After a while in Alijah's arms, I drifted again, bathed in a warmth that made me feel safe. The next time I opened my eyes, I instinctively raised my head to find my wolf missing. Instead, Caden, who was at the base of the bed, turned to me upon noticing my movements.
Even though I should've been happy to see my brother, I wasn't.
"Rem," He breathed.
I gazed around, unable to find my wolf in the room with us.
Where did you go?
The warmth of his touch still lingered on my skin so that he couldn't have gone too far.
"Where's Alijah?" I asked as my brother moved beside me, grabbing my chin to inspect me.
Oi… why are you always a worrywart? I just asked you a question!
My cheeks puffed up as a soft sigh left his lips. Even though I wanted to complain about his demeanor, words refused to leave me.
I mean, I can't blame you for what happened…
"He went to the bathroom. How are you feeling, though?" Caden informed, trying to shift the attention back to me.
Ignoring him, I tried to find my way up from the bed, only to tumble as my legs weren't used to being in use. Thankfully, my brother swiftly caught me before I landed on the floor. They had used magic to keep my physique, but it would take a couple of attempts to get stable.
I no longer had my adrenaline pumping to keep me from feeling odd.
"Rem, stop," Caden growled.
All I desired was to be with Alijah, even if he was in the bathroom.
Oh… I'm turning too domineering, aren't I? No matter... I don't want to be apart from you.
Remembering how weak he had seemed earlier made me want to bolt out of there.
"I have to find him." I tried to argue while my brother had me in his grip.
He sighed before holding me at arm's length, which allowed me to get my footing. Though my legs still felt sluggish. When I saw his eyes twitching, I couldn't help but freeze.
Uh… Oh uh… This isn't good…
A lecture was coming for me.
"No, you don't. The only thing you have to do is rest! Plus, I doubt he would like you to see him in that state." He huffed, preventing me from moving.
At that point, I stopped trying to get away and focused on him.
"What?" I mumbled.
Are you hurt? Did she do that? No, she promised not to hurt you, so why…
My brother's words fed into my already sky-high worries. Noticing my change in demeanor, he tried backtracking.
"Hey, he'll be better soon." He tried to reassure me as Aiden walked into the room with something in his hands.
However, I couldn't care less about what he had. On the floor, though, there was a sleeping bag, which made me realize they had both been sleeping in my room with us.
Annoying duo… Overbearing…
I probably would have flipped if I hadn't been more preoccupied with Alijah's well-being.
"What happened?" I asked Caden, who bit into his lip.
It seemed they weren't keen on filling me in with what had happened, but to my advantage, this brother was always easy to break when I asked.
"Please, Cadie?" I tried to strike my most adorable pose and puppy-doll eyes as his eyes shimmered before taking a deep breath,
"Look, just don't worry, okay?" He breathed, giving in to me.
Yes! You're as easy as always!
I nodded slightly, trying not to give any hints about how I would react.
"Alijah drank a bit of Iris to use the spell to reach you." He informed.
Huh… Why…. Out of everything… Iris?
I gripped my chest, feeling wholly responsible for that. He would have never done that if I hadn't locked myself away like a coward.
If… you drank that deadly thing, then there's no way you're okay.
"He'll be fine, though. Trust me, sis. Vera has been giving him more of the antidote Mom made for Iris. He's still queasy, and what that bird did to him probably is playing another role in it. So, he—" Caden tried to explain, but I suddenly wormed out of his grip, cutting him off before he could finish.
"Oi! Rem!" My flustered brother quickly called out to me, reaching for me.
"Here we go again." Aiden chuckled as he placed the tray down on the table.
A second later, I was out the door with the singular goal of seeing Alijah. His state didn't matter to me, especially if Iris was in his system. Although I was once outside the room, I stopped when I noticed Vera with him at the end of the hall.
She handed him a bottle.
Is it the medicine?
However, their interaction seemed off. Even though she appeared to want nothing to do with him, something in her eyes was odd. On the other hand, he couldn't care less about how she interacted with him.
He grabbed the vial only for her to clasp it onto his shirt and tell him something I could never hear.
I wish I had super hearing like normal Lycans.
It was suspicious, making me wonder what he said to her.
"Oi, what are you doing?" Caden growled from behind, grabbing me by my gown and dragging me back inside the room.
Before I knew it, he sat me down at the table. Before me was a plate full of food.
So, this was what Aiden had brought.
Seeing Alijah already making his way back to us made me feel better. Though I wanted to know what they were talking about. Vera's expression made my heart unsteady. She never was like that with anyone else.
Aiden had his arms crossed, which was intimidating and caused me to gaze down instinctively.
Oh… You aren't happy either.
Probably no one was after what I had done.
I guess I do deserve a scolding, as Vera says.Will Alijah also feel the same? Surely you do.
"Eat up, dumbass," Aiden cross his arms, raising his eye brows at me.
Ah… I'm not going anywhere now.
Caden grumbled under his breath before sitting on the bed, locking his eyes on me. Releasing a sigh, I tried to let go of the feeling I felt when Vera was with Alijah.
Surely, I'm imagining it? Am I crazy? Probably… but… It's weird. I mean, you've had boyfriends before… I mean… Alijah and I… are we even dating?
We hadn't even had the time to label ourselves yet, making it obvious that my insecurities were still vivid.
I mean… You told me you love me! You even came for me. We must be dating, right? Right?
Even after my wolf said those things to me, I felt anxious.
I guess… It's expected that I won't be able to put all this to rest just after one day.
Thinking I wouldn't feel this way when I left that place was silly.
Midnight, you're wrong about me. I'm not a god slayer. I mean… What type goes on and on about boy problems?! Well, it's just one boy, but still!
My mind wandered back to my sister, who usually wasn't like that towards anyone. She always presented herself as a cool-headed beauty, not the brat she seemed to be with Alijah. It almost seemed as if she was trying to hate him on purpose.
Why though? It can't be that you… No… Impossible. That can't happen, I… can't give…
Taking a bite of the meal before me, I tried not to think of useless things. However, they were present either way. My brothers used their phones to call our parents to notify them I was up and eating.
Huh… It appears they're out today.
Dad was probably having a meeting with the council with Mom about me. Seconds later, though, the door opened to reveal Alijah, who smiled tenderly when he saw me up.
Have your eyes been that warm before?
"Ah, finally, you're up." He voiced as I sat there with a piece of bread in my mouth, looking like an idiot in front of him again.
His smile left me dumbfounded, while the joy in his eyes melted me right where I stood. However, he didn't care about how I appeared; instead, he sat beside me and gently patted my hair.
Ah… did you always have that gentle air around? I just can't take my eyes off you; it's as if you're radiating.
No, it was even more soothing than it had been before. It almost caused me to avert my eyes from my wolf as I couldn't handle it.
Hey… Are you really okay with just me? Compared to Vera, I… I am no god slayer.
Midnight had to be wrong about me.
Hah, I don't think I'm the right person for this task.
Alijah gazed at me momentarily, trying to figure out what was happening in my little head. I was eerily quiet. Attempting to avoid it, I gazed towards the window, finishing my meal.
I really am a handful, huh?
It was not long until something caught my eye outside the manor windows. My eyes widened at the usual orbs that I used to see in the distance. There was a floating older man. Suddenly, all the orbs changed shape, all to take on humanoid forms.
Eh… What the…
Their appearance prompted me to stand up from my chair, startling everyone around me, yet my eyes remained fixed on the window.
Has... my power...
"Rem?" Alijah called out to me, following my sight.
My body shimmered purple before I suddenly bolted out of the door towards the manor's roof. I almost crashed into a few people on the way there. Vera, Amelia, and the maids nearly became roadkill on my path as I couldn't stop myself from going outside.
My wolf and brothers tried to keep up with me while apologizing for my recklessness. Once at the patio, I climbed onto the roof, a place I hadn't been since I fell all those years ago. Voices rang in my ears as the spirits that wng around congregated near me.
While the wolves found their way up to me, the voices of the ghosts were muddled, even when Alijah wasn't around, but with them gone, I could see and hear them so clearly.
This was something new.
"Can you hear them?" I asked the crowd who were gathering around me.
Alijah slowly came toward me, turning their voices muffled.
"Yes." He answered, prompting me to shift my glance toward him to see his left eye responding to my magic with a blue hue coming from his pupil.
Midnight's handy work… It seems she bound us together in more ways than one.
"Can you see them?" I continued to query, wondering to what extent he could perceive them.
My brothers seemed confused by what I was saying, though.
"Yes, I can." He replied, taking a few steps toward me as I turned back to face the spirits.
Unlike before...
"The voices of the dead are so clear to me. I can probably find Edna like this if I concentrate." I smirked, trying to focus a point on my hand where my magical essence could gather up.
Alijah grabbed my hand and suddenly shut me off as if he were a switch, which baffled me.
Eh?
"No." He announced.
I gazed at him, utterly confused.
"Why?" I mumbled.
He sighed, "You aren't ready, love."
His words caused me to narrow my eyes.
What? Do you mean by not ready?!
I tried to pull away, only for him not to let me. Instead, he picked me up like a sack hanging over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?! I can do this!" I growled, taping his back with my hands, utterly powerless to stop him from taking me away.
"Oh, stupid little luma. Where do I even begin? Your magic is hazardous. You aren't combat-ready, and everything about you is volatile. Using that might lead you to another trap or worse. A liability I can't allow to happen." Alijah snapped, while I lost all the strength to fight him.
I felt torn apart by what he had said since he pulled no punches, hitting everywhere it hurt. He didn't have to be so straight up, either.
"But…" I grumbled.
He jumped from the roof back onto the patio, placing me down as my brothers joined us. Grabbing onto my cheeks, he placed his forehead against mine again.
"I didn't just get you back so I would lose you again, Rem! Get that through your head. I don't care if you want to get even with the witch. I won't lose you ever again." He declared.
Ah… Well… I can't… win, can I?
In an instant, my heart was stolen once again by this loving wolf. Some maids gathered around and giggled at the event—even saying that the manor was finally back to normal. It appeared it had been too quiet without me.