Chapter 3: Chapter 3
1,176 words<html><head></head><body><p>-Vera-</p> <p>Vera? Vera, is that you? What are you doing here?</p> <p>…Auntie Eleanor?</p> <p>Honey, you shouldn’t be here. I thought we would never see you again.</p> <p>I don’t… Where is ‘here’? I can’t see anything.</p> <p>Don’t worry darling, I’ll send you back.</p> <p>I wake up at the crack of dawn the next day feeling incredibly rested. It is sofortable underneath</p> <p>the sheets that I dare not even open my eyes. What was I just dreaming about? I seem to have</p> <p>forgotten already.</p> <p>It’s still raining outside and even though I could go to the gym and use a treadmill for my morning run, I</p> <p>really don’t want to move. I decide I deserve to sleep after everything that happened yesterday but just</p> <p>as I’m about to doze off,</p> <p>Vera? Vera get up. We need to talk.</p> <p>Sofia mind links me, sensing I’m awake. I go radio silent on her.</p> <p>Girl! If you don’t get your ass into my office in the next ten minutes, I’m going in there and dragging you</p> <p>here myself!</p> <p>I still don’t answer.</p> <p>If I go intobor because of the physical exertion, it’s on you.</p> <p>I’m angry she would y that card on me. I grumble and get up to my bathroom to wash my teeth and</p> <p>face. I won’t even bother changing for her, even though it’s the same clothes I left the hospital with and</p> <p>the same clothes I slept in. I brush my hair, put on my tennis shoes and head out.</p> <p>The pack house is deserted this early in the morning. Ie across a few omegas who are busying</p> <p>themselves with breakfast, greet them good morning and make my way to the Alpha’s office.</p> <p>I knock softly on the ancient wooden door. Sofiamands me inside and I’m greeted by our Beta,</p> <p>Thomas, her mate, Alex, and the rude lycan fromst night. My stoic expression gives nothing away,</p> <p>not even how I’m immediately irritated that he’s here. I bow my head in respect at our Alpha and ce</p> <p>my hands behind my back, understanding this isn’t a social call.</p> <p>“Vera, I’m sorry to call you in so early, but we have matters to discuss.” I wait patiently as she gathers</p> <p>her thoughts. “You were right, something was…off… yesterday, but it wasn’t on our side of the border.</p> <p>As the scouts got closer and closer to the border limit, they started smelling blood, lots of it. They</p> <p>merely observed and came back to me. But… ten of them… ten of our wolves hadn’te back and it</p> <p>was gettingte. We were about to send a hunting party to search for them until Eric mind linked me,</p> <p>telling me they wereing in hot with hurt wolves and hurt lycans.”</p> <p>The next one to speak is Thomas, who oversees the hunting parties,</p> <p>“ording to Eric and the other wolves, they came across three lycans very close to our territory,</p> <p>fighting ...something…” he nces at the lycan and continues, “whatever it was, it chased them into</p> <p>our territory and as our wolves defended our border from…it…it also started attacking them. As you</p> <p>saw, some were hurt pretty bad, but none were killed -”</p> <p>“Your wolves saved us, and I am forever grateful for your assistance. I only wish I could be of more</p> <p>help deciphering what the hell was attacking us in the first ce.” Apparently, the brute can speak and</p> <p>not insult us. We all look at him and Sofia speaks next, breaking the awkward silence that had followed,</p> <p>“Vera, did the lycan you operate on say anything about this? About what it might’ve been?” I take a</p> <p>moment to go through the events ofst night in my head, thinking hard on anything anyone could’ve</p> <p>said that could shed light on this.</p> <p>“No, sorry. He came in unconscious and his two friends copsed next to his bed.”</p> <p>“But he did whisper something to you, I saw as much.” I didn’t realize this lycan was also awake when I</p> <p>was treating my patient.</p> <p>“Nothing that could help us now, really.”</p> <p>“What did he whisper?” Asks Sofia curiously.</p> <p>“Mate.”</p> <p>Everyone is staring at me in utter confusion and the lycan narrows his eyes. I feel like this is a foot in</p> <p>the mouth moment and frown.</p> <p>“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any offense, did something happen to his mate?” I ask, not understanding their</p> <p>reactions.</p> <p>“He doesn’t have a mate,” the lycan speaks through gritted teeth. I’m about to reply but Sofia mind links</p> <p>me once again,</p> <p>Was he referring to you?</p> <p>How the hell would I know?</p> <p>Did you feel… anything? When you touched him? When you looked at him?</p> <p>Realization dawns on me. The only time I touched him, with bare hands, I did feel a current beneath my</p> <p>fingertips. Sofia and I just stare at each other, understanding crossing both of our faces. Alex clears his</p> <p>throat.</p> <p>“Well, that’s not very useful,” says Sofia, deep in thought. After a few seconds of silence, she gives me</p> <p>a look I know very well, “Vera could you…ask?”</p> <p>They all stare at her, not understanding what she’s asking of me. The lycan scoffs probably thinking</p> <p>she means for me to ask his friend. I smile gently at her and bow my head, she returns my smile and I</p> <p>take my leave. Sofia is my best friend, and she has seen first-hand how connected I am to nature.</p> <p>She’s asking me to ask the forest.</p> <p>The rain has turned into a drizzle as I run towards the edge of the forest. Once I’m about half a mile in,</p> <p>I bare my feet and crouch down; one hand goes into the soil, the other open palm onto the deepest-</p> <p>rooted tree I could find. I breathe in, every hair on my body standing to attention. My nostrils re once</p> <p>again as I turn my head on the direction the wind is blowing. I start getting shes, images, emotions,</p> <p>all conveyed through the wind and the soil. I dig deeper, wanting more, wanting answers.</p> <p>Suddenly, I see it all too clearly. Something invisible, made obvious only through faint shadows and</p> <p>prints on the ground, viciously attacking a big group of lycans; crushing, scratching, biting, gruesomely</p> <p>tearing into flesh, and helpless lycans whimpering in pain. There were many more, but only three made</p> <p>N?velDrama.Org ? content.</p> <p>it to us. I see many lycans dead on the ground, and others taking theirst breaths without even</p> <p>knowing what happened. The grass is littered with bodies, extremities, and so, so much blood.</p> <p>I stand up abruptly, not wanting to see more. I had begun to cry through the vision and now I can’t stop.</p> <p>I feel their pain as if it was my own. I hug myself, trying to regain some warmth after what I just saw. I’m</p> <p>shaking uncontrobly and my breaths are shallow. What beast could do so much damage? To lycans</p> <p>of all creatures?</p> <p>After a few minutes, Ipose myself enough to concentrate on Sofia,</p> <p>Sofia</p> <p>Vera, did you get anything?</p> <p>Yes, but you’re not going to like it.</p> </body></html>