Lib Novel Page 113
I run my finger down the directory, going over the names. “Aisle five, shelf number three. There should be a book called The Birth of the Three Alliances.”
Alex doesn’t question me; he simply follows my instructions. As he does so, I begin calling out the names of other books and their locations. Not surprisingly, there aren’t many books on the mysterious Central Alliance, but there are a few that are solely dedicated to it.
It takes us an hour to gather all the books and set them down on the floor.
I check my watch. “We have four hours before sunrise. We should try to be out of here by then, even though Mr. Felton doesn’t open the library until nine a.m.”
“I think we can manage this in four hours,” Alex assures me confidently. “I’m a fast reader.”
“Then, let’s get to work.”
There’s not much about the Central Alliance in the first couple of books I examine, aside from the color of their fur, which we already knew is pure white. There’s no mention of any silver-furred wolf. But in the fifth book, I come across a strange paragraph.
“The blood of the white wolves carries a magical strain that is passed on to one child in every generation. That child is protected by the Central Alliance and concealed from the rest. The leader of the Central Alliance refers to the child as the last hope for the unity of wolves. She is of their people, but she is not one of them. She is born wolf, witch, and human. With the strength and cunning of a wolf, the powers of the greatest witch, and the heart of a human, she is unity itself.”
As I read the paragraph aloud, Alex looks up. “That’s referring to the Silver Wolf, isn’t it?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I reply hesitantly. “It sure sounds like it, but it’s not explicitly mentioned.”
“Let’s keep searching.” Alex picks up another book.
Although I am knee-deep in research, I can’t stop myself from looking over at Alex every couple of minutes. I’m trying to keep myself focused, but having him so close to me keeps reminding me of how he was in bed with me.
I bet he has a lot of experience with women. I’ve heard that the first time is always uncomfortable and awkward; I was in the thrall of the aphrodisiac, but I don’t think anything about our time together was uncomfortable or awkward in the least. I could tell Alex’s touch was experienced. In fact, I have a hard time not thinking about it.
I feel a hint of shame for wanting to be with him again in that way. It upsets me that I need him so desperately. He’s acting so normal, so casual, that I can tell he’s completely unaffected, while my heart aches with an unidentified pain. I know I’m simply assuming the worst and shouldn’t agonize too much over this, but his casual attitude with me is hurtful. I don’t know how to tell him that.
“There’s a cage fighting ring,” Alex says abruptly, out of the blue. My head jerks up, and I look at him, frozen in place. The way he’s watching me has my insides squirming. “I believe the Silver Wolf is taking part in those matches.”
This is the perfect opportunity for me to tell him that he’s looking in the wrong place. But I don’t want to give myself away. I still need to take part in the fights to make more money.
It’s always been hard for me to trust people. I know Alex won’t hurt me, but the barriers between us stop me from telling him the truth. I have an innate fear that he’ll turn around and stab me in the back. My wolf is adamant that he’s trustworthy, but the human side of me—the one that has faced the dark, treacherous side of people for far too long—refuses to listen.
My lips part, and I try to figure out the right thing to say.
“I want to ask you—” Alex begins, but I cut him off tersely.
“The Silver Wolf isn’t taking part in those fights.”
Alex watches me, and I see a subtle disappointment in his eyes. “And how do you know that for sure?”
“I—I just know. If you’re looking for the Silver Wolf in the cage fighting ring, you’re looking in the wrong place, wasting your time.”
“There is a shifter taking part—”
“It’s not her.”
I see Alex’s hand curl into a fist, and his voice is a little harsh as he demands, “Tell me how you know, Sophia.”
I give him a tightlipped smile. “It’s a small town, Alex. I just know. Do you really want to waste our time talking about the cage fighting ring right now?”
Why do I see hurt flash over his face? I don’t understand. A part of me wants to apologize for something that I don’t quite get, but I simply stay quiet. Setting another book aside, I pick up the second-to-last one in the pile beside me.
And that is when I hit a gold mine.
“Here. Look at this.”
Alex quickly scoots over to me, and I point at a line a few pages into the book as I read it to him. “The Silver Wolf is an anomaly born from the original Alpha bloodline that stems from the remaining pack in the Central Alliance. The ability to practice magic is a gift bestowed upon this child, but unlike witches, the Silver Wolf has the ability to become a source of unimaginable strength and power. Only those who have the blood of the Silver Wolf can produce another. Knowledge of the Silver Wolf is limited, and it is said that to harness the power of the silver-furred creature, it must be done under a blanket of mutual affection or destruction.” I look at Alex. “What do you think that means?”