Chapter 31
Aldric
Elysia was there. And worst of all - Heera was also there. I wasn't sure what "there" was - I could only see them in a black room. Heera stood behind her - burning with what seemed like rage. Elysia had her head down and was looking at someone - I ran forward - my instincts faster than my vision - my entire body jumped towards Elysia but only then I realized I was chained to thick shackles against the wall- the same chains Heera had tied me to when she captured me. I tried to break free of them, used all of my energy to break free of them but I couldn't. No matter what I did, the chains were stronger. I growled and screamed and cried but all in vain.
This monster - this horrid monster - despite all my strength was more powerful than me.
I was too late.
The whip in Heera's hands suddenly slashed across Elysia's entire back, the silver glittering and then - it was red with her blood. The scars on her back - the wolf mark and now a whip mark.
"No!" I screamed. "STOP!"
But it was too late - Elysia was already hurt. Her pain became my pain - I felt my back hurt - it tore through the past scars. I cried out, falling to my knees - letting it consume every part of me. I took it in and gasped, feeling the whip pierce through the circular scars of Heera's curses. My muscles tore apart - aching and begging - yet I took it with a smile.
It didn't matter.
I would take a hundred lashes if I had to but no one hurts Elysia.
But just like that - it was gone. At the same time, I saw Elysia's facial expression change and she shut her eyes tightly; the pain was hers now.
No.
I rather take it - I wanted to take it rather than see the way her body began to register the pain.
"NO!" I screamed at whoever was playing this cruel game with me. I imagined the pain hurting her the way it did to me - and no - I had to get out. I struggled against the chains, pulled as hard as I could, fought with all my fight but the chains only to cut through my wrists, creating bruises and cuts. I tried to transform to my wolf but it was not working - nothing was working.
Instead, I just saw the pain in her eyes. I saw the way she shut her eyes, bit her lip hard and curled her fingers into fists. She didn't cry out. Instead, she just took it. Let it hurt her. I wanted to take her pain away. I wanted to take everything away from her. The chains behind me wouldn't let me move - I kept fighting them - to somehow move closer to her, to cut my claws through Heera's body.
No one hurts Elysia.
But Heera just did and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I screamed in frustration.
I struggled against the chains again, yelling and fighting but it was all useless.
"Aldric," she whispered. Except it wasn't her voice.
That wasn't her voice.
Elysia was disappearing and in the vague light I could see her unconscious in someone's arms - I couldn't see who he was - just that he was running.
"Aldric."
My entire body jerked and I woke up and found myself looking into a pair of bright blue ocean eyes. I blinked before realizing it wasn't Elysia.
"You okay?" Freya whispered, her hands caressing my hair.
I blinked - suddenly seeing the light above me but my mind was focused on Elysia.
It was a dream. No, it was a fucking nightmare.
But my back still ached - something was wrong.
It was just the nightmare - you can't project it to reality.
There was no way Elysia could meet Heera.
But I didn't know where she was. I never found her - no matter how hard I struggled, I never found her. Who knows if she ended up in Heera's coven?
It wasn't real. It wasn't real. I chanted but the throbbing in my back didn't subside. It wasn't as painful as I felt it in my dream but it was still there. I shook my mind. It was the war; I was losing my goddam mind because of this war.
"Aldric - you okay?" Freya asked again.
"Fine," I muttered angrily and pushed her aside. At the same time, Freya grabbed my arm.
"You were thrashing - your entire body was seemed to be fighting -" Freya said.
"I said I'm fine Freya," I hissed and pulled my arm out from her grip.
"Tell me what happened," Freya tried for the third time.
"Moon Goddess, Freya - fuck off," I spat, frustrated.
She blinked and finally dropped her hand. She looked away.
I could see the hurt in her eyes. This isn't what is expected of Alpha and Luna; Alpha and Luna lead together, they bonded together, they loved each other. At the end result, they made the strongest cubs. I had been declared Alpha for over a year now but Freya had just become my Luna in the past month.
"The pack needs a Luna even if you do not want one," my father had told me. "You have been an Alpha for more than a year and you have been excellent at it but it is time the pack has a Luna. A pack does not receive full attention or strength from other packs unless there a clear Alpha and Luna."
My father was right. The pack needed a Luna; since becoming Alpha, my list of duties had increased exponentially. It was impossible to fight on the battlefield for sixteen hours a day and still be able to handle the organizational procedures of the pack. The Luna could handle that. And Freya was the best choice for the Luna. Besides, this ordeal had already been decided since I was sixteen. But I had made it clear to Freya that we would not have a real relationship even if the rest of the pack thought we did.
I had given her the option to refuse to be my Luna because I couldn't give her what she truly deserved. Better yet, I had told her she could keep the Luna position while still be allowed to be with any wolf she wanted to.
"I cannot do that, Aldric," Freya said, instead. "It would break the sacred bond of Alpha and Luna. We can just be Alpha and Luna for the pack if that's what you want. We don't have to be anything more."
The truth was I loved her and always wished the best for her but I could not love her the way she wanted me to. And right now, telling her to fuck off in the cruellest tone when all she did was care was just further proof that she shouldn't want anything to do with me. Her eyes tore away and I could hear the shift in her voice. This wasn't the first time I lashed out her at her like this. In fact, I lashed out at everyone - sometimes just for breathing.
The hurt in Freya's eyes was so apparent, I couldn't deal with it. I stood up. I could feel the guilt building up but frankly, I didn't fucking care. I moved from the bed and head towards the battlefield but my wolf wouldn't let me move forward.
"I am still giving you that option - you can continue to be Luna and we no longer have to put on any facade that we are together. You are free to be with any wolf you want - whenever you want." I said instead before deciding to leave. I turned to look at her one last time.
I hated myself for being unable to love her back. Her love was so pure and all I had to do was offer her same. Everything would have been so easy then.
"Aldric. This is my decision and you don't have to spend the rest of your life pitying me. Even if you can't love me back, I will always love you. And I will continue to do what I think is best for you."
I sighed. She didn't deserve this. I could tell her a million times but for some reason, she was willing to go through whatever pain I gave her by not loving her back.
"You don't deserve this Freya," I finally said. "I have given you nothing."
"My love is unconditional. And you don't deserve whatever you're putting yourself through either."
I wasn't sure about that. I wasn't human on the battlefield. I hurt witches, killed them if necessary. It was war but I hurt so many people. Maybe this was the universe giving me what I truly deserved.
We are in war Aldric but we must be good. We must only make decisions because we have to, not because we want to. It was my mother's words; she was another person I buried in the back of my head so I wouldn't have to think of her.
Either way, I was a monster. And monsters don't deserve to be loved. Especially not by souls who were far too good for this world.
She fucking left you without a word. She knew what she meant to you but she left you. Took your magic books and left. All because of one fight - one disagreement that we could've easily worked out. But instead, she chose to leave. Not one word. Not a single explanation. That's still a good soul to you?
Even my wolf didn't deny the anger and betrayal he felt.
I buried my anger in the back of my head.
It had been so fucking long but I couldn't get her out of my head.
I hated her so much.
I called her a disease once, but she was something far worse. She was poison and I kept drinking her and it kept killing me.
I would never forgive her.
/
The battlefield was the only place I felt secure. The rows of Alphas from other packs stood beside but they looked at me for permission on when we should attack. I stared at the witches far ahead. They had their shield prepared but not every witch was powerful. Some magic was so weak we could break through it with our claws. The colors of their magic could be seen from the distance.
I designed a three-way plan for this attack. Three sets of wolves would encircle the witches. First, a small legion would go and attack, cornering the witches in one area. Then, a larger second legion would appear and fight the witches. At last, a third legion - the largest would consume whatever strategies the witches had planned.
I turned to the new legion of wolves that had arrived at battlefield just last week. They needed to understand the protocols for the battle.
"This war will not end as quickly as you want it to. If some of you are tired or feel that you cannot fight again, I don't want to see you on the battlefield. Do you understand me? An unwilling soldier is a sign of a losing war and we are not losing. Do what you have to do - say goodbye to loved ones if you have to, fuck your mates for the last time, but be ready for another battle every day and if you cannot - then leave. I don't have the food or supplies for the weak. Things will never get easier. This war will only get bloodier, deadlier. If you cannot get through that to your head, then you can home."
The wolves were silent. Not a single soul moved, hardly breathed.
"Do we have an understanding?"
The wolves cheered in motions of yes.
"And importantly, never forget the first rule of the battlefield we fight to win, not to kill."
In one swift moment, we roared and the first the row of wolves transformed from a man to wolf and charged into the battle.
/
I made some casts for the additional characters!!!!!
Freya
Hunter
Raesana
Silas
Velanora
please vote and comment!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU GUYS!!