468 A h-healthy appetite?
After that short outburst of energy, Peter and Lyla didnât need any further instructions.
To try and cope with the grey-eyed womanâs communication barrier, they assumed she could have been related to Honour. With that in mind, her value became significantly greater. If it had been any other pair of humans, perhaps they wouldnât have helped her with this request.
But both of them had been saved by the young florist once before and they owed her greatly for it.
Peter helped Beatrice get into the wheelchair and wheeled her gently out of the hospital. The boy noticed how the woman gripped the handles of the wheelchair so tight that her knuckles turned white. It didnât matter how much he tried to keep from bumping the wheeler, she still held on as though her life depended on it.
âSomething is not right,â he thought to himself, trying to discern other reasons for this peculiar behaviour.
They proceeded through the hospital with next to no resistance in signing out. This was all possible because of the paperwork Peter had gone through while the woman was in a coma. If it hadnât been for that, she would have been retained for a few weeks with the hope that sheâd been claimed by family.
This was how the system normally worked. It would get increasingly difficult in case sheâd lost her memory or didnât have any family to speak of. From what Peter had already gleaned about the womanâs past, she was a ghost.
At first with next to no information and even after sheâd woken up and spoken to the pack she was from. A quick phone call had him searching through his connections for a source of her existence in the Golden Moon pack.
Even then, there was no word of her existence.
.....
The phone call to the pack had yielded negative results, âAre you sure youâre from the Golden Moon pack though? The alpha acted like he didnât know you.â
The woman sighed when she heard the question, her knuckles slightly relaxing. âSo heâs that well-connected. Gotta hand it to a child with power.â
The wheelchair was now rolling over the gravel of the parking lot leading them to their car. Beatrice looked around in search of any stalkers. When she was sure they were alone, she replied, âThatâs all part of a protocol. If it was I who had spoken on the phone, it would have been a different matter.
Iâm⦠not meant to leave the pack. You can already tell from my eye colour that Iâm not an ordinary wolf⦠How I wish Iâd kept practising how to hide my eye colour! Like my daughter and granddaughter did,â the woman sighed heavily.
Eventually, they made it to a green hunchback parked not far from the parking lot exit. Lyla helped her into the car and got into the back seats with her. Patient and careful to make sure the woman didnât hurt herself. With only having woken up from her coma, Beatrice could feel how sluggish her limbs still were.
If it hadnât been for the fact that she was a werewolf, this meagre movement would have proved too much for her.
Thankfully, she wasnât human⦠and her recovery was visible and astonishing. Even as she sat in the backseat of the hunchback, she could feel the strength return to her bones little by little.
She could feel the blood flow more freely through her near-paralysed limbs, waking them from the near-two-year slumber.
Closing the door for the two ladies, Peter got into the car as well and started the engine, âArenât you hungry? We should get you something to eat first.â
âIf you can get some takeout, that would be nice. I have to get to that flower shop as soon as I can,â Beatrice quivered in her seat. The rushing sensation of water suddenly overwhelmed her, a visage of her past trauma haunting her even while she was awakeâ¦
The urgency of a mission that was never completed gripped her very core⦠âI have to warn them. I have to warn the Royals⦠the hunters⦠everyoneâs in trouble.â
Peterâs hand paused on the key before he could turn it. Turning back to the people in the back, he noticed the womanâs eyes were glazed over.
Lyla was shaking her lightly⦠One sudden jerk brought Beatrice back to the present, âHuh⦠what happened? Did I fall asleep?â
Lyla frowned⦠âNow Iâm worried.â
âI know what you mean,â Peter echoed, âI guess coming out of a coma is not the end of a struggle⦠Perhaps it was a bad idea to bring her out of the hospital so soon.â
âNo, no, please⦠It wasnât a mistake. It was the best possible thing you could have ever done for me. Look, I donât know you. You donât know me. Iâm so happy anyone cared for me at all. Youâve done more than I could have ever asked of you, but this is really important,â the woman tried⦠âWhy does this feel familiar?â
Beatriceâs memories rushed back to the time sheâd started this journey. The small town sheâd tried to get help from. Everyone sheâd spoken to at the time hadnât paid her any attention.
In the end, everything she said landed on deaf ears, âNo, please⦠I donât want that to happen again. Iâve already lost so much time already.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Sensing the desperation in her voice, Peter changed his mind, âIâm going to choose to trust you on this. Just donât make me regret it. I also deserve an explanation once you feel up for it.â
With that said, the young man turned the key and the car roared to life. They were cruising along the asphalt in no timeâ¦
Beatrice sighed in relief⦠she was moving. And she was moving forward at least. Was there still more time for her to warn everyone? Did she even know who to tell this to? Could telling them really help with anything?
So many questions and next to no answers. Sheâd spent so much time in the Golden Moon pack that she didnât even know the procedures to follow if she was to have anything addressed in the fastest way possible.
Were there even any procedures to follow when trying to warn everyone of the threat that could potentially end the world as they knew it? Beatrice was at a loss⦠The least she could do was hope sheâd made the right decision.
The last time, sheâd tried searching for anyoneâs help, sheâd failed. Now she had the chance to ask for help from someone who might be willing to listen to her⦠someone who knew the reason for her odd eye colour.
There was a chance this âHonourâ would let her in without asking questions and heed her warning.
âSo where are we going? The flower shop or the Sirius palace?â Peter asked, interrupting the womanâs thoughts.
âLetâs start with the flower shop. Iâll need to speak to the owner. Sheâll be able to make my story sound less⦠far-fetched,â the Seeker sighed.
Peter looked back through the driving mirror briefly before turning his gaze back to the road, âIs it far-fetched?â
âWell⦠I am a grey-eyed werewolf. There is already so much about me thatâs a mythâ¦â she sighed and in a quieter tone, meant for her, âI just hope Madeline is alright.â
The car suddenly swerved and the tyres screeched against the asphalt as Peter regained control of the car. The boy gripped the steering wheel so tight with both hands and made sure he was in control.
That one name had made all the difference, snapping so many anomalies into place. Peter wasnât shocked to see the female werewolf with grey eyes at all.
Heâd actually vaguely remembered seeing something similar somewhere before. And now that sheâd mentioned the missing piece to this puzzle, a lot seemed to make sense.
âYou donât mean, Madeline. Honourâs cousin, do you?â
âCousinâ¦?â the woman paused.
It wasnât hard for her to imagine a story like that cropping up, but then again, what were the odds they were talking about the same Madeline she was missing dearly?
âOh yeah! Madeline was the new girl that showed up in our final year of school. They had her do all this extra studying so that she could keep up with her grades and graduate on time. Then she was placed in the same class as Lina and the two of them graduated not long ago,â Lyla explained, âLooking at her always reminded me of a cute puppy. Such an innocent faceâ¦â
The more they spoke, the more Beatrice got convinced they were talking about her Mady, âWhat about her eyes? What colour were they?â she asked, excited.
Of course, it would be dangerous if the colour of her eyes turned out to be grey because then, it wouldnât take long until their secrets would be revealed.
âThey were⦠amber. She wasnât that strong of a werewolf either but she didnât need to be. Lina wouldnât let anyone close enough to hurt herâ¦â the girl paused, thinking back on something, âFunny story: Back thenâ¦
There was this rumour that her eyes would flash silver when she was agitated. The rumour soon died down when there was no proof. Peter himself seemed convinced she could change the colour of her eyes.â
âI know what I saw, Lyla⦠and Beatriceâs presence now confirms that I wasnât making anything up. Tell her, Beatriceâ¦â Peter raised his voice but it was met with silence, âBeatriceâ¦â
The woman beside Lyla had gone into a short trance of her own making, âMadeline would be my granddaughter. Is she in the capital? Do you know where she is?â
Lyla wasnât sure what to make of this anymore, âHow about we take it one step at a time?â The car was just getting into the driveway of a restaurant. Peter turned off the engine, âWhat do you guys want? Iâll go grab it and be right back in a blink.â
Lyla gave him their options and bid him farewell with a short kiss on the lips. A silence took over them for a bit. Beatrice wouldnât meet the girlâs gaze after watching the short display of affection, âDo you have aâ¦â
âNo, he diedâ¦â
âOh, Iâm sorry. I didnât meanâ¦â
âDonât apologize. It was a long time ago. My wolf and I somehow managed to survive the heartbreak. So, donât underestimate me⦠or feel sorry for me,â the woman warned.
âI wouldnât underestimate you. Not after the injuries you defeated during that time, you spent in a coma. You were really injured in that river. I thought you wouldnât make it. Seems I was worried for nothing.â
âExactly⦠and donât you forget itâ¦â after a short pause, âHow long have you guys been together?â
Lyla suddenly smiled, swaying lightly as she soared through her memories, âItâs been two years but it feels like yesterday,â she swooned.
âAh, I see. A couple as young as yours is completely rare to find,â the woman replied, âA human couple, for that matter. It would be understandable if you were mates. Everything is less complicated that way.â
âNot the first time Iâve heard that one. Weâll be fine, though,â Lyla replied.
As they were talking, the aromatic scent of food and spices wafted in through the half-open window. Peter opened the door to the driverâs seat and sat in, passing them a large paper bag containing hot disposable containers.
âI was able to get it all and added some drinks in there just in case you guys get thirsty. Maybe eating once we get to the shop would be a betterâ¦â
âGrrâ¦â went Beatriceâs belly.
The older woman blushed red⦠âIâm sorry⦠I didnât realise how⦠howâ¦â the food had all her attention⦠âI donât remember myself capable of being so hungry even when I went so long without food,â the thought crossed her mind.
âTalk about two yearsâ worth of hunger. Donât be shy⦠dig in. Iâll drive slowly so you donât have to worry about spilling anything and even if you do, I can get that cleaned.
Donât eat too fast, your digestive system has not been functional in a long time, so you might want to take it easy.â
âYes, âfatherâ,â Beatrice nodded as she pulled out one of the recyclable containers in the bag. The smell of meat⦠thatâs all that was needed to completely arrest her attention.
âThere is a fork and⦠uhh, never mindâ¦â Beatrice wasnât listening. Her hands could do the job.
Peter was shocked at first, but then a smile spread over his face. âI guess we can check a lack of appetite off the list of things to worry about.â