The wolf pack, p.6
The Wolf Pack, page 6
Those around the rocks in front of me were children in adult bodies.
I slowly moved around the perimeter getting a better idea of what I was stepping into. Were they truly going to sacrifice this man out of a misplaced loyalty for the old ways? I didn’t want to believe it but the proof could be seen in the leader’s eyes.
“I’ve never been given the chance to rise above expectations. This was the final straw. Everybody has the right to make their proposal to the chosen one. Every Alpha is given the chance to be heard, but they have done everything in their power to keep the chosen one to themselves, selfishly denying us the same opportunity. This will strike a blow and nobody will be able to deny us after this.” His speech was eloquent but it was meant to stir antagonizing feelings from those who were listening intently.
“Sacrifice is necessary and there is no way we’re going to get close without threatening everything they believe in. Make no mistake about it, this is an act of war and we must be prepared for the consequences. Decker is right but this is essentially mutiny. There’s no going back but I’ve come here in good faith to stake my claim to the Chosen One like the rest of you. Let her decide the right path by being given all the information.” This man had white hair all over his body but his age gave him the unfair advantage of having wisdom.
“August is correct and I would never deny any of you the chance to speak your mind, unlike certain others. Their family has always held the power in the palm of their hands. Nobody has dared speak up against them at the threat of being just another victim. I don’t know what is taking Clover this long to detain one human female. It was masterful how he devised the plan to get her to come to us. She will bear witness to a changing of the guard,” Decker declared with an over-embellished swing of his arms making the flame whoosh with the movement.
There was no telling when Clover would wake up after his thrashing. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to be in the mood to listen to reason. They huddled and once again began chanting and I found my window of opportunity to approach with stealth.
I got down on my hands and knees and carefully crawled across the ground on my belly to avoid detection. Holding my breath wasn’t necessary but it was a human response. They spoke like they were a different species yet they still looked like humans from all outward appearances.
I stopped and hid behind an outcropping of rocks when three black wolves came into focus. They elicited respect and those in attendance stepped away from the naked man secured to the post. The wolves stepped into the crowd and I craned my neck to see what was going on.
I slapped my hand over my mouth when those wolves began to writhe on the ground twisting and turning in place. It wasn’t like I could disprove what I was seeing with my own two eyes. The pieces that didn’t make any sense when I was growing up were slowly falling into place. The wolves were changing, morphing grotesquely into something that couldn’t be defined as human or animal.
The transformation continued and I could hear the unmistakable cracking of bones. It brought to mind what I had heard when Daniel had fallen from that dizzying height. The eerie similarity was a startling revelation. Those wolves turned into humans over the course of a minute, screaming in pain. They stood united and were welcomed with open arms by the rest of them.
“We apologize for our late arrival. It appears you started without us but I respect the tradition. This act was utilized for centuries to limit one family from having all the power. You can expect the other two to come looking for revenge. My brothers and I will take it upon ourselves to answer the challenge. There’s a reason there has been bad blood between the Black family and the Cyrus Clan. It’s time blood is spilled and we can no longer stand idly by.” He was given a torch and they poured gasoline around the rocks where the man was restrained by what I could see were chains from this distance.
They were about to light him up like the fourth of July.
I had my mouth open and my hand raised in protest but I didn’t get a chance to say anything.
“This is highly irregular and I demand the right of the Aegis. He will fight to the death. Do any of you have the stones to put up or shut up? Think carefully, the one you choose to be sacrificed won’t get another chance.” Wesley was standing there in regal formation with his arms behind his back showing no outward sign of a threatening gesture.
“Wesley, I should’ve known you would resort to these measures. I know about this antiquated law. The Aegis hasn’t been used to settle differences since the day of my grandfather. I won’t let anybody do something that I’m not willing to do myself.” This man had long black hair and cold dead blue eyes, causing a shiver to run down my spine, to make me tremble in response to his answer.
“Donovan, I would be very careful what you volunteer for. You are one member of your trio and should you perish the other two will be shunned. They will no longer have the protection of the community. Are you sure you want to take that risk? Perhaps, it would be best to sleep on it before you make such a rash decision,” Wesley urged with a chorus of dissension amongst those in attendance.
“I see what you’re doing and it’s not going to work. He’s weakened and giving him the chance to regain his strength is foolish. There is no rule in the aegis where both opponents have to be one hundred percent physically healthy. It was crafty and I admire how you fight for your brothers. None of us would do anything differently in your shoes. Prepare your brother for his demise.” Donovan smugly picked up a spear and began spinning it with a proficiency that was almost alarming.
“It’s just like you to take advantage of his condition. Are you afraid of a fair fight? It’s cowardly to prey on the innocent. This is the old school of thinking. Let this be a reminder to the rest of you. The Aegis is written clearly and the battle that I request on behalf of my brother is the Natural Order.” The silence was deafening and everybody stared in shock at what Wesley had propositioned.
Their distraction made it easier to crawl into the shadow away from scrutiny. I turned over the body and it was Daniel. He was breathing but it was labored and there were black and blue bruises all over his body. I touched them to assess his injuries and he winced noticeably with his eyes closed. I took the risk of standing up and used my considerable upper body strength to drag him away from the scene of the crime.
“Do you really think he has a chance of fighting me in his natural form of human? Give him a fighting chance by tapping into the animal. You must really hate him to throw him to the wolves,” Donovan said with a trace of a snicker underneath his breath.
The rest of those painted in warfare colors began laughing hysterically at his play on words. He really did know how to play to the crowd and Wesley was relying on the rule of law instead of garnering respect and allies. He probably thought he had no other choice but I wondered what his brother would think about that. I didn’t want to say it out loud but the knowledge that Callan was in trouble made my blood run cold.
“So you consider yourself a comedian. We’ll just see who’s laughing when the dust settles. You have shown us disrespect for the last time. We will settle this family feud the way the ancestors did back in the day. We’ve been avoiding each other but we have heard rumors of you saying bad things about us behind our backs. They were only words until you took it too far,” Wesley informed and I had to admit the strength in his words showed him to be a man in a league of his own.
I knelt by Daniel and touched his pulse. It was barely there and he was going to need medical help. I thought life was simple but those voices when I turned sixteen changed everything. I was no longer alone.
There wasn’t much I could do but I felt being there was important to give Daniel the strength to fight through the pain he was in.
I glanced through the trees to see both Alpha’s naked with nothing hidden between them. There were no weapons, they were going to have to rely on their god given instincts in hand to hand combat.
Chapter Nine
They circled one another with the stones as a barrier. The post had been removed and they had very little room to maneuver. Those in attendance closed ranks around them with Wesley standing a few feet back. It was almost like he could see through his brother’s eyes without the necessary component of becoming a captive audience.
There was a separation and I was able to witness the hatred in their eyes. My first look at Callan was causing me to feel things in my lower extremities. It was a little stronger than what I had felt for Daniel and Wesley combined. It brought to the forefront of my mind how I might react when I finally laid my eyes on Crosby. His sacrifice wasn’t in vain, I was still standing, but the affection I had for him was in the guise of being a nightingale syndrome.
There was a beast of burden on Wesley’s shoulders. He tried not to show it but it was bleeding through with the way that his lip was curling in frustration. He had come to the rescue, with the words to back him up but it was up to Callan to stand up against his enemy.
It was a lost cause. He was swaying back and forth with his head bowed. His dirty blond hair had droplets of sweat clinging to the follicles and dripping to the ground. He looked like he was death on legs. Somehow he was standing with his arms at his sides not making any move to defend himself.
I was temporarily distracted when a hand touched me and I looked down to see Daniel blinking his eyes into focus. He looked confused when he saw me and he tried to move but his condition prevented him from lifting his head more than an inch.
“Remain calm and don’t move. You have been badly injured and I’m still not entirely sure how you survived the fall.” I thought back to how the ropes were cut and I had this light bulb moment, where I knew instinctively it had been done not more than a couple of seconds before he fell.
Punches were flying and Donovan was once again playing to the crowd. He danced around his opponent striking to the heart of the matter several times. Callan stood there motionless and I was willing him to do something but he was like this emotionless statue taking punishment.
“I had to do it. I didn’t have a choice. We are all born to do certain things but I want you to know that I didn’t feel very good about it. I really didn’t think I was going to die when I cut the rope. Your concern was what they were expecting. I transformed moments before impact but I wasn’t fast enough. Half human and half animal made me susceptible to infection. Clover intervened when Callan came out of the shadow he was hiding in. He couldn’t sit and do nothing when I was suffering needlessly. It was his hubris that became his downfall.” Daniel was revealing his story and how he was a willing pawn but I still didn’t grasp the concept of the reason why.
I glanced up to see Callan bleeding profusely but he was staring blankly ahead at nothing. It was unnerving and I jumped out of my skin every time Donovan punched him in the face. The rousing cheers of the crowd made me want to slap the taste out of their mouths. There was nowhere for him to run but he wasn’t even lifting his hands to stop the onslaught. He probably was going to lose but not even lifting a finger to protect against the attack was unconscionable. Everything I had learned about him made this tactic seem unlikely but I knew him well enough to know he probably had something up his sleeve.
“Daniel, I want to know what this has to do with me and what is called the awakening.” He seemed confused and rather surprised at how much I knew about what was going on.
“You are the Chosen One and have the distinction of mating with three wolves,” He uttered and I thought he said meeting three wolves until it became quite clear he meant that I was going to sleep with three of them. “The awakening is when you finally give your body on your twenty-first birthday at the stroke of midnight. There is no hiding from your destiny no matter how much you want to. I could easily fall in love with you and you make it effortless to get to know you. There are walls but there is this strength you haven’t even begun to tap into which will be revealed to you during the awakening,” He coughed and there was blood in his hands.
“This is crazy and I’m not some kind of whore. I’m not going to be pimped out. I would rather die than to be used for your sexual amusements. It hasn’t even registered that I might not be happy about this. You have all taken for granted this is a foregone conclusion but I can assure you it isn’t.” I thought about my options and the best one was to remain hidden until my birthday came and went.
“Others have thought the same thing and there are stories of women just like you running from their destiny. It’s not that easy and somehow the prophecy always comes true. The pieces come together and whether the chosen one wants to be a part of it or not is beside the point,” He detailed everything and my mind was overwhelmed by this new information streaming through my consciousness.
“What’s the matter? This is way too easy and I could finish you without breaking a sweat. I’m not going to make it that easy on you. My people demand justice for the atrocities that your family have inflicted on them. The sins of the father will follow to the eldest son. You have no idea how much fun I’m having. Killing you is a pleasure I’m going to savor.” Donovan was raining blows left and right with a variety of boxing moves but still, his opponent remained standing.
“Don’t underestimate him. The last one to do that is six feet under.” Decker was whispering words of wisdom but I could tell Donovan wasn’t listening when he was swallowed up by family loyalty.
Daniel was quiet but he was responsible for his own injuries. It was supposed to be timed right and he was off the mark by a few seconds. It was easy to recognize the death knell in the way that his complexion suddenly changed ghostly white.
I placed my hand on his chest and felt his heart slowing with every breath, forcing whatever oxygen he had left into his lungs. He was struggling but there was a look of peace on his face. I felt sorry for him, his sacrifice was an honorable thing to do, but misplaced. I couldn’t say the words to lambaste him for his actions when he had one foot in the grave and the other one on a banana peel.
“It’s okay to let go and I will never forget you. I should be angry but how can I be when you are touching a part of me. A piece of you will follow and I give you my word nobody will forget you. They may think you’re nothing more than a sacrifice but my life has changed dramatically from knowing you in a good way. You gave me the chance to live again without suspicion. Trust isn’t easy for me. I should close those doors forever but true love is worth fighting for with every breath in my body,” I sobbed back the tears, wiping them with the back of my hand when he finally succumbed to his injuries.
Something was happening and I was in the front row witnessing the comeback of a century. Callan had allowed his opponent to become complacent lowering his guard long enough to lift his hand in retaliation. Donovan was smiling but it faded quickly when his fist was caught in midair.
Daniel was dead but he had been able to tell me what I needed to know before he finally slipped away into the ether. Death had claimed another victim. I just hoped Callan wasn't too far gone, after the abuse he had just suffered at the hands of his enemy.
I was on the edge of my seat metaphorically speaking, standing there with my heart beating a thousand times faster than normal. Callan was smiling with a couple of teeth missing and his face a mask of bruises, tenderized by Donovan’s fists. Those watching closely had taken a step back, obviously aware there was a change taking place in the dynamics of the fight.
Wesley never moved from his current position but his lip was no longer quivering in fear. He must’ve been waiting for the fog of confusion to be lifted from Callan’s eyes. It happened almost organically, like a part of him had been asleep but now he was wide awake, no longer standing like a punching bag. Donovan's fear was evident and he was trying to pull back but the grip he was in was like iron.
The bones broke in his hand one at a time like Chiclets. Everybody gasped, every time one of them snapped with the pressure Callan was exerting. He was having a little bit too much fun and the injuries he had sustained weren’t enough to make him a victim of circumstance.
It was amazing to see the light in his eyes flutter into existence. He still hadn’t said a word but his actions more than made up for his lack of speech. He ducked underneath the next glancing blow and returned with a knee to Donovan’s stomach knocking the wind out of him. The impact had to have broken a couple of ribs and Donovan was now favoring his right side, choreographing his discomfort by placing his hand on the wound.
Callan was strangely confident in his abilities and moved seamlessly around his opponent looking for weaknesses. He attacked, but he had been provoked, although I had to admit he was taking great joy out of this man suffering.
Donovan was unbalanced and his left arm was lying useless at his side. My whole body was electrified by this display of pugilistic art. It was a combination of different styles of fighting, never giving Donovan the chance to understand what was happening to him.
“You can’t possibly think you’re going to…win,” He stumbled over his words trying to regain the upper hand but that window of opportunity had closed.
A knife edge chop to his throat brought an end to any further conversation. He gasped for air and clutched his throat where there was the telltale mark of fingerprints. The damage done most likely broke his collarbone and damaged his voice box.
“I won’t let this happen to me. I’m this close to getting my revenge,” Donavan whispered hoarsely, barely able to get the words out.
“Revenge is for fools. It makes us puppets.” Callan was a man of few words during the fight but his mind was still as sharp as ever.
“How dare you mock me with your rhetoric? Nobody here respects you. They might fear you, but that is no way to lead your people. Making an example out of me is a stopgap method. Somebody else will stand up to face you.” He strained to say the words but these were going to be his epitaph.
