By moonlight's shadow

Chapter 46

“What are you saying?” asked Lukas, as he was surprised at the words of the old Healer.

“You know what I am saying Alpha Lukas. You are extremely intelligent and talented and that is the reason that you have rose to such ranks so fast and now are the leader of the largest pack in the world. You very well know that the ailment is not in your body, but in your heart. You still go out at night to run and then call at the highest ridge so that the entire forest knows that the pack is under your protection. You know your duties very well and you are performing them impeccably like any able leader should do but strangely enough you have stopped focusing on your own pain and betrayals that you have suffered. That is the reason that your sleep is deluding your eyes,” said Gilda as she smiled sadly at the Alpha.

“She is quite an intelligent woman,” commented Luna as she carefully scrutinized the other living woman.

Lukas was in a fix. He knew that what Gilda was telling was absolutely true but he could not do anything which might put him or Rhea in a fix and tell anyone about his new-found powers. His visions were strange enough and so strong that they sometimes knocked the breath out of him but what was he supposed to do that was the biggest question. But he also knew that offense was the best kind of defense which he would have to apply here in a different manner.

“What do you suggest me to do Gilda? Huh? I mean it is not that this is a tradition that has been followed in the Blood moon pack since times immemorial that a sorceress would be brought without her permission and forcefully converted into a creature which she loathed. She is made to live a life which seemed like a prison to her. My father had done this for some purpose which will always remain unknown to me but killing an innocent? Just for the sake of getting back her powers? And consorting with a sorceress? How am I supposed to come to terms with all to this at the same time?” asked Lukas, in a loud voice. The pain in his voice was palpable.

“What hides behind the lies are truths that failed to get to the light. What lies behind your betrayal may have been honest at first sight. What concealed my pain is what keeps reminding me of you every night. I am confused but I believe everything will come out when the time is right,” said Gilda with an expression which he could not scrutinize.

“Is it really necessary to converse in riddles? I thought I made myself clear enough about not being able to deal with the betrayal from both me parents and that is what you have to tell me?” asked Lukas, his voice laced with disbelief.

“You will understand my words when the time comes Alpha Lukas. It is now your time for suffering but soon you will understand that the suffering on the journey is what makes the destination so beautiful. You have a hard road waiting ahead of you and a long time before you can finally realize who your mate is. Don’t worry, you will sleep well tonight. After all speaking to someone always eases your mind even when it is burdened by a thousand worries. I shall get the sleeping draught sent through Charlie. And don’t consider him otherwise Alpha…Charlie is a good lad. One who is good at heart, and he genuinely cares about you,” said Gilda as Lukas smiled at her.

“I know that Gilda. I know that and I also realize how lucky I am to have him as my beta. He has a heart of gold, and I never take him otherwise. Even when he speaks something foolish I consider his words carefully before discarding them just like any Alpha would,” said Lukas, in a genial manner.

“Then you must realize that Charlie is Rhea’s mate!!” said Gilda with a smile and a wink which sent Lukas into a shock and then he choked on his breath so violently that when he finally was normal his face was red like beetroot.

“He is WHAAAAAATTTTT??????” screamed out Lukas as he regained his voice back. Luna was laughing like a maniac standing there at the corner of the room near the bookcase as Lukas felt like flinging a vase at her direction but then it would go right through her.

“How do you know that? That Charlie is the mate for Rhea? Has Charlie any idea about this? Why is he not the one talking to me?” growled Lukas Gilda smiled at his reaction.

“This is precisely the reason that he was scared of saying anything to you. Why is it so unnatural to you that Charlie can be Rhea’s mate, Alpha? After all he is your Beta and you have just now told me that he has a heart of gold,” said Gilda as Lukas could smell Charlie’s presence near the house. If Charlie had been before him then he would have throttled him by now. He knew that and Lukas was not proud of it but to think that his baby sister would be mated to someone made him feel like killing that person, and in this case it would be his Beta. But he couldn’t do that, could he?

After some time Lukas had calmed down and normalized his breathing but the wires in his brain and body were still not connected. He did not feel very sane. He knew that it was not because of the fact that Charlie was Rhea’s mate, but rather it was because Rhea was not a complete Wolf just like him. There was a part in her which was Druid and none of them had any idea what would be the reaction to that once she matured or reached her mating age. Luna was still smiling at the corner of the room but Lukas did not pay any heed to her. He had more important things to think about at the moment.

“I think Gilda you better send Charlie in. I need to talk to him before I talk to Rhea,” said Lukas as he sighed.

“I don’t think that your sister is going to like the fact that she has been not given the choice of choosing her own mate but then she is young and this happens sometimes. So you better let her take her own pace and that way she is going to accept Charlie just like she should instead of fighting her chances like she would if she is not given a free rein…” said Gilda as she made a motion of going out of the door.

“It is Rhea only that I am worried about Gilda, not Charlie. There is nothing to be done if the Moon Goddess has fated them to be this way and I am not going to be a thorn in the way of their happiness but there are facts which I need to make sure before I can allow this to happen. After all, Rhea Masterson is not your average wolf,” said Lukas with a sad smile which was somewhat indulgent as well.

“I know Alpha Lukas. And Charlie also knows that Rhea is not your average common girl who can be treated or used in any way they need. She is a lot like you Alpha, and I know that she is going to be our next Alpha,” said Gilda with a smile and Lukas nodded at her saying,” That is the thing which has got me worried Gilda!!”

“Don’t you worry Alpha. We are all going to be there for her and we will keeping eyes on everything just like we do with you,” said the old woman as she went out of the house and Lukas flopped down on the chair and then placed his face in his hands.

“Don’t you seem to be too much worried about the choice of partner of your sister? I mean, as far as I know you guys don’t get a chance to choose. It is already chosen for you from beforehand. Then why are behaving like that? I mean, you are not going to announce a shot-gun wedding for her when she has not reached the age of mating!!” said Luna before Charlie came inside the house.

Lukas could not say anything to Luna since Charlie had already reached and was standing inside the room with his head bowed and was reverentially waiting for his Alpha to say anything at all to him. But Lukas did not look at him and this made the situation worse.

“Alpha,” said Charlie,” Please Alpha…I beg of you…please listen to me…I have never ever in my life thought about Rhea in any way other than my sister but this is nothing I can do about Alpha…tell me anything Alpha, punish me if you have to but please  look at me!!!”

The pain and anguish was extremely clear in his voice and Lukas thought that it had been quite enough of torturing his Beta. He was a good man and he would keep his sister happy most definitely but it was Rhea that worried about.

“It is not you Charlie who worries me. I know that you are a very happy person with a good soul which resides in your body and your wolf is one of the most loyal wolves of my pack and I trust you implicitly Charlie. But Rhea, she is not the usual normal wolf, and you should know every single about her before you leap in without thinking. I am glad that it is you Charlie, so that I can talk to you. If it was someone else then might have been things would have been so different. But it is you, my Beta, that is the reason I can speak my mind,” said Lukas as he looked up at Charlie with a sad smile playing on his lips.

“What is it Alpha? Tell me,” said Charlie, with his tone almost reverent.

“Rhea is not a complete Wolf Charlie. She is part Druid from the side of her mother and we have come to find that a few days back. She has been very tensed about it and I have been acting out since I could not tell this to anyone at all,” said Lukas and tried to gauge the expression of his Beta.

Darkness is a strange substance, like ice it has three states solid, liquid, and gas, but with a twist. Since it is a sort of mystical material, it doesn't fall under the laws of science, only able to change states by the user. In solid form its almost completely black aside from a very tiny shade of red at its centre, like a candle in the dark, when a non-user touches it its like getting winded, if hit by a sharp point it will penetrate and quickly infect. As a liquid its thick; sticky, and has a pungent smell of ink, it can act like quicksand or just plain coat and suffocate people. As a gas its quite strange it is able to pass through solid material with ease, suffocate, and eat away like acid. As a whole Darkness is an odd thing. One day, science will be perfected. Evolution would have completed. The world will become nothing more than layer upon layer of infrastructures and pollution. One day, darkness will be the only burden we carry. No war, hunger nor poverty. Just the dark thick aroma of a stationary life. A wasted life. Greedy, unfair biased and yet all we could ever ask for. But we still want more. They all do.