SWNOVELS Chapter 8 – Who Are You?
...Drea...
The men were extremely sweaty, Jeremy and Ryka had chosen to disrobe and were showing off their extremely athletic bodies, yet, I did not have the same reaction to their muscles as I did Hunters.
“You’ve been awfully quiet?” His honey amber orbs seemed to sparkle in the dusk light, causing a gold hue.
“Just thinking,” I smiled back. “How much further?”
“Should be, ten minutes, I’d say at a guess?”
“You’re not at all what I expected,” my phosphorescent blue eyes were glowing brightly.
“Is that really the reason for the moonstone?” His eyes flicked to my chest.
I nodded, feeling somewhat foolish for being so judgemental. “My brother, Druderosnic, he gave it to me. Your reputation is horrendous and truthfully, I was apprehensive about coming.”
“Do you regret it?” He enquired curiously.
“Coming here or being given this task?”
“Both… I guess?”
“No,” I shook my head immediately. “I’ve been yearning for another escape from my fortress for years, so the Moon Goddess answered my call - but you were unexpected. I thought I would have to fight to get you to see sense, I thought, the most feared Alpha was cruel, barbaric and dismissive but you are in fact, the complete opposite. Our judgement was wrong, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise, we made it that way on purpose,” he waved it off.
“Why?” I challenged, not really understanding the full picture.
“Our lands were being ravaged, wolves slaughtered and innocent lives paid the price for selfish animals. I watched as our women were raped, skinned, even sold into vampire slavery. Livid isn’t a strong enough word to describe how I felt. My father and mother fought bravely for many years but they both took so long to conceive me, that he was growing old. When I turned eighteen, I took over as Alpha and vowed that no more of our wolfkin would be lost. We created the ‘mighty Alpha’ persona, so that all realms cowered in fear, thus ending the cruelty towards my kin and stopping the wars within our own kind.”
“So you strike fear, to prevent war on a larger scale?”
“Yes, if I have to kill another for the greater good, I will,” he answers truthfully.
“Clever, very clever actually.”
“There is always two of me though Drea… The Beast and The Human. Underneath, I will always be an animal, my primal instinct will always take over.”
“Well, your secret is safe with me. Promise no one will know you’re nice.”
“Oh, I’m not warning you, in fact, I feel like I could trust you with my life. If I ever mess up or do something you dislike, just try to remember that there is always two of me.”
His confession confused me. “Why would you do something I wouldn’t like?”
“I told you, if I have to kill for the greater good I will. Elves are all about understanding, order and forgiveness, though, I have seen you in battle,” he chuckles, “as much as I am a beast, you hide an animal within you too, I can sense it.”
“Sense…” Before I could finish, our attention was pulled from each other.
“We’re here Alpha,” Oscar interrupts.
I anchored on a broken down shack, the exact same one from my visions. The once obviously white house was completely run down, tree roots had overgrown through the front porch, the windows were broken and the paint was peeling due to the continuous harsh weather conditions - everything appeared so eery and creepy. Surely this was not where our Siren sought stability, this couldn’t have been her home.
“M-my bodies g-going crazy,” the silver sheet swept over my vision, causing my eyes to swirl as wave upon powerful wave of goosebumps rushed through my skin as my muscles tensed and tightened.
“What’s happening?” Hunter was watching me with an intensely worried and anxious strain.
“It’s as though p-panic, fear, anxiety, hurt, sadness, hopelessness, terror - all of it rolled into one. This is definitely the place - I can feel her, I need to go in alone.” I looked across at Hunter, boring directly into his honey amber orbs, seeking assuredness that he could sympathise why. “Men scare her.”
He conceded, as a female, I will have a stronger chance at retrieval. I dropped my things on the ground but collected my water sack to carry with me.
He grabs my forearm before entering, imploring with his eyes that I hear him. “Be careful and if need me, just call my name, I will hear you - always - no matter where you are, I will hear you.” I smiled back at him, his words gave me encouragement.
Tucking the water into my belt and I whispered a, “thank you,” before walking cautiously up the steps of the broken down shack. I twisted the handle and pushed - with an ear-splitting cacophonous crash, the door falls inwards as the wolves spin ready to pounce.
“Sorry,” I held up the doorknob as the sounds echoed through the vacant and ominous building. “I broke the door.”
Ryka and Max are snickering at the fear and surprise on my face. I turned around and disappeared - engulfed in complete and total darkness as my eyes switched to emerald green for extreme focus.
“Hheeelllloo?” I whispered loudly and waited for an answer - movement - anything.
“Please, I’m not here to hurt you. I have been sent by the Moon Goddess to find you - hello?” I froze again, ears straining with pinpoint accuracy to hear any slight rustle, just any sound at all.
“My name is Eleczonjdrea. I am a princess, I know you must be scared…” my senses tingled, picking up movement on my left and I flicked my head too quickly in that direction and moved - stubbing my toe. “Oouuccchhhh,” I cried out.
“Please, I’m here to help. I’m sorry we left you alone, but we are here now - you’re safe.” My focus suddenly captured by two purple lights flickering on and off, almost like blinking.
“Purple eyes? I have purple eyes… would you like me to show you?” Still no reply.
I extended my arm and whispered as my eyes swirled purple, connecting with my inner magic. “Fea-naro.” A tiny fire spirit ignited in the palm of my hand, illuminating my surroundings in a flood of yellow glow.
I’m greeted with filth and dirt everywhere, the air had always held that stale musty smell you would expect but to see mould covering broken sofa’s, the roof and walls, trees growing up through the floor, piles of rubbish just strewn carelessly throughout the shack and then to be rushed with the unexpected scent of human waste - it was all overwhelming. With my eyes still blazing purple, they fell on a tiny mottled and dishevelled thing - curiously observing me. This thing was no thing at all - but an underweight and extremely putrid child. The air is stripped from my lungs upon closer inspection.
She grasped - what looked to be - a very worn picture. I tentatively took a tiny step forward but she does not recoil. That was a great sign.
“I’m here to help you.” I urged as she moves, slowly and cautiously, but at least forward. She collected a knife off the arm of the sofa on the way toward me. I was so engrossed by her every movement, why was there a butter knife on the couch? She leans forward and scratches the bowed floorboards at my feet. My heart sunk as salty tears welled, she was all alone, I could tell, covered from head to toe in dirt, sticks, leaves - but the most prominent - bowel and bladder waste. I peered down at her word, feeling my heart shatter, knowing she had been all alone for god knows how long.
HELP… the word help was scratched into the floor, A sob ripped from my throat and I nodded vigorously.
“Y-yes… help, help… I am help.” I tapped my chest as the water droplets escape from my eyes. The smell of this innocent child invaded my nostrils, I had never smelt anything as horrifying - never seen anything so offensive - never understood just how great this need was, all until now.
“Outside,” I croaked, unable to reel in my emotions. ” Outside is the Alpha of your pack,” as I begin, she cowers behind the photograph. “No, no,” I pointed, “he’s help too, he’s help.” I tried to smile in comfort but was severely struggling.
Her soiled hand reaches up to graze my face, collecting the tears from my cheeks as she stamps her foot on the scratched help word. “I promise, he will not hurt you… okay? I promise.”
I closed my palm, shutting off the light as my eyes flickered back to green and I enveloped the tiny girl in my arms, relief of a primal kind crashed through me as I carried her and her picture, safely in my hold and out the house.