《Mind the Line》 Chapter One Checking the time on her phone, Jackie cursed under her breath and picked up her pace. Not again. She really couldn¡¯t be late. She sighed in relief as she rounded the corner of a building and the library entered her line of sight. Her sigh quickly turned into one of dwindling patience as another person bumped her shoulder, this hustle and bustle grew with the crowd dragging her toward the stairs that would lead her to the library in no time. It had to be the first and last moment in her life where she was glad to be tossed around in a swarm of moving bodies heading in the same place as her, this was a faster transportation than her feet could manage. The typical student complaints were skirting past her, she caught snags of conversations, like a teacher giving out B''s for students turning their assignment in without dating it, some other tragic guy grumbled about missing last night¡¯s party and his shouts of apologies were hurting her ears. She wrapped her trench coat tighter, closer to her chest, shuddering from the winter breeze. Jackie pushed her stiff body through the doorway. The smell of freshly brewed coffee pulled her toward the indoor cafe section and she joined the line that was gathered by the entrance. After placing her order and receiving her coffee and cream bagel, Jackie turned, eyes scanning for her group. The heat from the paper cup helped defrost her hands. ¡°Jackie, over here!¡± Robin waved her over, wildly. Jackie raised her cup toward her and the rest of her group before walking toward them. It took some time for Jackie to notice Kenny frowning at her. His mouth was opened to voice a complaint which was cut short by Ben who held his hand up, fixing her with a disapproving glare from his place at the head of the table. Rising from his chair, Ben asked, ¡°Decided to take your time, didn¡¯t you?¡± She gave a helpless shrug. ¡°I lost track¡­?¡± ¡°Jackie, when do you ever lose track of time?¡± Kenny said. Not waiting for her to reply, he added, ¡° Now that I think about it, you barely participate in meetings anymore. Is something going on?¡± All Jackie did was whistle in response, her eyes finding any attempt to avoid his inquisitive gaze. ¡°She must have been busy with other projects and hasn''t had the time to join us. Things like this happen. Right, Ben?¡± Robin asked, beseeching Ben with her doe-like eyes. Jackie snorted, almost choking and dropping everything in her hands. She quickly recovered and rescued the falling items. Robin¡¯s attempt at convincing wasn¡¯t enough, going by the seriousness on the man¡¯s face. Nothing was more important than getting approval to cross the boundary. This could put their names in the history books forever. At that time, Jackie thought it best to take a seat before someone said something ridiculous and she succeeds spilling her breakfast onto the floor. Ben cleared his throat, saying, ¡°As I was saying before, the department heads thinks we¡¯re fools chasing myths with no research. At least that¡¯s how they treat us. So we have no real backing for anything we try to do from here on out.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ve been asking to cross the boundary for weeks now. If we cross, we can just find out for ourselves. It¡¯ll all be in our reports,¡± Jackie said. ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s behind the boundary anyway,¡± Ben commented. ¡°Besides werewolves,¡± Kenny whispered behind the cover of the book he held, titled: The Werewolves Who Walked Among Us. ¡°What matters most is our safety,¡± Robin said. Her eyes drifted from face to face, noticing the unsettled looks they exchanged and the way their lips twisted with disgust each time someone said something they disagreed with. Just as quickly, they began arguing and Jackie took that as her cue to withhold her opinion. She really hadn¡¯t missed this. The librarian was lingering close by, her eyebrows raised with a warning every time their volume elevated slightly. ¡°Imagine if there are vampires¡ª" Kenny began. "Like the ones who feast on our blood¡ª¡± Robin said. "If there are dragons, do you think they live in caves? Hoarding gold? We could be rich if we found their caves.¡± Kenny suggested. ¡°Or we''d be burned alive¡ª¡± ¡°What about angels?¡± ¡°Let''s hope there isn''t any gods there with a hatred toward humans and sics his holy soldiers on us.¡± Robin replied. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just submit a letter to the dean?¡± Jackie asked, blowing over her paper cup before taking a sip of coffee. Her question brought silence to the table, their usual bickering ending abruptly. Robin folded her glossy lips inward and rubbed her right arm. Awkwardness settled around every corner of the table. Kenny buried his nose deeper in his book, his floppy curls fell over his eyes, the only thing poking out from above the edge of the cover. Robin¡¯s concerned gaze wandered between Jackie and Ben. ¡°Even if we do that, Jacqueline, he won¡¯t even acknowledge it. We are his charity cases. There¡¯s no other college in the state that has majors for the supernatural except ours. That¡¯s how uninterested the world is in the research we¡¯ve been working on. He wouldn¡¯t even open our emails. Do we even have anything? We have nothing!¡± He lowered his voice when the librarian made a sharp shushing noise, they all turned to look at her. The woman shot glares at them. ¡°What do you expect us to do?¡±¡ªin a harsh, exasperated whisper¡ª¡°Produce projects we don¡¯t have? We need this approval. A decision you openly despise.¡± ¡°Of course, I despise it. Why can¡¯t we do it ourselves? How many months do we have to wait until we can get the proper funding for a trip like this? They won¡¯t even let us step foot in the door. You keep talking about our failures and I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re using it as an excuse to hide your fear.¡± His mouth tightened, his expression sour. He looked toward the others and when no one came to his defense, he took a seat. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. No one knew where the barrier came from; its mystical magnetic field was still a huge mystery¡ªthe physics majors seemed to have that covered. The supernatural magicks majors at her school were following right behind them and neither conflicting field made any important discoveries. They just didn¡¯t know enough. So when Ben began to push for more definitive data and studies, he persuaded their professor to join the ¡®revolution of humanity¡¯. They formed groups and were given separate tasks that would push and intimidate the researching committee¡¯s president to approve their future adventures. Two weeks in, and reports came of students who passed the boundary going missing, that was when Ben¡¯s demeanor changed. He stressed over the committee¡¯s disapproval of their research. By then, there was fear in his eyes. His bravado was shaken and in need of repair. ¡°I know we''re all scared and curious. But I want us to swallow that fear and act on our curiosity. We can''t keep allowing these measly papers and money to keep us from a world we know is worth exploring. I doubt we need money, but we can raise funding for ourselves just in case. We can ask for donations online and here on campus. Then when we have enough, we can cross the boundary.¡± ¡°That sounds like a solid plan.¡± Robin said, nodding encouragingly toward Ben. Her fist bumped his arm. ¡°Right, Pres?¡± He grumbled his agreement. Robin and Kenny cheered. A heartbeat later, their eyes locked on the librarian. They flinched, shushing each other with an index finger to their lips, and opted for punching the air in celebratory silence. The scowling librarian nodded her approval, crossing her arms loosely. The meeting was over and they finally had a plan to work with, Jackie smiled. This could actually work. She sprinted across the brownish yellow lawn toward her car, accidentally hitting her knee on its bumper as she climbed into the driver¡¯s seat. She drove home while humming the tunes of her favorite jazz singer. Her shoulders swayed back and forth to the rhythm in her head. It was time to take their research into their own hands. Werewolves didn¡¯t normally survive after they were revealed to the public. They disappeared as soon as they surfaced. In her ethics class, she read a case study file on two wolves that were captured. The dissection and mutilation of their dead bodies were horrifying to see. The file detailed how the early scientists in this field began their experiments with a female werewolf, referred to as Subject 034 remained in her wolf form and, upon death; she became human while Subject 035 stayed human and died that way. There was no mention of whether anesthesia was used. They starved them before eviscerating these poor wolves. Still they found no leads on why they transformed or even the rate of healing for werewolves. Everything documented were failed hypotheses aside from the controversial evidence that supported the claim of how werewolves communicated with each other while they were in the form of a wolf. The tortures they detailed and disguised as necessary experiment processes were enough for me to know just how corrupt the research department truly was. With that thought in her mind, she shot a text to her friend, Riley. Meet me at my place in an hour. When Jackie turned into her apartment¡¯s garage, she walked out with the same sashay to her hips and bounce in her walk. She did a little twirl after locking her car then tossed her keys into the air from one hand to the other, picking up her humming habit again. Should she check her mailbox? The thought was washed away by her best saxophone impersonations. She skipped her way up the stairs. It didn''t take long for her to reach her door, 206. The door swung open, almost knocking her back with it. Riley stood with her hands on her hips in the doorway. She raised her hand to her mouth, her eyes widening. ¡°Oops, I heard your keys and your humming. I didn¡¯t know you were that close. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. How did you get here so fast? I pretty much just sent that message.¡± "Long story short, I needed peanut butter. You know how your dad sent that delicious¡ª" Jackie clamped her hand over her friend¡¯s mouth. Despite her tightening grip, the stubborn brunette moved her head around and continued to speak into her hand, although it was completely muffled. Jackie would¡¯ve laughed but something was wrong. Jackie changed her grip, her other hand moving to hold firm to the back of Riley¡¯s neck as she crouched to a squatting position, bringing her best friend with her. Anger rose in her chest. "Someone¡¯s been here," Jackie whispered darkly, an animal¡¯s odor reaching them. She released Riley and stood. Walking further into the apartment, she tried to figure out what animal the smell belonged to when another fragrance filled her nostrils. It was¡­ Blood. Jackie licked her lips and searched for its source. Kill! Kill! Kill! They must die! Whoever it was invaded her home and her instincts were screaming that whomever it was, had signed their own death sentence. Dark splotches of blood were splattered on the burgundy carpet, Jackie crouched down again and sniffed. Something was familiar about this scent, but recognition evaded her. The familiar smell clotted the air around her, intoxicated, she followed its scent to the living room. Her gaze skipped over the pristine couches that were just the way she¡¯d left them that morning and the television hung on the wall, untouched. The wolf smell lingering here was faint and fading. Jackie spun in a circle, trying to track any signs of where the animal hid. Her desk which sat in front of a window was covered in the scent. Jackie peered out the window and down at the parking lot. She leaned closer to the glass and inhaled deeply. ¡°Uh¡­ what¡¯s going on, you weirdo? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna lick that?¡± Riley asked. A hand touched her shoulder when she whipped her head toward Riley. She had to hold herself back from lunging at Riley. She growled instead. Riley looked at her curiously, not knowing how close Jackie was to harming her. ¡°Hey, look at this,¡± Riley said, pointing down toward the top of her desk. Jackie was more interested in the scent but she glanced over anyway. Her research binders were open, the pages spread across the mahogany surface. It wasn¡¯t her prey so she dismissed this and resumed her search for the intruder. Next was her bedroom. The aroma of blood was stronger here. Everything was as Jackie had left it, her closet door was still open and her clothes were still littered across the floor and her bed. Yanking the sheets away, she flung them behind her, then her eyes locked on the bathroom door. She clambered toward it, sliding and stumbling as she got closer. Her breathing came in quick pants as she pulled the door open with a victorious grin on her face. Running in, she skidded to a halt at the scene that greeted her. Riley grabbed her by the shoulders, leaning over to try and examine her face. ¡°What''s going on with you?¡± Jackie didn¡¯t even turn to look at Riley as she flicked on the lights. Jackie lowered her head, tears stinging her eyes as they fell in the momentary silence. Jackie lifted her head enough to see Riley backing away from the sight of her roommate''s dead body. Riley¡¯s own tears turned to sobs. Jackie couldn''t tear her gaze from his sightless brown eyes. She faintly heard the ringing coming from behind her and a shaky breathing intensify when a woman''s on the other line answered, asking, "911, what''s your emergency?" "I-I¡­" Riley gave a false start before she seemed to come out of her shock enough to answer the dispatcher¡¯s questions. Without the distraction of conversation, Jackie swallowed hard, biting her lip so hard she bled. She fell to her knees, tears flooding and blurring her vision. Simon''s lifeless eyes stared at her, his head crooked on the lip of the tub. They were almost strangers, and yet, he was dead. Jackie stared at her hands in horror. She was so deadset on killing this intruder that she hadn¡¯t realize the blood belonged to her roommate, to¡­his name¡­ Of course, she remembered his name. She moved closer to him and placed her hand on his cold arm that hung outside the tub. Who killed you? If only the dead could speak. More tears fell. Jackie inhaled a steady breath, examining his mangled and contorted body. If only she had a power that would help her find his killer. The wolf scent. She glanced past her bedroom and toward the living room where she smelled the wolf. Its aroma was still in her nose, even though it was fading. Jackie turned back to Simon. The shattered tiles had blood dripping down in rivulets. Simon''s chest cavity was caved in and his mouth agape. Jackie choked on a sob. He held a piece of paper in his hand¡ªthe one she touched¡ªa yellow and blood-stained paper peeking out. Jackie reached down and grabbed it. Opening the bloodstained note, it read: Cross the boundary and You''re next. Chapter Two Driving home Friday evening felt different when it being a crime scene from two weeks ago was still etched in her mind. Jackie put her truck in park and pulled up a local news website on her phone. After she finished browsing the front page, she typed Simon McCarthy in the search bar and pressed ENTER. No results. Frustrated, she searched, Michigan college student death. Nothing she hadn¡¯t already seen before. Jackie flung the useless piece of junk into the passenger seat, tears forming in her eyes. She punched her steering wheel. She released a restrained scream. What was taking so long? She took a calming breath and removed her keys from the ignition. Pausing in front of her apartment door, more thoughts ran through her mind. Jackie¡¯s breathing quickened, and with sweaty palms, she counted to ten, stopping when the aching in her chest disappeared. She unlocked the door and turned the knob. A dark entryway greeted her, with no enthusiasm or even relief that she made it back alive. She still hadn¡¯t gotten used to coming home to an empty apartment. She walked inside, standing in the foyer with her eyes closed tight. She didn¡¯t want to get used to Simon¡¯s absence. She wanted him alive. She missed coming home and complaining about the long monotonous lectures they had and comparing whose major was the hardest, or even about how they dreaded finals and hadn''t caught up on any of their assignments. Now, those stupid lectures in biology class detailing the lifespan of a plant species had her thinking of the boy who couldn¡¯t take care of a plant no matter how hard she tried to teach him. She took a deep breath and flipped on the light switch, the lamps illuminated their¡ªno, her living room. Their favorite beige couch was the first thing her eyes settled on. A few weeks ago, Simon and she bickered over which corner felt the most comfortable. They argued over the spoiled milk in the fridge. More and more of these petty arguments flew across her mind. With each one, she sent her apology. She didn¡¯t mean it when she said Simon was beginning to look like a fat pig. She was just angry. They were angry. After his death, these moments were relentless and popped in throughout the day. The police statements and her repeated answers to their questions went past like a blur, in her mind¡¯s eye. Jackie regretted hiding that note, it could have been used for evidence. Except those times she had been grateful she hid it. There were enough villain stories of werewolves. The real questions were, why was someone threatening her? What had she done? She walked to her desk and pulled up the folder with all her research documents on her monitor. Jackie looked down at the sticky note she¡¯d written, marking down the pages that were stolen. She used to regard her research as a long trek of endless goose hunts, but now it was the key to solving Simon''s murder. The more this mysterious murderer wanted Jackie to leave the barrier alone, the more she delved. The forensic photographers snapping photos of her roommate dead in the bathtub, the detectives sniffing around their small apartment, rummaging through their kitchen cabinets, desk drawers, and the boxes Jackie kept in the closet finding zilch. The invasion ended with no fingerprints, no definitive evidence or suspects to interrogate. It wasn¡¯t yet a cold case, but it lost its priority status. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. She found the files. The document''s title read: Theory of Lycanae Genetic Mutation. It was an early thesis of hers on the genetic variable that caused werewolves to shift forms. Jackie had a faint memory of the project¡¯s goal, but she was positive it was thrown out by one too many professors to count as significant. Just like a lot of her work at the time was. Her approach had drastically changed since those days. Jackie didn''t even know she still had these. She skimmed over some of the data, cringing at her grammatical errors and how unprofessionally her facts were presented. She leaned closer to the page on the screen, was that a random r in between specimens? She deleted it, restraining a groan. She refreshed her recollection a bit while reading and trying not to cringe. It was as she did this that something caught her interest, a gene-type called D-H56, a commonly overlooked category due to its close relation with genetic repair. The data didn''t have any notable changes between humans, wolves, and werewolves. Interesting but still, the change was very slight and incrementally minor. Nothing important. This document couldn''t have been the reason Simon was killed. This is ridiculous. She checked the sticky note again. A knock at the door broke her focus, pulling her out of her reverie. Riley¡¯s apple cinnamon scented perfume gave her away. Her best friend loved to wear them during the Christmas season or when she needed a pick-me-up. Jackie unlocked the door and let her in. Riley gave her a brisk hug. As she was pulling away, Riley placed both hands on either side of Jackie¡¯s cheeks causing her to stand still while Riley turned her head this way and that. ¡°Are you okay? I called your phone, and you didn¡¯t pick up.¡± Jackie pat her pockets and spoke through squished lips, ¡°Oh, I left it downstairs in the car.¡± Riley looked at her, a concerned look in her eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t lock your keys in the car as well, did you? You sound so lifeless and distracted.¡± Jackie pointed at the bowl on the glass table where she had deposited her keys. ¡°I¡¯m not that dumb¡­¡± Jackie said then ambled back to her computer, eager to finish where she left off. Next on the list is the hormonal imbalance report Jackie submitted three years ago. She furrowed her brows, scanned the notes and found the corresponding documents. She skimmed its contents. These were all her failures. The things that were tossed out by their department heads. They also needed heavy revisions. Most, if not all, of these were her shortcomings as an undergrad. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Riley asked, putting her chin on her friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Why would anyone want these?¡± Jackie pointed at the screen. ¡°There are typos everywhere and some of my math is off. It is clearly incomplete.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m looking at, so I¡¯ll just take your word for it. But why are you looking at these?¡± ¡°The killer took these before or after he killed Simon and I¡¯m trying to find him¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to chase down a murderer?¡± Sighing, Jackie replied, ¡°He killed Simon and I could be next.¡± Riley cocked her head to the side, opening and closing her mouth. She then looked skyward before her gaze returned to her bestie¡¯s as she said, ¡°I know I can¡¯t change your mind, but can¡¯t we just report this to the police first?¡± Jackie gave her an exasperated look. ¡°Sure but I doubt anything will come from it.¡± Chapter Three Detective Wilde watched Jackie and her friend leave, his tensed shoulders relaxing when the door completely closed. He looked down at the note on his desk. Was she really in danger? Releasing a deep exhale, he relaxed in his chair. This woman was making his life difficult. He cringed, his nose scrunching on his next inhale. Ugh, daisies were the worst, but he couldn''t have her recognizing his scent. His cover would be blown. Thank the Moon Goddess, he built a habit of wearing it while on-duty. Caleb spent years covering for these rampant werewolves, trying to erase evidence of their existence. It was hard work. He was growing tired of all the work piling up. Not to mention, the teenagers who went overboard and shifted in front of mortals. A headache formed between his eyes, his temples throbbed incessantly. These clean-ups took too long. His main mission was babysitting his queen and it has been infuriating these last few weeks. Now there was an impending threat on her life. If she wasn''t his future queen, he would strangle her himself. She was mind-numbingly unaware of the attention her research had gotten. Caleb had killed too many werewolves over the last few months and he was exhausted. At conventions, outside her university¡¯s science building, and her library meetings. His thought faded as Frankie came waltzing into his office again, bearing a childish smile. The responding glare from the other party caused Frankie¡¯s smile to grow wider. ¡°So what''s happened?¡± Frankie asked, rubbing his hands together. ¡°Fucking walking disaster, that''s what she is. Can''t she just stay low and pursue her research like she always did? Now she wants to go where? The blasted lass. She has no sense of self-preservation. The kingdom is not like any place she ever step foot upon.¡± ¡°Whoa there, grumpy. She just lost her friend.¡± ¡°¡­okay, yeah. You''re right. It''s this smell, sometimes I can''t think straight. You sure you didn''t sell me a knock-off, Frankie?¡± ¡°What do you take me for? When have I ever?¡± Caleb looked him dead in the eyes. ¡°Are you forgetting the flute? You promised me it was made with Siren magic.¡± Frankie, a renowned faerie craftsman, who sold the detective silver weapons he crafted for cheap. Cheap by kingdom standards. Aside from weapons, Frankie had sold Caleb some miscellaneous items he¡¯d bought from other faeries at expensive prices. Prices set so high even his king would gawk at, but then again he couldn''t imagine his king gawking at anything. The king was more a short-tempered person than a gawker. The Nyme elixirs he used daily to cloak his odour worked, but he had never used one with daisies. It was an irritating smell for wolves. Caleb held back a sneeze. Well, unless he planned on taking the trip himself, he didn''t complain. ¡°What? I apologized for that over a thousand times already. That''s what the faerie who sold it to me claimed.¡± The blue-eyed faerie raised his hand in surrender. ¡°It''s really not my fault,¡± he said with a mischievous grin, his deceptive blue eyes locking on the glaring detective. Caleb¡¯s glare must have been piercing enough to wipe the grin from Frankie¡¯s lips. ¡°So when do you plan on telling your king?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send a letter in the morning.¡± Frankie shook his head, his index finger moving side-to-side in time with the tsk, tsk, tsk sound coming from his lips. ¡°His queen¡¯s life is in danger now. This should be important enough for you to go there and deliver the message. Personally.¡± The detective mulled over the idea. Go to the king and tell him his mate was in danger. Was it worth? Would the king care? He looked down and read the words written on the bloodied note. Another sigh left his lips. He shooed Frankie out of his office and sank lower in his chair, opening a nearby cabinet. He grabbed the armband that he¡¯d shoved under a stack of papers and held it up for inspection. The artificial light reflecting off its golden surface, Caleb recalled the last thing the king had said to him before Caleb had left. ¡°I hope to never see you again, Sir Wilde.¡± The king wasn¡¯t going to like this. He put the band back where he found it and closed the drawer. It was time to go home. *** Passing through the boundary always felt painful and time-consuming. It felt worse than the first time Caleb transformed into a wolf. With each shift, he had gotten used to the feeling of his skin and muscles stretching and the morphing of his body. It had become as normal and comfortable as changing clothes. Now there was nothing to it. However, with the boundary, it wanted to tear his entire existence apart. It punished him for each and every crossing. Based on what he had heard between the whispers from his elders, the boundary tested your spirit before allowing you through. It accepted who it wanted and rejected others. The elders called it an ancient god. One that was sealed into this form to protect Infideon forever. It was at these times when he almost believed them. It was hard not to when your skin felt like it was being shredded over and over. When Caleb used to work in the castle, he watched as those whom the boundary rejected were obliterated. For most, he had to stand and watch their skin melt and their bodies dissolve until not much was left but a gooey mush. Even after seeing that, Caleb didn¡¯t break a sweat when he traveled to Earth. It could have been his arrogance as an Alpha wolf or simply a way to prove his fealty to his king. *** The castle loomed ahead as he got closer, approaching. The guards stood on alert, eying him with suspicion. He read their intent in the way they moved. Their body language spoke for them. Their stances were angled low to the ground, their wolf instinct preparing to address their perceived threat. Had he once been like these guards? It was possible. Castle guardsmen held too much responsibility on their shoulders. He had gone from protector of the palace and his king to protector of its secrets. He could almost bet if these guards had been in their wolf form, they¡¯d have been crouching right now. That, he could guarantee. This was one of the best times to be a guard, these were the calmer hours. Their alertness showed their competency. Caleb was impressed. Not much traffic of wolves coming in and out. Caleb flashed them his insignia which was tattooed on his left bicep. They scuffled away with a salute allowing him entry into the kingdom of Alffatir. He didn''t even get to walk a couple of steps before he was ambushed from behind. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Welcome back, stranger!¡± His sister, Sophia¡¯s voice sailed toward him. Chuckling, Caleb reached up, held her arm and tried to break from her death grip. ¡°What a beautiful way to greet your older brother, Soph.¡± He twisted her arm behind her back with ease, freeing himself from under it. Then he gave her his best grin. ¡°How¡¯s Mom¡¯s sickness?¡± he asked. She returned his smile with an unsteady one. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ well¡­ She¡¯s still the same as always.¡± Her gaze forlorn as she said this. Caleb noticed her rubbing her side where small crimson drops were on her shirt. He drew closer. His sister tried to shrink away from him so he slowed his approach. When she calmed down, he raised her shirt and saw the long slash on her side. ¡°She did this?¡± A cross between a whimper and a laugh came from her. ¡°It''s fine. I''ll be fine soon.¡± I have to check on Mom later. I need to see for myself how bad things have gotten. He released her and bit his lip, taking the folded research pages he¡¯d stolen in a rush from his pocket. Handing them to her, Caleb remembered how nervous he was that day. He hadn''t realised how important the queen''s research was or the type of impact it could have for werewolves until he had listened in on a PhD. student presentation. It was the first time he learned what her research was about. The morning of the murder, Caleb confirmed there was no one inside before he entered Queen Jackie''s apartment through her window. Immediately, the hairs on his nape began to rise and his hands began to shake. Caleb looked down at the gooseflesh spread across his arms. It was at that moment he realised she was dangerous. A natural predator. There was something about her scent that oppressed him. Everything was marked with her smell and his head felt dizzy. Every instinct inside him screamed warnings to tread with caution. Caleb headed toward a computer that was covered with the queen''s scent, the smell turning his steps tentative and after five failed attempts at guessing her password, he moved onto the binders in a container beside her desk. He fumbled a little while he skimmed through the pages inside. The binders flopped out of his hands once or twice. Caleb really wanted to get out of there. Most of the jargon eluded him which is why he was looking for that specific gene-type name. She mentioned it in one of those student seminars he attended. Finally there it was. He ran a finger over it when he reached the final pages. Caleb was halfway through reading a couple before the sound of footsteps approaching broke his concentration. He sniffed, out of curiosity. A wolf. Why was she back so early? Registering he hadn''t put on anything to cover his scent today, Caleb tried to remain calm. He snatched the papers he had been reading and exited the same way he entered. It wasn''t until Detective Wilde turned the corner two blocks from his job when it dawned on him that the scent he smelled coming down the hall wasn''t hers. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Sophia asked, breaking him from his reverie. She leafed through the sheets of paper, handling them carelessly as she turned them over in her hand. Her furrowed brows deepened and she tilted her head. She soon gave them back to him with disinterest. ¡°I don¡¯t understand this. It all looks like gibberish to me. But seriously, what is that?¡± ¡°This is the answer. It¡¯s unfinished and needs some correction but this can cure Mom¡¯s sickness. Lunacy can be cured.¡± Caleb lowered his voice to a whisper as he continued, ¡°Our future queen has discovered a way to cure it. I thought it was a farce at first but this is real, Soph. She can be cured of lunacy for good.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Seriously? Did you make this? Is that why we haven''t seen you for years? You''ve been helping the queen make this to cure Mom? I¡¯m honestly surprised you survived the cross, Luce must love you.¡± ¡°Luce?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the goddess¡¯s name, right?¡± she asked. Caleb never heard anyone give a name to the trapped ancient deity. ¡°I thought it was a god.¡± She waved her hand as if he was being ridiculous. ¡°It''s a goddess. I''ve been studying her origin story with Albert. The king has been taking more notice of our efforts since then.¡± ¡°And how did you find out it was a goddess?¡± ¡°That was simple. I won''t bore you with the details. I even know her name, the ancient texts refer to her as Luciferin.¡± She gave him an enigmatic smile, her blueish-gray eyes sparkling. They continued their walk in silence until they made it to the marble steps, leading up to the palace. Caleb didn''t have much to add when she spoke about her historical findings. He enjoyed watching her pursue her passions from a distance. Much like their Queen''s research pursuits, they were beyond his scope of understanding. They made it to the marble staircase that led to the palace. After seeing him off, his sister walked to the east side of the palace where the royal library was. He shook his head, thinking, what a nerd. He stared after her, waiting for her to turn back like she did so often in the past. When it was obvious she wasn''t going to, His gaze turned to the papers clutched in his hand. Caleb folded them and put them back into his jacket pocket. He had to look at them later after he gave his report to the king. He saluted the guards outside the palace doors, took a deep breath and then made his way to the king¡¯s dining room. King Graham was having dinner, his fork halfway to his mouth when he found him. The king cleared his throat and placed the silver fork back on his porcelain plate. ¡°This better be urgent. I knew you were rude, but not giving notice of your arrival goes beyond anything you¡¯ve done before.¡± Graham looked anything but angry. Let alone surprised at his being there. ¡°You can always be rid of my presence if you terminate my assignment, Your Highness,¡± Caleb said, his tone even. He cracked his knuckles, sending for a nearby maid. When one approached, he gave her instructions to pass to the chef. When she scurried away, he turned his attention back to the king. There was a smile of displeasure on the king¡¯s face as he said, ¡°I never knew anyone to treat my castle like their home.¡± He waited for Caleb to sit before continuing, ¡°Now what is it you wish to report?¡± ¡°She is in danger.¡± ¡°Again, how many times this month? I¡¯m tired of hearing this. I believe you do this to test my patience, Caleb, and I would advise you not to.¡± ¡°The third time, your Majesty. But this time, the danger comes in the form of a threat.¡± Caleb handed him the note with the threat on it. ¡°I¡¯ve done my best to protect her and hide her identity. But I believe someone now knows who she is. I suspect they might know of your connection.¡± King Grahaam growled and pushed his plate away from him. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°No¡ª¡± A plate flew past his ear, he patiently dodged and a small yip came from behind him. Caleb turned. The maid he¡¯d sent to the kitchens earlier was holding my plate, steak sauce covered her clothes. She was trying to hold in her hiccups as she placed the emptied plate in front of him. Betas¡­they scared easily. King Grahaam often had these bouts of rage, and from the bags under his eyes and the shifting feet of the Betas, they were getting worse and more frequent. ¡°She wants to do what?¡± ¡°Cross the boundary. I received intel from the library she attends. She and her group intend on crossing whenever they gather the means to do so.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Grahaam said, his teeth grinding together. ¡°Ensure she stays in the Earth realm, Caleb. I would hate to kill one of my best.¡± His gaze was predatorial, but familiar. It was the same look Caleb¡¯s mother gave him all those years ago from the head of the dinner table. The lunacy was quickly growing and deteriorating the king''s mind. Chapter Four Caleb must not have been paying attention to the surroundings with the news he had for the king taking priority in his mind because much had changed. The gravel roads had been replaced with cobblestones. He walked down the castle steps, saluting the knights. He peered at the library briefly as he sprinted behind the building into an alleyway. Caleb kicked tiny stones, balled up paper and steered to avoid pieces of chewed gum. Youthful chuckles echoed through the enclosed space, he looked behind him to find their source. His eyes met two little snaggletooth pups, their heads leaning out from the opening, toothy grins on their faces. They turned to each other and started whispering. ¡°Is he new around here, Sal? He doesn''t know this alley is a bad place to be?¡± ¡°Well it ain''t night time yet¡­so he might be safe.¡± ¡°Hey, mister,¡± the nervous Sal said, her voice soft and cracking. ¡°This way isn''t safe." ¡°How come?¡± He keeps his tone friendly. ¡°This is where the king dumps his dead,¡± she squeaked, looking this way and that before running to him. The top of her head, the same height as his knees. She latched onto his fingers and pulled him out into the street, out of the alley in a hurry. ¡°Haven''t your mama told you ¡®bout how dangerous the king¡¯s become?¡± Caleb couldn''t hold back his smile. This adorable pup was telling him how scary the king was. ¡°You best hide in fear or you¡¯ll be next. Mama says the king kills us Alphas for sport. Don''t go telling nobody I told you otherwise. The king eats our hearts and imprisons us in his belly. That''s how Uncle Bow-leg died.¡± She shook her head, her face solemn. ¡°Mama says he had it coming for a long time. But Mama ain¡¯t like Uncle Bow-leg no way.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± the timid boy clinging to his outspoken friend¡¯s shirt spoke up. ¡°We know the king killed him. I can tell you that.¡± ¡°He ate his heart because he ain''t got none. And he ain''t done searching.¡± Caleb grumbled and walked back into the alleyway, his face upturned. They followed him down three more alleys. Wherever he turned their small pitter-pattering feet followed him. They sprinkled him with salt and tales of their heartless king. When they entered the final alley, he had enough. The ever familiar fire hydrant seemed to pull him forward, he was almost home. Just one more block. Once he turned around this last corner and made sure to be careful around the clutter of carriage in the upcoming road. He¡¯d get to open the door and see his mom. Recalling how deep and recent his sister''s gash was, he shouldn''t expect anything less than the same. But he was sure as always that his mother would have bouts of temper and otherwise, behave pretty normally besides that. All he had to do was avoid her attacks. His heartbeat elevated and straightened his tie, in preparation of his homecoming appearance. Brushing his hands through his hair, he raised his hand and finally acknowledged the jabbering pups. ¡°Do you two follow strangers home often?¡± When they nodded, he continued, ¡°And do you know what the king looks like?¡± ¡°Uh¡­no.¡± They exchanged looks, eyes widening as they slowly turned their gaze toward him. With tears in her eyes, Sal slid back a few paces, pulling on her buddy¡¯s arm and bringing her back too. ¡°He has blue eyes and brown hair and a slightly overgrown beard." Caleb scrubbed his own in false contemplation. ¡°A¡ª¡± Before he could finish, their panting breaths as their scuttling feet booked it around the nearest corner. ¡°Mommy!¡± ¡°Mama!¡± He cackled at their screeching cries. Really takes you back to the old days, being young and fearless. *** ¡°Welcome home, young master,¡± Brockley said, his frame held the white door open as he ushered Caleb inside with a tight smile on his face. ¡°Brock!¡± He clapped the butler¡¯s hand and pulled his prudently stiff body into an even more rigid hug. ¡°How are you? How¡¯s¡­Charlotte? Did she have the babe? Was it a boy or a girl?¡± Brock replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, my wife¡¯s fine as well. Thank you for asking. She had the baby safely. Her name is Vivianne and she¡¯s eight, she works with her mother now. She was recently recommended to become the baroness¡¯s daughter''s personal maid. I have much to be proud of.¡± His grin reflected the pride of a father, causing Caleb to feel a twinge of jealousy. What would it be like to have a family and live a stable life? To be a father? He shook his head and crossed the threshold. Brock pat him on his shoulder and said, ¡°Seven years is a long time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to see Mom,¡± Caleb told him. Baked ginger snaps and jam filled his nostrils, he licked his lips. ¡°Is Aava done baking? I left enough space for a meal or two,¡± Caleb said, patting his belly. The grand piano that he remembered in front of the fireplace was missing. Their family painting on the fireplace¡¯s mantle now had snow globes of all colours but more notably, yellow and blue. His mother¡¯s least favorite colours. She kept them out of her paintings and wore every colour of dress, except those. Her aged bear rug had switched positions as well, he spotted its familiar brown shape pushed under the fridge. Servants passed him with jittery smiles and brief bows. The ladder that had always stayed in the yard was now in their living room, resting against the bookshelves. He spun in a circle, taking in all the changes. It wasn¡¯t anything he grew up seeing. Everything seemed old but new. Refurbished somehow. Every room they passed or entered were painted white and its ¡°refreshing¡± shade was out to blind him. He missed the wood, mostly for its earthy smell and its hardened surface. He still liked the sound his footsteps made as he walked but he¡¯d only wished the floors weren¡¯t painted. He wished nothing had changed. What was Father thinking? From as much as Caleb heard his mother wasn¡¯t stable enough to make these changes on her own. So Father had to be the one responsible for ruining the house in this way. Caleb frowned, confused. He was done looking at the new furnishing, he was already tired of seeing it all. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°This way.¡± Brock led him through the kitchen, the dining room, before leading them into his least favourite room in the house. His mother¡¯s painting room. He cast the black sheer curtains away from his face. Dust motes floated around and tickled his nose until he quietly sneezed in his elbow. This room hadn¡¯t been renovated or touched. It felt out of place with the rest of the house, but to him, it was the only place in this house he recognised as home. The pine scent brought him so much peace and comfort. This was how his home was supposed to smell. He imagined his mother posing atop a stool in front of the room where the chalkboard clung to the wall while his sister and him giggled behind easels at the goofy faces she made. The memory brought a smile to his face. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since she¡¯s entered this room,¡± Brock stopped short when he noticed Caleb wasn¡¯t following anymore. ¡°It¡¯s gotten that bad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it has. Master is trying his best to call in the best physicians he could find. He¡¯s even issued help from the royal physician.¡± Brock shook his head. ¡°How desperate he must be.¡± Caleb shuddered. The room was now giving him the creeps. He always hated lingering here. He marched out, pulling the door closed behind him. In the hall, Brock climbed the winding staircase, looking back occasionally to check if Caleb was keeping up. Had his parents moved rooms as well? Caleb grabbed the banister and followed after him, taking careful steps. He remembered the look on Brock¡¯s face when he''d opened the door and saw Caleb. How bad had it gotten? Trodding down the long hallways, he stressed over what he was about to face. Finally, when they reached the master bedchamber, Caleb pressed his ear to his parent¡¯s door; it discomforted him that there was no movement inside. He looked to his side where Brock should have been, only to find the space empty. He was summoning up some sense of courage when something rang in his head. It came from the pack bond, it wasn''t words but a metaphysical warning. Taking a calming breath, he braved opening the door. As soon as he did, a snarling wolf came springing at him. Caught off-guard, Caleb moved out the way at the last second, his mother¡¯s claws dragged along his waist. The smell of his blood filled the space bringing a wolfish grin to her lips, her fangs winking at him. The scent seemed to spur her on even further. He raised his palms, placing one foot behind him, he shifted his stance and braced himself for her next attack. A growl rumbled from her chest as she threw herself at him again. He yelped, her fangs embedding into his shoulder. Fuck. Her fangs sank deeper bringing a whimper from him. He didn¡¯t know it had gotten this bad. He didn¡¯t think she could get her lucidity back. Without any other choice, he tore himself away, dodged her oncoming assaults as a stretching feeling came over his muscles, his face, everywhere on his body. The change was overcoming him, but he fought it with all his might. No, not now. From her incensed growl, his mother¡¯s patience was thinning. He bowed his head. Fighting his mother was pointless. At that, she released him and retreated to the canopy bed. No fur in sight either. A numbing sensation spread over his wound, he looked down at his hand, relieved to see they were still hands and not paws. She advanced at him. Sunlight revealed her clouded irises, the sight unnerved him¡ªsomething off about the colour. His mother crashed into him while he was distracted. He lowered his head under her neck, feeling the guttural sounds she made. When he moved, she followed him, put her head atop his, her threatening breath heated his neck and along his back. Minutes passed like this until she calmed, retracting her fangs and allowing him to move about the room. The she-wolf sauntered under comforters piled in a corner, her tangle of hair rising until she locked eyes with Caleb, glaring and clutching the sheets to her. He rushed through the open bathroom door, fetched his mother some clothes and ran back out. She was in the same spot as before, her head whipped toward him and her glare returned. ¡°Mom?¡± Her gaze fell to his mouth, watching like a silent hawk. She continued staring at him, he swore her eyes were less glazed so he kept talking. ¡°I¡¯m home now and like I promised, I came back. I¡¯m sorry it took so long,¡± he murmured, crouched and waddled toward her at a measured pace. Bam! He jerked around at the sound to see his father¡ªthe burly man he was, his thin lips forever in a straight line¡ªdeflated his spirit a smidgen. ¡°Get away from her!¡± His father¡¯s shout made Caleb curl into himself. ¡°You don¡¯t need to waste your time checking on us. Your mother is being taken care of. I have everything under control here.¡± Caleb made an exaggerated gesture toward his mom and asked, ¡°That¡¯s what you call doing okay? Is she even aware of what¡¯s happening right now? She attacked me before I could fully open the door. For all we know she doesn¡¯t even know I¡¯m her son. Do you even care that she attacked Soph?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happened to Sophia?¡± ¡°Ask her yourself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, boy. Where have you been all these years? You don¡¯t know how long Sophia cried when you left, let alone how much more she did once your mother completely lapsed into¡­ into this state,¡± he said, ¡°Who knows? You could have saved your mother from going mad had you stayed. You know full well how your mother feels about family. But no, you do your best to appease and pacify your king. Even abandon your duties to this family for seven whole years!¡± ¡°Oh, what a hypocrite you are, Father. You served under King John. You of all people should understand my responsibilities. Is this not the person you raised me to become? A proper dog for the next king. Except you didn¡¯t expect the next king would be a bastard. The king comes first, those were your favorite words when I was young. I grew up with a father who were constantly putting the needs of a nation above family concerns. It was only after King John died¡ª¡± ¡°My king was murdered,¡± his father outcried. ¡°¡ªthat brought your attention back to us. Even now you¡¯re consumed with ¡®pack business¡¯. Such a surprise that now the gracious Grand Alpha Alexander has time to spare for his wife.¡± Caleb¡¯s bottom lip trembled. His father raised his hand to strike Caleb, but his mother stood in front of her son, wearing the clothes he had given her. ¡°Even in this state, she defends you, she tries to protect a disobedient pup like you.¡± His father placed his hand on his mother¡¯s cheek in a soothing gesture. ¡°I won¡¯t harm the boy, my love.¡± For a long moment, she kept a dark stare aimed at his father. A fearsome growl resounding, it came from his mother¡¯s protruding chest. Her bloodshot eyes wide, she jerked forward and got in his father¡¯s face. The sound was mostly indiscernible, even still, the word move! came to mind. His father pulled away from her snapping teeth and shifted his gaze to the wall before moving out of her way. Determination shone in his mother¡¯s eyes as she yanked Caleb into the hall. She stuck her head out the door, looked at him then down the end of the hall and finally toward the staircase before slamming the door in his face. He stood there, dumbfounded. Whose side was she on? His? His father¡¯s? Had she been protecting him? Or was he the one in the wrong? Caleb dove deeper into his thoughts as he made his way toward the stairs. His father wasn¡¯t entirely wrong and he had vowed to himself long ago that he wouldn¡¯t turn out like his father. He wouldn¡¯t lose sight of the ones he loved. He didn¡¯t know how fast or slow the lunacy progressed or how much worse it could become. He wanted his mom back to normal and there was only one way he could see that happening. He pulled the crumpled pages from his jacket. He unfolded it and tried to comprehend what was written. ¡°Seriously?¡± His sister¡¯s voice rang in his head. ¡°Did you make this? Is that why we haven''t seen you for years? You''ve been helping the queen make this to cure Mom?¡± Those ridiculous questions made him feel bad that they weren¡¯t true. Why hadn¡¯t he been doing that instead of babysitting? The king came first, that was why. He shook his head. Not anymore. Not this time.