Killing the Wolf

32. Gift

Hey Lovelies!

This chapter is mostly dialogue. I hope you'll enjoy it!

M

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Serafina could still feel the needles piercing her arm and diving into her bone marrow as the white-coated scientists told her to lie still. A human would have been all bruised up. Serafina's bruises were only in her mind.

They were searching for what she had been hiding and hiding from her whole life.  

Her mother's stern eyes and words reminded her once again: "Keep yourself in control or else..."

Serafina had never understood what or else meant. Not until what her mother had done before her death. That dark emptiness inside her mind was dangerous. It had turned Elise Cage into an unstoppable weapon. Weapon.

"I am a weapon," she thought. "He wants me as his weapon."

And Oliver too. He had sensed the Vaara blood in her, just like Henry. He wasn't her mate. Both birds just wanted to use her.

At that moment, Serafina felt a deep loneliness. She had no one. No one would love her. No one would guide and help her to understand what she was. Her heart yearned and cursed her mother at the same time. Why had she hidden this from her and made her suppress her own self? Why wasn't she here to help her and stand by your side?

Deep in her thoughts, Serafina hadn't heard the door open. She was startled when Henry sat next to her.

"You have done your part. Thank you," he said.

"Now what?" Serafina asked.

"You can go home. But before that, I have something for you." he offered Serafina an envelope. She frowned.

"Consider it a gift," Henry said.

With hesitation Serafina took the envelope. She opened it and pulled out a photo of a seaside cabin. On the bottom right corner there were numbers written by a black marker. Coordinates.

"What is this?" Serafina asked.

"Finnigan."

Serafina's eyes widened. She turned to look at Henry urging him to tell more.

"His age is catching up. He can barely shift. When the West attacks... and yes I'm saying when not if. When the West attacks, he stays in California. In that cabin."

Serafina turned her eyes back on the photo. What was it with male wolves and cabins. Finnigan was a powerful alpha, and just like her father, owned a beaten-up cabin.

"How do you know this?" she asked.

"The same way I know you have 1783 dollars on your bank account and you have 2 credit cards, but you haven't used them since you purchased your plane ticket from Hawaii to Boston."

"What?" Serafina blinked rapidly.

"You have dyslexia. It took you longer than other children in your class to learn how to read. But you did well in art and sports. Right now you're watching Alias Grace on Netflix. You have been looking for vintage sports jerseys online. And your phone screen time has increased to 3 hours 21 minutes on average since you went back home."

Though she knew Trinhs' online surveillance was second to none, Henry's words caught her off guard. She felt violated. Her mind wasn't safe from him - and nothing else either.

"That's... uh. That's sick," she mumbled.

"No, it's business. But that," Henry pointed at the photo, "is where Finnigan is. There will be guards of course, but very few. He's sending almost everyone to East."

"Why are you giving me this?" Serafina asked. "Why do I feel like you're setting up a trap, or something?"

"You know where I stand. My intentions are not against you. I don't want harm on you."

Serafina shook her head. He didn't want any harm on her, yet she felt his mind games and tricks had ruined something in her. Her inner world was torn into pieces all because of him.

"What do you expect me to do with this then?" she asked. With her finger, she followed the marker's lines. She suspected Henry was thinking of Finnigan's death.

"You can do whatever you like with this information. I suggest you be smart about it. It's all like a game of chess."

Serafina didn't understand what Henry was talking about. Henry noticed that too.

"My mother was considering siding with Finnigan. So much so that as a gift for him, my mother planned on weakening Seth Cage. How does one do that? How do you weaken the king?"

"You take away his queen," Serafina said.

"Yes. When the queen in out of the picture, the king is weak... and so are the pawns, the knights, the bishops, and so on. You see, in this case, the queen is not just a queen. The queen is a protector. The protector of all chess pieces and a piece that is not even on the board."

Once again he lost her.

"Please, just say what you mean," she said.

"My mother ordered Fay to be injected with the serum to take away her wolf. Losing his mate, the queen, Seth would be weak. A weak alpha equals a weak pack. Finnigan could destroy the East. But most of all he could get what he most wants: that half-wolf girl."

All this because of a half-human girl. Serafina found it hard to believe.

"Why is Evelyn so important to him?" she asked. "She's just a girl. She's not a threat to anyone."

"Ah... but that's the thing. Evelyn is the piece outside the chessboard. A symbol. Do you know what Finnigan does to symbols that defy him and his beliefs."

"I know he believes in strict rules and enforces them with brutality. He believes in pureblood and order."

"Exactly. Evelyn is a symbol of defiance and disobedience. It needs to be rooted out - exterminated. That's why Finnigan has been looking for her since the day she was born."

Serafina let his words sink in.

"But your mother didn't take away the queen," she said lifting her eyes to meet Henry's. She wasn't sure whether he knew or not about Fay getting her wolf back. By the look on his face, he did.

"Yes, mother used the serum too early. Development and testing wasn't completed yet. It wasn't strong enough to destroy the wolf DNA completely. And if it's not completely destroyed, the healing abilities will recover the wolf. "

"If your mother was siding with Finnigan, why are you not?"

"Because of you. Because what you are is far more valuable than what Finnigan could ever offer. And with that being said, I have something more," Henry said. He put his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled a small glass bottle out. He held it between his thumb and index finger.

"Is that-"

"Yes. And this one is stronger than what Fay was injected with. I guarantee this works."

"Wh- why? Why are you giving me this?"

"If you decide to go after Finnigan, you either kill him or... kill his wolf."

Henry gave the bottle to Serafina. He grabbed her wrist to get her full attention.

"If you use it on yourself I will kill your brothers, Fay, Evelyn... everyone."