The Wolf of the Wilds

The Truth

Adrian's expression was shrouded by a thick curtain of shadow as he bent forward, resting his chin upon his hands. The way light hit his features made appear him far older than he truly was, eyes distant and devoid of emotion as he stared at the swelling and waning mass of black that sat just beyond the jetty.

"I'm sorry Lena," he began, "I really should've given you some kind of explanation before all of this. I just kept pushing it back, thinking it could wait. It hit me out of nowhere."

Helena leant back against her arm.

"I didn't ask for an explanation Adrian. I would never ask you to divulge your secrets except if they were about me or the relationship between us. Everything else is none of my business unless you make it so."

The tension in his spine lessened somewhat.

"I'm still sorry that I wasn't there for you today. You sounded upset, but I wasn't in a position to help or comfort you."

Helena tilted her head up to watch the starless sky.

"It's okay. I wasn't upset, just shaken. If I'm honest, I'm not accustomed to emotional support or even comfort. Much of my life my hardships have been my own to bear. If I was truly upset, I'm not certain how I would react to such a thing. I don't know if I would break down there and then. Perhaps I would lash out even." The words were spoken softly, almost lost to the ocean breeze.

For some time, Adrian was quiet, mulling of his choice of words.

"Who was it you saw?"

"Neron. Him and several other members of the Angor."

Adrian lifted an arm, touching her shoulder and rubbing his thumb in a slow circular motion.

"What happened?"

"Not much. They were surprised to see me, they confirmed pretty much everything I already knew, and then they offered me a place within the re-established ranks of the Angor. I turned them down of course and high tailed it out of there as quickly as possible. Got a free drink out of it though, so it's not all bad," she said, finishing her recount with a slight grimace.

"So, they don't know what happened that night?"

Helena shook her head.

"No. They didn't suspect a thing. A surprise really. I mean our people safe-guarded the paralytic drugs like they were exim. There was no way an omega could've gotten hold of them without inside help. Then again, they're killers, not detectives."

Adrian sent her an odd look.

"Detectives?"

Helena sighed and sent him a wry smile.

"It's a human thing again, don't worry about it. I really must try to remember that most of our people haven't a clue what I'm going on about most of the time. It's no wonder people think me barmy."

Adrian tilted his head to the side and considered her.

"I enjoy it when you speak about them. You get this look on your face and a passion in your eyes. I certainly understand why you're so popular with the kids back home. When you're interested in something I could listen to you speak for hours."

Helena was glad that the jetty was dark, because otherwise Adrian would've witnessed her ears turning a rather violent shade of crimson.

"I believe there's beauty and power in knowledge. That's all."