Page 24

She smiled again, this time less sad than the first time.

"Anyway, Dad yelled so hard at them that they got really scared and ran away.

Dad's a good yeller, you know. Those kinds that make you wanna shit your panties when it's directed at you.

They never bullied me again. But Dad wasn't taking any chances.

He registered me for self-defense classes so that I can be able to take care of myself. "

"He sounds like a great dad."

"He was. The very best. Since then, I was very good at defending myself.

My instructor even taught me some little tricks that are very mean and can inflict real pain when I'm faced with bigger bullies.

It helped a lot." she shriveled her head to look at him, "You remember that day we met?

I was gonna beat up those bastards that followed me into the bathroom. I was just too drunk to do it."

His cheek widened a bit at that memory, "I remember everything about it. I tried to ignore you there but I just couldn't. Then I hated that I couldn't."

"That was almost five months ago. A lot has happened since then." Shaking her head, she whispered "Feels like I've known you forever."

"Feels that way for me too." A lot has indeed happened in the last five months.

"I've been so into myself that I forgot you were meeting Alpha Degar today. I'm so sorry about that. How did it go?"

His eyes darkened, "My haunch was right.

That leaf does not belong in Naturiah. Also, Degar had to pull so many strings to get real information about that leaf.

Turns out that it can be used to hide smells.

That was why we never get the scent of the killer.

He used those scentless leaves to conceal his scent. "

"Wow," she turned to face him, "This killer must be very skilled and intelligent. Something like that would surely be rare to find. I wonder where he found it..."

"It IS rare to find. According to Degar's source, the easiest way to get a hand on something like that is through the military. "

"The military?"

"Yeah. Which wasn't quite helpful because there are at least hundreds of changelings in the human Army."

"Really? Changelings are also in the army?" She asked, taken aback.

He nodded. "Some are very high officials that also act as spies for us to make sure our people are not being hunted, while the others see it as the perfect opportunity to make good money and also feed their animal form. Instead of hunting and killing good people, they can hunt and kill bad humans."

"Wow. That's a very good idea right there."

"It is. I've told Degar to get me the list of all the changelings that are in the army, and he should also narrow it down to those ones that have come home for one reason or another in the last two years.

That's the duration the Wild Psychopath has been killing in our land.

When he gets the list we will see what we are working with. "

"That is good progress, Wolfe. I'm so glad you made progress in this case that has been eating you alive, even though you are good at hiding it."

"I am glad I made progress too, Ena. It's small but it's more than we've had in the last two years of chasing this bastard."

She nodded. Then a comfortable silence descended upon them.

No one tried to break it. Instead, they enjoyed it. Standing there by the window, Wolfaraine held her in his arms while they stared at the sky and beyond.

"Wolfe? "

"Mmm?"

"I wish he was still alive," she whispered, brokenly. "I miss him so much."

"Sorry to hear that, honey." he kissed the top of her head. "I'm sure he misses you too."

"I hope he is watching over us, protecting us...from up there. I hope he is watching over my mom. His death has broken her. She is having a hard time getting over him...just like I am."

An hour later, Wolfaraine walked down the stairs.

A grief-stricken Ismena was finally able to fall asleep and he was all too happy to see her nod off in his arms. Her grief had been so much, that the wolf felt it on a level that made that part of him restless. All through the time she cried, the wolf had prowled like a caged animal inside him.

When she fell asleep, he'd carried her to her bedroom, laid her down on the bed, and pulled the covers over her. She was sleeping soundly when he left.

Degar was waiting in front of the Tower gates for him.

"Let's go to the Little Home. I tried to get hold of Alphose but I could not reach him." He stated, walking ahead. Degar easily fell into steps with him.

It was a thirty-minute walk from the Tower to the Little Home. When they got to the beautiful cabin hidden in the deepest part of The Cranes woods, the sentinels standing guard there bowed their heads to the both of them and stepped out of their way .

Degar fished out his own keys and opened the door. Inside the house, they passed the living room to the bedroom, Degar used the keys to open the door too.

They walked inside. For a full minute, they stared at the figure on the bed with concern on their faces.

"Do you really think our patient will wake up, Alpha King? Do you really think he will make it?"

Wolfaraine took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving the older man, "I don't know, Degar. The process is a stretch but I had to try it. My blood is being used as a drip for him and The Ring stays three hours, every day, on his finger. He is breathing. Barely, but he is."

"It's three weeks today. He is responding to treatment. Slowly but he IS making progress." Degar conceded.

"He is. Ismena's father is a fighter, Degar. He is alive, for now. Let us all hope he becomes more alive...and stays that way too."