CHAPTER 64: DID YOU FIND ANYTHING?

Nicole trembled with fury. "Why are you doing this, Sis Anna?!" she shouted, running a shaky hand through her hair. "Did you not hear what that bitch just said? I swear, I’m going to teach her a lesson she won’t forget..."

"That’s enough," Anna interrupted, her voice softer than Nicole’s but firm and commanding. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she turned her eyes toward the stunned group surrounding her. "I just arrived today, and already I’m greeted by shouting and fighting. This is not the welcome I expected nor is it one I appreciate. It seems like you’ve all just grown taller, but deep down, you’re still those same rude little kids."

A tense silence followed. Then, in unison, Darius, Zephyr, Auren, Nicole, and Mirabel bowed their heads and chorused, "We’re sorry, Big Sister. Please forgive us."

Apart from being Darius’s sister, Anna was also something of a small mother figure to all of them. Darius, being an orphan, had been raised by Anna his big sister and not just him. Over time, Anna had also taken the others under her wing. Because of that, they all held a deep respect for her and often addressed her as "Small Mummy," honoring both her authority and her nurturing role in their lives. Although Darius is also not really an orphan as his mother elder sister and her husband are considered his parents, they’re the ones known by the whole world but then they’re not here with him right now as they had their own business and children too.

Anna’s expression softened. The anger that had creased her features moments ago was now replaced with a warm, relaxed smile. "Instead of tearing each other apart like rabid wolves, why don’t we do something a little more civilized?"

"Like what?" Mirabel asked, arching a skeptical brow.

"Let’s go shopping," Anna suggested with a carefree shrug, her smile widening as if the chaos of moments ago had never happened. She had always been known as the care free type.

"Shopping?" Nicole echoed, blinking in disbelief. Her voice held both surprise and confusion.

"Why should we go shopping when we already had something planned for you?" Darius chimed in, folding his arms across his chest. His tone was half-exasperated, half-resigned. "We’ve arranged a place where you can relax after your long trip."

"Well, this is what I want," Anna said breezily, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Retail therapy."

Then, without any warning, she reached out and grabbed Victoria’s hand once more, her grip firm and decisive. "Come on, Victoria. Let’s go!"

"Wait....what...?" Victoria began to stammer, but Anna was already dragging her out of the room with surprising strength and determination, giving her no chance to protest or even gather her thoughts.

The others exchanged curious, baffled glances before quickly following after them.

Just as they began filing out of the mansion...

Leo stepped back in.

He had just returned from changing his outfit and more importantly, from conducting the investigation he had promised earlier. His sharp gaze swept across the room, immediately catching on to the shift in energy. His eyes locked onto the sight of Victoria being pulled away by Anna, and his brows knit together in concern and confusion.

****

Two sleek black cars soon pulled up in front of a magnificent building. Moments later, Anna, Darius, Zephyr, Auren, Nicole, Mirabel, Victoria, and Leo stepped out one after another.

The building was an enormous shopping mall....one of the largest in the entire region of the park. The glass structure gleamed under the afternoon sun, its modern design and grandeur impossible to ignore.

Without wasting much time, the group made their way inside.

The mall, owned by the Darius family, was built and named in his honor by his late parents. It wasn’t just a shopping center....it was a landmark. The place buzzed with life. Werewolves of various ranks moved about, shopping for everything from designer clothes to high-end gadgets and luxurious perfumes. Employees bustled through the aisles, some assisting customers with their purchases, others calculating bills at the counters, and a few restocking neatly arranged shelves with fresh goods.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen!" Anna called out cheerfully, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. "Shop for whatever you want. All bills are on me today."

Her voice, bright and generous, echoed through the spacious lobby. The others turned to her with varying degrees of surprise, amusement, and delight.

Then Anna turned her full attention to Victoria, who stood slightly apart from the group, still trying to process the whirlwind of emotions and events.

"You, dear," Anna said warmly, placing a gentle hand on Victoria’s shoulder. "You should pick out anything you like. Don’t hold back."

Victoria could only swallow hard, her throat tightening under the weight of all the stares. She nodded in response and began walking deeper into the luxurious mall, trying to appear unfazed. Yet, she could still feel their heated gazes trailing behind her....Nicole, Auren, Zephyr, and Darius. Their anger clung to her.

Once she and Leo had managed to separate from the group, Victoria leaned a little closer to him and whispered, "So... did you find anything, Leo? You took so long to get back."

Leo exhaled deeply. "I wish I had. But those Alphas’ mansions are enormous, Victoria. I can’t just keep wandering around without attracting attention. Even with my skills... it’s difficult. I’m not visible in mirrors or on camera, but the servants stationed at every corridor and entrance can still see me. And it’s not like I can erase the memory of everyone I encounter."

His voice dropped a little lower as he added, "I can only erase the memories of two people per day. That’s my limit."

"You can even erase memories too." Victoria voiced out as she heaved a heavy sigh.

"And besides that, I can also see memories... but only when I physically touch someone’s head." Leo added.

Victoria raised an eyebrow, intrigued, while holding up a floral beach dress she’d picked off a nearby rack. Her gaze, however, remained fixed on Leo. "Really? You can see people’s memories too?"

"Yes, of course," Leo replied with a nod, his tone laced with fatigue. "All I have to do is hold their head. I can retrieve whatever memories I want....even without erasing anything. Though I can erase them too, if necessary."

"Interesting," Victoria murmured, lowering the dress slightly as her eyes lit up with realization.

"Anyway, to make my investigation easy....I need you to help me summon a tracker from your ocket. Once it appears, you’ll drop a bit of blood on it. That way, it can help locate any secret room inside the mansion. And since the tracker will be absorbing your blood immediately it dropped, no one will be able to smell it or recognize it as a priceless relic." Leo continued further letting Victoria eyes widen open in surprise.

"That’s great then," Victoria responded with a faint smile of excitement beginning to form in her expression. "Also, now that I know about this memory-reading ability you’ve been keeping from me... I need you to check Anna’s memories too."

Leo blinked.

"She looked shocked the moment she saw me. I felt it. I think she knows something. So, I want you to find out what. And while you’re at it, I want you to also look into Mirabel, my parents, my brothers and especially the three Alphas’ memories."

Leo gave a soft smirk, his arms folding across his chest. "You think I didn’t tell you about the memory-reading ability on time without a reason?"

"Huh?" Victoria raised an eyebrow.

"It’s not that simple," he said. "There’s a catch to this ability. Anyone who’s connected to your past life. anyone who remembers that life, or who had direct involvement in it...I can’t access their memories. Not the ones from then... and not even the ones from now."

Victoria’s face twisted with annoyance. "You’re joking."

"I’m not."

"That’s insane," she snapped, her voice lowering but no less intense. "So, the power is practically useless then? You’re telling me it only works on people who aren’t connected to my first life? That’s ridiculous. I don’t need memories from strangers....I need answers!"

Leo didn’t respond. He simply continued inspecting a nearby rack of outfits, his expression unreadable.

Victoria exhaled sharply and then composed herself. "Well... you can still try it on Anna. If it works, she’s not connected to my past. But if it doesn’t....then that’s proof she is. Either way, we’ll know something."

Leo’s gaze flicked toward her, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. "There’s no more perfect moment than now."

His smirk sent a ripple of confusion through Victoria. She furrowed her brows.

"What do you mean?"

Before Leo could answer, a sharp, mocking voice pierced the air.

"You’re Victoria’s bodyguard? You look more like an errand boy, if you ask me," Nicole sneered as she approached them, dropping a basket full of items directly at Leo’s feet. "Make yourself useful. You’re clearly not busy fighting thugs or criminals right now."

Leo’s gaze shifted toward the fallen basket, then slowly rose to meet Nicole’s with a dangerous calm.

Victoria, folding her arms tightly across her chest, took a step forward. "What is your problem with me, Nicole? Are you that desperate for attention?"

Nicole chuckled lightly, her tone filled with scorn. "Attention? From you? Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t know how you managed to get on Anna’s good side, but it won’t last. I can’t stand you, and neither can anyone at the academy. We’re all just waiting for the right moment to really teach you a lesson."

Leo rolled his eyes and turned to Victoria. "I’m assuming you can handle her if she tries anything? She’s just a girl, after all. Won’t take much effort to break her bones if she crosses the line."

Then, without waiting for a reply, he delivered a swift kick to Nicole’s basket, sending the carefully chosen items flying in all directions.

Gasps filled the air as nearby shoppers turned their heads, watching the sudden commotion unfold.

Nicole’s eyes widened in rage. "How dare you?!" she screamed, her voice trembling with fury.

"Wanna go get Anna now?" Leo asked Victoria calmly, completely unbothered by Nicole’s outburst.

Before Victoria could respond or stop him because truthfully, she wasn’t sure what madness he was about to unleash...Leo was already striding toward Anna, who stood at the jewelry section, delicately examining a diamond necklace.