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The Lycanthrope Trilogy: Heart

Chapter 13: Lycanthropic

The first person to speak in three hours was Kanda.

"Marie," he panted. "I need to invoke my next energy level."

The beta stood still for a moment before he asked, "Can't you hold it for a little while longer? Komui and Hevlaska―"

"Light Blossoms are very rare. They probably had to gather Earth and Light lin-lins to grow them, and that takes time."

"I know, but―"

Kanda growled, and Marie snapped his mouth shut. The alpha continued, "I realize the consequences, but right now, I'm the only one who can keep her heart and Emgina going."

"But Kanda―"

"This is an order. Get anyone who can't handle my energy out of here."

Marie sighs and stares around the room with his sightless, blue eyes. "Alec, do you think you can stand it?"

Alec seems uncertain. "I could withstand Cam's energy, but Kanda's definitely stronger."

"Then you, Allen, Alma, Chaoji, Lenalee, Klaud, Miranda, and Secret need to get out of the Order. Vicinity doesn't matter as long as you are outside."

Lenalee runs out of the room, probably to retrieve her daughter. Klaud glared at Marie. "I can withstand his energy! I'm nearly as powerful as you!"

Kanda said, "Regardless of power level, you need to be out of here. My energy could cause you to miscarry."

"Fine," she growls, "but you better not strain your body too much. Or else."

"KlaNii, I'm not going to nearly kill myself. Comatose does not appeal to me at the moment," he replied through his labored breathing.

As the small group of people left, I hear Marie order, "On the ground. Put your hands over your lycanthropic ears. For those of you who haven't been through this, the impact is extremely forceful and can temporarily deafen you."

Upon hearing the words, I clutch Alec's arm. He glances at me. "Don't worry. As long as they're careful, nothing major will happen."

We exit the cave, and everyone gets on their stomachs, though Secret felt the need to snuggle against her Aunt Klaud. With an arm around the baby girl, Klaud yells, "All clear!"

Everything goes quiet for a moment, followed by a loud boom, like fireworks being shot off in the distance. Steaming air blasted out of the cave, which scared Secret and me. Soon after, a cool breeze ruffled my hair, but a headache quickly set in. The air felt heavy, like a thick, invisible fog. Everything looked slightly distorted, and all the tiniest sounds became more pronounced, but through tunnels. When Klaud sat up, the sound of the leaves rustling rang in my ears. I pull at the cat appendages, and my tail thrashed in irritation. "What's happening?!"

Alec's voice came through a tube. "That's Kanda's energy."

"Why does it feel so weird?"

I could faintly hear Secret's crying and Lenalee's comforting. When I looked, Miranda was there as well. Chaoji's wolf ears twitched, but he didn't seem bothered by the energy as much as I was. Alma just looked confused.

Klaud leaned against an oak tree, her arm over her swollen stomach. "An alpha has five energy levels. The first is basic. The second is transformation. This is the third."

"What about the fourth and fifth?" I ask through my teeth.

"You've heard the story about how Shiloh died, right?" she asked. I nod, and she continues, "When Brother's Shadow went out of control, that was the fourth level. The only ones who didn't pass out were Marie and me. No one has seen the fifth level except for Brother."

A few moments after she said it, Hevlaska ran past us, Light shining between her fingers. Komui followed soon after, but he sat next to Lenalee as he rubbed his temples.

A minute of ringing ears and blurry vision passed, but then the heaviness in the air disappeared. Klaud jumped up immediately and ran into the Order. Alec and I followed soon after, and then the rest of the lycanthropes. When we got to the room, Hevlaska was massaging Fou's back, and Kanda was panting on the floor, his wings splayed out under and around him. I run to my boyfriend and drop to my knees. "Are you okay?"

He closes his eyes. "I'm fine. Worry about Fou, not me."

As soon as he said it, the mentioned woman began to cough and gasp for air. I look back at Kanda. "Hevlaska's taking care of her. You're the one who spent the last five hours keeping her alive."

"As alpha, my pack is my responsibility. I was just doing my job," he muttered.

"You are such a liar," I say. "You love this pack with all your heart."

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Baka Moyashi," he deadpanned.

"Really?"

He smirked. "The problem is I don't have a heart to begin with."

Before I can reply, Fou jumps on Kanda and begins to lick his cheek. I gape. "What the heck, Fou?!"

She glances at me with frightened eyes, whimpers, and curls up against Kanda, nuzzling into his chest. While steam shoots my ears, Kanda scratches behind Fou's wolf ear. "It's okay. He just has issues."

"I have issues?!" I shout. Fou yelps and crawls under Kanda's wing as much as she can, her rear in the air and tail between her legs. The alpha sighs and keeps his eyes closed. "Bak, take care of your puppy."

"How do I take care of her?" he asks.

"First, get her something to eat and drink. Play with her and make she doesn't wander into the forest. She might chase lin-lins or something," Kanda says.

"Will someone tell me what's going on here?" I ask.

No one replies. Bak looks at Fou, who was still under Kanda's wing, and says, "Fou, come on."

She peeks at him, but doesn't move.

Alec rolls his eyes. "Has anyone ever had a dog before?"

He crouches down and invites playfully, "Fou, come here, girl! Come on!"

"Woof?" she asks, her ears perked. Alec taps the ground in front of him. "Here, girl!"

"Woof!" she barks and runs to him on all fours. She sits on her knees and wags her tail. "Woof!"

"Good girl!" he praises and ruffles her ears and hair. When Alec walks out of the room, Fou happily follows him.

I look at Kanda. "Again I ask, what the heck?!"

He begins, "When she passed out, it was because her Light was disappearing. I had to fill her Emgina with my Shadow in order to keep her alive until Hevlaska came back."

"Okay, and?" I ask impatiently.

"And I could do that for so long until I had to invoke my third energy level. The problem is that while I did that, she gained more traits of a born lycanthrope, like me and Secret."

"So why is she acting like a dog?"

"Born lycanthropes are more animal than human, while bitten lycanthropes are the opposite. That's why when I get mad, I tend to bark or hiss rather than yell. And when someone else is angry, I'm able to calm them through skin contact. Understand?"

I nod.

"Wolves and wild cats are opposites. It's easy for me balance those traits due to that. I've also had twenty-seven years to learn how to act more like a human than an animal. Secret will be the same way. Fou hasn't had to balance being human with being an animal, so now her instincts are completely those of a wolf without the balance of a cat."

"So she's a wolf in a human body?" I ask. He nods. "She'll get over it, though it may take a few weeks."

I ask, "Who has this happened to before? You have to have some basis for this."

"Take a guess."

"Reever?"

"Heck no," the blonde said. "Fire Roses are much easier to find than you think."

"Then who?" I ask. Kanda smirks. "Guess."

"Lavi?"

"No."

"Lenalee?"

"No."

"Klaud?"

"No," he said. At the same moment, Klaud shouted, "Hey!"

"Komui? Bak? Tiedoll? Hevlaska?"

"No."

"Then who?"

"It wasn't Daisya, Alma, Shiloh, Winters, or Chaoji. Who does that leave?" he asks.

I think about it. No way….

"Marie?"

"Shut up," the beta muttered dangerously, probably the only hurtful thing I'd ever heard leave his mouth.

"Seriously?" I asked. Kanda smirked. "A few dark pixies wanted to have some fun, and as it turns out, Earth Petals are the hardest thing to find."

"Shut up, or so help me, I will step on your wings," Marie growled. Kanda continued, "He followed me around for three weeks. Slept at the end of my bed. Lied in my lap. And he came running whenever someone said, 'Puppy'."

Marie kicked Kanda's hip hard enough to make the alpha slide across the floor. Kanda burst out laughing, and Marie yelled, "SHUT UP!"

"I have to get my amusement somewhere!" Kanda said through his laughter. "Besides, my job as a brother is to embarrass you."

"Then embarrass Klaud!"

"Hey!" the blonde repeated. Kanda clutched his stomach. "But that's not nearly as entertaining! And she's a woman."

"So what?!"

"So you're fair game."

"Fair game?!"

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

Alec ran his fingers through Fou's hair as she slept with her head and hands in his lap. He glanced at the figure going into the boys' wing. "Alma?"

The boy turned. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Alec asked. "You look upset."

Alma glared. "I'm fine."

Alec simply gave him a "you-can't-fool-me" look. Alma sat down next to him. "All this talk about elements and stuff just confuses me. I mean, why don't I have any of that? Since I lost my memories, I've been useless."

"You aren't useless, Alma," Alec said.

"I can't hunt. I can't fight. I don't have an element or a transformation. Most of the pack hates me."

The Onyx lycanthrope says, "The reason you annoy the pack is because you act like a jerk all the time."

"It's better they think I'm a jerk than a nobody," Alma mutters.

"You aren't a nobody."

"Yes, I am."

Alec sighs and carefully moves Fou to the other end of the couch. Afterwards, he leans closer to Alma, who moved back, and eventually, Alec ends up hovering over Alma. The latter asks, "W-what are you d-doing?"

Alec ignores him and caresses his cheek. "You may not have powers, but you are an important part of this pack."

Alma rolls onto his side. "It doesn't matter unless Kanda loves me, and he doesn't."

"Kanda's in love with Allen. You just have to accept it. I did."

"How?" he asks.

"I realized that there was nothing I could do. I still love Allen, but I want him to be happy, and he's happy with Kanda."

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

I walked beside Kanda out of the dining room. "You need to get some rest. It's nearly midnight."

"Fine," he mutters. When we exit the tunnel, we freeze.

On the couch, Alma had his arms around Alec's neck, their lips locked together. My eyes widen, but Kanda smirks. "Glad that battle's done and over with."

Alec looks up and goes rigid. "I-I…um…."

Alma sits up, still unaware of Kanda's and my presence, and kisses Alec's mark, the small gem in his neck. "Less talk, more kissing."

"Let's give them some privacy," I murmur and pull Kanda towards our room.

I sit on the bed while Kanda lies down. He closes his eyes. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

I hesitate for a moment. "I…I need to tell you something. I couldn't before due to Fou…."

"Before you say anything, I want to mention that while Lake WillowDrop can wash any other scent off your body, it has its own scent."

I open my mouth, but he cuts me off, "But only Marie, Klaud, and I have been lycanthropes long enough to notice such things."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you to begin with," I say, "but I was afraid you would stop me from going."

"So you did go to Vampire Grove?"

"Yes, but―!"

"Your name has an 'A' and an 'L' in it."

"I know, but I'm not the traitor, I swear! I just―!"

"I need to be supervising you now? I didn't think―"

"SHUT UP!"

Kanda opens his eyes. Before I could say anything, Misty appeared in my lap and nuzzled my stomach. "Master Allen's upset. Why is Master Allen upset? Misty wants to help Master Allen."

I wipe away my tears quickly and scratch behind her ear. "I'm fine, Misty."

I glare at Kanda, who still had an emotionless mask on his face. "I'm not the traitor. I'm not going to sit here while you talk over me. And I'm not someone you can order around. Got that?"

He didn't reply, and I continued, "If I was the traitor, I wouldn't tell you I went to V.G. I'm smarter than that. I'm also smart enough to know that you know I'm smarter than that. I went because something wasn't right in all of this and I was right."

"Something's not right? The fact that you went to V.G. behind my back isn't right," he muttered.

In silence, I stand and walk into the bathroom.

"Are you not going to defend yourself?"

I comb out my hair and call, "No need. My case is irrelevant."

Kanda appears behind me. "Why is that?"

"If you won't listen to my side of the story, then I guess that means you don't care about it. After all, an alpha has that authority," I mutter.

"What's your story?" he asked. I face him. "Are you going to listen?"

He nods.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll listen and I promise I won't interrupt," he says.

"Fine," I say as we walk back into the bedroom. I sit next to Kanda, Misty in my lap. As I explained the events of Vampire Grove, he remained silent. I finished, "And then we came back to the Order."

He nods. "Okay."

"And?" I ask.

"And nothing. I'd appreciate it if you didn't go back, at least without my knowledge."

"That's it?" I ask.

"Is there something else?"

"No, but I figured you'd say something."

Kanda shrugged. "I don't trust the vampires as much as you seem to."

"It's not that I trust them," I say. "I think they're telling the truth though."

"Good for you."

A few minutes later, I stand outside and play fetch with Fou.

I hear a crunch behind me and I glance at my visitor. "I thought you were with Alma?"

"I was," Alec said. "But I told him that we were probably just taking out our frustration on each other."

"You'd make a cute couple," I say.

"Be that as it may, I'm not going to use him or vice versa."

Fou trots to my side, stick in her mouth. I pull it away and toss it again. Alec asks, "Did you tell Kanda about going to V.G.?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"And?"

"And nothing."

"I figured he would have said something."

"That's exactly what I said," I say.

Author Note: Late update…sorry. I don't expect another update for two weeks, though I try. Anyways, please, Please, PLEASE REVIEW!