Chapter 112 THE FORGOTTEN LETTER
Percival
A rush of excitement surged through me as I bent down and grabbed a handful of stray letters. They were from both Edeline and me—our communications with each other. I noticed the top letter was one I had written when I was crying; the ink had blurred from my tears. My heart pounded fiercely as anger and frustration welled up inside me. I set that letter aside, the pain still raw, and moved on to the next one. This one was from Edeline.
I had never received such a letter before.
As I scanned it, a sinking feeling gripped me. Edeline would never advise me to be with Tatiana. I felt utterly foolish. Edeline was the embodiment of compassion and intelligence—so giving, with a wonderful sense of humor and remarkable strength. She was powerful, and most importantly, she was mine.
I came across a journal and a sachet of herbal tea bags. I placed the tea bags back into the floorboard and opened the journal, my hands trembling slightly as I began to read.
An entry from a few days ago caught my eye. It detailed how Tatiana had casually walked into the kitchen, causing a stir among her family.
My anger flared as I read further.
Tatiana mentioned that I needed to continue following Z. He had told her that if I wanted to keep Edeline, I had to follow his instructions. They had gathered at the treehouse despite the rules forbidding it. The idea that she relied on him, that he was her partner, infuriated me. I wished she had someone else instead of Z. My affection for Edeline was profound, and I hadn't fully realized its depth until she had chosen her partner.
I had watched them from a distance, worried about Z getting too close, but he had left soon after. He appeared anxious, almost as if he sensed my presence. I had hidden myself in a high tree near the treehouse, using a misty scent to mask my own. It was a trick I had learned to gather information discreetly.
After Z departed, I followed him. He jumped into a motorboat and sped down the lake, so I shifted into my wolf form and chased after him, running along the bank. He didn’t stop until he reached the edge of the pack's territory and entered human-inhabited areas. He secured the boat and vanished into the forest.
I waited through the entire night, observing from a distance. The next morning, after he left on the boat to return to the pack, I swam across the lake and followed his scent to a campsite filled with his lingering smell. It seemed to be his hideaway. But there was another scent mixed with his—Edeline’s.
While exploring the area in wolf form, I found a torn pair of lace underwear. It was damp and stained with soil, a sign of past excitement now tainted by time and neglect. The unpleasant smell of decay was overpowering, but Edeline’s scent was unmistakable.
The discovery left me deeply hurt. I hoped she hadn't become involved with Z. He would never treat her well.
As I continued to explore, a familiar scent reached my nose. It was unmistakably Percival's aroma. My wolf's paws pressed firmly into the ground as I stumbled upon a discarded plastic bag. I couldn’t resist using my claws to tear through the bag, and a foul odor immediately hit me. Inside, I found a tissue, stained with a mix of Percival’s excitement and Edeline’s essence.
My mind raced with the implications. It seemed like they had been together, and the thought of it twisted a knife in my gut. They had either shared intimate moments or engaged in a passionate session of foreplay. Either way, it was a painful realization. Percival was her partner. This should be expected. But it hurt. Percival had betrayed Edeline, and now my sole focus was on avenging the hurt he had caused her. She deserved so much better. She deserved someone superior, someone like me. I valued her friendship deeply, and now, it was something more. My feelings were complicated, but above all, I had a strong urge to keep her safe.
She was an essential part of my life. My wolf regarded her as a member of his pack, not just an ordinary acquaintance.
I gathered the items, shifted back to my human form, and secured the plastic bag to my ankle with a piece of rope I had found at the campsite. My journey back home was long and tedious. Each step felt like a mile, and my mind kept replaying the discovery and its implications.
When I finally got home, I took the items to my room and hid them away. Tatiana asked me about my findings. I told her I had found something but needed to decide on the next steps. I had promised to help her gather information about Z because I wanted to protect Edeline. I hoped that by doing so, I could change her perception of me. I was eager for Percival to be removed from her life. Tatiana would be pleased, and honestly, so would I. For Edeline, I would reject anyone and everyone else without hesitation. My own feelings and the opinions of others were irrelevant.
No one could possibly mean more to me than Edeline did.
I first met Anita during the welcoming BBQ. From the start, I wasn’t fond of her. She didn’t seem like a typical wolf; she had more of a witch-like presence. Her intense black eyes seemed to pierce through me. When Tatiana mentioned my assistance and my connection to Percival, Anita’s eyes lit up with interest. She invited me into their newly shared cabin and offered me a drink she had made herself. Her hospitality was genuine, but her curiosity was intense.
Anita asked me many questions. Despite her unsettling demeanor, I felt compelled to be honest with her. She believed Edeline was the perfect match for me, and that I deserved her. I trusted her words. When she asked if I had discovered anything that could keep Edeline away from Percival, I shared what I had found at the campsite.