6. Wolf In Sheep Clothing

The room remained quiet, all eyes on Faye.

"Aysel Aster." Faye spoke, and their hearts dropped.

Mabel sighed heavily.

Aster– the cruelest and most powerful family in the Werewolf race.

They obsessed over power and indulged in brutal trainings. Their bloodline alone was responsible for the war between Werewolves and Lycans. All for greed and a thirst to rule.

"Mabel," Gwen breathed, "you should've * started * with that."

Mabel shrugged. "Figured you guys needed candy before getting your teeth pulled."

Gwen scoffed, too strung out to find any humor.

A chuckle cut through the silence that loomed over them, and their attention settled on Nick, slouched back in his Swivel chair, hand to his forehead and shoulders trembling.

Mabel frowned. "Are you seriously laughing?"

Nick didn't answer, but chuckled louder.

Gwen clasped her hands, a brittle smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

"The last time Nick laughed like this.." she muttered, blinking fast. "'Reminiscence' happened."

Mabel stiffened.

'Reminiscence'– the name of the battle that took place ten years ago. A battle where lives were lost and disdain was born in many.

A battle where their family of fifteen was reduced to six.

Nick's laughter died as quickly as it began, and he sat motionless behind his desk, the air around him chilling.

"Ten years ago, none of us were ready." He said, voice cold and jaw tight. "This time, we know they're coming."

••°••

Faye trudged behind a silent Mabel like a duckling after its mother.

All she had seen of Mabel since they left Nick's study was her back, but she could feel the weight in the air.

Mabel stopped in her tracks, causing a distracted Faye to crash into her back and stumble back with a low grunt.

She met Mabel's green eyes, and she frowned at the unfamiliar expression behind them.

She had known Mabel for a few hours, but it was worrisome to see her like this. She wasn't just distracted, she looked...gone.

Her vibrant green eyes had dulled, and even though she looked straight at Faye, Faye could tell that those eyes saw nothing.

She watched a hollow smile grow on Mabel's lips.

"I'm sorry for making things awkward."

*Awkward? *

Faye's brows wrinkled.

*You're in pain.*

Mabel clapped her hands together, a sudden spark returning to her gaze. "You're hungry right?"

Faye blinked. "What?"

"Come on. I'll microwave something for you."

*She really is strange.*

Faye thought, then quietly followed her.

They crossed the living room into a massive dining room– gold accents swirling across the off-white walls and three diamond chandeliers hanging over a long, gleaming table.

Faye counted the chairs out of habit, and her heart sank.

*Fifteen.*

She looked ahead, her eyes meeting the back of Mabel's head.

*No wonder the house is so big. It was built for a big family. One that's mostly gone now. *

She finally followed a quiet Mabel into a kitchen matching the dining room's lavishness, and she watched her grab a frozen pizza from the fridge.

"Do you like Pepperoni?"

Faye nodded a reply.

Mabel broke into a soft hum as she placed the pizza in the microwave.

She walked over to the kitchen counter, then sat on one of the Bar stools. She looked over at Faye who awkwardly stood at a distance.

"Come sit." She waved Faye over with a low and amused chuckle.

Faye sat stiffly across from her, pretending to study everything in the kitchen in order to avoid eye contact.

She cautiously– from the corner of her eyes– glanced at Mabel and quickly looked away when Mabel snickered.

The microwave beeped and Mabel turned away; pulling out the plate.

"To be honest," -she said casually,her back turned on Faye- "I planned to kill you while you slept."

Faye's blood turned to ice, and her eyes widened.

Mabel looked at her, and Faye saw it again- eyes that looked right through her, detached.

In that moment, Faye realised what the expression behind Mabel's dull eyes were;

*Disdain.*

Her breath seized in her lungs as every cell in her body screamed 'don't move'.

"I don't blame Emris for acting the way he did," Mabel continued, placing the plate down with a soft clink that snapped Faye back to the room.

She shot Faye a soft smile that quickly faded.

"Gwen and Nick had two sons." She explained. "Emris lost his younger brother- barely seventeen. Lost uncles and aunts, cousins he grew up with."

Mabel paused, hands clasped tightly together.

"And among Nick's brothers slaughtered in cold blood... was my husband, Calix."

Faye watched Mabel bite back tears, and all that came to mind was the slim chance of her walking around in their home alive.

They had every right to kill her. Yet, they didn't.

They'd lost so much and stood the risk of losing more.

She wasn't the odd one here for walking into enemy territory.

The Rune family were the odd ones for letting her live.

Faye simply sat there as the pizza grew cold, having no words to say in the face of so much pain.

•°∆°•

Faye closed her bathroom door and leaned against the sink.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, observing the stray strands of her silver hair, and the plumpness of her rosy lips.

She turned on the tap, letting the cold water numb her hands.

When she looked back up, her gaze had shifted.

The roundness of her innocent eyes were gone, replaced by a dull, disconnected gaze.

"Tsk." She clicked her tongue, then ran her wet hands through her hair.

"This is more complicated than I thought." She murmured, voice silky and sharp.

"Guess I'll have to up my game."

She turned off the tap and glared at her reflection.

*I can't mess this up.*