Chapter 162: Chapter 162
Ophelia’s POV
Casimir looked dumbfounded. “Wait, it… She is…” He swallowed. “Mother... She is a Lycan pup. Not a kin as you said. A true pureblood by the scent of her, yet…”
I realised it might take a while for him to recover from his shock, so I approached the girl with the extra robe I had carried and helped her put it on. Casimir looked away to give the girl some privacy, and as soon as I had fully covered her, he rounded on me.
“Did you know what she was?”
“I suspected,” I answered, sighing lightly. “Let us discuss this later, son.” I gave him a pointed look. This was not the time nor the place. The girl growled low, as though she was informing Casimir that she could hear every word.
“I apologize,” he mumbled, clearing his throat.
Casimir grew quiet after that, and in the quiet, I realised that something about her scent was odd. She was a Lycan alright, but there was something else there as well. Not to mention that she was cold, and smelled faintly of blood. I had never encountered a true vampire in my lifetime, not close enough to learn their scent, at least, so I could not say with certainty what I was catching beneath the surface. And yet…
Before I could dwell on the harrowing thought, the girl’s eyes rolled back. Her small frame went entirely limp, the sheer exhaustion of her months of survival finally breaking her spirit. She would have fallen to the ground if Casimir had not caught her. He lifted her into his arms, deciding to carry her the rest of the way back. The guards were surprised when they saw us return with a strange girl.
“Luna Ophelia,” Fabius called, already moving toward us. “Who is she?” he asked, his nostrils flared, trying to decipher the girl's chaotic scent.
“I will explain later,” I said without slowing my stride.
‘Damien,’ I called through the mate bond.
His answer came instantly. ‘Aye, my heart,’ he whispered, the sheer force of his Alpha presence enveloping my senses, offering a mental hug that temporarily eased the knot in my chest. ‘What do you need? Has the boy succeeded in his trial?’
‘Casimir and I are bringing the pup over,’ I informed him, my gaze drifting over to the sleeping girl whose head was now resting heavily against Casimir’s shoulder. ‘She fell asleep on her way over.’
‘She?’
‘Aye,’ I affirmed. ‘It was not a kin as we suspected. We are entering the courtyard now.’
‘Truly?’ Damien’s mental voice resonated with genuine astonishment, a rare break in his stoic composure. ‘That is excellent news, dear heart. I am glad she decided to follow you this time. The northern outskirts are no place for a lone child.’ Then, his tone shifted, sensing the heavy vibration of dread lingering at the edges of my thoughts. ‘Did you confirm your suspicions, Ophelia?’
‘Aye,’ I sent back, my mental voice dropping into a grave, trembling whisper. ‘I fear she may be a hybrid, Dame. She carries the same shadow that broke Gareth's mind.’
There was a terrible, suffocating beat of absolute silence in the mate bond, long enough that I could feel the shift in him even without words. I felt his concern through the bond. When Damien spoke again, he sounded tense. ‘I am on my way. Do not let anyone near her until I arrive.’
‘Alright, see you soon.’
The girl woke up when we arrived home, just as my son was about to lay her down in the spare chamber. She struck out a clawed hand, momentarily confused by her surroundings. Thankfully, Casimir was skilled enough to duck before she hit him.
“There now,” I murmured. “You have done so well, surviving all this time on your own. But you need not do it alone any longer.”
Casimir leaned closer. “Do you remember anything at all? Your name perhaps.”
For a minute, I assumed she would not answer. But then she whispered, “Noelle. My name is Noelle.”
“Well met, Noelle,” Casimir said. His voice was remarkably steady for a fourteen-winter youth, adopting a softer, more protective tone as he looked at her. “I am Casimir. And this is my mother, Luna Ophelia of the Crescent-Moon Pack. Get some rest, we shall speak more later on.”
I expected a little resistance, but instead she trudged right up to the bed, lay down and was asleep within seconds. Casimir and I exited the room, giving her the privacy she needed to sleep. Once we returned to the lounge, the questions came.
“Why did she run from you and Father? Why did she fear his scent?”
“Because your father is an Alpha of immense power, Casimir,” I explained softly, adjusting the robe around the girl's injured leg. “To a rogue pup who has watched her family slaughtered, a powerful Alpha scent does not mean protection, it means a dominant predator. It means danger.” I turned my gaze back to the shivering girl. “But your scent, Casimir... it carries no such threat. It carries the grief of a survivor. Your wolf spoke to hers, and she recognized a kindred spirit.”
He nodded slowly. “I’m glad I could bring someone else the same comfort you brought to me, mother.” I smiled back. “Do you have an inkling where she may come from?”
I had given it some thought on the way back. “The only packs close to the part of our territory are the packs that like to keep to themselves, but the pack that fits her fur and the direction we had found her den is the Grey Wolves pack.”
Casimir’s jaw tightened. The Grey Wolves pack had been completely decimated four moons ago. The reports had detailed a ruthless slaughter, leaving nothing but ash and blood. She was the only survivor. To see a living remnant of that tragedy standing before us was a miracle.
Or was it? What if I had brought the enemy into our home?