Sora's ears moved and the little werewolf lazily opened one eyelid then the other. She stretched then sat on the bed. Her little jaw stretched open as she yawned without caring about the people around her. A hand caressed her silky fur.
"If you yawn like that without putting your hand up, you'll end up swallowing us all," said the voice of a woman.
Sora turned to look at her mother who smiled at her and someone knocked on the bedroom door. After a squeak, the faces of Eden and Glen appeared.
"So this pest elimination, how did it go? Why did you change your clothes?" Connor added squinting his eyes at his alpha friend.
"Hm, I can thank a certain skill that allowed me to get away with nothing more than smelly clothes and a mate who refuses to hug me until the scent goes away. I took three showers and it still sticks to my skin."
Connor frowned and Glen could see the dozens of questions spinning around in his head. The dominant waved his hand to dismiss the brown-haired man's questions and the couple turned to Sora's mother.
"We will be leaving soon. We have something important to do, but I wanted to ask you before…" He glanced at the little omega and Connor quickly understood that he needed her to be out so they can speak freely.
The agent grabbed the little omega that was starting to wiggle around now that she was perfectly awake.
"Let's eat, Sora! Let's check in your mom's kitchen to see if there's anything yummy to snack on."
Sora's eyes twinkled at the mention of food and she let the man pick her up her without protest. As soon as he got out and the door slammed behind them, Eden resumed the conversation.
"Are you sure you don't want to inform Sora's father? Alpha Cyrus told us that your condition is getting worse…"
"I don't know what the tribe could do to her. Sora is… You know about her powers right? That's why you came to talk to me. How do you think they will welcome her? It terrifies me just to think about it.
Sora is a child born from a forbidden relationship, but she's also the first and only in the world. She had two blessings. The Werewolves' blessing and the Skinwalkers' blessing.
For now, I've managed to keep her existence more or less under wraps. I pretended to know nothing about what they all describe as odd behavior. However, when they realize she is not sensitive to energy like the Soul Healers, when they learn she's half-witch, what will they do to her? Both Green Lake pack and the Skinwalkers, I don't know what they'll do to my little girl.
I came to Green Lake pregnant and I fell ill just after giving birth to Sora, which means that I'm not integrated here at all. Sora is struggling to control her magic. For her, it's something natural... That's why I would like her to stay with the Soul Healers."
She turned to Cliff and the tears they were holding back rolled down her cheeks.
"I know it's a burden. I'm sorry for pretending not to know anything. I'm sorry for hiding the truth from you even though I knew you were going to find out sooner or later but I…"
"What if we take her in?" The werewolf's crying stopped and she turned her head to the person who had just spoken.
Greg held the werewolf's gaze and continued before she started her questions.
"I'm a civilian but I'm part of the WIA so I'm used to werewolves and…" He shrugged, looking down. "I like kids."
"And I'm a Skinwalker so maybe that's why Sora is so comfortable around me. Oh, and I also like kids."
This time it was towards the bedroom door that all heads turned.
"I thought it was only in name?" Cliff retorted teasingly.
"That's right, but if it can be useful at times," Connor replied with a shrug.
Propped in his arms, Sora was eating a pear without worrying too much about the conversation. She didn't understand much about it anyway and the food was way more interesting. Neither she nor the other occupants of the room had noticed Nube's change in attitude. Suddenly, the dominant's voice rose.
"How dare you? I trusted you! Give me back my daughter! " The dominant shifted suddenly and took her wolf form.
She tried to get up from the bed but her body fell heavily on the floor and she immediately returned to her human form. Greg grabbed the sheets off the bed and moved around to cover the woman who was now naked and whimpering on the floor.
He couldn't help but pause when he saw the emaciated and weakened state of Nube's body. The doctor knew the robust and solid constitution of the werewolves. Even though he chose research over surgery, he knew how the body of a werewolf, the body of a dominant was supposed to be.
Nube's body was emaciated to the point that all of her bones were showing. The doctor dropped to one knee and after covering her body, he placed his hands to lift her and his face again couldn't hide his surprise. Even an omega teenager was way much heavier than the dominant.
The screams and cries of Sora who was in shock after seeing her mother collapse filled the room and brought him back to reality. Nube gripped Greg's shirt, then spoke in a low voice.
"Don't take her from me. Everything but that. Don't take my daughter from me."
Greg gently placed the werewolf's body on the bed and placed his hand firmly on her shoulder.
"Glen? Get my bag from the car, please. And Nube? Nube, listen to me. No one is going to take Sora from you. Do you hear me? My fiancé is a Skinwalker but he has no connection to the tribe. You hear me?"
"Fiancé? But then…"
Her eyes went from the doctor to the man holding his daughter who was still crying. Sora stretched out her arms and Connor moved closer to the bed to place her near her mother.
"I didn't know I was a Skinwalker until a few days ago. You told me that Sora's father told you about the history of Blue Moon?"
"Yes," Nube's breathing had calmed down as soon as she heard the beginning of the explanation. "We talked a lot about Blue Moon and the history shared by the Werewolves and the Skinwalkers."
"So he certainly told you then that their chief's daughter had fled many years ago. It was my grandmother. I'm a Skinwalker but it's only by blood. I have no connection with the tribe. I only mentioned my origins because I thought it would reassure you that Sora was with someone who is much like her. Sora is perfectly safe with me."
After the surge of emotions, everything had toned down in Nube Hazel's lodge. The afternoon was already there and the two mates wanted to get back on the road as soon as possible to reach the Servants of Talamh's clan and leave before night falls.
The incident with Winnie had cost them considerable time and if they delayed their departure any longer, they won't be able to keep their words. Glen had promised Alpha Silver that Eden would resume classes as soon as possible and his teachers had already been notified of his return the next day.
"How is she?" Connor asked as he saw Greg walk out of the bedroom and quietly close the door behind him.
"She is asleep. I'd like to stay with her. I wouldn't have peace of mind if I left her."
"What exactly do you think about her condition?"
"I don't know. Usually, a werewolf's body only reacts to two things: wolfsbane and an alpha's toxin. Yet, it looks like her body is eaten away from the inside by something. I wouldn't know any more until I studied her blood samples and did other more in-depth examinations."
"There is nothing magical about it. I checked with the system, nothing is showing except her oddly low stats. Does that mean you want us to take her back to Red Creek?" Eden asked.
"Yes, but don't worry. I'll ask Alpha Cyrus for permission myself. My status is high enough at the WIA that they will allow me to treat Nube if I ask."
"Alright," Glen cut him off. "We are off. We'll come back here to pick you up. Connor, are you staying, or are you coming with us?"
"I'm staying," he replied rubbing his temples and Greg who was next to him ran his hand over his back.
"Alright, let's go! Keep us updated if there is anything."
________
The road was damaged and the sky was already starting to change color. The car pulled up just in front of a sign showing the distance to the next town as their contact had instructed. Glen turned his head to look at Eden. The male omega had taken out his phone to dial the number left by the Servant of Talamh they met at Black Moon hospital.
It clicked shortly after the first ring and a woman's voice grumbled in the blonde's ear.
"You're late!"
The woman hung up right after her complaint and Glen and Eden wondered why she had cut off the call without saying anything more. Just when Eden was going to relaunch the call, they heard someone knocking on the window. They turned their heads and saw a woman with long wavy chocolate hair, a beaming smile on her lips. Her mood seemed to be the exact opposite of what she had implied on the phone.
"I was starting to worry. You were supposed to be here early in the afternoon."
Eden and Glen got out of the car and apologized.
"Sorry, Gabriella. There was a setback. Is the person we are meeting very angry or busy?"
"Oh, she started cooking everything in her cupboards early this morning when I told her werewolves were coming to visit. Two beings with a special blessing from the Goddess of the Moon itself, that's pretty unusual.
"It wasn't necessary…"
"Just kidding, no need to stress," The witch put an arm around Eden and pulled him to her abruptly. "Glen, your mate is so cute, look at this squishy skin…" She poked the omega's cheek with her forefinger.
"Um, Gabriella?"
"Gaby!"
"Yeah, whatever. He's cute but he will bite if you pissed him off too much."
The woman looked down at Eden who was looking at her with an annoyed air, not far from exploding. She withdrew her arm, then took a step back.
"Sorry, I'm a senior resident in Black Moon Hospital. I can't remember the last time I interacted with living beings who weren't my superiors, interns, or people about to get cut open." Gabriella scratched the back of her head, and the werewolves wondered if they had done the right thing to accept her invitation.
The Servant of Talamh saw them exchange a look and felt she had to show them that they had been right to trust her.
Ever since they met at the hospital, Gabriella had counted almost every second until they contacted her. If at first she was annoyed to have had to clean up behind another witch, her mood quickly switched when she discovered the werewolf mixed-blood, but also the two werewolves who were now in front of her.
The reason Gabriella had left the clan to work as a doctor was that magic had become boring. She was strong but not gifted, when she felt that she had reached her limit and her blessing could no longer grow, her interest in magic gradually waned.
When she saw the three magic anomalies appear in front of her, it was a chance that she didn't intend to let go. Since these two werewolves needed answers for their magic gifts she was going to do everything to give them some.
"So," Glen looked around, seeing only a large lowland that stretched as far as the eye could see. "Where's the clan?"
A smile crept across Gabriella's face from ear to ear. Without saying a word, she took a step back and extended a hand to each of the werewolves in front of her. Glen and Eden each placed a hand in the palm offered to them.
Gaby closed her hands and tugged on the wrists of both the werewolves who tripped and moved up to her.
"Hey what's wrong with…wow…"
Glen lifted his head and spun around to take in the view. Eden, meanwhile, was standing with his mouth wide open. The great lowland that stretched out in front of them a second ago had given way to a huge city in brilliant colors. Lights were starting to come on everywhere as night fell.