Chapter Nine: Little suspicions

Baila

Baila groaned into consciousness. The ruffled bed space beside her told her all she needed to know. Sara had spent the night in her room. With a frightfully loud yawn, Baila jumped out of bed and stretched. Her muscles felt sore from releasing her demon the previous night. Memories came flowing back in and she pieced them together as her back popped and her pain was relieved.

She had rejected Nolan's help the previous night. Baila felt horrible about it. Her rejection must have stung him and hurt his pride. Lycans had a lot of pride.

The sun wasn't shining and Baila had a feeling that last night's occurrence could be the cause. She wanted to bathe in the river and she wondered if Nolan would allow her to go. With a slight shake of her head, Baila headed out to find Nolan. She was determined to apologize even if he shut her down.

She found Nolan behind a stack of books piled on the table in his bedroom. He looked up from the books when she stepped in before gulping down the goblet of wine he held. When he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, it did things to Baila.

"Are my guards incompetent?" Nolan inquired.

"Aaron allowed me to come in?" Baila replied. She had been surprised when the beta ushered her in without a word. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday"

"It was nothing really," Nolan brushed her off, focusing on an opened book laid out in front of him.

Baila bowed her head "No. It's not nothing. You offered your help and I refused it. It was rude of me given everything you've done for me so I am truly sorry,"

Baila looked up to find blue eyes staring at her. Her breath caught in her throat as he rounded the table to come to her.

"You have one more day left before you need to leave but you'll be staying until I find out exactly who sent the creatures. I'm sure it's no coincidence that they attacked the night after your arrival." Nolan stepped closer to her until his skin kissed her dress and Baila could hear his heartbeat.

He bent down to whisper into her ears "If what happened last night has anything to do with you, I will kill you myself,"

Baila nodded in understanding even though his words ripped her heart apart for some reason.

"Do you understand?" he hissed, "Use your words"

"I understand," Baila gulped. When Nolan went back to his place behind the table of books, Baila let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

She was a witch. Nolan would never trust her.

"I have work to do. You should leave,"

Baila nodded and proceeded to stumble out of the room. She was a fool. She had thought that somehow, her apology would soften his heart. She was wrong and she would not repeat that mistake again. She also had more pressing matters at hand like the letter she wrote to her mother and how to escape the realm before the high king's guards caught up with her. Still, Baila wondered why news of her crime had not spread wide and far by now.

Baila met a guard on her way back to her room and quickly changed her mind, She was not going to spend another day cooped up in her room. Instead, she was going to spend her day with the physician, Sara.

According to the guard, Sarah was in the apothecary which was a floor above her room. Baila thanked him for the information and rushed up the first flight of staircase she could find. After running into a few locked rooms, she finally found the apothecary.

Fortunately for Baila, there were no guards on the floor and she wondered why. Sara's red hair had been held up in a ponytail and she was bent over a small bowl with her back facing Baila. Baila smiled giddily as she knocked on the open door.

Sara spun around with a startled look in her green eyes. Her eyes glowed brighter when she recognized Baila.

"Baila," she greeted warmly.

"There were no guards on the floor. No one to stop me," Baila chuckled

"I sent them away," Sara responded, swirling the small bowl in her hand without taking her eyes off Baila.

"Why?" Baila asked, curious to know what made the physician send away her protection.

"I...I...I needed privacy," Sara stuttered, swirling the bowl more violently. The blue liquid sloshed harder, spilling on Sara's brown apron.

"Jared be cursed!" Sara exclaimed, placing the bowl on the table behind her with trembling hands.

Baila knew Sara was being dishonest about why she sent the guards away but since Sara was her only friend, she decided not to push her.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course. Of course," Sara responded eagerly as she wiped the blue liquid from her hand with a rag. Baila stepped in, grateful that someone was excited to see her. It had been a while since anyone had jumped at the chance to spend time with her. Even her mother didn't seem too happy to see her on most days.

"What are you working on?"

"Come closer," Sara beckoned, grabbing Baila's hand and pulling her toward a table of different shades of blue liquid. "Winter will be upon us soon and my uncle was working on a serum before he died. It's supposed to promote the rapid growth of plants. I'm still trying to piece it all together before winter but I'm no genius like my uncle was."

It looked like Sara had big shoes to fill and didn't feel like she was doing her best. Baila placed her hand on Sara's and smiled at her.

"I know that we don't know each other at all but I think what matters is doing your best and that's all I see you doing,"

Sara's green eyes glowed with unshed tears and as Baila squeezed her hand comfortingly, she felt a budding friendship start to form.

******************

Baila didn't spend too long in the apothecary. After Sara had arranged bottles of liquid, herbs and powdered substances that made Baila dizzy, the duo headed outside the castle. Sara had given Baila a cloak that she kept in her apothecary for some unknown reason. It was a fine heavy black cloak with dark brown fur stitched to the collar of its hood and a beautiful embroidery of snowflakes.

Baila thought that the cloak flattered her green dress and made it look prettier. As the royal physician, gamma and member of the blue council, Sara held a lot of power--power that got them out of the castle and into the woods that led to the lake Baila drowned in.

They walked in silence until Baila decided to ask a question that popped into her mind.

"Why is it called the blue council?" she asked, referring to the council that ruled the entire kingdom of Kerros alongside the king.

"It is believed that after the first council members were chosen, the king took them to the highest point in Kerros and on a full moon with a witch among them, they worshiped the moon goddess. As a reward for restoring peace and hope, she made their blood blue like the waters in her garden so the council members would forever be distinguished from ordinary people." Sara explained easily.

She shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her dress and glanced at Baila quickly. Baila couldn't help but notice the red blood that rushed up the physician's cheek.

"What about you? what really brought you here?" Sara inquired. By now, they had travelled deeper into the forest and Baila could see the outline of the river from a short distance.

"I did something I shouldn't have. Something terrible and I run," she replied. Even though it wasn't half of the true story, Baila felt that it was better than a lie. She did not want to lie to Sara.

Sara nodded but Baila still saw the spark in her eyes. Sara wanted to know more.

Once they reached the lake, Baila quickly undressed and dived in. It was ice cold but soothing. When Baila came up for air, she caught Sara shivering in the water.

"I've never done this before," she said, her lips trembling.

"I did this all the time back at home," Baila laughed, splashing Sara with the water. Sara squealed and splashed Baila who tried to swim away from her attacker.

"I mean, I've swam in this lake several times before but never naked," Sara explained as she wiped down her face.

Baila's face fell and the smile on her face was wiped away quickly. "Oh, I understand. Are you uncomfortable?"

"No. I'm perfect just cold," Sara stammered, clenching her teeth from the cold.

"Don't act like a summer queen. You're a winter wolf. Surely, this is nothing," Baila teased, floating on her back.

"It is but the goosebumps won't go away," Sara hissed playfully, splashing around in the water.

"I'll have a look to make sure you're not pulling my legs," Baila rolled her eyes and swam towards Sara. Their

legs brushed against each other and it sent a shiver up her spine. It wasn't like any of the ones she had experienced with Nolan but it was close.

Baila's eyes went to the pale white skin of Sara's shoulders. The drops of water on her skin made her look even more alluring. Baila reached her hand out to trace the goosebumps on Sara's arm. She heard Sara take in a sharp breath. When she looked at Sara's face, her green eyes had a strange golden ring around them. Her lips were pink and rosy with droplets of water.

Baila drew closer to Sara and focused on her green eyes but those green eyes were staring at Baila's lips.

Baila could hear nothing but their breathing. Their lips had merely brushed together. Baila's eyes fluttered shut and for a second, she was at peace. There was no thought of her mother or the witches or Nolan or how hopeless her situation was. All she could think about was how wrong what she was about to do was.

A menacing growl broke them apart and they stared at the woods with wide eyes as a pair of glowing blue eyes glared at them.