Chapter 27: The Injured Woman
The forest was unusually quiet, devoid of the usual bird calls. A cool breeze rustled the leaves, making Rita feel at ease. She moved about, sniffing the various scents on the ground and stepping on leaves, generating soft sounds as she did. Rita was excited; it had been a while since she’d been out like this.
Hazel carefully scanned her surroundings, searching every inch but found nothing unusual. The last time Bessie had died, there had been a foul odor in the air, but now, the forest only carried the scent of leaves, and there was no sign of any intruder.
“Have you found anything?” Hazel inquired.
“Nothing at all. It’s clean,” Marcus’s wolf replied, shaking its head.
“No unusual scents,” Eloise’s wolf Max sniffed the ground once more but remained uncertain.
Rita, Hazel’s wolf, continued searching every nook and cranny until she was convinced there was no problem. Only then did she stop her movements.
“Check the other directions,” Hazel communicated through their mind link.
Eloise and the others followed Rita closely as they ran towards different areas of the forest, and they reached the west side.
Elmer’s wolf, Malloy, was the first to detect something strange. “There’s blood here. Come over and take a look,” he relayed the message via their mind link.
Hazel and the others immediately rushed to where Elmer was. They leaned in to sniff the blood and confirmed that it wasn’t from another animal. The presence of blood in the forest indicated that someone was either injured or deceased.
Hazel fervently prayed that they wouldn’t find a lifeless body. She didn’t want to encounter another crime. She had initially thought that today would be uneventful, but events had taken an unexpected turn.
“Search the area carefully to see if anyone is in trouble,” Hazel ordered sternly.
They diligently scoured the surroundings for any signs of human activity.
“Hazel, I found something here,” Eloise’s wolf, Max, growled. She raised her head and took a deep breath.
Hazel, Elmer, and Marcus received the message through their mind link. They rushed to Eloise’s location and found a motionless woman lying on the ground. Her face was obscured by long, black hair, making it impossible to see her features.
Rita cautiously approached the woman, and Hazel refrained from making any sudden movements. Rita sniffed around the woman’s nose for a moment before they received another message through the mind link.
“She’s still breathing; she’s alive!” Hazel exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. She had been genuinely worried about finding another corpse. She didn’t want any more innocent people to be harmed.
“Do any of you recognize her?” Eloise asked, unsure about this woman. She wasn’t familiar with her and couldn’t determine whether she was from their town.
Elmer’s wolf, Malloy, shook his head. “I think I’ve seen her. She lives in the last house on my street. Her name is… Fiona,” Marcus’s wolf, Raines, circled around Fiona as he spoke.
“She has various-sized wounds on her body. We must take her to the infirmary,” Hazel’s voice resonated through the mind link once more. The others were equally concerned. After all, this incident had occurred within their patrol area, and they had a responsibility to handle it.
Elmer and Marcus rushed towards the forest infirmary to prepare for Fiona’s arrival. Fiona was carefully placed on Rita’s back, and they walked cautiously. Max followed closely, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
When they reached the infirmary, Fiona was already placed on a stretcher. The staff inside the infirmary lifted her in, and Hazel and her team briefly informed them of the situation. They didn’t delay too long.
This incident needed to be reported to the guard, and Hazel had already relayed the message to Parrish and Rankin through the mind link. She believed they would arrive at the infirmary soon to investigate Fiona’s injuries further.
Hazel and her team left the infirmary and continued their patrol, remaining in their wolf forms. The forest was vast, and their search took hours. It wasn’t until close to noon, around twelve o’clock, that they concluded their patrol. Apart from finding Fiona, there were no other unusual occurrences.
In the depths of the forest, they changed into fresh clothes and separated at the forest’s entrance.
Hazel headed in the direction of Cyril’s office, determined to convince him to allow her involvement in this matter. Cyril’s office area felt desolate since it wasn’t a training day; there was no one around.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
Hazel lightly knocked on Cyril’s office door, and she heard his voice from inside. She pushed the door open and entered, only to find that Cyril wasn’t alone. Theo, Parrish, Rankin, and two unfamiliar women were all in his office, seemingly waiting for her.
“Cyril,” Hazel sat on the couch and waited for Cyril to speak.
“Hazel, let me introduce you. This is Carlotta, Parrish’s wife,” Cyril pointed to the lady standing on Parrish’s left.
Though Hazel wasn’t sure about Cyril’s intentions, she understood the basics of politeness. She smiled at Carlotta and said, “Hello, Carlotta, I’m Hazel.”
Carlotta also smiled and gave Hazel a gentle hug.
“This is Viola, Rankin’s wife,” Cyril continued, and Viola came over to embrace Hazel.
“Cyril, what are you planning?” After the introductions were completed, Hazel finally asked, wondering why Cyril had introduced Parrish and Rankin’s wives to her.
“Didn’t you want to cooperate with me?” Cyril’s deep voice rang out.
Hazel’s eyes lit up. Could it be that Cyril had agreed?
“Have you agreed?” Hazel concealed her excitement. There were still many people in the office, and she didn’t like her emotions being exposed to others.
“If you agree to my conditions,” Cyril’s finger tapped on the desk. “First, if outsiders have indeed infiltrated the Pack, and you’re their primary target, you must have the ability to defend yourself. Second, all your actions must have my approval, and you must hand over everything you receive to me. Third, don’t put yourself in danger,” Cyril spoke firmly, his gaze fixed on Hazel.
Hazel tightened her lips, and she could feel her heart racing. Cyril’s final words were clearly meant for her. Was he worried about her? Afraid that she would be in danger?
“I agree to your three requests,” Hazel replied without hesitation. These three requirements were not too difficult, and each one had its own rationale. She could accept them. Most importantly, she was worried that Cyril might change his mind, so it was better to agree early.
“Starting from tomorrow night, you will receive training from Carlotta and Viola. Carlotta will teach you offensive techniques, and Viola will teach you defensive techniques. Do you understand?” Cyril spoke again. Carlotta and Viola were powerful she-wolves within the Pack, and they could impart more experience to Hazel, enhancing her self-defense capabilities.
Hazel hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She now understood why Cyril had introduced Carlotta and Viola to her.
“Hazel, don’t act independently,” Cyril was most concerned about this. After all, Hazel was known for her rebellious and stubborn nature.
“I promise,” Hazel replied, barely containing her inner excitement. She had joined the plan.
“Now that we know someone has infiltrated the Pack, our next move is to catch them red-handed,” Hazel continued.
“That person probably wouldn’t expect you to cooperate with us,” Theo chimed in at the right moment. Though he didn’t want his sister involved in this matter, the source of the issue was tied to Hazel, and she couldn’t avoid it. It was better to have her participate.
“This matter is highly confidential. The seven of us here know it, and we absolutely cannot disclose it to anyone else,” Cyril stated sternly.
All of them nodded in agreement.
“You all can leave now, but Hazel, stay behind,” Cyril instructed, casting a sharp gaze at Theo and the others.
Hazel didn’t understand why Cyril wanted to speak with her alone.
Theo and the others closed the door, leaving Cyril and Hazel alone in the spacious office.
“As partners, we should be completely honest with each other, right?” Cyril’s words sounded somewhat unusual to Hazel.
“Cyril, just say what you want to say,” Hazel didn’t appreciate beating around the bush.
“Who is Putnam?” Cyril suddenly asked, watching Hazel’s face for any signs of surprise or shock.