BLAKE:
A lot had transpired within the last couple of days. His mind was clogged on a rollercoaster of thoughts like a broken water closet. He stepped through the woods stealthy, moving at his own pace. If time could just slow down, and let him have a minute in this moment, he would have appreciated it.
But that was why he was here today. To find answers. He came to the one person he trusted that could direct him on what to do. The right thing to do.
Blake descended a steep pathway that led to a lake situated at the bottom. He moved alone. No one in his pack knew of his whereabouts. This meeting was top secret.
His boots guided him through a heap of fallen leaves and damp soil. He arrived at the bank of the lake. The reflection of the full moon could be seen just right at the centre of the body of water. It had been a while since he had come here. He wasn't so sure if he would still find what he seeked at the foot of Boston preserve, where the waters ran still under a glorious full moon.
"Selene!" Blake said, his voice echoed like a powerful force through the thick night.
"I know you're out here. I need your help. I need you to answer me!"
He picked up a small rock after waiting five minutes and flung into the still water, disturbing the reflection of the crystal ball.
"What is this prophecy the witches speak of?" He was asking frantically now, searching his eyes above and below.
Silence met his question like the sting of a wasp. Night creatures croaked in the background. He wasn't prepared to be ignored. It angered him.
"I've been without a mate for such a long time. All along I've wanted the kind of love my parents had, and now, just when things are finally falling in place." He screamed. "A witch decides to shake the earth!"
He picked up more stones and flung them with incredible power, quivering the moons reflection. When Blake grew tired, he fell on his arse, raking his hands through his curly hair. He dug at his roots, troubled. He hadn't wanted to admit this to himself for so long, but today, the weight of his father's death crashed down on him like a mighty sea wave. Blake felt the pang of loneliness in his chest.
After a minute, he heard the sound. The water was moving. It wasn't his doing. He had kept his anger at bay and ceased throwing the rocks. But something was disturbing the calm waters now, like there was something guiding its way through. Blake brought his head up, and released his hands from his head.
He looked and observed as the one person he had desired to see all along approached him. The moon goddess looked magnificent as she climbed out from the moons reflection in the waters, drawing towards shore.
"Young Alpha, it's been a while. To what do I owe this bother?"
He stumbled to his feet, gazing at the surreality before him. Her hips swayed right and left as she walked bare feet on the ground, reaching him. A single garment clothed her waist, down to mid thigh. With each step, the dangling materials on the garment danced together, creating a soft rhythm, like little cymbals. Blake dropped on one knee and lowered his head as a sign of respect.
He had noticed her upper limb unclad. Her full breasts dropped like a pear shape on her chest, and her nipples tipped upwards, perking like a spear about to cut.
There was a golden necklet with many layers lined around her neck. It provided a small shade to her very bare breasts. She was magnificent. Everything like he remembered, so unreal. Her slender and shapely body had a pale blue shine to it. Selene had full, black long hair that fell to her knees. All of her was adorned with jewellery; her ankles, wrists, hair, knees and thighs.
Blake said, "Are you aware of this prophecy?"
"Believe me, there are many things that I know, young Alpha. There's nothing that can go past my hearing, but perhaps, you could enlighten me of this prophecy."
"The other day in Norway—"
"Oh, your little killing spree in the Norwegian woods. I see, how did that go?"
Blake didn't expect the kind of reception he was getting. It was like the moon goddess hadn't approved of his revenge on the witche, even though she had been the sole reason they had survived that day. Blake gazed at her. The look on her face clearly told him that she thought otherwise.
"Selene, they killed my father." He stared at the ground again, trying to rein in his unsettled anger.
"I'm aware, but I expected you to be a lot smarter than that. The witch queen sits on the conclave's throne, after all."
"I was losing my mind. I couldn't just sit back and watch."
"Did that do any help? It looks to me like you're still losing your mind." She made a curve around him, keeping her distance. "Why else would you be here?"
"I'm here because I don't understand the prophecy a witch gave before she died. I can't help feeling that there's more to it."
The moon goddess stopped behind him. He couldn't see her. He couldn't dare turn back, but he felt jumped because even his super human senses couldn't detect anything.
"An alpha dead. A hunter amidst wolves. Bloodshed. Blood ties broken, and this...duel," Blake said.
He heard nothing after that. Just the creatures of the night croaking in the dark.
"If you know anything, you have to help me." He tried again.
Then, she appeared at his front out of nowhere. A bit closer this time.
"You may stand."
Blake did as he was told. He rose to his feet and brought his eyes to the moon goddess standing a few feet away.
"The witch had also said something about a two-faced mate. It was like a warning—"
"What are you really here for?"
Blake blinked. The question had caught him off guard and Selene stared at him with digging eyes. She was unravelling him, piece by piece.
"My mother demands that we join our fates with the faes. We can't defeat the witch queen on her own."
Selene scoffed. "Seeing as you've already angered her, It's only a matter of time till she comes for the velvet moon pack."
"I don't know if that's the right choice."
She arched a brow. "Mating with the fae Princess?"
"I've been without a mate for a long while now. I was content with following my mother's wishes, but then, there's this prophecy in the way."
Selene turned on her way, swaying her hips and guiding herself back to the lake. Blake almost chased after her. He had reached out and caught himself.
"Where are you going? Help me, Selene."
"Did you ask for my thoughts before you raised havoc and chased down those witches in Norway?"
Blake was silent.
"You didn't, and now you want my help on the right choice to make." She looked over her shoulder. "Young Alpha, you've made your choices without my aid. You can do that again."
Half of her body had been covered by the waters already. She went lower and lower. Blake grew angst.
"Wait! At least, the prophecy. Give me answers."
"It's clear as daylight. You'd better watch your back."
With that, she was gone. The lake had swallowed her up, still as a board, like nothing lived within it.
•••
Dawn had broken out the minute he arrived at the pack's territory in Boston. If the moon goddess had told him to watch his back, he was going to do just that. This was war. His pack came first in moments like these. Protecting them was his duty before all else. There were steps he had to take for whatever was coming. He considered his mating with the fae Princess on a deeper level. Duty first.
He moved to his room, changed from his boots and got out from his dirty clothes. He was careful not to leave a trail of soil in his wake. They would scent it in a second and figure out where he had been all night.
Blake stood before the mirror above his dresser. He watched his chest rise with each breath he took in. The prophecy played like a broken record in his head. He had wanted to pluck out his ears and make it stop, but instead, he slammed his palms on the edges of the wide table. Blake seethed. He had left claw marks on the wood. He had to shower first, and get to work the prophecy could wait.
When he finished, Blake changed into fresh clothes. He put on faded denim jeans and a white tee, picked up a new pair of boots and set out of his room. He didn't live in the same family house as his cousin, Neil, but he was always hanging around with Ian. It wasn't long before he was joined by him and his Beta.
"Rather cheerful this morning, aren't you?" Ian said, as a toothpick hung from the side of his mouth.
"In a rush, Blake?" Neil asked right after.
The two men flanked his sides.
He didn't take heed to his cousin and the beta. He didn't falter in his long strides either. Blake set his eyes ahead. There was much to be done from then on. Every minute counted.
"We have a festival to plan, Ian. There's no time to be cheerful, come with me. Neil, go check on Poison Ivy."
Letting the dark name roll off his tongue brought pictures of her to the limelight in his head. She was evading his thoughts more than it should be normal.
Blake cut into an adjoining door, without gazing over his shoulder as he spoke. He knew Neil had fallen back when he could only hear the single pound of heavy footsteps belonging to a dishevelled Ian who was trying to keep up with him.
They made another turn at the right, before entering a hall with a quad-shaped table at the center. It was the planning room. The walls were egg-white in colour. There were long golden drapes at every corner. The roof fell short within this space, but sunk in at its centre, forming some kind of isosceles.
The elder's sat towards a corner on the quad, just as he had imagined they would. He knew they'd be seated here this morning, waiting. His mother had spoken to him about this meeting the previous day.
They rose to their feet to welcome their Alpha. When he took the head chair, they all sat back. Ian seated himself beside his mother.
"We have less than a fortnight. Has the doppelganger been found yet?" Blake asked.
Elder Corbin intercepted Baker. There was mockery in his tone. "I hear Elder Baker and his family want that theme this year."
"I don't care about who gets to do it. I just want assurance that everything is in the right place."
"And the ritual?" Blake's mother asked the elders this time.
Ian said, "I shall see the elder's through practice. There will be no slip ups."
"I don't see the need for practice. This is something we've done for a century long."
"If it pleases the Alpha and the former Luna, Elder Pete, we must." Ian insisted.
"Then it is final. Ian, take the five elders with you. I wish to speak to my son in private."
In a nutshell, their departure concluded the meeting, leaving Blake and his mother in the room alone.
She turned to him at once. "The fae queen will visit soon. You must prepare yourself."
Blake didn't want to argue. He had a festival to focus on. His mother wouldn't understand why everything was so hard for him. There were new developments that needed to be seriously considered before any choice could be made.
"I will try my best."
"This is war, son. I'm afraid your best can't be enough."
Blake sighed. "I want to protect my pack more than anything, but I still have that decision to make."
His mother didn't seem pleased. She looked annoyed by his words. He wasn't looking in the direction she was heading to.
"Always remember your father. He trained you to be stronger. Don't get carried away."
"I won't. But I have to think about it first."
Anger bounced off her expression. She became tight-lipped, staring hard at his stubbornness.
"Young man, you'd better decide fast or else." She rose to her feet, giving him one last look. "Your father's sacrifice can't be for nothing."