Page 14 of Wolf Burdened

NATALIE

Brian handed me a tissue while everyone else sat in silence.

I'd woken up this morning feeling rested, but the moment my eyes opened, memories of the night before came flooding back.

I was now in the kitchen with everyone, and as I'd suspected, I hadn't been able to stop the tears as I told them about yesterday’s events. In the telling, I relived every moment—from when I notified them about there being an infected animal being in the city to the time Zeus teleported me home.

Rumir’s dragon had awakened, causing him to melt the edge of the sink he was leaning on, and my fridge, where Lucian was standing, was now covered in frost. Considering the amount of power they had at their disposal, they’d done an admirable job of restraining themselves.

Rehema’s eyes were glowing green, and Brian's skin was black in some areas where his hybrid form was struggling to break free.

Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who was upset.

We’d all been worried about the possibility of this virus spreading to souls. And now it was a reality. If an outbreak happened… well, I didn’t want to think about how bad that would be.

I crumpled the tissue in my hand. I hadn’t told anyone about the misty substance that had attacked me, or about the vision I had. Should I?

Even though Hekate had said I wasn’t infected, something was wrong with me.

While I hadn't heard any voices since I woke this morning, their presence had to mean something. When I heard the voices, I’d felt the same loneliness as I had in the vision. If the two things were linked, that probably wasn’t a good thing.

But shouldn’t I figure out what that meant before I told the others? After all, why freak them out for no reason?

“People need to know about this.” Rehema looked from me to the others and then back. “The gods are treating this like a minor nuisance. But it’s obviously a lot more than that.”

“I agree,” I told her. “But they said they don't want to alarm everyone."

“I’d say there is reason to be alarmed.” Brian crossed his arms, and Rumir nodded in agreement.

I let out a long sigh. “They said if the realm falls into chaos because souls are panicking, getting the masses under control will interfere with battling this virus.” I pushed my hair back, frustrated. “I think they need to give everyone more credit. Don’t you think people will listen if the gods order them all to stay home until this is over?”

“I’m afraid it won’t be so easy," Lucian said. We all paused to look at him. "Some will listen, but many won’t. After all, this realm is filled with creatures of all species. Not all of them play by the same rules."

He grimaced. “While order is kept here better than it is on Earth,” he said, “panicked riots are a very real possibility. There has never been a threat like this before. Some souls won’t know how to react. Many will be petrified by the risk of becoming infected and driven to insanity, let alone the risk of a true soul death.

Lucian had a point. But if the gods wanted to keep the peace, why didn’t they hurry up and get rid of this thing?

“Those born in this realm may react even worse,” Rehema added softly. “Creatures like me, who’ve never experienced anything like this, won’t know what to do.”

I reached out and took her hand. I could see how scared she was. This was all new to her—to Brian and Rumir, too—because they’d only ever lived in peace.

She sighed. “I hate this.”

"Yeah, I know, this sucks!" I told her.

Brian, who was sitting at the island, leaned forward. “The gods are being too slow about this,” he said. “It's been going on for weeks. Is there a chance that maybe they are purposefully being slow?”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Lucian added.

"What are you two talking about?" I asked.

Rehema pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you saying this virus might be something that even the gods can’t handle?” she asked, looking up at them, the concern written all over her face. “Is that even possible?”

“It might be,” Rumir admitted. “It is unlike them to let an issue escalate like this. And now they’ve got the Kruards involved, too? Maybe this is a god-level threat."

"A god-level threat?" I repeated. That didn’t sound good. “What does that mean?”

"It’s a threat that is equal or superior to the power of the gods," Lucian explained. “If the Imperium can't easily eliminate this virus, that means the source of it—or the virus itself—could be too much for even the gods to handle.”

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