h4Chapter 302: Heading to Alpha Ria’s Territory/h4

    "I asked around," said Scarlet as she stepped out of the car. "The people of the town where you met the mechanic told me a little about the female alpha that man and his wife spoke of."

    "They did?" Inez followed Scarlet out of the car. She nced around the town where she hade thest time with Tracy, and the worry in her heart eased a little. The town no longer looked as terrifying as it did on that night; instead, it looked quite cute and vintage, with small houses scattered all over thend. Suddenly, an odd sort of feeling, which she wasn’t used to but wasn’t unfamiliar with, trickled within her heart. It was an emotion that she hadn’t felt on herst visit to this town.

    Nostalgia.

    Like she knew this ce but couldn’t remember it anymore. As if she had once walked around this ce—which was fucking weird because Inez didn’t recall walking around this town in the past, like, ever.

    iIt’s not weird considering that thest time you were here, you were just a kid, /iher siren spoke within her. Her voice was calm and soothing, but Inez didn’t dare to trust her, given that her siren was not even in control of her own powers.

    Her siren snorted within her.

    iIs it my fault? You have never epted me as a part of you. Always ashamed. Always avoiding me. You don’t even speak my name. If not for the fact that your wolf was incapable of assisting you at the moment, you wouldn’t even pay attention to me. If you had learned how to use your powers, do you think that we would be in the situation that we are in at the moment? /iHer siren’s words left a lingering guilt within Inez.

    Right. She had always avoided even epting that she was part siren because her mother often called her a monster and whatnot. Saying that she was not worthy enough to be a shifter because she also had a siren. Because of this very reason, Inez had hardly learnt or even epted her siren—no, Nerina. That was what her siren was called.

    Inez could feel Nerina’s happiness within her. Even though she hadn’t done anything other than ept her and call her by her name, Nerina was beaming with happiness with just that alone and that only made Inez even guiltier.

    "Are you speaking with your siren?"

    Scarlet’s voice broke through her thoughts, and Inez turned to look at her sister.

    "Yeah, how do you know that?" She asked.

    "You have this guilty expression on your face. Like you did something wrong," mused Scarlet. She wasn’t looking at Inez but around the town as if searching for something. "Honestly, I wonder how it feels to have two forces within your own body and head. I mean, I have M, and she alone is enough to keep me upied all day long with how chatty she is. I wonder how you haven’t gone crazy with Nia and that siren of yours."

    "Nerina". Inez ryed her siren’s name to Scarlet before she continued to speak. "And yeah—it’s really confusing with the two of them yelling and screaming at me in my head, but with Nia gone... it’s quite too quiet." Inez frowned, missing her wolf who had gone silent. She could feel Nia, knew that she was alive within her. But that was it. She couldn’t reach out to her. It was as if Nia was wrapped and hidden in a bubble. Inez could see and feel her, but she couldn’t reach her with the barrier separating her from her wolf.

    iShe is just throwing a tantrum, /ihuffed Nerina. iWhat’s the point of pining after a wolf who doesn’t even want you? She is a shame and embarrassment for all the sirens. /i

    iExcept that she is a wolf and not a siren. /i

    iShe is stuck with me. So she should know better. Men and wolves are not worth your trust—and even if they are, you need to keep your heart protected. Never ever put your key to happiness in the hands of a man. /i

    iWhat about Killian?/i

    Inez could feel her siren going silent before Nerina exploded. iWhat about him? What about him? It’s not like I am going to cry myself to death if he walks out on me. I am stronger than Nia and always will be. Don’t count me in the same rank as her, alright? /i

    Inez winced as Nerina’s voice drummed within her head. She pushed her siren back to the back of her head and then nced at Scarlet, who was standing in front of her and staring at the end of the road on the right. "What are you looking at?"

    "There is something wrong," replied Scarlet. She pointed at the end of the road, and Inez followed her line of sight. "You see that? That old path had a signboard with all the streets marked thest time I came here, but now there is nothing. It’s weird. who in the world would move a signboard?"

    ’It was indeed weird,’ agreed Inez.

    Why would someone move a signboard?

    She questioned, "Was that signboard important?"

    "No," Scarlet shook her head. "Though it was indeed andmark that I marked in my head, it wasn’t exactly important. I know where to go."

    She raised her foot and headed down the road that spiralled down from a modern one to a rickety and bumpy forest path. With thorny bushes, wild nts and gnarled branches reaching out to smack them on their faces, Inez felt like they were walking down what she thought was a path to the forbidden city rather than to an old and abandoned pack.

    "Are you sure it’s down there?" She asked with a frown on her face as another branch smacked her on the face, leaving a red thunder-shaped mark on her pale skin.

    "I left some marks behind." Scarlet pointed at the w marks on the tree on the right and stated, "You don’t have to worry, we are on the right track. This road will definitely lead us to the abandoned pack of Alpha Ria."