Chapter 41 WHERE IS KAELEN?

Chapter 41 WHERE IS KAELEN?
CHAPTER 41. WHERE IS KAELEN?

IRIS'S POV

I am so thoroughly, utterly done with this. In fact, I am frustrated beyond any human measure.

My spine is pinned flat against the intricately carved wooden headboard of Kaelen’s bed, the cold varnish pressing straight through the thin fabric of the pajamas put on me. I am trapped, forced to stare directly up at this so-called lady—this supposed royalty in the high school supernatural hierarchy—who is currently looming over my tensed form. Her golden eyes are burning with a fierce, luminescent fire, and her thick fangs are literally extended over her lower lip, gleaming dangerously under the dim glow of the lanterns. Just inches away from my thigh, her long, painted fingernails have transformed into sharp, curved claws, hovering in the air like unsheathed daggers.

The physical threat is terrifyingly visible, but as the adrenaline spikes in my veins, the image doesn't evoke a mystical monster. It brings none other than Selene to my mind.

God, how I absolutely hate girls who try to make themselves feel like they are the most dangerous things in the room. I know exactly what is going on here. I’ve survived the brutal social warfare of high school corridors long enough to recognize the symptoms. Davina’s aggressive actions are only born of jealousy—the exact same seething, toxic envy that made Selene hate me so passionately back in the human world. It is the same old script, just rewritten with sharper teeth.

I close my eyes tight, letting out a long, slow breath to steady the frantic rhythm of my heart before forcing myself to look back up into her face. I really do not know what this girl is truly capable of doing to me, but the danger intensifies by the second as she leans even closer into my personal space. The air between us grows heavy, thick with the scent of ozone and wild musk.

I watch in horror as subtle, branching veins begin to map themselves out in dark lines across sections of her forehead and temples. Her flawless, glowing skin is slowly turning a coarse, weathered brown, and thick patches of dark fur are actively sprouting along her cheekbones and jawline.

Is she seriously going to fully transform right here, on top of this bed? I blink rapidly, my mind screaming as I press myself harder against the headboard. "I don't... I don't... I don't understand what is going on here," I stammer, my voice breaking into a breathless whisper.

Davina’s lips curl back over her fangs, a wicked, triumphant smile twisting her features. "Of course you obviously know exactly what is going on here, sweetheart. You just have to make this easy on yourself. Reveal your true intentions. Tell me how an ordinary human girl suddenly becomes a supernatural out of nowhere, completely out of the blue. You’re a spy sent to infiltrate the pack, aren't you?"

Her voice rises in volume, booming off the stone walls of the chamber, her tone sharp and demanding as she tries to bully me into a confession I don't possess.

I glare back at her, a sudden, white-hot spark of annoyance cutting through my terror. I am tired of being accused, tired of being trapped, and tired of being handled like a piece of meat. "Please, just go away," I snap all of a sudden, the words slipping past my lips before I can stop them. "I don't want to look at you."

I snap my eyes shut, turning my head sharply to the side to avoid her face. I don't even know what hidden reservoir of frustration made me say that to a literal werewolf, but the defiance feels like a match struck in the dark.

I open my eyes and look back at her, catching the exact moment her expression shifts into pure, unadulterated disbelief. She looks stunned that I would dare to speak back to her.

Then, her shock turns into a feral rage. She lets out a low, guttural snarl that vibrates through the mattress beneath my knees. Her fangs seem to grow even longer, sharper, extending until they look capable of tearing through solid leather. I watch the bones in her nose slowly shifting, the structure flattening out into something distinctly lupine.

A sickening crack echoes through the quiet room as the joints in her right hand pop, her claws extending a fraction of an inch further. Her golden eyes burn with a lethal brightness, her gaze locking onto my throat.

"Okay, fine!" I shout out loud, throwing my hands up in a desperate bid to halt the violence.

Davina freezes, her glowing eyes narrowing as she halts her descent. She stares down at me, waiting.

"I don't know anything, okay?" I cry out, the tears of pure confusion finally blurring my vision. "I have absolutely no idea how I managed to get to this place! Everything is a complete, terrifying mess. I am so incredibly confused! I don't even understand what my own body is doing. We tried to leave, okay? The Elders sent Lyra and the others away, but the second they tried to push me through that cylinder, nothing happened. The spell just died! And then the witch suddenly looked at me and claimed I am some sort of supernatural. That is all I know!"

Davina continues to examine me, her heavily furred eyelids squinting as she processes the panic in my voice. "So... it was the witch who claimed you are a supernatural?"

"Yes!" I reply, my chest heaving as I pant for air. "She’s the one who said it!"

Davina lets out a harsh, mocking scoff, her upper lip curling in deep disgust as she slowly retreats from her predatory stance. "Isn't it completely obvious? I always knew the pack couldn't trust that deceitful witch, even though the Elders are currently trying to force her to work for us in the high chamber. Did the two of you collaborate on this? Has this little 'glitch' been your plan all along?"

My head feels like it is about to physically explode under the weight of her accusations.

What the fuck is going on right now? I stare up at her in absolute disbelief, completely lost in a labyrinth of supernatural politics I know nothing about.

Before either of us can say another word, the heavy oak door begins to turn on its hinges. It opens slowly, the brass latch whining in the silence.

Ciara steps into the bedroom, casually humming a low, dark melody to herself as she carries a small leather pouch. But the music dies in her throat the exact second she takes in the scene before her. She stops dead in her tracks, her dark cloak billowing slightly as her gaze travels from my pinned form to the half-shifted wolf crouching over me. Both Davina and I snap our heads around to look at the intruder.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ciara barks out loud.

The witch looks absolutely, profoundly furious. Her deep violet eyes flash with an eerie, volatile luminescence that makes the lanterns in the room flicker wildly.

With a sudden, violent blur of motion, she is no longer standing by the threshold. She vanishes from the doorway and materializes directly beside the mattress in the blink of an eye. Before Davina can even attempt to pivot, Ciara’s hand shoots out, her fingers locking onto the fur-covered shoulder of the wolf with an unyielding strength. With a powerful, effortless surge of magical force, the witch yanks Davina off the bed and throws her completely aside, sending her sailing across the expanse of the private quarters.

Okay, that was incredibly brutal, I think to myself, my jaw dropping in pure shock as I watch the high school hierarchy get dismantled in a single second. I definitely did not see that coming.

Davina’s back crashes violently against the stone wall with a heavy thud, rattling the tapestries hanging from the crown molding. But she doesn't fall. With the terrifying reflexes of an apex predator, she twists mid-air and lands cleanly on all fours on top of the rug, her chest heaving as she glares back at the witch. Her stance is low, coiled, and heavy with the primal posture of a threatened wolf.

Her claws grow even sharper, scraping against the floor, and a loud, wet crack echoes through the chamber as the bones in her right leg shift to accommodate her rage.

Ciara stands her ground, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she glares down at the beast. "You seriously do not want to test my patience right here, Davina," the witch warns, her voice dropping to a low, razor-sharp hiss. "Do you truly realize whose quarters you are currently standing in?"

At the mention of Kaelen's name, Davina suddenly halts her forward momentum. Her golden, glowing eyes dart frantically around the luxury room, taking in the Alpha's personal belongings and the heavy oak door, as if the reality of her insubordination has suddenly slammed back into her consciousness. She has come back to her senses. She glares at Ciara with absolute venom, and then her eyes dart toward me one last time, filled with a deep-seated resentment.

She lets out a sharp exhale, and I watch in fascination as her biology begins to retract. Her lethal claws recede into her painted fingernails. The golden fire behind her pupils slowly dies out, returning to a normal, muted amber color. The thick, brown fur that had been rapidly sprouting along her jawline and temples slowly reduces, sinking back beneath her pale skin until she looks entirely human again.

She pushes herself up onto her feet, dusting off the fabric of her green uniform with jerky, aggressive movements before glaring down at me with a cold scoff. She marches over toward the doorway, stopping just inches from the captive witch.

"I don't know what kind of game the two of you are actively planning," Davina spits out, her voice trembling with a tensed, bitter rage. "But I promise you, I am going to figure it out. And when I do, the Elders will hear about it."

Ciara simply rolls her vibrant violet eyes, completely unaffected by the threat. Davina brushes past her, but not without deliberately slamming her shoulder into the witch’s frame, the physical impact making Ciara jerk back slightly. Davina exits the private quarters, slamming the heavy oak door behind her with a thunderous thud that rattles the hinges.

The silence returns to the room, heavy and suffocating. Ciara lets out a long, exhausted exhale, her tensed shoulders dropping as she turns around to look at me with a deep, analytical frown.

"And where the hell is Kaelen?" she demands.