C29. Night Storm

Jossie's POV:

     We reached a path up to a cabin that had the familiar scents of Veronica written all over it. Casimir let me off when the cabin was in sight. A blizard had followed us to the cabin. The thick snow storm had covered our scent and tracks here. It was a good time for us to leave when it did.

     We checked through a window first to make sure she wasn't lying about Nathalie being there. They were sitting on the couch playing a card game and drinking from cans of wolfweiser. I nodded towards Casimir to let him know we were good. I went around front and knocked on the door. Casimir trasformed into his human form and leaned up against the side of the house.

     I blushed as I tried not to look at his body. The door slowly opened until Veronica's eyes met mine and she quickly threw the door open. She eyed Casimir over with disgust. Her eyes scanned the woods behind us.

     "Were you followed?" Veronica asked as she looked surprised to see us.

     "No," I told her. "We shouldn't stay long. I came to let Nathalie know to go home," I told her and looked past her to see Nathalie had left the livingroom.

     "Come in," Veronica growled and pulled me through the door. Casimir came in with a hurry and the door shut behind us. "NATHALIE!" She yelled. "Come out!" Nathalie came from down the hall in a hurry. I ran up to her and we plumeted to the ground as I hugged her tightly.

     "Jo-Josephine?" She asked in surprise. I giggled as I took in her scent. Something was off about it but I ignored it as we helped eachother back off the ground. Veronica dipped down the hall like she was on a mission. She came back with clothes for us to try on. I wasn't about to question why she had guy's clothes in her house. Casimir slipped into his clothes and turned around to be polite as I changed into the clothes that were given to me. Casimir was in some sweatpants and a regular t-shirt where as I got gym shorts almost too tight on me and a spaghettie strap tank top. Veronica got out two new beers and we sat down in the livingroom floor as she dimmed the lights.

     "How'd you two get out?" Veronica asked curiously.

     "Let's not explain how we got out," I deicded when they looked at us for an explaination. "The important thing is you go home," I said as I looked Nathalie in the eyes. "Go back home before you get caught staying here. I'm worried about you."

     "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," Nathalie said as she suddenly took Veronica's hand and squeezed it. "You don't have to worry about me being in trouble for being here. Veronica and I have-" she pulled back her hair around her neck to reveal a purple bruise on her neck. But with further exaimination I could tell it would scar over and become a mark. I could smell something was different about Nathalie almost as soon as I met her. They've mated and completed the ritual.

     "Congratulations," Casimir said as he elbowed me. "You're supposed to say that when someone shows you their mark." I blushed as I looked both of them in the eyes.

     "C-Congratulations," I whispered. I didn't see that coming... Did Nathalie come here to see me or her? I frowned slightly at the thought of her being here to see Veronica over me.

     "We were going to get you out," Nathalie promised me as she looked sad all of a sudden. "I came here looking for you and when we discovered you were in jail... We were planning to break you out." I smiled softly. So, Veronica really meant it when she said she would break me out of there?

     "I'm sorry! Next time I'll stay put and let you rescue me," I promised. She giggled before looking worried. She glanced at Veronica quickly.

     "We've got to make a new plan to get out of here. They're going to be looking for them now on the borders."

     "Not just us but you too," I warned her.

     "We will set everything up," Veronica promised. "Let's just stay here for the time being. Your scents will be musked by the snowstorm." We all turned our heads to see the wind picking up outside as the snow was too thick to see an inch away. I turned away as Casimir got up to shut the curtains. He moved so fast it was unexpectant.

     I don't think the pack knows Nathalie is here. I frowned as I still found myself looking at Nathalie's neck. If Veronica marked her then that makes them mates. Nathalie has already had one mate before. Whoever was Malaya's father was defintely mated with Nathalie.

     Does that mean... I really am mated to not one but multiple wolves? Right now at the same time? And- that not only am I mated to the one sitting next to me... But I also belong to the king of all werewolves? How am I going to explain that to Casimir without making him jealous? I'll just have to declare myself to him to make him feel comforted. I'll mark him. Just to delare my devotion only to him. It'll make the news a lot easier to give out. Even if I plan to reject Alpha Camren as my mate... I still don't feel right letting Juliette steal him at the masquerade. I've got to stop her.

     "Jossie I overheard that you attacked your sister when she visited you. What was it about?" Veronica asked as she broke the lingering silence.

     "I-I actually need to talk to you guys in relation to that," I whispered. Casimir growled slightly as he looked upset and came to sit down next to me. He was about to speak up but I stopped him. I didn't have time to deal with his upset feelings. We would talk later when we were alone. I was so happy just having the three of them on my side. I knew I could tell them about Juliette's plan and that they would believe me. I just can't tell them about Marcus. I'm not ready to open up that much. Not that they'd know that's really what's troubling me. I still don't know what I saw. If Jude is really ok.

     "Jossie, you can tell us," Nathalie whispered. Her voice cheered me up.

     "Juliette told me she was planning to feed King Camren a love potion at the masquerade. She's upset because..." I trailed off. I knew Nathalie would understand it. She nodded her head as I glanced at Casimir. I wasn't certain about telling him. "Well that's not really important. She's going to do it. No matter what her reasoning is. I can't let that happen to King Camren," I whispered. "What I want to ask... Is if you guys will help me save both of them from the biggest mistake of their lives?" I sequeezed my eyes tight as I tried not to look at their faces. This was stupid. It was selfish. I'm asking too much from them.

     "I would call his Beta... But, that sounds like too great of a lie," Nathalie said. "It would sound like I was being rediculous. He wouldn't believe me. We'll have to go there in person to stop her."

     "I don't want to expose her in front of him. What if she gets punished?" I asked in worry. She's my sister. I don't love her... But, I don't hate her either. "I don't want her to get in trouble for something so stupid."

     "It's childish," Veronica admitted. "Even I'm not that desperate..." she giggled.

     "She is," I explained. She's been forced by my mother her whole life to be the best she can be. "It's not her fault. She's competitive because of my mother."

     "Alpha females," Casimir muttered in annoyance. He looked me in the eyes. "I told you I'm loyal to you. Whatever you want to do I'll help you figure out how to do it." He took my hand and gave it a squeeze. Veronica tensed up before getting to her feet.

     "Someone's here," she said in alarm. There was a knock on the door in a pattern of four. She relaxed before settling our tense bodies down. "It's Zeke," she explained. ZEKE!? I tensed up and stood up. I squeezed Casimir's shoulder. Casimir's light growls were silenced when Veronica opened the door without warning. Zeke stumbled in and together they shut the door. He was covered in snow. I glanced away and blushed when I realized he was naked. Nathalie was up with a blanket from the couch and coming over to cover him. "Zeke!?" Veronica asked in surprise. "You came here unannounced."

     "You can look," Casimir whispered as I glanced back to see Zeke on the ground. He was covered in cold sweat and a bloody eye from what looked to be a thick claw mark. They had wrapped him in the blanket. Casimir remained by my side as if to protect me.

     "What happened?" I asked softly. I don't understand... Why does he look like that?

     "There are fucking rogues everywhere," he growled out before looking at us. He then sent a glare towards Casimir. "This better not be from your doing!" He got up and the two restrained him and forced him back down.

     "No," I growled. "Casimir knows as much as I do," I promised as I looked at him. "Right Casimir?" There's no way he called his pack mates here to come get us. Those rogues can't be from his rogue pack... right? He did say he was from a rogue pack.

     "I haven't talked to anyone the whole time I've been in jail besides Josephine," he assured. It made me feel better. I relaxed. This isn't from him.

     "What do you mean by rogues everywhere?" Casimir asked.

     "They're fucking everywhere out there. I thought they were tracking you down. They were following your scent. But, they suddenly turned around to attack me."

     "You got away," Veronica said as she looked pleased he was ok.

     "Got away? They let me go! It scared the shit out of me. They took off running back towards the fucking polica station. I decided to come here. I  figured they let me go to come here." Casimir looked slightly upset but looked around before spotting a phone.

     "Let me call my father," he suggested. "Maybe if he knows I'm alive he'll call them off," he suggested as he went towards the phone. I suddenly felt dizzy as I fell over and felt the world shaking around me. The room darkened as I felt a shifting sensation. I wasn't turning into a wolf this time. I was shaking out of my body.

I could smell my mother's bubble bath and faint scent of wolfsbane. Before I spotted the barnstyle door to her bathroom being shuffled across my face. I spotted Edith's face lead the way into mother's bathroom. I was following. But, it wasn't me. I knew this strange feeling of like a dreaming state. There in mother's bathtub I spotted my mother.

My mother was in her bearclaw bathtub sunk low in the tub. The bottle of red wine had spilt out onto the tile. I walked up slowly as if I knew when I noticed something was off. Edith was already grabbing her wrist to check her pulse. My heartbeat was steadily increasing. I'm not in my normal body... Am I? This is Juliette? I'm seeing what she sees? Mother was staring at the wall with a blank expression. I could smell the faint scent of wolfsbane as I knelt down and picked up the bottle of wine. What are you doing Juliette? I have no control. I'm here with you and you don't know. The wine...  It smelled off. But, the scent didn't come from it. I looked around and found an ashtray on the other side of the tub where I knew the scent was coming from. Mom had been smoking wolfsbane? Father smoked wolfsbane too. This isn't from the wolfsbane. I looked at Edith as she backed away from the tub. I noticed she had closed my mother's eyes. Edith pulled out her phone as she left the room entirely. I titled my head as I looked my mother over. Wait... is she dead? Is she really dead? I can't believe my eyes...

     "Edith?" I asked as I followed after her. She pulled her ear away from her phone.

     "Zeke isn't answering," she mumbled with worry.

     "Edith..." I trailed off as she turned to look at me. "Edith is my mother dead?"

     Blinking three times in a row. I was back in Veronica's living room. I was done with looking through her eyes. It wasn't my first time seeing through them. It felt familiar. I glanced around as they were watching me. I frowned as I found myself cradeled in Casimir's arms.

     "What was that?" He asked softly. "You startled us. We thought you were going to trasform or something. You were shaking so much and then you just stopped."

     "I-I think my mother is dead," I muttered in confusion. I didn't know how to explain what I just saw. But, I would try. "Juliette... It was like I was seeing through her eyes... I saw my mother... dead." I frowned as I struggled to try to think of another way to explain it but that was it. That's what it was. "Poisoned... I think she was poisoned." I wrapped my hands around my own throat and shivered. Veronica ran over to the phone quickly to pick up.

     "I'm calling down to the station," she explained.

     "Matthew should be there," Zeke said with confidence. "But, what will you say to them? Hi I have the runaways right here. One of them is saying her mother is dead and you should go check?" Casimir let me go to take the phone from her.

     "Don't be stupid," he growled. "If anyone makes the phone call it'll be me to my father."

     "D-Did your father kill my mother?" I asked as I suddenly couldn't think of anything else. I moved away from him and felt Nathalie grab my arms and pull me into a comforting hug. Casimir growled and turned to look at us.

     "Of course not!" Even his voice sounded unsure. But, he shook his head. "At least... I don't think so. Let me give him a call." He picked up the phone and listened into it before hanging up. "The lines are down from the storm." He looked worried as he looked at the door.

     "Then its settled. No one call leave here in that storm. Let's just take shifts sleeping and wait it out. We'll go when the storm blows over. Hopefully in the morning and I'll take Zeke down to the station to have a peak at the damage." Veronica put her hands on her hips as she went towards the back hall and I could see her grabbing blankets out of a closet.

     "We're leaving in the morning," Casimir told me as he looked me in the eyes. "No matter what. We can't stay here. They'll think we're resposible."

     "We couldn't have done it," I muttered.

     "He's right," Zeke told me. "They'll still track you down to here and bring you back to a death sentence. You should all head out of the territory instead in the morning." I frowned as I found myself sinking into Nathalie's arms.

     "Sleep arrangements?" Nathalie asked when Veronica came back with extra covers.

     "We take my bed... you three sleep out here," Veronica suggested. I tensed up at the thought of being away from Nathalie for the night... But, she'll be just in the other room.

     "You can have the couch," I suggested to Zeke.

     "No. You'll take it little lady. I'll take first watch awake so you all better get to sleep."

     "I'll stay up with you," Casimir growled stubbornly. I guess he wasn't sure to trust Zeke. He was right. I don't think I'll get much sleep myself. I watched as Nathalie moved away from me to take Vee back down the hall and into a bedroom. I walked over to the couch and laid down on it as I heard the other two sit up at the bar. I looked up at the ceiling at tried to count imaginary sheep in order to fall asleep.