💫
Grandpa Sebby was right...
...Wyn is my mate...he's my werewolf mate...
"I...I..." he's in shock, speechless as we stare into his eyes.
We lick his face, my wolf over the moon as she presses our head into his chest. Wyn's left speechless, though his hands brush over our fur, not wanting to let us go.
"Dot? Wyn?" Grandpa Sebby calls, hearing Marc, and Grandpa Keir also calling, their voices close as they fill the forest.
Now I understand why my wolf was protective of him...
...he's ours.
"I...here!" Wyn finally snaps out of his shock and we see them approach over the log close to the hollowed-out tree stump, Marc coming from between trees off to the south. They feel it, his scent the same, but...
"I knew there was something about him..." Grandpa Sebby murmurs more to himself, but Grandpa Keir approaches with caution, looking from Wyn and then to us. The mark is clear for them to see, Grandpa Keir's wolf regarding Wyn's as they meet for the first time.
"Marked by wolf..." Grandpa Keir's voice trails off, as for the way I've marked Wyn is hardly ever done...a rarity, like everything else that spirals and suffocates around me.
Marc scratches the back of his head and says, "Not to ask the obvious...but, Wyn's a werewolf...right?"
Grandpa Keir kneels before Wyn while we growl, a protective stance immediately surging forward. He reaches out and touches our muzzle, whispering, "It's alright," I must reign in control, forcing us to take a few steps back, though when we lower to our belly, we rest our head-on Wyn's legs. Grandpa Keir looks Wyn over and replies to Marc, "He's a half-breed...though dormant."
"If he was dormant...and he's not now..." Marc's voice trails off before the light clicks on and he exclaims, "Wyn is Dot's werewolf mate?!"
Grandpa Sebby ruffles his hair and replies, "Brilliant deduction."
"Oh, shut up," Marc pushes his hand away and retorts, "Chris told me that he's seen a few dormant half-breed werewolves, but...I've never seen this before."
Alpha Chris...
...the Crusaders Pack.
My heart flutters at this, breathing out as we nuzzle against Wyn's stomach.
Grandpa Sebby furrows his brows and states, "I just don't understand one thing, Dot can't be touched without...well..." he shakes his head and motions, "...how?"
"The curse must have been for her," Grandpa Keir speculates, asking me, "is that what you think?"
We nod our muzzle, not wanting to shift back...this is the closest we've felt to another in a long time. We don't want to leave the touch of our mate; we don't want to be separated by the curse of flesh...of skin.
Grandpa Sebby asks, "Keir, how much do you know about half-breed werewolves that were previously dormant?"
Grandpa Keir rises to his feet and replies, "More than enough to know that Wyn is now in a great deal of danger."
Marc asks with confusion, "Wait...why?"
"Shifting," Grandpa Keir arches a brow and asks, "didn't Alpha Chris tell you about that?"
"Well...no..." Marc mutters, waiting for Grandpa Keir to enlighten him. I already know what he's talking about though and it fills my heart with dread because now there needs to be a plan for him...
Grandpa Keir takes a step back away from the two of us and replies, "Half-breed werewolves that were once dormant shift on their first full moon...if they shift at all...not many are able to, their wolves suppressed as time goes on, they weaken."
"The Hunt..." Marc's voice trails off as everything snaps into place.
We growl at his words, lifting our head off Wyn's legs and standing on all fours.
"Ice Haven isn't too far off," Grandpa Sebby clears his throat, "I've called them closer for when the council is brought down...he'd be far enough away. I can escort him there and be back in time, he'd be safe and out of reach from the snowflake crystals to call him."
Marc asks with confusion, "How come I can't tell...what he is?"
"He's sitting right here..." Wyn is more confused than either of the three, his voice trailing off with disconcertment.
Grandpa Keir shakes his head and apologizes, "I'm sorry, Wyn. This is not what any of us were expecting. We don't mean to be speaking like you're not here..." his voice trails off as he answers Marc, "...that will show when he shifts for the first time as we don't know which one of his parents was a werewolf or their rank. It will become obvious in due time," he pauses and nods at Grandpa Sebby, "The safest place right now is with Ice Haven."
We don't want to be separated...
...but we must, for his sake.
Grandpa Sebby nods and tells Wyn, "Let's get back to camp and pack a few things for you to take with you," he pauses when we growl and continues, "and, so the two of you can say goodbye."
Wyn reaches out and touches our forehead, a whimper leaving our muzzle, but we let him go. He stands, Marc walking away with Grandpa Sebby and Wyn, the three out of sight within a few minutes. Grandpa Keir stands guard, allowing for us to shift back to skin within the hollowed-out tree stump, the cold seeping into my bones quickly.
I have my clothes on and adjusted in a few minutes, walking out and breathing out slowly.
"Is he the first of your three?" Grandpa Keir asks me when I walk closer to him.
"Yes..." my voice is just above a whisper...I know Merle, but Wyn is the first I've marked and claimed as mine.
"Sebastian will keep him safe," Grandpa Keir reassures me, though I can't help the new wave and fear that overshadows everything else. The things we can't plan for, the changes that we are unaware of the way they affect an outcome...this...
Grandpa Keir turns to me, my eyes holding a much different spectrum this time as I tell him, "I'm scared."
"Fear is healthy, it keeps us on edge and to remind us we can never grow complacent," Grandpa Keir starts, my heart beating evenly as he finishes, "fear is the opportunity given to us to do something brave."
I must be brave and let him go...
I nod quickly, wiping away tears I hadn't noticed falling from the corners of my eyes. He walks with me in complete silence, just his presence is reassuring and brings me a sense of peace. Through all the turmoil that is uncontrollable, I can control the way I decide to react to what comes my way and I must be brave.
Wyn's standing next to Grandpa Sebby with a backpack, others of the packs sparking with intrigue. They buzz with life, talking...though when Grandpa Keir and I walk forward past the tree trunks near the main camp, they fall quiet, their chatter coming to a near halt. Grandpa Keir understands the uneasiness I feel, and he orders, "Return to your posts and keep your nose out of their business."
Grandma Laura is the only one to approach while others are quick to adhere to an order from their Alpha. She says nothing, standing alongside Grandpa Keir while I breathe out calmly and walk toward Wyn. He has a soft smile on his lips when he sees me, holding my gaze the entire time.
I stop, looking at him hard as I say, "I'm sorry...for what I've done."
"What you've done?" Wyn furrows his brows and tells me, "Dot, you've only ever done things to protect and help me. Without you...I..." his voice trails off and I understand everything. He clears his throat, "Without you...I wouldn't know who I am...who we are."
He always manages to make me smile, reaching out as I hug him. Mindful of any exposed skin, he hugs me back, my words soft as I tell him, "I wish I could be there...I wish..."
"Selenia will help with his first shift," Grandpa Sebby informs me, a small light of hope that someone will genuinely help and be there for him taking root. He reminds me, "Since she's woken from her coma, she's spread her light through the pack, aiding the sick and healing the broken."
She's special...so special...
Of course, she is, I shake my head at the thought, she's Selene's vessel. I can't believe I've been so blind to what is all around me...I'm looking, but not seeing. What Aeon did, controlling her and awakening her from the state she was in, it worries me...but I must have faith and trust that I'm not the only higher power working out here...I mean, come on...please, a little help?
"When this is over, I..." it's hard, speaking for the first time when I could lose something so precious to me.
"You'll...teach me how to make other campfire treats?" Wyn tilts his head to the side and laughs nervously, breaking the tension as I smile back.
"Yeah, something like that," I say my goodbye to him, knowing it will never be long enough, especially when Grandpa Sebby walks away with him. They fade into black, standing on the same spot until I can no longer see them in my sight. Even then, I don't want to move, not realizing how something like this could hit me so hard, especially in this era.
I've met him before my time...
...how will this...how did I just change my fate?
With no idea what the future will hold for me, I breathe in and out slowly, allowing the light in the center of my chest to ease and calm my wildfire of emotions before they wreak havoc.
That night, I lie awake and staring up at the stars. I don't want the comfort of the tent I share with Quinn, the bridge of my nose stinging as my feelings run rampant. The stars twinkle back through the break in the clouds, a soft snow falling. When I close my eyelids, memories of my past fill my dreams, ones that make my heart flutter with the remembrance of a future that isn't mine any longer. Nothing will ever be the same, no matter what I do, the future will be different, and I don't know what I've done regarding my existence.
The next day...I pull through it, playing out as on autopilot. I hardly speak to anyone, even Marc who tries to get me to go over things for The Hunt, but I already know my position and part. It will come and pass, just as time stands still for no one, this too shall pass, and the next phase of my existence will be revealed.
The only thing that breaks me from this dream state, is when Grandpa Sebby returns, though the night claims us once more. When I go to speak to him, he is taken from me by Marc, not able to ask him the questions I burn to know the answer for, the day of The Hunt causing a great commotion among the encampment.
While they prepare, I fear the moon for the first time in my life.
The sky is darkening, the purplish and pink clouds play on the horizon as the sun almost sets. I'm left, standing at the edge of the encampment and staring up as the sky becomes starry, the wispy clouds leaving and parting, making way for the full moon.
My eyelids flutter shut, steadying my beating heart as everything around me starts to turn, the motion unsettling.
Please...I beg you, please protect him.
There is no response, the wish I have might fall on deaf ears. The envy I have of mother for her direct communication with Selene...
We must make our own fate and the Code of Conduct ends tonight.
Red Like Roses 🌹
~Kay
⊰♥⊱To Be Continued⊰♥⊱
Instagram: serenityr0se