Hello darlings! Gosh I know it's been a while but rest assured as I have good news! Chapters 15, 16, and 17 are completely edited and ready to go, I will be posting one chapter a week to keep the story from feeling rushed or too difficult to read in one sitting. (Originally it was going to be split in half but instead I am taking advice from my beta and decided to use their suggestion of splitting the chapter into 3 manageable reads).
Lots of hugs to the delightful Mozz14 who beta these chapters, they have been a huge help and worked vigorously to ensure the remaining chapters ran smoothly. Thank you so much hun!
Anyways enough with the chatter and enjoy the read :D
xxxx
Clarke POV
Clarke couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed; she couldn't even tell if she was awake. Wherever she was, the place was darker than anywhere she had ever been, darker than even her old home's den, she can see nothing but gloom. Clarke pushed up onto her paws, shaking as the drug was still in her system, and studied her surroundings, trying to figure out what had happened. She knew it was something bad, but how bad was it? Clarke continued forward then ran into the bars., She shook off the jolt, then used the cage to her advantage by keeping it alongside her left shoulder as she walked beside it. This was her cage, wasn't it? But which one? Clarke continued to walk along the edge of the cage. The path was longer than she remembered, and she paused to scratch at the ground finding cement. Dread gnawed at her heart, breath coming out harder as she scratched again but still it was the same putrid sound. The same high pitched noise Clarke would create repeatedly as a pup who foolishly believed she could dig her way out of imprisonment.
"No, this isn't real. Was everything that happened a lie?" Clarke paced faster, running into the wall, she turned back hurling herself to the other end and immediately met stone again, she looked up towards where she remembered the window to be, yet it wasn't there.
"Where am I ?!" Clarke panicked, she sniffed the air trying to scent the new environment but smelled nothing but her own acidic citrus fear, then it slowly came back to her, and she remembered everything. Kali and Yanric, the hunters, Finn. That's right, Clarke was gifted back to her owner.
"It's ok, everything is going to be ok, my pack will save me," Clarke sat down and took a few deep breaths counting backwards to ease her racing heart. She can't allow panic to win; if she did, her wolf acted up. Keeping a level head is smarter. Clarke let out a deep breath, giving herself a moment of peace, then tried sniffing again; now she was able to smell both of her old owners. She shivered and willed herself to stay calm then scented past the unpleasant odors and found something she never would have expected.
"Niylah? Is that really you?" Clarke barked excitedly and ears twitched listening out for the older wolf, but she detected no movement. Clarke reached out to make a link, but it failed immediately. Her old friend smelled so close it was like she was within her cage. She sniffed for Niylah following the trail. Clarke was so sure Nia would have killed her a long time ago. It was weird that her old friend couldn't link as she had gotten better at it, compared to what Clarke remembered from that night. She shortly ran into Niylah and, out of pure excitement Clarke pounced, but her stomach dropped, horrified to feel something plush beneath her weight.
She froze, unsure of what to make of this. What she felt under her paws was similar to bedding, a mattress perhaps, but Niylah's scent was so strong, and this fur texture was definitely her friend's. Clarke dared to paw at Niylah's skin and promptly cried out leaping away from the object and backing away as much as possible. Clarke's breathing shallowed as the fear of the truth crept in, and she didn't want to accept it. She couldn't. The mere idea of it was too revolting. Clarke heaved, needing to empty out the sickness, and she gasped for air desperately, the tears overflooding.
Before the sinister thoughts could consume her, the room turned blinding white; the lighting was so harsh Clarke had to squeeze her eyes shut. She heard a door opening, accompanied by the soft clicks of a cane tapping against the ground. Clarke whimpered ears lying flat, and tail tucked between her legs as her former owner approached,
"Oh Blue, how I have missed you, my beautiful pet," Nia's voice crept with an eerie longing and Clarke's heart lost control as her eyes adjusted to the new lighting and she saw her personal demon for the first time in years. She had changed far more then Finn. Nia wore a scarf around her head with patches of thinning hair peeking out. Her figure was sharper than before, the bones of her face and collarbone were more prominent, and she was applying more weight to her cane, and she was leaning heavily to one side, at an angle. Her owner was unwell, she can smell something wrong with her, more so than before, as if she were rotting from the inside out. Clarke moved without thinking, right away doing what she had been trained to do, she backed into the middle of the cage and laid down with her head between her paws.
"You have made finding you very difficult, you are a bad girl," Nia stopped short from outside of her cage staying out of reach. Her wolf mind screamed and demanded that she check on her friend. Clarke didn't want to look, she wanted to keep her gaze down, but her eyes betrayed her by glancing back at the object that held Niylah's scent. Nia was still saying something about all the hoops she had to jump through to find her, but none of it mattered as her heart was torn apart. Clarke wept squeezing her eyes shut wishing she hadn't confirmed her fears.
"What is wrong, my Blue? Don't you like your new bed?" Nia taunted, her tone giving away that she knew exactly what was hurting her. Clarke's lips quivered, she wondered what awful things Nia had to inflict on Niylah to make her give up, oh dear Gaia, Clarke desperately hopes that her former friend wasn't lucid during her death.
Clarke has fought that battle against giving up, and still does whenever events fell out of place and seemed impossible to assemble again. She fought against the echoing urge, the human in her choked her with emotions, forcing every related trauma to circle her mind. She refused to allow the memories to break her because Clarke had that deep rooted feeling that she had to hold on. She had to believe that her hellish life had led to her gaining more than she could have hoped for. Why hadn't Niylah done the same? Why would she give in? Why would she allow the inside of her mind to break her apart? Did saving her in exchange for Niylah's own life have something to do with it? She whimpered tears spilling over, what a greedy alpha she was.
"She was so easy to break, so quick to sing about your race, hardly was worth the time I invested to deprive those eyes of life," Nia's voice came closer.
Clarke still refused to look at her old owner, instead she focused on the sudden heat seeping out of Lexa's bite, the sensation traveling down her arms to her paws. She could imagine Lexa's hands stroking down her skin before she would wind their fingers together. Clarke didn't want to accept the touch, feeling that she needed to suffer for failing to save her friend. But Lexa felt her emotions and rejected that very thought, her warmth increased, traveling through every nerve and a sweet pressure cupped her face. She closed her eyes setting aside her pain and sank into Lexa's phantom touch. Clarke could picture her mate holding her cheeks, squishing, and pushing at them, trying to get Clarke to stick out her tongue. She chuckled forgetting where she was for a few blissful moments and stuck out her tongue, she'd make Lexa laugh so hard she'd squint her eyes and let out a snort. She had no idea why making such a silly face made her female happy, but she'd do it repeatedly just to her that precious laugh.
"But you my sweet blue, I am going to thoroughly enjoy breaking you. Once your eyes become empty, I know that you will forever be mine and no one shall take my miracle wolf again," Nia slammed at the bars of her cage and Clarke opened her eyes, she heard every word that her abusive owner intended to do, but she was going to be unbelievably disappointed. A part of her was still terrified of this female, she had done so much to hurt her, physically and psychologically, wanting Clarke to be nothing more than her puppet to manipulate. Her whole body and state of mind is proof of all that she had endured, and she had taken every single abuse because Clarke believed that there was something special out there for her. So far, she had been proven right,
Clarke isn't that scared little pup who lost everything; she is an alpha that fought tooth and nail against every force of nature that has tried to make her give up on life. Humans and wolves cast her out and demeaned her, calling her unworthy. Clarke pulled in a deep breath, filling her lungs, and let out an immense growl as she pushed off the ground and stood at her full height.
There were three humans who helped Clarke move on from that nightmare and made her see she wasn't someone that could be owned. She was her own wolf, with her own ambitions. Lincoln cuddled and treated her like a sister, praising Clarke's efforts for learning their human culture, always being patient whenever her wild side came out; Anya educated her about the rights and wrongs of the world they live in and sacrificed her own place in her tribe for Clarke's and Lexa's happiness; and Lexa, her mate, silenced the demons of her past and built Clarke back up to being able to stand proud for being a wolf.
Clarke stalked towards the bars, holding her head high, even as Nia's hands fumbled for the whistle around her neck. Nia's wicked smile had vanished, and fear took its place as she stepped away from the cage and commanded Clarke be a good girl. Clarke pulled her lips back baring her fangs and inhaled before letting out a roar so ferocious that Nia stumbled back, falling flat on her ass.
"You have no power over me anymore, Nia. The life you were gifted that came from the gods, you have tarnished, and that life will end by my fangs, that I promise you," Clarke looked down at this miserable shell of a female who clearly heard every word that she forced inside her head. Nia trembled, yet still she brought that whistle to her lips and blew. Clarke didn't even flinch.
****
Lexa POV
"Is she better now?" Harper questioned, holding onto Lexa's waist as she rubbed her cheek against the top of her head. Lexa nodded unable to speak still feeling tense, though that could be just her own emotions
"Auntie Lexa and Clarke need lots of cuddles to get better," the twins, Ali, and Talia, were curled up on Lexa's sides, providing their furry bodies as warmth. Lexa smiled when Talia looked up with her muzzle pulled back in a silly grin. She could only manage to nod her head in response. In all her years, Lexa never would have thought she'd be in the middle of a cuddle pile made up of wolves, but this wasn't her thing. Lexa didn't understand why on earth Clarke loved this so much. All this fur rubbing on her skin was making her sweat and feel uncomfortable. She wasn't big on physical affection; sure, she enjoyed the occasional hugs and kisses from close friends and family, but not to this extent. And she couldn't drive them away either, since they had helped her when she began to feel Clarke's fears.
"Thanks," Lexa muttered keeping her hands over her chest since Remy was curled over her lap. This pup wasn't like his siblings or parents. He was a rather timid creature who glanced up at her before looking away. He was nervous around her, yet he still wanted to help, he had been the first one to notice Lexa was feeling unwell when she was hit with such fear that she became nauseous.
Lexa had been minding her own business, going over how she will keep her heart open to the upcoming change, when Clarke's feelings hit her like a fist to the throat. Her mate's emotions were suffocating in a way Lexa had only experienced when she was under extreme stress. Lexa needs to find ways to cope with Clarke's raw feelings, it was so painful she honestly didn't understand how her mate managed that mess on her own.
After Mai had spoken with the Wise Wolves about two of their own betraying a fellow wolf, the group had been in an uproar. Kali and Yanric didn't deny trading Clarke to Finn and Nia, but they refused to admit that what they did was wrong, so Zale and Dara were forced to put them under temporary arrest. Mai urged the other two wolves to act and fix the mess. As predicted, Zale was going to turn her down, but once Octavia called Mai to let her know about Lexa's decision, they reconsidered.
Clarke's old friends were arguing about which Wise Wolf they could trust. It came down to either Dara who appeared to have a blunt personality, but was honest or Zale who was kind, but could be entitled.
***
Lexa moved without thinking beginning to stroke down Remy's neck. She scratched at his nape not paying attention to how the pup stiffened. She was grateful to Remy since he had spoken up for her when Lexa was doubled over trying not to lose consciousness. Remy's mother, Harper, was busy educating the pups on why it was good to cuddle with an upset friend and the other adults had left to prepare Lexa's ritual.
Jasper briefly explained that they had to build a nest beneath the brightest moon beam and fill the nest with their scent. He told Lexa that by having many wolf scents surrounding the person undergoing the rituals, their inner wolf would be soothed and would be more willing to comply with the sudden changes. Despite this reassurance, Lexa was bothered by the fact that no one was explaining the actual ritual. Anya hadn't given her any details, she only knew that she'd have to drink the blood of a nightblood.
Remy twitched, his paws kneading at Lexa's thighs, eyes switching from the ground then to her own. Lexa smiled and his tail wagged. She found it quite adorable how the pups were so eager to help, though she still preferred having her own space. Lexa distract herself from the upcoming ritual by listening to Harper who was explaining soul mate marks to the pups. So far, she has learned that even though our chosen partner can mean the world to us and seem like our answer for everything, they can't always be the only option. Which is why a wolf, mated or not, needs to have a pack. A wolf needs other wolves to be stronger. They are much more able to face hardships when they know their pack will support them.
Harper was really good at answering the pups' questions on soulmates and their connection and Lexa got to understand just how powerful her own mark can be. Becoming soulmates wasn't just about exchanging bites, it was about literally passing on a piece of your own soul into the person you love and whenever either of the partners dies their moonstone absorbs their combined souls and keeps them safe until both partners are reborn. Lexa wasn't sure how much she believed the story, but it did concern her that apparently, she and Clarke were supposed to have a moonstone before marking each other. Suddenly Lexa felt the pups and Harper tense, one of them letting out a growl as they looked to the cave's entrance.
"Dara and Zale are coming, stay put pups, they need to see we are not afraid of Auntie Lexa's differences. Not like them." Harper squeezed Lexa harder one last time before getting up and moving to the side of the cave. Slowly the other adults joined her, keeping their heads low and eyes to the ground. John was visibly fuming, arms wrapped around an even more angry wife, Everlee and Melany ran over to their parents clinging to their legs, the girls sniffled as they glanced towards the entrance. Lexa wanted to ask what was wrong but then she heard the yelp of a pup that was clearly stressed, her hands gripped at Remy's fur, and she let go not wanting her frustrations to get the best of her. She was disgusted at the sight of two senior wolves walking in casually as they held Ollie out like he was some dirty rag while they manhandled the poor pup.
"Broken little alpha, he will be of little use in the future. He should not be allowed to breed." Dara gripped his muzzle ignoring his fidgeting as he tried to get away from the harsh treatment, and she merely forced her fingers into his mouth. Lexa's heart seized as the pup cried out and even from where she sat, she could see the streaks of wetness from the tears he wept. Now she understood the pack's tension and the anger that was slowly building. Dara toyed with Ollie like he was a defective toy shaking her head muttering other insults at the whimpering baby. The pup only hung his head listening to her and Zale's comments on how he would never be anything but a burden.
"No, he should not, it is likely Gaia will not bless him with a fitting omega. We can only hope," Zale nods then takes Ollie from Dara examining his paws. He had an adorable spotted pattern along his pads but apparently that was not to this old fucker's liking. Lexa felt prickles along her arm, and she glanced down seeing bits of fur poking through her skin before it quickly retreated, and she felt an odd tingle across her insides. She was distracted as she saw Remy's hackles rising as he watched his baby brother being mistreated.
"He could have been a fine breeder if his alpha parent was not disformed," Lexa didn't mean to, but she ended up glancing at Emori's right hand, a result of EEC exposure, causing an ectrodactyly syndrome. She hadn't noticed it at first, since she first met Emori in her wolf form and during a chaotic period, but then Raven and Octivia introduced the rest of the pack and that's when Lexa had noticed. She wasn't a bitch, so obviously she behaved like normal, much to Emori's surprise., The poor she-wolf likely hadn't met many respectable people who understood congenital disorders.
"Ollie can't talk, his vocal cords were weak since he was born and as he grew up, he lost his voice all together. But he's not broken, he is simply different."
Lexa wasn't sure who spoke but then Remy glanced up at her as his ears dropped and his eyes filled with tears, "the wolves here call him ugly things whenever he is in human form because you can see his throat is like mama's arm. Cause of that he hasn't built the courage to use his link powers, but that may be the only way he can talk," Remy looked back to his brother as Ollie whimpered louder trying in vain to get his parents or anyone to help him. Yet everyone stayed where they were, even when it was visibly obvious that they wanted to intervene,
Lexa wondered why they didn't. She felt the push inside telling her to take a stand, her…wolf was urging her to do what was right. Although her first instinct was to ignore it, she pulled a page out of Clarke's book. Lexa wiggled free from the pups piled on top of her and got to her feet. Everyone else froze as she stepped over the pups and walked right up to the Wise Wolves, deliberately looking them up and down until she noticed a few things about one of them.
"How dare you! Filt-" Lexa cupped the older woman's chin pinching her cheeks in forcing her mouth open and before she could step away Lexa grabbed the back of her neck. Dara stared at her, wide eyed and paralyzed in place as Lexa guided her to move her head as she examined her teeth.
"Plaque buildup along the upper premolars close to hardening into tartar. Which then leads to gingivitis and halitosis as well as possible problems in the heart, liver, and kidneys. This senior wolf is not taking proper care of her dental hygiene," Lexa released Dara as the woman's hand came up aiming to strike her face, but she blocked the attempt. Dara's face was blooming red so much it went down to her neck, she covered her mouth with both of her hands left speechless and Zale stepped right into Lexa's personal space,
"You have the nerve to put your han-"
"What's the problem? I only followed your example," Lexa glared at the senior wolf, and he flinched as he glanced down at Ollie, understanding full well what she meant. "Aren't we invading someone else's rights to their bodies? You certainly didn't have any issues with doing it to a pup," Lexa reached out and Zale did not argue instead he held Ollie out by his nape, and she caught him just as the man let go. Ollie clawed at Lexa's skin clinging and burying his snout into her neck, the little one wept as he held on to Lexa so tightly her heart ached. Had this been the first time anyone stood up for him? She held him tighter patting his back and kissing his cheek while Ollie continued to cry.
"W-we may have gone too far. For that I will apologize, but these flaws must be noted. Failures must be fixed in every way to preserve a strong werewolf race," Dara cleared her throat not bothering to look at Lexa instead her attention was on Ollie's parents. But she was not actually addressing them, merely talking about them. Lexa had to swallow the number of curses she wanted to spit at the stupid woman.
"No, you did go too far. Ollie is a pup, a little boy who is forced to rely on adults that are supposed to make him feel safe, and you failed. Perfect doesn't exist, you should be thankful for what Gaia has blessed you with and you work with it," Lexa snarled out. Dara focused back on her and her lips raised exposing fangs. Zale looked at Ollie, his eyes glossy, at least he had some remorse.
"And for the record," Lexa continued, "any apology that's followed with a but doesn't count. It's just a way of justifying your awful behavior," Lexa felt Ollie calm down, now resorting to sniffles, though he continued to cling to her.
"You and your mate are teaching this old wolf what a fool he can be," Zale sighed, nodding and included his head to side exposing his throat and everyone gasped, even Dara was left baffled, "I am sorry, young pup and to you as well Ms. Half breed, you are far more intelligent than I had expected," Zale glanced to Dara and with some resentment she exposed her throat as well. Lexa wasn't sure what to do, she had only seen this in the mindless wolves, when they exposed their most venerable spots to a higher ranked wolf to ask to be forgiven. Before she could ask what she should do she felt that tingle of a connection and a wave of calm washed over her.
"You have the choice of either placing your palm on their throats to forgive or you can rake your nails down their skin and refuse them. The Wise Wolves very rarely make such an offer, especially to someone like yourself." Monty spoke softly, his tone sounding hesitant. Maybe he was unsure if Lexa had heard him or maybe he was worried about offending her.
She knows which option she would prefer, but that could lead to more trouble than it was worth. Lexa sighed, ignoring her wolf urging her to rip out their vocal cords and steps closer, gently laying her hand on each of the old wolves' throats.
"Our ways are dying, aren't they?" Dara muttered but her tone didn't sound angry, just defeated. She glanced at Ollie and Lexa saw the flicker of guilt before she turned away. Zale chuckled as he captured Lexa's hand when she pulled away and tugged her forward, leading them outside the cave.
Dara continued, "maybe we are out of touch, this one has shown us more respect than we have done."
Lexa ignored the woman's bluntness. She was the type to speak her mind no matter what was on it. It reminded her of Clarke; maybe it was a wolf thing? She dragged her feet while she followed, still feeling unsure of the pair and she glanced back to Clarke's friends, but they stayed further behind since Dara walked directly behind her. The older woman noticed and lifted a brow maybe asking what she wanted but Lexa just shook her head and turned away.
"If that is true, then it may be time for us to retire. We no longer see our fellow wolves as our kin but instead see them as lesser creatures," Zale held on to Lexa as they all walked outside the safety of the caves and her heart went wild hearing all the other wolves that waited ahead. Zale stepped out first, pausing a moment and Lexa flinched when Dara came to her other side and gripped her free hand. Honestly, Lexa felt like she was being forced into the change by the way the two older wolves dragged her out and no one was bothering to explain the ritual.
The snow had calmed down but still it fell, covering everything in a blank of white. It really felt like Lexa was experiencing a fairy tale. Lexa felt goosebumps along her arms from the chill in the air and she kind of wished she'd brought her coat., as she walked with the older people towards a structure resembling an eagle's nest.
The structure was made up of pieces of wood woven together into an oval and the inside was lined with dried leaves and fur. She recognized some of fur from Clarke's friends. A man dressed like a bride stood beside the nest, he was wrapped up in pure white cloth that clung to his body and flowed out from his waist, but Lexa could see the roundness of his belly and she had to guess that he was pregnant by the way he rubbed at it. He seemed to be giving directions to the wolves to adjust some wood pieces to lay out smoothly, while several different wolves were walking up and taking out pieces of their own fur to add into the middle. The wolves who volunteered to add their fur to the pile looked at her, their gaze fidgety and uneasy but still they bowed their heads. But not all the wolves were welcoming, those that rejected her or were too frightened of Lexa kept further from the pack, pacing back and forth. From what she could see, there were more wolves willing to lend a hand compared to the group that outright rejected her. Among the wolves that disliked Lexa were the other Wise Wolves that had betrayed Clarke.
Kali and Yanric were on their knees while Heda stood over them holding a sword's edge to their throats. The clan leader didn't stand alone. With her was the Lunar tribe, some wolves, and Lexa's family, all of them, even her grandparents were keeping the other wolves from interfering with their Heda. Those wolves had to be loyal to Kali and Yanric, the ones that would be willing to kill her and mistreat a fellow wolf. Lexa's family were purely focused on protecting Heda from harm, but they must have known what was about to happen since her Papa at least spared her a smile. She couldn't remember which of Clarke's friends had done it, but she knew that one of them had gone out of their way to go and inform Lexa's family about everything. Lexa's attention shifted when she heard screaming from one of the kneeling senior wolves, she could see their mouths moving, but thanks to the gathering of lunar members and wolves she couldn't hear them. Obviously neither of them was speaking kindly of Lexa by the way that the woman was baring her teeth, and the man was snarling towards their Heda. Echo wasn't faced by the older wolves, continuing to hold the blade to their throats though she at least offered Lexa a quick smile.
She looked back to the nest, it looked incredibly soft, and Lexa's eyes became watery, these wolves did all this work just for her. Even though she was so different from them, the wolves were going out of their way to protect and prepare this ceremony for a creature they feared. Lexa would never have believed it if she hadn't seen their work firsthand. Only a few hours ago some of these wolves were out for her head. But maybe she should know better than to judge all wolves based off a handful of rotten apples. Clarke didn't mention all the wolves that were willing to help them, though that easily can be forgotten when they were experiencing so much hell. Lexa has never gotten such kind treatment from perfect strangers. Yes, they were wary of her, yet they smiled and wagged their tails showing that they were trying. Lexa smiled back sniffling. None of the people she grew up around had even spared her a second glance, before dismissing her as a savage.
"Why do you weep? Are you regretting your decision?" Dara spoke up sounding confused. There was malice to her words, like she was lecturing Lexa for expressing her emotions. She glanced at Dara as she dug around in her pocket and suddenly brought up a handkerchief which she used to wipe at Lexa's tears. Dara didn't have a friendly face, but she didn't seem to be out right horrible. Clarke had described her as being the worst, but she was being so gentle while she cleaned off Lexa's face,
"Besides my family and close friends, no strangers have gone through this much effort for me," Lexa stared into the woman's eyes feeling lost as to why the senior still looked so prissy but her touch was kind. Maybe she just had a rude attitude but was genuinely kind? From what Lexa understood, Dara was supposed to be a dreadful bitch that spoke her mind and did not hide her distaste, but the older woman reminded her of a more immature Clarke.
"When I first went to school, the other kids treated me like I was a wild animal. In hindsight that ended up being true, but those kids didn't even try to make me feel welcome, they just decided to hate me." Lexa couldn't believe she'd said that out loud. She'd normally blow it off and say something a lot less detailed. Dara paused as she met her gaze then pocketed the handkerchief,
"Only to be expected, despite humans being ignorant, they do have a pinch of instinct to be able to tell who a threat could be." Dara huffed, rolling her eyes as she reached out and tugged at Lexa's clothes, "take these off, they will be worthless during the ritual and will only cause discomfort." Lexa's eyes widened glancing at the crowd, there was no way she was going to be naked in front of all these people. "Suit yourself, suffocate in these rags for all I care," Dara huffed again with a light blush on her cheeks, as she extended a claw and the man dressed in white stepped forward,
"Dara speaks out of kindness; her bark is far worse than her bite I assure you. What she means to say is that your body will feel restrained in the clothing, your wolf needs to be able to feel the moonlight and the fur of these wolves." Zale released her hand and encouraged her to take off her clothes. Lexa sighed and with some reluctance she did as they asked, though kept her undergarments on and folded the rest of her clothes, before sitting beside the nest. The man then motioned for Lexa's hands, and she hesitantly brought them up allowing the male to do what he needed to. He gently guided Lexa to cup her hands together and held them tightly.
"Unlike Kali, Dara always speaks the truth even if her word choices can be…blunt." Zale laughed as Dara scoffed and Lexa flinched as the woman used her claw to cut the palm of the man dressed in white. Her eyes widened as the blood that pooled in his palm was pitch black.
"My word choices are vile, I know it and so does everyone else, but at least you can trust me unlike those two," Dara shot a glare at her former partners, "they deserve what is to come, I shall enjoy knowing they will suffer. That mate of yours has horrible behavior but even I do not wish for her to be put through more harm." The older woman motioned Lexa closer, and she complied left wondering what Dara meant about the seniors, what was going to happen to them? Heda was holding them at blade point and if they were lunar members, it meant their tattoos would be stripped of power, but Echo was using her battle blade, was she going to execute them? Lexa could only hope so but that didn't concern her right now. She needed to focus her energy on surviving this process.
"Apologies Leo. Dara and I do appreciate your alpha allowing you to come here despite your current condition," Zale sighed as Dara dipped her fingers into the blood and reached towards Lexa beginning to make symbols along her forearm. Dara drew out the phases of the moon along with some makeshift falling stars and towards the end of Lexa's wrists she drew the infinity symbol inside a type of prism. Once Dara was done, Zale held his hand out to Lexa and helped her inside of the nest instructing her to kneel,
"Think nothing of it, I am honored to be able to help Ms. Debman's pup," Leo said, smiling at Lexa. He seemed like a kind man as he leaned down and tipped his opened palm into Lexa's cupped ones. She squeezed her hands together tightly, watching as the black blood collected in her hands. Leo brought his cut palm up to his mouth and healed the wound, his nose twitched as he sniffed at her his eyes widened.
"You're that gorgeous golden alpha's mate? Heavens, now I truly hope you do survive. Your mate is a powerful one, I wouldn't want to be on her bad side," Leo chuckled. Lexa wondered when Clarke had met this guy. She'll have to ask her about him later, hopefully she'll still have the chance. Leo leaned down placing his hands under Lexa's he kissed her fingertips then stayed still as Dara and Zale stepped closer.
"Mother Gaia hear our voices. We plead you to guide this half breed to become a full wolf. Please embrace her as she plunges into the abyss and may your elegant moonlight guide her out of the darkness." Dara and Zale spoke in unison as they each pricked their palms and allowed some of their blood to drip into Lexa's palms. She watched as the bright red swirled in the black substance and she tilted her head curiously as a shape formed,
"A crescent moon? Interesting, your mental battle speaks of hesitation and regret," Leo whispered meeting Lexa's eyes then looked down at her bite mark. Wait, what did that mean? Lexa opened her mouth to ask but instead Leo guide their joined hands up and he tilted her head back. "Drink all that you can pup, be strong," Leo guided the blood down Lexa's throat, and she grimaced at the taste, it was like copper but with an under tone of charcoal texture.
Lexa ignored the displeasure and drank as much as she could. She felt some of the substance dribble down her chin and the liquid strangely felt hot as it ran down the rest of her body. Under normal circumstance, or rather, in her version of normal, she would have been more worried about contracting unwanted infections from drinking someone's blood, but she was doing this for Clarke. Once she finished, Lexa felt someone's hands on her shoulders and they guided her to lay back, the amount of fur beneath her made her sink like she was laying on a cloud. She could even smell several different scents but none of them were close to her girlfriend's. She glanced up and felt at ease seeing it was only Anya that had touched her. She wondered when she had gotten back. Was Clarke back too? Lexa tried sitting up to check, but her best friend held her down shaking her head.
"She's being rescued right now. Don't worry she'll be here soon." Anya brushed her hair away from her eyes, Lexa could tell she was trying to be carefree to make it seem like Lexa wasn't putting her life at risk. But she could see the gloss in Anya's eyes, the worries she was feeling for her closest friend. Lexa wanted to comfort her, but her eyes were heavy and all she could think about was resting. She blinked a few times to try to get rid of the sleep and it worked for a moment while she watched the rest of her family sit beside the nest.
"I am so proud of you Lexa, remember your differences are what makes you so strong." Her mama leaned inside and kissed Lexa's forehead, her lips lingering and Lexa's eyes watered when she felt her mother's tears fall on her cheeks. Mama leaned back then took a hold of her hand and laced their fingers together, Papa took a hold of her other hand and kissed the back of it.
"Don't fly off now, you still have many years and duties to accomplish in this world. I love you my little forest ranger." Papa kissed her hand again and gave her his biggest smile as he held on to her hand tight, he glanced around then slowly reached inside the nest and adjusted the fur to cover Lexa's body. "They could have at least gotten you a blanket, you'll catch a cold like this," he whispered. Lexa chuckled, her papa would be the one to break the seriousness of this situation, but it did make her feel better.
Her grandparents sat on either side of her and laid their hands on her calve. They were already muttering a prayer, not one she could hear but they were focused on the moon as they reassured her in their own way. Her grandma at least spared her a glance, smiling encouragingly before she leaned over her Papa to kiss her stomach, then went back to focusing on her prayer. Lexa wanted to lecture her grandma; those types of affections were meant for babies. It was a kiss that meant you are so vulnerable; I'll protect you until you don't need me anymore. Her family's mixed ways of support made her both want to laugh and cry, it scared her how their affections felt more like 'good-byes' rather than 'see you soon.'
Lexa's eyes shut against her wishes and her chest weighed heavy. Lexa reached up, thinking maybe someone was pushing against her chest, but she flinched at the texture she felt. She squirmed trying to get the thing off, the thing touching her was furry, but the fur was prickly and the weight on her chest increased then suddenly what felt like broken glass racked down her flesh and she screamed.
"Pathetic imbecile, you honestly believed I'd accept you as my equal? You are all that I hate, and you will meet you end," Lexa forced her eyes open at the sound of this new voice and her throat swelled shut at the creature that held her down.
A wolf hybrid had its claws buried into Lexa's chest; its fingers burrowed deep enough to scrape against her rib bones. Lexa tried to push the demon off by scratching at its twisted arm where patches of skin were visible beneath the fur. The hybrid hunched forward towering over Lexa like a mountain, as it's half muzzle and human jaw leaned down snapping in her face, barely missing her nose.
"Worthless abomination! You were never meant to live; it should have been you that was locked away instead of me!" The animal roared digging harder into Lexa's chest cracking her upper rib cage and the fragments of bones threatened to pierce her lungs. Lexa screamed again before choking on the blood that pooled from her mouth. Frantically she searched her surroundings wondering why no one was helping her!
"Look at me!" The hybrid spat out hooking its claws into Lexa's chest cavity and lifted her off the ground, the beast held her overhead and Lexa's life pooled out of her, and she tried to break free,
"Stop it! Who are you?!" Lexa screeched choking again and mistakenly inhaled to try to breathe but that caused a viscous cough that made it feel like her lungs were about to pop. Clarke! Where was she!? "Clarke, I need you!" She cried out even though she knew damn well that Clarke was nowhere close to her, she looked around desperately trying to find anyone else to help but her skin went cold when she realized it was only her and the hybrid surrounded in miles of darkness. The rest of the world was gone, she was completely alone with a monster who fully intended to kill her, what had Lexa done?
"Monster?" The creature laughed, baring all its fangs as it brought Lexa closer to its face and she wanted to vomit when she saw the color of its eyes, this wasn't real. "Then so are you," the hybrid's smile twisted in a sickening way that its skin ripped at the corners of its jaws and trickles of dark blood ran down its unnatural mouth.
"I am the real you, Alexandra Debman."
xxx
Left on a cliff hanger, damn, but I promise that chapter 16 will be posted the following week on Monday exactly.
As always please let me know what you think or what parts were your favorite, hearing from you guys really gives me motivation!
Love ya lots and pretty please won't you be sweet enough to leave me a treat?
-YuriWolf