CHAPTER 32: DON’T PANIC

Iris’s POV

"Hurry up!" Amelia’s voice hissed through the library but barely above a whisper. She shifted impatiently near the towering shelves as my hands fumbled through the dusty tomes, fingertips brushing over the books as I squinted in the darkness searching for this book as I recalled it falling from my hand the moment Margery saw me here days ago. Here I am searching relentlessly.

"I’m still searching. I can’t find it," I replied back. My heart pounded as I could hear me heart beating so fast, not from anything but fear and the risk I had put us in.

"Oh, Moon Goddess, I knew she’d put me in great trouble," Amelia snapped,. Her eyes darted toward me in sobs.

I whipped my head around, glaring at her. "Don’t be dramatic, Amelia. Keep your voice low," I shot back. "We’re almost done. Just stay calm, I’ll find it soon."

I turned back to the shelves, my fingers grazing at each book. Then, finally, my hand closed around a weathered volume tucked between two larger books. The title is barely legible from the dark as I read through the title. The New Wolf’s Guide to Transformation and Taking Control

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"Found it!" I said, holding the book up, my lip curling out smiles. Amelia’s tense shoulders sagged, and she let out a shaky breath, her hands clasping together as if in prayer.

"Thank the Moon Goddess," she murmured, her voice softer. She stepped closer, her eyes flicking to the book in my hands. "Now let’s get out of here before someone catches us."

I nodded, tucking the book into the folds of my dress. We moved toward the door at the far end of the library, our footsteps muffled on. But just as we reached it, the sound of a swirling swords caught our attention as we halted. My heart leapt into my throat. Slowly, I leaned toward the door’s narrow window, peering through the smudged glass. The rain was pouring down heavily as lightning followed as my eyes fell on him, Alpha Lucas swinging his sword in every direction. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead as rain poured down. His movements were relentless as if he were fighting an invisible foe.

Amelia peeked over my shoulder, her breath hitching. Her eyes widened, fear replacing the irritation from moments ago. "Iris, what kind of trouble have you gotten us into?" Her words were obviously of anxiety. Her fingers gripped my arm. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my own panic at bay. "Don’t worry," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "We can sneak out. He won’t notice us."

Amelia snapped her head forward. "Sneak out? If he sees us, he’ll report us to Alpha Trent!" Her hands gesturing wildly. "You know how he is about his father’s rules, even if he doesn’t agree with them."

I pressed a finger to my lips, shushing her and urging her to quiet down. "Keep it low. We’ll wait until he leaves," I said firmly. "He can’t train forever, not in this heavy rainy storm."

"He doesn’t look like he’s leaving anytime soon, Iris." She pointed toward the window, where Lucas continued its relentless training , unbothered by the rain.

I sighed. "Don’t panic. We’ll get out soon. Just... be patient." I guided her to a corner near the door, where we sank to the floor and rested our heads and back on the wall.

Amelia hugged her knees, her lips pursed as she muttered under her breath, lamenting our situation. I reached out, squeezing her hand gently. "It’s going to be fine," I said, though my own nerves were fraying.

Minutes dragged into an hour. The storm outside continued to raged on, thunder rumbling constantly and Lucas was still there. I leaned my head against her shoulder, my eyelids growing heavy from sleep and despite my best efforts, I dozed off, lulled by the steady patter of rain.

Suddenly when I opened my eyes again, my neck ached from the awkward angle as early morning sunlight filtered through the high windows. Amelia’s head was still resting against the wall, her mouth slightly open as she slept.

"Oh my God." I snapped at the realization of the mess. The training ground outside was silent now, no clanging swords, no Lucas. But faint voices drifted from beyond the library. It was the pack members starting their daily routines.

"Amelia," I called, shaking her shoulder. "Wake up. I think I’ve really put us in trouble now."

Her eyes snapped open immediately, and she sat up. "What?" she croaked, rubbing her face. She followed my gaze to the window, where the morning light revealed a bustling environment. Her eyes snapped to me. Oh, no. Iris."

"We need to leave before someone comes in here," I said, scrambling to my feet. My legs were stiff, and the book tucked in my dress. Amelia’s eyes widened, her hands flailing. "What? We’ll be caught!"

"It’s either we leave now or wait to be caught in here," I shot back, already moving toward the door. I cracked it open, peering into the outside. It was empty, but the distant sound of footsteps still filled the air. I motioned for Amelia to follow, and she hesitated, her lips trembling as if to protest but finally stood, standing behind me.

We slipped out into the corridor, our footsteps hurried and careful. The pack members were still waking up, voices and clattering dishes filtering through the walls of movement we made. But suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps approaching towards our direction. I grabbed Amelia’s arm, pulling her behind as we hid at the corner. We pressed ourselves against the cold stone wall, holding our breaths as two guards passed, their conversation about last night’s dice game fading into the distance. Amelia’s eyes were filled with fear as if her heart was about to leap out, her hand gripping mine so tightly.

We continued to move again, hiding behind barrels or slipping into alcoves whenever footsteps neared. Finally, we reached the main hall, where pack members busted about, heading to their daily work. We slipped into the crowd, joining in with their movement heading out.

As we left Warborn’s territory and began the trek back to Black Bane, Amelia lagged behind, her steps now sluggish as her face looked weak now. "Iris," she called weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I’m... I’m feeling dizzy."

I turned. Her face was ashen and really weak. Before I could respond, she began to cough, a harsh, rattling sound that made her wince, holding her chest in pain. She stumbled, reaching for a nearby tree to steady herself. "Amelia, what’s wrong?" I asked, stepping closer.

She coughed again, harder and continuously this time, gasping for air now. Panic surged through me, my hands hovering uselessly in confusion as her gasps grew more desperate as her knees gave way as she slumped to the ground, gasping and struggling to breathe. "Amelia!" I called afraid as I dropped to my knees beside her, unsure of what to do as my mind instantly flew to the memory of my past life about her pneumonia and asthma sickness she was diagnosed in.