#g1a1chapter2

[polillastoryarchive]

Isi’s breath caught.

Vampire. That’s what the ringing was about. Really, the pointed ears should have clued her in, but she’d hung out with the weirdest people in her years as a DJ, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to pretend to be something they weren’t.

Rory chuckled, defusing the tension.

“Don’t let her scare you with big words, she’s a baby vamp. I’m 95% convinced you’d beat her in a fight. And I have kicked her ass multiple times in the past.”

The tone was still playful, yet there was something like dominance being expressed there too. As if the wolf was daring Marven to disagree.

Plus, where was the extra five percent gone? Isi shuddered as she thought of those fangs in her neck.

“That five percent tells me a lot, you know?!” Marven echoed, as if she’d heard her thoughts.

Rory shrugged. “I’m not worried. You’ll never guess on your own.”

Interest clearly piqued, Marven said with aversion: “Right, let’s get it over with. What do you need me to do?”

“Here’s a list of phone numbers. I need 24/7 tracking on all of the wolves.”

Isi took a step back, surprised. Things had to be dire for Rory to take these kinds of measures.

Yet Marven shook her head. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Don’t give me pushback, Snot, I’ve seen you do it without access to the device before, I know you can.”

Another hiss at the nickname, then, in a proud tone: “I’m not saying I don’t have the ability.”

“More like power needs to be kept in check, which means I won’t give you that much info on the people you’re supposed to protect.”

Rory seemed to have expected this argument. Tilting her head and narrowing her eyes, she challenged: “And what if I told you I have all of their permissions?”

“Do you?”

“Of course. Wouldn’t come to you without having everything figured out, would I?”

Rory’s ironic tone gave Isidora chills. How could she be so arrogant in front of a being that fed on blood? After studying the alpha for a few heartbeats, Marven glanced at the list and started typing.

Only a couple of minutes later, she pushed her desk chair back and walked between Isi and Rory to go sit on her sofa.

“It’s done.” The vampire bared her teeth. “Now, 𝘐𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘢. Sit and tell me what you are.”

The muted ringing deep in the back of Isi’s head echoed louder as they locked eyes.

Suddenly, she was frozen. Shooting a look at Rory, she realised she wouldn’t get help from her alpha.

“Skip the whole occupation thing, I know that already.” Marven ordered. “I’ve heard your music, by the way. You’re good.”

Surprise must have shown on her face, because the woman smirked.

“Especially that latest song, the bittersweet, self-hating vibe, loved it. I’ve tasted people for less.” The vamp 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥.

Once again, Rory’s laugh sliced through the heavy atmosphere, as she moved to the window, her eyes lost in the lights of the city beyond.

“What?” Marven snapped.

“Just find it hilarious when you try to act all menacing, that’s all.”

“Your friend doesn’t.”

Rory shrugged. “I wouldn’t let you touch a hair on her head anyway, she’s got no reason to be scared of you.”

Isidora felt her heartbeat calm down a bit. Until Marven did a double take between them.

“Wait.”

Rory’s neck muscles contracted as the vampire smiled, exposing her fangs.

“You’re the reason she mixed that song, aren’t you, Oaklow?”

No answer. Isi could feel the hostility rolling off of her alpha. So she sat down on the stool, close enough to Marven to draw her attention.

Eyes glittering of realisation, Marven levelled a pitiful look on Isidora.

“Oh, you’re like her, aren’t you? Drawn like a moth to flame.” A pause. “Don’t let her break your heart, she’ll always be the ruthless alpha fucking wolf, no care for anyone else. She’s not worth your time.”

Silence fell.

But Isi had no intention of letting her get the last word.

“And here I thought you knew Rory. Seems obvious to me you don’t.”

Two pairs of stunned eyes settled on her.

“Apart from knowing her for over a decade, I’m her ex’s best friend, so I’d say I do” Marven argued.

“You and Lou?” Isi frowned.

“Ew!” The burst of disgust was almost funny and the air seemed easier to breathe as Marven clarified: “Nah, I’m not interested in what Lou’s got to offer. My bestie dated your alpha.”

All of a sudden, the animosity between the two women made a lot of sense. Something deep in Isi untangled.

“If you still want to know what I am, I’m half-merfolk, half-werewolf.”

This time, silence did fall.

“No you’re not” Marven scoffed.

“She is” Rory’s voice was low.

“Not possible. Merfolk who get bitten die. It’s like poison to them. My uncle’s adamant this kind of mix can’t happen.”

“Your uncle?”

“Marven is Wolfgang’s niece” Rory offered some context.

“Oh!” Isi couldn’t help but to feel closer to the woman knowing she was the librarian’s relative.

Marven’s eyes stayed on her, fascinated. “Tell me everything. I need to know how you became the most improbable hybrid in the world.”

[polillastoryarchive]

The city brightened as night fell. They’d spent hours in the truck, in silence apart from the radio, Isidora appreciating Rory singing along. She couldn’t help but sigh in relief when they parked and got out of the vehicle. The whole time, she’d been fearing that her new song would come on.

She hadn’t thought it through before sending it to Wes for release, but a mashup of two songs called 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 in the vibe of a breakup song would have made the trip awkward.

Rory led her up some stairs between buildings and they emerged at the foot of high skyscapers.

“So who’s this Marv?”

“You’ll see, we’re almost there.”

“Don’t I need to know anything before I meet her?” Isidora’s tone was insistent as she slowed to a stop.

But Rory turned an amused look on her. “Not really, no.”

“What do you need me to do once there?” There had to be a reason she wanted her here, right?

“Just stand there and look pretty. I know her, she’ll do all the talking.”

Isi couldn’t help her mouth dropping. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺? She didn’t know if she was meant to be flattered or insulted. Maybe neither? Interrupting her inner debate, Rory added quickly:

“Your hair looks amazing.”

“Glad you’ve had more time to take care of it now that I’m not ruling your days anymore.”

Isi let shock show on her face. She’d mentioned not having much time to care for it weeks ago, but she hadn’t meant to blame Rory for it.

“It’s more to do with the products Wolfgang has given me, really.”

A nod. They were about to start walking again. Knowing she probably wouldn’t have another opportunity, Isidora let out the question she’d been dying to ask all day:

“Why all the bruises?”

Lifting a palm to the sky, Rory shrugged a little.

“Kiril got me in the face today as we were sparring.”

“Bled more than I thought it would.”

Isi shoved her hands in the pockets of the cardigan that wasn’t hers. “And the ribs?”

“We’ve taken over for Greg watch again since we’re not as… busy anymore. And he seemed unhappy when he saw me. Nothing out of the ordinary, honestly. Shall we go?”

A few minutes later, they were in front of an apartment door, waiting for whoever was inside to open it. Rory rolled her eyes at the unhurried noises behind the door.

Hesitant, Isi asked: “Do we need to knock again?”

“Oh no, she heard. She just likes to push my buttons.”

“So what if I do?!” The door opened in front of a beautiful woman who glared at Rory.

“Hello to you too, Marven, long time no see.”

Rory pushed her way inside and Isi hesitated to follow. That woman wasn’t human.

A muted ringing sound made Isi’s teeth clench as their eyes met.

An eyebrow lifted, Marven motioned her inside, leaving Isi with no choice but to step through the threshold.

“And I would have been happy to make that time even longer, Oaklow. What do you want?” The door clicked shut, punctuating the woman’s sentence. “And who’s that?”

A predator’s gaze that fell on Isi. Marven’s body intently blocking the only way out as her tongue flicked on her lower lip.

“This is Isidora.” Rory said simply. “And I need your skills, shouldn’t take you long.”

“The amount of time it takes isn’t what matters and you know it.”

The woman sat behind a desk, turning monitors on with one flick of the hand and staring at Rory, expectant.

“Isidora Polilla.”

Instantly, Marven’s fingers were flying on the keyboard. Isi turned to stare at her alpha in shock.

“What’s going on?” she whispered as low as possible.

But Marven snorted loudly, forcing Isi’s attention back to the desk.

“You brought me a 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺?”

Isi bristled. It’d been a while since she’d been referred as such. And even then, she’d never even been that famous. Far from it. Which is exactly what the woman pointed out next.

Rory’s eyes sparked with amusement. “Give me a little credit, I know you better than that!”

The tone was playful, yet Marv looked like she was about to show some teeth, neck tense and pupils narrowed.

What 𝘸𝘢𝘴 she? Isidora had never met someone so ethereal. So mesmerising. So terrifying.

All the wolf instincts she’d acquired were telling her to fight her way out of this apartment. And yet Rory was relaxed. Everything was going exactly according to her plan, clearly.

“So she’s The Pied Moth, what else is there about her that could even be remotely interesting?”

Rory chuckled. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Standing, Marven lifted her chin. “Tell me.”

The alpha didn’t move, smile only growing. Hate flew between them, almost palpable. Isi debated intervening, but her gut told her she wouldn’t win against either of them, let alone both of them together.

Finally, the staring contest ended, as Marven hissed, nothing human about the sound, and sat back down at her desk.

Isi glanced at a victorious Rory and murmured: “What is she?”

“𝘚𝘩𝘦 can hear you!” The woman answered, showing pointy teeth. “As to what I am? An annoyed vampire.”

[polillastoryarchive]

The next morning started early. Something about finally having a lead about what was going on with the wolf inside of her was refreshing. Like turning a new leaf.

While doing some yoga, she almost allowed herself to believe that, maybe, if she 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 get the cure, things would be alright.

However, the thought was easily pushed aside. It was a good thing they were figuring out why she was different. But she would still be forever different if she stayed.

Heading up the tunnels, thanks to the knowledge she’d memorised from the partial map that had been given her.

They’d planned to meet at the library just before lunch and, although it was sunny, the wind blowing the doors to the underground shut behind her made her grateful she’d grabbed a cardigan before leaving the Den.

“Hi!”

Wolfgang looked up from his book, giving her a welcoming smile.

Pointing at the book he’d been holding, he started sharing his findings straight away:

“I’ve been reading most of the night. I think the second death might be another matter completely!”

Stopping in her tracks, Isidora’s only answer was a worried “Oh?”

Beckoning her to come read next to him, he shared a section about the duties of the High Members of the mer court.

“See here? Says they aren’t allowed to bestow death, or any other sentence really. Something about them not being judge, jury and executioner.”

Isi frowned.

“Also implies that if they did -kill someone- they would instantly be stripped of their position 𝘢𝘯𝘥 the relevant oaths.”

Wolfgang turned to her again, putting the book down.

“So if I kill someone, I’ll be able to change into a werewolf? Not sure I want it that bad if I’m honest…”

Slowly putting his hands together, Wolfgang said, his voice soft:

“It’s interesting how quick witted you are when we’re bouncing ideas together and yet, you don’t seem to understand the full-”

The door flying open stopped him mid-sentence.

“Fucking wind!” Rory swore, pushing the door closed again before glancing at Isidora: “Two days in a row?”

“We’re in the middle of something here, Rory?” Wolfgang’s tone was that of a teacher. A disappointed teacher.

“And I am so very sorry to interrupt” The alpha answered, voice amused.

Rolling his eyes, the librarian gestured for her to tell him what she needed and she jumped on the chance to do so.

“Can you call Marv for me?”

“Why?”

“Cause I need her help.”

“Then why don’t you call her yourself?” Wolfgang challenged, still sounding like he was teaching her a lesson.

Who was Marv, and why did Rory need her help so badly? Isidora recognised the familiar pinch of jealousy in her spine and schooled her expression. She did not have the right to feel this way.

“You know very well she would never pick up” Rory’s shoulders lifted.

The older wolf sighed.

“Come on, Bear, you know I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need it.” He threw her an unimpressed look at the sound of the nickname but walked away to make a call nonetheless.

And instead of waiting in awkward silence as Isi thought they would, Rory turned to her, a mischievous smile on her face.

“You are aware that this is my cardigan, right?”

Isi felt her cheeks flash red. She’d tried her best not to be noticed. But even if Rory didn’t remember its existence, she’d still be able to detect her own scent all over it. Just like Isidora had when she’d chosen it at the Den.

“I… ran out of clean laundry.”

The smile turned smirk on the alpha’s lips and Isi knew the lie hadn’t been good enough to even be half believed.

Thankfully, that’s when Wolfgang returned.

“She said she’s free tonight, she’ll be waiting for you.”

“Waiting-” Rory starts a question, annoyance flickering in her red eyes. She draws back slightly. “That’s all I get, isn’t it? I have to go to her for her to listen to me.”

A quick nod from the librarian, who started turning back to Isidora, probably thinking the matter resolved.

Yet Rory’s feet didn’t move. Isi couldn’t master the courage to look at her face, yet she couldn’t turn her back to her either.

“Bear?”

Wolfgang glanced back towards her, frustration making his nose wrinkle.

“What is it?”

“I need her.”

Isidora froze. Rory’s finger was pointed right at her.

“No you don’t! Isidora and I are discussing important things, she can’t go on a roadtrip with you at the moment.”

“She can” Rory looked like she knew she’d win this argument without effort. “And she will. Because technically, I’m still her alpha. She’s mine.”

Isi’s heart squeezed while her gaze snapped to Rory’s. She wasn’t anyone’s property. And she sure hoped no one had noticed how wobbly her knees had become when hearing that statement.

Sighing once again, Wolfgang gave up the fight and looked at her: “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, same time?”

[polillastoryarchive]

“From one death to the next?!” Isi repeats, her throat constricting.

Still lost in her memories, Rin nods and continues: “Covered in the marks of the preparation rituals, the consort is killed. The manner of which is decided by the Queen and her only. All folks leave then. Quiet is best.”

“Quiet for what?” Wolfgang asks, hands clasped again, focused.

“So that we can all detect it, as soon as it starts.” Idrina pauses for a second, tugging her hands to her lap. Isi recognises the need to still, to control her abilities. “The undulating wave of a new high court member stirring again.”

“High court member?”

“Yes, they are the ones ruling all merfolk.” Idrina answers the librarian’s question. “They are Queens and consorts. They all undergo this part of the ritual. That’s why the High Priestess of Death always has to be present at these ceremonies.”

“Because they make that oath to 𝙝𝙚𝙧” Isi completes.

Idrina drops her head slightly, not completely a nod, but an acknowledgement of the truth. Then, she adds: “Really, it’s the only oath that doesn’t ever change. Although it can be affected by the other oaths taken. That has been proven.”

“Wait, I’m confused.” Wolfgang raises a finger, like he’s a child in class. “What is this oath and why doesn’t it ever change?”

“It’s not like the other ones: it gives the governing heads the ability to stay unchanged through time and ordeal.”

Isidora lets her gaze drop. This is it.

“From one death to the other” Isidora says once more.

Wolfgang lets out the quietest gasp she’s ever heard and readjusts his glasses. “Oh!”

“You got it too, didn’t you?” She lifts her head again. “Rin, what exactly do they get from this oath, in practical terms?”

Her sister itches between the braids on top of her head.

“They stop aging, stop deteriorating. They can’t be hurt anymore, unless they receive a killing blow, wounds won’t even stay open long enough to bleed. And they can’t lose their tail after coronation either.”

“Lose their tail?” Wolfgang asks.

“That’s what we call it, when a mer goes to live on land. Like I did.”

Isidora can’t help a small laugh. “That 𝘩𝘢𝘴 to be it. Think about it, basically, their bodies are never to 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 again. That’s basically what’s happening to me!”

Wolfgang seems inclined to agree as he lifts a brow.

“It could have been passed down from our father…” Idrina says, hands raising in front of her heart. “Due to other oaths’ effects being passed down as well. The High Priestess of lineage did spend longest with him before coronation.”

Everything seemed lighter. They’d figured it out.

Wolfgang wrote everything down ferociously and asked if he could draw some blood from them. According to him, curses could be detected through DNA testing. Maybe, oaths would be too.

“We can talk about it tomorrow” Isi said, walking Rin back to the door to the Den. The door swung open to reveal Rory.

Stifling the surprised noise that came out of her mouth, Isidora stopped herself as she felt her feet take her closer to the alpha.

Rin, not looking surprised at the newcomer, turned around after passing by her: “Lux sent you to guide me?”

“You know they did.” Rory smiled, then turned to face Isi.

“Hey. You doing alright?”

The sound of her voice itself was like music to Isi’s ears and her heart stopped beating for a full breath, before she gathered herself enough to answer.

“Yeah, working on my… transformation issue with Wolfgang. Thanks to you.”

A grateful smile. All she’d allow herself.

Instead of a quick nod and goodbye, Rory detailed her from head to tow.

“Good. Don’t forget to keep practicing what we taught you. In fact, if you need a sparring partner, call.”

Working hard to keep her mouth from dropping, Isi watched Rory turn back to Rin and ask: “Ready to head back up?”

[polillastoryarchive]

“Thanks again for doing this little one” Isidora shot a grateful look at her sister as Wolfgang sat on the couch next to her. Sitting on the floor across from them, she felt like they might finally put their finger on something. An answer, the beginning of an explanation.

Wolfgang nodded, looking just as happy to be able to pick Idrina’s brain. He’d brought down a pile of volumes, neatly arranged on the table, plus a couple more dropped next to him. He pointed to them:

“These seem to touch on what we were discussing, I’ll leave them down here so you can have a look.”

“Dora said you needed to know about some of our rituals?” Idrina said, dragging a nail down a tooth.

“Right now, it’s the consort crowning we’re wondering about…” Isidora said, voice soft, knowing their father could be a sore subject for both of them. “To be more precise: what does it entail?”

Rin’s eyes searching stilled on her. “Why do you need to know? You’ve always been adamant you didn’t care about mer customs.”

Isidora hesitated: “We’re trying to understand why I’m not turning into a wolf at full moons. Or any other time.” Before it’s too late, she thought, leaving that part out.

“I swear that nothing you tell me about merfolk will leave this room or my brain, unless you ask me to divulge it.” Wolfgang’s voice was solemn. He’d been well aware of how unusual it would be for a mer to give away coronation secrets. Or really, anything regarding their politics and culture.

Idrina’s snicker filled the space and Isi knew what she was about to say before she made a sound.

“I won’t be the first to reveal those kind of things. Not like our father himself was ever worried about telling humans too much!”

“True” Isi’s smile was full of irony.

At the look on her sister’s face, Isidora knew Rin was remembering the room where she grew up. The view out to the ocean floor. Her voice had more of the underwater intonations as she explained:

“First, the consort meets with each priestess, one by one. They settle on the oaths he’ll take.”

“This part is the same for the Queen during her own ascension.”

Idrina’s hands start moving, as always when thinking about her life down under. After all, sound is secondary down there. The deeper you go, the more signs take over. The definition of actions over words.

“What are the oaths for?” Isidora prompts her sister.

“They are sworn in front of all folk. Carried forward and openly detailed during the ceremony, while the consort’s seat lays empty. A promise to the settlement to uphold the high values, from one death to the next.”

[polillastoryarchive]

“I’m sure I didn’t come down this way…” Lou murmured, probably more to himself than to her.

“Then why are we going 𝘶𝘱 that way?”

She’d started studying the map Wolfgang had left under the door for her the previous day, but it was so intricate, it would take her days to memorise.

“Because you asked me to take you above ground and if I knew where to find your sister.”

“You said you didn’t know where Idrina was though!”

Isidora tried her hardest to commit the path to memory, in prevision to going back down later on.

“I don’t!” Lou answered, the corner of his lips rising.

“But I know someone who will.”

She followed his gaze to the end of the tunnel they’d just entered.

Lux was waiting there, already frowning.

“What are you two doing together?” They drawled, pushing off from the wall.

“She’s looking for her sister, told her you might know where she is.”

Lux looked like they were resisting the urge to roll their eyes, but beckoned them forward with a hand, turning their back to them.

With a few twists and turns, they quickly reached the top level of the underground maze. Unable to leash her curiosity, Isidora asked Lux: “How do you know where to go?”

“Your sister and I talk a lot, and I happen to be aware of her whereabouts today?” Lux answered, their frown deepening.

But Isi shook her head. “No, I gathered that on my own, I was asking how you navigate these tunnels?”

Eyebrows rising, they threw her a glance.

“Why do you care?”

“I have to live down there for the next few days” Isi answered simply.

She wouldn’t talk about her suspicion that the Ghost knew this network of hallways very well. And her wariness seeing Lux did too.

“I’ve been on map duty for a while now.”

A flash of understanding went through Isidora.

“Is that why Kristopher came to get you the other morning? He needed you to help with the mapping?!”

Lux cocked their head to the side. That was answer enough. The words came out before she could think twice about them: “Can I?”

At that, Lux stopped in their tracks, Isi following suit. Lou, who had been lost in thought, almost colliding with her back, but she didn’t care. She held Lux’s gaze.

“Can you what.”

The tone wasn’t one of a question, but the words were. So Isi answered: “Help survey the area.”

Lux gave Lou a bewildered look, but he only shrugged.

“Why would you want to do that?”

Isidora took all the sassiness out of her tone. “Why not?”

“I wouldn’t have thought you’d want to help with anything. You’ve been content with sitting on your ass so far.”

“Not like I was given another option.”

Sighing, Lux seemed to give up. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Then they started walking again. Isi knew not to push it further, so she kept silent the rest of the way up.

They soon came out of a door she hadn’t known existed and headed to the burned down motel not far from it.

Isi spotted Idrina before she could hesitate about going near a place that belonged to Rory.

“Dora!” Her little sister all but ran to her. “How are you?! I’ve been trying to convince Lux to take me see you!”

Only then did Isidora realise both Lou and Lux had already disappeared.

“Guess they took me to you instead” Isi chased the annoyance at Lux keeping her sister away from her and pointed at the building behind her instead: “What are you doing here little one?”

“I’m helping renovate!” Rin smiled “Needed to take my mind off of the fact that you want to leave this town.”

A pang of guilt. But before she could answer, try to justify herself, Idrina added: “Rory said I could give her a hand, turns out I’m not too bad at this! I can work 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 Dora! Although they still kinda scare me.”

Fondness warmed Isidora’s heart.

She’d grown accustomed to spending a lot of time with Rin. It had only been 72 hours and yet…

Shaking her head, Isi pushed it all aside. There was no other option, she had to leave. This wasn’t her place. And if her sister wanted to stay, then she’d have to respect it. However hard it would be.

For now, she could enjoy her company as much as possible.

“Tell me what I’ve missed” she winked, Rin’s smile widening in answer.

They settled on the porch, Idrina telling her about the work her and Rory had been doing on the motel. It did look better than the last time she’d seen it.

Heart squeezing at the memory of the kiss she’d shared with Rory then, she shivered. Swallowed the tears creeping up. Why was she torn by guilt? By the feeling she’d ruined something good…

Catching her eye, Idrina whispered: “She’s upstairs, but don’t worry, she’s got noise cancelling headphones in.”

Rin hesitated. “Thought it’d be safer, since I sometimes start singing while working…”

Isidora felt her eyebrows shooting very high. She’d never seen Rin discuss her powers so freely. But it was as good a transition as any other.

“Speaking of mer things, would you mind sharing your expertise?”

[polillastoryarchive]

“What the hell are you doing here?” Isidora blurted out.

She could have been more polite. Yet she didn’t find it in herself to care.

Lou bit his lip, a hand on his neck, clearly regretting his decision to come see her. Good.

He 𝘩𝘢𝘥 almost killed her, after all.

“I brought you some coffee. As a… peace offering?” he was hesitant. And Isi felt a tug in her chest. She’d made plenty of mistakes herself in the past. If he’d come to apologise, the least she could do was hear him out.

Plus, she could smell the dark brew in the paper cup he’d brought down.

She heard Wolfgang move from behind her, as if he’d read her mind: “Right, well I’m going to go look for books on that lead of your Isidora, I’ll be back later today!”

As he left, she made sure to ignore Lou as she put her shoes on, giving him a clear message. She had other things to do.

The cup of coffee was too tempting though. She grabbed it, headed to the kitchen to look for a mug in which to pour it. None. Turning back around, she asked Lou, who’d followed her into the tight space: “You know where I can find a mug in here?”

“I’ve never been invited here before, so…”

Of course not, he hadn’t ever been a part of this pack. Rory had though. She’d grown up in it. One of the beds in the shared bedroom still smelled like her…

Shaking her head, Isidora put the cup down. Hands on her hips, she tried her best not to frown, failing miserably. “What did you need Lou?”

Eyes turning eager, he didn’t hesitate: “To apologise to you. I shouldn’t have messed with the drink that was given to you, good intentions don’t mean anything if I don’t take responsibility when things go wrong.”

She hadn’t expected this level of remorse. “Whatever, what’s done is done.”

Instinctively, she wanted to brush it off. To forget it had happened all together. What did it matter now anyway?

Trying to put more distance between them, she jumped up on the counter, moving the cup of coffee as she did.

“What else?” she threw the words out, giving him an out.

But instead of taking it, Lou paused.

“No.”

She let out a stunned laugh. “What, there’s 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 else?”

“No” he repeated, focusing his gaze on her, more serious than she’d ever seen him. “I can’t let you do this again. Last time I fucked up, you made a joke and moved on too.”

Isi opened her mouth, but he was quicker.

“I’m not joking this time. First I got you bit, now it turns out I was the reason you 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙. You can’t hide it under the rug and pretend everything’s fine.”

“𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 died…” she argued, even though she knew better.

“Come on Isi!”

“What am I supposed to do? Be angry at you forever?” she asked, throat tight. “Where is all this coming from anyway? You were just as happy as I was to move forward without making a big deal out of it last time!”

So what if Lou made spur of the moment decisions? She did too, sometimes…

“If I decide to forgive you, who are you to question it?”

Finally, she stopped speaking. Why did this feel so rotten? A few seconds went past, neither of them breaking the silence.

Then, hand rubbing his neck again, Lou said quietly: “I’m going to be a dad soon, I can’t keep doing shit like this.”

“That’s why you’re pushing back?” Isidora could hear the doubt in her own voice.

“I just need people to stop giving me a pass when I do dumb shit, it’s not helping anyone.” Lou’s voice was strained, but there was resolution in it. The willingness to do better. “So please, don’t forgive me just yet.”

He leaned forward, eyes wandering away as if he was reaching the end of his own reflection: “Let me prove myself before you decide whether it’s worth it or not to give me a pass for the mistakes I’ve made?”

Reaching for the coffee cup again, she tried not to smile too wide: “Okay, I can do that.”

[polillastoryarchive]

The next day, she slept through to the afternoon. Living underground, even with a big well of windows opening up to the sky, didn’t help her natural rhythm. A waste of a day, she kept thinking.

So on day three, she set an alarm, got ready and started her research early in the morning.

Wolfgang had encouraged her to pick up the books stored at the Den, telling her they were good resources when it came to the past. And indeed, the first one she picked up had been about merfolk history. Or at least what humans knew about it.

She couldn’t help but frown at the gaps in knowledge.

She was about to give up when a word caught her attention. 𝘼𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙖. A name she hadn’t thought of in a long time. She skimmed through the few sentences, her mouth falling open.

There was information there that she didn’t remember ever being told. About a king consort’s ascension ritual.

Forcing herself to continue reading the book, she lied down on the couch. Seemed like that had been the only interesting passage. Yet she wouldn’t let herself miss something like she almost had.

She tried not to let her mind wonder, went back a few pages, checking she hadn’t missed anything else.

Minutes went by as she studied each sentence carefully, all the way up to the name. When her eyes landed on it again, she remembered asking Wolfgang what a constellation was called, that night on the library roof. She had only been half-listening, writing everything down.

Yet she knew if she checked in her notes, she’d see the name there.

𝘈𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘢.

What a poor researcher she was, letting this clue go by her without realising what it meant. She put the book down for a minute. Let her eyes close as she racked her brain to remember.

“Should I come back later?”

As soon as she heard the librarian’s voice, she was straightening up on the couch, book in hand, launching herself in a monologue:

“You were right, the other night, us watching the sky, I spotted Aquila, and now I’ve stumbled upon the name again. Seeing it written here, it reminded me of the story!”

Intrigued, Wolfgang put his hand together as he seemed to do every time he wanted to focus on something.

“Which story are you referring to exactly? I don’t seem to know anything about an Aquila.”

Isidora got up, too eager to stay still.

“Right, so this book only has a couple of sentences about it but it states that Aquila, an important regent in mer history, died as he became king consort. Halfway through the ritual. Yet I know for a fact that most of the great things he did, he did 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 becoming king.”

“But how could he if he died during the ritual?” Wolfgang asked, hands raising with his question.

“I’m not sure exactly, what I know of the story doesn’t include this information, but I can remember something similar being mentioned about another consort’s ritual…”

Isi dropped her eyes back to the book as her stomach twisted. She’d spent her whole life running away from any information about her father and his people. And, had she stayed mostly human, that would have been fine.

But now, stuck between wolf and mer, it had come back to bite her in the ass.

“I’m just not sure I know the whole story…”

“Do you think, maybe, it could be worth asking Idrina if she knows more?” Wolfgang asked, voice full of kindness.

As much as Isi wanted to stand on her own and leave her sister out of her drama, she could feel that this was too important to let go.

Nodding, she dropped the book on the table, wondering where she could find her little sister. But before she could take one step, she noticed the hesitation radiating from Wolfgang.

“Before that though… Someone’s asked to speak to you.”

[polillastoryarchive]

They went for a stroll after leaving the diner, Isi not keen on going back to the ‘Den’ just yet. Wolfgang had seemed reassured when she’d agreed to submit herself to whatever test was necessary and they’d mostly walked in silence, both contemplating what that meant.

She didn’t question it when he led her towards the library, even though she worried she might bump into Lou, or worse, Rory. But the librarian wasn’t intending on hanging out in the public rooms and instead took her all the way to a ladder, opening onto the roof of the building.

A bench, a telescope and an air vent. He sat and she followed suit, trying not to stare out in the direction she knew Rory’s house to be in.

Instead, she asked a question she knew would keep her attention on the man next to her:

“So, what of this djinni curse you were talking about earlier?”

“It’s not a long story, unfortunately.” His palms faced up to the sky as he continued: “A pack of wolves in the north tried to attack a djinni that was causing trouble on their territory. However, they found out the hard way that it wasn’t just one djinni, but two.”

“I’ve never heard of djinn working together.” Isidora noted, trying to remember what her mum had taught her.

“They hadn’t either. And one djinni, they could have probably handled. But two?” He paused, sighing. “The wolves managed to disable one, but in its rage, the second one obliterated them.”

“Only left one alive, to make sure the story would be told and no wolves would ever dare attack a djinni again. The survivor, though, wasn’t ever able to turn into a wolf again. They were cursed: frozen. Stuck in their human body, but also stuck in time. They were never able to die. To end it.”

Her stomach turned as she recognised the feeling Wolfgang described. Of being unable to have any control over your life. She’d learned to take the power back, when she'd been old enough. Trained herself to go against the rules set up for her.

Her nails curled on her thighs at the memories.

Taking a slow breath in, then out, she asked Wolfgang: “So you think I might be under some sort of similar spell?”

Gently, he wrapped his fingers around her left hand, his voice lowering as he answered: “I’m not entirely sure. I don’t see why 𝘺𝘰𝘶 would be and when it could have happened.”

“It’d have to be someone very powerful, and I can’t think of a reason you’d be under their radar…”

He sounded worried. Like he genuinely cared about finding the answer to his question.

“I might have an idea” she let out, unsure why she felt she could open up to him.

“You do?”

She shuffled, uncomfortable already about the subject she was about to bring onto the table. Yet she wasn’t allowed to stand against science, against finding answers. Never had been.

“I think my father made all sorts of pacts to get to where he is now.”

Dropping his head, Wolfgang stayed silent, expecting. So she pushed on, setting her feelings aside, as she’d been taught to.

“I can try to find out. Idrina will have a bit more information already, so I can ask her. And if needed, I can go further than that.”

“I should have looked into that.” He admonished himself. “Of course your mer heritage would be more than just physical. I could have walked right by a book that mentioned this without even pausing.”

Isi’s heart clutched at the harsh tone. She reached a hand out, patting his shoulder.

“To be fair, it’s not like I remind anyone of what a piece of shit my father is every day, you know? I tend to try not to think or talk about him at all really.” She said, trying to keep her tone light as she took her hand back.

She watched him get up, casting a look at the landscape around them.

After a few minutes of silence, observing the sky, he smiled.

“Soon we’ll be able to have a look.”

“A look?” she repeated, curiosity taking a hold of her.

“At the sky” he answered, turning to face her. “Sounds farfetched, but sometimes it helps.”

Had it been anyone else, she would have laughed. But his tone was matter-of-fact and she didn’t dare challenge something that sounded more like knowledge than belief.

Instead, she got up too and asked: “Do you think we’ll be able to figure this out?”

The look he gave her was full of sympathy.

He opened his mouth to answer but, afraid, Isidora backtracked quickly: “Never mind, forget I asked”

Yet he didn’t let her step away as she intended to. He put two warm hands on her arms and said, in a quiet tone: “What I 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, is that neither of us will be satisfied if we don’t give it a try.”

“And now that we have a few leads, we shouldn’t let ourselves be discouraged. I’m sure we can get a full picture of this, as you’re so willing to work with me.”

She nodded, and he dropped a hand, the right one still on her arm, reassuring.

“Now, what do you know about stars?”

She let her head fall into her palm. “Next to nothing I’m afraid…”

There was something shameful about admitting lack of knowledge to this man. Her mother had always said 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. And today, she wasn’t one of those.

“It’s alright, I can stay and assist” was all Wolfgang said.

They looked up together, a few minutes going by before more stars started to shine. When he waved at her to try the telescope, she hesitated. Looked back at him in question once before focusing on the lens.

He moved back towards the bench. The night’s sky was light, the moon still casting a lot of light down too, so Isidora couldn’t locate as many stars as she would have liked. Yet her companion seemed satisfied, encouraged her to take notes of her observations, nodded a few times.

When he guided her back down to the underground, she felt… hopeful. As if, for once, she wasn’t just the test subject, but also the researcher.

[polillastoryarchive]

“A djinni, really??” Isidora asked, her curiosity blooming.

“Yes. But before we get into that” Wolfgang paused, slapping two hands on his knees and standing up “I need to get changed, I underestimated the warmth.”

Only a few moments later, he was back, wearing a short sleeve shirt and some shorts.

“And would you be up for a little outing? To get something to eat? I know the kitchen is fully stocked here, but I wouldn’t mind a walk and something greasy.”

His smile was contagious, but Isidora hesitated: “Am I not supposed to stay down here?”

“Oh, no! You aren’t a prisoner!”

She didn’t have to be told twice. They climbed all the way back out of the tunnels, taking a different route than she had with the alpha and, once out, she inhaled the fresh air in big gulps.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take you back down afterwards, I know this underground maze can be confusing at times.”

“Thank you” Isi answered, stopping in her tracks as she realised she was already three steps ahead of him. “Does that mean you know your way around it? Because that’s something I’m sure this 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 guy you’re looking for has: a map of these tunnels. Whether it’s a real one or a mental one.”

Then, realising how her words could be interpreted, she added: “Not that I think you’re responsible, I get good vibes from you, but I thought it was important to note.”

He looked around before responding.

“Don’t worry, I get what you meant. We’ve been exploring that idea too.”

“Speaking of, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 a map of those passageways?” Isi asked, stepping up to the dinner they’d been walking towards. “Cause I’d love to see it if I have to live down there for a while.”

“We’re working on it, I’ll make sure you get what we have so far” Wolfgang offered, his tone serious again.

She liked that. No beating around the bush with him. No games. But also, no blatant dislike or hate of what she was.

Steeping inside, they picked a table and ordered. Then Isidora asked:

“What do you mean ‘working on a map’, how come there isn’t one already?”

Wolfgang fidgeted, as if ashamed.

She gave him time decide how much he wanted to tell her.

“I think there used to be one, all the records I have seem to point to one. Yet I can’t seem to find any. And because the tunnels themselves are results of several different operations, at different points in time, it’s hard to create one.”

Isi nodded, understanding. “So you’ve resorted to actually making one yourselves?”

“Exactly. We took what blueprints I had, put them together and started exploring. It’s also good to know which parts of the old records aren’t accurate anymore, whether from collapsing, or… other things.”

Noticing the hesitation, Isidora simply repeated: “Other things?”

Wolfgang dipped his head.

“Like the spider infestation you and Rory found? Safe to say we’re marking these rooms as off-limits.”

Remembering the depths of the fear she’d felt that night, she cringed.

“Fair enough.”

Their meals were brought out and they ate in silence for a couple of minutes. She focused her attention on the window, until Wolfgang waved a hand, drawing her attention back to him.

“Speaking of that night. It seems you used a certain… ability on Rory.”

Isi’s heart stopped.

She’d always felt cornered when revealing more of what she’d inherited from her father. Forcing a half-smile on her lips, she confirmed: “I did.”

Likely sensing how tense she was, the librarian ate one more bite before he continued.

“How would you feel about-” he cleared his throat “-doing so again?”

Isidora went completely still.

“I’m not sure it would be a great idea, at the moment” she managed to say through clenched teeth. “Why?”

Wolfgang looked like he understood how awkward his demand was.

“It doesn’t have to be Rory, I just need to know what abilities you’ve retained from your former self.”

[polillastoryarchive]

The night veil made it harder to see, yet she saw it from afar. She had been led through the town woods by Kristopher, all the way to a door displaying a wolf head. Identical to the one the Wildfangs had on the entrance of their bunker. She sighed as she was being led inside.

The characteristic smell of the narrow tunnels that sprawled under Moonwood reaching her and, after two sets of stairs, she paused, trying to understand where she was being taken.

“Come on, the Den’s only a couple of doors down.”

Kristopher spoke in a quiet voice, but it reached her clearly.

It almost seemed unreal to walk into the small space laid out like a shared house.

“Who lives here?” Isidora asked, pointing at the rooms behind Kristopher, who had turned around to face her.

“The Collective does. Has. Sometimes. When needed. Lily and Wolf said you could use either of their beds.”

He left without another word or a glance back.

Exploring the small space, she found everything you’d usually find in a living space, as well as one extra room. Empty, metal walls, scratch marks everywhere in it.

The chill going down her spine made her turn around and step into the bedroom instead.

The next morning, after a night in a bed that wasn’t hers, she got up early. Showered, did her hair, brushed her teeth. And when she stepped out of the bathroom, into the luminous space that connected all the rooms together, she realised how alone she was.

She didn’t feel lonely. Not yet.

But being alone made a drastic difference. She hadn’t been really alone in… weeks?

Spotting a keyboard, she thought she might have enough time and focus to work on a song, for once. Sitting on the shaky stool, she let her fingers fly. Not bad. Not the best, of course, but it would do.

Hours later, someone stepped through the entrance. And stopped in his tracks, hands coming together. Isidora turned to him, something deep down inside her delighted to see another face again. He gestured for her to follow to the living room.

“How are things?” she asked, eager for news of the outside.

“How’s everyone dealing with the news of the two different culprits? Anyone figured out who the ‘Ghost’ is?” she continued. She hadn’t realised how much had been left unresolved when she’d walked out of Rory’s house.

“Do you have any information that could help with that?” he asked, face serious.

“Because Rory and I have been working together on her theories and if you thought of anything new, as you cannot tell her right away anymore, you should definitely share with me.”

His palms were together again, as if it was helping him keep his brain working. She felt drawn to his analytic thinking.

“Nothing of note at the moment. But I will let you know if I do. Thank you.”

For a moment, Wolfgang looked like he was about to say something else. But he seemed to reconsider.

“Shall we start with my interrogations then? They mostly concern your state of immutability.”

She nodded.

“Let’s start with what you felt during the full moon that is just passed. Please describe it to me in details.”

If there was one thing Isidora knew how to do, it was report. She listed everything. From the nonexistent pull to transform, all the way to the storm of emotions that had raged within.

“Ror- I’ve heard that it’s not unheard of for a wolf not to be able to turn, can you tell me more about that?” She asked, once was finished.

“Of course.” The librarian looked happy to offer some insight of his own. “It can happen. Most of the time it affects people who are born with the gene.”

“However, we’ve seen two other instances of bitten who couldn’t turn. One simply rejected the idea of being a werewolf so fully, his body never adapted. 𝘏𝘦 did not gain access to new senses or affinities like you did though.”

“And the other?” Isidora asked.

“The other was cursed by a djinni.”

[polillastoryarchive]

From the stairs, Isidora could hear everything since Rory had come in. The raised voices, the complete and utter shock at being the ones who had poisoned her that night. Lou had admitted adding what he thought was ‘green leaves’ to the mixture, as Celene had told him it was a powerful relaxing herb.

The irony was that Rory had warned her it was likely to be Lou’s fault. She hadn’t wanted to believe it.

Oddly, now that it was confirmed, she wasn’t upset.

Following Rory back to her house, Isi couldn’t find it in herself to care, even a little. This wasn’t affecting her plan.

It didn’t change anything. Unless they’d done it on purpose, which would imply she couldn’t trust Celene. She followed the alpha through the house, passing the living room, the bedroom, and ending up on the balcony. Only when Rory stopped, did Isi ask:

“So, do you believe them?”

Looking out, eyes fixed on the mountains far away, Rory sighed, taking her time to answer.

“I want to” she admitted finally. “They both seemed genuinely shocked to have been reponsible for you almost dying. Yet I’ll still have to put them under constant surveillance for the foreseeable future.”

That made Isidora react. “Only to ensure that they’re not after me? That now seems a little unnecessary, don’t you think?”

Rory turned to her, eyes boring into hers.

“Not just for you, no.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Isi kept silent, waiting for more context.

Fatigue pulling at her mouth, Rory explained:

“This whole time, I had been assuming that only one person was responsible for all my problems. We never found out who was kidnapping people last fall, or who set fire to the motel.”

Isidora felt her stomach lurch at the memory of her sister’s injuries.

“And considering those two are more than likely to be related, I assumed your poisoning had to fall under the Ghost’s evil deeds…” Her voice dropped one octave at the nickname. “Today’s discovery means one of two things: Lou and/or Celene are the Ghost.”

“Or that fucker has nothing to do with what happened to you.”

“Wow, don’t sound so disappointed. We’ve only just found out that my life isn’t under threat.” Isi sneered, regretting her words as soon as Rory’s gaze landed on her.

Exhaustion. Disbelief. Subdued anger. The red pupils paler than usual.

And yet, Rory didn’t yell.

Intensity behind every word, her tone controlled, she locked eyes with Isi as she said: “You know, I’m starting to get seriously tired of your attitude. I only spend every minute of my awake time trying to protect you and this town.”

Isi couldn’t help her loud swallow.

“Excuse me if my work isn’t up to your standards.”

There was bite in those last words. And instead of deescalating, Isidora found in it an opportunity to get what she needed. Keeping her voice levelled, she said: “My standards don’t matter here, only my expectations.”

“Now that we’ve officially found out how I got poisoned, and I’ve turned out to barely have anything of a wolf in me, what am I to 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 from you?” She fought hard not to let her voice crack.

Rory’s shoulders started to shake and Isi had to refrain from putting her arms around her.

Good thing, too, because as Rory looked back up, she realised she’d been holding back a cynical laugh.

“I thought I was supposed to give you time but I guess you’ve made your decision already, haven’t you?”

Isidora’s breath was missing. And Rory took her silence as confirmation.

“You’re gonna run away again. Pretend what we have is just a 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

The bitterness with which she says the last word had Isidora transported to the last time she used that word. After Jak’s funeral. As she thought she was saying goodbye to Rory for ever.

Was that what she was doing now?

Pain twisted her stomach and she inhaled deeply, trying to get a hold of the determination she’d found earlier that day.

“Rory-”

A bitter smile and a hand held up.

“Don’t bother. I don’t feel like listening to whatever reasons you’ve came up with.”

“You ignore most of what I say anyway, so why would I have to give you the grace to be listened to?”

Isidora wished she could find a good retort, something cunning. But all she could think was that she wanted to go back in time, word things differently. To backtrack. Lessen the blow.

However, Rory didn’t seem in the mood to wait for her to find the words. Now looking more like an alpha than the partner Isi had learned to trust, she said, irony coating her tone:

“I don’t know why I bother asking since you’ve disregarded pretty much all of my advice so far…”

“But it’s my job to ensure we’ve figured out as much as we can before you leave, and I think it’ll probably be beneficial for you, in the long term. So… Will you give me one more week?”

Isi’s eyes widened. She didn’t understand. What was being asked of her exactly?

“I… I don’t-”

Shaking her head, as if she was beating herself up for not being clear enough the first time, Rory clenched her teeth.

“You’re a wolf. In all the ways we can measure. Yet you’re still half mer. That’s not supposed to be possible, according to everything we’ve read so far. And you don’t turn.”

The tone was analytic, clearly sticking to the facts. Isidora felt exposed. Naked in front of a jury of one person.

Rory continued: “I’ve been asked if you can answer a few more of Wolfgang’s questions, give him a bit more data to understand exactly what happened to you.”

Wolfgang? The librarian… Isi remembered him, from the day after she died.

“Sure, I’ll give him whatever he needs” she heard herself answer.

She’d been trained from a young age to accept any test, any observation. What was one more week, after all. Plus, she still needed time to get the cure.

She shouldn’t have watched so closely, yet Isidora felt her heart drop when she glimpsed relief on Rory’s face. One more week then.

Stepping towards the door, Rory threw over her shoulder: “Oh, and I’m assuming you don’t want to stay with us, so I’ll arrange it so you can go to my dad’s.”

[polillastoryarchive]

Her knock on Celene’s door was clear, frank.

And she didn’t have to wait long for the woman to invite her in.

“Twice in as many days? I didn’t think we were that close!” She joked as Isi stepped inside, the look on her face telling the truth: she was genuinely surprised to see her again.

“I’m sorry, I need to talk to you about something…” Isidora admitted, not beating around the bush.

Celene nodded, her eyebrows shooting up slightly, then she offered:

“Of course, you want to come through to the living room? We can sit.”

And so they settled on the couch.

For a moment, Isidora couldn’t help staring at the chair opposite her. The one she’d spent the night spiralling in.

Only when Celene stopped talking did she come back to the present. And realise she’d been asked a question, that she knew nothing of.

Noticing her confusion, the blond repeated:

“So why are you here? Do you need help with something?”

Not letting embarrassment or doubt overcome her, Isidora blurted out: “I want to help you find the ingredients for that antidote. And make two doses.”

She swallowed, too loudly. Waited for an answer. Waited to see if she had to say it out loud.

Then when nothing came, she started justifying herself: “I know I should be grateful to have these sharper senses, the abilities, everything else, but I-”

Only then, Celene seemed to wake up, raising a hand to stop her.

“It’s okay, no need for one more word, I understand what you’re asking.”

“And?” Isi asked.

“Yes, I’ll help-”

Celene cut herself off as Lou emerged from her bedroom. Isi’s heart bounced out of her chest for a full three beats, before she realised he had headphones on and music in them so loud even the human woman besides her could hear it clear as day.

“OH! I didn’t realise you’d stopped by!” he all but yelled as he took Isi in. “Are you having girl time?”

Isi raised an eyebrow, but nodded nonetheless, glad for the excuse.

Not waiting for any other answer, Lou crossed the tiny room and headed to the kitchen: “I’ll make you guys some tea!”

He disappeared through the door, singing along to the beat drumming in his ears.

Celene gave Isi a silent nod, their deal sealed. And, quickly, Lou came back, handing them each a mug of a hot liquid that looked nothing like tea.

“I hate it but Cel loves it!” He said as she smiled, sipping.

One whiff of it told Isidora all she needed to know. Chilled her to the bone. She set it down, carefully, like it would explode if she spilled even one drop. Then, said, loud enough for Lou to hear over his music: “This is 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧, Lou!”

“WHAT?!” The wolf dropped his own cup, staring at her.

[polillastoryarchive]

After stopping by Rory and Lou’s house to get a swimsuit, Isidora followed the water. She knew what she needed. How to fix her body, if not her mind.

So she headed up the river, to the lake where Idrina had been sleeping so often.

As soon as she came in contact with the water, scales covered her body.

“Of course you’re still here…” she sighed, watching her skin change.

And where there had always been mostly resentment at being different, fear of being discovered, this time, she could feel an undercurrent of relief.

Still, the tears came streaming out, sobs filling her throat. Taking a deep breath in, then out, she let the feelings come out.

The disappointment. The confusion. The sadness.

For a few weeks, she’d felt like she was becoming a part of something. Now she had to come to terms with it being a mistake.

She didn’t bother to keep the sounds of her cries down, she knew no one would come looking for her. Not today. She needed time alone and they understood.

Slowly, she let herself curl up in a ball, the lake water cooling her down as she felt the storm pass.

Because, this too, shall pass. She knew it.

When her body started to calm down, the tears drying off, she allowed herself a swim. More a float, really, but she was too tired to care.

The morning sun rose up in the sky, casting the lake in a soft and comforting light. Her heartbeat slowed down.

On that peaceful surface, she fell asleep.

The sun hit its midpoint and started going down as she drifted to the edge of the body of water.

Until she wasn’t alone anymore. She opened her eyes, feeling like someone was staring at her.

Yet she found only midges and a puzzled looking frog.

Focusing, she tried to pick up a scent, any noise that another creature her size would make. Nothing.

Smiling apologetically at the frog, still watching her, Isi got up and felt her body fade out of its scales.

She’d been sleeping deeply. The power of being well-rested shouldn’t be underestimated.

Walking back towards the town, the house, head clearer, she felt like she had a simple choice to make.

And after a quick shower to get rid of the remnants of the lake water, as well as any doubt that she still had, she texted Wesley.

He answered almost immediately, obviously excited.

She knew the next step could be harder. Yet she set out, ready.

She’d been relying on other’s opinions for too long. If getting bit hadn’t changed her, after all, then she just had to make sure that she was fully back to who she was before it happened.

And she’d just learn she could do just that.

[polillastoryarchive]

Morning had come, at long last. Idrina had fallen asleep, eventually, while Isi stayed stuck in her head. After a while, she’d gotten up, gone back into the kitchen to stare at this glowing white flower that Celene had managed to get.

It was singing. Low enough not to be heard by anyone who didn’t have her skills. Yet she couldn’t have been more aware of its song.

And, focused on her hearing, she was also able to detect Rory and Lou’s words as they pushed the door, climbed up the stairs.

“I don’t understand why they left though, they’d promised…” Rory’s worried tone floated all the way to her.

Suddenly, the tears and frustration she’d held inside all night were threatening to come out. Isi took a deep breath, glad to hear Idrina emerge from the next room as the wolves came in.

“Here you are! What happened?!” Rory immediately asked, slightly louder than usual.

Isidora’s stomach twisted. She only just pointed in the general direction of the blond’s bedroom, trying her very best to avoid Rory’s gaze.

“Celene happened.”

“You should probably go and speak with her Lou, she’s got something to tell you.”

Something like panic shone through Lou’s eyes. He’d already understood. Somewhere deep down, he must have known. Rory didn’t wait for him to open his mouth, telling him to go.

And Isidora took the opportunity to run.

The weight pressing on her chest didn’t seem to lift as she hurtled down the stairs, or when she reached for the door handle. Back upstairs, she heard Rin give a summary of what they’d went through the night before.

𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯. 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵.

Then she was outside.

The fresh air helped. A little. Until she saw the moon, finishing its descent into the morning.

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦?

Isi shook her head. And to her horror, footsteps she knew all too well echoed behind her.

“Wait for me, angel.” Rory’s voice was strained.

Isi let her body come to a standstill.

“Idrina said something attacked you three last night, but we didn’t find any tracks, no scent, nothing to follow…” Rory said as she turned around to face her.

“It was probably Greg” Isi opened a hand, trying not to feel like she was justifying herself.

“Honestly, I don’t even know why you still care.”

The crack in her voice made her angry. Her body shouldn’t have betrayed her like this. Squeezing her hands into fists, she held Rory’s stare until the alpha spoke again.

“You should have listened. Stayed inside.”

“You put yourself, and others, in danger. Again. Just because you didn’t transform doesn’t mean you’re not part of this pack and are allowed to simply ignore my orders.”

Deep down, Isidora could feel the fire growing. Slowly, she pressed her still closed fists to Rory’s chest.

“Am I? Still in this pack? Because last night’s events seemed to tell a different story.”

Isi kept her eyes on Rory’s moon necklace. The moon she had prayed to. The moon that had rejected her.

“What did you want us to do?” Rory asked, voice tight. “Run with you among us in human form?”

“It doesn’t matter that you can’t be with us during the full moon, you 𝘢𝘳𝘦 a wolf. It’s not unknown of for wolves not to be able to turn-”

Isidora stopped her with another gentle push of her fists.

“We both know things are different now that we found this out.”

Rory shook her head slowly and Isi couldn’t help reaching up to feel her cheek. She could feel something breaking. She wasn’t sure if it was inside her or between them.

But Rory didn’t let go.

“It doesn’t change anything for me” she whispered as she bent down to kiss Isi.

It was not a desperate kiss.

It was one that went deep. Coursed through her entire body.

One that seemed to promise there was just as much understanding between them now than there had been the night before.

It melted Isidora. She came close to being completely undone.

For a few seconds, the only thing that mattered was how Rory’s lips would make her forget everything. How she wouldn’t care that Isi was a bastard. Only half of the real thing.

Then she felt the sobs creep back up.

Stepping back, she breathed in, heart breaking.

“Yet for me, it changed everything.”

Rory’s breath hitched and Isi’s stomach turned.

“I need a minute. Some sleep. I need to come to terms with this, figure out what it means. Because even though you don’t want to see it, we’ve both been preparing for me to become a wolf. A full wolf. And I-” Once more, her voice cracked.

“And I am not” Isi managed to finish.

If she stayed any longer, she’d burst into tears. And she didn’t need to display this. How broken she felt.

She gave Rory’s cheek one more gentle caress and dropped her hand.

Eyes half closed, fingers twitching where they’d been touching, Rory surrendered.

[polillastoryarchive]

The three of them stayed there for a long time. Celene, staring at the door, the handle, eyes narrowed. Isidora, fidgeting, trying to get her heart rate to slow down and listen to the sounds outside. And Rin, who after a while, decided it had been long enough.

“Where are we?” she asked the blond.

“My house.”

Celene didn’t bother saying anything more, suddenly looking like she’d remembered something and almost running up the stairs. The sisters followed her.

“So we put ourselves in danger for no reason!” Isidora moaned.

“No, we didn’t.” Celene mused, her back turned to them.

Trying not to grind her teeth, Isidora took off her glasses, gave them a quick wipe and put them straight back on, ready to give Celene a piece of her mind.

But all she saw was the woman, smiling at her and Idrina, a Moon Petal flower shining in a glass case besides her.

“I grabbed it while we ran!”

Rin turned to her, the look on her face baffled, and Isi knew they were thinking the same thing: 𝘩𝘰𝘸?

Unbothered by their silent exchange, Celene asked if they wanted to drink something, since they were probably about to spend the night at her place.

Both shook their heads, following to the living room without a word. Then, Celene’s face turned embarrassed, with a slight tinge of annoyance, before she said:

“I would have offered you two my bed, but I’ve not changed the sheets since last time Lou came over… I had to throw my second set away.”

Sitting on the leather armchair in a corner of the room, Isi just waved the woman’s worries away, absolutely not in the mood to hear any more information about these sheets.

“It’s fine, I’m pretty sure I won’t manage to sleep anyway, so I’ll take the chair and Rin can take the couch.”

Celene left quietly, the door to her room opening and closing quickly, as if she was in a rush to get to her bed.

Silence fell between the two sisters. And Isidora whispered: “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you and stayed indoors…”

Her body was having a hard time settling down.

Idrina didn’t answer, lying down on the couch after turning the lights off. Then silence came.

All consuming silence.

Her sister’s eyes on her, detailing her every movement, Isidora kept the tears in. Kept all the thoughts in too. It wasn’t worth worrying her.

And so the storm kept growing inside her.

So many questions were left unanswered. Isi knew she wasn’t the only one retracing their steps that night, thinking back on the things they’d learned.

Through the bedroom door, Isi could smell it: Celene was human. The cure had worked on her. There 𝘸𝘢𝘴 a cure! And no one had offered it to her.