Chapter 78: 73

Chapter 72

The Lancers went for a quick meeting when the first group finally arrived.

It wasn't difficult for the others to conclude that the mission didn't go well today.

Everyone was wearing a sour expression, and besides—they had no other companion with them.

Both Amber and Pepper agreed to give the floor to Aries since he was more than willing to discuss the turn of events to the rest.

Caitlin listened attentively to her friend's explanation. It was a little confusing at first, but she did think that this wouldn't be easy anyway.

Salt narrowed his eyes at Amber and Pepper. They looked so down—to the point that neither of them was interested to speak, and share their thoughts, aside from Aries.

They're making Aries do all the work here, and that's unacceptable.

Their personal input is just as important, and so, they need to speak out.

Salt wouldn't be surprised if Pepper threw a fit out of frustration because that was a normal thing for her. However, she's being awfully silent, too, which he finds suspicious.

Aries' statement was clear, but he wanted to hear the details again.

But this time, from the other two.

"In short, you followed their instructions, but they weren't too keen about hearing you, guys, out?" Caitlin questioned disbelievingly. "That was mockery."

Drake put a finger on his chin. "I don't think so. Aries said that even the spectators looked serious. They had been looking forward to their undertaking at the Avignon Gate. If you'd ask me, I'd say maybe it was part of their tradition? I mean, who the hell keeps a huge gate at the center of their city anyway?"

Aries could only sigh. "We weren't expecting we'd undergo that. Perhaps, the gate is attributed to some significant history for their people? Anyway, I didn't pay much attention to it because I didn't sense anything weird. To be honest, the people there looked pretty normal to me."

Salt raised an eyebrow. "Did you have some wrongful impression before you met them?"

"I'm not going to lie," he affirmed.

Salt then turned his head to face Amber and Pepper. "We'd like to hear from you, too." His sister glared at him in warning, but he still persisted. "We'll start with you, Pep."

She groaned inwardly at her twin's stubbornness. He really had to go that far just to pester them, huh? Can he not notice that she and Amber aren't feeling the vibe right now? They're not in the mood to talk.

Well, it's useless to wonder about that when Pepper knows that her brother may already be aware—he's just being inconsiderate.

"Aries already explained it all. The story that he gave you was complete." She elbowed Amber knowingly. "He didn't miss anything, right?"

Amber nodded almost automatically.

'She's not listening,' Salt thought. Her nod was simply a reaction toward an external stimulus—which was Pepper's elbowing.

"Really?"

"Why would we hide anything from our group in the first place? That just makes no sense, Salt."

"Alright, then." He glanced at Amber, and shrugged. "As long as that was all we needed to hear."

Caitlin's group prepared dinner for everyone because they knew that the first group would come back, tired and sleepy.

And they weren't mistaken when Amber and Aries went to bed early, and Pepper was the only one who could stay up to join everyone else for dinner.

The fox that they had earlier wasn't enough—they had to share it with each other, so her stomach wasn't that full, yet.

Drake set up a small bonfire that was similar to what Aries did earlier. They really do belong to one squad.

"Is it okay to light up a fire here?" Pepper asked worriedly. "We're revealing our camp to other creatures."

Caitlin laughed. "It's okay. The traps are working. We've also tried to explore nearby areas earlier, and I don't think our site is a hotspot for many animals."

"Okay, I believe you."

"By the way, how come Amber had already gone to sleep? I won't question Aries' actions because that guy goes for a late-night practice every day. It's his hobby, so naturally—he'd retire for the day much earlier than others. How about Amber, though?"

"We fell asleep together last night, but knowing her…" Pepper bit back a smile. "She probably got up in the middle of the night to take a stroll. I'm not entirely sure."

"I was kind of hoping you'd bag the ace today. Could you tell me more about the Alpha? Aries mentioned that it was a female Alpha. Was she intimidating?"

Intimidating?

Well, for some reason, Aries was brought down to his knees earlier—and that was all for the fact that he failed to recognize that he was already in the presence of the Alpha.

Maybe Aries has a reason for not disclosing the details about that to them; say for example, to save face.

"As for my personal take, yes. The Alpha was intimidating. There's something about the way she talks that makes it hard for you to say no to."

"Is that coming from personal experience?"

She hummed quietly, suddenly recalling how that moment felt for her. "I couldn't even bring myself to look at her even if she was masked." Pepper let out an awkward laugh. "Each word that she uttered was compelling. Add the spectating pack members into the mix, and then you'd feel pressured."

"The rumors must be true," Caitlin suddenly whispered.

Pepper turned to her harshly.

She felt nervous all of a sudden.

"Which rumors?"

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"Don't look too alarmed. I'm talking about how they don't fancy meeting wolves from other packs, especially legitimate ones. Did any of you mention we were from River Severn?"

"Hm? Yes."

"They've probably heard about the reputation of our pack."

"Are you saying that they were being wary of us?"

"In a way, yes. I personally think that they were more bothered by the idea that you all came to visit their pack, fearless, despite not knowing what they could possibly do to you. They may have found your courage unsettling. After all, we know that we're not going to get hurt for making contact with them."

Pepper stared at her in awe. "You're smart, aren't you?"

Caitlin shrugged nonchalantly. "That's why I became the leader," she joked.

It wasn't Salt's hobby to listen in on anyone's conversation, but this time—he had that intention. He quickly left when the two girls jumped to a completely different topic, and purposely made his way over to the tent where Amber was currently sleeping.

He sat down two meters away from it, and opened his duffel bag to pretend that he was looking for something. This time, he could hear her breathing, loud and clear. It was light, but steady. She had already gone deep into her slumber which meant that she wasn't physically tired.

Instead, she was mentally exhausted.

"What are you doing?"

It was Aries. He just woke up.

"None of your business."

"It seems to me that you're making a mess out of your duffel for nothing. You're guarding her, aren't you?"

"There's no reason for me to do that."

"You're curious about something, then?"

Salt froze for a moment. He suddenly remembered what happened to her injured back last night.

"Why are you suddenly talking to me?"

"Why, you say? I figured I needed to talk to you in person about my observation of her activities. Is the timing not good?"

Salt looked at him intently. "You may sit down."

"Now, I've finally caught your interest. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this talk may not even last for five minutes."

"Do you think I care about that?"

"I think you'll just be disappointed in what limited information I have for you."

"That's better than nothing at all."

"Are you that interested in her?"

Salt had a ridiculous look on his face. "Is that all you can think about? Just to be clear, I'm more interested in the phenomenon that revolves around her."

"What? Phenomenon? I'm lost."

"Had she shown signs that she felt uncomfortable all day?"

Confusion crossed Aries' rigid features. "No, what is this about?"

"If she looked pained or anything of the sort. You get what I mean."

"No, she was perfectly fine."

"How sure are you?"

"Please don't make me answer that kind of question. Answering that would make me sound stupid."

"How sure are you?" Salt repeated which pissed him off.

"What? Do you want me to swear on some holy river now? Oh, come on."

Amber managed to hide the bite of a cannibal in front of Alpha Severus before.

If she could fool an Alpha, how easy would it be for her to do the same to normal werewolves.

Salt clicked his tongue, and began to fix the arrangement of the items inside his duffel bag. If Aries was telling the truth, and Amber had been acting fine all day, then she didn't break a bone last night.

If she didn't break a bone, then there was no need for her to wince in pain while massaging the part where she got hurt.

The evidence of the wound disappeared completely, too.

In a flash.

"You're ignoring me now?"

"Caitlin will be on the lookout tonight. Care to join her?"

"You do realize that we just came back from the wild, right?"

"That's not even an excuse. Caitlin will be out on a mission come morning. Your friend won't have any rest by then, too. You're dismissed."

"The audacity…"

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