The days that followed went by as usual. Training with Feytan in the morning, sometimes working in the evening. I'd spend my free time alone reading a book, or hanging out with Lotta. Vince joined often, too. But he had quite a busy schedule, so most of the time it was just Lotta and I.
At dinner, her other friends joined. But since we otherwise barely saw them, I didn't get the feeling they were that close.
We hadn't talked much about what had happened during the hunt, but as I expected, none of the thirteen wolves made it through the night.
And Leo had been spared a horribly slow death, at my mercy, Lotta had said. I knew she'd only said that to console me, but if Aven would have heard that, I'm not sure if he would let me go unpunished.
Today was no different, but Feytan had said today would be a shorter training. He was expected somewhere right at the same time my training was about to end, but he said to look at this like a calmer day, for my body to rest.
I didn't do a lot of resting, though. Feytan made up for the lost time by ordering me the hardest exercises we'd done so far, and I did longer reps than I'd normally do, as well.
But I didn't complain. I wanted to run. And I wanted it now.
"As soon as you're ready for the combat training, you'd be good to try the transforming again, I reckon," Feytan said. My heart fluttered. "And that's going to be rather soon."
And my heart skipped a beat.
"You really think that?" I asked happily.
Feytan nodded, while throwing me my leather flask. The fresh water disappeared into me, a refreshment and hydration all at once.
"I'm glad," I exhaled. "I've been longing after my first run."
"Do you know where you'd want to go to?"
I hadn't thought about it yet. "Anywhere. Doesn't really matter. I just want to run, feel the freedom, the wind ruffling in my fur."
"Running truly is great. But don't get caught up in it. I'd miss our human chatter if you'd never change back."
Wolves who refused to return to their human lives were rare, but they existed. They were mostly wolves with broken lives, like me. With nothing to lose, unlike me. I still had friends, even if not all of them lived with me in Rahas.
But no matter if Benjamin stayed behind in Spitta. I couldn't bear one day running into him, and him not being able to recognize me, because of my wolven form. Benjamin fearing me. Running from me. Or in the worst case, trying to kill me.
Or me trying to kill him. Who knew what my mind would be like if I'd never change back?
"I've got to go now," Feytan interrupted my train of thought. "But I'll see you later, Sari. Oh, and before I forget, lunch is in the other dining room today."
"Why?" Had it anything to do with why he had to leave earlier today?
"Cailean's coming to visit," he said, before he ran off, probably because he had to be part of the welcoming committee.
Sure enough, when I entered the dining room for my midday meal, I was staring at the familiar faces of Aven, Jerr, Feytan and Mallee at the front table. And they were accompanied by a young face, with golden eyes and long, light blonde hair. It was almost white, but I knew it hadn't lost its color due to age. It just had always been white.
Cailean broadened his smile as he saw me enter the room. His gaze followed me as I found my table, seated next to Lotta and her friends.
During lunch, his eyes fell on me a few times again, as did Jerr's. I didn't know if I should feel uncomfortable or not, but I didn't sense any malice in his looks. Just... Curiosity.
And I couldn't blame him. My transfer to Death Moon had been the biggest change of events of the past few Ascensions, probably. And given everything that had happened after, I'd be more surprised if he wouldn't show any interest in my story.
That theory only got confirmed, when I bumped into him in the hallway after lunch.
"Sari, what a coincidence we meet each other," he said, his voice the very sound of elegance and grace.
Him and both knew it likely was no coincidence. "Good afternoon, Alpha," I said. While Aven had given me permission to use his name, I'd be a fool not to use the formalities on other Alphas. Especially Cailean, who was older than the rest, and probably more fond of the traditional customs.
"A fine afternoon it is. Should you care to go for a walk? I've been wanting to see your Alpha's personal gardens." He almost sang the words.
"Oh, I'm not sure if I'm allowed in those," I hastily said.
"Nonsense. I was granted permission to walk there, I am simply letting a local accompany me." He offered me a genuine smile, one that could melt hearts from afar, as his golden eyes blinked and shone.
I was so inclined to accept his offer, but I couldn't let myself get hypnotized by his charms. "I'm still not sure if I'd be welcome in his gardens."
"Fear not, Sari. What's your Alpha going to do? If he punishes you, he must punish me. I insist you come walk with me."
Even though it was said in the most polite way possible, I felt his urge behind it. I didn't really have a choice. "It would be my honor to walk with you, Alpha."
"The honor is all mine," he replied, his teeth showing through another smile. He extended his arm, a signal for me to take it.
I looped my hand around his arm as he walked me to Aven's private gardens.
It was beautiful. It had roses climbing up archways, little bushes filled with flowers everywhere. Everything looked neat. Even the gate at the entrance was bewildered, but in a controlled and beautiful way.
"So, do tell me, Sari. How are you liking your stay in the beautiful city of Rahas? I must admit I was secretly hoping Aven would have kept you here."
"It's different than what I'm used to, but it's good. I'm happy." I didn't know what kind of answer he expected of me. "Were you hoping to see me, Alpha?"
"Yes, I must say that I was. It is not often that a flame changes into darkness, you see," he mused. His eyes were filled with enjoyment.
"I'm afraid I've never really been much of a flame."
Cailean turned his head, his golden stare digging through me. "You're not just a flame, you're fire itself. All the Alphas saw it at the clearing in the Middle. It is not all who would do what you did, then. You've got fire in your heart, young wolf."
My heart wrenched as he used the same nickname Aven was so fond of. Young wolf. But I wasn't sure if it was such an insult, coming from Young Moon's Alpha. "I did what I had to, to survive," I answered, trying to mind my tone. I didn't want to come off as too defensive, not when I was walking with one of the most dangerous wolves present in Rahas. And I wasn't sure yet if he liked me or not.
"We all knew that, Sari. But still, even your arrival. From the minute I saw you, I knew you had fire deep in your heart."
I cursed myself, when I said - without thinking, "Then why didn't you step forward in the clearing?"
Cailean exhaled loudly, a bit amused. Thankfully, he didn't seem offended by my question. I'd live to see another day. "Would you have come with me, should I have offered you the possibility?"
"Maybe. There's no way to know now," I answered. But I knew the true answer. Yes.
Cailean stopped next to a purple bush, where he tore out a single flower. "I think you would have. Now, what does that say about your loyalties towards Aven and his pack? Which is why I didn't step forward. You wouldn't have chosen to join Young Moon, you would have chosen to leave Fire Moon. As much as I do enjoy seeing when Beckett's head begins to fume with rage, it just wasn't worth it in that moment. You know best of all how much Beckett loves his games. Choosing you would have been a losing move for me, and I intend to win."
"What maybe could have happened if you had stepped forward, has nothing to do with my loyalties towards my pack. I am happy here in Rahas, and I am loyal to Aven." And I would have been loyal to him and Young Moon, should he have stepped forward. Had the other Alphas all thought in the same way? I just wasn't worth it?
"Hmm," he sang. "Happy in Rahas - but not in Death Moon?"
My heart began speeding up. I didn't like the direction this conversation was heading. "Rahas is Death Moon," I countered, doing my best to keep my tone as respectful as I could.
"Calm down, young wolf," Cailean said. "I am not here to burn you to the stake. That is Aven's job. I am merely curious. You can't blame me. Fire kills, but it doesn't often change into death."
"It did for me."
"I am glad to hear that. I'm sure Aven will be, too." He offered me the purple flower he'd just picked, after he smelled it himself.
I gracefully accepted his gift, and sniffed it as well. It had a sweet, yet stinging smell. My nose prickled, and I had to suppress a sneeze.
Cailean laughed gently. "It's a mutated sort of wolfsbane," he explained. "This species has been specifically developed to have lost the poisonous attributes, leaving only enjoyment."
"Enjoyment?" I asked, curiously.
"Most certainly. I must recommend you drink a tea from this plant one day. But I'd clear out your entire week. Oh, and perhaps don't steal from Aven's stash. This plant is quite rare, you see."
"Oh, I didn't know," I said, nearly throwing the purple flower away. If Aven would catch me walking here, that would be bad. But if he'd see my with one of his rare flowers in my hand, that'd only make it worse.
The only reason I didn't throw it away, was because offending Cailean scared me more. "There's an entire world for you to discover, Sari. You should come visit my lands in Young Moon one day. I'm sure you would find it mesmerizing. And I'm not as opposed to sharing my private stock," he added, with a graceful wink.
"I would be honored to."
"Of course you would be," he answered with a smile. I almost mistook it for a genuine one, but I'd always been taught not to trust a wolf with Tarunya's gift. Their eternal youth could be compelling and deceiving, giving them almost eternal time to master the skill of deceit.
It was even said the most powerful ones actually possessed powers of compulsion. One of the previous Alphas, who lived many Moons ago, was told to possess such powers. He could lure everyone in with just a simple word, or even just a look, a flicker of his eyes.
I wondered if Cailean was a biological descendant from that Alpha. Often, the Alpha title gets passed down in the bloodline, given they often share the same magical gift required for the Alpha position. So there was a real possibility that he was, and given the lifespan of the average Young Moon, the odds were quite big Cailean and him weren't separated by that many generations.
I gave Cailean a graceful smile of my own, but he didn't seem to care much about my small pleasantries.
We reached the gate at the start of the gardens again, a signal that our walk had come to an end. Cailean turned to me, and sang the words so gracefully, I was becoming more and more sure he was one of the rumored Young Moon wolves that possessed the power of compulsion. "I will see you again, Sari. But until our next talk, it was nice finally meeting you."
He gave me a slight bow, which I took as a sign of respect. After I had answered his farewell, he elegantly turned away and walked back towards the Manor, leaving me behind at the entrance of the gardens with a strange, warning feeling in my chest.
I would see him again, of that I was sure. I just didn't know yet if it would work in my favor, or not.
A/N: for those who have missed my announcement, due to some good things going on in life, I've decided to drop this chapter now as a bonus. I hope you enjoy reading it!
What do you think about Cailean? How is he coming across?
Also, in the coming two weeks, I might begin editing the earlier chapters. It's mostly just correcting some grammatical errors or punctuation mistakes, and shortening the prologue a little bit. I don't know if my followers will receive notifications of that every time that I do, but sorry in advance if you do!