Nagual

She sat in the bus, half asleep after a day in the library and lectures. She was even still wearing the clothes from the day before. A shirt, jeans, sneakers, her hair was still a bit messy, the way it looked when she didn't have her own product to tame it. She was half leaning against the bus window, dozing off time and again and it was not until the driver announced the stop that she realised she was on the completely wrong bus. This bus wasn't going to her dorm. It was stopping at Deucalion's building. And right now!

Intuitively, she grabbed her bag, her jacket and rushed to jump off the bus. It was a busy evening and she wasn't even sure he would be home, but she went to his building anyways. Only to be almost instantly stopped by the porter.

"Business?"

"Oh, come on, I was here just yesterday, you should remember me. I'm... I'm with Deucalion."

The man looked around.

"I don't see Mr. Deucalion anywhere."

"Then perhaps you should have your eyes checked."

Lyka sighed relieved when she heard the voice she knew so well and loved so dearly. When she turned around she saw him walk closer, well dressed as always, using his cane to move easily and his lips described a soft smile because he knew she was there. Of course he knew. He had picked up her scent half a block away. He stepped closer, reaching out a hand for her and found her shoulder. He leaned closer, brushed his lips over her temple. "Let's go upstairs," he suggested in little more than a whisper. She nodded with a blushing smile when he led her with him, away from the sceptical porter. They held it together pretty well until the elevator doors closed behind them and then she burst into laughter.

"Oh I wish you could have seen his face!" she declared. He didn't respond, just smiled. He stepped closer, toe to toe, his hand caressing her cheek as he leaned down to kiss her. His lips lingered on hers long, and quietly so and she could feel his smile against her kiss. When the elevator reached their destination, he leaned down, picked her off the floor and carried her with him into his home. She was laughing between kisses, her hands in his hair. He carried her to the bedroom, with no distraction on the way.


She woke like someone had fired a gunshot next to her ear. Gasping, disoriented, confused. Gone the lovely dream world she had felt so safe and comfortable in. Pleasantly remembering the very day after that first night they had spent together.

Beep.

Her mouth was very dry and she felt strangely light-headed. Her mind wandered... where was she? How had she gotten here? She distantly remembered meeting with Donovan and Santiago...

Beep.

They had taken her in with open arms and she still didn't quite trust the situation. It had been weeks. Months? It was a miracle Deucalion hadn't found her yet. She believed it had something to do with the amulet the old medicine woman had given her upon arrival. She had said it would cloak her from demons – or whatever it was they thought Deucalion was. She had been sceptical, but it seemed to work, and-

Beep.

What the hell was up with that beeping?! She turned her head to find the source of the steady, annoying sound only to stare at a heart monitor. Connected to her. She looked around irritated. Hospital? Or... some kind of clinic, this place seemed too small for a hospital. Yeah... there were a lot of questions unanswered. She tried to sit up, flinched. Her abdomen was hurting and she immediately pulled the covers off. Flat. She was flat... where the HELL was her child?! What the hell had happened, where was she, where was her child, where were the other wolves, what-

A door was opened and a woman in a nurses dress walked in, behind her a young man was looking in. She remembered him. Javier, the alpha of the pack she had first run into... quite a while back. He looked worried, but slightly relieved.

"Ah, you're awake," the nurse declared cheerful.

"My... my child..."

Lyka's voice broke. When had she used it last?

"Is fine. Healthy and looking great really. I'll bring her here in a minute; just let me check you first."

"I'll get her," Javier declared from by the door and then he rushed away.

Her. Lyka felt herself collapse a little right there. Her. Her daughter. She felt herself shrink into the pillow, felt everything she was fall away, spiralling into chaos. She was a mother. And she didn't know her child. Didn't even remember giving birth to it. To her.

"What... what happened...?"

"You went into early labour. We encountered some... complications. You lost a lot of blood and we had to put you under while we waited for your body to heal itself. You were out for about four days."

Lyka sighed, closed her eyes for a moment. Four days. Days. All the terrible things that could have happened in four days…

None of which mattered when she heard Javier enter the room. Her eyes flew open and there she was. The girl. Her daughter. Javier carried the tiny human in his arms carefully, like she was made of glass. Which, Lyka immediately knew, she wasn't. This girl was a Warrior Princess! A preterm birth, but she was so, so very strong. She stared at the child in awe and admittedly terrified. Because now it was real. It wasn't just some… vague concept of a possible child anymore, it was a real, flesh and blood life she was responsible for. Javier smiled.

"She's a fighter, like her Mom."

And before Lyka could protest because she was not prepared for it at all, he had placed the bundle of life in her arms. Lyka stared at her, unable to really say or do anything. The child was wiggling in her arms and still had this scent of new-born children to her, covered with baby powder, a sweet scent. She was still a bit wrinkly and looked a bit squished, but her cheeks were a healthy colour and once she got a hold of Lyka's hand, she squeezed and didn't let go of her shaking finger. Lyka couldn't really breath. The girl in her arms had light brown, slightly olive skin, a short tuff of black curls on her little head. She had her mother's lips and strong nose. But her eyes... her eyes were grey. It might be that it would still change, she knew that it sometimes happened – children born with blue eyes that turned darker over time. But right now, these curious little eyes looking up at her were Deucalion's eyes.

She should cry, almost wanted to. But she couldn't. Because the girl was perfect in every way and crying would be inappropriate, so she laughed instead. The new beginning she had almost given up on? There it was. Lying in her arms. The girl kicked her a little and started to grouch, beginning to cry a little and Lyka pulled her closer, pressed her lips to the little girls forehead with a smile.

"You have to give her a name though. We've been calling her puppy for the past few days, you wouldn't want that to stick" Javier suggested.

"She can still name her later, let her recover first!" the nurse protested.

"Olivia."

Lyka's immediate response silenced the two bickering wolves. "Olivia Susan McCall."

Named after the two women who gave their lives so she could live. She whispered the name to the child, holding her close and just the presence of her mother, that physical proximity, was enough to calm her down. Like she knew, somehow, that Lyka was her mother, the woman who had given life to her. Javier smiled.

"She missed you. Nothing like a mother to calm a pup."

"I'm never giving her back," Lyka admitted in a whisper. Because she was already entirely in love with the girl in her arms.

"We'll leave you two alone. I'll be right outside if you need anything, just call," the nurse said and pushed Javier to the door. Then she turned towards the young mother and child. "Olivia is a lovely name."

"Yes, it is."


The days, yes weeks after that went surprisingly well. Donovan and Santiago came by several times, visiting Lyka and the newest addition to the McCall family and eventually, they were allowed to leave the hospital.

The nagual were living in a small, secluded village just across the Mexican border, not on any map. A little, secret community of actual communists, independent of any stately laws. They had created their own little pocket society, their own trade, agriculture, a private little infrastructure of wolves and their families in the middle of nowhere. Everyone owned everything, there was no 'property' per se. And so, even the child was part of the community, everyone equally taking care of the puppy. The community was wonderful. A bit archaic, yes, but Lyka's arrival was beginning to change that, she could tell. As only female wolf to have passed the initiation, she was allowed to attend meetings of the council and her voice was a heavy one because of the simple fact that she had delivered a heart – even if she had not delivered it to any of them, the achievement still counted. She was important. And by being in the council she had the opportunity to represent the women of the nagual.

Contrary to what she had believed from Talia's lessons, there were female wolves among the nagual. The problem was, they had no right to go through the initiation and had never questioned that right until Lyka had shown up. They had just sort of… been there, accepting the status quo as it had been for centuries. But the fact that a she-wolf had demanded to be initiated changed their way of seeing things. Not all of them actually wanted to be initiated, of course. But those who did were suddenly speaking up, asking Lyka to speak for them in the council and she did. Not only for them but also for her girl. She could feel it. Although it had not yet been a full moon since Olivia was born, Lyka could tell that the girl was a wolf. A born wolf, like Talia, like Laura and her siblings. She was special, and Lyka wanted to make sure that by the time she was old enough she'd have the right to do whatever she wanted with her life. Lyka knew Donovan had his eye on the child, because she would be impossibly great one day. A born wolf, perhaps even a born Alpha, considering who her father was. She wanted to make sure that there was only one person who could decide Olivia's future - and that was Olivia.

Lyka had not expected the nagual to take her in so well. No one judged her, no one questioned her presence, and – most worrisome to her – no one was afraid. They should be, she knew that. Because he was still out there. He was still looking for her and it was a miracle he hadn't found her yet.

But eventually, he did.

One morning when Lyka woke up, the sun was covered by dark clouds and thunder was rolling in the distance. She had seen this happen before, when she had still been running. It made her feel uneasy instantly and when she reached the town square, she wasn't the only one worried. Donovan was surrounded by villagers, exclaiming their worry about the unnatural weather that had literally rolled in over night. And one particularly old woman kept yelling 'El lobo del Diablo!' at him, again and again. Donovan, Santiago, Rafael and Javier tried to calm the pack but it didn't work well. Lyka watched them a long time, then wordlessly handed her daughter to one of the women.

"Watch out for her, will you? Do not take her anywhere without me, just… hide her."

"What is happening?" the woman asked confused.

"He's here," Lyka just whispered. She kissed her daughters forehead, lips lingering on the child a bit longer than necessary just to memorize her scent. It was entirely possible this was the last time she would be able to see her. But then she joined the commotion on the square. "Superior."

Donovan looked up and the crowd parted for her.

"Lyka, what are you doing here? Get to your daughter, don't worry about this."

"He's coming for me."

"We have everything under control. If he thinks he can just waltz in here and we'll run away with our tails between our legs, he knows little of the nagual. We will not run and we will not surrender one of our own to him and his intimidation. He'll have to do more than command the weather to make nagual betray each other."

"You would do this? For me? After I have turned on you?"

Donovan laughed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You are family, no? And you are here now. You are one of us, nagual protect their family and you have always been part of our family, even though you were led astray. It happens to the best of us. We're all wolves, but we're also all lost lambs. That is an important thing to learn, pup. Now go, be with your daughter, you will be safe and we'll get you when the storm has passed."

Lyka was almost moved to tears. Almost. She really had no tears left. Instead she shook her head.

"No. Thank you for trying to protect me. But if I am not here he will kill everyone. It's easier… if I am there. Liv will be with the women, she will be safe. But… I need to be there. Maybe if he sees me… maybe he'll come to his senses."

Donovan watched her worried.

"Lyka, he is lost. I know you don't want to hear it, but it is the truth," he began. When she didn't respond, he sighed. "But perhaps, seeing it for yourself will help you accept it."

Lyka nodded a little and her grandfather led her with him and the rest of the council. They were not the only ones anymore. Nagual Alpha's had come from several locations, reporting about the storm and the Demon Wolf bringing it with him. The council had grown by at least four pack representatives and they were all prepared to fight if they needed to. But Lyka… wasn't sure if she would be. She wasn't sure how this would play out for her. What would it feel like to see him again after all this time? His eyes… their daughter's eyes.

Well, she would know soon enough.


Night came and the council had gathered at the border of their town, awaiting the inevitable. Lyka was behind Donovan and Santiago, hidden, protected, they and a few others built a wall of wolves to keep her away from the Demon who was coming to find her. Still, she was first to know he was there. She caught his scent, felt his presence, immediately. It felt like something was clenching around her heart, made her catch her breath.

And there he was. Walking towards their village as if he had nothing to fear in a town full of wolves. But he didn't have anything to fear, did he? The storm seemed to cease at his arrival, the air suddenly so calm and electrified that the Alpha's around her were beginning to shiver.

Deucalion looked flawless. Elegant in a long, dark coat perfectly tailored for him, the collar turned up, dark jeans and shoes, his hair a little windswept and despite the dark, he was wearing his glasses and carried his walking stick, making him look so harmless. But the smirk on his lips suggested otherwise.

"Ah, wayward son, you find your way here at last," Donovan eventually declared. "You know... we would have given you a home, a family. Yet you had to choose bloodshed."

"You did not run in fear I see. Either very brave or very foolish. Or you're just willing to give me what I want without putting up a pointless fight."

"What you want? You speak of her like she is a thing, like she is your property."

"She IS my property!"

The Demon Wolf's roar echoed in the thunder cracking through the sky, making few of the Alpha's flinch back.

"No! She is not! She is your MATE! You swore to protect her, care for her, love her. Instead you terrified her, drove her away into a life of fear, running and hiding, pain and death! You don't deserve her!"

But Santiago's anger was silenced by just a hand on his shoulder. The wolf turned towards Lyka, who just shook her head. She made him step aside, walked past him, past Donovan, towards the man who had come for her. The nagual didn't move but she could tell they were ready to do whatever had to be done. Kill, if necessary. She had never felt stronger than with the Alpha's in her back, watching out for her, making sure she was safe.

Deucalion didn't move until she was close enough so he could feel the warmth of her body. He caught her scent, that specific scent he loved so much. He smiled.

"Lyka. You are a difficult woman to find. Destroyed many lives just to hide from me. For no reason at all. I'd never hurt you."

"You'd never hurt me?"

Oh it was wonderful to hear her voice, even though it was filled with pain and faint anger. "Deucalion, you made me kill my best friend."

She looked up, unleashing the blue of her eyes. He had fallen silent. "Look at me, I know you can."

"Lyka..."

"LOOK AT ME!"

He looked up, because it was the first time she had screamed at him, the first time he had heard her voice like this. His eyes were flashing red behind his glasses. And there she was. His Lyka, her eyes – once their soft, golden light – turned to cold, hard blue. "Look at what you did to me. Take a good, long look at what it looks like when you're not hurting me. You slaughtered Abby and Paul. My friends. You left Liv to die a horrible death and forced me to put her out of her misery. My BEST FRIEND, Deucalion, my SISTER. She begged me to end her life. You killed Susan, Liam. You killed them all. And you expect me to believe you did that for me?"

"I did that for you!" he countered. She stared at him in utter disbelief. He suddenly stepped closer, both hands on her cheeks. "You have to see that. They were all weak! They would have turned on us. We're stronger without them, I'm stronger. I can protect you, from everything. Hunters, other wolves, nothing out there can get to us. Lyka... you and me... that's all we need..."

His voice got lower, almost a whisper now when he stood closer, brushing his hands over her cheeks, her lips. He had missed her, desperately.

"Deucalion... you broke my heart, you're not who I thought you were. Not anymore. They are right, I am terrified of you. You've chosen a path I can't follow. You lost sight of everything that was good about us."

"You..." he frowned, stepped back. "You don't love me? That's it, isn't it? You're turning against me, like everyone else."

She laughed, a weak, painful laugh, and stepped closer. This time she put her hands on his face, pulled him closer, pressed her lips to his.

"I will never stop loving you. I promised you that and I meant it. But now... now you need to find the right path again, and you need to do that on your own because I don't have the strength to do this, not with everything that has happened. I can't redeem you, Deucalion. You need to do that on your own. You have to let me go. Find me when you're the man I fell in love with again."

The words struck like a knife. Because they were Talia's words. You need to find yourself again before you can think of her. Be a man she can love, not one she has to fear. He leaned closer once more, his lips on hers. And then he stepped away. Perhaps he had to hear it from her, had to hear her say it, not others tell him. Was he on the wrong path? No, he still believed he had done everything to make it safe for them, the both of them. She couldn't see it now, maybe she would in due time.

"I will be the best wolf I can be, the strongest Alpha I can be. I will have you back, Lyka."

He took her hand, his thumb brushing over the small tattoo on her wrist, his symbol; he knew exactly where it was.

"I don't need you to be strong. I need you to be you."

He didn't respond, just brought her hand to his lips before he let her go. There was no more fear in her scent, she wasn't scared of him and that was a good thing. But she wouldn't leave with him either, he knew that. She had made her choice.


Author's Note:

Not what you expected, ey? Let me tell you, there will be a significant change in the way they are with each other and it will happen soon. I am going to rush a bit because I REALLY want to get to the Hale Fire! But I needed this scene. I needed them both to 'let go' for now, even though they are not really letting go. Not really.

And muahahahaha Lyka did not mention the kid! Poor Duke has no idea he's a dad

*evil laugh*

In whichever way Lyka's life or death play out in the end, that revelation will shake him up pretty bad.

Anyways, sorry for the delay. I had a busy week, was gone all Saturday and on Sunday I was simply too tired to focus on writing... This week will be better.

Comment or message me, love the feedback and my loyal readers!