I was surprised to find trays of warm food sitting on the table when I and my brother woke up. We ate in a nervous silence, unsure of what to say to each other because of the situation. There was no word from Nathaniel and we were told by a guard to stay inside until further notice. I hated it, but I didn't have a choice.
Matthew and I took our time wandering and peeking around in his house to occupy ourselves, and eventually found a bookshelf with many, many books. Matthew looked excited and started pulling a few from the shelf to read.
I snorted and said, "Matthew, you'll never finish them by the time we leave here."
He made a goofy face at me before opening the first book. "Watch me, sister. I'll be finished with this book within a few hours and remember everything."
I snorted and giggled, looking through the books to find anything interesting. I came across a history book on werewolves after going through the second shelf, pulling it down and opening it up. "Huh..." I wondered if there was anything on the war Xau had mentioned before.
"Blue water... Spirit...Oh!" I had found it and read through it, recalling everything he had told me. Everything was in much more detail, and it was terrifying to think of how many lives were lost. The war was so bad that it was the reason my race had almost gone extinct. I frowned, wondering if I should look into my own race more.
But I had more pressing things to think about. Now that I thought about it, ever since that night and a few times after, Xau and Cliff had gone silent on me. I realized it and an uncomfortable wave of uncertainty hit me.
I huffed, sitting down on the couch as I started at the pages.
I still didn't understand wolf spirits all that much, or the effect they had on a mate. I went back to the index and found the number for the chapter "Souls and Soulmates". Aside from interbreeding being a rare happening, everything else was what I was already told.
One of the last few pages of the chapter looked deep into bonds however, and I found that if a wolf is whole enough, the human and wolf halves become one working mind. It made sense in a way; acceptance, willingness to listen to your own self, and instinct play a huge part in what makes a werewolf.
All of which the brothers were lacking.
At least, I thought they were lacking it. If I couldn't wear Xau or Cliff anymore, then does that mean they bonded already? "In such a small amount of time," I muttered, feeling surprised. I turned the page and further read that mates can heal each other over time with enough love and trust in each other.
That did explain a lot, but to even fathom that Xau and Cliff were bonded to their opposite was incredibly rare. But possible
I finally closed the book and leaned back, sighing heavily. Even the reading sent me straight back to thinking about Xain and Connor. How much longer did I need to stay away from them?
"Something on your mind?"
I jumped from hearing my brother's voice, looking at Matthew before sighing again. "Yeah, there is. I'm just thinking about them."
Matthew nodded, closing the book he was reading before sitting beside me. We didn't say anything to each other for a minute before Matthew asked, "So...husbands?"
I blushed, playing with the ends of my shirt. "Something like that, but there's no ring yet."
"Yet," he repeated, as if trying to understand. "Okay then. And there's two of them."
I nodded, glancing at him before looking away. He seemed a bit flustered as well. "Uh...okay. Uh, h-how did you meet?"
I blushed furiously and quickly said, "In the woods."
I think Matthew could tell there was more to it, but he didn't press on it. "Is it normal? To, uh, you know, be soulmates with two of them at the same time?"
I shook my head. "No," I replied, "I think I'm the first person this has ever happened to."
"Oh," was all he said. "Do they treat you right?"
I smiled with certainty and said softly, "Yes, they have. There's been a lot of bumps, but they're treated me well and protected me."
Matthew grinned softly and pulled me in a warm embrace. "Good... Am I allowed to still threaten them?"
I laughed softly, hugging my brother back. "Of course, Matthew!"
He chuckled and held me close. It felt nice to be able to talk to him again, to open up and speak my woes. My smile soon disappeared as a cold feeling overtook me. "Matthew, what am I going to do? What if they don't let my mates go?"
He paused, leaving me to wonder what he'd say for a minute until he spoke. "I don't know, Lyra. But I'll be here for you, okay? I won't let you suffer alone, but I hope it doesn't have to come to that."
I nodded in response. Yes, it would be nice if the brothers were let go, but that wasn't how things worked.
If things were that simple, I wouldn't be where I was. I'd be back in East Mount with the rest of my family.
~
*
~
It was near dinner time when Nathaniel had finally returned. Matthew and I looked at him expectantly. My heart beat faster as I saw a smile on his face. "Can you two follow me, please?"
I held my breath as Matthew and I abandoned our books. We slipped our boots on and followed Nathaniel as he led us outside. "Make sure to bundle up," he said, not even bothering to put on a coat. All he wore was pants, a t-shirt and boots. He didn't look at all bothered with the harsh weather as he made his way down the stairs.
We followed him, careful not to slip down the steps as we descended. He led us deeper into the village before making a sharp turn down a set of stairs. I frowned, looking at what was a dome hiding under a hill. At the base was a metal-like door, with one guard standing on each side.
Nathaniel put on an odd looking glove before opening the heavy door. He then looked to us and said, "This is the prison cell. The boys are not the only ones in here so I suggest you keep to the middle of the hall." When I gave my brother a worried glance, Nate added, "The bars, cuffs, and even this door is silver. No one will be escaping anytime soon."
My eyes widened. "You chained the brothers in silver?"
"We didn't have a choice," was all Nathaniel said, waving us in. "If you've brought anything in, leave it with the guards in the main room."
Matthew pulled out a small book and waved it. "I thought I could give one of them a book as a peace offering. I did try to kill one of them at one point." He smiled weakly.
"You forget that Connor tried to kill you," I pointed out just as weakly. I don't think either of us liked to think about that night.
Nathaniel glanced at the book before saying, "...I don't see a problem in that."
The two of us smiled as we went inside. It was a little warmer inside, but only a little. Even if werewolves could produce their own heat, I was pretty sure if exposed to the harsh weathers for too long, they'd almost be freezing.
After leaving any item I had, Matthew and I were led down a small set of stairs before going down a narrow hallway. What I hadn't pulled out was my knife, as I still kept it tuck in my underwear just in case things went wrong. It wasn't that I didn't trust Nate; I just didn't trust the situation itself.
We had passed quite a few prisoners, most of whom were either asleep or in their own thoughts. I frowned just a little harder as each cell we passed. I hadn't seen my werewolves yet and it was frustrating me.
"Nathaniel," is said, stopping, "Where are they?"
He stopped walking only for a moment. "They're at the lowest level. I tried to convince the council that they didn't need to be arrested, but instead of letting them go, they were placed in a lower cell away from everyone else. Because they knew Miles would not come for them, they knew the best place to keep the boys out of sight and out of mind is where we place the worst of the worst."
"We haven't come across any as such, since most of them reform or leave the pack, so right now they're the only ones we have down here." Nathaniel sighed. "This isn't how we handle cases like these, but they believe that the Wilsons have mental issues and should be considered a large threat. Hardly the case since for days all they've done is tried to work things out with us."
"They aren't dangerous anymore!" I protested, throwing my hands up. "I know this for a fact now, okay? What will it take for them to see that?"
As Nate descended further down, he said, "A clear minded alibi."
I sighed weakly, heading down the stairs close behind him. The sooner I could see Xain and Connor the better!
I wanted to scream out for them and take off their chains; to set them free and take them away. Not back to East Mount, not back to my village, but away. I wanted to stay away from people who could hurt us.
Nathaniel pulled out keys from his pockets and unlocked a large silver-looking door before opening it. Just beyond the door was a locked cell door. The prison cell was surrounded by rock, and then a layer of silver for added protection.
I gasped, tears immediately springing from my eyes.
Weary, clouded silver eyes met mine, transforming a docile and complacent werewolf into a man desperate to be free from his chains. "Lyra!!" He stood painfully, pulling against the chains that kept him pinned near the wall.
I tried my hardest not to sob, unable to even turn around as I said, "Open the door!"
"Lyra," Nate started to say, but relented the moment I bore my eyes into his. Giving Connor a warning growl to calm down, he approached the door.
Xain, who was seemingly asleep, opened his eyes wide before scrambling to get up. The moment the door opened was when I pushed myself through, catching Connor's hands just as he kept from crumbling to his knees.
I stared, horrified at their conditions. There were silver shackles cuffed around their ankles and wrists while more chains wrapped around their necks and waists, keeping them up against the wall and unable to even get close to each other.
I stormed to Nathaniel and held out my hand. "Give me the keys, now!!"
"I can't do that," Nathaniel said, looking off-putting after looking at the brothers. He then stared at me with an odd expression before saying, "If you go in and unlock them, I can't keep the doors unlocked." He then stared down at the brothers hard, even though they didn't bother looking back.
They stared at me longingly and I felt it. I knew if I didn't get in there soon, it just might drive them insane.
"Malnourished? Pinned? We didn't agree to this." Nathaniel's voice became a growl, something deeper and more threatening.
I looked to Matthew, worried that he'd make an issue about me going in. Instead, he smiled at me hopefully before passing me the book he wanted to give Connor and stepping back. I could have cried on the spot if I wasn't so worried about getting to my mates.
Nathaniel hesitated before handing me four different keys. "This is for Connor's ankles; this for his neck, that's for Xain's, and this is for his neck." He looked at me. "Don't make me regret this."
I nodded before turning to the brothers. I could hear Nathaniel locking the door behind me and mentioning food for them, but I couldn't quite hear him. Blood was racing to my ears as I unlocked their chains and shackles, overwhelmed with relief as they wrapped their arms around me.
"You've gotta stop saving us," Xain muttered, face lost in my shoulder. Connor said nothing, burying his face in my hair. They were cold almost, shivering and trembling as they held me to them as tightly as possible.
Only when Nathaniel closed and locked the heavy door did I allow myself to cry.
~*~
REUNION!!!
Until the Next Update!
~Noms