Chapter 103: Meet The Sleuth
Elián;
My heart starts pounding as I see all these people staring at me.
I scan through the crowd, and every single one of them is gawking at me.
Are they going to laugh too?
My mind instantly takes me back to my first day in high school.
The kids in my class stared at me this way, too... Even from the hallway, I was already being stared at.
"What kind of creep wears red contacts on his first day of school?" I remember a voice mocking, and the laughter that followed was crushing.
I remember trying to explain that there weren’t contacts but my actual eyes... no one believed me.
My fists clench the hem of my shirt as all my bullying experiences begin to replay in my mind. The time some jerks in school held me down, and their ring leader stuck his finger in my eyes, trying to rip out my ’contact lens’. I couldn’t see properly for three days after that.
All these people have normal eyes. Pretty brown and blue ones.
Are they staring at me cause they find me odd?
Heck, I’d prefer if they laughed instead of this silence. I’m used to the laughter... not the silence.
"Come, Elián... It’s okay!" Koda calls out to me, and my eyes flick to him.
I can’t move. If I try to walk with these eyes on me, I’d probably tumble over. I always try my best to avoid attention, and now it feels like the whole village is looking at me.
Maybe I should just get back in the carriage?
I take hold of the door’s handle, but everything in me dies when the bear starts walking towards me. My eyes pop, and panic explodes in my veins like wildfire.
Why... why is it coming here?
Some young women quickly rush over to the bear, and I watch in confusion as they start draping black fabric around it.
A puff of brown smoke appears, covering the bear and the women around it, and I watch in confusion as Koda and the rest of the group look away as they give the bear space.
The smoke dies down, and my jaw drops when I see a gorgeous, curvaceous, dark-skinned woman draped in black fabric.
It almost looks like that pretty outfit Indian women wear. What’s it called...? A sari.
It almost looks like a sari.
She’s a big woman... and I don’t mean in an ugly way. I mean, she has this build to her. This... comfy, bear-like figure that makes her look like she could crush you in a hug, but it’d be a hug you’d die loving.
She’s curvy too. Curvy, elegant, and somehow gorgeous all at once. She has gorgeous blonde hair that falls over her shoulders, and her bear ears at the top of her head, match her hair... and her eyes.
A gasp escapes me as the resemblance sinks in. She looks a hell lot like Koda. To put it quite frankly... she looks like the older, softer, prettier version of Koda.
This is his mom!?
The young ladies, after they’re sure they’ve secured the fabric around the woman, walk away, and she smiles at me.
"I’ve been expecting you, Little one..." She says with her arms open as she starts walking over to me again, and my eyes dart to Koda.
Should I run? Is his mom going to be a threat like Liandria, too!?
Koda smiles reassuringly at me, and I raise a brow. Does that mean I shouldn’t run away?
The woman gets in front of me, and all my walls crumble when I smell her. She smells like... she smells like pie. Like Appletarrt and love.
I don’t know if that makes any sense, but her scent is welcoming... homely... comfy.
"My goodness..." She whispers, and I blink up at her, and her pretty, golden eyes study me.
"Wilhelm didn’t mention that you were this radiant?" She adds as she gently pinches my cheek, and I just blink back at her, dazed.
"Did you enjoy your ride?" She questions, and it takes a few seconds for my brain to process the question.
Unable to trust my voice, I simply nod, and her smile grows bigger.
"You don’t need to be afraid, dear. This place and Howleroot couldn’t be any more different. We’re family here, and now, you’re one of us." She says as she slings an arm around my shoulder and stands beside me so I can see the crowd.
"We’re beyond happy to have you here. You’re the reason we get to see Koda again after so many years." She whispers, and that’s when I notice that the people aren’t staring at me with hostility or disgust.
Some are smiling, and some even look... dazed. Like I have something extraordinary on me.
I look down at myself to be sure there’s nothing on my clothes, and the woman beside me chuckles before lifting my chi back up to face the crowd.
"They’re dazed by your beauty. Haven’t quite seen anything like it in a while." She replies, and I look up at her.
She smiles at me and pinches my cheek again.
"No wonder my son is so smitten by you. It is written all over the way he looks at you." She whispers, and I look back at Koda, who seems to be studying me.
As if he would interfere at my first sign of discomfort. He smiles at me, and I force a smile back.
This woman seems very different from Alpha Lindria...
She seems so... warm, so... motherly... is this what good mothers feel like?
I have only just met her, yet for some reason I feel like I can count on her. That’s silly, isn’t it?
"I’m Cassia. Koda’s mother." She replies, and I blink up at her.
Isn’t she forgetting the most important part?? She’s the Queen of this kingdom.
"Come. Meet the sleuth." She says as she gently nudges me forward, and I walk nervously towards the crowd with her, rubbing my back to soothe me.
My social anxiety might just put an end to me today. What do I do!?
*************
Alana;
"You know, I thought with Elián gone, you’d have more time for me," Igma says as she hops onto the field I’m working and stoops beside me.
"I thought I’d be in Gravemaw with Master Elián. We don’t always get what we expect." I reply, and there’s silence.
I stop picking the herbs and let out a sigh.
That was rude of me.
"I’m sorry." I apologise, and this time, she moves close to me.
"Alana, what’s wrong? You don’t look happy." She notes, and I look up at her. Her blue eyes study me closely, and I sigh before letting my weight down and sitting on the floor.
"I’m scared. I’m also worried... Master Elián is a rather... peculiar type of person. He... always gets into trouble he doesn’t mean to cause. When I’m with him, I try to water down the chaos and keep him in check, and even with that, he still manages to wreak sizable havoc. I’m afraid of what will happen now that I’m not there with him." I begin, and Igma stays quiet as she listens.
"I mean, I know Alpha Koda cares about Master Elián, and the people of Gravemaw are very kind and good people. He has a better shot at peace there than here... However... It’s Master Elián. He can’t help but cause trouble. They’re like twins, you know? If trouble happens, there is a 75% chance Master Elián is within that vicinity!" I add, and Igma laughs.
I glare at her, and she immediately stops.
"I’m sorry." She replies, and I let out a sigh.
"I’m serious. I’m worried about him. I don’t want him getting on Alpha Koda’s nerves. He’s so clueless, he wouldn’t even know he’s crossed a line sometimes. And that loud mouth of his..." I begin again, but stop.
Minding my words.
"Is that all that has you worked up?" Igma questions, and I shake my head in negation.
"I’m also worried about Alpha Rhydian," I note, and Igma’s brows knot as her expression shifts to a serious one.
"What about him?" She questions, and I let out a breath.
"Not about him per se... but rather about the growing bond between him and Bram," I note, and Igma tilts her head as she listens.
"The first person to tell me something was wrong... was Master Elián. Of course, I didn’t believe him. I thought he was just being territorial and jealous... then I started noticing it too... How Bram only ever gets in trouble when Alpha Rhydian is near. Even if Alpha Rhydian isn’t close by, Bram always finds a way to get Alpha Rhydian to notice that he’s hurt." I continue, and Igma blinks at me.
"Now, in just one day, Alpha Koda noticed something strange about Bram too... I have no proof, and I’m not trying to be a horrible person... but I think Bram is manipulating Alpha Rhydian. He’s taking advantage of his goodness." I conclude, and Igma takes a deep breath.
"What do you plan to do?" She questions, and I shrug.
"For now, I’ll keep him away from Alpha Rhydian. But I... I need your help." I reply, and her eyes light up as she moves closer to me.
"Can you help me dig into his past? Help me find out the truth? I don’t think he is what he says he is. I know it’s a horrible way to think about a person, but what if he willingly gave himself up to Alpha Liandria for the surgery? I don’t think he’s a victim."