Dart exhaled, followed by a frustrated groan.
"At this rate, we'll never find that cave till it gets dark," he stated as he walked away from Sophie, searching for a fallen tree to sit on.
He did not see the point in both of them fighting or wasting precious time arguing.
"Maybe we should take a break. You can clear your head while you try to figure out the right path," he suggested, tapping on a space next to him.
Even after hearing his words, Sophie stubbornly remained where she stood, her posture rigid and unyielding.
Seeing that she was not moving, Dart sighed softly, rubbing a hand down his face.
"Why do you hate me so much?" he asked quietly.
Sophie glanced at him, her glare only turning harder.
"And who said I hated you?" she asked sarcastically. "I despise you, Darian. From the bottom of my heart," she said, calling him by his full name with deliberate emphasis.
Saying nothing, Dart stood up and walked over to her, stopping just an arm's length away.
"Hate me or despise me, I do not care. Just help me find that cave and you will not have to speak to me again for as long as you like. Deal?" he said, extending his hand for a shake.
After staring at his hand contemplatively for a moment, Sophie reluctantly took it.
"Deal."
"Now let's find that path before it gets dark," he said, turning away from her to analyze their surroundings more carefully.
"How did you know that your mom was the one who took her?" he asked.
The question had been on his mind for a while now. It would come as a surprise to him if they had plotted the kidnapping together.
"When I saw Mrs Bishop come in that morning, I decided to listen in on their conversation," she started. "Mother drugged her and took her away with Beck's help, so I followed them all the way out here," she said, intentionally not mentioning the full content of the conversation between her mother and Mrs Bishop.
That was a secret she would keep to herself, just like the other secrets hidden in her growing arsenal.
"So you were eavesdropping on them?" Dart asked, carefully poking, hoping she would spill more of what she heard.
"Yes, so?" Sophie asked, sniffing the air around them as if trying to pick up something familiar.
"How did you find out that the path was spelled anyway? And where did they get a witch from?" he asked.
Sophie paused, her face tightening with annoyance as she glanced his way.
"Will you let me focus for one minute? I think I'm picking up something."
Dart immediately fell silent, watching her closely.
"This isn't enough," she muttered after sniffing around for a while.
Without warning, she began to strip off her clothes.
"What do you think you're doing?" Dart asked, quickly turning his gaze away from her.
"I want to take a quick shit," she replied sarcastically.
"Hold my clothes," she added as she shifted, landing on all fours.
The breeze ruffled her grey fur as she lowered her nose to the ground, sniffing intently while moving forward.
She had caught a scent. Beck's scent. It was faint, barely noticeable, but unmistakable to her.
Sophie looked back at Dart, nudging him to follow her.
"I found the cave. But you should also shift too," she told him through the mind link.
Normally, the mind links only worked between the Alpha and the pack, but with Sophie and Dart being siblings with Alpha blood, they could do it at close range.
"Why?" Dart asked, already preparing himself.
"Beck is there, and he's also sensed us," she replied.
Wasting no time after hearing her words, Dart shifted too, leaving both their clothes behind as they sprinted towards the cave.
The wind brushed over their thick fur as they ran. Sophie was noticeably dainty in her wolf form compared to Dart, her movements lighter and faster.
"I think whatever spell was used has completely weaned off," Sophie said through the mind link.
"We should split up," Dart said. "He will not just let us waltz in there and take her, so I'll distract him while you take her," he instructed, picking up his speed immediately.
It was amazing how easily Sophie had smelled Beck, and from such a distance too. There was no question that her sense of smell was far better than his or any other wolf he had come across before.
Soon the cave came into view, as well as a large grey wolf. Its coat was mangled, a jagged scar slicing across its face.
It was Beck.
He growled as Dart approached, his muzzle wrinkling to bare sharp fangs.
Dart slowed down, coming to a halt as he growled back, challenging him to move aside.
But Beck showed no sign of budging or yielding. He was boldly challenging his future Alpha to a fight.
Beck was more experienced, fierce, a strong beta opponent even for Dart. Being the twin of the previous Beta of the pack, he was supposed to take his late brother's position, but instead, he had insisted on waiting.
But Dart was not here to engage in a bloody brawl. He was here for an articulate distraction.
Giving Sophie enough time to carry out her part was all he intended to do.
Dart charged first, but Beck dodged. Seizing the opportunity, Beck tried to snap at Dart's back limb, but Dart moved too, dodging the attack.
Still in her wolf form, Sophie stayed at a distance, masking her scent as she observed the fight, waiting for the right moment to slip into the cave.
When she saw the opening, she moved, entering the cave just as Dart managed to draw Beck away from the entrance. Her feet padded softly on the wet, rocky ground. As she went deeper, it grew darker, the air colder.
Finally, she spotted a fluorescent lamp hanging just above a chained wolf curled on the ground.
Sensing her presence, the wolf rose, apprehensive, hair standing on end. Sophie immediately shifted back.
"I'm here with Dart to rescue you," she said, raising her arms slowly.
The wolf remained tense, relaxing only slightly as her eyes watched Sophie with suspicion.
"I'm going to come closer and break your chains," Sophie announced, each step careful as she approached.
When she reached her, she took hold of the chain around her neck and broke it apart with a sharp snap, then repeated the same with the ones binding her limbs.
After freeing her, Sophie shifted back again, leading Mrs Bishop outside the cave and informing Dart through the mind link.
She took Mrs Bishop back to the spot where they had left their clothes, shifted back once more, and quickly dressed while waiting for Dart.
Meanwhile, still in the middle of the fight, Dart suddenly shifted back.
"I give up," he said, raising his arms in defeat.
Beck, who was just about to lunge, paused, watching him contemplatively before his eyes darted toward the cave.
He shifted back as well.
"There were two of you," he commented. "All this time, you were only distracting me."
"Brain over brute strength," Dart replied with a shrug.
"Well played," Beck said, his face serious. "The next time we fight, I'll be aiming for your throat. I hope you take our fight seriously then," he added before turning and walking away.
Dart frowned at his words. Was the man threatening to kill him?
He watched Beck disappear into the trees, his retreat unhurried, as though the fight had never truly ended, only postponed.
.....
Warm smoke drifted off the plate, the aroma filling the kitchen with a mouthwatering scent.
Yet Camelia had not taken a single spoon. Not because it was hot, no. In fact, she loved hot meals, but she could not take her mind off the request Ayria had made earlier.
"I want you to offer Ian your blood," she said, her voice carrying unwavering seriousness.
Camelia paused, almost choking after taking a sip from her cup. She gently set it back down, glancing at Ayria in disbelief.
"It's not even a question that Ian is fond of you in some way. We've all noticed it," she continued. "He hasn't been feeding of late, and if he continues like this..."
She leaned forward, taking Camelia's hand in her palm, her grip warm and firm, grounding her.
"Ian doesn't feed on human blood like the rest of us. His body cannot digest it. His body only accepts the blood of other supernatural creatures."
Camelia's eyes widened, her lips parting at this unexpected piece of information.