But where would he start? He knew nothing about her. On the desk in the corner, he spotted a journal lying idly. He makes a beeline for it and hesitates just for a second before snatching it off the table before he can rethink his decision. It was time to find out who his mate really was.
After spending hours poring over Marisol's journal, Cedric felt like he had unraveled a piece of her innermost thoughts and emotions. He understood her anger towards Redwood, empathized with the pain she had endured, and sympathized with her struggles. But amidst the pages of her journal, one name stood out consistently -Lily. Cedric was convinced that Lily holds the key to finding Marisol, and with that realization, a plan begins to form in his mind.
As evening descended upon Redwood, Cedric set his plan into motion. He waited until the shadows grew long and the air was thick with the scent of impending nightfall. With calculated precision, he began to track Lily's scent. With the information provided by the journal, Lily was Marisol's closest friend as far as Redwood was concerned. There was no way she wouldn't know something.
Cedric's senses heightened as he closed in on Lily's home, his eyes swirling with a hint of gold as he picked up on the unmistakable scent of Marisol, growing thicker until it was all around him like a comforting embrace. Under the cover of the darkness, Cedric lay in wait, biding his time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
It wasn't long before the girl who was undoubtedly Lily emerged from the house, accompanied by a few other people. Cedric's eyes were narrow as they fell on the familiar male who had been with Marisol that day before returning his focus to Lily. She was his target, the key to luring Marisol out of hiding.
With stealthy precision, Cedric moves closer, his heart pounding with anticipation. As Lily leads her group of friends down a clearing, Cedric makes his move, emerging from the shadows with a predatory grace.
Lily froze in her tracks, her eyes widening in fear as she caught sight of Cedric looming before her.
Good, he thinks.
Before she could react, Cedric had Lily pinned against a nearby tree, his gaze dark and intense.
"Where is Marisol?" He demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
Lily's breath catches in her throat as she begins to heave almost violently. "I- I don't know," she stammers, her eyes darting around nervously.
Cedric's grip grows harsher, and he backs her up against the tree with his arm pressing down on her collarbones, "Don't lie to me." he gritted out, "I know she's with you. Tell me where she is, or I'll make you regret it."
Fear flashes in Lily's eyes as she realizes the gravity of the situation. "Please," she begs, her voice trembling. "I don't want any trouble."
Cedric's lips curled into a menacing smile as he leaned in closer, his breath hot against her skin. "Neither do I. But only if you tell me where she is," he whispered, his voice dripping with malice.
"I don't know!" She yelled out. At this point, she was almost trembling with fear, and when Cedric leaned back slightly, he saw the flash of confusion in her eyes.
"Well then, I'm deeply sorry for what's about to happen." He sighed, and with a smirk, he released her completely, stepping away. Realizing she'd been set free, Lily immediately makes a run for it, just like he'd expected, her limbs shaky as she skitters away.
With a dark chuckle, Cedric lets his head fall back almost eerily as he lets go of the reins of control. His transformation to his wolf form was swift, and he wasted no time as he bounced after the terrified Lily in pursuit. If it were to be a serious chase, he'd have caught up with her in a matter of seconds, with no less than two to three small leaps of his giant wolf, but this was not a serious chase. If anything, he was enjoying it, the only downside being that he wasn't sure how long until his wolf decided it was done fooling around.
Just then, Marisol's voice rang out from the darkness, her tone filled with panic and desperation. "Cedric, stop!" she cried, rushing forward to intervene.
Cedric's eyes gleam with amusement as he takes a final leap and pounces on Lily, her loud, horrified shriek disregarded as he has his full attention on Marisol.
"Well, well, well," he purred to himself, his gaze locking with hers. "Look who finally decided to show up."
"Let her go," Marisol demanded, her voice trembling with emotion and chest heaving with exertion.
Oh, Cedric was having the time of his life. If he weren't in wolf form, he'd be grinning so hard right now. He maintained his stance, though, refusing to budge.
With a steely resolve, Marisol stepped forward, her gaze unwavering as she faced Cedric's wolf head-on. "I said let her go," she repeated firmly, "It's me you want, isn't it? I'll go back with you."
Cedric's wolf snorts dismissively as if to say, 'Very well then.' Then, he jumped off Lily's limp body.
Marisol ran to Lily, who had begun sobbing and held her close.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered, "If I'd known....."
The wolf, on the other hand, proceeded to circle around them, disinterested in what was happening. All he wanted was to go back to the hidden castle before the moonshine got to him and made him lose his mind, but it would seem Marisol wasn't getting the memo.
When it started to stretch on for too long, he stepped closer and nudged Marisol impatiently. She immediately understood and stood up regarding Lily with an apologetic look before turning to the wolf.
"Come on. Let's go, you big bully." She gritted out, leading the way back to the hidden castle.