Leona
Having finished nursing Sophia, I returned to the bedroom, only to find that the Alpha was not there, which was somewhat of a relief as it spared me from his petty squabbles over power struggles. I quickly got ready and was just leaving the room when I overheard a whispered conversation. I couldn't move on, so I stopped to listen.
"Are these herbs that you gathered for those experiments you're doing in the bathroom?"
"Yes, they are. I'm testing some potions I found in the grimoires from Leona's house."
The sound began to fade away, and I remained leaning against the door until I heard their bedroom door close. I need to begin reviewing the materials we've collected from the house and the properties in my name. Things have been unfolding so quickly that I haven't had a chance to check anything, and now this. Jade didn’t even mention the grimoires before she started using them.
Am I overreacting in thinking that she should've consulted with me first before using what's in them? What exactly are these potions? I need to look into this, but it’s challenging. Finally, I step out of the room for breakfast and run into the couple, Caio and Jessica.
"Good morning, sorry about yesterday, I was famished and exhausted."
"No problem, good morning. Are you feeling better now?" Caio asked.
"Yes, I'm quite alright now. Slept like a rock."
He smiled, but his partner seemed displeased, giving me a look. I ignored her, having experienced enough of those looks from humans to be concerned about such trivialities. While eating, I inquired about the Pack, the people, and the house, learning that all my possessions had been moved into a ground floor room.
I was organizing the boxes in this room when Condor walked in.
"You could have waited for me to help you," he said before even greeting me.
"Good morning to you too."
He approached me so fast, catching me off guard, and wrapped one arm around my waist. With his other hand, he grasped my nape and pulled me closer, kissing me deeply. Despite the suddenness of his grip, his lips were tender, savoring mine gently as if he genuinely wanted to discover my taste.
I found myself getting wrapped up in the caress and reciprocating mindlessly. My body yearned for his and as we deepened the kiss, we embraced and it felt so right, the sensation so wonderful, that I went with it. Goosebumps sprang up when he shifted his face to my neck, licked his mark, and with tiny kisses worked his way back to my mouth. I savored it until I heard a whimper from the hallway.
As we parted, he managed to caress my face and shared a knowing look before he stepped back. The nanny, a young Pack member, entered carrying Sophia, who immediately reached for my breast as soon as she was in my arms.
"She's quite the little one…" Gael commented, bringing over a chair for me to sit.
As I nursed our hungry little one, who nearly choked on the milk, he asked the nanny to step out and, making sure we were alone, began to whisper.
"Please listen before saying anything," he started, and I nodded. "I saw Jade gathering herbs in the forest. Before Calel found her, I noticed wolf's bane in her basket, which she covered up with other herbs. Wolf's bane can only be found on the opposite side of the forest, and she would have had to get up at the crack of dawn to harvest it. What do you make of that?"
The mention of herbs reminded me of the conversation I overheard which appeared to be directly related - they must have been returning from the forest with them.
"I believe I need to take a look in her room and take back the grimoires she hasn’t given me."
"So, you agree there's reason for suspicion. What's a grimoire?"
"There's definitely something odd, particularly since she's the daughter of the wizard who overpowered the Death Claw Pack. A grimoire is a book of magic spells belonging to a wizard or sorcerer. They record everything they learn and practice throughout their lives."
"And these journals are in the hands of a witch we don’t know well. All very suspect."
"Yes, but I don't want to lash out without cause, we can develop a plan," I suggested, and Condor agreed.
The first part of the plan was to get them out of the house, and Condor went to check if a residence or cabin was available for the couple. As soon as one is assigned, he’ll take them to see it, and I'll enter the room to check what she's been up to. But since I'm not well-versed in witchcraft, the Pack's witch will join me.
After feeding Sophia, I took her upstairs but didn’t head for her room. Instead, I went straight to Jade's room and knocked. Jade herself answered, startled at my appearance, unsure of how to react. I took advantage of her disarray to enter the room with a smile, as if oblivious to her discomfort at my presence.
"Sophia came to see you." Sophia was still awake and flashed a smile, playing along with the ruse.
"Hello, Leona, I’m sorry for not coming down for breakfast…"
"What's that smell? Are you boiling something in the bathroom?" The stench was dreadful, and Sophia began to fuss. Smoke started wafting into the room from the bathroom. I hurried to the glass door leading to the balcony and flung it open, letting in fresh air while Jade closed the bathroom door.
"Sorry, Leona, I’m testing some potions I found in a book from your city house."
"So, you didn't wait at all to try out the recipes, did you? You didn’t even show me the journals before using them, putting my daughter at risk. What were you thinking, Jade?"
"I saw so many good potions and couldn't resist trying them out, hoping I could find something that would help us stop my father." Her excuse sounded reasonable, but I figured we should still proceed with our plan.
"Well, I'm not pleased with this, you could have exposed us to something lethal, caused respiratory harm to Sophia and even to you or Calil. I've spoken with Condor about finding a place for you two to conduct your experiments safely, and he’s looking into it."
"Sorry, Leona, I didn’t mean any harm."
"From now on, it’s Luna to you."
I left the room, taking Sophia away from the contaminated area. The scent was reminiscent of the wounds I had tended to for some wolves in the old Pack. It was wolf's bane with belladonna, used to soak darts for blowpipes. If it had been stronger, it might have suffocated Sophia and… it’s best not to think about it.
I made my way to the office and found Caio there as expected.
"Hey, sister-in-law, how can I assist you?"
"Ask the witch to come and have guards watch the Calel and Jade couple, please. If they leave the house, they shouldn't take anything."
"I'll take care of it right away; this seems serious."
"Yes, and ensure they don't notice. Let me know when the witch arrives. I'm going to put Sophia down for a nap. Thank you, Beta Caio." I used his title to emphasize the seriousness of the matter. He smiled and nodded in agreement, and then I went to take care of Sophia.
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