By moonlight's shadow

Chapter 54

A fire crackled in the corner of the campsite, projecting long shadows on the surrounding area. The light cast by the flames danced across the dark trunks of the trees, twisting and curling in obscure shapes and providing a small radius of light. The fire itself was pulsating, the glowing embers seemed to move in rhythm with the flames, matching every dip and sweep. It was mesmerizing to watch, colours of orange and red gave way to yellow and white near the centre, where the emanating heat was the greatest.

But before Rhea could further focus on the glowing colours of the fire her reverie was broken by the voice of her brother.

“So Rhea, how was school today? Did you like the place?” asked Lukas as Rhea steeled herself before turning towards him and start telling him the half-baked truths and lies.

“I did not expect it to be so good you know Brother. It was like all the things that I had wanted to read and know or so long they came to me at the very first day and the students were also pretty good towards me. At the beginning they were a bit wary since I was you know, kind of I am different from them but then as the day passed by they were all talking to me, and I am pretty sure I am going to make friends there very soon,” said Rhea, as she bit into a piece of chicken wing and then nibbled on it.

“That is really good to hear. So anything different for your old school?” asked Lukas as he looked carefully at his sister who was trying to avoid his gaze.

“Well firstly, the entire curriculum is absolutely different. The subjects are different and we are being taught every kind of thing that could be possible in order to gain knowledge. Like the literature, medicine, psychology, how is health and what can be done at all in order to improve it. Moreover today I painted. There is a painting class as well where every single student is asked to paint whatever they could imagine but something weird happened to me then,” said Rhea, as Lukas looked at her with question in his eyes.

“What weird happened? And did someone tell you something? Why did you not tell me this before Rhea?” asked Lukas, in a rapid pace and Rhea looked up at him with a scowl on her face.

“You are as bad and ridiculous like Charlie. Both have their brains in their muscles. Heavens, by the goodness of the Moon Goddess, can’t you just wait and listen to what I am going to say? Have you no patience at all?” asked Rhea, her distaste expressed on her face so deeply that both the men blanched at her expression.

“Alright, there is no need to be so touchy Rhea. When did you get so sensitive? And why can I not be protective about my little sister? I have only one sister and I am not going to let her be in any way, am I?” prompted Lukas as Rhea’s scowl did not get any lesser than before.

“What makes you think that I am weak and I cannot fend for myself?” asked Rhea, as she looked at Lukas who looked back at her with the same intensity as earlier. Charlie was being a silent observer to this entire brother and sister conversation because he knew either way his words would be misunderstood and someone or the other was  going to keep his ass. So it was better to not utter a single word then.

“I think Rhea, I am the one who taught you to fight and how to fight and how to kick ass of any wolf out there, but that does not mean that I am not going to ask if people were nice to you or you had any problems to face? I was not there with you Rhea, I know and I trust you more than enough to handle yourself. I have tried to make you capable enough to take your own decisions, make your own choices and then even fight for yourself, your own battles Rhea, but how does that mean at all that I cannot be concerned about your well-being?” asked Lukas, as Rhea understood that she was being overly sensitive because she really had to hide something today. And Charlie being able to smell her anxiety, did not help her cause at all.

“It is not that you can’t care or have concern about me Brother, at no point of time am I ever going to say something like that but the way you spoke to me it felt like I was being coddled and you know that I hate being coddled,” said Rhea, with a pout on her lips, which had formed without her even realizing the fact. Charlie thought that she had never looked better.

“Alright…no more coddling..now tell what happened?” asked Lukas with a smile as Rhea bit her lip before saying again.

“Two things have happened today. I have kicked some serious Druid ass, and I found that I have some new powers as well about which I did not know before,” said Rhea and Lukas and Charlie both snapped up at the first part of the sentence.

“Who did what to you Rhea?” growled out Charlie before even Lukas could speak. Rhea could see that his hairs were standing and Charlie was on the verge of almost shifting in his wolf form. It was like he was behaving like he had never done so earlier. She looked at him and then she looked at Lukas, failing to understand what the equation was and what was happening between them.

“What is happening to you Charlie?” asked Rhea, as she looked at him in a weird way.

“Don’t poke him Rhea, just answer the fuckking question,” said Lukas as he snarled at her. Rhea reeled back in shock. It was not normal, whatever was happening there was something wrong with both of them and Rhea felt something cold wash over her. Lukas looked at something beside her and suddenly snarled at her and charged but Rhea changed into a wolf just like that. Her clothes were all in pieces as she stood there in her wolf form for the second time in a span of few hours. And Charlie also changed into his wolf just like that.

And Rhea felt a blow to her chest just as she looked at the wolf standing in front of her.

Charlie was her mate. How on earth did that happen? And how was it possible that they had not been able to understand that any before? But that point was moot, Charlie, who was the Beta to the Blood Moon pack, the most trusted of his brother was her mate. And precisely that was the reason that he was being so protective of her when he smelled something odd about her. She looked at her brother and growled in a low voice warning him that he should leave both of them alone to do the talking and should not come after. And if he did, well then the responsibility of being hurt was not hers anymore.

Rhea looked at Charlie and he looked at her with the same intensity that he was looking at her in her human form. Then she did nothing but started running in the direction of the woods. Lukas prepared to take off his shirt and jeans to change and run after her but Charlie growled softly and Lukas nodded at him. Charlie ran after Rhea and he ran like he had never done before. He could smell something that he had never smelled ever in his life.

It was the smell of pine, soft grass, lime and the first dew on the leaves of olive tree bark. It was a unique smell which was characteristic only to his mate. He knew that he needed to make her his own and he would not stop at anything at all. Rhea was his and she knew that. That feeling itself was more than enough to throw him over the edge.

Finally Rhea stopped at a place in the middle of the forest and there was someone still lying there. And Rhea pawed at the soft mud and leaves fallen there. Charlie ran close to the injured person and found that it was a man with deep gashes in his leg and torso. Thankfully, it was not going to kill him. But Charlie still smelled him all over and found that he could smell Rhea on him. He growled out so loud that the man who was obviously nothing else but a Druid gasped out and was awake in a moment and there was nothing but fear in his eyes seeing two large wolves standing over him. Charlie was inching closer to his throat but suddenly Rhea tackled him down and then changed back into her human form and sat on his chest in her full naked glory.

Charlie changed back to his human form as well but he was still snarling and looking at the Druid who was lying there injured.

“Mate!!” Rhea whispered softly and Charlie looked at her and gulped seeing her buck naked. He caught hold of her and then sat up as he wrapped his arms around her back and then pressed his forehead to hers before whispering softly,” Mate.”

“We have company, you know that right?” asked Charlie as Rhea nuzzled his neck and he groaned out in pleasure.

“Right!! Oh!! I had absolutely forgotten!!” she said as she turned to find that Meron had become unconscious once again.

“I take it that you are the one who is responsible for such state of his?” asked Charlie as Rhea got up and found that she was naked and Charlie was looking at her.

“Does Brother know of this?” asked Rhea as Charlie’s attention raised up from her ass to her head and as she turned towards him.

“Do you think that I would be alive till now if he did not know the fact? I asked his permission before even coming after you for this run,” said Charlie as he got up and looked at his mate.