As Natasha was fighting with the last of her powers a loud howl was heard from behind me. I looked back and saw that Lydia wasn't lying in the bed any longer. She had shifted, she was baring her teeth and saliva was dripping down from her mouth.
She pushed with her hind legs and jumped over the bed to stand in front of her mother. Jacks eyes when he saw her made me realize that he was just as weak as they said. His eyes were bulging out of his head at the sight of Lydias wolf. She growled at him and just when Lydia was about to lunge at Jack, Natasha fell to the floor.
My head jerked back to Jack.
"This isn't over." He said before shifting to his wolf and trying to run past Lydia, but she had other plans in mind. Lydia took a hold of his hind leg and dug in her canines.
Jack whimped in pain, and that's when I remembered that this is exactly what he had done to her. When Lydia was satisfied she pulled back and we watched as he scurried out of the room on the three legs he could support himself on.
I ran up to Natasha and fell to the floor beside her. Lydia shifted back and went to sit on the other side of her mother. She grabbed her hand as well and checked for her pulse.
As she did that, an amused smile crept up on Natashas face.
"Didn't think you could get rid of me that easily did you?" She asked as her eyes fluttered open.
Both me and Lydia released a breath of relief and helped Natasha to the bed.
"You knew what he was doing yet you didn't stop. Why?" I asked her, befuddled.
"I think you know why." Natasha answered, her voice sounding weak.
"Let's get one thing straight," I said as I looked at both Natasha and Lydia. Lydia grabbed the blanket and ties it arond her naked body.
"Nobody is allowed to die for me. Is that clear?" Lydia scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Tell me, why are you here again?" Lydia asked. I didn't know how to respond because I knew what she was getting at.
"You're here, hiding, because you didn't want to put anyone in danger. You left a pack with hundreds of highly trained werewolves to live alone in order to keep them safe. I mean this will all my love, Aves, you really can be an idiot sometimes. Whether we die to protect you or not is up to us, because that's exactly what you're doing. You would have let him take you had my mother not shown up. Because you knew that if you hadn't, he would have taken me."
I bit my cheek to keep myself from saying something stupid. Lydia was right, about everything and there was no denying it.
"Good. Now on a different note, what do you mean by 'you knew what he was doing'?" Lydia asked me before looking at her mom.
"Jack isn't that strong on his own. Alpha or not he shouldn't have been a match for Natasha's magic, unless he was protected by magic himself. The wizard had protected him, knowing that if someone came to my rescue, they wouldn't be able to win over him. He was draining your mother of her powers by fighting back. He could have probably broken free right away, but he wanted her weak, and by weakening Natasha he was weakening himself. Which was why when you woke up and came for him, he knew he wouldn't be strong enough to fight." I explained and Lydia looked at her mother with such love in her eyes. She went and sat on the bed, wrapping her arms around Natasha.
"But I don't understand, how could he find me?" I asked Natasha and she looked over at Lydia with a smile.
"I hid your scent, Avery, I never hid Lydia's." She said knowingly. As if she wanted this to happen.
I gave Natasha a confused look and was met with a wink.
"Yes, Avery, this was meant to happen. I needed the wizard or someone who worked for him to come out of hiding. And now he has. But don't worry, he won't remember a thing. You're not in any danger after we've left." I was honestly more confused than ever. That explanation didn't do much explaining.
"I'm sorry...I, huh?" I asked. My face scrunched and my eyes squinting.
"The plant you gave to Lydia to wake her up, was wolfsbane mixed with Ginkgo leaves. The wolfsbane was to kickstart her heart and nerves, with pain. The Ginkgo leaves are more commonly used to treat memory loss, however, if treated right, they contribute to memory loss. They can erase the memories of a person for up to an hour. Which this one did. When Lydia bit down on his leg she injected it into his system." Natasha said and it dawned on me.
"Okay yeah, that I understood." I said with a nod.
"But doesn't this mean that I can't be here anymore?" Lydia asked. She pouted and sat upon the bed, her hands hanging by her side. Natashas smile fell at the realization.
"What? No! She has to be here, I need her! I'm already closed off from everyone else. You can't take her too." I yelled in defense. She couldn't take my only friend. Sure Natasha would still come but it wasn't the same. Lydia was like a security blanket. Whenever we're together it just felt like things were going to work out.
"I'm sorry girls, but no, Lydia can't come here anymore. And we have to leave tonight. I'm sorry, sweetheart." Natasha said and looked at me. I couldn't say that I liked it, but at least there was something Lydia could do for me.
"Than I'm going to need to ask you for a favor." I said and looked at Lydia with pleading eyes.
"Anything," She said.
"Go to the pack, my pack. Be with them, please. I think they could benefit from your bubbly energy. And I need to know that they're looked after." I said with a smile that didn't feel all that true.
"I promise,"