Chapter 61: Chapter 61

Adelie

He took a step back, finally allowing me some space. His shoulders sagged, and he shut his eyes in surrender. “How long will ~you~ be away?” he echoed my earlier question.

“Roughly twelve hours,” I replied, watching his frustration build. Naturally, he wasn’t thrilled.

“So, I’m supposed to sit around all night, worrying about you?” he exploded. “Having no clue where you are or what you’re up to? Adelie! What do you want from me?”

His voice held a note of desperation, as if I’d just stabbed him in the back. In a way, I guess I was: breaking our marital promise.

“That’s why I’m telling you I’m leaving, instead of just vanishing without a word,” I defended myself with the lamest excuse.

Kairos didn’t deserve my deceit. He was nothing but kind, and I knew he’d do anything to keep me safe, but he couldn’t shield the entire pack from Esty.

“Adelie, where?” he pressed again.

“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. I had no idea what was in store for me.

“And if you don’t come back?” he questioned, his anger palpable. “Where do I start looking? Where do I go to find you?”

“I’ll come back because I know she needs me,” I assured him.

He stared at me for a moment, jaw set tight, before spinning around and slamming the door behind him. We were at odds again because of this.

I just wanted it all to end. To give Esty what she wanted and have her leave me in peace for good.

Kairos

I couldn’t just let her walk away. Throughout the meeting with Archibald, it was all I could think about. She’d be gone for twelve hours, and I was supposed to be fine with that? How?

I was on pins and needles all day, physically present at the meeting but mentally elsewhere. By the time Riley and I returned to the pack, it was nearly eight in the evening.

I found Adelie in our room, slipping on a jacket, ready to leave. I’d walked in hoping she’d decided to stay, but that clearly wasn’t happening.

Her expression told me she was leaving, regardless of what I said.

“I’ll be okay,” she murmured.

She couldn’t know that. She assumed she’d be okay because her priority was protecting the pack.

She knew she was hurting me, but she was a dedicated luna, willing to do anything for the pack.

I approached her, taking her hands in mine and pressing a kiss to them. “If anything goes wrong, mind-link me. I’ll be there in seconds,” I promised, praying she wouldn’t be too far away.

The further the distance, the weaker the mind link. She nodded, but I could see the lack of confidence in her eyes.

“I have to go,” she said.

“Okay, I love you,” I replied, and she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. She was anxious, even frightened. I could feel her trembling in my arms, delicate as a leaf in the wind.

I couldn’t let her go alone. So, I did the only thing I could: I followed her.

She left ten minutes before eight. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving, not even Riley, my beta. The rest of the pack was safe at home.

I asked Nathan to patrol until I returned. He wanted to question me but didn’t. He knew it wasn’t his place. I gave him an order, and he was loyal to me.

I wasn’t concerned that he might tell someone or follow me.

I made sure to keep a safe distance from her. I hid behind every tree I could and wore a dark green jacket to blend in with the environment.

Every so often, she'd glance over her shoulder. I figured she probably chalked it up to the wind playing tricks on her senses.

When she reached the lake—the closest one to our pack—she slowed her pace. The lake wasn’t anything spectacular, but it served its purpose. And right now, it looked more beautiful than ever.

Adelie was doing a great job maintaining everything. The forest of Archibald’s pack always looked pristine, thanks to her efforts.

She commanded nature effortlessly, bending it to her will.

I understood that nymphs were servants of nature, spirits tasked with preserving the wilderness. But it was more than that. Beings created to care for the forest weren’t just servants.

There wasn’t a single fallen branch on the ground. Any tree that toppled was quickly removed. All because of her.

I was deep in thought when I heard muffled voices. Adelie was conversing with someone, but I couldn’t make out the words. Even my wolf hearing had its limits.

I was too far to hear clearly, and I was hesitant to move closer. I was afraid Adelie might hear me. And my fear stemmed from a suspicion that not everything was as it seemed.

I was convinced she wanted me to believe everything was fine.

I spotted a figure in a red hood. They seemed to be talking, and then the figure led her deeper into the forest.

I followed their path, but they were nowhere to be found. I stopped at the lake, the last place I saw them. There was no trace of them.

In frustration, I slammed my fist into the nearest tree. A growl escaped my lips as pain shot through my knuckles.

I continued in the direction I thought they had gone, but found nothing. Except—something shiny caught my eye. My hand throbbed with pain, but I tried to focus.

I knelt down and picked up a piece of jewelry—a finely crafted bracelet. It looked like it had been dropped recently. I was certain it wasn’t Adelie’s. I would have noticed.

Upon closer inspection, I found a small inscription on the back of the bracelet. ~Guarding the mythical~, it read. But what protection did it offer the mythical?

What was that woman getting Adelie involved in?

Adelie

We seemed to be walking in my pack's territory, but soon, I didn’t recognize anything. The familiar forest had transformed.

It was damp and dark, almost gloomy. Crows perched on the wet branches overhead, their gaze unsettling.

It felt as if even the crows were judging me, making me feel insignificant and vulnerable.

I trailed behind Esty, silent. She navigated through the forest, taking turns at the oddest places. It seemed like we were walking in circles.

I tried to engage her in conversation, asking where we were, but she didn’t respond. Perhaps she didn’t hear me. The air felt heavy here, as if it swallowed my words.

I remained alert, scanning my surroundings. I nearly bumped into Esty when she abruptly stopped. It was then that I noticed we were standing in front of a small cabin.

It seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. But it wasn’t your typical cabin. It lacked conventional windows.

Constructed from wood, it had a small window just beneath the roof. The house was boxy, devoid of any homely charm, and the door was rudimentary.

Esty entered without hesitation, and I realized the door wasn’t locked.

“Does anyone just walk in here?” I asked. She finally looked at me, waiting for me to follow. She removed her cape, revealing a simple black dress that draped her slender frame.

I stepped inside, and the door closed behind me on its own. Maybe it was loose, or maybe it was the wind… or perhaps it was something far more peculiar.

“This place is under my protection, and I’m the only one who can unlock it. No one else can enter, and you won’t be able to locate it again. Even your dreams won’t recall the path your feet took,” Esty clarified.

I found myself in the center of a vast room. From the outside, the cabin seemed large enough to house one main room and a few smaller ones, but given the size of this house, this room was already oversized.

It wasn’t the sheer size that unsettled me or made me feel uneasy. It was the array of surgical tools she possessed.

There was a bed that looked ordinary enough, but next to it were stacks of various types of syringes. Everything appeared clean and sterile, but was she planning to use all of them on me?

High shelves were filled with bottles and boxes containing colorful substances. Some seemed to have insects in them. Some appeared to be decaying.

A swishing sound from above caught my attention, and I looked up to see a majestic raven perched on one of the tree branches that supported the ceiling. I assumed it was his home.

He seemed far more intelligent than other wild crows, looking at me as if he understood I was admiring him.

Esty was standing next to the bed. “It's time,” she announced, picking up a syringe and preparing it.

I understood what she meant. It was time to begin this experiment I was a part of. “What do I need to do?” I asked.

“Just lie down on this bed,” she replied nonchalantly, as if this was a routine doctor’s visit. “It will only sting a bit at first.”

Did I have any other option? I was already here. I was doing this to save my pack, so why didn’t it feel like it? Not even slightly. I felt like I was sacrificing myself to save something else.

I approached the bed and saw Esty filling the syringe with a thick, dark green liquid. “What is that?” I asked before lying down on the bed.

“It’s not important. It’s hard to come by, so the less I waste, the better. Hopefully, it won’t take much to affect you,” she said with a hint of excitement.

I began to roll up my sleeve, but she stopped me. “No, the neck,” she corrected, moving my hair to the side.

I braced myself for a warning, but she simply plunged the needle into me. It wasn’t as painful as I had anticipated, just a brief sting. My vision went black for a moment but quickly returned.

“All done,” she announced.

I looked around, even inspecting my hands. “That’s it?” I asked. She nodded.

Naturally, I didn’t want to linger. I stood up, surprised that I didn’t feel any different.

I glanced at the wall clock but couldn’t make out the time. It was blurry, distorted. Had it always been like that? I wondered, but I knew I needed to leave.

Kairos wouldn’t be expecting me back so soon. At least I wouldn’t have to worry him. It was strange that Esty had said it would take twelve hours.

If it took this little time, I feared these sessions would drag on forever because I felt completely normal.

I didn’t look back at Esty; I just left her house. Standing in the middle of the forest, I realized I didn’t know where to go.

I turned around to ask for directions, but the house had disappeared. I was alone in the forest. That was odd.

I began to hear muffled shouts.

“Adelie,” a gruff voice called out. It echoed again and again until I saw Kairos running toward me.

“Kairos…” I whispered. What was he doing here?

He was panting and tripping over branches.

“Are you okay?” he asked, standing close to me.

“I feel fine,” I managed to say just as a gunshot echoed and I saw Kairos collapse in front of me.