"Len and everyone else kept asking me not to apologize to Gracie's friends in person. Since you're not a human… I can show you my true body and explain the circumstances." Claude glanced over his shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Rogers… but Gracie shot me first."
"This…" Reina looked down and leaned on the wall again. "I want some proof that this is Gracie's fault. I want to see her gun… or whatever's left of her. What part of her did you not eat?"
"I didn't…" "What kind of disposal do you think we're capable of, Reina?"
Claude and Reina brought their gazes to the bigger wolf. It stepped closer, but its gait stopped emanating danger or death. However, it spoke again, "The SCB can provide legal reports, and the Psi Saint Alpha's eagle faction issued written and verbal warnings against her plan. Keller ran into her before she left the dorm for the second time that night."
The bigger wolf stopped past Claude, making the other person turn to face it. It continued, "We already told her not to engage with Eugene Roth or Claude Lavallee. She didn't listen.
"I'm sorry for arriving too late. Claude had already crushed them when we got there." The bigger wolf sat like a dog. "We can only take care of everything. You can exhume Gracie's remains if you like. We buried her in the forest. We can only eat the members of Psi Saint Alpha. Gracie is not one of us. Her family won't understand. She can only go missing officially."
"…then why didn't you tell us? Courtney didn't have an answer for all of us." Reina laughed and struggled to move. Claude approached her to catch her with his body.
"Courtney told you within the hour she discovered matters. Why should I trust her about it during the operation?" The bigger wolf huffed. His gaze mellowed as it landed on Claude's face. "Claude, we can't take her to the hospital. Will you trust me enough to follow me back to our manor? Hatter's Town is next to Widow's Moor. We can reach the manor before sunrise."
Claude stared at the bigger wolf longer before asking, "Len?"
Reina climbed Claude's back and hugged his thick neck as if it were a saddle. She whispered, "Would you have struck him if you knew?"
"Double." Claude scoffed at Reina's question and snubbed Len. "He could have just told me. We didn't have to stand around longer. You're losing too much blood. Hey, can you hold on? You might fall off if we ran too fast."
"Just… be careful." Reina didn't know. She was too weak to assure herself that she wouldn't fall off. Before they left, she had already fainted on Claude's back.
Len dispersed his big wolf body and assumed a wolfman form. He grabbed a handful of old wires running across the surrounding abandoned buildings. He tied it around Reina's waist and got Claude to bite onto it to hold it.
Standing before Claude, Len held the big wolf's face. "Let's talk longer after bringing Reina. I'm sure you want her to pull through."
"My grandpa's words slowly made sense now," Claude spoke like he was chewing through a tough hide. "Let's save her first… then we'll talk again."
"Follow me."
Len nodded and turned into a big wolf again. He ran and hopped over obstacles, Claude following suit. The path they took didn't cross the residences, and he cared too little about a few drunk people who noticed them jumping around. In a few minutes, Len and Claude made it out of Hatter's Town. A massive forest spanned toward the horizon, providing good cover for them.
…
The Widow's Manor lay between the dense forest and the old city of Widow's Moor. Its farms spanned into the city outskirts, dividing the territories. Len walked into the premises in his wolf form, stopping from time to time to wait for Claude. Not that Claude was slower than him.
Claude had never been to this place before. The sunrise view from the elevation was as mesmerizing as the view from Saint Emilien. He could only imagine the kind of moon-viewing feast they could hold in a place like this. Claude then remembered they should hurry to save Reina. However, with her heartbeat and breathing stable, she might not be in too much danger.
"Master Len, you've arrived." A matron and a few maids greeted Len in the distance. Claude heard them, too, so he hurried to deliver Reina to them.
"Master, who is he?" The matron stared at Claude as the maids picked Reina up from his back. She then looked at the young Alpha. "I don't think we can simply allow a rogue in our house. Moreover, he… doesn't smell like a normal werewolf."
"He's only visiting. No need to worry. Claude, let's go," Len answered them, cuing Claude to follow him inside. The matron could only bow down and accept the order.
Claude hurried to Len's side, not forgetting to sight-see. His head kept moving in fascination. "Man, this place is amazing! An old manor! My grandpa's house is also big, but this is colossal! How many of your relatives live here with you?"
Len turned to him, but his gaze didn't seem encouraging to Claude. "Darling, please refrain from speaking for now. I have yet to determine the scope of the exile. I don't want to drive you away from my home. Leave the talking to me. You are free to admire the house, however. If you want something, I will find a way to send it to the Cavalry's dorm."
A slight chuckle came from Claude. He lowered his shoulders despite the bitter smile. "Yeah… I just remembered my grandpa was exiled from his last pack. It would be awkward if he used to live here. I don't think there's a werewolf pack in Hatter's Town."
They soon arrived at a drawing room. The doors were big enough, as if accommodating those who stayed in their wolf form. Inside, Irving was waiting for them with a few clothes piled up beside him on the couch. He smiled at them and waved a greeting.
"Hey…!" Claude changed back into his human form at the sight of clothes. He quickly stood behind the couch and checked what he could wear. Len followed him, albeit not diving to claim what Irving brought for him. After all, all of those were his clothes.
"What a rich pack…! It's all high-quality…" Claude whispered before pulling off a complete set to change into. He noticed Len nearby. "Uhm… should I have let you select first?"
"No. I will ask you to pick first, regardless." Len chuckled. He didn't have to dive if Irving picked from the remaining ones. "Let's get dressed fast, Claude. You want to find Reina soon, right?"