Chapter 52: Chapter 52

ADELIE

I spun around. A massive shadow loomed over me. It was shaped like a decaying skeleton, but it was composed of roots, and it seemed to hover in a cloud of black dust.

It appeared sinister, its chest rising and falling as if it were breathing, emitting a shrill sound with each exhale.

I didn’t know where to focus. Its head, which looked rough yet seemed to emit steam? Its legs, riddled with holes? Or perhaps its elongated fingers that extended to its knees, ending in sharp points.

But it wasn’t alone. Behind it stood my familiar root creature, who now seemed like the embodiment of goodness in comparison.

I attempted to approach them, but they retreated. I didn’t command them or banish them, but they both sank deep into the earth, leaving everything as it was.

It was as if the grass hadn’t been disturbed. Every tiny stone was in its original place. If someone had suggested I’d imagined it all, I might have believed them.

A sharp sensation pricked my shoulder where the thorn had been. What was going on? This couldn’t be normal.

“Yeah, that’s weird,” I muttered, walking away, hoping to leave it all behind, even though there was nowhere to escape to.

The creature had vanished, but I was at a loss. I yearned for the original root creature: the one I knew, the benign one.

“Adelie,” Kairos’s voice reached me. I was certain everyone was watching me, trying to decipher what had just occurred. They’d seen me in action before, but they’d never witnessed me create that.

Kairos grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. “What was that?” he asked, his voice sounding distant, as if I were hearing him through a fog.

A strange sense of familiarity washed over me, like déjà vu. I’d experienced this before, or perhaps seen something similar. I wasn’t certain.

I glanced back at the onlookers, pretending to be occupied, but I remained silent. They wouldn’t be able to hear anyway. Their curiosity mirrored mine.

I would have looked the same way. I ~was~ looking that way now, at myself, picturing myself standing in the field, bewildered. I didn’t like the image.

I shook my head in response to Kairos’s question. “I don’t know, maybe the thorn, not sure,” I replied, utterly clueless about what had just transpired, why it had happened, or why I was even capable of it.

I’d done everything as usual. This time, however, it seemed like the skeleton had acted independently. I knew it still obeyed me, but could the thorn be responsible? That was the only anomaly.

Perhaps the lost souls I’d absorbed were involved. Occasionally, souls would choose me to guide them to Death. I couldn’t sense them now, though.

“Adelie, talk to me,” Kairos pleaded gently. “Was that normal?” he asked, but I had no satisfactory answer for him. I didn’t know myself, and I didn’t know who to ask.

“I’m not sure.” I admitted the only thing I was certain of: my own uncertainty.

Kairos held my arm for a moment before releasing it. “I don’t know how to help you, Adelie, if you don’t tell me things,” he said, frustration creeping into his voice.

He might have been right under different circumstances. You can’t help someone who won’t let you.

“I am fine,” I assured him, and he looked defeated. I placed my hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m here and I’m okay,” I said, hoping to soothe him.

He pulled me into a comforting embrace, my arms instinctively wrapping around him. I closed my eyes, finding solace in his presence. He was my sanctuary, my calm in the storm.

I couldn’t bear to shatter that tranquility. That’s why I assured Kairos I was okay. How could I burden him with my chaos, potentially disrupting his peace?

The distant rumble of thunder echoed in my ears. The sky was morphing into a somber shade of gray. “We should wrap up our training,” I suggested, guiding him back to the training grounds, our fingers intertwined.

“Are you certain?” he asked, his eyes filled with concern. I simply nodded in response.

I didn’t want to burden him with my unspoken fears, my hidden turmoil. He was blissfully unaware.

My training session was brief, having arrived later than the others. The heavens opened up, drenching me in a torrential downpour. Despite being soaked to the bone, I lingered long after everyone else had left.

I watched as the others retreated to the safety of their homes, catching their breath before resuming their daily routines.

Kairos approached me, rainwater streaming down his face. “We should head back,” he suggested.

“I’ll catch up with you. I need to take care of something first,” I assured him. His expression was skeptical. “I’ll be okay. It’s just a bit of rain.” I tried to lighten the mood with a chuckle, but he remained serious.

“It’s not just about the rain,” he countered, his brow furrowed in worry. He knew I was grappling with something.

I nodded in understanding. “I’ll be okay. I just need a moment alone,” I reassured him. After a moment of internal debate, he reluctantly left.

I stood in my usual spot, attempting once again to summon my root creature. Within seconds, it materialized. The skeletal figure also appeared, without any conscious effort on my part.

I commanded my root creature to move, and it obeyed. The skeleton remained stationary.

I circled it, my footsteps squelching in the sodden grass. Its gaze followed me, but it remained otherwise motionless. It simply observed me.

I approached it, its hollow gaze meeting mine. Its hands hung limply at its sides. I reached out to touch its skeletal finger.

Before I could make contact, both the skeleton and the root creature dissolved into the ground. What was happening? It was as if my own creation was rejecting me.

My gaze instinctively scanned the area, landing on Esty at the edge of the forest. Her distinctive platinum blonde hair was visible beneath her red hood.

Our eyes met, and she vanished into the forest. I felt compelled to follow her.

As I stepped into the forest, the rain abruptly ceased. I was still drenched, each step leaving a trail of water droplets.

I continued until I reached our usual meeting spot. The sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a warm, ethereal glow on everything.

Esty turned to face me, completely dry, while I must have looked like a waterlogged rodent. “How are you?” she asked, her smile radiant.

“Someone tried to kill me yesterday,” I blurted out.

Her smile vanished. “Oh,” was all she could muster.

“I got a note like the one you sent before, telling me to meet you here,” I explained, my wet clothes clinging to me uncomfortably.

“That wasn’t my note,” she clarified. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

“I figured that out already,” I retorted, removing my drenched jacket and boots. I placed them in the sunlight, hoping they would dry out a bit.

“How am I supposed to know if it’s you summoning me or someone trying to kill me? My mate is already upset that I keep things from him. I don’t want him to live in constant fear that I might be murdered.”

“Does your life revolve around him?” she asked abruptly. I was taken aback by her question.

“I…I don’t understand…,” I stammered, confused by her sudden change of topic.

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Everything you do is about him. Even now, you’re here because you don’t want me to harm his sister.”

I shook my head, firm in my resolve. “I won’t let you harm my pack. I’m here to shield them. That’s my purpose.” I stated, thinking it was clear as day.

Esty’s laughter filled the air. “And who gave you that pack?” she probed. “What do you truly possess?” she continued.

I shrugged, unsure. “I have my abilities,” I offered, but my response only spurred more laughter from her.

“Your abilities aren’t your own, dear. It’s the saddest thing about werewolves; they only have what their alpha bestows, living in a man’s world, owning nothing.”

I noticed the laugh lines etched at the corners of her eyes. She did seem to find amusement in everything. She moved closer to me.

“Do you want to live like this—part of a pack, owning nothing, achieving nothing of significance?” she asked, her gaze filled with pity.

“I’m content here. Maybe not in this moment with you, but I’m happy with him, living in this pack,” I defended.

“It’s because you haven’t seen the world,” she countered.

“But to answer your question, I won’t be sending you any notes. I still have arrangements to make. I didn’t anticipate your agreement so quickly. But it seems one death was enough to sway you.”

Her words were casual, as if taking a life meant nothing to her. “But I don’t want anyone to kill you. Who was it?” she inquired.

“I’m not sure. A woman in a red coat, but that’s all I saw.”

“Why was she after you?” she asked. I shrugged, and she mirrored my gesture. “Perhaps you were just in her way.”

“Esty, that means she’s aware of us, what we’re doing,” I pointed out, trying to make her understand my concern.

She looked at me, irritation clear on her face, and took a deep breath. “Yes, Adelie, I understand that, but there’s no way anyone could know what I’m truly up to.

“I’m keeping it under wraps, as long as you are,” she added, her gaze piercing.

I had confided in Maeve, but she wouldn’t betray me, would she?

Esty awaited my response. “Of course,” I assured her, and she nodded, suspicion lingering in her eyes. Maybe I shouldn’t have told Maeve. I tend to overshare and then regret it.

I just needed support from someone, someone who wouldn’t try to hinder me.

“When I need you, I’ll find you, Adelie. Don’t trust any notes,” she advised before walking away, leaving me alone.

Why the delay? Why couldn’t I just get it over with?

I settled by the water, legs crossed, hands resting on the earth. ~“Madeline,”~ I called out mentally. Could she hear me? It had been too long since we last spoke.

I needed her, needed the bond with the wolf that every werewolf possessed. Why was I denied it? Maybe embracing my wolf form wouldn’t be so bad. But could I really trust Esty?

I returned home immediately, sensing that something was off. The atmosphere had changed.

I pushed open the heavy door to find a stranger in my living room, standing beside Kairos.

An elderly man greeted me, “Hello, Adelie Murrell.”