Jade watched Cordelia as she flicked through the pages of the journal.
"So Alpha, what brought you here?" she drawled.
"The smoke, I believe that you must have some information on the source."
"The source," she echoed, her eyes still on the journal.
"Source of the smoke. We need help. We want to end this, whatever it is."
"Aha," she said, closing the journal.
"Well, Alpha. I really don't see how we can help you."
"The smoke starts from the outskirts of the city, Madame' Cordelia. Where your coven used to be but of course that is a coincidence..."
"Alpha, are you proposing that we have something to do with this?"
"Of course not. I don't think that you or your coven wish for the extinction of the humans or wolves alike," he said, sarcastically. "But someone does and we need to know who."
Madame' Cordelia traced her black painted nails on the cover of the journal. "Heather was part of our coven and this journal belongs to her."
"She is dead, yes?"
Jade glanced at Tristan. "Yes, that is what we know."
Madame' Cordelia sucked in a deep breath and rose from her chair. Her dark skin glowed from the sun's touch that poured through the window. "Alpha Tristan, tell me. Do you know about the child wolf and the human that is with him?"
Tristan frowned.
"I presume you do."
"Yes but why is that relevant?"
Cordelia pressed her lips together and glanced at Jade then back at Tristan. "Alpha Tristan, I will help you."
"You will?"
She nodded.
"But you must bring me the human first."
"Why would you want her?" Tristan asked, skeptically.
"You want information on the smoke, this is what I ask for in return."
"If you know about her, why can't you get her yourself?"
"Because of the wolf with her."
Tristan contemplated for a while.
"I don't know where she is now," Tristan stalled. "She left today."
"You're an Alpha, you could find her if you wanted to," Cordelia said.
"Why the fascination with a human though?" Jade asked.
"Do we have a deal or not, Alpha?" Cordelia asked Tristan.
Tristan clenched his jaw but finally nodded, "We have a deal, Madame' Cordelia."
•
Greg stayed awake that night. Not because they were in a different house, not because it was too cold and Freya had wrapped herself in the duvet unintentionally. But because he knew someone was outside.
He stood up and pushed the curtain aside.
The smoke was thick and he could barely tell apart the trees. It unnerved him that he couldn't see who was watching them. He let the curtain fall back into place and stretched his back.
He stepped out of the room, leaving the door slightly open. He went into the bathroom to take off his clothes, hanging them behind the door before crouching.
He transitioned swiftly and felt his body release the tension as he did. Nudging the door open with his paw, he walked back to the room and lay down beside the bed on the floor.
"You can sleep on the bed, Greg," Freya said, surprising him.
Greg blinked, looking at her.
She smiled. "I'm not letting you sleep on the cold floor, come on."
Greg got up and plopped on to the bed, next to Freya. Freya turned, looking at her brother. It felt so surreal to have him next to her as a werewolf. "You look pretty cool as a werewolf, y'know?" she said.
Greg closed his eyes and Freya thought to herself that she was still lucky to have him alive. Werewolf or not. She closed her eyes and soon drifted back to sleep.
•