The confession echoed on the deserted road, enveloping us in a truth I wasn't prepared to face. My eyes met Caleb's, seeking answers beyond immediate understanding.
“What?” I whispered, my mind struggling to process this revelation. Caleb sighed again, apologies lingering in his expression.
“When I met Zora, years ago, something inside me inexplicably connected to her. I was marked as the destined wolf, meant to protect her, to serve her,” he explained, with a certain nostalgia. “However, the Alpha King's daughter getting involved with a recently banished wolf was not part of the plan, so Garnet hired Jeff to get rid of me once and for all, but I managed to escape.”
Hunter returned to our side, observing the unfolding events. I stared at him, seeking answers in his eyes.
My mind was filled with questions, but one in particular echoed louder. “Why, Caleb? Why lie about something so important?”
Caleb sighed once more. “I didn't know how to explain. I wanted to protect Zora, to protect all of you. I didn't want you to think I was involved.”
Hunter, watching the scene, intervened. “But that's where you are, you are involved from the beginning.”
My gaze shifted to Hunter, who maintained a firm posture, eyes fixed on Caleb.
“Hunter, are you accusing Caleb of being involved in the kidnapping?” I asked, trying to grasp the gravity of the allegations.
Hunter nodded. “I was suspicious, Fierce. But after what Jeff said, there's no doubt. Caleb was sent to distract us, to weaken us.”
Caleb laughed, a sound laden with cynicism. “Hunter, you're delusional. I have no reason to get involved in something like this.”
Hunter crossed his arms, remaining unwavering in his accusations. “You can deny all you want, Caleb, but the truth is clear. You were a pawn in this dirty game.”
“Fierce, you need to understand,” Caleb intervened, with a tone of justification. “Jeff was right about one thing. This is Hunter's game. He would do anything to have the triplets in his pack, even kidnap them.”
Caleb's words were a shock to me. Hunter, whom I had placed my trust in, was now being painted as the mastermind behind all this intrigue. My mind spun, trying to reconcile the image I had of Hunter with the dark narrative unfolding before me.
“This is absurd,” I murmured, unable to accept the idea that Hunter would have orchestrated the kidnapping of his own children.
Caleb approached me, his gaze piercing. “Fierce, open your eyes. Jeff was working for someone powerful; who could be more powerful than an alpha king? And Hunter is the one who would benefit from this chaos. He's powerful, and cunning; after all, the triplets are his. He wants the triplets in his pack, no matter the means he uses to achieve that goal.”
I was in the midst of a war of words, forced to choose whom to trust. Hunter remained silent, watching Caleb and me.
I was between two men, Hunter and Caleb, each with their own version of the truth.
Hunter, serious, approached Caleb, offering him a simple sandwich. His determined expression indicated that something serious was happening.
“Eat,” ordered Hunter.
I was confused, not understanding the reason behind this seemingly simple gesture. “What are you doing, Hunter?”
Hunter looked at me and, seriously, explained: “I'm testing something.” He turned to Caleb. “Eat.”
Caleb, suspicious, looked at the sandwich. “This makes no sense at all. Why the hell would I eat this?”
Hunter stared at Caleb, undeterred, and repeated the order. “Eat the sandwich.”
Curious and concerned, I questioned why Hunter was insisting so much. It was then that he revealed his suspicions, a theory that turned the situation into a race against time.
Hunter, with piercing eyes, revealed his suspicions. “If my guess is correct, the sandwich, the water we drank, the dinner, everything Caleb offered so far, is contaminated with Wolfbane.”
My heart raced. I knew what Wolf Bane was. It was a poisonous plant, deadly to werewolves. It could weaken them enough to capture them or, in higher doses, lead them to death.
“Wolfbane? But why?” I asked, looking at Hunter.
Hunter gave a piercing look to Caleb. “To weaken us, capture us, or even kill us.”
Caleb, incredulous, rejected Hunter's accusations. “You're out of your mind, Hunter. I would never do something like that.”
Feeling torn between Hunter's words and Caleb's defense, I decided to intervene. “Why, Caleb? Why would you do this?”
Caleb looked at me, his eyes loaded with sincerity. “I didn't do any of this, Fierce. Hunter is making it all up just to divert attention from himself.”
Hunter remained impassive. “Eat the sandwich, Caleb. If it's clean, I was wrong, but if it's not, at least we'll know the truth.”
“You're crazy, Hunter. I would never do something like this,” Caleb protested.
Hunter stood firm in his conviction, and Caleb's choice would be revealing. The fate of the triplets, and our survival, all depended on the next decisions.
“I know what you are, Caleb, and I know what you did,” said Hunter, keeping a serious demeanor. “Eat the sandwich, prove that I'm wrong.”
“I have nothing to hide. Hunter, this is absurd,” Caleb protested, refusing to bring the sandwich to his mouth.
But Hunter remained unyielding in his determination. “You want to protect Fierce, don't you? Then prove that you're not involved in this.”
I looked at Caleb and added, “You know what Wolf bane is and what its effect is. Eat the sandwich.”
Caleb reluctantly took the sandwich, glanced at Hunter with suspicion, and finally took a bite. The ensuing silence was deafening, everyone waiting for Caleb's reaction. However, he immediately spat it out, confirming Hunter's suspicions.
“Are you happy now?” Caleb spat out the sandwich pieces.
Hunter stared at Caleb coldly. “You've been poisoning both of us from the beginning. Why, Caleb?”
Caleb, with a bitter smile, said, “I wanted to make sure you wouldn't interfere.”
I fixed my gaze on Caleb, trying to understand the anger overflowing from him. “What are we interfering in, Caleb?”
“You interfered with everything!” Caleb exploded. “In my life since that night in Denver, six years ago. You made me be banished.”
Hunter tried to explain, but Caleb interrupted, pouring out his resentment. “You are to blame, Hunter, as Alastair's son. You could have prevented my banishment; we were friends.”
“I'm sorry, Caleb. I tried to stop it,” Hunter defended himself, but Caleb's fury showed no mercy.
As if that weren't enough, Caleb leveled another accusation. “And on top of that, you took my promised she-wolf, Zora. She was mine, Hunter, and you took her.”
My patience was wearing thin, and I insisted that he calm down. But Caleb was determined to reveal his bitterness, promising revenge. “I'll calm down when my plan is complete, when you, Hunter, feel what it's like to lose those you love.”
Hunter, still trying to keep his composure, retorted. “You're not doing this alone, Caleb. Who is helping you in this plan?”
Caleb, with a dark smile, replied, “You know very well who is helping me, Hunter. She knows how to manipulate not only plants but also those who consider themselves immune to her influence.”
I tensed upon hearing those words, my mind working quickly to understand. Who would have such abilities? A sorcerer? A wizard? Or perhaps someone who learned these skills from healers and Peeiras?
Suddenly, the pieces fell into place, and I whispered the name that hung in the air like a sinister shadow.
“Ignis,” I uttered, the word escaping my lips like a revelation.
The idea that Ignis was involved was disconcerting. A Peeira, a fairy, involved in manipulations and poisons? However, the connections began to form in my mind. Ignis's magic, her profound knowledge of nature and elements. She had the means to orchestrate something so elaborate.
“Why would Ignis do this?” I asked, seeking to understand the motivation behind her actions.
Caleb just smiled, a triumphant smile mixed with a touch of bitterness. “It doesn't matter who she is; what matters is that she's doing this because she believes it's what must be done.”
Hunter, maintaining a serious stance, intervened. “What is your goal, Caleb? Why are you doing all this?”
The smile on Caleb's lips widened, revealing sharp fangs. “My goal now is to get rid of both of you,” he replied, his words sounding like a growl.
Suddenly, before our eyes, Caleb began to transform. The imposing and threatening wolf emerged in his place. The metamorphosis was a spectacle of brute force, and the wolf's wild gaze reflected Caleb's bitterness.
Hunter, instinctively, positioned himself in front of me, protecting me from the furious wolf. Caleb's body was now a machine of muscles covered in thick fur, and his eyes gleamed with fierce intensity.
“You've chosen the wrong path, Caleb,” said Hunter, his deep voice resonating in the air.