Chapter 28
-Farley-
We need a table, like a good old-fashioned dining table so that we can all sit around it and discuss important matters. Sitting on the settees and floor, cups in hand, and discussing life-threatening matters doesn't fill me with the urgency that it should. Maybe I was trying to brush off the fact that the conversation was incredibly serious and making excuses about it. Either way, I sipped my tea and listened to Caspian and Clementine go over what Ralph and Aiden told them.
"We can't trust the Fearmast or Herbrogh packs," Clementine stated. "They worked too closely with Kian, or they would use you for the money."
It was odd hearing things like that, that people would actually be getting money for me, dead or alive. It made me want to go back to being a nobody.
"They said that their pack and Karim's would be on our side if there was a fight. That fills me with a bit of confidence," Caspian continued. "We might be able to go to the Westkin pack for help, apparently Waverly's a very nice person. The Chaiseker is a must-try pack apparently. Carme would be overjoyed to help, maybe Arkin from the Snewbrac pack too."
"Haven't we met all of these people?" Rowan asked. His eyebrows were furrowed and a frown settled on his lips. "Don't we know all this already?"
"We didn't know it," Clementine denied. "We weren't even a pack when Aiden and Ralph had trouble a few years back. We just went to a few meetings."
I had only been to one of those meetings before, as a part of Caspian's pack anyway.
"What's your pack called?" Pax asked. His fingers were tapping against the ceramic of his cult, and although it was very slight, he was rocking back and forwards.
I came up blank. "Very good question," I said and turned to Caspian. "We don't really have a name."
Caspian cleared his throat. "Well, names are usually derived from where the pack lives, or their intentions."
That made sense for the Quartvear pack, which is named after the forest they lived in. Though when it comes to the others, I didn't see the connection.
"It works with sounds too," Iris interjected. "If they use harsher sounds in the name, then they tend to be fighters."
Pax made a positive noise in the bath of his throat and looked towards the cup in his hands.
"It'll be something we talk about another time," Caspian said. "Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I suddenly feel very unprofessional."
Clementine and Rowan chuckled. There was an attempt at lightening the mood there, but I'm unsure if it worked or not.
"What did they say about Pax faking his death?" Iris asked in a smaller voice then normal. "I thought that would have been a pretty good option."
Clementine nodded. "They agreed that it's probably one of the easiest ways to get them off our back, but then there'd have to be a body. We don't really have a reason to kill him, or for others to attack him, without leaving his body behind."
I hummed and rubbed my chin. "No kind of mannequin would work. We can't really go looking for a person with similar features either. There'd be too many differences."
The room was full of calculating looks before Iris exclaimed, "This is stupid. This isn't like a territory battle. It's about someone's life and how they should be protected or allowed to live in peace."
"We know," Caspian said. "I could only imagine what could've happened if you hadn't gone into the forest that day."
I didn't want to imagine that either. Whenever I imagined Pax's room, I imagined a dark room with only an inch of light, with barely even a bed in the room. It was a sight I didn't want to see; in fear my imagination would take me even further.
"I would've just been thrown back into my room," Pax said. "Am I expected to hide until they give up?"
"No," I satiated. I put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. "You're not expected to do anything. We're just going through options." I was stuck between whether or not I was being mushy or if I was treating him like a child.
We went through those options until it was time for bed. Pax was curled up on himself the majority of the time, but I couldn't sleep. Pax didn't move an inch, even though his eyebrows were creased and a frown settled on his face. I wish I could do something in order to give him some peace.
The sky had just turned black when my phone started to ring. My eyes darted over to the device in shock, I hesitated before picking it up. Nobody phoned me, especially at this time of the night. Fear flowed through my veins as I saw 'Mam <3' on my screen.
"Mam?" I said into the phone. "What's wrong?"
I was vaguely aware of Pax shuffling up the bed, leaning on my headboard. Rowan's snores had disappeared as well. I stared at the quilt and tried to listen to any background noise which could indicate what's going on. There was only some faint rustling behind her, like she was outside.
"Farley, are you okay? Are you safe? What happened?" She spoke too quickly for this time in the morning.
The confusion paralysed me before I answered, "I was trying to sleep. I thought something was wrong with you?"
I rested on my headboard now too, Pax's head was very close to my shoulder. "Why would something have happened to us? You're the reason I'm calling."
I gritted my teeth and tried to remain patient. "Yes, but why are you calling? What prompted the call?"
My mam let out a frustrated sigh before my dad's voice became audible. "He doesn't know what you're talking about, give it to me." I tapped my leg as the rustling became louder. "Farley, your mother received a text from a friend this morning asking about whether or not you had anything to do with, and I am quoting here, the death of the black wolf. Do you know what that's about?"
My mouth became dry and my eyes darted to Pax. Rowan was now sitting on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees. I nodded towards the door and he left like a bullet train.
"No? Pax is still here," I said. I moved the phone near Pax. "Say hello, Pax." That was the quickest way to make my parents believe that he was still alive.
"Hello?" Pax asked. His voice caught me off-guard. His voice was rough, and he had to cough after speaking. It made my chest warm in a strange way I couldn't concentrate on.
"He's alright, hear? He's alive. Now what were you told?" I asked frantically. The light in the room turned on, burning my eyes momentarily. I don't know why I didn't think about doing that, but I didn't focus on it. There had been no need for light. Caspian was standing in the doorway, the shadows under his eyes enhanced by his droopy eyelids.
I put my phone on speaker and let my parent's voices fill the air.
"Your mother got a message from an old pack member asking about you. She recognised our surname and was worried if it was us who were involved with the murder of a black wolf." Clementine and Iris had joined us in the room, making it feel extremely crowded. "It was only logical that it was about you. Though, I think we managed to settle them for now."
"How did they find out?" Caspian asked. He entered the room and say on the makeshift stool.
"Apparently they heard it in the spider web?" my mother answered. "Someone else from my pack found out through a friend."
I thought that was a little suspicious, but I couldn't dwell on who could've possibly found out about Pax.
"So, they're saying that Pax is dead?" Rowan asked while rubbing his eyes. "Isn't this a good thing?"
I huffed and bit my lip. "I mean, it's what we were talking about." I flicked some hair out of my eyes. "But surely they don't want the attention on us, since Pax isn't dead?"
"You're assuming that it's Kian?" Caspian asked.
I nodded. "Who else knows that Pax is here? Nobody else would target our pack or know anything about the black wolves."
Pax nudged my shoulder, the fabric of his shirt barely brushing my bare arm causing goosebumps to appear. "Kian doesn't like to immediately fight. He would cause paranoia and then go after them when the pack's guard is high."
I wondered how he would know, but he was the only one here who knew what Kian was like. "So, what are you going to do Farley?" Dad asked.
I jumped and nearly dropped the phone as I had almost forgotten that I was on a call. "I don't know," I admitted. "I know I'm not getting back to sleep."
"He meant with the black wolf thing dear," my mother explained. "Your brain might be a bit foggy so early."
"He knows that Lana," my dad interrupted. "He's just trying to avoid it because he doesn't know."
My parents were silent for a moment. The quietness of the room quickly irritated me, as tension was thickening every second.
"Alright, we'll try to see where the rumours came from," Caspian said. "It shouldn't be too hard to find that out. Then we'll figure out if it's a good or a bad thing."
"Okay," my mam said reluctantly. "Well, we're only a phone call away. Please please keep in touch."
I smiled and answered, "I will. Love you."
"Love you," both my parents replied before I hung up on them. I dropped my phone on the bed and leant back on the headboard.
"That was unexpected," Rowan said. "I thought we were just going to settle down and just pretend like nothing was happening."
"That's a bit too wishful," Iris said with a sigh. She brushed a hand through her hair and rocked on her heels. "I'm going to get two hours or so of sleep, then I'll do some research into where the rumours started."
Caspian nodded. "Yes, Clementine can help you with that too." His gaze had pinned Clementine before she could make any argument. "I will be going over the pros and cons to whichever rumours exist, maybe add to them a little bit myself."
I shook my head. "I think that we should just try and sleep to get our thinking power back." Despite my words, I stuck by the fact that I wasn't going to be getting any more sleep tonight. "So, we don't add to the rumour that we killed one of the rarest wolves on the planet."
Caspian stood up and said before he exited the door, "Goodnight, everyone. I'll see you in a few hours."
Clementine, Iris, Rowan, and I all shared concerned glances before separating. Rowan flopped onto his bed and rolled over, cuddling one of his pillows.
I waited a few minutes before turning to Pax, who still hadn't moved from his position leaning against the headboard.
"Are you okay?" I whispered.
He shivered for a second before turning his head to me. I couldn't see many of his features in the dark, but the minimal light reflected in his eyes, making them sparkle. The shadows created a deep frown on his lips and allowed me to see that the right side was twitching ever-so-slightly.
"I think I am," he whispered back. "I'm just scared. What if they come after us? What if they make the rumour seem real by killing me?"
I inhaled. "They won't get that far," I told him sternly. I reached for his hand which was clutching the quilt and rubbed his knuckles soothingly. He tensed at first but then he relaxed. I had learnt over the past few days that he relied on touch a lot, he liked the soft carpet and the texture of dough. The thought made an idea float into my mind, but I put that in a file for now. That could wait until everything was over.
"I'm scared," Pax admitted. The smallness of his voice made my heart tighten.
"Me too." I curled my hand around his, still stroking the back with my thumb. "But the fear isn't going to last. We'll conquer it, you'll escape him soon."
I didn't fall asleep that night, but Pax did. He ended up resting his head on my shoulder as he drifted off. I didn't want to move an inch in fear of waking him from what seemed to be more peaceful than his night before. I could feel every breath he took, it tickled my arm and his shoulders moved with each inhale and exhale.
I didn't want to wake him, so I let him sleep until the clock read '6;04'. That was when he started to stir. He first took his hand out of mine and waved it around, presumably getting rid of some pins-and-needles that he was experiencing. He still hadn't opened his eyes, something which I found fascinating. I wasn't sure if he knew where he was yet or not, as he took his other arm and wrapped it around me.
I was so startled I became as stiff as a board. I still didn't want to disturb him, but I wasn't sure if he would be comfortable knowing what he was doing.
"Pax?" I asked quietly. He hummed in response; the sound was muffled by my shirt. The feeling of his breath made heat rise to my cheeks. "Good morning, do you want to sleep more?"
He shook his head, his hair tickling my neck.
"Are you going to get up?" I asked.
He opened his eyes and looked up at me. His brown eyes weren't focused but he was staring right at me. Even if he could see, he would only be able to have seen me considering how close we were. "Good morning," he said. His head moved a few inches to the right and blinked several times. His hand started to feel around the bed, landing on my chest very easily. "Oh, I'm sorry." He sat up and almost fell off the bed as he tried to move away from me.
"It's okay," I managed to say through my chuckles. "You seemed comfortable; I didn't want to disturb you."
He lifted one of his hands and rested the back of it to feel his cheek. He muttered something inaudible, which only caused me to laugh more.
"Want me to get up and save you the embarrassment?" I asked.
He nodded his head wordlessly. It was an adorable sight, his bright cheeks and his sheepish expression made him look very cute, like a child who had been caught in the sweet cupboard.
I sighed heavily. "Alright, I suppose I will. Jeepers, getting kicked out of my own bed," I teased.
Pax gave the slightest of chuckles behind me as I scrambled off the bed. Having two people on this bed was not the best idea, but after last night, I found myself wanting a bigger one less and less.
I grabbed my clothes and decided to take it easy this morning. After very little sleep, a warm shower was not what I needed. It was far too tempting to just lie down on the tiles and sleep under the running water. There were a few reasons why that would not have been the smartest decision of my life, several involving the bathroom being flooded.
I still took my time and decided to use eucalyptus and menthol shower gel. So, when I felt like my skin was cooly burning off, I was awake and ready for whatever the day had to throw at me.
I popped my head back into my bedroom to tell Pax that the bathroom was free before heading downstairs. Clementine and Iris were sat with a laptop each. Clementine's hair was hidden by a hat, as usual, whilst Iris' was up in a messy bun. Iris wore her usual trousers and a jumper, whilst Clementine was wearing a cosy hoodie and sweatpants. Sometimes it was difficult to believe that these two were related, or rather that Iris was related to Clementine and Rowan.
"Good morning Farley," Iris said as she glanced up with a smile. Her attention quickly turned back to her laptop, where she continued to type.
"Good morning," I replied to Iris. Clementine's lack of movement made me tilt my head to the side and try to see her screen. "Find anything?"
"No," Clementine grunted. "Nothing, Iris has though."
Iris gave a light laugh and stretched her arms. "I found out who told your mother, I've gotten in touch with him and asked more about where he heard it from. Through the various threads and forbidden websites only have very brief summaries of the rumour if you don't have an account."
"But Rowan can help with that," I said. Rowan had many things he wasn't supposed to, fake IDs and fake accounts galore.
Iris smiled and gave a nod. "Just gotta let him log in. He wouldn't trust any of us with his accounts."
I sighed and shook my head. "You guys have made good progress. Is it time for a break?"
Clementine shook her head whilst Iris put her laptop down and stood up. "Any time is good for a tea break."
I had assumed that Caspian was still in his office at this point, but I hadn't seen Rowan yet this morning. He wasn't in his bed, and he wasn't downstairs. It was pretty easy to deduce that he would be at the shop which was five minutes away, so I didn't worry.
Toast was on the menu this morning, along with some of the spread which Iris makes in her spare time. I wondered how on earth this woman had any spare time at all, but I was grateful for the burst of fruity flavour on the plain toast.
Pax took a little while longer then he usually did to come downstairs. I hid my smirk behind my food as I thought about his rosy cheeks. I was being self-centred in assuming that was the reason why he had taken more time, but I allowed myself to have that inch of selfishness.
"Iris found something," I told him and handed him a plate. "Now, we're just waiting for Rowan to get back."
Pax nodded and hummed in confirmation. "No work today?" he sounded hopeful.
I shook my head and then mentally facepalmed for forgetting that he couldn't see me. "No, we're having another study day. I only work three times a week, remember?" I added some teasing into my tone. "Are you too eager to get buff?"
"Buff?" he asked.
I made a strange noise at the back of my throat, you know the kind you do when you see a kitten or puppy. "Oh, I have to teach you so much."
"Good morning, Pax," Iris interrupted. She had a smug little grin on her face. "I hope that you managed to get some good sleep last night."
"He did," I answered, turning my head away to look Iris in the eye. I let my smirk show proudly. "He seemed very comfortable and slept like a log."
"Really?" Iris' tone became lighter and she looked to Pax for confirmation. "Was it that comfortable, Pax?"
Pax grumbled and punched my arm lightly. "You're not going to let me forget about it, are you?"
I shook my head again. "At least I haven't told Clementine or Rowan. Nor do I plan to."
The front door burst open at that point, revealing a very red-faced and out of breath Rowan. He was holding two white bags, looking like they were on the brink of breaking. "You guys won't believe this," he said through heavy breaths. "I found out who made the rumour."
THANK YOU FOR READING!!
Question of the chapter!
-oh boy I'm running out of questions-
Are you a fan of playlists?
I really adore my 'My mix' on YouTube, and I've spent some time making playlists recently-but sometimes I really struggle to make them, like if I tried to make a book playlist. I do have one playlist which has HOURS of music, which are just songs that I enjoy. It means that I've got to listen to it on shuffle, and I have to skip a lot to get the right vibes :D