Picture of Mekhi up above - the model's name is Earth Vangwithayakul
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Now please believe me when I say I tried to make this chapter short.
I tried so hard to cap it at 4000/6000, but for some reason, my writing insists on taking up as many words as possible.
For those people who hate long chapters, I'm sorry!!! If it's taking forever to read them, then try reading in sections. But I really can't do shit about it, I've tried lol.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter
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William's P.O.V
I wake up smiling. For the first time for what was probably years but felt like my entire life, I wake up with a smile already waiting on my lips.
A smile. That simple expression that showed the world that I was happy, and I was. I couldn't remember ever feeling so much joy before I'd even started the day.
But there was so much of it now and I could've screamed with how good it felt to just be... happy.
Maybe it was because of the way I'd woken up, caged in Damon's large arms with our stubborn pets sleeping on the bed too. Blaze had curled himself into a ball behind the crook of Damon's knees, and at the foot of the bed, Sassy had claimed the entire area as hers, all sprawled out on her back, her eyes half-open while she snored heedlessly.
I was pretty sure waking up in a snuggle fest with my little family definitely added to why I was so nauseatingly happy, but that wasn't the only reason.
When Damon had dragged himself into our bed early this morning with wet hair that explained his soapy scent, he'd pull me into his arms and whispered only one thing before he'd fallen asleep with a content sigh.
"It's done."
He'd said it half asleep, and I was much the same when I'd heard it, but I'd registered his words and what they meant. It was like a cool wind had passed over me, erasing all the burning wounds and the scars too, it'd fallen away.
Those two words had finally relieved me of the invisible weight that was always trying to tear me down since the night Liam attacked me.
It was more than a joy of knowing that he was no longer walking free on this planet, it was the overwhelming relief of knowing, in my heart and soul, that he could never hurt me again.
When I woke up knowing that, then it was physically impossible not to wake up with a smile.
Looking up at Damon, I smile at the sleeping beast who refused to let me move an inch away from him. His hair was thrown all about, a mess of only black strands that matched his black eyebrows since I'd been sure to fix them too.
Leaning forward, I bury my face into his neck with a content sigh as I take in the faint scent of roses that Damon always carried with him. He grumbles something half asleep as he pulls me in closer, his legs tangled between my own.
"One more hour," Damon manages before he slips back into his dreams. Chuckling, I let him have his extra hour as I wrap my arms around him and fall back asleep too, still smiling and still lawlessly happy.
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It'd been way longer than the promised hour.
Rubbing as much as Damon's shoulder as I could manage, I try to coax him into waking up but he seemed intent on staying in bed for as long as he could. "Come on," I say patting his cheek now, "its time to wake up."
"Sleep," Damon slurs as he tightens his arms around me and buries his nose into my neck.
"No," I stretch out while I try my best to wiggle out of his grasp but I was in a death grip, "we've got some people to see today with some stops along the way, and if we sleep in like always, we won't get to all"
Damon and I usually started the day at about one in the afternoon.
Yeah, we'd be awake much earlier than that to take the pets out and get something into our stomachs, but even after taking a shower and dressing, we'd lounge around for the first half of the day, before we finally decided to drag ourselves out of the suite.
And while I loved our usual routine, today was far too important for the two of us to waste most of it in bed.
Forcing his head up, Damon opens his dazed blue eyes that were begging to be shut again. He looks at me with what was almost a pout as he blinks slowly, "what people and what stops?" he grumbles with a frown that was only making his little pout even cuter, "you make it sound like we have to go to work."
"We do," I say, taking the opportunity to escape his grasp, but even my best efforts were nothing against his heavy arm that kept me plastered to the bed.
Sometimes this human body really went above and beyond to show me how much it sucked.
"Today's the first day back in the pack," I say as I give up on trying to escape, "they're some things we need to do and some people we need to see to make sure it starts off right."
When Damon had first brought me to the pack, I'd seen it as a visit, nothing permanent and I hadn't realised just how intertwined I was to it all until I realised how deeply our bond ran.
I thought Damon would leave with me when the time came, or we'd figure something out, but that was before I realised that this was where Damon belonged and that I belonged with him, wherever that may be.
I knew my place now, and I wanted to be worthy of it.
"Like Aunt K and Mekhi?" Damon hazards on a yawn that threatened to swallow the entire pack whole. I nod and he does as well while he drags himself upright, finally letting me go, "I'll just follow your lead then," he says as he reaches down for Blaze who was awake, but still trying and failing to give Damon the silent treatment.
Even though he wasn't perking up from the attention like he usually would, he didn't hop away and let himself be pet by Damon. I open my arms for Sassy when she gets up, but she barely looks at me before she jumps off the bed and leaves to start her day.
"Asshole," I call after her with a huff.
I wrap my arms around Damon instead, leaning over to kiss his cheek while I draped myself over his back so that our heads were pressed together and my chest was against his back. He leans into me and I do the same, tracing his skin with my fingers while I try to come up with the right words to ask him if he was okay.
After what he did last night, for me, the last thing I wanted was for him to spiral when we could stop it before it happened. He'd been doing so well for so long and I'd never forgive myself if I let him fall now.
"I'm fine," Damon says making me tense a bit, he laughs as he turns his head to look at me, "I can read you just as well as you do me ya know."
I nod as I try to ignore my heating cheeks by focusing on the fatass in his hands, "so after last night, you're not feeling anything... new? More anger or a need to do more?"
"No Will," Damon replies calmly, turning enough to press a kiss to my head, "I do not feel any need to go kill someone."
Okay, so maybe I did actively avoid using the words murder, kill and torture around Damon, but I just wanted to protect him in the little ways I could
"If anything, I feel sated," Damon says with a smile that was too bright and wholesome for the topic at hand, "it was therapeutic," he continues while he pets Blaze, "I think if I didn't do it, I would've been all fucked up until I eventually snapped and done it anyway, so maybe this way was better."
I hum my understanding as I take in his words. I really didn't think I'd ever understand the way Damon or any werewolf could kill another person or animal and not feel the guilt or sickness I did from even thinking about it.
But I did understand that we were two different species, and to an extent, this came with the territory. Damon was a werewolf, and we were part of a pack of werewolves and witches that lived by completely different rules than the ones I knew.
And while I wanted to leave a positive impact wherever I could, some things we would just always differ on, and it'd take time to get used to, but I'd have to if I ever expected to be a good Luna.
Speaking of which, today was my first day of trying out this Luna thing, or was it Alpha? Whatever it didn't matter, the point was while Damon worked on himself to be a good alpha, I planned to do the same, but in my own way.
"Are you okay?" Damon asks when I don't say anything else, he raises a hand to caress my wrist bone in silent support, "You went through a lot, not just yesterday, but this whole weekend. It's okay if you want to stay in for a while."
I laugh as I sway us a bit, "staying in and doing absolutely nothing sounds like the best plan in the world," I admit, "and I get why you're worried, this weekend was far worse than what we thought it'd be going in."
That was probably underselling what this weekend was. It'd been non-stop emotional torture that made me feel like I was stuck in my past hell. It'd taken everything I had just to push through it, but I had. With Theo's care and Damon's strength, I'd made it to the other side, and I couldn't have done it without them, or Mekhi.
"But right now, I feel fine," I promise, "I feel excited and happy, in a way I haven't felt for a really long time." Damon's eyes soften a bit as he leans into me, "I'll let you know when I'm not or when I need to crash, but for now," I smile, "I'm fine."
Damon nods even though I knew he wanted to say more. But he doesn't argue, trusting that I knew my limits and would let him know when I reached them. So I plant one last kiss to his cheek before I jump from out bed and head for the shower.
Today was going to be a fucking great day, and if it wasn't, I'd make it into one.
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"Do I get any heads up about what you have planned?" Damon asks when we finish our makeshift breakfast
"I thought you said you'd follow my lead like a good pup," I tilt my head to the side like he did when he was confused just to irk him a little.
He frowns deeply, his amusement non-existent as he grabs a pair of our keys and pushes me towards the door, "you can be such a prick when you're happy."
"You prefer me when I'm sad?" I ask while I watch him lock up. The second his hands are free, I slip my fingers into his and hold onto his arm in the way I hadn't been able to for these last few days.
Damon's frown eases a little as he tightens his fingers around mine and pulls me into him, "I prefer you happy, even if that means you're a complete dick when you are." I snort and Damon smiles, his joy making my body feel light and carefree, "but come on, at least tell me where we're supposed to go so I can make sure we get there."
My mouth falls open as I stare up at him, not sure if I should be offended or if I should laugh.
"What?" Damon asks as we step into the elevator.
"Damon," I start with a chuckle, "are you implying that I can't get us there because I'm blind?"
Damon's entire body turns stiff in a perfect imitation of a wooden plank. His blue eyes grow comically wide while he stumbles over an excuse that quickly turns into laughter when understanding dawns on him.
"I didn't mean it in that way," he manages while trying his hardest to stifle his laughter.
"Oh really?" I ask with a raised brow.
"I really didn't," he insists, but his body was shaking now and no matter how hard he bit his bottom lip, his chuckles still escaped.
I was just teasing him a bit, but it made my entire spirit glow to see him so happy, knowing that I was the cause of it.
"Sure," I say, trying to sound offended even with the smile on my own lips, "I can't believe you just made fun of a blind man."
"I didn't," Damon protests seriously just as the elevator doors open, "I made fun of a partially blind man."
Damon jumps out before my hand can meet his back in a punishing blow. I chase after him while he laughs wildly, the sound so loud it made all near look towards us as we rushed out the packhouse.
On the dirt road, Damon grabs my arms and lifts me up, holding me like an upset child while he tried to calm me, but he was laughing too hard to get anything done.
I try to kick his shin but it was too far and I didn't have enough strength to keep my weak attempts at violence up.
Again, human bodies suck, or maybe it was just my unhealthy one.
"I'm sorry for making fun of your eyesight," Damon says as he sets me down, his grip on my wrists still present, "don't attack me."
"I won't," I promise, "right now."
Damon snorts but he lets me go to press kisses all over my face that make me smile so widely I thought my face would split in two.
"We're going to your parents' house first," I tell him once we stop the addictive but probably obnoxious PDA.
Damon's brow arches, "how come?"
"I'm sure they know we're back by now," I hazard and he nods quickly, "but I'm guessing they would all still appreciate us going to say hi. And I bet they'd like to see that you're okay with their own eyes."
"Dad definitely will, and he'd want that to know you're okay too." Damon points out before he looks towards the direction of his family home, "but he'll also want us to stay for a meal or something, so if you have other things planned for the day, we should go at the end of it so we can stay there for a while."
Seeing as I wanted to visit the armoury and speak to three powerful witches/warlocks today, then that was probably for the best. "Then I guess we can start with Colson at the armoury, and then find Mekhi."
Damon falters at that, "Colson? Why do you want to speak to Colson?"
"Not me, you," I say in a duh tone as I give his side a little nudge, "you've got to speak to him about your knives right? You've got a big order waiting for you, and hopefully, you can set up some kind of class to teach people how to use their new knives."
I still remembered - in my hazy recollection of the heat - that phone call between Colson and Damon where he'd been so ecstatic to hear that some many of the wolves in his pack wanted his knives.
At the time, he'd been too preoccupied with handling me to follow up, and then we'd gone straight to San Fran right after the heat had ended. Now we were free and while I had my own plans, I knew nothing would make Damon happier than finally taking that step to getting more involved with the pack.
He was ready for it, so there was no reason to hold back now.
Damon doesn't reply with words at first. He just smiles like the happiest puppy in the world, his eyes glowing with his joy as he lifts me up again, but this time for a hug that was so tight that I thought he'd break something.
But Damon was always careful with me, so I let myself melt into his arms while he whispered over and over 'thank you, thank, thank you'.
Smiling, I pat his back until he lets me down so that we can get on the road, but Damon ended up leading us in the opposite direction than where I knew the armoury to be.
"If we're seeing Mekhi too, then we should just head to their house since Colson mostly works afternoon shifts," Damon says which only makes me confused as I follow after him.
"Their?" I repeat.
"They're roommates," Damon fills in, before he frowns a little, "well, housemates. Them and another guy, Quinn."
It wasn't groundbreaking news, but for some reason, my brain couldn't wrap its head around the fact that Mekhi didn't live alone somewhere in some secret corner of the pack. Mekhi just didn't give off 'roomie' vibes to me.
"Most people in the pack live together in some form if they're not mated or don't have a family," Damon explains as he looks down at me, "they're just too many of us for everyone to have their own home, if they did, then we'd have no woods.
I offered to get him his own place at first," Damon continues thoughtfully, "but he didn't want any favouritism when he was joining the pack, so I introduced him to Colson cause I knew they'd get along well. They did, and Quinn liked Mekhi so he filled the extra room in their house."
"So are Colson and Quinn aren't mated?"
Damon nods, "They're friends because they prefer not to mix with others, which is why Mekhi fits in with them," he says with a pleased smile.
I knew he wouldn't say it, but Damon loved being right when it came to little things like this, especially when it concerned those he cared. He loved seeing them happy, no matter the cost.
It was a trait that I was quickly picking up, some part of me wanted to make sure everyone in the pack was okay, and yearned to fix things when they weren't. Before Damon, that was what drove me towards psychology, but now, I understood why.
I just hoped that I could make it count for something one day.
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It was Colson who opened the front door to the small but cute light blue house which sat on a road with many similar homes.
I hadn't ever thought about how everyone lived in this pack, but for some reason, a normal community setting surprised me to my core.
"Damon," Colson greets with a nod, his circle-rimmed glasses sliding down a bit, "and William."
"Hi Colson," I greet with a smile that for some reason made his eyes widen behind his glasses.
Maybe I was a bit too happy today...
"Hey," Damon greets as he sniffs the air, "is Mekhi here?"
"Yes, he's been in his room since he returned early this morning," Colson says as if he was reading out a report, "I can get him."
"We're actually here to speak to the both of you," Damon says which makes Colson tilt his head to the side a little. "Nothing negative," Damon assures him before he looks to me to make sure my business with Mekhi was nothing negative, I quickly shake my head. "Nothing negative." He confirms.
Colson steps back and invites us in. I stay with them only to get the conversation rolling before I leave them to handle their business while I make my way to the door Colson had said was Mekhi's.
"I said not to disturb me for a week," Mekhi groans after I knock his door a few times.
"I don't remember you saying that," I call back.
Something falls, and then rushed steps follow before the door swings open to reveal a very startled Mekhi. He stares at me for about five very amusing seconds before he pokes his head out and looks around, no doubt searching for my other half.
"He's speaking to Colson," I fill in which brings his attention back to me, "can I speak to you?"
Mekhi looked scared.
I couldn't see much beyond his wide brown eyes or raging chest, but he was tense and I knew that for some reason my presence was the cause of it. It was sad but also amusing because I didn't think Mekhi could experience fear.
"Nothing bad," I promise, hoping that would help some but all it did was bring a loud laugh from Damon.
Without a word, Mekhi opens his the door and lets me into the almost empty room. There was an enormous bed that was perfectly made, a wardrobe that didn't have a single item on it, and a full-length mirror leaning against an empty wall.
There were other things I couldn't make out here and there, but nothing that gave the room any sort of life or colour. But in that way, it also screamed Mekhi.
Mekhi looks around for a seat for me before he realises there's none, any assurances that I didn't need one was shut down the second he pulled one out from thin air and set it down for me.
I swear... the things I'd do with magic is the exact reason why I don't have any.
I thank him and sit down while he sets himself down on the edge of the bed so that we were facing one another.
In my head, this wasn't as tense as it was, it was easy like it had been that night in the kitchen. But in reality, Mekhi was pointedly avoiding my gaze as if doing so would save him.
I'd have to work on that in the future.
"Mekhi," he stiffens, "thank you." Mekhi's head darts up as he looks at me with all the surprise of a frightened child, "I wanted to come here today to say thank you."
He shakes his head dismissively, "it's okay."
"It's a lot more than okay," I argue seriously, "after everything you did for us this weekend, there's so much I have to thank you for... for being there for Damon, for being there through every horrible second of it, and for helping us, for helping me."
Looking at him, I feel my chest tightening as I think back on the little things Mekhi had done and all the big things too. Like how he'd turned the lights on when I was alone with mother, and how he'd stopped the Haynes from cutting in during my birthday speech.
He'd done so much for us, far more than what we expected him to this weekend.
"You went above and beyond for us, and you didn't have to," I say knowing all too well how rare it was to find someone so selfless and loyal, "I never thought that one day he'd tell the truth," Mekhi's eyes glow at the mention of Liam, his anger undeniable, "and I don't think he ever would of... if it wasn't for you."
He'd be dead, Damon would've ensured that, but he would've been dead as some golden child instead of the monster everyone knew him to be now, and that was all thanks to Mekhi.
"So I just wanted to say thank you Mekhi. Thank you for helping us and... f-for making him tell the truth."
I didn't want to cry. Not during what was supposed to be a nice moment between us. So I fight them back and help my smile back into place instead.
Mekhi's sharp eyes soften as he looks at me, the tension from earlier seeping away from his body, "you're welcome," he says kindly, "I just wanted to help."
I nod quickly, wanting him to know that he'd helped me in more ways than he could ever imagine. "What you did... I'll never be able to thank you enough or even repay you, never. But I'll try my best to, I promise."
Mekhi smiles just a little as he nods again, "okay."
"And I'm starting today," I state firmly, "by making sure you get a full night's sleep, every night, from tonight onwards."
Mekhi's smile disappears as he stares at me, his expression one I couldn't read since all his faces kind of looked the same to me, except for his angry face and his surprised face. Right now, I couldn't tell if he was confused or annoyed but that was probably for the best.
"No,"
"Yes,"
"No," he insists.
"Yes," I press, not budging for shit, "we're going to go see the witch Katerina, who Damon tells me is very strong and 'kind of' helpful when she likes you." That was stating nicely what Damon had said about his aunt, "we're going to ask her, very nicely, to help us deal with your sister."
"Katerina is very selective with who she helps," Mekhi explains tightly, "and even if she does help me, I don't want to bring my problems onto you and Damon."
"You're not," I assure him earnestly, "I'm taking them on, you don't get a say in this."
Mekhi blinks at me a few times, seeming speechless and a bit helpless. If he didn't think I'd fight for him after how he'd fought for me, then he was crazy. Even if I had to get down on my knees and beg Katerina to help Mekhi, then I would, because I wasn't going to sleep another night until Mekhi did.
He deserved so much more, but at the bare minimum, he deserved to sleep in peace.
"Will, you don't have to worry about me," Mekhi says when he eventually finds his words again, "I probably made it sound worse than it is, but I'm fine, honestly. I make it through just fine, you don't have to step in."
"You shouldn't be making it through 'just fine', you should be living the best life you can," I tell him resolutely, "so we're going to figure out a way to get your sister off your back, I don't care how, we'll figure it out."
"Will," Mekhi groans as he runs a hand over his closely shaved head, "my family is... complicated. It's better for everyone just to let this be."
Studying Mekhi for a moment, I recap his words in my head and the clear reluctance he had for getting help. Mekhi did seem like the type of person who preferred doing things on his own, but I didn't think that would apply when he clearly needed help.
"What do you mean complicated?" I ask eventually. Mekhi looks at me, probably trying to figure it the best way to get me off his back without saying too much, but I wasn't having any of that. "Mekhi, I am not going to leave you alone until I make sure that this is dealt with, so you might as well cooperate so that you can get that week of no disturbances."
He laughs, just a little, but it was a sad sound that was mixed with dread. Just when I started to think that pushing may not have been the right move here, Mekhi speaks, "if I tell you this, do you promise to keep it between us for now, at least, until I tell Damon."
It's my turn to stiffen as Mekhi looks to me, seeking an answer I already knew I couldn't give. But it was the fact that he'd asked the question, knowing Damon was in the house that made me feel uneasy. Because that meant that he'd probably put some barrier around us that stopped Damon from hearing us, from hearing me.
In any other circumstance, I'd panic and already putting space between us, but I trusted Mekhi and I wanted him to trust me too.
"I can't promise that," I say truthfully, "I can't keep something from him that he might need to know. I want to help you, and I will keep it private if I can, but if its something that he needs to know, then I'd have to tell him."
Mekhi doesn't pull back or withdraw himself in the way I thought he would, instead he nods as he leans forward so that he could rest his arms on his thighs. I wait for his reply, but he was too conflicted to get anything out so I try something else.
"Damon told me how you guys became friends," I say which makes him glance towards me, "he said at first you didn't click, that you were cocky and a bit of an asshole, but then after you got along really well."
Mekhi laughs, "he was the cocky one, I was just minding my business."
"That's not how he tells it," I say which makes him shake his head.
"Of course he didn't," he scoffs, "he never tells a story right if it makes him look bad."
I smile a little, pleased that I'd managed to get him to relax a little bit.
"Mekhi, I don't think you have to anything to hide from Damon," I say truthfully, "I don't know Amelia at all, but I'm pretty sure you're more than just a friend or even a best friend to him,"
Mekhi's eyes widen, disbelief taking over his features as he tries to dismiss me but I don't let him, "you are," I assure him, "Damon trusts you more than anyone else outside of his family."
"You don't know how close he and Amelia were," Mekhi argues.
"That may be true, but I know how close you two are and I know that even if you two were to fight for some reason, neither of you would be able to last even a month without making up."
Damon could argue all he wanted, but the relationship he and Mekhi had was in a league of its own. Because while Damon had barely spoken to his best friend Amelia in a year, I knew he and Mekhi would never be able to do that. They were too closely knitted to be separated.
"If something bad happened in the pack, for anyone at any point, it'd be you Damon would call first." Mekhi doesn't argue, knowing that those words were nothing but true, "So whatever it is you're nervous about sharing with him, don't be because he won't hate you for it, and if he does, I slap him until he doesn't."
That gets a laugh out of Mekhi as he sits up and nods, his smile staying a little longer as the tension leaves the room, the atmosphere just as light as it'd been when we'd shared tubs of Chocolate Brownie ice cream.
"When I met Damon, it was during my second year of living on my own after I left my coven," Mekhi explains as he pats his pockets like he was searching for something, "left makes it sound nice, but I ran away because I knew I'd be dead soon if I didn't."
Just like when Mekhi had first told me about his sister, my heart squeezes down on itself as pain and anger spill through me, the need to help and comfort, making it hard for me to not reach for him.
"I come from a very strong coven, one of the strongest covens that still exist today," Mekhi carries on as if he were telling some story instead of his own, "but I am not strong, not like them and not like I'm supposed to be."
I wanted to protest, to declare that he was strong, I'd seen it after all. But Mekhi was the only witch or warlock that I'd really spoken to, still, I knew he wasn't weak, not after all I saw these last few days.
"My father is the High Priest of our coven and its been so for many, many generations," he explains with a sigh, "and while I am nowhere near the next in line for that position, my father sees any point of weakness under his name as a slight to him. And so, naturally, having one of his many offsprings be a Kastel was unacceptable."
"A Kastel?" I repeat, not understanding this term.
"Werewolves call them omegas," Mekhi states as he leans back with a sad smile, "and while it is not exactly the same, it's close enough to explain what I am."
Mekhi, an omega? The only omega I knew was Peter and while Peter was a kind boy, he and Mekhi were nothing alike in temperaments and power. Damon said omegas were weak, that they needed to be protected by their pack always, and yet Mekhi stood on his own like everyone else.
"My family is much like my father and the rest of my coven, powerful with plenty of hatred for the weak," he continues quickly, "and so, after years of nothing but hatred and torment, I left. But that was not enough for Rhen, she's the strongest of my siblings and so she wishes to prove herself as the cruellest.
She torments my dreams to keep me from rest, for witches, rest equates to energy which equates to power. If I don't have it, then she ensures that I stay even weaker than what I am at my best. In some way, I'm sure she thinks that would please our father and I'm sure it does, and so she won't stop."
"But can't we stop her?" I ask hopefully, "isn't Katerina stronger?"
"By far," he says without hesitation.
"Then we should still go, I know Damon would want to same once you tell him what's happening," I press as I lean forward, "if you're scared that he'll think you're weak I promise you that he won't."
Mekhi shakes his head with a chuckle, "that is not what I fear sharing with Damon," he looks down at his hands, "it's telling him my family name that makes me hesitate."
"Your family name?"
"Thoras," he answers before he slides off the bed and stands to his feet, "I should've told him when I joined the pack, but I'll tell him today," Mekhi says with an affirming nod to himself, "I'll come with you to visit Katerina, and I'll tell him then since she's the only other person who knows."
"Mekhi," I say as I rub my head, a headache coming on, "you know that I don't know enough about the supernatural world to understand why your last name is a big deal. So can you just explain this in simple terms to me."
Mekhi laughs as he heads to his wardrobe and takes something out from the top drawer, "you'll understand when I tell Damon, there's no sense in saying it all twice."
"How about, for my wellbeing?" I hazard as I stand and look to him.
"I'm sure it can hold out for a little longer," he replies while he unwraps a stick of gum and pops it into his mouth. He holds one out and I sigh as I take it from him and distract my mind with the minty flavour.
The hard part was supposed to be getting Katerina on board with helping Mekhi, not Mekhi himself.
"Should I be worried?" I ask after a moment, wanting to at least be prepared for that. "I don't want to lose the first friend I've made in over a year."
Mekhi smirks, "I don't think so, but that depends on Damon."
That was easy then, "I'll handle Damon," I promise, "but sometime this week, Damon and I are going for ice-cream and I was going to ask you to come with us, but with the stress you're causing me, I'm demanding it."
Mekhi sighs but he nods, "this is me trying to befriend you."
"I know," Mekhi says.
"We will be friends," I state clearly.
Mekhi chuckles this time, "I know."
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"Well would you look at this," a voice says the minute we step onto the property that had sat on its own with no other house nearby, "a human, a warlock and a werewolf walk into a bar..."
I follow the voice and look up to the sky to see a woman levitating above us as if there was some invisible structure keeping her up.
If Damon hadn't already warned me about this, my mouth would've been on the floor and I'd have probably screamed by now.
The woman falls to her feet with the grace of feline before she straightens to reveal her lean, tall body that was decorated with shining pieces of jewellery from the many glinting rings on her fingers, to the layers of thin necklaces wrapped around her neck.
Her long, curly hair looked like a mix of different browns that complemented her caramel skin and made her shine like her accessories. With the distance between us, the only features I could make out were her sharp hazel eyes and the wide smile that stretched across her face.
This must be the famous witch, Katerina Amorenia.
"It's not every day you see a group like this," she says with clear amusement as she closes the space between us, "and I knew that you were mated to a human Damon, but a piece of me refused to believe it until I saw it for myself. But here he is, a human."
When she stops, she pins her full attention onto me, those sharp eyes making an unsettling shiver run through me. She looked at me like I imagined a scientist looked at a test subject, leaning forward with interest and secret plans.
I step back instinctually, my body feeling weird with the presence surrounding her, like something heavy that could crush me if I wasn't careful.
"Is this too close?" She asks before she hurries to jump back, "Aiden did warn me about the physical contact."
"It's fine," I promise, my heart squeezing with the knowledge that Damon's family had gone through such lengths just for me.
"Then why'd you step back?" She asks with a raised brow, "did I scare you?" I don't answer fast enough because she laughs, "you've got these two killing machines with you, and yet I'm the one you're afraid of."
"Damon's my mate and Mekhi's my friend," I say clearly, my voice never wavering, "I've got nothing to be afraid of, plus, they're more than just killing machines. And I am not afraid of you, I'm just cautious."
Katerina's eyes widen before she smiles widely, displaying a rack of perfect, white teeth. She looks to Damon, "I see how it works now. It makes sense."
"Don't be an asshole," Damon drags out as if he'd just been sentenced to prison.
"It's genetic," she replies with a shrug before she looks us over, "now, why are you three here?"
I don't think I'd ever witnessed anyone be so 'to the point' before, but I guess Damon was right when he said that she was not a fan of social activities.
"Will wanted to speak to you," Damon says as he glances down at me unsurely.
"Did he?" Katerina replies as she looks at me again.
"Yes," I say hoping she wouldn't make us talk in the middle of the road.
"Well?" she prompts impatiently after a moment.
"Can we talk somewhere less open?" I ask, hoping this wasn't pushing it too much. I'd started the day thinking I'd go along with whatever she wanted, once she helped Mekhi. But I had Mekhi's privacy to consider now, and werewolves had really sharp ears, somewhere private would be best. which makes everyone freeze a bit for a moment.
Katerina sighs heavily as she slumps her shoulders, "fine, you three can come inside but only because I'm curious to know what you want with me."
We follow after Katerina and I let myself breathe again the second her eyes are off of me. I may have gotten used to Mekhi and the traces of magic that I sometimes felt with him, but Katerina was on a different level entirely.
If I didn't pass out during this conversation, I'd count it as some sort of win.
When Katerina opens her front door, three massive wolves come bounding out, making me scream at the top of my lungs before I jump into Damon's arms for protection.
The wolves don't even glance at us as they run off into woods, chasing after each other with excitement, while I tried to make my heart beat again.
"If that's how you react to a few wolves, then God help you on a full moon," Katerina says with a cackle as she makes her way inside of the house.
Mekhi follows after her with the decency not to laugh while Damon let the entire pack know that he was currently dying from it. He holds me until I'm ready to be set down, all the while trying to get himself under control.
"And you say I'm the asshole," I grumble as I push past him.
"We balance each other out," Damon replies as he follows after me, still snickering with every step.
Katerina leads us into a room that seemed like it went on for miles and miles, with ceilings high enough to touch the clouds. Almost every inch of it was filled by stacks and stacks of large, thick books, made of different shapes and sizes.
It seemed like this room was something from a palace, which shouldn't have even been possible. The house wasn't big enough to have a room like this, but when I remembered this was a house of a witch, I realised that maybe it was.
The second she finds somewhere she'd pleased with, Katerina turns to face and asks, "so, what do you want human?"
What was with people calling me human here? I had a name and it was basic enough to be remembered.
"I want two things," I say as I sit down one of the chairs made of books. That made her groan again but I carried on anyway, "firstly, I want to thank you for the medicine you made for Damon and me during our heat."
That makes her stop as she looks to me, "I wanted to come straight after to say thank you, but we ended up having to deal with something with my family, so I couldn't do so until now." I explain hurriedly, hoping to all hell that it didn't sound like useless excuses, "but I really want to say thank you for helping us in the way that you did because it did help, and we both appreciated it. Especially me, because you don't even know me, and you still helped us out."
When Damon doesn't say anything, I glare at him until he finds his tongue, "thanks Aunt K." He looks to me but my glare doesn't waver, "I already thanked her when she gave it to me," he whines but I don't give in.
Damon groans just like Katerina had, "thank you for helping us out, I know how much you hate us mutts, so I appreciate it."
Katerina makes a whipping sound that gets a chuckle out of Mekhi, he tries to bury it in a cough but it was useless, Damon was already building up a blush while he grumbled something fruitless under his breath.
"You're welcome," Katerina says as she leans against one of the towers of thick books. She raises her chin slightly as she examines me, "not too many people in this pack know how to say thank you, especially with us witches." She glances to Mekhi for a moment, "they think since we've been let into the pack, we should be grateful and do all they say without question."
She lets a second pass, "it's bullshit," she declares while she laughs, "it's all bullshit from a bunch of stupid, conceited mutts. I help those who deserve it, and those who I think need it, and not a single person more."
My eyes widen as I look to Damon, expecting to have to calm him down since he always got angry when someone insulted his family or his pack, but he was still grumbling nonsensically to himself.
"So thanks for being better than the mutts human," Katerina says when I look back to her, "if I didn't already like how you tamed this mutt, that alone would've of won you some human points."
At this point, they were just being ridiculous.
"Thank you?" I say not sure what was the best way to reply to that.
"Now what's next, I've got nothing to do and plenty of time to do it," she says, her hands gesturing impatiently for me to continue promptly. "You've buttered me up nicely, now tell me what you want before I take my morning nap."
I couldn't decide if I really liked this woman or if she frustrated me.
I glance to Mekhi, I was sure he was probably pleading for something with his eyes, but I was blind so that wouldn't work.
"Mekhi needs help," I say as I look back to Katerina, "there is a witch who is tormenting him whenever he tries to sleep so he doesn't get any rest, and from what Damon's told me, witches and warlocks really need their sleep."
I don't mention Mekhi's sister because I wanted to maintain as much as his privacy as I could here. For all I knew, he didn't want Katerina to know what type of relationship he had with his sister, so if it didn't need to be mentioned, then I wouldn't say anything about it.
"You can't sleep?" Katerina asks sounding like if she'd just been shot.
"There's a witch torturing you?" Damon asks, his rage audible as he looked at his friend.
Mekhi sighs his signature sigh before he answers Damon first, "I've got a sister," he explains tiredly, "she's not the nicest person on the planet and she doesn't like me very much." Anger and pain spread through my body from our bond as Damon tightens his hands into fists.
I was pretty sure he'd just decided that Mekhi's sister would be responsible for his next therapy session.
Looking to Katerina, Mekhi continues, "she comes whenever I try to sleep so that I can't ever build enough energy to fight her off permanently or create stronger wards," he rubs a finger across his pierced, right brow, "I'm figuring out a way to deal with it, so if you don't want to h-"
"You just said you don't have enough energy so how do you plan to deal with it?" Katerina asks while she puts her hands on her hips and looks down at him like a child, "you've been in this pack for what, a year maybe two? You should've told someone about this sooner."
"You should've told me!" Damon exclaims, clearly upset with Mekhi who was trying and failing not to look at him.
I rest a hand to my mate's shoulder, silently telling him to be calm when he glances at me. Damon closes his eyes and takes a moment to breathe before he tries again, "look, I know it's hard adjusting to a pack, especially when you're coming from a coven, but you're part of this pack now Mekhi. That means your enemies are our enemies and we all deal with them, together."
"I thought I could deal with it on my own," Mekhi starts but he stops when he sees how that was just making Damon upset again.
"These slobbering mutts aren't the best," Katerina says which makes us all look to her, "but, they're loyal, and the ones like Damon would kill for you." Damon nods his head furiously, "it shouldn't have taken a human coming into the pack for you to say something."
"My name is Will," I insert because I was genuinely beginning to worry that she didn't know my name.
"I know," Katerina says as she smiles at me, "but Aiden and I agreed to call you human, its fun since we don't have a lot of you around here."
Yeah, we were all assholes in this pack.
"I would've got a group together and helped you kill her if you told me," Damon says firmly and Mekhi nods.
"I know, that's why I didn't tell you," he says before he looks at me, I nod my head and he continues, "I don't come from some small, weak coven in the middle of the woods Damon. Starting anything with them just causes more problems than anyone in this pack needs, it just made more sense to deal with it on my own."
Damon opens his mouth to reply but stops when Katerina lets out a slow breath of air as her closes her eyes and runs a hand over her face. She doesn't open her eyes as she shakes her head, "Mekhi," she says slowly, "Mekhi, please tell me that Damon knows your family name."
Mekhi drops his head to avoid Damon's gaze which makes confusion flare-up in our bond.
"His family name?" Damon repeats unsurely, "what does this have to do with this?"
Katerina sighs as she flops herself down onto one of the book-chairs and pulls some sort of drink out of thin air, "this is going to be really fucking interesting," she says before she takes a sip.
I look back to Mekhi who still had his head down and was avoiding Damon's gaze, I couldn't see him but I could feel in my bones that he was terrified and scared, and that Damon's cautious gaze was probably making things work.
"Switch with me," I say as I tug Damon's hand until he looks at me. He tried to argue, but whatever he saw in my eyes shut him up quickly as he got up for me to take his seat beside Mekhi.
"Wapow," Katerina whispers before taking another sip of her drink.
Ignoring her, I bring myself as close to Mekhi as my body would allow, bending my head enough so that he had to look at me. Still, he looked down at his feet instead of at me, but this close, I could see that he truly was scared and beyond that, he was tired. It made my heart squeeze to see it and my body flare up painfully with the need to fix this.
"Remember what we talked about," I say encouragingly, "Damon won't hate you for it, and if he does, I slap him."
"Hey," Damon calls from behind me.
Mekhi smiles as he looks at me, focusing on the support I was offering him through this even though I had no clue what the big deal was. I smile back at him and nod while he sits up a bit, his frightened look disappearing as he looks to Katerina and then Damon, "my family name is Thoras."
Thoras. Mekhi Thoras.
What was the big deal with that?
"Fuck," Damon groans as he stares down at his friend, the blood draining from his face. Then he looks to Katerina before he runs his hands through his hair, "you've got to be fucking kidding me!"
"I'm guessing you didn't tell anyone about that," Katerina says and Mekhi shakes his head, "keep it that way please." Mekhi nods again.
"What's wrong with the name Thoras?" I ask, tired of feeling stupid for not knowing. I was looking at Damon to answer but Damon was just looking between Katerina and Mekhi as if he'd seen Jesus and couldn't look away.
"I'll give you a quick history lesson," Katerina says piping up with excitement, "most species in this world were naturally made, whether you want to call that by a God or science it's up to you. But some were made by beings powerful enough to be compared to such a God. Following so far human?"
"Yes, witch," I reply which makes her grin.
"So for example, the vampires were made millenniums ago by witches. But to be more specific, they were made by three very powerful witches," she explains while she twirls the straw in her cup around, "those three bloodlines have always represented the strongest witches in our species, but those lines have been getting smaller and smaller because of how much the supernatural fear them, and their power.
The family names of those bloodlines?" she points a finger at herself, "Amorenia," she swirls the finger around in the air, "Vorgium," she settles the finger on Mekhi, "and Thoras."
Well shit...
I did not sign up for all of this when I started the day.
"Three witch bloodlines which are supposed to be kept as far apart as physically possible so we don't get another vampire situation," Damon says pointedly as he looks to Mekhi who was back to ducking his head. "Why didn't you tell me who you were when I invited you to the pack?! If I'd known I would've never le-"
Damon stops himself from speaking the answer to his own question out loud. If he'd known, he would've never let Mekhi in.
"I'm sorry," Mekhi says as he glances up at his friend. "I know I should've told you but I..." his words never come as he shakes his head and looks down, "I'm sorry."
Damon stares at Mekhi's lowered head for a long moment that was only filled in by Katerina's slurping from the straw, I glare at her and she stops.
"I'll leave if you want me to," Mekhi says when Damon doesn't reply, "I don't want to cause anyone any trouble so I'll leave and I won't tell anyone I was here."
Mekhi continues with his plan to leave quickly and quietly, not noticing how the anger had melted out of Damon while he spoke. It didn't take me saying a word to calm him down for Damon to rest a hand on Mekhi head and shove him back so that he'd look at him, "you're not going anywhere, so shut the fuck up."
Mekhi looks up, his eyes wide and disbelieving, "but if the council find out, or the Supernatural Board, it'll cause trouble for the pack."
"Well I'm not leaving, and since Damon would ever let you, then I guess we'll have to deal with whatever trouble comes," Katerina says with a shrug.
"I don't want trouble for the pack," Damon says shaking his head, "whether it's with the Werewolf Council or the stupid board, we don't need their shit, especially not with this.
"So I'll leave," Mekhi says.
"No," Damon snaps as he looks at Mekhi and then Katerina, "you're staying in this pack and we're going to keep who you are between the people in this room."
"Your parents are my only friends, but I can keep my mouth shut," Katerina says.
"You two are my only friends," I say as I look between Mekhi and Damon.
"Good," Damon says, relaxing a bit more, "we tell no one, and if anyone asks, your family name is Amorenia," that makes Katerina chokes on her drink as she sits up hurriedly, "Mekhi can be really fucking powerful when he's got enough energy, people will ask questions, whether it's now or in the future. So the answer is that he's some sort of cousin or third removed nephew in your bloodline."
"Did your father never tell you about how we killed everyone in my bloodline?" Katerina asks with a raised brow while my eyes widen to saucers.
Apparently, murder was a very popular way of dealing with your problems here.
"You missed one," Damon counters, "or you saved him, it doesn't matter what the reason is. The point is, he'd an Amorenia if anyone asks."
"And his family?" I ask, not wanting to forget the reason we were here in the first place.
Katerina sets her empty cup down before he stretches her arms out and cracks the bones in her fingers, "I'll deal with the little bitch and help him make some wards for him and the pack so they can't track him," she says on a yawn, "and you'll join in with Jacob's lessons when you've got your energy back up so you can learn to fend for yourself."
"I don't need lessons-" Mekhi starts but he stops when Katerina laughs wildly, cutting him off completely as she stands to her feet.
"If you're going to be an Amorenia then you're going to be an Amorenia," she states pointedly before she looks up, "your magic is all weird, but we'll figure something out with it." Mekhi tries to argue again but Katerina beats him to it, "just be grateful and do so quietly so I can deal with your sister."
"She's not here right now," Mekhi says as Katerina stops in front of him.
"She doesn't have to be here for me to shatter her brain," Katerina mutters before her eyes fill with a rich purple glow.
For a single moment, everything stops. It felt like every heart stopped beating, every movement stopped halfway and the world stopped spinning, everything just stopped...
And in the next, everything came rushing back into play in the form of wind that blasted through the room like a tornado unleashed.
Damon holds me against his chest, keeping us both planted to the floor while free paper was taken with the winds, cutting its way through the air just like some of the ancient books that slammed against the walls.
Unlike Mekhi, Katerina didn't utter a single word for her spells. It was like she'd mentally flipped some switch that unleashed the magic that she kept inside of her, dormant and waiting for a chance to be let out to do her bidding.
She stood in the centre of it all, this whirlwind of her own making, she was the vessel for her power and she feared none of it.
Stretching her arms out towards Mekhi, she keeps them there until the veins in her hands glow with that same purple hue before she curls her fingers inwards slowly until they made a fist.
Just as Mekhi falls forward, gripping his head with a horrible cry, screams pour into the room, filling every corner of it until there was nothing I could hear but those wretched screams that made my stomach curl inwards.
The screams continued, building with Mekhi's until the first traces of something black and fluid like a liquid began to seep out of Mekhi's skin and towards Katerina's fingers. It was like she was pulling some physical poison out of him and there was just so much of it.
The liquid kept building and building until it started to form a figure, the screaming figure that sounded like its soul was being shredded into pieces. It tried to fight, I think, but if it was, it did absolutely nothing to Katerina who stood calmly before it, drawing out every drop of the black poison until there was nothing left.
The second he was free of it, he slumps to the ground, crumpling like he'd fainted. I make a step to go for him, but Damon keeps me in place as he watches the screeching black-figure until Katerina uncurled her fingers and it disappeared entirely.
There wasn't a trace, no final move, it was just gone as if it'd never been there.
The swirling winds settle as Katerina's power returns to its dormant state and her eyes returned to their normal hue. I stare at her, slightly awed and maybe a bit afraid now while Damon heads to Mekhi, helping his unconscious body up while Katerina stretches as if she'd just hadn't just performed an exorcism.
"Is he okay?" I ask as Damon lifts him up.
"He's fine," Katerina says calmly, "he'll just be out for a couple of days, maybe weeks. He's got to catch up on a lot of sleep."
"And his sister won't hurt him again?" I say and she nods.
"His sister won't be able to think for a year," she replies with a chuckle, "it'll take their coven's greatest to put her mind back together. But they won't be able to trace it back to him or me, I made sure of it."
When I nod, Katerina smiles knowingly at me, "does it make you uncomfortable? The magic?"
I nod with a smile of my own, "I think it'd make anyone uncomfortable if they just watched an exorcism. I thought werewolves were possessed, but I see now it's you witches who need prayers."
"We're not possessed," Katerina protests sounding truly offended.
I just nod my agreement, it was better that they didn't know.
Katerina narrows her eyes at me before she laughs and shakes her head, "I just know that Julian must love you."
I hadn't talked much to Damon's dad, Julian, but since he was the one I grew most nervous around, then that was definitely welcomed news.
"Let's drop him home before we do anything else," Damon says as he gestures to Mekhi's limp body, but he'd barely finished his sentence before Katerina raised her hand and Mekhi disappeared.
"He's home, now get out of mine."
I think I knew how I felt about Katerina, she was equally frustrating as she was likeable. But she'd helped us out and I didn't even have to get on my knees.
"Thank you," I say one last time, "thank you so much for everything."
"You're welcome human," she says with a wink.
So maybe she was more frustrating than she was likeable...
When we're outside and on our way to Damon's parents' house, I look up when I realise that he was staring at me. I wipe my face with a hum but he shakes his head, if I didn't have something on my face then why was he staring so much.
"What is it?" I whine after several rounds of me uselessly wiping my face.
Damon stops us in our path, turning so that we were facing one another. Letting go of my hands, he takes hold of my face, his touch gentle and loving like he was holding something sacred, "when the time comes, for us to lead this pack," he stops to swipe his thumb against my skin, "you'll be perfect."
My cheeks heat up under his hands as I try to look away but Damon doesn't let me, forcing me to accept his words and hear them out, "you'll be perfect and they'll love you," he promises as he leans down for a gentle kiss, "they'll all love you."
I press myself up on toes to meet his lips properly, feeling so starved and desperate for more with the way it lit my body up inside. Every inch of me craved more of my mate in every possible way I could have him, his lips made me feel like butter and I was melting in his arms.
"They'll love you too," I say when we part, "when they get to know you, as I have, they won't be able to help it."
I didn't know when the day would come, whether it was sometime soon or someday far away from now.
But whenever the time came for Damon and me to lead, I'd make sure that we deserved it.
-----------------------
I know this chapter was a lot, I know! It was wayyy more than I expected cause I thought it was just going to be a nice easy chapter after all that drama but then this happened loool.
Thoughts????
Thoughts on Mekhi's lineage? The info on his past?
I can tell you right now that none of his shit is going to be addressed much further until his book. I am not diving into some new crazy plot, this is more like a taste of the problems Mekhi will face in his own book.
I know a lot of people thought Will was going to talk to Mekhi/Kat about his eyes, but honest Will's character is way too selfless to go ask people he doesn't know to do something like that for him.
For this chapter, I wanted to focus on Will being happy after everything but also a lot on Mekhi and their starting friendship, and what type of Luna Will would be.
The first time I wrote the chapter, I didn't say anything about Mekhi's bloodline or really go into a lot of detail with him, but it just didn't make any sense or flow well, so I had to explain it and this was the best way.
I hope it wasn't too confusing, but if you read Master, then you know about the 3 powerful witch bloodlines, since Lincoln addressed it before. If not, it's in Chapter 24.
And if you want more insight into Mekhi and what his sister did to him, but also how he lives with Colson and Quinn, then there's an extra on my Patreon called A Day in the Life of Mekhi, which talks about all that.
But anyway, the next chapter is some much-needed fun family time with the Calderons and Heils, and then SEX!
LOOOOL CHAPTER 69 = 69ING!!!!!!!!!
I'm just playing, but they definitely fucking, that's for sureeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote and comment, and do so even if you didn't enjoy it since I like hearing all thoughts - just don't be a dick about it!
Until next time,
Byeee Humansssssssss