"Pissed doesn't describe what I'm feeling."

"Mm. You just want to eat him out."

I can't even fathom what the silly man was going on about.

All I can feel is the swirling tide of emotions breaking down inside of me, battering against my ribcage and screaming to be let out. A slight flush overtakes my cheeks and spreads down to my collarbones.

I feel awfully hot to the touch.

My eyes are focused on the dreary weather outside. It wasn't anything new and often something I found the utmost solace in. Now, it was just a stark reminder of how I feel on the inside.

The battle was over and my mother had fled. Someone who I thought was six feet under since the past year. It was like getting slapped in the face with a wet fish. A moment that I am not too keen on experiencing again. It did wonders for rough bumpy skin but the after effects are not something to be trifled with.

Aine complained about me smelling like dead fish for a week after.

"I cannot believe that wretched woman is alive!"

My voice comes out frustrated and I eye the annoying man who stumbles away from me. My Familiar lay curled against my feet, seeking reprieve against the cold bite in the air. He was like my very own personal rug. Of course, fur is out of the question with a companion such as him and so I had to make due with using him in that capacity.

He didn't seem to mind.

"Did you ever see her die?" Ezra questions as he sprawls himself against the futon.

I stare out the window. The lights twinkle down in the Walled City. The high tower was situated in the northeast of the building. The tower felt like it was the center of the Walled City with its spirals carved out of obsidian stone as it yielded up to the heavens. The tower was like a silent sentinel as it thrummed with energy. Each step sent a burst of whispers up to the climbers ears and a mystifying static caressed its way up a body. The cylindrical walls were covered in ornate tapestries as winds danced around their majestic height. Their colors flickered in the glow of enchanted scones and let up to a lone chamber high above everything else.

I frown at Ezra's words. I didn't like the insinuation behind them. Does he think I didn't try? I wanted front row seats to her death but the coven stopped me. They drawled on and on about privacy and how you shouldn't disturb someone in their last moments.

It was all a load of codswallop but the coven didn't let up.

"I mean, I'm pretty certain that I saw her head after she was decapitated. I guess I was so happy that I didn't consider checking properly."

Pointy whiskers pinch me on my legs. Gazing away from the forest, as it glistens in the distance from all the rain, I look down at my legs to see my Familiar staring up at me. His green eyes are vibrant and one could get lost in them. A lot of people did. Almost as if they were being stupefied.

He sure was a cutie.

His brown tipped nose twitches and his whiskers bat against my legs.

"You've got interesting family dynamics. Anyways, what plans do you have now?"

Picking up my Familiar in my arms, I ignore the small mew that escapes out of discontent.

"We're going to go to my house first. I have a few things to do and then I'm heading out somewhere. I need to gather as much information as I can."

"Good luck with that block of ice."

A perpetual feeling gnaws its way through my stomach. It's probably a flesh eating parasite that's trying to make a hole through my large intestine. It'll still be better than meeting my soulmate who doesn't even consider me as his.

*****

"Althea. How can I help you?"

Bending my legs into a small curtsy, I level my gaze with the King. His mate perched comfortably in his lap which causes a pang of jealousy to swirl its green head.

I wonder when I can have that.

"I was about to set off on trying to find my mother. I know a place that has potential information..."

The King could probably read minds. The man already knew what I was blabbering on about. He raises a finger and his eyes glisten silver like the moon on a clear starry night.

It only takes a few minutes of awkward silence that is perpetuated after Queen Fie's failed small talk.

A knock resounds and the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.

"I was called."

My eyes stay focused on the couple.

Fie meets my eyes with a question glistening in her own. I petulantly raise my chin, I was being petty but I didn't care.

The man could go jump off a cliff. Of course I'd jump after him to breathe the kiss of life into him but that wouldn't stop me from ignoring him at the same time.

"Yes. You're too accompany Althea. She's going to collect information. She'll fill you in on the way. Is there anything you need further?"

I shake my head and bow.

"I will take my leave."

Without another look at anyone, I stalk out.

"Behave you both. Please."

I take the Queen's words in stride. I won't misbehave, per say.

The two of us walk in silence. I had already put on my cloak and a pair of sturdy boots.

You need as much protection as possible when going to my destination.

Not a single glance is passed toward my mate. My body buzzes with absolute awareness. The proximity of my body so close to his, even when he walked a whole step behind me. The man hadn't even accepted our bond and yet I couldn't even exist without knowing that he was my destined.

Damn him to hell.

Our trek isn't long. Although the King offered us any vehicle of our choice, I voted against it. Sleuthing undercover wouldn't exactly work properly if we show up in a royally marked car. Thus, our long trek in absolute silence was our only solution.

I wasn't going to speak first. This was his silent treatment. A taste of his own medicine.

We had made our way down the flattened terrain, by passing the cobbled pathways of the small town entirely.

"You are ignoring me."

My feet nearly tumble over thin air at the sudden words falling out of my mate's mouth.

Squaring my shoulders, I focus on the green shrubbery lining each side of the winding trail. The object of our destination loomed in the distance. The rickety building was barely standing on its own. One side of the red brick had slid down. It was a place of character and something that brought a smile to my face.

"Why do ya say that, bucko?"

Since when did I adopt a countrywoman persona?

Shaking my head, I stop. My mate falters behind me. The height distance is excruciating.

Scrambling atop a smooth stoned rock, I put my hands on my hips and looked slightly above Kier's hooded face. The man didn't appear inclined to answer my rhetorical question. Instead, I point my finger at the tavern below.

The wooden board swung in the wind as it blew past us and settled further away behind us.

"The Old Mare. That's where we need to go."

My distraction was enough for me to jump down and walk away. Kier took a few moments before he followed after me.

Of course I'm ignoring him!

The downtrodden tavern couldn't come fast enough.

People were milling about and shouts pierced through the air. Men and women loitered around while lights started to turn on. Drunkards were spilling out of the tavern as they sat around everywhere, oblivious to the rain that was starting to pick up speed.

I nod my head at a few of the tavern goers. I could feel the Wolf's head emblazing a question mark into the back of my head but I paid it no heed.

A few of these people consider me their friends. They were mainly human's and were aware of the fact that I was a witch and healer. I had treated all sorts of ailments. My recent patient was propped up in the lap of a skinny man. Her portly figure spilled into his lap as she chugged a mug of ale.

Hmm.

Her crabs must have healed if she was so chipper. She couldn't stop scratching the last time I met her.

"You're probably thinking; Why is Althea taking us to a tavern? Well keep thinking because I'm not deigning you with an answer."

With a huff, I shove past a rather big man who doesn't watch where he's going. The tavern was full of people and it hadn't even hit sunset properly. Wooden tables were scattered across the cold floor. The hearth crackled with the warmth of centuries old trees. Oak-beamed walls were adorned with age-old tankards as patrons gathered around, drinking every last inch of the goodness that settled in their mugs.

My mate is quick to follow behind me. There are only a few inches that separate us and my mind goes haphazard with all the tantalising possibilities. Heat was thick in the lack of space that sizzled between us. The tiny hairs on my body hadn't settled down since he showed up inside the King's office. My mind was hazy and it took me a great deal of concentration to focus on the task at hand.

Beatrice, the barmaid, paid no heed as I jumped over the counter. My skirt flails all around me but I made it work as my feet landed with a thud. I didn't glance at Kier as he swiftly followed behind me.

His feet didn't even make a sound.

I guess I'm the clunkier one of the two of us.

The wall in front of us is covered in pickled herring, eggs and an assortment of alcohol that looked eerily similar to muddy water. Rows of glass slabs were used to hold the contents together but a tiny door was peeking through between it all.

Bending down, I press a tiny button that seemed out of place in the aesthetic of 15th century England. The ground hums beneath our feet and the bottles clink together but no one bats an eye.

The tremors grow louder and I feel a warmth encapsulate my shoulder. My backside is met with a solid wall just before a bottle crashes to the ground. A wet thwack meets my ears as a weird substance falls onto the floor.

A shudder goes through my body as the wall opens up and a metal crate pops up in its place.

"Ladies first. Dogs to follow."

Sauntering my way through the small hole, I wait for Kier to enter before I pull the lever down. The small elevator creaks and shakes before it shoots down with the speed of lightning. I pretend as if my heart isn't falling right through my ass and onto the metal ground below me.

The ride is over before I can even blink and the metal grate in front of us parts.

Turning my head towards Kier, my stomach clenches at the sight of him. His hood had fallen off in the catastrophe that was the elevator. His pale skin stood out in the harsh blue lights but he didn't seem unnerved unlike me.

The man turned his head to look behind his shoulder. His grey eyes seemed to look through my body and into my soul as his lips parted.

"Is this place safe for a lady such as yourself?"

The snort of derision leaves my lips before I can stop myself.

"Trust me. I'm no lady," My wink is accidental and I scold myself for falling into his trap.

If I wasn't so sure of him being a block of granite with no feelings, I would have sworn that he was worried for me.

"Welcome to Sub-terra."

Sub-terra was a whole other world. Few above knew of the place but I thrived here. It was the undercity of the Realm of Tenebris. The old city was perched on a mountain with the castle at the peak looking down on its residents. This place was the dark side of a happy charming kingdom.

This is where shit went down.

The place is a labyrinth of intricate brass pipes. There was an eerie glow that beamed dark blue and set the tone for the crime ridden area. Stepping up onto the street, my eyes eagerly take in the narrow cobblestone streets that wind through the realm. Victorian inspired architecture looked ghastly against the neon signs that displayed various shops that sold nothing nice. Skybridges rose tall in the air and connected towering structures that created a skyline of ugly machines as they looked down upon the mortals.

"First time?"

Kier shifted his head but I'm taken by surprise.

"No. I've been here once before."

"Not a fan."

I don't get an answer because the discomfort that radiated from Kier was obvious enough.

"Come along. My friend is waiting for us. I sent a message a short while ago."

"Lead the way."

I bite my lip at his words.

The man sure is chatty today.

——————-

AN: What do we think? Is the Wolf warming up to you all or is it just a ploy? 👀

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