The Rise of Carolyne Magna

Chapter Three

Juliane Turk

So far, everything had taken a steady decline downhill. And it only took a little over two weeks to do so. Juliane's nostrils flare as she opens the door, the scent of the invader punching her square in the face, almost knocking her off balance. She feigned her calmness as her niece obliviously trudged back to her room, lightly snapping her fingers at her sides. One of Carolyne's many little ticks.

Juli drops the box on the table, leaving the spare blanket on the couch, following the scent's trail. Living room, dining room, kitchen. It was all over the cabinets, on the countertop, and then down the hall. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she followed the scent straight to Carolyne's room. It was radiating that scent, the scent of a wolf, of a very powerful, very familiar wolf. The same one whose scent lined the borders of this territory, the same scent that belonged to the man they had briefly met back in the square. The damn Mayor.

Juliane growls as she opened the door, finding Carolyne laying on her bed, staring at the wall blankly, biting at her cuticles. Juli walks over, nauseated by the odor of the man, Lance Orson, the Mayor of Roxlow and the Alpha of the Rebellus Pack. Carolyne was practically rolling on top of the man. He'd scented her bed, marking her as if she were his territory. Which only made Juliane's situation worse.

"Juli?" Carolyne asks, looking over at her, frightened by her aunt's sudden entrance and frowning facade.

"Sorry, ladybug, I thought I heard a noise." Juli apologizes, quickly dismissing herself from the room before walking to her own.

The beast had even invaded her own bedroom, although his scent was very faint. He didn't spend much time here and he didn't mark her room. Those rights were reserved solely to Carolyne. The scent was strongest in her suitcase. Frantically, she rips her clothes from her suitcase. His scent was on one of the syringes, but not the small bag of Reduft... her pouch was missing.

Frantically, Juliane carefully shakes out all of her clothes, dumping everything out of her bags, searching frantically for the tiny pouch of herbs, looking for the bag, but it was nowhere to be found. She searched her entire room quickly, but there was still no sign of it. Returning to her suitcase, she slowly puts the clothes back into the upturned suitcases, her body numb. She could smell the remnants of it, but she knew he had taken it. Dammit.

So he'd found the Xylazine. At least he hadn't taken any. Surely, he didn't know what it was, but he would soon. Just like he'd figure out about the Reduft unless he already knew. It was very rare, but then again, it was toxic to wolves. Most would know what it was, if not what it looked like. For the Xylazine, all he had to do was look up the name, and it would come up as an animal tranquilizer used for cattle and horses. He'd then figure out exactly what she was using it for.

There were some days when Carolyne was too active, like last night, and she just needed to be put under for a little bit. To control what was... Inside of her. Those were the nights when the little creature inside of her acted up, misbehaved, or, in general, showed itself. It was the only way to keep Carolyne safe. At least, that's what Juliane tells herself.

The Reduft was another story. Reduft was a natural herb that grew in cold climates, mainly in Canada, Alaska, Russia, or any other country that was usually generally cold. And, it was, of course, noxious to werewolves. Raw, if ingested, could cause serious illness; and without treatment, it could even cause death. By wearing it, or having it rubbed on the skin, it can mute a Lycan's powers to shift, heal quickly, and talk to their inner wolf spirits. It was a very helpful, very vital ingredient to their survival. This herb kept Juliane and Carolyne hidden, and safe. Protected. But there was a problem. Carolyne was growing immune to it. She'd been exposed to it ever since she was a little girl, since the night... since the night her parents were slaughtered. Juliane was running out of ways to keep Carolyne hidden, running out of places to, well, run. Moving here, into the heart of another wolf's territory was her last resort, her last desperate grab for safety. And, as she was quickly learning, it was a terribly stupid mistake.