Yes, he was challenging her. That person was toying with her. But no more.
Priscilla turned quickly toward the bedroom and reached inside her pants pocket for that thing she'd been given to suppress the rut. At least if it was out she would be safe temporarily. She didn't want anyone else to touch the back of her neck, only Layan, and for that she had to take extreme measures.
He touched that area. He would guard it at all costs because she was Layan's. So without hesitation she took the pill and swallowed it.
Strangely nothing happened. Well, that was positive. So he thought no more and went back to the window and indeed that person was still there and noticing that she was going to follow him he sent himself running.
-Don't even think you'll escape that fast,- she growled and launched herself from that height ending up on the ground in her wolf form. Her bones creaked at the impact but she paid no attention to him.
This time she would not escape him.
So she closed her eyes and concentrated. The sensible thing to do was to use her father's power. To move so fast that it was impossible to follow with her eyes, only that was a double-edged sword and more so for her. She still remembered how she had almost broken her nose and hadn't had time to train it. Maybe it was a good time to start.
So she focused all her senses on that running wolf noticing that he was moving fast, but it wouldn't be like hers. And as soon as she opened her eyes she saw herself moving like the air and landing forcibly and using all the strength of her paws to stop in front of the wolf cutting him off.
It had only been a few seconds but they had moved far enough away from the castle so that they were not visible, but Priscilla was sure that in case of any irregularity Layan's guards would be there. And if the wolf appeared she could have her powers nullified and put him in danger.
-So you got me precious,- the wolf straightened up and smiled.
Priscilla regained her human form and faced him while keeping her claws and fangs dormant. Her mother had taught her well to defend herself in both forms and incredibly this was one of the most lethal.
-Antoin,- she growled, -No, Liam!
The named began to guffaw until he doubled over in his stomach.
-Stupid wolf, he told him. You took your time, but it seems to me that you were wrong again- the wolf raised his eyebrows with a disfigured grimace on his face- Yes I am Liam, but I'm not really here- he bared his fangs.
Priscilla frowned.
-What the hell are you...?
-Why are you talking to me like that, beautiful?- Liam's voice now didn't see the wolf's, rather, his eyes had gone blank for the moment, -Are you upset because you failed again?- Liam was talking to her again in her head.
Priscilla opened her eyes and was petrified.
What was this, Antoin was just a puppet too? So...?
-So you think this wolf's little brother is my current vessel- Antoin spoke again controlled by Liam- No my beautiful wolf. I think you have to think some more but first I want to play some more with you- he smiled.
And it was at that moment that Priscilla felt an immense pain in her stomach that made her fall to her knees on the floor and gasp to keep from screaming. What was that? She looked up and Antoin looked down at her from above and knelt in front of her. He grabbed her by the hair and held her head up. Priscilla was in a cold sweat from the waves of pain that barely let her breathe.
Antoin... no Liam licked her cheek and that was more than Priscilla could resist. Her eyes turned molten avocado and a flash of red echoed beside her and then a halo of fire went in the direction of the wolf who quickly moved away. The fire crashed into the fire and diffused.
But this one wasn't fast enough to keep her from looking down and his feet were frozen. Priscilla smiled sideways as she tried to get up, but she could barely move. Perhaps that was a consequence of the pill.
-You're playing dirty my wolf,- Liam's voice echoed in her mind again as Antoin's body fell forward like a doll, -I told you, I'm not in him, he's just a doll,- she laughed, -I told you, I'm closer than you think and yet you look so far away. You still have a lot to learn.
Something hit his head so hard all of a sudden that his body crashed to the ground. Blood soon soaked his gaze down his head. And his consciousness faded only allowing him to see that besides Antoin there was another pair of someone else's legs.
***
There was an intense smell of blood. Very strong and penetrating, that stunned all her senses. The pain in her head was such that she could barely perceive if she was awake or not. She cursed and ordered her body to react without much result.
She had been attacked from behind, but who had it been. It wasn't the puppy, Antoin was just a puppet, then.
She whimpered and stirred feeling something warm and wet against her. But not at all comforting. She snapped her eyes open.
Red, everything was red, her surroundings, her body, her hands.
She sat up abruptly obviating the strong throbbing that made her close her eyes for a second and feel her own warm blood moving down her temple. But what worried her most was the scene in front of her. She swallowed dryly...
Antoin... was beside her... dead.
And her body was full of the wolf's blood. His hands even with his claws out were soaked in blood. There was a huge, deep wound in the wolf's chest and it wasn't moving.
It was dead... it was dead... had she killed it?
No, she couldn't have. She had been beaten, but then how did she explain that to the alpha who was arriving with his commander and at least five other guards. Because she was in the middle of the scene, with her claws out and the wolf's blood all over him.
Layan stopped dead in his tracks at that and looked from Priscilla to the body of the dead wolf. Her face was indecipherable. But she would not stay that way simply to be accused. She was convinced that it had not been her. Even while unconscious her body was not easy to control. If Layan didn't believe her that meant he really didn't trust her.
So she stood up despite the blood on her body and looked at him seriously.
-I didn't kill him- her gaze met the alpha's.
There was a small lax of time in which no one moved, no one spoke, no one breathed until....
-Priscilla, I told you not to leave the castle- the alpha's words was a stab straight to her chest. Layan sighed and passed by her side taking off his shirt and putting it over his shoulders- Stay with Victore and don't move, we'll talk after this- and knelt down to analyze the corpse.
Priscilla turned her head slightly and looked at Layan. His face was a total block of ice. So he thought she had killed him, that was how he had looked at her. She wanted to snort in irony. Maybe she'd be accused of all the murders in the pack.
Monster.
The word came to her mind again. Maybe they would be right.
She hadn't been able to capture Liam, now everything was back to tangled up and back to square one and she was standing next to a dead wolf and carrying his blood on her.
-I didn't kill him- she repeated again with her gaze forward, but more to herself than to the others who dared not look at her. But she received no answer.
It's okay... she understood.
And the fabric of Layan's shirt fell to the ground as Priscilla's body vanished from there.