Chapter 111


    Both Tori and I obliged, clearly wanting to hear more of what she might say.


    “Thingse to her at random, but do not press her too hard. Simple, straightforward questions. She


    bes overwhelmed easily, and it takes hours to calm her down.” Mera frowned, gazing ahead to


    where Sabine tiptoed into the kitchen, her movements smooth and silent. “Just as well, do not say


    Novak seniors name. It triggers something in her, a vision–or perhaps a memory. All I know, is it is


    horrible enough to cause her to harm herself. So, speaking his name around her is forbidden.”


    “You’re alright with us asking her some questions?” I asked, just a tad surprised, even with the


    boundaries she had set in ce.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    I could feel how much Mera loved her sister, how devoted she was to seeing to her every whim. Sabine


    had been through so much in those ten years, most of which I’m sure she couldn’t talk about, and Mera


    was determined to make up for every second of it. It was why she let Sabine paint the walls, pouring


    her emotions into the oils and acrylics, focusing her fear into the coarse bristles of the paint brush.


    “I trust that you will not cause her unnecessary trauma.” Mera said with a strong voice, though not


    unkind. Her seafoam eyes flickered to where Sabine stood in the kitchen, standing over a pot of tea as


    her eyes once again went glossy. Within seconds, the vision had ended and Sabine resumed her


    humming. “I cannot begin to imagine what she’s seen, but any information she gives could provide us


    the upper hand.


    I never had a reason to drink tea before, but with the way Sabine made it, I’d have to look into some


    myself. Incredibly sweet and floral, with a fruity undertone. There was none of that bitterness and old


    leaf taste I had experienced at the restaurant as a server. Even the lemon juice, which in fact had


    turned the tea purple, was steeped in sweetness.


    We sat out back, where a screened in patio jutted out from the house. Padded chairs with hand painted


    cushions sat around arge ss top table, which had thin fines and wispy pink flowers decorated


    along the top. There were still a few dried-up cups of paint sitting towards the outer edge. Outside of


    the patio and down three small steps were a grill, covered in multicolored handprints.


    “It’s nice to meet you, Sabine. All of your artwork is incredible.”‘ I told her in a kind voice once she took


    a seat at the table.


    Alec helped carry in a tray full of small teacups, a bowl of sugar cubes, and other little ss bottles in


    from the kitchen, shing me a wink before sitting down. I knew very little about tea, but this seemed


    much moreplicated than the simple sugar and water mixture we made at the restaurant.


    “We’ve already met, Aurora. Don’t you remember?” She asked, her voice twinkling and soft. Up close I


    could see that her eyes weren’t the same shade of seafoam as her sister, but a pale shade of sky blue.


    They were filled with dreams and nightmares, all of which were very much real. Her thin lips dropped


    as she read the confusion in my eyes as easily as I could feel her emotions, flitting by like cars down a


    highway. “Oh, has that not happened yet? Or–is it happening now? I apologize, I get so confused at


    times.”


    “Don’t apologize, my abilities canplicate things too sometimes.” I shook my head, letting a genuine


    smile form on my face. I could feel her rx, and marveled at how strange her emotions felt. They


    seemed toe from nowhere, rushing through her as fast as those fragmented visions seemed to hit.


    “This is the first time any of us are meeting you.”


    “Ah, this is the first time, then!” She beamed, the wavy strands of her golden hair falling from the clip


    that held it in ce. She looked so proud of herself, so joyful that I couldn’t dare smother it. She


    plopped a few sugar cubes into her tea, and added a ssh of cream before continuing. What she said


    next did nothing to dampen her mood, and everything to dampen my own. “Good, that’s very good.


    That means you still have one, two–three days left.”


    Mera stilled, her eyes flitting between Sabine and I. Judging from the shock in her emotions, she had


    yet to hear Sabine utter a word about this uing deadline.


    “Sabine, what is happening in three days?” Mera asked softly, reaching out to squeeze her sister’s


    hand.


    “The assassin and her hound wille. Then chaos will follow.” She murmured, pulling her hand away


    from Mera’s with downcast eyes. As quickly as they fogged over, it had vanished. She perked right up


    as her eyes cleared and smiled at all of us, “Anymore tea?”


    “We need connections to someone who was in–Zayne’s father’s pack.” I scowled, catching myself


    before his name slipped from my lips.” There has to be a way to find out who this assassin is, and her


    hound.”


    Sabine was out back, painting the pavement patio that made up a quarter of the backyard. I could hear


    her humming trickling in through the back door, but still wouldn’t risk saying his name.


    “Is there anyone else in town from his pack that might know who Sabine is speaking of?” Kade asked,


    the depth to his voice made hime off as a bit aggressive. He cleared his throat and smirked down


    at me, hearing the big bad monster I made him out to be in my thoughts. “Anyone we wouldn’t harm by


    asking?”


    Mera and Isaiah looked at one another, their eyes zing over as their stream of thoughts meshed as


    one. After a minute or so, awareness fluttered back into their eyes.


    “There might be a few we could ask, but there’s always a chance they won’t respond well.” Isaiah


    frowned.


    “They agreed to join our pack when they stayed, we gave them the choice.” Mera nodded softly at her


    mate, cing a hand on his own. He let out a soft sigh, the short strands of his golden hair falling


    across his forehead. “We can ask this of them.”


    Even though I hadn’t noticed before, this quaint little town was full of warriors, most of which were


    stationed in the surrounding mountains and forest. It was hard to scent them at first, as the winds were


    harsh and the forest dense. Scents thinned out easily, carried off by distant winds. Those who weren’t


    protecting the town or watching for any intruders were protecting the very house where Sabine stayed,


    where we all stayed for the time being.


    Isaiah slipped away to ce a few phone calls to the houses in town that held previous members from


    Marcus’s pack. Random couples and fractured families were ced inrge cabins and homes


    together. From what Mera exined to Tori and I, things werefortable here. There had even been


    a few mates discovered in the process.


    Isaiah came back nearly an hourter, his golden eyebrows knitted tightly together. With the way his


    cellphone was gripped in his hand, I wondered if he had found anyone we could speak to. When his


    emotions registered within me, I found myself surprised.


    Small fractures of worry cracked at Isaiah’s foundation, spreading until it split off intorger splinters.


    They buried themselves in my mind, my chest, and lungs.


    “You found out who they are.” I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling my own heartrate increase with his.


    “Darling, what did you find out?” Mera frowned, ncing between the two of us. She ced the palms


    of her hands on his face, down the light stubble that coated his tanned skin.


    “It’s just rumors, stories told in his pack to frighten them all into submission.” Isaiah replied, his voice


    notably stronger. With a small smile that spoke of gentle affection, he removed Mera’s hands from her


    face and ced them against his lips. Once they were no longer touching, that shadow fell back over


    his eyes and the worry continued to creep in. “There were three who were able to give me some


    insight, though the details change from person to person. The assassin is a white wolf, one with the


    ability to resist abilities. Another said she has the ability to steal abilities, but I find that improbable. The


    hound is just as bad, unfortunately. They’re a tracker, one that doesn’t miss. Once the hound has your


    scent, there’s nowhere on earth you can hide. One went as far to say that the hound could sniff your


    body from out the bottom of the ocean.”


    “How wonderfullyforting.” I said, my mouth dry and eyes wide.


    “That can’t be real, right?” Tori scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes were concerned,


    but also held that rigid edge of fearlessness she was known for. “A white wolf who can resist the


    powers of other white wolves. What kind of power is that? She’s just a normal wolf, then.”


    “Assuming she’s earned her name, I believe the semantics of her abilitieses in second ce.”


    Isaiah countered, making Tori’s grimace deepen. “Besides, that’s not the most interesting part. When


    Sabine said that chaos will follow, she meant: Chaos. As in, a person. The Assassin, the Hound, and


    Chaos. They’re who he sends when he needs someone halfway across the world d**d.”