I slid off the edge of my bed, down onto the floor, with my back against the front side of the bed. My hands picked at the stretchy material of my black jeans, covering my thighs. It made a popping noise just like an elastic rubber-band when I let go.
"Congrats, looks like you're a significant part of the pack now," said Amaury.
"Significant? I couldn't disagree more." I scoffed. "I'm sure there's people here who still want to kill me with their bare hands."
"There will always be people who dislike you no matter what you do, Genesis."
I threw my head back and let out a quiet groan. "Must you always chime in with your deep life advice?"
Amaury drawled out, "Huh, is that what you'd call it?"
I huffed and said, "Yes, sometimes, you're too wise for your own good."
"Do you truly believe that or is that one of those defensive responses you throw out?" I imagined the glint in his eyes, shredding me down to my bones for the truth, as he asked that. It was both a wicked and useful power he possessed to read people like that.
"It's all in your head," I mumbled, crossing my arms.
"If you say so." His drawn-out laugh rang through my head, light and easy on the ears.
"Amaury, I've been thinking about what you told me when we first talked." I curled into a ball with my knees against my chest, and rested my head against the top of my knees.
"Oh? And what is that?" His laughter faded.
"You predicted someone was playing puppeteer through all of this. I put some thought into that and, whoever stabbed you, could've been someone in Calamitous, couldn't they?"
"Yes, that is a possibility," he said.
"But it could've also been someone from a different pack. Maybe one of the alpha's you've met with over the years. Close allies"—I fixed myself so that I was lying out straight on the floor—"someone who would have had the opportunity to betray you. This person didn't have to know where you were going because they followed you. It could've been anyone, really."
"Yes, I've thought about that too," he hummed in agreement.
"So, what are you thinking? Have you thought of anyone?"
There was a pause, then a brief sigh. "Not exactly. . ."
"Darn. So much for brainstorming."
"Have there been any more Erebus wolf sightings close or on Calamitous territory?"
"Hmm, no. Not that I know of," I answered.
"Hmm, if I were able to retrace my steps from that night, it could be of use to us. However, my memory is still foggy. What about the voices of the shadow? Have you been able to trace it back to that location you drew?"
"No, not at all." This time, it was I, who sighed. "It's close though. No doubt about it."
"And I suppose you still haven't gone through with your plan to tell Vincent." There was a knowing, almost accusing, tone to his words.
"I know, I know. I suck. You don't have to say it."
"You don't suck. You do, however, have a knack for procrastinating," Amaury corrected.
"Rub it in, why don't you?" My eyes rolled.
"If you were to tell him soon, knowing Vincent, he would more than likely make the decision to expand the sweeps. You told me Vincent has been sending troops on sweeps nearly every night, on Calamitous grounds, within the town and the forest area.
"That makes sense considering that's as far as our territory goes. But now that we have an idea of where the shadows are coming from, it's possible the perpetrator just might be lingering outside the territory, perhaps even crossing into another."
"A search party off Calamitous grounds, huh?"
"Yes," Amaury answered.
"This feels like a manhunt. Do you think the search would be successful?"
"There's no guarantee. But it's worth a try. . . Truth be told Genesis; it's not often an alpha needs to venture off the territory with their troops to expose themselves to the threat."
"Is that so? It seems like Vincent has been throwing himself into danger with no problem." I folded my hands over my chest, staring at the ceiling. "You know, I'm kind of curious. How does being an alpha . . . work with all of this?"
"Quite so," Amaury said, "it works the same as a king in charge of his people. Or a queen."
"I'm listening," I hummed.
"Given the circumstances, it's no surprise Vincent has been giving his all with the little bit of information he has. Under normal circumstances, it is protocol for an alpha to be alerted when a threat is near and crossing into the territory.
"Action is then taken as quickly as possible to remove the threat. To keep everyone safe. Vincent understands this well. Possibly better than anyone else here. After all, his biological father had done the same for his people.
"But that doesn't seem to be the right course of action this time around. Not when the threat is one step ahead of us. So, if we must find the threat and force it out of hiding to protect everyone, then so be it. We can't wait around any longer." I could hear Amaury inhale a deep breath.
I shot up, gripping onto the edge of the bed to keep myself balanced.
I'd managed to grasp the information; however, the mention of Vincent's biological father caught my attention the most. Vincent hadn't spoken about his father once. His mother, sure, I knew where he stood with her. I didn't know what caused his ill-will towards his mother. But his father was a new perspective into his past. And I desperately wanted to know more.
"Where is Vincent from?" The question rolled off my tongue before I could stop it.
He was quiet for a moment. I thought he wasn't going to answer my question.
But then he said, "A pack called Valor."
"Valor," I repeated to myself, "could you tell me more about—?"
"Genesis, are you ready!?" Dimitri's voice echoed from downstairs.
Damn, was it time to leave already? He had dropped by sooner than expected. As promised before the public announcement on stage two days ago, I'd been allowed to leave with Dimitri at my side, protecting me, as Vincent and the others finished things up. Today was meant to be no different, except it was just him and I going into town on our own.
"Looks like you're needed. We'll talk more later." Amaury quickly diverted the topic.
"Dammit." I sucked my teeth and snarled. I was so close.
"Oh, and Genesis, about the puppeteer . . . it's safe to assume someone is watching. Assume someone is always watching." Amaury's voice faded out, on that mysterious note. I didn't have time to think about it because Dimitri was yelling my name again.
"I'm coming!" I yelled back to him.
* * *
"Do you ever get the feeling there are eyes watching you?" I whispered.
"That's because there are eyes watching you," Dimitri replied. My eyes wandered the streets as we crossed over to the opposite sidewalk, that would get us closer to the morgue, where his parents, Mariah, and Vincent currently were.
He was right. Lots of eyes were watching me. Most were keeping their distance too.
"I'll never get used to this. . ." I mumbled. When I glanced back behind us, I saw feet running in the opposite direction of us.
"Crap, she looked over here!" A boy gasped.
"It's all your fault, Leo!" a girl squealed.
"Shut up, Leta!" another boy retorted.
The three teens I spotted hid behind one of the buildings, in what looked like an empty alley-way. Oh, I recognized them from Vincent's crowning ceremony. The three whom I had assumed were siblings had been bickering like this too.
I cackled and turned away. "They seem very curious about me."
"They most likely are," Dimitri said. I turned to him. He was relaxed. His eyebrows were lowered. His mouth was slack, his jaw muscles easing into a comfortable position. And his shoulders weren't as tense as they normally were.
What was he thinking? It was always impossible to tell. He didn't make conversation with me. If I ever made conversation with him, he'd end it fast. I didn't think I could feel like any more of a burden on this guy's shoulders without him telling me I was.
"Hey, is there something about me that—?"
"My issue is not with you, personally," Dimitri cut right to the chase.
I tensed, my eyes going wide. I couldn't believe he saw right through me.
"Oh, that's not what I was trying to insinuate—!"
"I know. But you were thinking it. Your facial expressions say it all," he cut me off again.
"Oh," I spoke quietly.
"You've got a bad habit of staring at people when you want answers. If you want to observe the people around you, you should learn to be less obvious. It may help you in the long run," he informed. I slapped my forehead with my palm, swearing at myself, under my breath.
"I have no personal vendetta against you, Genesis. It's just easier not to associate on any comfortable levels," he lowered his voice, rambling on, "accepting and getting comfortable with outsiders who have no intentions of staying in my future is more trouble than it's worth."
"Oh"—I tilted my head back, staring into the cloudy sky—"is that what you think?"
"It's just easier that way . . . because I don't have to put any unnecessary feelings aside."
"But how can you be so sure who'll be temporary and who'll not be?"
"Look around you, Genesis"—Dimitri slowed down and spun in a circle with his arms extended outward—"no one here is temporary unless they're banished or they die."
I opened my mouth, but closed it just as fast, when I realized he wasn't done talking.
"This is our home. We grow old here. Recycling wolves that will live on permanently in these mountains; in this pack, from young to old. Life is full of surprises. And it's like you say, I can't be sure who's temporary and who's not. But I know one thing for sure.
"Calamitous isn't temporary. It lives on. With or without me. As long as it has its people. And all the wolves here, whether they die one day, or they're banished one day, their intentions are, and have always been, to stay for good from the start. What are yours?"
"I . . . don't know." I looked him in the eyes. "But, I'm just a stranger, aren't I?"
"Exactly. Whether you've been innocent or not, you're a stranger. And most find it hard to open up to strangers. Let alone humans, no matter what you are now. Especially when we've all been confined to our own kind for so long.
"The only outsider who's ever stepped foot onto Calamitous grounds, that proved he had no intentions of being temporary, was Vincent. If Amaruq and Lady Teresa had refused him, he would've more than likely ended up going rogue." Dimitri carried on to himself.
My mind reeled in his words carefully, breaking them apart from every angle. I was beginning to understand Dimitri a little bit more now. The way he carried himself. The way he viewed the people of his pack. There were human qualities within them that were similar to our own. Tribalism was one of those qualities among the wolves.
Mariah had spoken similar words to me many times before. I'd have said it was impossible for anyone to have been that sheltered all their life, let alone groups of people, but I'd seen first-hand among some of the people I knew, just how sheltered someone could be. It used to freak me out sometimes, but it was normal for them.
I stepped around, circling in front of him, so he'd stop. "What does it mean to go rogue?"
Dimitri did just as I hoped, bowing his head, so his eyes would gloss over me. "To go rogue means to become a lone wolf with no official standing. Rogues belong to no pack."
I tipped my head sideways, my eyebrows lowering. "Do you know why they took him in?"
"I'm not sure. Why?" Dimitri's right eyebrow lifted higher.
"Just curious." I shrugged.
"If you want to hear more about his life story, why don't you just ask him?" Dimitri brushed past me. He began walking again at a slow pace with his arms crossed.
"Just ask him? Tch, easier said than done."
"Closed mouths don't get fed. Is that not a human saying?" Dimitri's patronizing voice caused my toes to curl in my converse. I opened my mouth, ready to defend myself, but sighed in defeat soon after.
There were a lot of things I wanted to ask Vincent about. Well, no. There were a lot of things I thought of asking Vincent about. His scars, for instance. How did he get them? Where did he get them from? Who gave them to him? I always had to restrain myself before I asked any of those questions. He'd have probably deflected most of those questions anyway.
Maybe those scars had something to do with why his guard was always up around me. I didn't know. All I knew was, this was the most my mind had ever been stuck on Vincent. And it all started when he held my hand. Since then, I couldn't shake him off my skin.
Whenever I'd showered, washed my hands, even when I'd purposely dirtied myself to do it all over again, within these past two days. There was nothing I could do to wash his scent off of my hand. The lemon hand soap I'd been using in his bathroom washed most of his scent away.
But it also left a faint smell of his that was driving me up the walls crazy. Sure, his scent had lingered on me before. However, this was the strongest it ever lasted. Perhaps, the longest would have been the better term to describe this.
"This is it," Dimitri announced.
I took in the wide white building that looked to have only been built with about two floors. I could tell there weren't many rooms due to the lack of windows spread out in rows along the building walls, wrapping around the other side like a bow. There were so few, I could count them on one hand.
"Oh, this is it?" I repeated his words.
"We're only but a very small portion of land covered with an even smaller portion of people that come and go," Dimitri said, shrugging, "probably nothing like your town."
"The bigger the morgue, the more waste of space then. . ."
"Precisely." Dimitri nodded. I eyed his back while he moved forward towards the morgue's entrance. Two, slim, clear glass doors that opened and closed normally, were built into the front of the building.
I'd never been to a morgue. I'd never imagined myself having to go to one either. But I already didn't like it. The chills surging down my spine couldn't have possibly gotten any worse than that, or so I thought. But I spotted his name engraved in stone.
"Amaury Knight," I whispered as I read it.
Time seemed to have paused. I could hear gushes of wind whistling in my ears, the same sweet, sad tune I felt, strumming inside my chest.
I'd never been this deep into their town, so of course, I hadn't known there was a graveyard around here. It covered a small field of grass across the street from the morgue. Amaury's headstone was large, wide, and black with his name, date of birth, and date of death written neatly in silver letters. A gray stone wolf sat on top of the headstone with a bundle of pink roses.
Amaury's headstone wasn't the only large one in the graveyard. There were various other forms of headstones. Some small, some massive. Some of them were similar to Amaury's in size and appearance. I could only guess they belonged to former alphas of the past.
Probably far before Vincent and Amaruq.
"Are you coming?" Dimitri disrupted my thoughts.
"Oh, yes!" I jumped and ran forward.
I never took my eyes off Amaury's grave. Witnessing that dried up piece of land, filled to the brim with tombstones left foul thoughts in my head. All of the past wolves of Calamitous were buried there. And there were going to be plenty more if we didn't do anything to fix that soon.