Chapter3
1338 Words
Talia's POV
The balance, the stealth, the heightened sense, Iaana had burst forth out of the windows and into the wild.
Yes Iaana, my wolf, she had told me her name after wolfing out. Running through like she had spent ages locked behind iron bars.
It was a feeling rendered by the stoppage of time. The world had suddenly become clearer, the vision a million times what I had.
I could hear the winds as we sped past them, speaking in its language, carrying messages from miles away straight to my ears.
The scent, the smell. I could smell it, fresh like peach juice. It was coming from quite a distance, it was coming from the right wing of the forest.
Whatever it was, it was alluring, like a barbecue giving off its scent when the heat of the fire was applied.
Iaana couldn't stop running. She had switched her direction to that of the alluring smell. The closer we got, the stronger it got and I wanted to devour whatever it was.
I couldn't believe my eyes, it was a freshly killed animal.
She wasted no time as she began deepening into its flesh, ripping it piece by piece without any thought of what might have killed it.
The winds shifted as it brought the presence of another. A wolf had joined me for the kill.
I lifted my eyes to see what that was, and to my greatest surprise, a wolf with red eyes, none other than the one I had earlier met.
The grey and brown fur brought a majestic look to it as he joined me in the kill. It then occurred to me that he was responsible for ending its life.
Iaana had taken a few steps back to secure our safety, as we both lacked the art of fighting.
“No need to be afraid, Dixlan won't hurt you.”
“Dixlan?”
“Yes Dixlan, my wolf,” He assured.
We feasted together, savouring every moment as it sped by until our fill.
His scent was so pleasant and inviting, it made him appealing. Iaana was very pleased with that.
He lifted his red eyes to me as if he understood our underlying thoughts as we transformed back into ourselves.
“What is your name and who are you?” I asked.
“I'm Lucian Steppenwolf.” He replied.
“Alpha Steppenwolf?” I exclaimed.
“You're the leader of this wolf pack.”
“What kingdom is this, certainly none I have heard of.”
“There are a lot of things hidden from the rest of the realm, only revealed to the knowledge at Castle Black,” Lucian responded.
“A lot, I will tell you, but for now, we return to the rest of the pack.”
He sent me off with his Beta Norman, back to the castle.
The feelings were overwhelming. It was a long-lost dream of mine to be able to gain access to my wolf form.
But these feelings were short-lived. Lucian had come to me with fury in his eyes.
Iaana sensed something was wrong as she told me how Dixlan was troubled.
“Why did you not tell me you have a mate?” He questioned.
“A mate?” This got Iaana upset considering how we almost lost our lives due to getting rejected by our last mate.
“Is one mated to another, if there had been a rejection?” I replied, with feelings solely backed by Iaana.
Lucian was thrown back by my tone as he sensed that Iaana had gotten involved.
“Who would reject you Selemene?” He said with a much softer tone.
There was a gush of feelings over me. Iaana had felt it too. Selemene was usually referred to as the moon goddess whenever prayers were offered to her.
“Well one did, and it cost me my consciousness,” I replied.
He was stunned and worried at the same time. He ran his fingers through his hair as if he were concluding what he just heard.
“What is the matter, Lucian?” I asked.
“It is impossible to make you my Luna as you remain tied to another.”
I was flattered and worried at the same time. While one had spurned me, another had shown outbursts of affection.
“Luna?” I gasped.
Iaana jumped within me which made me smile.
But what had he meant by tied to another? I was unstable trying to put the pieces together.
“I assured you, I am not tied to another. His words were clear when he rejected me at the top of the Celestial Nexus.” I responded.
“Your fate is tied, two to three, bound by the curse of the moonstone.” Said the sorceress as she walked into my quarters.
“It is impossible to be made Luna as such spells doom over Castle Black.” She continued.
“These ties must be broken if ever you two are to be mated. I don't need to remind you of the prophecy at hand, Alpha Steppenwolf.” She said as she left my chambers.
“The prophecy?” I retorted.
Lucian gave me a stern look; there were worries all over his face, but he would not indulge what the prophecy was about.
“There are a lot of secrets about the realm hidden from the common people.” Said Lucian.
“Some entail our future, and some speak of our doom. Some I have seen and witnessed and some in puzzles.”
“Far beyond the realm lies a race dependent on us for their protection, one we do not indulge in, so as not to upset the balance of things.”
“And our survival here at Castle Black is dependent upon a Luna, or we all perish in the next Lunar Uprising.”
“Good night, lady Ashenpaw; get some rest.” He greeted and took his leave.
Left alone with my thoughts, whatever she had meant by the curse of the moonstone troubled me a lot.
The memories were like that of yesterday, the day I got rejected. It baffles me that they think otherwise.
Being stripped of the bond that connected us had left me in an unconscious state for months.
How I came to be at Castle Black remained a mystery. They said the currents drifted me to the other side of the realm, whatever that was, I remained clueless.
All I had known was that whatever happened activated my wolf side.
Whatever plans the goddess has for me, surely not one of my imagination.
What did he mean by being dependent on a Luna? Was that me? I questioned myself.
Piecing the puzzles together did no good, all it left were blank spaces.
This world was quite different from the one I knew at home. Something was different.
I had heard my father several times talking about the realm, but this, a race, and prophecies were quite new to me.
It seems the realm is deeper than I had imagined, and how I stood at the centre was shocking.
Amid my chaos, Iaana could swear a presence was upon us.
Low growls and soft movements. It was like I was being stalked. I could feel the heat as it approached me.
This was no ordinary wolf. It gave off immense power, one I had felt back in the woods when Dixlan approached us, one that made Iaana shiver. We could feel its brute force.
“Is it an alpha?” My mind raced with thoughts, knowing fully well it wasn't Dixlan.
We were nowhere near ready for combat. Even though we could transform at will, what exactly are we to do?
Its cold-blooded blueish eyes shone through the entire room. I could feel its breath at the back of my neck, hot and pure steam.
Swiftly, I turned my neck to face my oppressor, and there it stood, dark as the shadows.
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