Chapter 53: Chapter 53

POV Aurel

I tried to focus my vision as someone grabbed my waist, preventing me from falling onto the hard floor. Somehow, I caught a whiff of something strong, making my head throb even more.

"Are you alright?" I couldn't see his face clearly, but I was sure it was a guy.

"You seem to be unwell. Should I take you to the health room?" he asked again. I was still trying to make out the face in front of me. He was helping me stand upright.

"Please help me, my head is really hurting," I replied, my voice barely audible. I was just trying to muster as much strength as I could. He mentioned taking me to the health room, and maybe I should have listened to Gray's words about resting at home. I was pushing myself too hard.

Oh, right, I forgot something. I should contact him immediately. I hope he hasn't left to take care of his errands yet. I then felt him guiding me to a seat.

"Drink this first, you'll feel better afterwards," he said again, and I gulped down the water. For some reason, it tasted bitter. Did he just give me some medicine? But after drinking it, my head, which had been hurting, started to feel a bit better. However, it was replaced by drowsiness.

"Rest for a while. You'll feel better after getting some sleep," he said, and I felt him trying to help me lie down. I followed his lead. Maybe after resting, my body would feel better, I thought.

Elsewhere

POV Gray

I had just parked my car when I sensed something unfamiliar, something related to my soulmate. I hadn't even entered the house yet, but I got back in the car and started driving again. Something didn't feel right about Aurel. I raced my car, the urgency pushing me forward. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong with Aurel. I contacted Thunder and Simon to check on her, whether she was still at school.

"Check on Aurel's condition. I sense something bad happening to her. Also, keep an eye on her surroundings. If there's anything suspicious, report to me," I said, sending the PackLink to Thunder and Simon. They responded promptly, and I continued driving to the school. I entrusted Aurel's safety to them.

But it seemed my assumption was wrong. When I arrived, Thunder and Simon approached me with stern expressions on their faces.

"Something really happened. We've lost her trail," Thunder said, and my heart started racing. I couldn't even sense Aura's presence around the school.

"What did you just say?" I asked, gripping the jacket Thunder was wearing.

"Aurel disappeared. We checked around the school and followed your scent, but there's nothing. She's nowhere to be found. I also asked Stella to search for her last whereabouts, and the last location was in the west corridor. After that, her scent just vanished," Thunder explained, making me clench my fists.

"We need to find out who was the last person she was with. Did you find anything?" I asked again, and Simon nodded.

"Yes, Aurel was last seen with someone, and then she disappeared," Simon explained.

"Alright, then let's find the person she was last with," I said, and we started running. Simon and Thunder led me to a fearful-looking guy who was now around us, a student with thick glasses and a heavy book.

"Where's Aurel?" I asked without hesitation. He looked trembling.

"I was just trying to help her. She looked sick, so I took her to the health room," he explained, causing me to rub my face in frustration.

"She was sick? Then where is she now? She's not in the health room or anywhere in the school. Did you see anyone take her away?" I asked again. He shook his head.

"At that time, I just gave her the drink and immediately called the school nurse. I don't know if the nurse attended to her in the health room or not. I just went to my class because lessons had started," he explained, making me even angrier. There was absolutely no clue to help us find where Aurel was.

"Shouldn't we be suspicious of him?" Thunder whispered, making me glance at the male student again.

"Well, he's just an ordinary student with his innocence. He's even trembling in front of us. He's human, so we won't touch him," I explained, and we finally let the student go. I then headed to the health room. There must be some traces that could help us find Aurel. I didn't know why I had allowed her to attend school despite her condition. I should have insisted she rest, but she had insisted, and I couldn't bring myself to stop her.

I looked around the room. There was no sign of Aurel, not even a trace of anyone else's presence. Until someone approached us.

"Thunder," it was Stella. She stood at the doorway.

"Did you find Aurel?" Thunder asked, seemingly seeking Stella's assistance. She shook her head, but her attention was on the health room.

"No, her scent was last here. I didn't check this room before, but there's something strange," Stella said, furrowing my brows.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's like Siren poison. I can smell the water's scent that lingers in this room. Didn't you notice?" Stella asked, making me look at Thunder and Simon. Maybe Stella's abilities could be useful in finding Aurel. Stella was a healer within our pack, so her sense of smell was accurate when it came to medicines and such.

"What's Siren poison?" I asked.

"Someone seems to have used it in this room. I'm not sure if it was for Aurel or for something else. Although the smell is similar, I'm confident I can differentiate it," Stella explained again. She continued searching the health room as if looking for something that could serve as evidence to support her theory. Her steps stopped at the sink. She looked at a glass that appeared empty and clean. She took the glass and handed it to me.

"I'm certain that someone used this glass to give a drink mixed with Siren poison to someone. It's so subtle, but I'm confident," Stella said. I looked at the glass in front of me. There was nothing strange about it, and only Stella seemed to perceive it.

"What do we do now?" I asked, making Stella look at Thunder.

"There's only one Siren in this school, and he must know about the recent usage of that poison. I know the basics that this poison can induce a deep sleep if the dosage is high," Stella explained, causing me to rub my face roughly. What if someone had truly given Aurel that Siren poison?

"Then find this Siren and bring them to me," I said, looking at Simon and Thunder. They nodded and left to search for the Siren Stella mentioned. As for me, I stood there, trying to sense any trace of Aurel using my own abilities. I felt regret for not bonding with Aurel that night, which would have allowed us to establish a matebond and locate her easily. Now, even though I could faintly sense her, it wasn't strong enough to pinpoint her exact location. I would never let her out of my sight again in the future. I had to bond with her as soon as possible to protect her.

After a while, Thunder and Simon returned with a dark-skinned woman with long, wavy hair. I stared at her, knowing for sure that she was the Siren Stella had been referring to, as the strong scent of water emanated from her.

"What's this? A pack of wolves calling me?" she said.

"Do you know about this?" Stella spoke up, handing her the glass. The woman took it and seemed surprised.

"Who used Siren poison here? Why would you use it? It's dangerous, and you can't simply acquire it. I'm not even allowed to use it by my own clan," she said, making Stella look at me.

"It wasn't us who used it, but someone we suspect used it on one of our pack members, Aurel. She disappeared from this room," Stella explained, leaving the woman silent. She then looked around.

"But I don't sense any other Siren scent here besides mine. I'm sure the perpetrator isn't from our clan," she said, making me think.

"Then who from another clan used the poison?"

"Not me, but wait a minute. Don't you realize the strong scent of blood around here?" the Siren said, making me furrow my brows. What was actually happening? I couldn't even sense any scent, including blood, like the others.

"What do you mean by the scent of blood?" I asked, and the Siren walked to another area. She entered a room with a sink, and there was blood smeared around it. I was surprised. It wasn't something we couldn't smell at all. The scent of blood was strong, so why couldn't we detect it?

"What happened here? Why is there so much blood on this sink?" the Siren asked, making me look at Simon.

"Can't you see anything? Use your abilities," I said, and Simon tried hard, but he shook his head.

"I can't. I can't sense anything. I can't even detect the scent of blood. Someone must have manipulated the situation, and this seems premeditated," Simon said, making me nod in understanding. Someone had played me for a fool, and I felt even more foolish for falling for it and losing my soulmate.