Chapitre 22

SUNDAY OF THE 9TH MOON COUNT:

I was not feeling well. Something was wrong with me. I couldn't sleep a wink all night. The soft pillows surrounded me, but it was something else my body craved.

But Eros had not appeared.

My stomach seemed to clench at his absence. The pain didn't let me sleep. Too many times my eyes had darted to the door hoping it would open quietly.

The disappointment was great.

Why didn't he just talk to me? We hadn't even had a real fight. We hadn't yelled at each other and yet I felt bad like I let him down.

But what bothered me the most was Ero's cold facade. She had pierced my heart like an icicle when he just turned away from me.

All night I had jumped up to have a drink, but my mouth was dry as sand.

I stared at the vial of holy water that was on the table across from me. Too bad it only helped with physical pain. It could probably do little for heartbreak.

I sat up exhausted and pushed my hair back from my face. A slight throbbing began to torment my head. I hadn't slept so badly in ages.

Maybe it was just because Eros wasn't there...

I knew we had to talk. My heart longed for him, for his strong hug and his soothing words...

I needed fresh air.

I decided to go outside first to enjoy the cool morning air and gather courage. I quickly put my things on and opened the door.

I stopped in surprise. Castor and Pollux were standing right in front of me, their expressions giving nothing away.

"Good morning," I said, walking past them towards the stairs.

"Good morning Luna," Castor replied.

They followed me quietly. When I got there, I was about to open the front door, but the twins stood in front of me. I looked at her in surprise.

"I'd like to go outside for some fresh air," I explained, trying to push past them, but didn't stand a chance against the warriors.

"I'm very sorry Luna, but you are not allowed to leave the packhouse."

I cocked my head in irritation.

"Who ordered that?"

The twins looked at each other for a moment before answering in unison.

"Alpha."

I took a deep breath to clear the angry vapor that was building in my lungs. How dare he? I wanted to give him space, but not under these circumstances. I slowly turned and walked back the path.

Without knocking, I opened the door to the meeting room. All heads jerked at me, but I only had eyes for one. His hair was completely tousled. His gaze pierced my stomach.

"Ever heard of call waiting?" Gamma Johnson asked annoyed.

I knocked demonstratively on the open door. Johnson and Eros didn't seem to find this amusing at all, unlike Julien, who, as always, had to bite back a laugh.

"Leave us alone," Eros growled.

Julien and Johnson bowed and walked past me. The door clicked shut behind them. A tense silence enveloped us.

"Why can't I go outside?" I asked, taking a step into the room.

Eros brushed his strands from his face and let out a labored breath. Part of me worried that he hadn't slept all night, but anger smothered any concern.

"Apparently you didn't listen properly yesterday. The voice, as you call it, is a hunter. Until the problem is solved, you won't leave the house."

I followed his words with an open mouth.

"Are you completely insane now?" I asked, walking towards him. "You can't just lock me up!"

Ero's eyes began to sparkle with anger.

"I can and I will! Don't you realize what they would do to you if they got their hands on you? They will use you to destroy the pack and me!"

I stared at him perplexed. His chest heaved up and down, as if trying to stay calm. Some of my anger evaporated when I understood what was wrong with Eros.

He worried.

I put my hands on his upper arms in an attempt to soothe him.

"Eros, please. I know you're concerned about the hunters, but I'd like at least some fresh air. Besides, they would never dare attack the pack," I said, running my hands up and down.

"Do you even know why they gave you the verbena soap?" he asked. "You can use it to hide your scent. You could have just slipped through our fingers and no one would have noticed."

"I wouldn't walk away from you for anything in the world," I replied.

"Then it's settled."

"But why?" I asked desperately.

"As long as the hunters pose a potential threat to the pack, you will remain. Point."

I gave Eros a venomous look.

"You can't just lock me here."

Eros cocked his head and I could have sworn the corner of his mouth twitched up for a second.

"I am a capable man. Of course I can."

I stamped my foot angrily. Inside, I screamed in desperation. Why was Eros so damn stubborn?

"I'll find a way," I said provocatively.

"I know. Good thing Castor and Pollux will always be there to stop you."

My heart was pounding with anger. How dare he!

"And what do you want me to do all day?" I asked challengingly.

"I'm amazed you haven't found it yourself, but here under the pack house is the underground library."

I stared at him perplexed.

"So you want me to spend all day in the basement reading?"

Even if it sounded reproachful, the thought wasn't so far-fetched. Maybe I could read there in peace without being disturbed. The more I thought about it, the better the idea seemed to me.

Eros walked behind the desk and pulled something out of a drawer.

"These arrived a few days ago," he said, handing me two letters.

I took it immediately and recognized the two different handwritings. Uncle Theo and Lizzy. A pang of joy pierced my heart.

Finally.

I dashed to the door but turned around one last time.

"We're not done yet," I said, trying to sound menacing.

However, Eros had sat down again at the desk. His attention was turned to a few papers. His expression was absent.

"I hope so," he said.

I slammed the door behind me and left Eros to his work. I had more important things to do now anyway. The letters in my hand seemed to weigh a ton. I would have liked to rip them open in the middle of the aisle, but I controlled myself in front of Castor and Pollux.

"Can you take me to the underground library?" I asked.

It was the best way to take my mind off Eros and my aching chest.

The twins bowed their heads in unison and led me down the steps, past the dining room and kitchen. We walked down the corridor until we came to a stop in front of another set of stairs.

It was made of white marble and led into vague darkness. Torches hung on the sides to light the way.

"The library is organized both by subject and alphabetically," Castor said, unsnapping one of the torches.

I nodded and began the descent. Our footsteps echoed off the stone walls as we descended into the heart of the packhouse. We soon disappeared from the surface, leaving only the flickering fire to guide us.

I gripped the letters tighter in my hand for fear they would disappear into the darkness. When we took the last step, a huge marble archway awaited us.

Castor passed through and a short time later blazing lights were lit in all places in the library. They drew an incredible picture in the huge room.

Shelves upon shelves of books, drawings, and rolls of paper piled up to the ceiling. There was a proper chaos. Everything seemed to have been parked there at some point.

Small symbols hung on the sides of the rows of books. This is what Castor must have meant by subject matter: a diamond for geology, a butterfly for insects, a flower for plants, and a hammer were the first things that caught my eye.

Maybe I found something about architecture here too, if I wasn't able to visit Demetrius.

I walked through the rows to a large table. A few candles, half burned down, stood at the corners. The flames danced briefly as I sat down. I put the letters down and stared in amazement at the open book.

A drawing of a plant with black berries and green leaves was on one side. Next to it was written in squiggly script:

The Deadly Nightshade

The deadly nightshade belongs to the nightshade family and was discovered by humans to be poisonous. It is completely harmless to werewolves. Your green leaves...

I turned the page and discovered all sorts of herbs and berries, all neatly drawn and described. Raspberries, regular cherries, chamomile and much more.

Then I looked at the front page. In large letters was written "Plants and their Toxicology". I laughed when I saw who had written it:

Demetrius.

Little did I know the old man knew about plants along with everything else. He probably wrote half the books here himself.

"Luna, give me the book. The last one that was here probably didn't put it away," Castor said.

I just nodded. My interest in plants and their effects on humans and werewolves was rather limited. There would definitely be something to be found here about architecture and also about myths and legends.

But that would have to wait.

I looked back at the letters in front of me.

First I opened Lizzy's...