Killing the Wolf

16. Killing the wolf

"Fly away, bird," Serafina puffed as the helicopter rose from the ground. The encounter with him had drained her empty. She had felt so much - too much. The helicopter disappeared from her sight. She kept staring at the night sky. Soon her brother and his men would come to take her back home and she'd have to explain what had happened. How could she explain any of it?

Little did Serafina know, that Henry Trinh too had troubles explaining the encounter to himself while flying through the dark sky. He was not empty. He was full. The feeling was intoxicating and unfamiliar to him. Not even the chemicals he every now and then experimented with could bring him anywhere near this sensation. After he had dived into Serafina's cognitive stream and manipulated it, the intense love and adoration he felt from her caught him off guard. 

"Damn it" Henry murmured under his breath. 

He could still see her gasping for air - and for him. He had almost left her mind in that state, wanting him and only him, but something made him step out of her mind and leave. 

"No," he said. He would not think any further. The reason didn't matter. He had succeeded in what he wanted. 

He now knew Serafina's Vaara genes were asphyxiated. No matter how he tried to bait the glorious side of her wolf out, it remained hidden. But the glorious beast was there. He had found it hidden behind a dark wall deep in her mind. When he had tried to penetrate that wall, her subconscious mind had fought hard and he faced unbeatable restraint.   

Did she know Vaara blood ran in her veins? If she did, why was she suffocating it? Whether it was intentional or not, Henry's next step was to stop her from killing the wolf in her. He would bring her to life.

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Shawn's human feet thumped against the ground as he shifted back. Younge, Wilson and a few more men followed right behind him. Finally, the helicopter had left the area and he could go to his little sister. He pulled on a shirt and a pair of sweatpants that had been waiting for them half a mile away from the cabin. 

The dim lights of the cabin shine behind the wild willow bushes that separated the forest from the small grass area around the cabin. The grass grew knee-height since it was left to grow wild. With a small hand gesture, he made the men stay behind and guard the surroundings. 

Shawn didn't need to walk all the way to the cabin. Serafina stood outside hugging herself tightly and staring at the darkness of the sky. 

"Hey," he said making Serafina snap out of her thoughts. She turned to face him.

"Hey," she replied. 

"Are you ok?"

Serafina shrugged. Shawn walked to her and pulled her into his arms. She could feel how stiff her body was. 

"He's gone now," he said against her hair. 

"Yeah... Guess what."

"What?"

"I can't feel Oliver."

Shawn pulled slightly away to see Serafina's face.

"What?" he asked. "Why?"

"He," Serafina said and nodded towards the sky towards the direction where the helicopter had flown, "did something."

"Bastard," Shawn growled. He shouldn't have let her meet him! The wolf surfaced and his eyes turned pitch black. He felt Serafina's hand around his arm.

"Calm down," she whispered. Shawn took deep breaths and pushed the animal back. 

"There's something that he said... I don't know...," she sighed.

"What? Serafina? What did he say?"

"He said Oliver is not my mate."

"Serafia, he's lying..."

"No, hear me out... Remember how mom and dad always said that mate bond is not in your mind, it's in your DNA... in your blood. Like being an alpha or a tracker, or whatever. Henry Trinh manipulated my mind and Oliver disappeared. Isn't that weird?"

"I don't know..."

"AND yesterday the bond kept disappearing and appearing. How is it possible? A bond doesn't do that."

"I don't think we should make any conclusions. Maybe that bird is just really good with mind tricks. And maybe Oliver being just half a wolf has something to do with this."

He is good, Serafina sighed in her mind but didn't want to tell Shawn yet all the things Henry Trinh had done.

"Evelyn is only a half-wolf. There's nothing wrong with your bond. Only chemicals affected it," she reminded him. "What if was telling the truth? What if Oliver is not my mate?"

"Then why would Oliver waste his time here? Huh? Why would you have feelings for him? Feelings that mates feel for each other."

"He could be manipulating me. He could be messing up with my emotions... Maybe my feelings are not real."

"Maybe we should get you home. You need rest-" 

"Don't patronize me, Shawn. I've been through something you nor Seth never have and I'm still standing here. For once in your life, listen to me! There is a chance Oliver is not my mate. And if he's not, why the hell is he here."

Shawn's eyes widened. He lifted his finger and pointed at her. 

"Careful," he growled under his breath.

Serafina wanted to slap his finger away. His surfacing Alpha voice was driving her crazy. 

"Use that voice on me, I dare you," she answered his growl. What am I doing, she thought. There was nothing she could do against an Alpha. He would make her submit and that would humiliate her. It would not do her any good to keep challenging her brother. 

"I imagine that must feel unfair." She remembered Henry Trihn's words just before taking a step back and lowering her eyes to show respect.

Shawn visibly relaxed. He was a big brother again.

"What was that?" he asked.

"My temper," Serafina said and gave him a tired smile. Shawn pulled her back to him.

"I don't want to be patronizing when I say this; let's go home. As you said you've been through something that even your wise, talented and extremely handsome brothers haven't been through-"

"You're an idiot," Serafina laughed. Shawn laughed too.

"Let's go home so you can tell everything happened. We need everyone's minds on this. Ok?"

"Ok. What about Oliver?"

"I'll make sure he stays away until we figure out is he really what he says he is."