Chapter 10
Malia POV
“Why the hell are you in there? They aren’t in their right mind! I’m going to get Dad!”
Frantically pacing in front of the cage, running my fingers in my hair as if I was to make myself bald only from pulling them out, I felt something soft on my wrist, just so briefly, but enough to make me stop in my tracks. I saw her delicate fingers brushing my skin and I wanted to cry. Suddenly, like that, as if I were to call Mom to come and console me. My eyes trailed off up to hers, acknowledging the small smile floating on her lips that made me cringe.
“How can you be so calm, even smiling? You are literally locked in, God damt.” She sighed, and all I could do was echo hers while emptying my lungs from air.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, cutting her off before she could say anything. “I know what you are going to say. Do you really have to think of yourself as the sacrifice in every situation? Like for Luna’s training, and then not telling me about…”
”Malia. Enough.” Her voice was so hard and stern, her smile disappeared, and her eyes were riveted on me, commanding.
In the past few days, she has been more imperious with me than she has ever been. I froze, standing in front of her smaller stature, which was exuding power all of a sudden. I turned around, my back pressed against the bars and just let myself slip down until I was on the ground. She patted my head before sitting down on her side.
“We are surrounded by a ridiculous amount of werewolves. Be mindful of what you say.” She just whispered, not by precaution but I could feel her weariness.
“Then I probably should not talk to you about what I smell earlier.” I let slip, to tease and cut the built-up tension. I saw her in the corner of my eyes. I got her attention, a bit manipulative, granted, but I couldn’t keep that away from her. And I also needed to confirm something.
“It is actually weird because I smelled him while coming closer to that end of the stage earlier. Out, I could still smell his scent… faint but still.” I turned my head to find her staring, with the eyes of a deer blinded by lights.
“Malia, do you know what it means? You have a mate too!” The last part was a whisper that was laced with excitement but fear too. I laughed. It felt good to let the pressure down.
“What does your fated mate smell like? It was far and both Shila and I were distracted, but it was enticing, I could even smell the subtle pistachio scent over the sandalwood fragrance.” The words floated out of my lips, leaving behind the imprint of the souvenir, taking me on a dreamy journey about a mate I never wanted, never asked for.
She got up and turned her back on me. After a few seconds of pacing around, mumbling to herself, she came back close to me, lowering her head. “Maybe it is because I don’t have a wolf, but he didn’t have a scent. At least, none that I can describe like this unless you want to hear about how a cologne can make your head spin and your heart sink.”
I could feel the weight of that statement. It literally was a punch in the gut. Shila was purring in the back of my mind, entranced by the idea of a wolf that was her fated. She still raised an ear at the statement of Bella. ‘Something’s off.’
‘Gosh, you say that a lot these days.’ She whimpered silently, feeling bad though the one concerned couldn’t hear her.
“Truth be told, Bella, I don’t think it is a wolfless issue. Shila is at it once again, saying there is something off, but I want to add that it is not you or because of you, or the lack of wolf. I think there is more to that. Hell, Shila says it so much, I started talking like her." I laughed, nervously. "I don’t think we are looking the right way to the whole situation. We need to look at the bigger picture. We have a link. You have the pack link. Without a wolf, it’s not possible. So what if it is only dormant? Or that you have many? Like multiple personality disorders or something? You said you hear voices…”
She looked at me, silently. I saw tears come up, rolling down slowly on her pink cheeks. She let them be, troubling their path with a soft smile only. She reached for my hand, squeezing it. “Thank you Lia.”
In the background, cheers, cries, snapping, and shouting were heard. The ceremony was going on smoothly, as if in a different world. “How did it feel…” she paused, rubbing her palm on my shoulder in small supporting circles. “To let Shila out?”
Before I could answer, a vigorous clamor arose from the crowd. Stepping away from the cubicle, I lift the curtain slightly, staying partially hidden, but having the full view of the stage. What I saw made me a gasp before I could cover my mouth to prevent me from screaming surprise. The many groups before her went smoothly, without anyone claiming the new shifters or any shifter going to trouble with their wolves, and all looked pretty common, of various shapes and colors, from light grey to dark brown, none reaching the purest black or close to the immaculate Shila’s white coat.
But her, there was nobody like her. Even her human form, a rare sight, disappeared years ago.
She was as pale as the moonlight, so pale that her veins were visible even from afar. The contour of her eyelids looked reddish, but not as crimson red as her iris. It was shocking. Her white hair blended with her skin, so much it was almost impossible to define her hairline. She was alone, in the middle of the stage, held tightly by Elder Cravyn, his hand almost clawing her delicate skin. Some blood started dripping. I could hardly fight the urge to rush over and rip his arm off. Where the chiffon dress was not covering her skin revealed some blueish, greenish, blackish spots all over her body. She was small, so petite, so fragile. But something from her was irradiating, pulling. I gestured her to Sarabella who was as stunned as me. “It is not a coincidence for her to be alone, like us. Her appearance, I have read something about it somewhere… I can’t seem to remember…”
“She began shifting. All alone! That is insane, she’s going to die!” All I heard was a distant ‘GO!’ as I ran on the stage, shifting mid-run, just in time to support her through the morphing. I was about to help her confused tiny cream wolf to stand up properly when a voice rose about us all. “DO NOT TOUCH MY MATE!”