Chapter 105 PAUSE
WILLA’S POV
As soon as I entered the lounge room, I was welcomed by a soothing scent of freshly steeped tea and a question uttered by a calm and serene voice that had grown familiar to me in the last several days.
“The kids?” Zuleika asked without bothering to tear her gaze away from the porcelain tea cups she was filling with golden-hued tea.
She and Maliya had quickly arrived in Wolverham after I had desperately asked Sarina to summon them through her spiritual familiar in the wake of Gallahan’s rampage against the rogue wolves and creature hunters. The two witches had then been staying in the Manor ever since.
While it was a bit awkward between us at first, I still found that it was good and relieving to have them here.
After all, the Alfiero Manor no longer kept any stock of the Wolf’s Draught, the potion that could induce shifting to werewolves, since the end of the war. We had no need for it since…
Well…
Since there were no longer any war comrades or packmates getting fatally injured or dead in their werewolf forms.
On top of that, while Sarina was a master in potions in her own right, she was unfamiliar with the kind of elixir needed to counter and eradicate the effects of the rogue wolf’s blood in Gallahan’s system.
But Zuleika and Maliya both knew how to brew it. In fact, they each had two vials of the elixir ready at hand.
As if…
As if they just knew Gallahan would need it one day.
The possibility wasn’t unlikely. They must be intimately familiar with Gallahan's tendency to lose grip and go on a rampage against his enemies. So I reckoned they had a plethora of different remedies ready for him.
It was admirable of them as it was worrisome for Gallahan. Because even though it was a testament to their strong bond, it was also a tell-tale sign of his recklessness and penchant for violence.
Even then, I hadn’t dared to make a remark about it.
The last thing I wanted was to ruin the budding friendship I was slowly nurturing with these two brilliant ladies.
“They’re with my parents,” I replied, plopping down on the armchair adjacent to the one Zuleika was occupying.
She handed me a teacup, which I accepted with a murmured thanks.
“And? How was their sleep? Still fraught with nightmares?”
I hummed. “Not as much as before, fortunately. The sleeping potion you specifically brewed for them helped a lot.”
Zuleika smiled over the rim of her teacup. She took a delicate sip, sat the teacup on its saucer, and said, “Sarina deserves half of the credit for it, Willa. While I am adept in tweaking potions to suit a werewolf, it’s Sarina who’s more knowledgeable about the twins’ constitution, medical history, and diet. So we were able to adjust the potion accordingly for them.”
Maliya, who was sprawled on the couch without little to no care about decorum, piped in, merrily saying, “It was a right challenge for Zee. She hadn’t made potions specifically for young werewolves before.”
Zuleika blushed, looking equally abashed and indignant. “But Sarina and I knew what we were doing with the potion. You need not worry about any probable side effects as long as it is taken in proper dosages. I would never allow anyone, especially young children, to consume something I am not sure of its efficacy or safety.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Zuleika’s flustered display.
“I am aware,” I assured, pouring in sincerity in my tone. “Gallahan is a dear friend to you so I was—and still am—confident that you would see and care for our children as if they’re also yours.”
Zuleika’s cheeks pinked further but said nothing in return.
Maliya, though, picked up the dying conversation with little finesse. “The poor little sweetlings looked peaky the day we arrived. It’s a relief they’re getting more sleep now. How about their appetite?”
“Could be better,” I replied, my shoulders sagging a little. “They’re too worried about Gallahan to have much appetite, leaving their sustenance to be half-anchored on nourishing potions at the moment.”
“What about you?” Zuleika asked quietly, her eyes peering at me with a certain glint as if she was trying to see right through me. “How are you, Willa?”
I stilled, not really expecting such a question.
The past few days were hectic and chaotic for me.
Even though my family had fussed about my well-being to a certain extent, I had told them over and over again that I was fine. That my children and my mate needed me.
When I wasn’t soothing Calisto and Gillian from their horrible nightmares or cajoling them to sleep again or eat more, I would be looking after Gallahan, making sure that healing salves were reapplied, his bandages were changed, and his potions were taken. I wanted to see for myself that all was well with him and that he was as comfortable as he could be in his wretched chained-up state.
And if I wasn’t doing any of those things, I would be passed out from the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that was already so bone-deep that I wasn’t quite sure how I could possibly recover.
That was why in the five days that Gallahan spent in unconsciousness, I hadn’t truly had any opportunity to pause and actually process everything that had happened, leaving me unprepared to answer Zuleika’s question.
I finally drank the tea in my hand, slowly taking a long sip to buy myself a few seconds to gather my wit and weave a coherent response.
But even when the warm drink slid down my throat with ease, a lump still found residence there, making it difficult for any response to clamber out.
“I…” I started to say, my voice quaking under the weight of my emotions.
Thick and heavy silence shrouded the room for a few seconds that seemed to contain infinities between them. Zuleika and Maliya didn’t seem to mind, though. They remained patiently quiet as they waited for me to get my answer out.
Finally, after I harshly cleared my throat, I was able to admit in a delicate murmur, “I don’t know…”
Gently, Zuleika pried my teacup from me and set it down on the center table. She then grounded me with a firm clasp on my hands, which I hadn’t realized were shaking.
Suddenly, I was wrapped in an unfamiliar but warm embrace, and Maliya’s voice softly said, “Let it all out, love.”
It was only then that I noticed the steady stream of tears on my cheeks.
But fate had never favored me. Not even the slightest.
That was why Sarina came into the room, bearing big news, before I could get a chance to allow myself to fall apart.
“The Alpha King is here.”