Lycanthropy

Above the river:

“Is everything alright?” Terrence asked me, still unsure about me being in the cell with our attackers.

“Yes Terrence, just one moment.” I said to him.

I turned to Beta Berrant again and asked him what the question would be.

“What is your mother’s name?” He asked me.

“Sigrid La Rue. Although I doubt that her last name would be correct.” I said to him.

He raised one brow on his face and grinned for a moment.

“You are right, that isn’t her last name. She is called Sigrid Haraldsdottir, and we are actually looking for her. Where is she?” He asked me now.

“She is dead, killed by my own father.” I said.

He then roared so loudly, that I took a step backwards. It took him everything to not tear apart everything that was in the cell. His eyes blackened over and his wolf took control. The skin on his body turned into brownish fur, his height grew taller, his muscles bulked up even more and claws erupted from where his fingers first were.

He is a Lycan! Just like me!

“Where is he!” He roared to me.

Terrence took this roar, and him shifting and yelling, as a sign of danger towards me. Berrant was towering over me, and roaring in my face, in a language he couldn’t understand.

“Emerson!” Terrence yelled, and he wanted to help me. He took a gun from the back of his pants, and pointed it at Berrant’s head. Immediately he pulled the trigger, not wanting for his Queen to be in danger. He never saw another Lycan before, and certainly not one that is bigger than me. So, I can understand the fear that he must have, but still I couldn’t let Berrant die.

So, within a split second I shifted into my Lycan, and pushed Berrant away and jumped in front of the bullet. I could feel it penetrate my left shoulder, and silver and wolfsbane entered my bloodstream. The burn of it, as if acid was smelting away my insides, made me grit my teeth I had tried countless ways to kill myself, when I was at the arena, but this, I have never tried before. Maybe I could be killed by this?

Berrant swiftly shifted back, and took my now human form in his arms. He shook his head and wailed for me to not die, while both yelling to Terrence for shooting me.

Of course Terrence couldn’t understand a word he said, but he understood the intonation of it.

“I- I’m so sorry, Emerson!” Terrence yelled, and tried to reach me through the bars of the cell. But Berrant wouldn’t have any of it, he just pulled me closer. Caressing my hair in a comforting way.

“I’m sorry little one, this was never my intent.” He said.

The other wolves in the cell, howled, thinking that I would get killed by the bullet. It hurt like hell, it froze my muscles, and it clouded my mind. But I had this slightest feeling that I wouldn’t get killed by it. I don’t know what it is, but I know somehow that I’m not immortal, but this was not the way for me to die either.

There was always something in the back of my mind, trying to figure out what it could be, that could eventually kill me. But so far I haven’t found the way. Of course, ever since I started my pack, I didn’t have the urge anymore to die. But in the arena, I had tried everything in my capability to rid myself of my own torture.

My head started to burn now, and I just figured that the silver and wolfsbane were getting up inside my brain. Even Dakota was being pushed back in the furthest corner of my mind. But she never truly left, even though the wolfsbane in the bullet would have incinerated any wolf that resides in a werewolf’s mind, within seconds. It was to make sure that you were not be able to shift, and maybe in the slightest chance healed your way through the burning silver.

“Don’t worry, I’m still here.” Dakota whispered.

“I know. We will get through this.” I comforted her back.

Suddenly, I could hear someone gasp and soon the other wolves did the same. I felt a hand pushing away the hair on the left side of my head, and a finger touched something there. A slight hiss came from the person and I opened my eyes again to see who it was.

Berrant’s finger was burned, and had a strange mark on it. A strange mark of a cross was imprinted on his big index-finger. My muscles began to move again and I immediately reached for my head to look for something similar. But on my left temple, right where Berrant had touched me, I felt nothing.

There was nothing to burn me with. What is happening?

Then, out of nowhere, I heard a tiny metal sound and when one of the warriors came close, he picked up what I had heard and showed me the bullet that was lodged in my left shoulder, just a moment ago! Had my body been healed already?

My head became clear and the acid-burning-feeling washed away from me. It took me a few more minutes to really become normal again, so I released myself from Berrant’s arms and pointed for Terrence to throw me his shirt. I had put it on, and sat on the ground in the cell for a moment.

“What the hell happened?” I asked Berrant.

He looked at his finger, but the mark from my head that left a burn on his digit, had healed by now.

“You inherited your grandfather’s gift. One that I thought, couldn’t be transferred, upon mating with a normal wolf.” He said to me. “Besides, your mother didn’t have it, so it even skipped a generation.”

“Too bad you are not my mate, as mine is at home. But if I hadn’t had her, I certainly would’ve want to have you.” He chuckled, and the other warriors grinned as well.

I think they were pondering over, if they could have me then, but with a simple growl from me, they stepped back and raised their hands in defeat.

“No worries, little one, they aren’t strong enough to get you.” He said, and this was the second time he called me that. I don’t like this caressing word for me. I’m not a cute little girl.

“Don’t call me little one! And if they wish to die, they can try. I don’t mind the challenge.” I said and he laughed out loud.

“Just the way your grandfather would react.” He said.

I nodded for Terrence to open the cell door and let us out. He was reluctant at first, but I promised him to explain him everything soon. But now I am hungry and I think these men are too.

Within an hour, we ate and I talked to Terrence about everything that had happened in the cell. And also about my memories of my mother.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Terrence asked me, after it became silent for a minute.

“I’m not sure, I always had in mind to go visit my father someday and ask him about killing my mother, so I suppose this would be a good reason to follow up on that.”