EP:7
1404 Words
HOPE'S POV.
Jennet, another healer, shifted nervously beside Marwen, who was still working on Kian. Of course, I knew no one was comfortable with this situation, given who this man was and the pack he was from. But Jennet seemed extra bothered and nervous. Either way, I couldn’t blame her. Not everyone was stupid enough to stick their neck out for a man they didn’t know—especially when said man was from an enemy pack.
Jennet was holding a clay bowl close to her chest.
“Marwen… what should I do with the frog eggs?” she asked, gesturing to the clay bowl, her voice tiny, almost swallowed by the storm hammering outside.
Marwen didn’t look up from Kian. Her hands moved quickly, crushing herbs in a small mortar with full focus. “Keep them on the table over there,” she said, pointing toward a corner of the room. “Priest Antioch’s twins will be here for them. They were supposed to be here an hour ago, but I guess the storm is delaying them.”
Frog eggs?
The word sparked my curiosity instantly. I’d spent so much time around Odette that I knew what those were used for—serious sickness, dangerous fevers, internal poisoning. Wolves didn’t request frog eggs unless it was urgent. Then again, Antioch was a temple priest, so perhaps he needed them for some kind of ritual or offering to the Moon Goddess?
But still, I couldn’t shake the worry.
“Frog eggs?” I asked, turning to Marwen. “Why would the priest’s children need frog eggs?”
Marwen finally looked at me. “It’s not for them, Delta. It’s for the Beta female.”
My eyebrows knit together. “Beta Mae… she’s that sick? Sick enough that she needs frog eggs?”
I wasn’t even aware that Beta Gerald’s mate was sick to begin with. I saw her just this morning when I returned from my morning run. She was with her mate, Beta Gerald, and they were both heading in the direction of the Goddess’ temple. She looked perfectly fine then.
“What’s wrong with the Beta female, Marwen?” I asked again, unable to keep the worry out of my voice.
“Absolutely nothing,” Marwen said, shaking her head. “It’s not for sickness, Delta. Beta female Mae requested them for skin care.”
I just stared at her. “Oh.”
Behind me, Vera scoffed loudly. Aiden and Eros exchanged the same unimpressed look.
“Of course,” Aiden muttered under his breath.
“We should’ve known,” Vera added. “Beta Mae and Queen Liora care more about beauty than health.”
Eros clicked his tongue. “Exactly.”
I didn’t even bother arguing. Why argue about something that was true?
Just then, there was a sharp knock on the door.
Everyone turned as it creaked open.
Derek stepped in first, rain dripping from his jacket. His twin, Dalilah, followed closely behind, shaking the rain out of her hair. Both of them straightened immediately when their eyes landed on me.
“Delta Hope,” Derek said with a respectful bow.
“Delta Vera,” Dalilah added politely.
“Hi, Derek. Dalilah,” I replied. Vera mirrored my greeting.
Derek turned to Marwen. “We’re here for the frog eggs.”
Marwen didn’t pause her work. She pointed toward the corner with her pestle. “They’re right there.”
“Thank you, Marwen,” Derek said, moving toward the table.
He had barely taken three steps when Dalilah froze.
Her gaze locked on the table where Kian lay unconscious, and she gasped.
“That… Is that Kian?” she whispered.
Derek went rigid, his head snapping in the same direction. His eyes widened.
Everyone—Vera, Aiden, Eros, the warriors, and even the healers—exchanged confused looks. Marwen paused, her hands still over the herbs. The room was suddenly quiet, all eyes on Kian on the table.
I stepped forward, frowning. “Do you guys know him?”
Derek and Dalilah shifted uncomfortably. Derek swallowed. Dalilah looked down, her hands fidgeting. They seemed nervous, unsure if they should answer.
I understood immediately.
Kian wasn’t just any stranger.
He was from Wolvesden, a pack known for rebelling against the Royal Pack since the beginning of its history. Surely no one would admit openly that they knew Wolvesden’s Delta—not children of Lunar Dome’s Priest, not in front of a room full of warriors and healers. To do so would be inviting accusations of treason.
Eros, of course, didn’t seem to understand that.
“Hold on a moment,” he said, stepping forward with his hands on his hips. “So you’re telling me that the children of Priest Antioch know the Delta of Wolvesden by first name? What—are you all friends or something?”
Derek’s eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly. “No—it’s not like that.”
Eros raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it? Then what is it like?”
Derek tried to answer. Dalilah opened her mouth. But Eros kept talking, interrupting them at every turn and putting words in their mouths.
Finally, I snapped.
“That’s enough, Eros.”
He froze instantly. His mouth closed, his stance stiffened.
Vera turned to him sharply. “What is your problem?”
Eros bowed his head. “My apologies, Delta Vera. Delta Hope.”
I turned back to Derek and Dalilah. “How do you know him?”
The twins exchanged a look—a silent conversation passing between them. Dalilah’s eyes flicked toward Derek’s face, then her gaze glazed over for a brief moment. A mind-link. She was mind-linking.
Derek exhaled, finally breaking the tension. “Our father is on his way here. He’ll explain better,” he said.
My eyes narrowed slightly. The room waited, silent now, all attention on the unconscious stranger on the table and the twins who suddenly seemed tense and guarded.
“Your father?” I asked, curiosity prickling.
Derek nodded. “Yes. He… he will tell you everything you need to know. But right now, we just need the frog eggs. Beta Mae said she needs them tonight, so…”
Marwen, standing beside the table where she had been crushing herbs, gestured toward the corner again. “I already told you they’re right there,” she said calmly.
Derek nodded and walked toward the table, his eyes flicking toward Kian. Dalilah followed, her eyes not leaving him either.
I could feel the unease radiating from them. Something was clearly wrong.
Vera leaned slightly toward me. “This isn’t normal,” she muttered.
I shrugged. “I know.”
Dalilah whispered something under her breath, though it was clearly meant only for Derek. He shook his head slightly, but I caught the words. She was warning him. Something about Kian. Something about not letting them kill him.
The storm outside seemed to fade slightly in my awareness. The only thing I could focus on was the twins and whatever was going on.
Eros shifted again. “So what, you’re all keeping secrets from us now?” he said, his voice full of accusation.
Derek stopped, holding up a hand. “It’s not like that, Eros. I told you—our father will explain better. He’s already on his way here.”
Eros took a step forward, his tone growing harder. “Then what is it like? At least give us something while your old man is yet to arrive. Are you friends? Allies? What? Or is your father hiding something that the pack needs to know?”
Derek and Dalilah tried to speak, but Eros kept talking, piling words over theirs. I felt my patience snap again.
“That’s enough, Eros,” I said, more firmly this time. “What is the matter with you?”
He rolled his eyes, his mouth shutting.
Vera, arms crossed, glared at him. “Really? Seriously, Eros, do you ever listen?”
“I… sorry, Delta,” he said, carelessly bowing his head. With one last glare toward the twins, he turned away, letting out a loud scoff.
I rolled my eyes at his behavior before turning back to the twins. "It's alright, you don't have to answer any question you're not comfortable answering. We'll wait for your father."
The twins looked visibly relived. They both nodded and bowed slightly. "Thank you Delta."
- Writer
