A Wolf's Tear

twenty-eight: mortal folly

It was almost surreal. She never thought she would go back here but she was proven wrong. Selena sat beside Lively, her head leaning against the wolf’s shoulder. Lively was more than helpful to attend to her pain, like a responsible, goading mother.

In the eight-hour drive that Selena endured, she felt babied and got scolded a couple of times when Lively forced her to drink a liquid medicine that was supposed to help with the wound on her leg. The palpitating pain did disappear but it was in the cost of her tongue burning from a campfire soaked in a vat of acid.

She didn’t understand what was inside the glop she had just taken in her body, but it worked and she was thankful for Lively despite the urge to cut her tongue off.

The car pulled over in front of the pack house’s gate, the familiar facade causing a flood of unsavory memories to flood into Selena’s mind.

“Ah, finally. My ass has been killing me from all that sitting.” Lively grumbled, turning her tired gaze to Selena. “How are you holding up, honey?”

She looks at her leg.

“I’m fine, considering I’ve drunk a fill of jet fuel.” She jested but frowned immediately.

Lively chuckles.

“The taste may be revolting but it’s very effective. Even I don’t know what’s inside it but it’s probably better that we don’t know. Ignorance is bliss, Selena.”

Selena nodded. Lively was right about that. What would have happened if she listed to her cousin?

She would be in the basement, still thinking of Dorran and worrying about Talon or maybe she would have been playing with Sebastian. Joyously laughing without a care, just happy to be unaware.

Lively steps out of the car, circling to aid Selena. The first breath she took was a chore. It didn’t feel right to be standing there. Especially when right across her was Francis still wearing handcuffs. Selena watched his stormy blue eyes fill with dread.

She took Francis away from Sebastian.

Her shoulders slumped, carrying the burden of betraying and hurting her cousin. But if he would talk to her then all she could do was support him fully. Maybe Francis was being incriminated but those three names that Beta Lillian uttered were very familiar.

Those were the wolves that went to Selena’s side, the same wolves who Francis told her to fight.

Even if they had concrete evidence and a witness, somehow Selena got the feeling that something was amiss.

Beta Lillian took Francis into the packhouse. But instead of going through the foyer like the rest of the wolves are, he was taken into a small storeroom.

Her heart prickled as the thought of Francis being treated roughly flashed through her eyes.

“My cousin, what’s going to happen to him?” Selena crumpled her chest while she leaned against Lively.

“The basics.” She says. “A few hours of grilling questions, we’ll let him sleep for a couple of hours and resume the questioning. If he’s uncooperative then we might be forced to use other means.”

She flattens her lips.

“Is there some way the interrogations can be delayed?”

“Well, you’re still pack Highcliff’s official Luna so you have the right to practice diplomacy but pack Highcliff and Morris are no longer in an alliance and your cousin shot Nathaniel so it’s going to be hard to convince Lillian not to stick a lump of burning coal up your cousin’s arsehole. And if that still doesn’t console you, Alpha Highcliff would probably be already gathering every vector he has to try and stop the proceedings to get you and Francis back.”