“Isabelle?” Alyssa’s voice echoes through the cave with confusion and slight joy.
“You know her?” Aidan asked Alyssa and she nodded swiftly.
“She used to be our pack doctor until she disappeared. We all thought she’d been killed but here she is.” Alyssa explained.
Isabelle scoffed at her explanation. “Died. Naive girl. No one dies it seems.” She turned to me and I knew she was saying that due to my most recent revelation.
“Right, well you have something that can help us?” My voice came out unsure due to the woman’s sarcasm and low-like moon.
“Depends what you need.” She challenge.
“We need something to help us avoid the conflict.” I gestured to the noise outside the cave. The sound of growls ripping into the deeply silent noise
I could hear the cries of the men and women who fought. I could also hear the blood flying through the air.
“Just please.” I heard Alyssa speak distracting me from the violence.
“Seems as though you’re in need of something that disguises your scent.” I looked over to Alyssa who nodded. “It’s not free.”
“What do you want?” I spoke swiftly and fiercely since we were on a time limit.
“Just a vile of your blood.” She responded simply.
“My blood?” I blurted. “Why blood?” I questioned.
“It’s not everyday I came across royalty.” She smirked. “Your blood is worth a pretty penny to witches, love.”
“Why?” I repeated, curious of what use it could have.
“Spells require powerful energy, dear.” She smirked once more, this time more stretched.
“I don’t trust her.” Fiona opened.
“Neither.” Alyssa agreed. “Don’t worry about Megan, we’ll find another way.”
“What other way? If we leave here, Sebastian will be alerted! We’re still in unmarked territory.” I panicked slightly. “Besides, what else could we do?”
“We could wait it out.” Alyssa suggested.
“That won’t work.” Fiona pointed out. “They’d have people surrounding the perimeter for a while.”
“Do it.” I told the witch, Isabelle, whose face brightened.
“Megan.” Aidan warned. “Witches are tricky and fickle, how do you know she’s not going to give us a vile of posion?”
“We don’t.” I responded. “I’ll try it first.”
“Why you?” Alyssa asked outraged at my interest to go first.
“Because if I die, it doesn’t matter.” I commented.
“That’s not true. You have to find your mother and tell your brothers who you really are and then there’s Ken and-” Alyssa rambled.
“If you died then my brother would go crazy.” I spoke, it sounded strange saying ‘brother’ when referring to Cliff. “And I don’t want Aidan and Fiona to risk losing their gifts.”
I held out my hand to the witch. I started to notice a tear erupting in my wrist as blood dripped from the side of the cut. Alyssa, Fiona and Aidan were careful not to approach knowing my decision was final. Isabelle turned my arm towards the vile gently and it soon filled to the top.
“The mark won’t heal for a while.” Isabelle spoke, her voice still full of strength. Out of her coat, she pulled out four potions looking extremely similar.
She handed me one of them and I quickly downed it down, feeling nothing strange so far. “I can’t sense you.” Alyssa spoke up. “It works.” She confirmed.
“Of course it works, child.” Scoffed Isabelle.
Suddenly I started to feel empty, as if something had been cleaned out of my system. I took no note of it, leaving it as part of the potions magic.
Fiona and Aidan were quick to sip down their vile feeling no effects either which I was glad for. “Aidan and I are going to meet you at the Golden Moon pack!” Fiona gleefully spoke. “See you!” I nodded watching them leave.
“Wait!” I called out but they didn’t return. “I wasn’t exactly planning on going to Ken’s pack.” I mummered, Alyssa shrugged.
“Probably some weird clairvoyant thing.” I nodded in agreement.
Alyssa took her vile but instead of being fine like the rest of us, she fainted to the group. I looked down at her in horror.
“What the heck?” I asked looking accusingly at the witch.
She shrugged. “Side effects. Most werewolves faint from it, it is fairly strong.” She smiled sarcasically.
“How come I didn’t faint?” I asked her, confused.
“Because you’re not a werewolf.” Before I could respond, she’d left. I turned to Alyssa before groaning.
This was going to be one heck of a journey back to the pack house.
*
The tiring journey had finally come to an end as I stood in front of the gate to the castle-like building. I shouted out, hoping to get the attention of someone, anyone. I turned to Alyssa shaking her once again – slight panic rushing through my veins at someone being wrong.
Cliff wouldn’t forgive me.
No one would forgive me.
The words of the witch echoed still in the back of my mind. I didn’t believe her of course but I still couldn’t feel any connection to my wolf side which scared me completely. None of my sense were working and in fact, my body was becoming weaker. Even the mark she made on my arm had rather scabbed then healed.
Soon the gate opened and I breathed out a sense of relief. I turned to it and saw no one other than Cliff. “Oh thank goodne-”
“Megan, you are underarrest for treason against your King.”
Oh for fuck sake.
*
Soon I found myself in a hall with an audience of people from the pack and Cliff himself. I stood staring at him in a small little battle that I knew that I couldn’t win but I knew that I had to try.
“Is it true that you joined Sebastian?”
How was I suppose to answer such a broad question. In a way yes, I joined him to find Alyssa and leave. I was trying to help him. “Yes but-” The gasps had disguised the rest of my answer, the words not being heard by the most important people.
“Is it true that you put your Queen in harms way?”
I hestitated again. I had, hadn’t I? I was the one that allowed her to drink that vile that sent her into that small coma. She would wake soon, a day or so. I’d kind of hoped that she would’ve saved me from this.
“Yes but-” Again the words found themselves been discarded as unimportant in comparison to the crowd of anger pack members.
“This girl, this criminal-” I winced. “-has admitted to crimes worthy of a life in the dungeons.” I thought that was going a different way. I made daring eye contact with Lorin who seemed angry but Red, Red looked at me as if she understood what was going on and felt helpless. I assumed she helped me out of a greater punishment. “This girl is not even a werewolf, merely someone disguising to be one.”
Was it true? I didn’t know anymore. Was I ever a werewolf?
“We are sentencing her to a lifetime without a pack.” My eyes exploded. That was the worse punishment that they could’ve given to me.
A wolf without a pack…
A girl without a pack…
I was doomed, my strength had been lost and I had no idea how to prepare myself.
I didn’t sign up for this.
I never wanted this.
I want to go back to where I was rejected and I wish I had stayed.
I wish the Queen hadn’t exhiled me when I was a child.
I wish I was normal.
“Wait, please.” I begged. “I have more to say. Please!” I begged again wanting to tell him the truth, the truth about me being Faith, the truth in the fireplace.
“Take her out.” The hall had erupted into chatter of fire and I was left to a couple of pack members gripping onto my arms in a viocious grip.
I noticed Red slipping out behind me as Lorin spoke to Cliff. I zoned out though, delirious and confused.
“Give me a second.” I heard Red growl out. The pack took orders from her so they stopped to let her say something. “I know you’re innocent.”
“Thanks.” I breathed, still feeling breathless. “Can you- Can you tell Alyssa to go to the fireplace, please.” She nodded. “Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.” I kept calling as they pulled me away.
Red smiled. “Go away criminal.” Pretending she was angry at me but the smile made it obvious that she wasn’t.