Chapter 11: My Betrayal And Initiative

Her head is turning, I have to do something.

"Don't turn around!" I scream.

"What?"

"You...you mentioned something I wanted, get it." I try my best to empty the contents of the sachet as fast as possible.

"Seriously?"

"Just get it!" I panic.

"Fine then."

She reaches for it, and as she does so, I finish pouring the powder into the cup, then I return the sachet into the pocket in my left sleeve.

The powder floats atop the cup, so I pick it up, and I circularly shake the cup.

Celine returns with a bowl full of raw fish.

I shoot a glance at her, and she shrugs.

"You're the one giving the orders here." She pushes the bowl to me. "Now I will see you eat every bit of it." She grins.

I'm not going to eat that.

"Sure, right after our drink." I raise the cup to her, and she takes it at once.

"Fine by me." She raises the cup to her mouth, and the closer it gets to her lips, the longer I stretch my neck. "Are you..."

I gulp down my coco before she can talk.

"Hmpf." She returns the cup to her face, and downs the coco in less than three seconds.

After which she slams it into the table, takes a seat beside me, and pushes the bowl of raw fish closer to me.

"Now eat."

"I haven't finished my coco yet."

"If you don't..." Her lids fall for a split second before rising.

Following the odd behavior of her lids, is the wobbly motion of her finding purchase on the table.

"If...if..." She shakes her head, trying I would assume to snap out of whatever is plaguing her.

But by the looks of it, her efforts are wasted.

"What...what..." For a split second, her eyes flash, before her lids become heavy again.

She forces herself up, and wobbles to the side of the table she left her cup.

When she reaches for it, she loses her footing, which makes me jolt up my seat, and head to her side.

By the time I reach her, she had already cleaned out the inside of the cup with her index finger and found traces of the substance I put in it.

"wolf's bane." She says with a bare voice laced with astonishment and realization.

At once, she turns to me, searching for my gaze.

But I am unable to give it to her, so I look away.

"whatever...is..." Her voice breaks.

She reaches for me and grabs my collar.

I am forced to meet her gaze, and instead of finding anger or resentment, I find something I believe to be concern.

"don't..." She says and unwillingly shuts her eyes.

Her hand descends, but before it can reach the ground, I catch it and lay it gently beside her.

"I'm sorry Celine." I say, feeling a deep sense of guilt for what I had just done.

But I can't turn back now.

I waste no time making my way into the grand hall and heading towards Rosemary's room.

The run up the stairs had done quick work of my legs, to the extent that by the time I am at Rosemary's door, I feel them burn.

I really need to work out more.

Rosemary opens the door before I can get the chance to knock.

She says nothing to me but looks in every direction, which I know is her looking for Celine.

When she is satisfied, she nods at me, and we get to work.

Both of us head downstairs, and when we get down, I feel like crying for the burn in my thighs.

But luckily for me, the adrenalin pouring throughout my body hides some of the pain I feel.

We head into the kitchen, lift Celine, and take her to my room.

Fortunately, Darius won't be back for two more days.

When we rest Celine on my bed, we head out into the garden.

Being extra careful to avoid being spotted by the guards.

I nod I Rosemary, she gives me a handbag, which I strap over my neck before we both part ways.

She trails the corner of the house, exiting the garden, and heads into the courtyard that makes up the front of the house.

In less than a second, a scream explodes in the direction she went, and the guards patrolling this area instinctively make haste toward the scream.

I smile at Rosemary's effort, a born actress.

Then I head straight for the wall.

Upon reaching it, the height seems to stretch upwards into the sky, making me feel ever smaller.

I shake my head and prepare myself for the task ahead.

Before I proceed, I search my surroundings to ensure there is no one around.

And when that is made certain, I take off my nightgown and shove it into the handbag.

The night's air had never been colder on my bare skin, and the cold seeps deeper into me when I pick out a spritz bottle filled with wolf's bane.

Which I spray on myself.

This should hide my scent from any wolf that may try to track me.

The cold air is prevalent.

"But it won't be for much longer"

I say to myself, and as I speak, my heart starts to pound, erratically even.

Fear grips me, and confusion as well.

I thought I had this, I thought I was fine, I was up until this point, but now, my whole body goes numb.

This, this is all happening, I...I am one step closer.

Closer to knowing what happened to them...

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, then I raise my lids.

As I do so, I feel the gold consuming my pupils.

I call upon my wolf form, and in an instant, my teeth grow.

In length and sharpness.

My fingers extrude claws, and fur starts to line my skin.

I can feel my hair getting shorter, and my tailbone getting longer.

The process consumes me with pain, though I am used to it, it is pain nonetheless.

After what felt like forever, my transformation is complete, and I feel all my senses catch on fire.

I can hear better, see better, smell better, and sense better.

The feeling is euphoric.

The moon casts my shadow onto the wall before me, and it is made evident I am not in my normal wolf form.

But instead, I am in the form of a werewolf, the wolf of an alpha, or a luna.

I am not used to this form, luckily for me, as a Luna, I can choose which wolf form I take.

I don't like the form of a werewolf, I never thought it was beautiful, or elegant.

But I need it, should I be able to scale this wall.

I ready my claws, then at once, I pounce at the wall, trying my best to sink my claws into the stone.

But as I feared, it doesn't go in, and I end up leaving behind a trail of scratches as I descend.

Dammit, dammit.

My ears flicker, and in the distance, I can hear Rosemary, and several voices I assume to be guards.

"We've scouted the entire area, we didn't see or smell anything."

"I swear, I saw something, a shadow, forming into a person."

"We heard, and we checked."

"Harold, you stay and check, I'm going back to my post."

"Same here."

"Yeah, me too."

Sh*t, they are coming back.

I turn my sights to the wall, and it towers still, stretching out into unbelievable heights that make me seem insignificant.

Despite it being just 6 meters.

I have to do this, I need to be stronger, I need to latch onto the wall.

I force myself up, and I try to sink my claws into the wall.

But again, I can't grip onto it, and I fall.

No, no, no.

My ears flicker again.

The footsteps are getting close.

Dammit, I need to be stronger, I need...

My blood rushes, and within me, I feel a sensation most familiar.

My thoughts go back, it's the same sensation I felt three days ago, when I covered myself in fire, and a day before that, when I was at the hospital.

I just didn't notice it because my body and mind were occupied with things most cruel to my heart, but it was there, however faint.

Now, I can feel it, in its full prowess.

A sensation I could describe as adrenaline, mixed together with excessive energy and an electric shock compounded with a mild aching of my muscles, which lights a wild spark in my heart, making it pump three times faster.

I feel several Instincts at the back of my head, several Instincts I am not sure of, and several I am somewhat familiar with.

Some of which are the fire, the barrier, my pack's Nueropath, and an Instinct I used when I was with Rosemary, that drained all my energy.

Feeling that last Instinct further adds to the sensations going through me, but this time it is a shiver that goes up my spine.

That Instinct is somehow frightening to me, but I keep that aside for now and focus on what exactly is going on with me.

The first thing that pops into my head is Darius.

I believe I am channeling his Instincts, but, as opposed to receiving what he is giving, I think I am taking what has yet to be given.

I don't dwell on this, the footsteps are getting closer, so I focus my feelings on the several Instincts coursing through me, and in an instant, I find one I believe can help me.

I settle on it, and as I do, I feel an odd strength growing within me.

My fur stands, and my claws elongate as the sensation floods my entire being.

I feel myself stronger, by a lot.

I don't know what Instinct this is, or what pack it came from, but I'm liking it.

I waste no time leaping on the wall.

And when I do, my claw digs into the stone.

I grin, and as I imagine how I would look grinning with a werewolf face, I become frightened by myself.

I look up, analyzing the height I have to ascend.

When I get a good range on the distance, I push myself up, and I once again dig my claws into the stone.

I don't stop, I keep at it till my motion changes from a frog jump to a full-on run across a vertical platform.

It doesn't take me long to reach the parapet.

But when I am there, I take a single second to bask in the moonlight, as it shines down on my success.

I leap onto the other side while digging my claws into the wall, and sliding down like a zip line.

I make it to the ground, and at once, I change my form, to my normal wolf.

Which is way smaller and more convenient for travel.

After the transformation is complete, I shake myself, feeling all the more better, like I am back in the skin I know, which is the case.

Then I make haste towards the direction my feeling points to, the direction I will find my mate, Elias.