Chapter 14 Out of the House

Chapter 14 Out of the House
The walk to Wilhelmina’s cottage is loud in a way the forest rarely is. Because now she can hear the tiniest sounds that she could not before. The chirping of the birds furthest in the tall trees, the little pitter patter of feet of those critters as they gather some sustenance for their winter period.
The trees stand tall and watchful, their leaves whispering against each other in a faint breeze.
Normally she would find comfort here as she walks past the brambles, happy to be out of the house and going to Wilhelmina's place at that.
Today is kind of an exception. The noises presses against her ears, reminding her too much of the opposite, the hush that fell over Rhea’s room after the screaming stopped earlier, after they'd all realized today is the day she got her own completed part.
Every step she takes only sharpens the memory.
Rosetta’s trembling hands, Rhea’s pale face and Mr. Hanxton’s strange and always resigned calm.
None of them would look at her properly, and the strange tension in the room clung to her skin long after she stepped outside.
They’re hiding something, her wolf murmurs. And you know they are.
I know, Amaris answers silently. But I don’t know what.
'Wanna go back and maybe spy on them? With such sharp ears, surely we can pick something up without having to go too close?'
Amaris actually seems to give it some thought, and seeing some sense in that suggestion, she nods, turning around as a soft shriek pierces the air.
She looks around for the source of the noise, then a soft thud at a nearby tree pulls her attention to the area where she ends up, bending to the foot of the tree.
Right there at the foot of the tree lay a twitching red wolf. Whatever is wrong with it does not seem to be on the physical side as it's eyes lol from one side to the other, it's claws still twitching as though grabbing on to invisible ropes in the air, to no avail anyway.
Forgetting her earlier resolve to head home, and seeing the pitiful look in the animal's eyes, she bends down to next to it.
With a sympathetic look, she takes off her gloved hands and strokes the wolf's fur around it's neck...
Unknowingly to Amaris, the back of her neck flows softly before fading again. While the wolf on the grassy land slowly stops twitching until it stops.
Feeling bad about what just happened, she rises to her feet and turns to leave but a sound has her turning around.
Where the wolf had been seconds ago is now empty!
She frowns, looking around but it's nowhere in sight. It's just gone...
Choosing to not bother herself with whatever just happened, she tightens her grip on her cloak as Wilhelmina’s cottage finally comes into view... Oh, she'd gone the rightly wrong way than intended...
Her wolf, sensing her inner sadness does not say anything about returning home but just settles inwardly, waiting for what comes next since the day has been a whole package of thrillers.
Smoke curls gently from the chimney. Bright fabric hangs from a line near the window, fluttering in the wind. A cat naps on the step, tail flicking lazily.
The moment Amaris approaches, the cat’s ears perk up. It takes one look at her… then darts inside the house at full speed.
Amaris sighs ruefully. “Great. Even animals run from me today.”
'Maybe it smelled me?' the wolf suggests.
"Fantastic. That helps so much."
They share a wry laugh.
She lifts her hand to knock, hesitates for a second, then knocks softly. The door swings open almost immediately.
Wilhelmina fills the doorway in a swirl of blue skirts and dark curls. Her eyes widen into a friendly welcome at the moment she sees Amaris on her doorstep.
“Well, look who finally decided to visit on her own,” Wilhelmina says, voice bright and warm. “Good morning, love. Why do you look like someone dropped a bucket of cold water on your head?”
Amaris tries to smile, but it falters halfway. “It’s been… a strange morning.”
Wilhelmina steps aside to let her in. “Strange is what we call it when a cake sinks or a chicken lays an egg the size of my fist. You look more like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Amaris enters quietly.
The cottage smells of herbs and freshly baked bread. It feels safe, too safe compared to the sharp, frantic air inside the Hanxton home.
She watches as Wilhelmina gathers some clothes from a chair, she takes some of them from her, folding them but her fingers fumble.
Wilhelmina watches her carefully. “What really happened?”
Amaris presses her lips together. “I… got my wolf today.”
The cloth slips to the ground from Wilhelmina’s hands.
“You what? That's a buttload of congratulations you deserve!” the choice of words make Amaris burst into laughter.
“I woke up today and she was there,” Amaris says softly. “And they… they weren’t happy about it. At all.”
Wilhelmina blinks at her, her happiness dissolving into confusion. “Your wolf is here, and the Hanxtons were upset?”
“Terrified if I had to put a word to it,” Amaris corrects quietly.
Wilhelmina straightens her back. “Terrified of you? That lot isn’t terrified of anything except dirt under their nails.”
Amaris sinks onto a wooden stool. “I don’t understand it either.”
Her wolf sighs deeply. 'They know something. They know exactly what this means.'
"What does it mean?" Amaris asks.
But her wolf goes silent again, unable to answer the question.
Before she can press further, a firm knock echoes at the door.
Wilhelmina stands, wiping her hands on her apron. “Who on earth visits this morning, looks like it's my day of unexpected visits haha…”
Amaris watches as she pulls the door open.
The world narrows for a moment as soon as Amaris sees who's standing at the door.
A tall man stands on the threshold, broad shoulders filling the frame, dark hair slicked back as though he’d left the palace only minutes before.
His familiar gait hits Amaris instantly, a familiar scent and eye color, heavy ones she had drowned in the night before, the one that had muttered so closely to her neck as though he would have loved to take a big bite from her skin.
Her breath hitches as her wolf rises sharply in her chest.
Jon.
Beta Jon.
The Beta blinks once at Wilhelmina, then his gaze shifts inside the cottage to the lady staring at him wide eyed.
His eyes land on Amaris.
And just like she's surprised to see him, everything inside him stills.
Recognition sinks into his expression, slow and deep, like a weight dropped into water. His nostrils flare. His eyes widen, not in surprise… but in something closer to instinct remembering what the mind had not fully processed.
He had been buried in her neck last night.
She feels heat rush up her throat at the memory.
Wilhelmina’s eyebrows lift. “Well… someone important is visiting.”
Jon does not look away from Amaris. His voice is lower than she expects when he finally speaks.
"Hello there Mum, who'd have thought stopping here for a minute would reduce the extent of the walk I had ahead of me."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I was headed to the Hanxtons for her, but good to see her here. I need to speak with her.”
Wilhelmina glances between them, then moves aside with surprising speed. “By all means. Come on in.”
Amaris’s heart slams against her ribs. She stands slowly, her legs unsteady.
Jon steps inside with controlled movements, like a predator choosing not to make noise even though he easily could. He stops only a few feet in front of her.
His voice is steady, but his eyes flicker with something she cannot name. “You shouldn’t be here at this time but it's all good for me.”
She swallows. “I’m not alone.”
He tilts his head slightly, gaze brushing over her face, starts to stroll down but he catches himself in time. “You seem different somehow, I can't put a finger on it.”
Heat floods her cheeks. “I… I got my wolf.”
Jon goes still again. His breath catches almost imperceptibly.
“That explains a lot.”
Her wolf pushes against her chest, thrilled. 'Oh, he remembers you. This is going to be fun.'
Amaris mentally shoves her and her sarcastic comments to the back of her head.
Jon clears his throat once, eyes sharp and assessing. “There was an order sent from the palace. Every unmated eighteen year old wolf must be accounted for at the Palace by sundown. They sent me to begin the rounds.”
Wilhelmina bristles. “She hasn’t even had lunch yet.”
Jon’s gaze returns to Amaris but it's obvious he's responding to his mother and talking to Amaris at the same time. “I can't flout orders, so she'll need to come with me no matter what.”
Amaris’s pulse jumps. “Why?” she whispers.
He hesitates, and she sees it in the way his jaw shifts, in the slight tightening around his eyes. He knows something, something he is not sure he should say.
Then softly, quietly, he answers.
“Because the king has been searching for someone just like you and every eighteen year old out there.”
Her wolf laughs, delighted. 'Oh, this just keeps getting better... Now we're looking at going to the palace again? Maybe we'll come across that man again.'
Conscious Amaris stands frozen in Wilhelmina’s large cottage, staring at Beta Jon while the world tilts just slightly beneath her feet.
Everything is changing faster than she can breathe.