verb ~ refers to the underlying experience of feeling, emotion, attachment, or mood

NOVA

I felt the ripple the moment it happened.

My knees buckled and if it wasn't for Leo's arm around my waist, I would've fallen to the ground. The bond in my chest rippled with loss and I instinctively reached out to it.

Charlie... I breathed, confused.

I felt his sorrow as he reacted to my sudden tension through our pack bond. 'Nova... I... I'm sorry.'

What's going on? Why is...

'I'm leaving, Nova.' He murmured. 'I can't let her go out there without me.'

Swallowing the lump in my throat, Leo gentle squeezed me. I shot him what I hoped was a reassuring smile before focusing back on Charlie.

She's gone?

'She has. I promised her I'd always be there.'

My heart ached, but his love, and sincerity was as raw as the rain during a thunderstorm. Loud, clear, and just as harsh.

Okay. I whispered. Take care of her, Charlie. Take care of yourself.

'I will.' He whispered.

The bond whispered with a soft caress before he was gone. The tension from my body heightened as he crossed the border, and that was when Leo seemed to understand something else happened.

"Who was that?"

"Charlie." I exhaled.

"Where's he gone?" He wondered.

"He's just gone, Leo." I answered softly. "He had to."

My brother nodded, turning his attention to before us. Silence wrapped around us, but I was thankful we weren't far from the pack house now. His hand remained around my waist, despite my legs being perfectly fine now. He used his t-shirt to wrap the cuts on my hand and stop the bleeding, and that was it.

Other than the emotional toll of loss, I was fine. Everything was fine.

For now.

***

"I can't believe he's gone." I whispered, staring at the cold tiles of the shower.

Phoenix sighed, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I didn't want to do it."

"How... How could he leave without my official approval?"

"He couldn't." Phoenix murmured. "However, you telling him to go was enough. I already did the official part of it."

"I wonder where he is."

Phoenix hummed in agreement, staying where he was. It had been a mere few hours since the disaster that was Calida's first shift. Leo escorted me home before helping me clean the wounds on my skin. Rose was in charge of putting the twins to bed in our home whilst I aided Calida, and oddly, I was glad my babies were asleep because I felt nothing but exhaustion. Our two helpers left when Phoenix arrived, and I assured everyone I was fine.

The water of the shower was a soft patter that soothed my body over the past few hours. The loss of friendship made my heart ache, and I realised that the familial bond with my pack members was rooted deeper than I had realized.

"Charlie will be okay. They both will." Phoenix murmured.

He leaned away from me with a soft sigh before grabbing the shower head from its holder and rinsing the conditioner from my hair. My eyes fluttered closed as his fingers wove through the strands of my hair. Goosebumps rose on my skin, the instinctual urge to shudder forced aside as I focused on his touch.

Debating with myself, I chewed on my lower lip. I had to speak with him, and although a sudden topic change, it needed to be done.

Phoenix turned the water off and the echoing droplets of water seemed twice as loud in the silence. He stepped out first and my eyes snapped to his naked back. He grabbed a towel and turned to me expectantly. I smiled politely, stepping toward him as he wrapped me in the bath sheet. Before I could dry myself, he started to do it for me, despite my small huff of complaint.

"Let me do it, woman." He grunted, scrubbing my arms.

"It was barely a scratch."

He paused, raising his eyes to mine. "I will force feed you blood."

Frowning, I remained silent as he finished drying my body. He even went as far as drying my hair before he even wrapped a towel around his waist. He was semi-dry, so I didn't see the point. His hands met my shoulders, pressing a kiss to my cheek before nudging me to the vanity.

I busied myself in brushing my teeth and hair, and preparing my skin for a night's sleep. Staring at myself in the mirror, I knew that tonight's sleep would not come pleasantly. Yes, the twins slept a little longer, but I couldn't stop thinking about Charlie and Calida. And the sudden absence of strength from Celimene.

Lying in bed half an hour later, I listened to the soft rhythmic heartbeats of the twins. They always calmed me without even doing anything. Scent, sound, touch... Those tiny wolf babies were my everything without even knowing it.

"Phoenix..."

He hummed. "Yeah?"

"I..."

He turned, rolling over to face me in bed. He was sleeping nude, as always, and as he propped his head up on his arm, my eyes dropped to his chest.

"What is it? I noticed you were tense in the shower." He wondered. "It's not just today, is it?"

"Yes, and no," I muttered.

He curled his fingers around my hair, tucking it out of my vision. I blinked up at him, uncertain with how to word my inner troubles.

"Nova..."

"Celimene is subdued."

"It's been a big day." He nodded.

"No, not like... She's vacant. The bond is... minimal."

He cocked his head, frowning. "What are you trying to say, my love?"

Phoenix's eyes were dark with thoughts, and I took a moment of pleasure to enjoy how he intently observed me.

"I don't know what's happened." I admitted. "I thought... Maybe turning Calida has done more damage than I realised."

Phoenix's chest fell, and my eyebrows knitted together with concern. He hummed, zoning in on my throat as he fell into thought. I silently chewed my lip, waiting for his opinion.

"I could see why it could drain her." He agreed. "It is a big thing to do and there is little research about it. Historically, only the first line of lycans turned werewolves."

"You think I did it wrong?"

"Absolutely not." He frowned. "I know you, and I know your instinct is one of the strongest around here."

I blushed softly, dropping my gaze to stare at the sheets. "But what if I did the wrong ritual? Why else would Calida run away? She was feral."

"Calida ran because she is unstable as a human." Phoenix sighed, his head falling into the pillows. "Her life was hard, and her mind is confused. When a powerful soul came to join, it's easy to note that it took over to protect her. Wolves are instinctual, and I'm uncertain how giving a human a new soul to accept would go internally."

"Perhaps she panicked." I suggested. "Freaked out at the new world, the sounds, the scents..."

"I have helped many new wolves make it through their first shifts." Phoenix muttered. "It is hard to not give into the shift. Many teenage wolves run. It is a normal experience. Even you did, Nova."

"I ran because I was terrified." I shook my head.

"Yet you were in perfect control." He smirked, winking at me. "But wolves like that, like Calida, and even Charlie, have had hard lives. The moment all this power comes and threatens to take over, the weaker part vanishes to the background. For so-called monsters, we are very emotional."

"You can say that again." I murmured.

Phoenix laughed through his nose, the soft breaths of air gentle in the quiet room. "What's your plan of action?"

"I was kind of hoping you'd have one." I admitted bashfully.

He smiled, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "We can go visit your cousins."

"Nope." I shook my head. "I don't want to go up there again. Every time we do, something happens."

"Are you certain? It could help your gift be close to your family."

"Certain as death." I nodded. "Besides, I don't want to be near Dawn. Not after I learnt who her mate is."

"She'd be good to question." Phoenix hummed. "I wonder if I could get answers about where he is hiding."

"I doubt it." I murmured. "He has a witch. He's hidden for good. How can you catch an invisible enemy?"

Phoenix sighed. "Unfortunately, you can't."

I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling, too. Images of Apollo flashed through my mind, and it made me think of how long he was against my family. Our family. It was obvious he hated werewolves ruling it all, and convincing a bunch of rogues, witches and even fangs to do his bidding was desperate.

I wondered if he was always like this. I wonder what made him change his mind.

Or who changed his mind...

Phoenix must've noticed how tense I became, because I saw his head turn from the corner of my eye. He was frowning, running his eyes along my body beneath the duvet. His hand came out and pushed my hair away again, trailing his fingers down my profile.

"What is it?" He wondered.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned to face him. "I think I know what we need to do."

"You do?" He frowned. "I mean, what do we need to do?"

"I don't believe that Apollo's purpose on Earth was to eradicate lycans." I stated. "He would've gone about his business like the other, and eventually found his soulmate. They settled, had children, grandchildren, built an entire town in the mountains for their closest friends they made over the years... Then they discovered they could turn wolves. How? Who was the first, and how did they discover it?"

"What if Apollo hated the new race, and grew to hate how different they were?" I continued. "Werewolves can heal themselves and have a hot-headed nature. What if he was jealous?"

"Jealous of my hot-headedness?" Phoenix chuckled.

Rolling my eyes, I ignored his comment. "More and more werewolves were turned and created, and over a couple hundred years they procreated and now we have the hidden community we do today. Then, to his dismay, the lycans backed away into their cold paradise because their numbers were dwindling compared. You can't make more lycans without a mate, and my entire generation is mate-less, other than me. They want to protect what they have, and Apollo hates it."

"You think it's because his family won't support him?"

"It's not an impossible thought." I agreed. "The brief visions I have of him, he is talking to my father. In the vision of my father and Cors, they were creating vampire weapons. Apollo interrupted. What if he knew? And he was just seeing what power my father had to take down his vampires?"

"A double agent." Phoenix hummed. "It is plausible."

"And what if someone happened to discover what Apollo was planning?" I hurried, sitting upright. "What if that person was threatened?"

"You think Apollo would kill his own family?" Phoenix frowned.

"That's another point." I shook my head. "My parent's death was supposedly caused by..."

"Cors?" Phoenix frowned.

"Yes. Cors claimed he led the rogues to my parent's home. He blamed himself." I agreed. "And because of that, the rest of the family rejected him and lost all contact. But what if it wasn't him, per se?"

"What are you saying?"

"Cors can only mind-link myself and Pollux." I continued. "We are the only ones who have not rejected his bond, purely because we didn't know he was still around."

"You think..." Phoenix trailed.

"That Cors found out what Apollo was doing, and Apollo cut off his tongue and ruined his life?" I sucked in a breath.

Phoenix's expression sobered for the briefest of moments before his expression turned sour. My heart thumped loudly in my chest, and I swallowed the sudden lump that formed in my throat.

I sighed, and my mood turned sour. "Yes, I do."