once it behaves aggressively, you have to use the liquid. Do not question yourself. Do not try to 'brave' your way through it all or the cougar will really kill you. Promise me, Ismena." His eyes pinned hers with intent.

"I-I promise." She vowed.

"Good. I will tie a little garlic for you too. We will hide it where I will never be able to perceive the scent in my male form. If I can perceive it in my male form, then I can perceive it in my Cougar form and we cannot have that."

"Okay, okay. So, now I have some kind of defense too. Garlic and the liquid. Got it." She was grinning now, "I am still nervous, but not as nervous as I was before. My mind is at ease now."

"Mine is not. I still have a bad feeling about this, Ismena." Wolfaraine looked at his hands, his expression pinned.

A shiver of fear went down her spine. "Really?"

"Mmh," he nodded, "Even with all these, this is still very risky. We are not talking about just any cougar here, but the King Cougar. My own cougar. Me."

He looked her in the eyes, "The King cougar is very powerful, Ismena. There is every possibility that something will go wrong and you will die even before you are able to defend yourself in any way. I still feel very bad about this."

"We will be fine." Ismena reassured him, "I will be fine. We have a good plan now. I will be with Nalaila when you shift and afterward, I have defense against the cougar if it's still feeling funky. Nothing can go wrong. Just think about it in a positive light and everything will be fine."

Squeezing his hand in gentle reassurance, she asked, "When do we do this?"

"Tonight. Let's do it tonight."