Impersonators

Impersonators
ARIA

Three days come and go, and though it hasn't been all that long, it's like the days are starting to blend together. 

I spend most of my time in my room, but whenever I have the chance, I head outside to see if the old man approaches me again. I haven’t seen him since the day he wrote ‘Wilson’ in the dirt. 

I’ve sent a few letters to Ryder and I’m awaiting his response. I just really want to know how he’s doing. The distance is really putting a strain on our bond. I feel the occasional throb here and there, and I wish I had a way of reaching out to him, but the phones only work within the pack, and I’ll have to rely on messengers who will undoubtedly read all our exchanges. 

I haven’t seen much of Zach in the last few days and whenever we come across each other, he seems…off. I felt it yesterday, and when he stopped by the room in the morning to find out if I needed something, I felt the same thing. 

With each passing day, I’ve been feeling more and more paranoid. It’s either that or it’s intuition. Either way, I’m not sure how to wrap my head around it all. 

Something is terribly wrong in this pack, and I’m devastated that I still haven’t figured out how to do more for the Ironclaws who are dwelling here. 

At around noon, someone brings me lunch, and since I arrived, it’s been the same curly-haired woman named Edith. 

This time, it’s someone else. 

This woman is much older than Edith—I’m guessing around fifty—and she walks like she’s in pain. Her eyes meet mine fiercely, and she lays the tray on the edge of the bed. 

“Thank you,” I tell her after clearing my throat. “I’ll take it downstairs when I’m done.”

She pauses near the end of the bed and clasps her hands in front of her. She opens her mouth to say something, but it’s like a force shuts her back up and her face grows red. 

“Is everything alright?” I ask as I push myself off the wall close to the window. “Do you need help?”

She shakes her head, but her face grows even redder. I then see her wag her index finger at me. She does it a few times and it lets me know that it’s intentional. 

What is she pointing at?

Something washes over me and goosebumps spread across my body. I approach her slowly, terrified that she’ll drop dead because she’s clearly struggling with something and I have no idea what it is. 

“Maybe I should call someone,” I say urgently. Again, with much effort, she moves her finger back and forth. 

No. 

Despair wraps my heart in its fist. I don’t know what to do to help this woman, but it’s clear she needs something from me. Again, her finger moves, and this time, I realize that she’s tapping at her apron. 

It has a wide pocket. Does she want me to look in?

I meet her eyes, take note of her pained expression, and shove my hand inside the pocket. 

If I’m wrong…then I’ll head downstairs and call for help. 

I find a piece of paper and immediately unfold it. The words written on it are barely legible, but I can make out the single sentence. 

Compel me to speak. 

I look at her face and she closes her eyes, almost like the pain is too much for her to bear. 

I don’t waste any time, even if I don’t truly understand what’s going on here. Focusing on that energy deep inside of me, I utter the word, “Speak.”

She lets out a breath and sinks to her knees. I step back quickly, even more alarmed now. I clutch the note to my chest and stare at her. 

What’s going on? Who is she?

She’s dressed as a maid, but she can’t be an Omega, or even Gamma-born. 

Nocturns only have influence over Alphas. 

She reaches for my feet and lets out in between gasps, “You…have…to…help…us!”

“I don’t understand,” I say, remembering the old man I met outside a few days ago. “Who are you? What’s going on?”

She shakes her head and coughs, then shifts so that she’s kneeling beside me. “They’re monsters! All of them! You don’t know what they’ve done!”

“Who?” I ask desperately, thinking about Yarina, Dorson, and Wilson. I think about the old man again, wondering if he was trying to warn me. 

I think he was. 

“The Nocturns,” she spits, eyes meeting mine. “They want to take over. They’re doing terrible, terrible things. Dorson should never have helped them! He felt sorry for them, and now they want what’s ours!”

Wilson? “I don’t understand.”

She rises slowly, reaching out for me to steady herself. I offer her help even though I’m not truly sure if this interaction of ours is safe. I’ll have to trust my gut. 

“You…You’re the one they’re calling the face of the revolution, aren’t you? You’re mated to the Alpha of Ironclaw.”

My heart skips a beat. “Yes.”

She shakes her head. “We were going to help you. We meant it when we said we’d send word. But the Nocturns wanted to get involved, and Dorson, he always had a good heart! He told them to be patient, and that we’d win this war by communicating. That we’d avoid a battle at all costs! He was discussing giving rights to Nocturns and allowing them to live in peace, but they weren’t satisfied! No, they thought they deserved to be in power, and so they killed him!”

Frowning, I ask, “Killed who?”

“Dorson, my mate!” she exclaims. “They compelled everyone. There are Nocturns all over the city, instilling fear in people. They’re controlling my son, Vernon, and forcing him to compel the other Moon Roses to do what they want! You have to help us! You have to find a way to stop them! Only a Nocturn can!”

“How…I think you’re mistaken. Dorson isn’t dead.”

Her eyes widen and her grip around me tightens. “I saw it happen right in front of me. I can still taste his blood in my mouth when I close my eyes! You…I’ve been watching you. We all have. You don’t seem cruel, not like them. You have to help us!”

My head is spinning at this point. “No, you’re mistaken. Alpha Dorson is in Ironclaw. He’s not dead. He’s there with his Beta, Wilson.”

The woman shakes her head so quickly that it scares me. “You don’t understand! Those two…they aren’t who they’re saying they are! They’re impersonators! They’re lying about their identities, and in the end, they’ll take control of all the packs! That’s what they want to achieve! They want the werewolf world to bow to them as payback for all the suffering the Nocturns endured! Alpha Dorson was killed along with his Luna! They spared me and my mate, Wilson! He was the true Beta, not that Nocturn!”

I blink a few times as I try to make sense of all this. The old man…he wrote Wilson on the ground and pointed at himself. 

“You mean to say…what’s your name?”

“Yarina!”

All the blood drains from my face and it genuinely feels like I’ll pass out. 

This…This can’t be happening.

I part my lips to ask her more but a knock on the door makes us both jump.

“Luna Aria? May I come in?”