Chapter 15

Topher walked hand-in-hand with Jane, supporting his weight on her a bit as they exited his room and moved into a large open space (with exotic flowers and herbs) which served as the garden of Druid's Tower, where he'd been residing since his injury. It had been almost a week now since the incident with the reptile, yet he had not fully recovered from it. His wounds had sealed up completely, but the pains still persisted a little (hence him relying on Jane for support). He had been told by the druids that the pains still persisted because he was attacked by a third-tier reptile, who were infamous for their poisonous claws. He didn't really understand what they were saying then, but he surmised it to be that perhaps younger reptiles (aside from their Queen) had more undiluted venoms than the adults. Whatever the case was, he was just glad he was alive; even though he nor the druids had not realized he was slowly losing his powers (for the greater good, perhaps).

Topher continued to walk with Jane till they found a bench in the garden, then they sat down to admire the beautiful scenery of the acclaimed Druid's Tower.

Topher liked it here. He liked it because of its serene environment and because it was hassle-free, unlike Bloomfield Hills; and thinking back, it began to make more sense to him why he was brought to the Druid's instead of a hospital where it could've been easy for humans to figure out what he was. But thinking further, he began to wonder if this was how things used to be in the old days. He had vague knowledge about these things since he'd never needed healing before, so he just brushed it off. After all, werewolves rarely got sick and they had an impressive healing factor.

"What are you thinking about?" Jane yanked him out of his reverie with her question.

"Nothing in particular" his words came out as sighs.

"Still thinking about her?" Jane referred to Penny.

"Nah, not really," Topher answered. "You said she's fine, right? I believe you. I'm just thinking about how peaceful it is here"

"Oh, yea. It is indeed"

"But why hasn't she come to visit me tho?" he asked worriedly, referring to Penny.

"Humans aren't allowed in here" Jane replied and he stopped bothering her. There was a brief moment of silence between them as they continued to admire the red of the sunset in Druid's garden before Jane spoke again. "I moved in with Bale" she muttered the words.

"You guys a thing now?" Topher asked dryly. He didn't even make an attempt to hide the fact that he was less interested in whatever she had to say next.

"No. He's just trying to protect me, and everyone. He's scared that what happened to you might happen to someone else" she answered and Topher concurred with a nod.

"And you think that's a smart move?" he arched his brows at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you like him. It's very obvious. But you know you two can't be together. You know how Bale is." he reasoned with her. "Jane you're a strong, kind, smart, and very beautiful woman. You deserve more than just waiting on Bale. Hell, you even have what it takes to start a pack of your own. Know your worth." he advised her, but Jane didn't say anything in return. At least not immediately.

"So what are you trying to say?" she finally spoke after reflecting on his words.

"Personally, I feel it'd do you more harm than good if you keep longing to have what you may never have" he gave his opinion

"Alright then, I'll try to keep myself from him" Jane forced the words out of her mouth then rose to her feet, signaling the end of their conversation. It was obvious she was never going to do what she had just said. She really loved Bale.

The night lay in silence in Bloomfield Hills, save for the angry roars of Hendell's luxurious sedan that filled the air, and then died down immediately he parked before Candace's place. There was something unusual about the druid today. Unlike the usually calm and collected (sometimes grumpy) druid we had come to know, he looked rather anxious today. Even his movements were brisk as he climbed up the porch and rang the doorbell. He didn't even wait a moment longer before the door was opened by Candace as though she'd been expecting him too. With three long strides, he was already inside her living room, and with a dozen more he was up in Penelope's room, with Candace chasing after him.

"You look tense, anything the matter?" she asked worriedly and Hendell replied her with hard eyes that soon softened after they met hers.

"I hope not" he muttered a reply, then took a chair to sit down. "Seat," he ordered Candace and she obeyed innocently, taking a seat beside him. Hendell observed her reaction after that, then he took a deep breath to calm himself before he began to talk. "I found something that might help your daughter, but It'd only work if my theory's right?" he said and Candace's mood lightened immediately as his words gave her hope.

"Yes! tell me, what is it?" she demanded excitedly. Hendell smiled ruefully, then he continued.

"You and I know, that when werewolves mates with humans, most times they end up giving birth to werewolf pups, and on some rare occasions, normal human babies; as in your case with Harry. " he moved his gaze to meet her's. "So my theory is: what if Penelope's not entirely human but a dormant? It's a very rare situation where the wolf in a were-person doesn't (or may never) manifest until it's triggered by a tragic event. In most cases, after killing someone?" he explained, then observed Candace, to know what she thought about his theory, but she said nothing, and her expression gave nothing away. At first, he thought she was dumbfounded until realization began to hit him. "Wait is Penelope a werewolf?" his eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes. She used to be?" Candace shifted her gaze to the ground. She didn't really understand why, but she felt like she'd betrayed the druid's trust.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hendell thundered, unable to hide his anger. He felt he'd been betrayed too.

"When I gave birth to her, Harry knew immediately that she was a werewolf like him, but he didn't want that. He didn't want her living with a secret that she'd have to carry to her grave. Always running and hiding from humans lest they discover what she was. He didn't want that type of life for her, so we consulted your brother, Noah, and asked him to help us." She confessed, still keeping her gaze on the ground.

"He must've turned her into a dormant" Hendell stomped his feet angrily. He was mad at himself now because he had no reason to be mad at Candace in the first place. "So what triggered her?" he asked. He felt Candace had all the answers now, and he was right.

"I think she must've killed someone because her Glock is missing a few cartridges" she replied. Hendell stared at her with his lips partly open as though he wanted to say something, then he decided against it.

"Okay, I see my theory is somewhat right. Let's just apply my cure and get this over with," he said as he brought out a herb from his jacket and then turned to Candace for permission, and she nodded in reply. Without further ado, Hendell walked towards Penelope and placed the herb on her face so she could inhale its scent. And after he had done that, it didn't take any more time before Penelope jerked up from her bed immediately and began to writhe like a wounded animal