A sharp gasp slipped through her lungs as her eyes snapped open. She immediately burst into a fit of coughing, her throat burning.
It was cold, so cold, her entire body. She tried moving but felt numb all over. That was when she noticed it, the wetness under her back.
Oh yes, the memories came flooding back that instant. She was attacked by a Lycan and on the verge of dying, then she passed out.
What happened after?
Where was the Lycan?
From the corner of her eyes, she noticed something lying beside her. Slowly turning her neck to look, her eyes widened.
Torn and shredded flesh. It was the dead Lycan, at least what was left of it. Gathering her strength, she pushed herself up, ignoring the pain that shot through her entire body as she stood.
She checked her stomach to examine her wound, but to her surprise, it was gone. The same thing with the one on her leg.
"No way," Camelia muttered.
That Lycan had cut her so deep. There was no way she could have healed from that. She glanced at the dead body again.
Both legs had been torn off, its chest ripped wide open, organs all over the floor.
A sharp headache hit her and she stumbled backward, holding her head.
"What the hell happened here?" she muttered, bending in pain.
'This was me saving our lives. You should be down on your knees thanking me,' a voice suddenly said in her head.
Camelia gasped and stood upright, her eyes darting around as she searched for the source of the voice.
"Who's here?"
'Stupid girl. I'm in you. I am your wolf,' the voice spoke again, this time annoyed.
"What?" Camelia asked, still in shock.
'I cannot believe I have been trapped in the body of a weakling. Tch.'
"I... I didn't know you could speak," Camelia said, ignoring the insult.
'Unsurprising of you to think that way, foolish girl. I was bound, but I'm free now at last.'
"Bound?" Camelia repeated.
'Yes, foolish one. Do I need to spell it out?'
Camelia never knew her wolf was capable of speaking. She was mocked and told her wolf was mute because she was cursed, but all this while, it was just bound.
There was one question on her mind. One question that scared her to even ask. Was her mother aware of this?
'Yes, she knew.'
"I did not ask the question yet, and you're wrong," she said, shaking her head in denial.
"There's no way she could have known," she said, trying hard to convince her wolf as well as herself. "She wouldn't keep it a secret from me if she knew."
'Hahaha...' her wolf laughed mockingly. 'You poor little fool. The truth is staring right at you, and yet you can't see it, just like how you failed to notice our mate.'
Camelia's eyes went wide. "M-Mate?" she stammered, the new information hitting her like a cannon.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
There was no response.
"Answer me..."
Still no response. Her wolf had gone silent. She still needed answers to her questions. In fact, she needed all the answers to all her questions.
Camelia clutched her chest, squeezing her dress in her hand. Was she being selfish for wanting all the answers now?
"Camelia!"
She heard someone shout her name from outside. She recognized the voice. It was Dart. Her gaze drifted toward the dead body on the floor. She walked over to the torchlight and picked it up, striding to where the body lay.
Her palm immediately flew to her mouth when she saw the condition of the body. Part of the Lycan's face had turned back to human, making it morphed in a horrified way, coupled with the claw mark that cut so deep that the skull could be seen.
Her eyes moved downward. Most of the organs were on the ground.
Did she really do this? From the looks of it, it seemed like she had taken her sweet time prolonging his death.
She turned her face away, the urge to puke overtaking her as she bent forward and vomited.
Bam.
The door was broken open, and Dart entered. His entire body was tense and alert. The moment his gaze landed on Camelia throwing up, he ran over to her, holding her.
"Are you okay?" he asked when her vomiting ceased.
Camelia managed to nod.
"I was so worried when I smelled the blood," he said, his eyes examining her for any injuries.
He couldn't find any, despite the blood all over her. She was literally drenched in it. He immediately pulled her into his arms, hugging her.
Almost losing her life was one thing, but she never imagined that she would take a life that brutally. She began to sob in his arms, her shoulders shaking as she cried.
"It's okay. It's okay," Dart said, trying to calm her as he rubbed her hair, not minding the blood.
It was at that moment that he finally saw the body. His eyes widened for a moment.
'The blood on her body. Did she do that?' he thought in shock, despite finding the idea that she could have killed a Lycan on her own ridiculous.
....
After the rogue attack the previous night, Alpha Caden called for an urgent private meeting the next morning. It wasn't like he had much of a choice. The Draven family had questions.
His Luna was present, as well as Councilman Edgar. The meeting was being held at his home.
While Lucas sat at the table with them, Ian simply stood by a corner like he had no interest in being there, but he was more than interested in hearing what lies the dogs would spout.
"Despite what you may think, we had no idea the rogues could transform into Lycans," Alpha Caden started. "This is a new development, which also came as a surprise to us."
Lucas said nothing. For a moment, he remained silent, simply staring at them with a calculative look.
Then he spoke.
"Alpha Caden Wilder," he called the Alpha by his full title. "Is it a virtue of an Alpha to lie through his teeth?"
Alpha Caden fell silent. He couldn't just respond carelessly. Their last meeting taught him something. Speaking foolishly in the presence of a pure blood vampire was not a wise idea.
Sensing the tension, Luna Grace cleared her throat, deciding to speak.
"Forgive us. We did not have all the information before, but we had an idea about the rogues' mutation. We did not mention it because we were afraid your family would not take our request," she bowed her head to apologize.
The room fell completely silent. Councilman Edgar's mouth was left open in shock at the Luna's meek attitude. Alpha Caden also wore a similar look of surprise.
"Pfft," Ian chuckled from the corner where he stood, drawing everyone's attention to him.
When his laughter finally ceased, his eyes fell on Luna Grace.
"You are quite the diplomat. You even managed to leave my brother speechless," he commented.
"Usually I would leave the talking to my brother," he continued. "But since the situation has come to this..." He paused, passing Lucas a glance, who now had a small frown between his brows.
"I have decided that we will listen to whatever you say, and if it is the truth, we will stay and continue this job."
He stepped forward and took a seat directly opposite Luna Grace.
"The ball is in your court. Though I must warn you," he said, his eyes darkening. "Whatever you say here must be the truth."
Alpha Caden smiled nervously as his hand crept under the table, squeezing his wife's leg. His effort to shut her up was completely ignored.
"Okay," Luna Grace agreed with a smile.