Chapter 17 OTTO FORTNER...?
MERRIELYNN.
When we finally managed to sneak out of the house without being seen, Emorie, Theodore and I ran until we reached the park.
Once we were in the safety of the open space, we burst out laughing, trying to catch our breaths.
“That was fun!” Emorie said between giggles.
“Yeah,” I replied, still chuckling. “You should have seen how fast you were running! Your heels were practically touching the back of your head.”
“I’m not even sure why we ran,” she said, shaking her head with a grin.
Theo laughed along with us, and I couldn't help but wonder how he even managed to keep up with all the running. It was such a lighthearted moment, and after finally catching our breaths, we continued on our way.
After a while, we reached the one place I knew we would find lots of wolfsbane—the park borders.
"I guess this is more than enough wolfsbane we actually need," I announced, staring at the weed of wolfsbane no one ever cared, or dared to pull out.
Emorie squinted at the tangled vines. "Yeah, it’s like a jungle out here. Do you think we can even handle getting them out without getting hurt?"
I shrugged, worry settling in my stomach. "I don’t know. I mean, I could try, but..."
Emorie rummaged through her sling bag and pulled out a bunch of plastic bags, holding them up like a trophy with a proud smile spread across her lips. "Well, we’ve got the bags. Now, who’s brave enough to do the picking?"
We exchanged a look, both of us silently weighing the risks. I bit my lip, imagining how painful this was going to be. Just then, Theo darted past us, and suddenly reached for one of the vines, yanking it with innocent curiosity.
"Wait!" I shouted, my heart racing as panic surged through me. "Theodore, no!"
Emorie’s eyes widened but neither of us were quick enough to stop him.
We noticed Theo did not flinch. Instead, he kept tugging at the vine, his small hands gripping it tightly. We held our breaths, waiting for a reaction from him, but nothing happened and we exchanged glances, equally dumbfounded.
“Well, what do you say…” Em muttered, a smile creeping up to her face.
"Maybe… maybe it doesn’t affect him," I said slowly, realization dawning on me. "He’s still a kid. His wolf hasn’t come in yet. That’s probably why.”
Emorie’s face lit up with a spark of mischief as she turned to me. "What if we have him do it? He can pluck them out without worrying about getting hurt, right? So why not?"
I couldn’t help but smile at the idea and I turned to Theo who was busy playing around. "Theo, come here!" I called, my voice filled with new enthusiasm. "You’re our wolfsbane warrior!"
Theo turned, his eyes wide with excitement. "Really?” He asked as he ran towards me. “I get to be a warrior?"
"Absolutely!" Emorie laughed and winked at him. "Just be careful and don’t touch anything else, okay?"
As Theo eagerly made his way toward the weeds, a sense of relief washed over me. Perhaps today wouldn’t be so overwhelming after all.
After he finished picking the wolfsbane and dumping them in the plastic bags, I crouched down to Theo's level, my heart swelling with gratitude. "Thank you. You were amazing today but it’s time I returned to school. Goodbye, little warrior," I said, ruffling his hair as he smiled and waved us goodbye.
The foster home was close by, so I didn’t need to worry about him getting lost on his way back. As we turned to leave, Emorie and I walked quietly through the forest, careful not to be seen. We quietly discussed how we would use the wolfsbane when, out of nowhere, we spotted a convoy of three tinted SUVs whizz past on the road.
Emorie’s eyes followed the cars through the trees, and I just followed instinctively.
“What are you doing?” I whispered urgently, following after her.
“What on earth is an entourage doing here?” She murmured as she looked on in confusion.
“What’s an entourage?” I asked, craning my neck to get a better view. “And what are they doing here?”
Emorie shot me a look that made me feel a bit foolish. “How do you not know what an entourage is?”
I blinked at her, still puzzled by the sudden question and why we were even talking about this in the first place.
“It’s when high ranked officers are deployed from the palace,” she explained, her tone a mix of disbelief and amusement. “From the looks of things, the Beta was just heading toward your pack.”
“The Beta? The king’s Beta?” I asked in an incredulously loud voice.
“Shh” Em whispered and then nodded, her expression serious. “Yeah, I think he’s finally settling into his role after replacing Otto Fortner two years ago.”
I suddenly froze and my mind went blank.
My heart pounded hard in my chest, and I felt an unmistakable pulse at the healed gash at the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
Otto Fortner.
Why did that name seem so familiar?
“Otto Fortner,” I muttered, trying to remember where I had heard it before, but nothing was coming to mind.
Could I just know him because of his former role as Beta?
But even that I don’t remember.
“Otto Fortner, remember?” Em suddenly asked. “He was the former Beta who was executed two years ago.” She explained, but that didn’t do any good because I couldn’t seem to figure out if I had truly heard the name before.
And why was I suddenly having a headache?!
“Otto Fortner,” I said aloud, the name tasting foreign yet familiar on my tongue.
I quickly searched my memory, desperate to uncover why it pulled at me so fiercely. But I only got even more confused, feeling lost than before.
Emorie glanced up and lifted herself when she spotted a bus. “Come on” she called. “Bus is here, let’s get moving.”
I nodded, forcing my legs to follow her, but I still felt uneasy, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was on the edge of something significant...
Something I should... remember.