Wolverton Falls

17. Adding to the Mystery

IT WAS OBVIOUS t

"We're taking you back. To Wolverton Falls."

His emotionless words hit her hard, the impact was enough to have her stagger back. She stared up at Luka with watery, doe-like eyes. Confused questions appeared in her dazed mind and a whirl of betrayal and disbelief sunk deep into her chest. Her hand reached up to her constricted heart as if she could stop the tightening feel. Her throat was beginning to close – she couldn't breathe properly.

"What –" She sharply inhaled, until her breath became short and hitched. "What are you talking about?"

However, she didn't wait for the silent lycanthrope's reply. She could only feel the oncoming panic attack start to crawl its way forward and focused on trying to bite it back down.

Katya was suddenly by her side, steadying her. Within a second, Katya had reached Maggie in unfathomable speed, however; she felt too numb to register the inhuman ability.

"Did you really have to break it to her like that?" Katya snapped aggressively, laying her hand on the small of the human's back. The sister narrowed her eyes gloweringly at her insensitive brother. "Why do you have to be so fucking insensitive?"

Luka's eyes narrowed at his sister, Luka replied simply, "You were taking your sweet fucking time with telling her. You must be blunt Katya – no matter the person's condition." His calculating eyes flickered to Maggie's trembling figure. They focused on the white snowflakes contrasting her damp brown hair down to her muddy boots standing on the spongy forest floor.

"Stop it," Katya growled animalistically at her brother, who purposely intimidated the suffering girl. When his eyes moved back over to meet hers, a flare of air passed her nose as she huffed, "You could have at least told her why first. So dramatic."

Maggie's head immediately shot back up when her brain finally caught up with the siblings' argument. Katya had essentially confirmed Maggie's worst fears – they were going to take her back to Wolverton Falls.

"What – what am I going to do?! What about him...he's still out there" The human girl exclaimed with a panic-stricken voice. Her arms gestured to the surrounding forest, where anything could be lurking and stalking.

"No! We will be with you the whole time," Katya corrected with haste trying to clear up the miscommunication between the three of them.

"But why are you taking me back? I thought you said you were going to..." Her soft whisper trailed off, but innocent eyes gazed over to her.

"It would just be better if we got you back into town," She began as gently as she could, her Russian accent was strong and thick as it intertwined in every vowel and syllable she spoke. "Because you need proper food, shower and sleep," Maggie looked utterly exhausted. Dark circles lay under her drained eyes, healing splotches of purple bruises on her face and shivers shook her weak body. Katya continued with a sympathetic expression, "You can go back home and maybe – take care of your brother..." She trailed off tenderly when she noticed Maggie's body freeze at the mention of her dead sibling.

Maggie exuded waves off overpowering grief and a sob locked itself in her throat. Tears sprung from her eyes causing her lips to tremble. Her heart ached at the excruciating memories. She realised she hadn't been able to go back to her burned home and recover Max's corpse since she'd escaped. Her stomach churned as her mind filled with mirages of his burnt, blackened flesh filtered through her mind.

The sob finally escaped her throat; the raw sound echoed in the early hours of the morning.

Luka simply sniffed with apathy as the small girl began to cry. Katya, however, couldn't help herself but take a meaningful step toward Maggie and wrap her arms around her. The girl let out as breathy sigh from the comforting warmth radiating from the lycanthrope's lithe body.