Priscilla watched as Layan walked away toward the door given the announcement of the new attack on another pack member. She frowned. Another victim, and she hadn't just found the attacker. For the first time the feeling of guilt assaulted her and it was something really uncomfortable and heavy. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice that the alpha had turned back to where she was.
-Go get something to eat and rest,- he said, cradling her cheek to get her attention.
The she-wolf lifted her head so that her lips were sealed by Layan's in a quick kiss that caught her off guard, and then he left just like that.
Rest?
She had a lot of things to do short of resting. She had to go out and find who the assailant was once and for all. For sure she would smell blood still. So she waited several minutes and went out the back door hoping not to cross her path with Layan or he might truncate her plans.
The first thing she did was turn the castle around widening her search range in her mind by reading those of others. Now that her emotions had been released she found it so easy that she herself was impressed. Thoughts soon flowed to her like a gentle wave intensifying the murmurs she always had isolated in her head.
Lately she had been around Layan so much and being touched by him that she sometimes forgot that her head was an open book to the thoughts of others and it was really uncomfortable. But for some reason, this time, and being stronger she was able to regulate the entrance of these same thoughts.
So closing her eyes she concentrated and entered mind by mind, even of the wolves on duty in higher places... but found nothing. If any had done anything she was sure she would find something. They didn't.
She was a little disappointed even though she knew there were many more wolves to check. And realizing that her mind control was much more agile than before she tried something. Little by little she minimized the sound of the murmurs in her head and suppressed them until, to her own surprise... she managed to omit them. And so a silence reigned within her.
She opened her eyes and staggered. She had to lean against a wall to catch her breath. Using her panoramic mind was something that consumed quite a bit of strength but at least she knew something new. The annoying voices in her head were gone and it was such a relief that she couldn't help but smile... glad. Yes, she already knew what it was like not to have them but achieving it by her own means was on another level.
But of course not everything was always rosy for her and she looked at her hands. They were completely covered with frost and her skin was blue. They hurt and she couldn't move them.
-Damn,- she cursed and centered herself by wrapping them in a faint flame of fire. He grimaced with his face as the blue of his skin turned to a reddish after the frost faded.
Now they were not frozen, but burned.
-Really?- she gasped.
Being as powerful as she was at that moment was not a benefit in every way. Now she had a big little problem and she didn't know how to cure it. Maybe Layan would be around at that moment, but he was busy. She stiffened and memories of the last few days came back to her mind.
The alpha hadn't told her but she had realized she had awakened another power. One that had really hurt. She still felt her skin open and close again even if her memories were a blur. Maybe that power she had awakened was Layan's. It was the most certain thing. If he remembered correctly, it was the one he had yet to awaken.
There was only one problem. He didn't know how to use it.
She shook her head. She would attend to it later and ask Layan for help. For the moment she had limited time so she would focus on her present plans. And seeing that at least in the castle she hadn't accomplished anything she headed for the pack houses. He already had suspicions of who it might be so why wait any longer.
But to his surprise as much to his disappointment... the result was the same.
He frowned painfully. That couldn't be unless it was someone, either of the people she couldn't enter her mind or some of those present checking the body and lastly those who weren't inside the castle and that place.
That left her with a set of about twenty people. Including Kei, Victore, Antoin, Leila, the other wolves and even Layan himself. Though the latter she dismissed. Liam had mentioned that she wanted her to gain access to the alpha so he was off the list.
But... she had sent Kei, Victore and Leila to put the handles on... so she only had one suspect left.
Antoin was possibly Liam.
-Are you sure, beautiful?
Liam's voice echoed in her head.
-Are you going to continue with your games,- she answered him with total calmness. A feeling of rage vibrated in her chest and that's when she noticed that she really hated him. So that's how she felt.
-Sure gorgeous, it's fun to watch you go out of your way to find me. And I must say, it was pretty quick. Let's see how much you accepted- Liam's laughter echoed in her head.
And Priscilla hesitated, she wasn't stupid. If she'd really hit on him she wouldn't be so calm. What had she skipped?
Her head ached. She had to clear her head fast so she walked through the pack to see if she could find him. She had to move cautiously even though she was already aware that Liam was toying with her in some way.
Of course this time it didn't escape her notice that the wolves were still watching her. Now that she had their voices sealed she didn't hear their thoughts nor did she want to. She just had to open her mind to know that the few that were there were still somewhat afraid of her especially after the rumors that she was awakening more powers.
At least now they weren't calling her a monster. Maybe because she was more related to Layan. She didn't know. Nor did she care.
But if she didn't care before now she found it uncomfortable. It was painful, the collective rejection. She was strong. She couldn't focus on that so she suppressed her emotions as best she could leaving aside how bad she might feel.
She walked around looking for Antoin and even asked some young wolves and some female wolves who didn't look at her with such suspicion about him. The males she did not approach. The glare with which they looked at her was much more intense than before.
She raised her arm and sniffed. Hunnnn. That was bad. Her scent was more potent than before. She even smelled her clothes and there was a certain warmth stirring in her stomach. His rut was getting close. She wondered why she had been so far ahead of him. She had no symptoms and at least it would take a little longer.
Perhaps it was because her emotions had been released. He put his hand to his head. Now he couldn't tell if it was because of that or because of Layan's constant stimulation and bites to his neck. He clicked his tongue. Bad timing. He had to do something about that. He couldn't go into heat just yet. Not before he caught Liam. Not before finding Antoin.
She was up against the clock. From the smell of his body and the tingling it should take at least two or three days? She hoped so. Too little time. Shamelessly he approached a she-wolf who was hanging out her laundry.
-Hello,- she greeted politely as she had been taught and flashed a subtle smile on her beautiful face.
The she-wolf turned around and lowered her head when she noticed who she was. Priscilla took a breath and continued.
-She said, -Do you know of anything that can be taken to delay the heat. In both a wolf and a she-wolf?
The woman shook her head and ran into the house. Was she that afraid of him. Again.
-Priscilla felt a voice behind her and found a very young she-wolf behind her.
-What's wrong?- she tried to be polite even though she hadn't liked the first she-wolf's reaction.
She watched as the girl held out her hand with a small red sphere in the middle of her hand. Priscilla hesitated and looked from the hand to the young girl's face.
-But she didn't have time to ask more. The girl grabbed her hand and put it on even though it hurt her a little given the state of her hands. Then she ran off in the direction of the interior of the house. Apparently she was the daughter or relative of that woman.
Priscilla lifted her shoulders and then lifted her shoulders. It smelled sweet. It looked like a small fruit but it also passed for candy. She had to investigate what it was before she took it. At that moment she couldn't trust anyone else but her own intuition, and maybe Layan.
Priscilla kept walking looking for Antoin without much result when something pushed her from behind causing her to fall forward. And that scene seemed so familiar that when she looked over her shoulder she knew who she would find.
-Hello, puppy.