The Scent of Illusion (Published under IMMAC)

Chapter 43: A Fire and Some Drinks

Trigger warning: May contain sensitive topics such as death, sex, profanity, suicide, self-harm, drugs, alcohol, mental health, sexuality, etc. There might be depictions or references to sexual harassment. Please be guided accordingly and read at your own risk.

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The heat mellowed around the afternoon. The sky had turned into a darker shade of blue with more clouds rolling in to conceal the harsh rays of the sun.

As much as Eli and Emilia would have wanted to make the arrest of Bonnie Cyrus discreetly, they did not know a more secret path to take that would lead them back to the entrance arch. Even with Bonnie being cuffed, she still managed to pull some snarky comment as she was being led out of the town proper.

"This is the kind of shit you do? Trespassing?" she asked, directing it to Eli.

The silver-haired guy had a deadpan look on his face, ignoring the rest of Bonnie's rants.

"You really turned your back on us, huh, Aurora?" Bonnie asked, glancing at the blonde next to Eli.

But Aurora refused to answer. Instead, she hugged the envelopes and folders that she was carrying which contained information about the potion.

There were curious gazes, a few violent reactions, and some profanities thrown at them but Eli and Emilia were quick to shut it down and say that it was an official order due to the crime that Bonnie committed. While some were confused, some just simply did not believe that Bonnie would have done something horrible.

In a town and pack like Blood Rage, committing a crime would be one of the worst things that they could ever think of doing. They already did not have quite a lot of resources and their goals were mostly anchored on getting more food or more supplies. Getting arrested was the last thing they could ever think of since it would do nothing good for themselves or the pack.

Bonnie's red hair was disheveled and her lab coat was a mess. She no longer looked like the intellectual that people looked up to. Somehow, she managed to look like something exploded on her, and at the same time, she kind of looked homeless. Her pupils were still dilated but her eyes were no longer bulging from their sockets, the maniacal grin on her lips was replaced by a scowl, and the confidence that she proudly wore had been dropped alongside her shoulders that were slumped.

"What would her punishment be?" Aurora asked as she leaned closer to Eli, trying to avoid being heard by Bonnie who would most likely try to get into the conversation just to annoy the two of them.

Leaning closer to Aurora, Eli answered, "It depends on the Alpha, and you know the weight of this crime. It caused a years-long feud that ruined a lot of things for both sides." He pressed his lips together, sighing a little.

Aurora nodded, knowing that the potion had been the cause of a lot of complications and it could very be one of the reasons why Blood Rage never recovered, or never saw their true potential. The myth of the potion made everyone believe that the potion was the key to being strong and that it would make them stronger. When in reality, they could have just simply cultivated whatever skills they had and made something out of it.

Maybe, just maybe, Blood Rage could have found something worthwhile.

"This new potion will work, Aurora! Believe me!" Bonnie pleaded, squirming in her handcuffs as her other helpers followed her. And by the look on their faces, they were not thrilled with the situation. Most had a frown and furrowed brows, evident that they did not truly want to be in that situation but the circumstances brought them there. Maybe they just wanted to help, not knowing the consequences and maybe a part of them did not realize that something wrong was going on in that laboratory.