Sous sat on the bench she remembered seating on when Petun and Aticus had their wedding. She smirked, to think she missed them passing and for Aticus to take her own life like that, leaving a young daughter to cope. The Alpha shook her head.
Crunch, crunch!
Sous' ears twitched, she could not only eat the young human and wolf hybrid but also smell her. She looked up at her. "What spell did they use to have you?" Sous asked. She wondered if it was the same spell Faye and Makala used to have their five children, maybe six because Sous could have sworn Makala looked pregnant again. She didn't have time to ask or fully examine the vampire though.
The Princess shrugged and sat down next to Sous on the cold bench, wiping off snow before she did so. "Me and Aticus didn't really get along," she admitted. "I'm not really sure why. I just...just always felt she was hiding something from me."
Sous listened to the young woman, allowing her to vent to a total stranger she had never seen, heard, nor met before.
"Its like...she didn't want me to know my history, the best I got was from my brother, half brother."
"I don't remember much," Sous began. "But there was a war that the wolf pack started and they lost...Aticus was having an affair with Petun while with a female Alpha named Lora, I think," Sous finished.
"Wow...that's like...the most I've been told," the Princess said. She paused for a bit to listen to the still of the day. "There's a village of mediums up north. Its colder though up there though so be careful. You know, mediums are just humans who have the ability to open portals to the spirit world." A beat of silence again. "Would you like to stay for dinner...Alpha?"
The Princess looked at Sous, releasing pheromones even Sous was able to pick up. The Alpha swallowed but shook her head.
"I'm taken."
"Your Omega wouldn't have to know. Mate and then leave."
Sous shook her head once more. "No," she said. "We shall not mate."
"I see," the Princess rose to her feet. "Your Omega is very lucky. To have such a strong Alpha in her grasp. Very lucky!"
The Princess turned and headed back to the castle, leaving Sous in the garden alone with her thoughts.
Sous inhaled deeply, the cold air sharp in her lungs. The Princess's pheromones still clung faintly to the bench, a cloying sweetness beneath the crisp scent of snow and distant eucalyptuses. She flexed her fingers, the leather of her gloves creaking softly.
The encounter had stirred old stories Petun had told to Sous when she was no longer a rat and able to write letters, Aticus's desperate eyes, the acrid smoke of the wolf pack's burning dens, Lora's furious howl echoing across the valley.
Loyalty wasn't just a choice; it was the anchor that kept her from drowning in those dark waters. Her Omega's gentle laugh, the warmth of their shared den, the quiet strength in their bond, these were the things that mattered. Not the fleeting, dangerous offer of a princess playing with fire.
Sous was escorted to the village the next morning in a weird, squared like car. The car didn't even have door handles but a button to pressed that allowed the car door to open up. Inside was a televison screen that displayed on coming traffic in real time. Sous was impressed.
They passed a sign that read they were in the village of Camrey with a psychic eye on the board. Sous' eyes followed ot until they came to a stop in the center of village square.
Sous got out with the commander saying he would be back by night fall. The village was different than the royal city that was for sure. Much quieter, less dense.
She crossed the street to get onto the sidewalk and walked onto the first spiritual store she saw.
Ring a ling!
A woman with brown skin and red hair in that of an afro looked at Sous followed by another woman with fair skinned and dark hair. They were both behind the counter attending to task.
"An Alpha," the woman with the afro said.
"Do any of you know Tania of Vania?" Sous asked right away, not wanting to waste time due to the time limit of being picked up at sun down.
"Who doesn't?" The brunette said sarcastically. "The crazy witch that wants to open a portal for Hacate."
"I need a medium who can come with me, open the portal, do whatever with Hacate, and then close it," Sous explained, her words going a hundred miles per hour.
The two mediums exchanged glances at one another. Mediums and witches working together. Ha! Sadly, it wasn't something they could walk away from. A portal opening and not closing would be disastrous similar to what happened with Dimona.
"Listen," the one with the Afro started. "There's a powerful medium on 5th and Manor, on the corner titled the Green Hawk. There and you'll find Abigal."
Sous nodded her head, and thanked them. The bell rung as she dipped outside.
The Green Hawk stood wedged between a bakery smelling of burnt rye and a laundromat humming with industrial dryers. Sous pushed through its heavy oak door into a dim space smelling of beeswax and dried mugwort. Shelves groaned under jars of unfamiliar roots and bundles of feathers.
Charts depicting celestial alignments covered the walls. Behind a cluttered counter piled high with leather-bound wordbooks and polished stones sat a woman. Her portliness was emphasized by a thick cable-knit sweater, her dark hair streaked grey pulled into a messy bun.
She didn't look up from meticulously sketching symbols onto a large parchment scroll; her focus was absolute, the scratch of her quill the only sound. Sous waited, the silence thick and expectant, feeling the thrum of latent power radiating from the woman like heat from a banked fire.
This was Abigail. Sous approached slowly, careful not to disturb the intricate symbols taking shape.
Abigail's quill paused mid-stroke. Her eyes, sharp and intelligent beneath heavy brows, lifted slowly, scanning Sous from boots to her wild blonde hair. They lingered on the summons. Understanding flickered in her gaze, a grim acceptance replacing the intense concentration. She gave a single, slow nod. No words were exchanged. Abigail carefully capped her inkwell, slid the parchment aside, and rose, her movements deliberate and unhurried.
She retrieved a heavy wool coat from a hook beside a curtained doorway and a sturdy leather satchel bulging with unseen tools. She gestured silently towards the door with a tilt of her head. Sous followed her back out into the biting cold, the silence between them heavy with shared purpose and unspoken dangers. The village square felt emptier now, the weak afternoon sun casting long shadows.
"You knew I was coming?" Sous asked.
"My father is a wizard. So...I could hear your thoughts from a far," Abigal said.