Veritas

Chapter 32

"One" Rei's voice rang out into the silent darkness.

The shift should have begun, causing the quiet of the forest to be overtaken with the sounds of stretching skin, snapping bones, and likely cries of pain. Instead, though, the only sounds continued to be the hum of nocturnal insects, and the woosh of wings overheard from the birds of prey who thrived in the darkness.

Surprisingly, at least to herself, Aislinn didn't feel much in the moment. She thought she'd be disappointed, or angry, and definitely upset...Instead, she just felt numb. Still, she sunk to her knees, the emotional numbness seemingly spreading out to her limbs.

Kenji relented control to Ryan, who immediately shifted back to human; but, Rei had beat him to his next move. She'd knelt beside Aislinn and took her into a loving embrace.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart" she whispered softly, kissing the side of Aislinn's head before running a hand over her hair to smooth it out in a maternal gesture. "I promise, we'll figure out what's happening, even if it's the last thing I do" she vowed quietly.

"No" Aislinn said, her voice sounding loud, clear and confident in the quiet forest. She threw her arms around Rei, hugging her tightly as she more quietly added "I don't want you to even think of sacrificing yourself for answers to this...Nobody else needs to die because of me and my...Strangeness" she said, finishing her statement with a sad sigh. She'd already lost her mother and father, and she would never stop blaming herself for that. The thought of anyone else getting hurt because they wanted to find answers to her mysterious existence was just too much to bear.

No, she decided then and there that she wouldn't cry over this anymore. She didn't have a wolf? She'd wait for her; but, she'd find ways to thrive until then. She may never find a mate? She couldn't be destined for one, then, and would find her happiness in some other way. She was done with the tears and the sadness and making her loved ones focus on her story. She got to her feet, pulling Rei up with her, then she clasped Rei's hands in her own.

"It's okay. I've accepted that this is me" Aislinn said, smiling at Rei in an effort to reassure her that she really was okay. "You don't need to talk to a witch, and you don't need to do anything once we get to the Royal pack...Let's just focus on what's going on with the Royal pack, okay?"

Rei frowned at Aislinn, squeezing her hands. "I can't just leave you in the dark, when we haven't tried everything to get you answers, Aislinn. I truly believe my friend will be able to help you, and she is not a threat. I've known her since she was around your age...She's got a good heart, and I promise there's no risk in seeking her help" she explained, wanting desperately to rid Aislinn of her prejudices against witches. "Just like your friend, Drystan, is a good vampire, my friend is a good witch."

Ryan had to stop himself from snorting, not believing either of those ideas. He believed it was best to suspect everyone outside of their immediate circle, and to assume everyone else was out to get them. While his mother and Aislinn were quietly and calmly disputing what the right course to take was, he decided to get dressed.

When he turned to the place that he and Aislinn had left their clothes in a heap, he was confused—the clothes were gone! He sniffed at the air, but couldn't smell anyone aside from his family having recently been in the area. Frowning, he thought maybe he misremembered, so began searching around for the clothes.

Rei happened to notice her son's peculiar behaviour out of the corner of her eye, and called out to him. "Ry? What are you doing?"

"Uh...Well, I can't find our clothes" he admitted sheepishly, not able to think of a reasonable excuse to explain himself quickly enough. Just as the words left his mouth, though, he saw footprints in the snow that he was certain weren't theirs. And they were fresh!

"Footprints!" He shouted through the mindlink, not wanting the culprit to know he was onto them. He took off at a run, following the footprints through the trees. "Be careful, there's no scent or sound, keep your guard up!"

"Ryan, wait! Come back, it could be a trap!" Aislinn called out to him in reply.

Not waiting to discuss things, Rei shoved Aislinn back. "Hop on" she instructed, and then shifted immediately.

Aislinn nodded and obediently jumped onto Rei's back. She was nearly knocked off, just barely getting a grip on Thalia's fur before they were weaving through the trees in pursuit of Ryan.

"I see it!" Ryan shouted through the link to both Rei and Aislinn. "I think it stopped!"

"Stop, Ryan, no further!" Rei ordered her son through the link. Unfortunately, the ever headstrong male barrelled forward towards the thief.

The trees that were before him suddenly disappeared, and he found himself in an abnormal clearing within the woods. Before him, the thief was standing over a fire where they was arranging the clothing that they'd taken. The thief was about 5'6", female, and appeared to be human. She had a puffy winter jacket on that went down to her ankles, and the collar hid half of her face. Her amused green eyes looked over at Ryan through black bangs that were peeking out under her winter hat. She had taken her mittens off to arrange the clothing, but they were sticking out of her pockets conspicuously.

"What the hell?" Was all Ryan could mutter, completely confused by what had just happened to his surroundings, and by the calm woman before him, as well as why she'd stolen the clothing.

Thaila was beside him a breath later, and she instantly shifted back to Rei. Aislinn had the good sense to jump from her back as soon as the shift began, but it was so quick that she nearly face-planted into the snow. Ryan managed to catch her just as her nose hit the icy white fluff, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Three naked werewolves" came the amused voice of the woman. "Why is it that you werewolves love nudity so much?"

Aislinn whipped around to stare at the woman, her voice sending chills up and down her spine. She knew that voice!

"When someone invents clothes that can shift from human form to wolf, I'm sure we will all happily wear them" Rei answered with a smirk. "It's good to see you again, my friend."

Then, Rei turned to Ryan and Aislinn, gesturing to the lady. "I suspected she was the culprit...This is my friend I've told you about, she's a witch, her name is—"

But Aislinn spoke up, answering for Rei. If the voice hadn't been enough to convince her, seeing the word tattooed on the witches hand confirmed it.

"Gwen."