Chased by a wolf

32. 9PM

"Matthew?" Norah's small whisper echoed in the basement. She was back in the real world after a long battle inside her mind.
"Matthew? Wh- what..." she sobbed. She wasn't in physical pain anymore, but there was a new kind of agony in her eyes. Her body started to shake and her sobs turned even more desperate they'd been.

Evelyn looked at the other women and was startled. They all had melacholy in their eyes. Fay sat on her knees and stared down at her hands. She looked defeated. Evelyn didn't understand what was going on. Just minutes ago Norah had been in pain and the other women had been around her telling her to fight. Now they were quiet, tears running down their cheeks. None of them seemed know what to do with Norah, who was now walking around the basement crying out her mate's name.

"What's going on?" Evelyn asked.

She didn't get an answer. It was as if a cloud of melancholy had covered them.

Evelyn walked to Fay and gently squeezed her shoulder. Fay slowly lifted her eyes to her.

"Please, Fay. What happenend?"

"Norah lost her mate," Fay whispered.

Evelyn's eyes widened. Matthew Weston was dead! Shawn had taken care of him. It had taken just 30 minutes. How? How was it possible to kill a total stranger in 30 minutes? And especially since this stranger lived in Minnesota and 30 minutes ago Shawn had been in the city, according to the Ravens. And he planned meeting her at 9PM. Well, Evelyn guessed it didn't matter how he did it. The important thing was that the monster was gone and Norah was free.

"Isn't that a good thing?" She asked.

Fay shook her head.

"It is the worst pain in the whole universe to experience the death of your mate. The things he did to her are nothing compared to what she's feeling now."

Evelyn swallowed. Guilt made her chest feel heavy.

"Will she be ok?" she asked.

"I- We need Qiana. She's the only one who's experienced this. I don't know how to help Norah," Fay said. She started to take her phone from her jacket, but it wasn't in the first pocket. Evelyn nervously looked as Fay reached for the other pocket and it was empty.

"This is weird. I had my phone when I climbed down here," she frowned.

Evelyn touched the phone and thought whether to give it to Fay or not. How would she react realising Evelyn had gone behind her back.

"Fay..." she started, still not sure what to do.

Fay stopped searching and looked up at Evelyn. Fay's worried eyes tried to read her. Her wolf senses noticed Evelyn's heartbeat and shaky breath. She sniffed the air.

"Can I have it back?"

Evelyn didn't bother to ask what Fay meant. Of course she knew. Slowly she pulled the phone out and gave it to Fay. Fay's expression gave nothing away.

*************************************

Other girls were sitting around Norah. They felt helpless. Her sobs echoed in the basement. They were not sobs of agony, like before. Instead they were like a song - really sad song. Evelyn had never felt so guilty. She had thought Norah would be free, that she could be happy.  The guilt made her chest feel heavy. But she soon learned there was also something else.

"Wolves can sense the loss. It's like... empathy pain," Fay told her.

Evelyn nodded. She put her hand on her chest and felt her fast heartbeat. She imagined having a heart attack if the sensation would last much longer.