Victor answered the call, his grip on the phone tight. "What is it?" he asked, his voice strained with urgency. His Beta, Kevin, answered with a low, respectful tone. "He is here. You can come and meet him."
Victor's face darkened with frustration. "I can't leave Pride like this. She needs me right now." He looked at Digna, whose body had begun to tremble with the first serious pangs of the shift. He couldn't leave her, not now, not for anyone.
But Digna, in the midst of her pain, managed to speak. "Go," she rasped, her voice a guttural whisper. "Test him." Her words were a testament to her unwavering focus and strategic mind, even in agony. After that, she could only grimace, her fingers clenching her mother's hand in a tight, desperate grip.
A soothing voice, familiar yet new, resonated in her mind. It was Pride, her wolf. "I am taking over now. Your body is almost ready. The worst of the pains are for today only; next time, it will be easy."
Digna's body shook violently, her muscles convulsing as she tried to stand up from the bed, but the pain was too immense. She looked down at her arms, her eyes wide with shock and a strange fascination as a fine layer of dark, lustrous hair began to sprout across her skin. The transformation was happening, and it was agonizing. She shook again, a guttural groan escaping her lips as her senses exploded.
Suddenly, every sound around her became a symphony of overwhelming detail. She could hear the faint whisper of a breeze through a cracked window pane downstairs, the low hum of electricity in the walls, and the frantic pounding of Victor's own heart. Even more confusingly, she could hear the distant, muffled laughter of a servant in a room far down the passage, a sound she never would have been able to detect before.
A fresh wave of confusion washed over her as her sense of smell intensified, becoming a kaleidoscope of odors she had never known existed. She smelled the damp earth clinging to Victor's boots, the subtle, sweet scent of her mother's skin, and the clean scent of the sheets. And then, something impossible happened. She could smell things that were known to be odorless, a faint, metallic tang to the air, and the unique, scentless signature of her own hidden powers, now fully awakened.
After her eyesight improved in an impossible way, Digna was overwhelmed by the sheer power of her new senses. She could see every minute detail in the room, from the grain of the wood on the bed frame to the individual dust motes dancing in the lamplight. The clarity was disorienting, and she tried to wake, to rise from the bed, but a fresh wave of pain reminded her that the process was far from complete.
Meanwhile, Victor rushed from the house, his mind a whirlwind of fear and parental pain. As he reached the yard, his eyes, still red-rimmed and filled with worry, locked onto John, the Lycan Beta, standing by the gate.
John took one look at Victor's obvious distress and his own suspicions solidified into certainty. "Victor must be the culprit, he thought, a cold rage simmering in his chest. What makes him look so fearful when he sees me? He even shows vulnerability and pain. I am going to teach him an unforgivable lesson." John snapped out of his dark thoughts as he heard Victor's voice.
"Beta, you are welcome," Victor said, forcing a calm composure into his tone. "Please join us in the house. We have prepared a room for you here." Though the words were respectful, a subtle edge of authority remained.
"Lead the way," John replied, his voice dark and cold, his expression like stone. His thoughts flowed erratically, a jumble of accusations and questions. "Why would Victor kill them? What did he have to gain from their fall?" Finally, he decided to take things slowly and stop guessing. He would take every step as it came. Guessing was not an option.
As they entered the house, a house butler approached them, greeting them politely and asking what they would like to drink. "I'm not here for a drink," John answered with a look of pure disgust, his eyes fixed on Victor.
Victor cut him off, a sharp glint in his own eyes. "Then what lucky circumstance do we have to experience your presence?"
John went straight to the point. "Where is Digna?" he demanded, his gaze locking with Victor's.
Victor didn't back down. As stressed as he was by Digna's pain, he kept his composure. "Why would you think I know her whereabouts? You and your family told the world she was dead along with her parents. Didn't you say she was eaten by animals after their death?"
John's anger flared. "I am the one who should be asking you why you killed her parents and took her. Is she your slave?"
Victor let out a short, hollow laugh. "You are the one who has a close relationship with their killer. You even helped him cover it up by announcing their death and fabricating a story about fake killers. How did I become their killer, or are you here to make me take the fall for you
John's eyes widened in shock, a look of profound confusion crossing his face. "What are you talking about? My aunt and Digna were important to us. I loved them then, and I still love them today. How would I kill them or even stand with her killer? What do you mean? Tell me what happened, man! I will call Mike; he has to come here and face the truth. He was so stressed and depressed after losing Digna after promising her parents to protect her with his life." John reached for his phone, but Victor stopped him.
"Stop calling him," Victor ordered, his voice low and firm. "If you truly love Digna as you claim, don't make any calls until you meet her."
The pieces of the puzzle began to click into place for John. A new horror dawned in his eyes. "Does Mike have anything to do with killing her parents?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"John, you are supposed to know everything with your powers and connections," Victor said, his tone laced with a biting disappointment. "If you really loved your aunt and cousin as you claim, you shouldn't have trusted anyone. You should have investigated everyone."