DARK ORIGINS (Scarlett of the wolves, Book 4)

I was almost one hundred per cent sure Rucker wasn’t at ease. I could always tell that everything was fine, I knew him well enough to be convinced otherwise. He’d been in this state for days, his gaze blank, his lips pursed, it reminded me of those times, when I was still a dark angel, I had no control over my sadness. I was gnawed from the inside, almost consumed. I watched him discreetly for a good ten minutes, waiting for the right moment to finally ask him what was eating him, a moment when we’d be alone. But I should have remembered that in the last few weeks, getting a one-on-one with him was proving impossible. Which was valid for any of us. It seemed to me that Rucker was doing it on purpose. He always had something to deal with regarding the Circle, with his brothers, or at college, as if forcing himself to occupy his time by any means, thus avoiding being asked too many questions. I was starting to seriously worry. “I’m tired,” he suddenly blurted out. Grigore and I looked up at him. It was the first time I’d heard him make such a complaint. By nature, Rucker was never tired. “I’m tired of all this.” With a wave of his hand, he indicated the university building, as well as the clock courtyard where we sat, on the benches, as we often did. “I want to stop everything.” “Stop what?” Grigore asked. “This eternal repetition. I’ve been here for ages, I’ve had enough.” Rucker changed his face regularly so he could stay in St Andrews. He’d come here around 1410 and taking on another appearance, that was something he must have done countless times. However, since we met, he had never given me the impression that he’d grown bored of this situation. Seeing him suddenly dull and exhausted made me sad beyond words, yet I said nothing. Out of habit, when the wind blew, I pulled up the collar of my jacket to protect myself. It was mid-January. With a temperature of minus five degrees and heavy clouds in the sky, it would soon be raining. “You need a vacation,” Grigore determined casually, dusting his jeans. “Wick is a nice place; you should go back.” The allusion made me smile. Grigore and I were obviously of the same opinion: Gwen was no stranger to Rucker’s gloom. A few months earlier, she had returned to Wick to take care of her shop and he deeply missed her. They saw each other too little. Rucker snarled dully. “It’s not a vacation I want, but another life! I’ll take a walk!” With that, he stood up and hurried off towards the main gate. Reflexively, I jumped to my feet intending to catch up with him, Grigore grabbing me by the wrist. “Leave him. He has to make a decision and he knows it.” “I’ve never seen him so down.” Grigore rubbed his jaw tightly. “Me neither.” “Is it really about Gwen’s absence?” Our eyes exchanged the same concern, which prompted me to sit down. “Yes and no.” “Are you going to explain?” He crossed his arms over his chest and pursed his lips for a second or two before sighing. “He cares about her more than he wants to admit. He needs her company.” “But?” “But he has already given his heart once.” I shrug my shoulders. “What’s he afraid of?” “Forgetting Julia.” I frowned while scratching my forehead. “And is that what he wants to leave St Andrews for; because he’s afraid of forgetting her? The paradox is rather strange, don’t you think?” Grigore smiles. “I believe on the contrary that he imagines that leaving St Andrews would put a definitive line through what he lived with Julia. But if he stays here...” “He’s not engaging with Gwen. However, he would like to be with her, right?” He nodded, fatalistic. “Are we really talking about Rucker?” I almost laughed. It never seemed to me that love affairs were what appealed to Rucker the most. Especially since when he had started this adventure with Gwen, he’d given the impression of wanting to live this new chance to be intimately linked to someone. But it was about Julia. His Julia... Grigore cleared his throat. “Listen, he needs a change of scenery, he’s aware of it. This is serious. Before meeting you, the idea had already crossed his mind. Today, his relationship with Gwen encourages him a little more.” “So let him do it!” It would probably be difficult not to have him near me anymore, but if that was what he wanted, I would encourage him with all my strength. No one deserved peace more than Rucker, and beside Gwen, whatever he said, he seemed happy. “I explained to you what was holding him back.” I let out a long, deep sigh. “Don’t tell me that women are complicated!” “I won’t say that, kid. They’re just indecipherable and I like that.” I smiled when I heard him roll the rs. Even in my presence, when I knew it was only affected, Grigore hadn’t lost the habit of stressing his old Romanian accent. There was no doubt that he was well aware of the sexy side it gave him. “What can we do?” I asked very seriously. “Nothing. It must come from him. There are sufferings that you have to exorcise yourself, Scarlett.” I watched him for a moment without saying anything, diving into his blue eyes for some truth. “You too, Grigore?” He didn’t answer immediately, but he seemed to be pondering the question, even though he knew very well what was going on. He had memories that had haunted him for centuries. “I’m not doing this. Let’s go. I have a lesson to teach.” He jumped off the bench like a spring and motioned for me to follow him. Subject closed. I picked up my things, slung my satchel over my shoulder, and walked towards the lecture hall. A little before six o’clock, I began to put my notes away. I couldn’t wait to get home and call Elgin quietly. After the Christmas holidays, he had stayed in Wick to work on his studies. We haven’t seen each other for almost three weeks. Eighteen long days... Time had never seemed so long to me. I sighed in annoyance. He worked hard and spent most of his time in libraries or museums. I had to deal with it. I couldn’t help imagining what our life would be like when, next school year, I too will start my fourth year. The idea put me in a bad mood, it’s better not to think about it too much. I discreetly put on my jacket and waited patiently for Grigore to let us out, which shouldn’t be long. Every Wednesday he taught the second semester on ancient Rome. I was about to buckle my bag when a pungent, foul-smelling odour reached me. Instinctively, I rubbed my nose with my index finger and looked up at Grigore. I stared at him insistently, until his gaze met mine. He frowned in utter incomprehension. No doubt he couldn’t identify any more than I what could smell so strong. Yet I had a keener sense of smell than his, but even concentrating, I couldn’t tell exactly what it was. However, I could make out unusual hints of fresh tar, rotten cabbage, and decomposition, so I had to put my hand over my mouth to hold back retching. A handful of seconds later, Grigore cried out in disgust, creating growing unease among the students. Then suddenly a smell, much sharper, mingled with the other. Grigore turned white, as the little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Without warning, he rushed for the exit. It didn’t take me a second to imitate him. I jumped over the table, leaving my things behind, and ran to find him outside amidst the dumbfounded cries of the assembly. “Grigore! Wait!” I cried when I saw him rush off in the rain, into the night that had already fallen. I accelerated and caught up with him almost immediately. He stopped just behind the lecture hall and watched a crowd of students standing in front of the Technology Annex entrance. No one seemed to want to take the risk of missing out on the spectacle. We didn’t need to cut through the crowd to understand, because as we approached, another smell, metallic, rancid and cold, had detached itself from the others. The smell of death. The death of a dark angel. “Grigore…” I whispered in a tight voice. He lowered translucent irises to me that gleamed with rage. “It’s horrible!” cried a tall redhead. “What the hell happened to him?” groaned her neighbour. Then we heard Mr Wesson, the caretaker. “Stand aside! Stand aside, please!” He shouted in vain, no one seemed to want to move. “Someone tell the rector!” Grigore was about to intervene when he saw Circle members pushing everyone back to take control of the situation. Discreetly, they formed a barrier with their bodies, preventing anyone from passing. As I looked at the dark angels one by one, my heart suddenly dropped. Where was Rucker? I felt the blood flowing through my veins speeding up. A treacherous feeling of apprehension came over me. With my stomach compressed, with no proof yet, I imagined finding my friend’s lifeless body on the ground. It was impossible to precisely identify his smell. Now, to me, all dark angels smelled more or less the same. I was held at the waist the moment I decided to go check it out to be sure. With a firm gesture, the dark angel who grabbed me made me turn around. I came face to face with Simon. “Hey! Easy,” he said calmly, holding me back. “Don’t go, it’s not a pretty sight.” “What... what?” My heart was pounding so hard it would eventually burst in my rib cage. “Where’s Rucker?” growled Grigore. “No idea. His cell phone is off, but I was with him an hour ago, he told me he had an appointment.” As Grigore frowned, I exhaled so loudly in relief that I thought I had emptied all the air in my lungs at once. “Who is it?” Dejected, Simon shook his head to show he had no idea. “We can’t tell...” Grigore’s face turned cold. “Is he disfigured?” “Completely shredded...” Without even realizing it, I turned my head towards the technology room. The students formed a wall in front of us, preventing us from making out anything except the blood that was spilling to the left of the crowd. “His head is gone,” added Simon. As I shuddered, Grigore and Simon exchanged a look only they could understand. I didn’t have time to dwell on their reaction, musky scents suddenly invaded the atmosphere, leading me to look for the members of the pack who were coming our way. In the distance I saw John, then Tony, a few steps behind. John spoke to me as soon as he arrived. “Which of them is dead?” I motioned to him that I had no idea. “We don’t know yet, he’s… missing his head.” “What? When was this?” “The body has just been discovered. No more information, John.” He assumed that arrogant look that I sometimes knew him for. He took a step towards the overly curious students, immediately stopped by Grigore. “We’ll go tell the Council. They’ll decide what to do next.” John groaned in annoyance. “Before those puppets arrive, the news will spread like wildfire!” “Mind what concerns you.” “Exactly!” John snapped. “What will happen when the police are alerted? Which will not be long, don’t doubt it for a second. We’re all concerned!” At the same time, John seemed to be looking for someone around him. “Where’s the great leader? He presides over your damn council, doesn’t he?” I caught myself staring at John as if I were seeing him for the first time. Shoulder-length messy blond hair, deep green eyes flashing, pupils dangerously dilated, John was showing disarming authority, while Tony, usually bolder, still hadn’t opened his mouth. “John…” I tried to calm him down by putting my hand on his forearm. “What? Would you take the risk of having all this revealed, Scarlett?” The way he looked at me was so penetrating that I looked away. “No, of course not, I didn’t want to take any risks. People shouldn’t remember this... Grigore, he’s right,” I pleaded. Eyes in mine, Grigore seemed to analyse the situation. He was reluctant to decide without the advice of his peers. Following the rules was very important in keeping the peace at St Andrews, however, Grigore ended up nodding. John didn’t wait for another signal and grabbed me by the wrist to go with him. Surprised, I took a step back instead of moving forward. “What?” I shook my head, noticeably in panic. “I’ve never done this.” He narrowed his eyelids as if finally realizing that being a werewolf didn’t come naturally for me. Even though I’d made significant progress in just over a year, I was a long way from learning everything I needed to know. My transformation had been so brutal… There were so many things that were still completely unknown to me. Like erasing memories. “Hurry!” he said, irritated, ordering Tony to follow him. When they saw Tony, John and Grigore walking forward, the rest of the Circle knew what they had to do. As impressive as their trick would be, for a moment I was afraid that they might not be in full control and that a few students smarter than the rest would break out to spread the word. If this were the case, then it would be impossible to control everyone and the authorities would inevitably get involved. No more than five minutes later, we saw three members of the Council arrive. “Where’s Rucker?” asked a dark angel with greying hair. “He hasn’t been notified yet,” Grigore replied. “For what reason?” “He’s unreachable. What do we do?” The dark angel gave him a reproachful look. “You started to repair the damage without our approval, it seems.” Then he lingered on the technology room, wide open. “Now close that door and get the attention of these people. We’ll take care of the body.” Grigore nodded and stood among the students. “Look in that direction,” he ordered them, pointing to the roof of the administration building. Somewhat confused, the warden and the students all looked up in the same direction, not having the slightest idea of what exactly they needed to observe. Thus, the members of the Council could complete the work in all discretion. There was something intolerable and frightening about seeing all these people manipulated in total oblivion. A handful of living beings were able to coax the world and the world ignored it. The rain redoubled in intensity so that the curious few who had joined us to find out more quickly retreated. “Let them fend for themselves. Now come with us,” John urged me firmly. I was left speechless for a second or two. What had gotten into him? Was it Elgin’s prolonged absence that made him so quick to issue orders? Until now, I didn’t know him as an alpha’s temperament and from what I knew, no one had asked him to replace the pack leader. So what? I didn’t like his behaviour at all. Still, I calmly lifted my eyes to him. “Leave without me, I’d like to phone Elgin.” Annoyed, he swelled his nostrils but didn’t dare to oppose. “However you want.” Then he turned around without another word. “See you later, Scarlett,” Tony said softly. I followed them with my eyes, frowning. It wasn’t right. “A problem?” Grigore asked. “Hmm… Yes. No. Perhaps. I don’t know. I need to make a call.” He nodded and let me walk away. “Scarlett!” he finally called out to me, just before I veered off to the left. I stopped to turn around. “Meet us at the Red Lion, if you have a moment. We have to talk.” I wasn’t convinced that a werewolf was particularly welcomed there. I must have made a funny face because he looked at me annoyed before he recovered. “At the Corner, then!” I nodded to him before continuing on my way. I pushed open the door of the auditorium to retrieve the bag I had left behind and sat down on a bench to dial Elgin’s phone number. I went straight to his voicemail. “It’s Scarlett. When you get my message, call me back. Something just happened at college. It doesn’t concern me directly, but it’s better you know about it. Hope you’re okay. I miss you…” I hung up, stared at the whiteboard in front of me for a moment, then let out a long sigh, throwing my head back. Who could be responsible for such a thing? No one had hinted at it, but in mortal combat, tearing up a vampire’s body is unique to the werewolf. As for the dark angels, they don’t kill themselves in this way. They rarely kill each other, so to speak. Even less in a city governed by a peace treaty that has existed for centuries and certainly not in a public place. But I could say the same about the Garou community of St Andrews. Who could have taken the risk of being noticed by a crowd of humans? And why did they take the victim’s head away? It had been calm for far too long. Twelve months without a hitch, I finally got used to it. Gloomily, I threw my cell phone in my bag and slowly walked out of the room. I was going to meet Grigore at the Corner.