What Lies Beneath His Pelt?

CHAPTER 18: ON-THE-FENCE

I didn't know how long I was crying but when I looked outside, it was already dark. I went to my room and found Edmund napping on my bed. He must have sensed my presence because he jolted from it and I noticed that his green eyes were puffy as well.

"Don't you have a room on your own to cry in?" I teased and he gave a sad smile.

"It's not my room though? It's Victor's? And well, I was kicked out so here I am." He replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Victor kicked you out?" I asked and he shook his head.

"No. Callan did. Victor asked him not to, but he was still in his four-year-old form so he can't do much." He sighed as he looked down at his hands and his shoulders slumped.

"How did you react when you learned he's the same age as you? Just in a child's body?"

He blushed as he scratched his arm, head still down before replying, "I don't know how to feel, to be honest. I mean I treated him like a four-year-old, hugged him, helped him change, and Caelestis, he saw me fully naked!" And he covered his face with his hand.

I patted his back to comfort him and he sighed.

"I don't want to leave. This is the first time I experienced how it is to have a family and then poof!"

"I feel you, bro. I want to stay too."

"Then stay." A low voice came and the strong scent of sage wafted into the room. Our eyes turned towards the doorway where a teenage boy stood. Just like Callan, he was tall and slim but his sky-blue hair was wavy, just like Ciara and it was cropped short. The way he stood was relaxed and I didn't sense intimidation.

The scent of musk blended with Edmund's sandalwood scent and when I looked at him, he was awestruck.

"Victor?" I asked as he approached us and I noticed that his grey-green eyes had the same vivid glow as Ciara's.

"Hi, big bro and…" his eyes turned to Edmund, and a tinge of red colored his cheeks before he continued in a much softer tone, "...Edmund."

My...oh, I'm sorry, their room was starting to stink of musk and I moved to open the balcony door, annoyed at the exchange.

"My Caelestis, turn down your scents, will you? I'm suffocating in here!" I hissed and as the moon peeked through I realized I was in my irritable phase thanks to the pre-change syndrome.

"Sorry. Anyway, like I was saying you can stay." Victor continued as he sat beside Edmund, their knees brushing against each other.

"Oh yeah? How? Your brother made it clear that he wanted us out! What makes you think you can change his mind?" I snapped, letting go of my control and letting the anger out.

"I won't change his mind. You will." He responded and I growled.

"Let's get to the point!"

Edmund rolled his eyes at me.

"Bro, you need to calm down. He won't tell us if you're impatient." He replied and I bared my teeth at him.

"Of course, I'll be impatient! He's wasting our time!"

"Look, do you want to know or not?" Victor's calming voice came and I bared my teeth once more before letting him speak.

"Thank you. Like I was saying, if you want to stay, you have to prove that you will be loyal to us. That means, removing any traces of your previous affiliations."

"Well, I don't have any other affiliations except the Kage Opus and of course, my family but my parents already believe I'm dead and I escaped the Kage Opus so no problems there." Edmund shrugged.

"I know. But Calum…"

"I was banished from Shufurbs and forced to resign from the RUF. What other affiliations do I have except for Liam and the rest of you?"

A mischievous smile crept to his face and he suddenly looked like Callan.

"Is that true? You still have one thing linking them to you, don't you?"

"Yeah? And what is it then?" I scoffed and his smile widened.

"Your hair."

In the city of Shufurbs, they have a belief that the longer one's hair was, the more powerful and respectable the person was and it was a show of status. The Regno had long hair, the Magistratus, and the RUF had long hair, and even VIPs and rich businessmen had long hair. That was the reason why my hair fell to my knees and I always fixed it with care.

"I worked hard to earn this, and you want me to cut it?" I said in disbelief and Victor shrugged.

"Indeed, and to us, keeping your hair long is equivalent to letting your grandfather control you, thus signifying that you are still affiliated with him. Cut the hair, you cut your ties. And you did say you were banished, right? So why are you hesitating?"

I looked away and his voice sounded hollow in my ears.

"Is it because you're thinking of returning to him?" Victor mused and when I looked at him, he already stood and Edmund was keeping him in line.

"Tch. You don't understand what I'm going through." I hissed and his eyes glowed red.

"Oh? Is that so?" He continued and I watched as his form shifted to King Fino.

"Why don't you try me, Prince Calum?" Even his voice sounded like King Fino's and when he walked towards me, the thump of the cane accompanied his heavy footsteps.

I clutched my chest as my heartbeat increased and I was certain it would explode out of my chest. I was getting dizzy and the room seemed to expand and constrict around me but my grandfather remained unmoving and clear.

"You are a disgrace to the Carantes family! You and your father! You are cursed by Hadansmuto and you will never belong anywhere else!"

"SHUT UP! SHUT. THE. f**k. UP!" I screamed as I tackled him. I found my hands wrapped around his neck, my sharp nails out, and a hint of fur covering my arm until my elbows.

"Go on, grandson, kill me." He grinned and my grip tightened.

"Kill me and show them just how dangerous a Fabukage is." I was tempted to do just that but Ciara's face appeared in my mind's eye.

“Calum, Fabukage do not reveal their status to anyone, have you forgotten? They are feared for their power and you spent a lifetime hunting and killing them so you know the stigma and the prejudice.”

Her words echoed in my head and I remembered how her expression was when she said that-lost, insecure, and sad.

Then I remembered how she cared for Edmund and Victor, how she used her dark magic to defend and lead us out of trouble. I remembered how she smiled and spoke and my grip began to loosen.

"What's the matter, Calum? Too weak to finish me off?"

"No. You shut up. I'm not weak and I will not kill you. Not every Fabukage is evil and not everyone is as correct as they think. You are wrong in your beliefs and I intend to change that." I felt powerful when I said those statements and he simply grinned.

His silver hair turned sky blue once again and his icy blue eyes became a vivid grey-green. I wasn't looking at King Fino anymore, I was looking at Victor.

"Please don't crush me with your weight." He mused and I could see the innocent Victor once again.

"Sorry," I replied as I got up and offered my hand but Edmund beat me to it.

He helped him up and both their cheeks reddened.

There was a slow clap and when we turned in that direction, we saw Ciara sitting on the bed in the clothes she wore earlier minus the coat and scarf. Callan stood beside her with that scowl but at least he wasn't as angry as he was before.

"Figlionee! You're awake!" Victor and Edmund exclaimed as they rushed towards her and swept her up from the bed, giving her a bone-crushing hug.

"I missed you too, my two figliolino." She mused as she patted their backs and they released her.

I looked at her and a sense of relief flooded my chest.

"Ciara," I called out and when she turned her warm smile towards me, I ran towards her and hugged her as well, lifting her off the floor.

I was about to kiss her when an energy barrier came between us and I looked at Callan who had his horns out and even the intricate lines I saw earlier on his skin.

"THERE. WILL. BE. NO. KISSING. IN. THIS. HOUSE!" He growled and Ciara laughed as she patted my cheeks.

"Down, Wolfman." She teased and heat rushed to my face once again.

"Thank you. Now, why don't we talk about what's going to happen hmm?"

"Aww, come on figlionii! It's Christmas Eve! Can we talk about this the day after tomorrow?" Ciara pouted and Callan's face softened but when he noticed that I was staring, he scowled.

"Fine! After Christmas!"

"Guys! It's snowing outside!" Grace's voice came and she burst into the room with Lils in tow. They both wore thick coats, gloves, bonnets, and snow boots.

"For real?" Edmund exclaimed and they nodded.

Before I knew it, all of them left and it was just me and Callan in the room.

"Vallejo." I turned towards him and I could sense the dark energy emanating towards him.

"One mistake. One mistake Vallejo and there would be no warning." He growled and I swallowed.

"I will incinerate you on the spot. Are we clear?"

I just nodded and he left shortly after that. I took a deep breath before I followed.