The Crown's Entrapment

Clara didn't know what to expect the moment Bartos opened the door for her and Gilas to enter the room. All she knew was that the old mage was a powerful and wizened individual, one that surely exuded just as much power as knowledge as Jayra's master. Beside her, her mate was equal parts eager and anxious, the prospect of knowing if Ham could fully be restored making him fidget from where he stood.

"Relax," she reassured him. "We'll get through this."

"I know," Gilas smiled at him. "I just hope this will be the last time we need to get help."

Finally, the door opened, and Clara braced herself to see an old man that screamed power and wisdom to glare at them from where he sat. However, instead of that, she got what looked to be a young man not a day over thirty casually standing by the window with a massive staff twirling in his hands.

"I've brought them here," Bartos announced as they entered the room.

"Excellent!" the young man clapped his hands in seeming excitement. "Thank you, young Bartos."

"I-It's nothing, Master Kasper…"

Clara blinked. Did she hear that right? This young man was the old master that Jayra told them about?

"You truly are a perfect match for my student," Master Kasper sagely nodded. "Why, if you would allow me to-"

"I-I don't think I'll be available at the moment," Bartos quickly stated as he turned around and made for the door. "The guards are in a panic thinking they lost you. I'm gonna go ahead and tell them there's nothing to worry about."

And just like that, Bartos left, and rather quickly as if he was trying to avoid something. Turning her attention to Jayra for answers, her friend simply chuckled as she gestured for them to come closer.

Gilas let out an awkward chuckle as he pointed out the obvious. "Didn't Bartos know he could always just tell the guards what's happening from here?"

"Just let him be," Jayra waved Gilas off with a small sigh. "He's just uncomfortable."

Clara didn't know whether to laugh or be alarmed at what she was seeing. Still, this old mage masquerading as a young man was supposed to help fix whatever it was that was keeping Gilas from fully recovering his connection with Ham. If a bit of eccentric weirdness was all she had to endure, then she would do so gladly.

"Ah, this must be my patient," Master Kasper stated as he moved closer to Gilas.

Jayra nodded as she moved to introduce them to the master. "This is Clara and Gilas. And yes, Gilas here is the one that's in need of your help."

"I can see that," the old man hummed. "Very well. May I borrow the sofa?"

Clara kept silent as she watched Jayra and the master begin tending over Gilas. Her mate, thankfully, had just decided to go with the flow as he was laid half naked on the nearest sofa… which was kind of weird seeing as there was a perfectly usable bed just on the other side of the room.

"I see," Master Kasper hummed in thought as he waved a glowing hand over Gilas's body. "It would seem that you are correct in diagnosing the energy imbalances within him."

"Thank you, Master," Jayra nodded.

"The poison hasn't done any lasting damage," the old man continued. "However, the recovery process hasn't truly started due to the lack of necessary amount of energy required for it in the first place."

Clara had no idea what was happening as she watched the two mages work. In a sight that was rather to see, Jayra wasn't the one taking charge. In fact, her friend almost looked like a rookie when compared to how the master ordered her around. Truly, to think that this man was that far ahead of even the best mage that she knew…

"So, will I be alright?" Gilas couldn't help but ask even as a pair of hands kept on roaming across his body. "I just need to get enough energy for this recovery process to start?"

"That's the gist of it, young Gilas," Master Kasper nodded. "Based on my estimates, it will take at least three days of manually supplying you with the energy your inner wolf requires to start its recovery process. From there, it'll be a matter of your own rest and vitality to do the work."

"S-So it's possible," Gilas eagerly asked once more as if he couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Didn't I just say it is?" the old man scoffed. "Don't worry about it. I have more than enough energy to spare for this."

Clara couldn't help but smile as her eyes met Gilas's joyful gaze. To hear that there was a solution readily available to them was a massive relief. Still, she couldn't help but think that there might be a way to speed up the process.

"U-Uhm… Would it help if I made love to him as well?" Clara awkwardly asked, her cheeks burning even as she powered through her embarrassment. "Jayra said that doing so would help strengthen his inner wolf."

She blinked away the awkward tears as she watched Jayra do her best to cover her own face from his master's gaze.

"Still the massive pervert that you are in your teenage years, I see," the master teased Jayra.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…"

Master Kasper laughed at Jayra's burning embarrassment. "Hah! Don't you deny it." He then turned to Clara and added, "And yes. As much as it may sound ridiculous, making love with him will allow you to share your energy with him through the Mate Bond that you werewolves have. That's assuming you two are mated, of course."

"Y-Yes, we are," Clara confirmed.

"That settles it then," the old master snapped his fingers. "I treat young Gilas here for three days while Clara here speeds up the process by fvcking him silly."

All the other occupants in the room let out a cough at the crass words used by the old man. Still, they couldn't exactly deny him, seeing as he was completely right.

"Also, I fully expect some sort of payment for this."

Immediately, Gilas sat up and stated, "We're fully prepared to pay whatever it is you-"

"Oh, not from you," Master Kasper scoffed.

"He meanest from me," Jayra sighed. "And yes, I know what you want. I'll have it ready by the time you leave."

"Excellent!" the master cheered.

Before any of them even knew what happened, the master suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke…

Confused, Clara couldn't help but ask, "What just happened…"