Lib Novel Page 152
Elsa raises her hand, stopping me. “What was that about fog clearing from your head?“
I shrug, wondering why she’s fixating on that, of all things. “When I was around Noah, I felt good about myself. He made me feel important, precious. I could see nothing wrong in him. But the longer I was away from him, the more I began to feel like I was making a mistake. I would justify it all to myself, but I knew it wasn’t right.”
When Elsa doesn’t comment, I tell her, “I don’t know if you know this, but when I was at Rita’s cottage before she passed, she gave me an aphrodisiac. Shortly after, Noah and I ran into each other, and we went out for coffee and then to his apartment. That’s when the effects hit me. I left his place almost immediately; I couldn’t bear to be around him. That’s when I knew I couldn’t be with him. My wolf doesn’t want him. And neither do I.”
“Rita gave you the aphrodisiac?” Elsa asks me, disbelief evident in her voice. “How do you know it was her?”
“There was no other place I could’ve gotten it from.” I still feel awful for considering it, but it has to be true. “I didn’t have breakfast that day. I’d had a few healing potions that morning and the night before because I’d gotten injured.”
“Injured?” Elsa gives me a horrified look. “How?!”
“It’s not important,” I say quickly, cursing myself for telling her that. “Anyway, I went straight out that morning. I had nothing to eat or drink aside from those potions. My injuries weren’t completely healed, and when Rita saw them, she told me to get a healing potion from her bedroom. I took it, and just a couple hours after that, I started feeling the effects.”
“You said you went for coffee with Noah?”
I nod. “But I was watching him the whole time. There’s no way he could’ve done anything, and he had no reason to.”
Elsa gives me a long look. “The healing potion that Rita gave you, what did it taste like?”
“A little bitter? I still have a few bottles of it. I took them from her drawer when—” I clam up, realizing that I was on the verge of admitting something else.
But nobody can call Elsa a fool. “When you what? What were you up to?”
“Nothing.” I give her a tight smile. “But I was the one who picked out the vial. There were two or three more of them in the drawer, and I have them at my place now.”
“Why did you take them?” Elsa’s gaze is piercing, and I’m starting to feel guilty.
“Because—” I begin before falling silent.
“Because you don’t believe that it really was Rita who gave you the aphrodisiac,” Elsa finishes my sentence for me. “You were trying to find proof it wasn’t her.”
I remain silent, but she has hit the nail on the head. Even when I accused Rita, I didn’t truly believe it. Why would she do that? The most likely suspect would be Noah, since he was the only other person I saw that morning, but I was watching him. I don’t have an answer to this mystery.
Elsa begins walking. “Bring me the vials when we reach your apartment. I know a good herbalist who will be able to figure out what’s in them.”
I hadn’t really thought about how to check the potions’ contents before she said that, so I decide to let Elsa help me. The truth is that I would feel much better if I knew what was in those bottles. My last proper conversation with Rita still haunts me. If I accused her wrongly, I don’t know how I will live with that knowledge. She was always so kind to me, and in return, I accused her of drugging me. I need to know the truth.
“Okay,” I say, digging my fingers into the cloth of my jacket. “I’ll give them to you.”
“And another thing…” Elsa walks beside me, her voice low. “The story of the Silver Wolf is one that many people don’t treat as a legend. They believe it to be true. That’s why it would be wise not to mention it to anyone else.”
“Rita said the wolf is real.”
“And Rita is dead, isn’t she?” Elsa meets my gaze.
I come to a halt, staring at her. “Are you saying that she’s dead because she knew about the Silver Wolf?”
Elsa gets in my face, her voice laced with warning. “The Silver Wolf is said to be a source of great power. If you start looking for her, others will start looking at you, wondering what you know. And they will go to any lengths to acquire that knowledge. Any lengths, Sophia. That means the people you love or care about will become targets. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
My mouth goes dry. “Yes.”
Heart pounding rapidly, I absorb Elsa’s warning. I was right. Rita did die because I asked her about the wolf.
I feel numb. It was my fault. I should have been more careful.
As we near my apartment, Elsa sighs, tucking her hands in her coat pockets. “Rita didn’t die because of you, Sophia. Whatever she was involved in finally caught up to her. When I tell you to be careful about what you say, it’s because you are too naïve. You don’t see the world like I do. And when you meet people, even though your first instinct is to be wary of them, you still trust people easily. You have a soft heart. And I wish to the Goddess that you didn’t.”
I feel slightly offended. “I don’t think I’m naïve. Life hasn’t been easy for me, Elsa. It’s taught me a thing or two.”