The Aftermath II.

That night - the night refused to be peaceful.

Kristensen lay in her bed, asleep with brows furrowed. The cris' on her forehead evidence of her disturbing dreams.

She found herself back in that space, and this time around, one of the worshippers. Chanting her devotion and offering her powers to the blood moon. She could only helplessly watch as her vitality was drawn bit by bit until skin and bones were left.

No matter how much she roared or shouted, she could only watch the circle repeat one after another.

The roars and screams sounded in her room, the helplessness and devastation in them suffocating, yet Kristensen didn't wake.

Her curled up self on the bed became extremely pale and the nightgown she won was pasted against her skin due to sweating over but there was an ethereal glow on her pale face, as though while she went through that vicious cycle in her dream, her body, soul and mind was being purified.

But watching herself die countless times and in such a tragic, deceived way, the color of Kristensen's eyes deepened. Before, they were crimson silver, and they gradually turned towards silver crimson.

Kristensen's restless sleep was interrupted by a sudden jolt, snapping her awake. Gasping for air, she sat up in bed, her heart racing as images from her nightmare still lingered in her mind.

The room was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow of the night lit sky fluttering through the curtains.

Feeling a cold sweat clinging to her skin, Kristensen struggled to shake off the remnants of her dream. She glanced around the room, looking for anything particular she could cling to for comfort, but the room didn't have any personality besides familiarity.

"I didn't forget where I am or who I am... I guess this counts as a positive." Kristensen murmured softly, sighing.

With trembling hands, Kristensen reached for the glass of water on the bedside table, taking a few sips to soothe her parched throat.

The events of the past few days weighed heavily on her mind, each memory of sharp pang of discomfort.

With a heavy sigh, Kristensen pushed herself out of the bed, feeling the need to escape the suffocating confines of the room - her mind, herself.

It was only after freshening up that she felt as though she had at least washed off the remnants of her dream.

Stepping out onto the quiet hallway, Kristensen hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to go or what to do. But a sense of restlessness tugged at her... urging her to set off and run.

To keep running... run. Run. Run.

With a determined resolve, Kristensen set off down the corridor, her footsteps echoing softly against the polished floors. Her footsteps echoed softly at first, then faster as she started to run and no more than a few steps when she turned into her wolf form and took off.

The grey wolf ran the streets of The Camp, flashing past those who saw it as an after image.

Kristensen ran so fast, shedding the heavy loads on her thoughts and the weight of what she saw. She ran, ran, ran, and kept running.

She didn't know where she was going but it was as though something was chasing her and in a way there was, the feeling of being constantly watched by eyes in the dark... it made her run faster, going towards the darkness.

The lights at House of Caston's residence were also lit, Casey invited Vince and Trudy to stay back.

They'd been sitting at a table going over the situation and what they thought of it yet somehow, couldn't agree on how to proceed.

Question Ocean or not, or investigate The Camp with the hope that the person behind what happened in that building and Isaac left behind clues.

Yet could they? It took a long time to gather enough people to meet the requirements for the ritual and all those years of planning - could they be careless enough to leave behind clues?

Then, they agreed to look for Ocean, and now - the most important task - who would look for him?

Vince and Trudy uncomprosingly chose Casey, and he refused. They'd reached an impasse...

"Why can't you? This is your House's issue. You should take the lead." Said Vince impatiently for the tenth time.

Besides it being a matter of House of Caston, there was also the fact that he and Trudy weren't acquainted with Ocean. They couldn't walk up to him and ask questions, right?

He thought so, but Casey didn't.

"We'll go together. Why can't we? You saw more than what I did in the underground chamber." Casey answered cautiously.

No matter how reluctant Vince and Trudy were, it was a fact he had arrived later. Without Kristensen as backup, Vince and Trudy as optional buffers weren't bad. Casey knew he couldn't face Ocean alone.

Vince snorted, "It doesn't matter how you explain it. Kristensen already filled you in, you don't need us." He refused to budge.

They were all normal alphas with working instincts, who amongst themselves wasn't weary of Ocean and vigilant in his presence? Casey was asking them to accompany him when he questioned such an individual... he was simply dreaming.

Vince threw Trudy a look and paused, "Well, I won't stop you if you want to go, but I'm not going. End of discussion."

He leaned into his chair to make his stance clearer. He would not - would not move.

Casey threw him a glare but felt helpless. People with the surname Ly were aristocrats in Crandale. For small aloha houses like theirs, it was a miracle if they met one in their lifetime, yet he was asked to question him, question him like a suspect?

He cussed under his breath. It didn't matter if he appeared cowardly, but he had to pull in other people to face that person even if he had to carry them there.

"I'll do the questioning when I get there. What are you afraid of?" Casey said briskly, his tone when he said questioning clipped. He really didn't have the courage...

"Unpopular opinion, but why can't you ask Kristensen to go with?" Tate's small voice broke the war glance between Casey and Vince, and they turned to her simultaneously. "What? She's the only one who can give accurate accounts of what happened."

Didn't they all know? They knew, of course they knew but Kristensen... they all shook their heads. She wasn't an option, not mention her relationship with Ocean was unclear.

Dare ask her to question him?

But Trudy didn't take her eyes off Tate. She would've forgotten the existence of Trudy and Winnie if they hadn't spoken.

Was that what life was like in Crandale for betas and omegas? The contrast between how she viewed them when they first met and now...

Also, it seemed as though Tate had something against Kristensen. From the central hall, when she pointed at her being involved in Leah's death and now, suggestive she face someone both Casey and Vince were afraid of...

Her eyes narrowed as she took a deeper look at Tate. Another twist?

"Why, you don't think Kristensen is need of rest and to forget what happened to her in there?" Trudy said, her voice low and firm.

Tate fidgeted in her seat but forced herself to face Trudy. She kept telling herself there was nothing to be afraid of. It was o ly a young aloha questioning her. A young alpha from her batch...

"That's not it. I, I was only saying..." responded Tate, her eyes barely managing to holding Trudy's.

"Oh? Like you were just saying when you said to ask Kristensen about Leah's death. Like that?" Trudy insisted.

It was then Casey and Vince took a deeper look at the invisible followers that were also present at that building. Weird, they thought, too weird.

The duo also worked close with Isaac and Leah. How can they be as clueless as they presented themselves?

Casey and Vince exchanged glances, and they saw the obvious suspicion. Before Vince could say anything, Casey was already before the duo, releasing his aura to supress the two.

"You're capable." Casey growled angrily. They'd managed to play him for so long... "Where's Isaac?"

Vince snickered and said under his breath, "You're not completely useless after all."

It wasn't just Casey, Vince and Trudy also felt the information they had on hand would take form only when they found Isaac and got answers from him. Didn't all the mess start with him?

Casey ignored Vince's remark and looked at Tate and Winnie with a cold blaming, "And how much do you know? You better tell me the truth, or I'll skin you till you do."

Tate and Winnie exchanged nervous glances, their masks slipping as they faced Casey's stern gaze and imprisoned by his aura.

They'd been playing it safe since discovering Leah's body, dancing around the truth and making their presence as little as possible. But now, unable to move and faced with three alphas, they knew they had to come clean.

Tate took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she spoke. "We... we really didn't mean anything by it. What we know are just suspicions, too..." she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Isaac... he, he was always in charge of escorting recruits."

Winnie nodded in agreement, her eyes barely open, "Both Isaac and Leah. They were the ones who took recruits from their awakening to here, and if we noticed a few missing, they always had excuses." she confessed, her voice tinged with regret.

The dread settled in after they found out Isaac had tried to do something to Kristensen on the full moon night.

Casey had been listening attentively to their heartbeats and watched for the slightest change in their expressions as they spoke for any falsity and didn't find any.

Casey's expression softened slightly, his anger giving way to frustration and concern. "Why didn't you say your suspicions sooner?" he asked, his tone gentler now but still firm.

Tate and Winnie exchanged another glance, the silent communication only understood by the two. "We were scared." Tate admitted, her voice trembling. "Scared of what Isaac was doing and what it might mean for us, for The Camp."

The trio understood it as the punishment they'd receive from House of Caston Maddison, but the glances between Tate and Winnie...

Casey sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Well, there's no point dwelling on it now," he muttered, his mind already racing, "We need to find Isaac, and we need to find him fast."

Vince and Trudy nodded in agreement, their expressions grim.

Before Tate and Winnie could breathe a sigh of relief at escaping the interrogation and being safe, the sound of footsteps entering the room had them looking up in panic.

The man strolled in unbothered, his body fully clothed in white, a shade that complimented his skin perfectly. Ocean stood at the entrance with a slight smile on his golden eyes, "Bad time?"

The people in the room all looked at him, speechless. Bad time?

They couldn't say. How much had he heard, and when did he arrive? Only then could they say if it was a bad time.

"You... you're here, at this hour?" Casey said in a small voice.

Ocean went into the room. He took the chair on the other side, so he faced all of them at once.

"I don't think there's much left here for us to do, so when do we set off?"