by Alicia Banks
“Aye, this baby is more trouble than it’s worth,” Dominque said, groaning.
“Then leave. I will look after him myself,” Isabella said.
“You seem to have made a strong bond with the pup in such a little time. Suspicious if you ask me,” Dominque said, without turning around.
“Hence, no one asked you,” Isabella snapped back. Dominique had to suppress a laugh; she was feisty. She was truly very beautiful, but he was really starting to enjoy her fiery personality. She stood ready to fight in front of the entire pack and even stood up to Taylor. He liked how she was strong and brave. He had never particularly liked weak and vulnerable women.
“I was six when the great battle happened. Say what you want to say about my father, but he was a great father. I don’t remember much, but what little I remember…”
Isabella paused for few seconds and said softly, “I… remember him crying as he held me in his lap. I was so sick. He was always worried that I would die, or the pack would find me and kill me. This pup may have parents too, and they would be crying for their child if they are alive. Just like Dad did, they must be crying for their child.”
Dominque didn’t know why, but his heart gave a painful twinge. He suppressed it, he didn’t want to feel any sympathy for her. No matter what she said, she was still a traitor’s daughter. The traitor who revealed their location and led the humans straight to them. He had lost his father in that battle, saving his pack. A pack that the traitor doomed.
“You seem to see yourself in the pup,” Dominque stated.
Isabella stopped what she was doing and sat down. “Yes. You don’t know what it was like. I was six, Dominique. People told me I should kill myself. Elder Lawson came once a day with food and that was all I had. Do you know how many nights I spent in that cabin, alone? In the dark, scared, crying? They told me I should die. The other children threw rocks at me and not one elder stopped them. Do you know how much I grew to hate my own father as a child? I was punished, for what he did. No one had pity. Not one person had pity on a six-year-old girl,” she whispered.
Dominique found himself strangely drawn to her. He walked over to her and sat down. “You had a difficult time. I am sorry, I didn’t realise what was happening.”
Isabella shook her head; a few tears had escaped her eyes and were streaming down her face. “Fuck. I hate crying,” she said, trying to wipe them.
Dominque found his hand reaching over to cup her cheek. He saw her luscious lips open in surprise as he gently wiped of a tear from her cheek. “I am truly sorry. I am your leader, and I failed to protect you from years of abuse,” he said, feeling his heart melting.
“It’s fine. Not like you had things easy,” Isabella said, sniffing.
“No. It was hard. I saw him, you know? It was my job to oversee the burial, of course I was too young to run the tribe or do anything. Elder Lawson acted as a leader till I was 15, and he made the burial arrangements after the battle. I still had to be there though, the symbolic figure of a leader. I saw my father’s battered body; I saw so many. I still haven’t forgotten it. Then I never truly got a childhood. Since that day, I have been prepared and raised to be a leader. The burden has been on my shoulders since then.” Dominique didn’t know why he felt like telling her. Why he felt like sharing all his pain with her. But he did.
“When I approached you that day, with the pup. I was scared. I knew you blamed my father for your father’s death. I didn’t know how you would react. I always thought you hated me. Everyone else did,” Isabella whispered.
“I don’t think I hated you. But I did blame you. I still do. I know you weren’t the one who did it, but you have a traitor’s blood in your veins. That’s not easy to run from,” Dominique said. What he didn’t tell her was how his mind had been thrown into disarray. He was confused how he felt about her, now that he knew her better.
“Yea. I know. I tried… to run from it,” Isabella said, staring at a distance.
“I know the feeling. I tried to run away too. From my responsibilities, from my nightmares. You should know, your father fought in the battle. He fought bravely and he fought hard. It is something that the elders hid. Gerald was a traitor, and, in their eyes, his bravery didn’t make up for what he did. But he fought on our side. He took down 10 of them before he went down. I thought you should know,” Dominque told her. He had recently found out the fact while studying the old reports.
He suddenly felt Isabella’s warm hand in his, her skin soft and smooth. The touch sent electric shocks through his body. He turned his face to find her looking up at him, her eyes filled with tears and warmth. “Thank you, Dominque. Thank you for telling me,” she whispered.
Her eyes shone bright in the dark cave, and her touch left him craving for more. When he finally headed home, it was all he could think about.
Chapter 8
Isabella
When Dominique left, Isabella found herself constantly thinking about him. She tried to busy herself with the pup, but even the little darling failed to distract her. She still remembered how warm and inviting Dominique’s eyes looked. They seemed to promise companionship, understanding, and care. Isabella shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She had grown up without all this care and compassion, and she didn’t need it now.
She forced herself to sleep, as the rain thundered outside. The next morning the sun rose shining brightly, and Isabella fed the little pup. It was while she was struggling to change his nappy that Dominque appeared.
“Everything okay?” he asked, as a way of greeting.
Isabella felt her cheeks turn pink as the memories of last night returned. She silently cursed her body for betraying her emotions.
“The pup is being fussy. It keeps crying and refuses to eat properly,” Isabella said, frustrated.
“I thought you might need some help. Taylor brought his mate to help you,” Dominique said. This statement was followed by the entrance of a small petite girl, her hair in beautiful curls.
“Isabella. Hello. I am Rose. Taylor told me about the pup, and we are both happy to help. Isn’t that right, Taylor?” Rose said. Taylor, who had just followed her in, grunted.
“I said, aren’t we happy to help her, Taylor?” Rose asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Yes! Yes. Happy to help,” Taylor grumbled.
“Well, how about you women get to it and Taylor and I will go and…” Dominque started to say.
Isabella narrowed her eyes and said, “You women? Excuse me? Do you think it’s just the woman’s job to raise the pup?”
“I… No, that’s not what I…” Dominque said, clearly confused.
“Is that so? You think it’s the woman’s job?” Rose asked, joining in.
“I… didn’t say that,” Dominque replied, looking bewildered.
At his expression, both girls burst laughing. “Go on then, do your manly things. Plus, I don’t think you can handle the pup as it is. You guys might just start crying,” Rose said, still laughing.
Dominque and Taylor left in the search of an orphanage to drop the child at. Rose helped Isabella to the best of her abilities. She was the only one in the pack who had ever shown her kindness and even now, she helped.
*
Taylor and Dominique returned after sundown, telling them that they had located a place for the pup. Isabella thanked Rose for her help, and they all left, leaving Isabella alone. Rain started to fall again, and the pup slept restlessly. Isabella wondered what was wrong, but he had been fed and his nappy was clean.
It wasn’t until a few hours later that he started to cry. Isabella checked him and found him feverish, his skin burning up. The little thing was shivering, and its lips were starting to turn blue. Isabella wrapped it up in the extra blankets she had and tried to sooth the little pup. The fever though, only increased, and Isabella’s worry grew when the pup seemed to lose consciousness, barely breathing.
Outside the rain was falling furiously, claps of thunder could be hear
d. Isabella felt panic building through her body as she held the pup in her arms. She tried to think of what she could do and the only person she could think of was Dominque. She placed the pup in a basket and started to shift.
Her bones and muscles contorted as she slowly turned into a wolf. Her claws and fangs erupted, and fur covered every inch of her body. Isabella grabbed the basket from the handle between her teeth and ran out into the rain.
The rain was falling so hard and the wind was blowing so strong, Isabella could barely see. Nevertheless, she persisted and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The pup was still not moving and lay quietly in the basket. Isabella could barely hear its heartbeat or smell its blood. She ran as fast as her legs allowed her, but the storm was vicious. The rain and the wind pushed her, compromising her vision, drenching her fur and making it heavy.
She managed to find a shelter near some trees, and she took refuge from the storm there. She shifted back and cradled the pup to her arms, trying to warm the poor thing. It was still not moving, and Isabella felt tears spilling down her eyes.
“Pup! Human pup!” she shouted, trying to wake him up, but the baby remained motionless. Isabella shifted again and started running. All she knew was she had to save the pup at all costs, no matter what happened. She started to run again; the claps of thunder sounded even louder than before. The lightning hit a nearby tree, which burst into flames.
Isabella felt a rise in her, the forest! She hoped the fire would die out, otherwise the entire forest would be on fire. Lightning struck again, and the tree collapsed, almost crushing Isabella. She dodged it as the trees around her started to catch fire. The wind was spreading the fire further. The rain wasn’t putting out the fire fast enough.
Then Isabella’s ears picked up noises. She could hear howls! Realising that she must be close to the pack, Isabella ran faster. She had to reach Dominque, she had to warm him about the fire. She needed to save the pup, whose heartbeat had slowed even more. She followed the howls through the forest, hoping that Dominque would somehow find her.
Suddenly Isabella tripped over something on the forest floor. The basket fell from her teeth and into a small bush. Isabella got up gasping, looking around for the pup, when she noticed what she had actually tripped over. A wolf lay on the floor, clearly bleeding, his stomach almost torn open. Horrified, Isabella ran towards it, turning it over. There was another flash of lightning and Isabella gasped as she realized.
The wolf on the ground was Dominique.
Chapter 9
Dominque
Dominque lay on the ground, the rain crashing down on him. Pain spread through his body, sharp, stabbing with every breath. He knew he was severely bleeding, and he couldn’t move, his body too weak with injuries. He could see George standing a few feet away, his red eyes shining in the darkness. Dominque had been on his way back home from the cave when George cornered him and challenged him to fight for the position of the leader of the pack.
Dominque knew that turning it down was not an option. George was clearly here with an agenda and a plan. Dominique accepted and the fight broke out. George was a vicious fighter, but Dominique was more powerful and stronger. It wasn’t long before Dominque had the upper hand, and he knew his victory was imminent. George sensed the same thing and realized that he couldn’t win this fairly.
Dominque had him pinned down, ready to deliver the fatal blow, when he was suddenly knocked down by another wolf. George had known that defeating Dominque wouldn’t be possible for him alone, so he had collaborated with Lucius, one of the other council members. It was Lucius who waited hidden for an opportune moment to attack, and it was Lucius who jumped on him from behind.
He sunk his long claws into Dominique’s stomach and tore it open. Dominque howled in pain as he tried to keep standing, but he was losing blood fast. Dominique knew that he couldn’t battle two of them at the same time, especially when he was so badly injured. The rain was falling down furiously by now, and thunderclaps could be heard.
Dominque wasn’t going down without a fight, and he lunged at the already injured George, pinning him down. He slashed his chest with his claws. He turned around in enough time to dodge Lucius’s attack and he sprung away. He growled at them. George was bleeding severely, and Dominque knew he wouldn’t be able to last much longer. The problem was Lucius. Even though not as strong as George, Lucius currently had the upper hand.
Dominque was slowly losing more and more blood, his mind growing hazy with pain. He knew he only had a little time left before the blood loss would leave him too weak to even move. He lunged towards Lucius, who met him midway. Dominque moved left at the last minute, managing to sink his teeth into Lucius legs. Lucius howled in pain, as Dominque tightened his grip on his leg and pulled, tearing his lower leg off. Lucius howled again and using his other leg, hit Dominque in his already torn stomach and wrestled himself free.
Lucius stood there growling, his torn limb bleeding. He managed to balance himself on three limbs. Dominque lunged again, and this time Lucius managed to dodge and slide under him, sinking his claws into Dominque’s wound. He slashed. Dominque’s legs immediately buckled, and he collapsed on to the ground. Pain hazed his mind, and he felt darkness approaching him.
Realizing that Dominque was down, Lucius limped towards George, who was bleeding severely.
“Don’t get up, Dominque. Stay down. You have been kind to me. I will let you live. Just stay down,” Lucius said.
“Why?” Dominque managed to gasp out between the pangs of excruciating pain.
“It’s time for a new leader. A better leader. One who can lead this pack to greatness. We are tired of living here, scared of those humans. We need a leader who will stand up to those humans, not cower here in fear!” Lucius said. “Don’t get up, Dominque.”
Suddenly, Dominque felt someone stumble over his legs, and another wolf fell to the ground. It took Dominque less than a second to release that it was Isabella. She got up, looking around wildly, and then she turned around and saw Dominque. Lightning cracked again, and he saw her eyes widen in realisation.
“Dominque!” she shouted, walking over to him. “Oh, Dominque, you are bleeding.”
“Do not interfere, woman,” Lucius growled, and Isabella turned around.
She quickly accessed the situation and growled, “You did this? Lucius? You and George?”
“I said, do not interfere,” Lucius growled.
Isabella’s eyes narrowed and she stood protectively in front of Dominque. “Make me,” She growled.
Dominque tried to shout at her, tell her to leave things be. Lucius was strong and trained to fight. Even though not as strong as Dominque or George, he was still a very formidable threat.
Lucius grinned, his fangs glowing in the dark. “For you, traitor, with pleasure!” He snarled, and then lunged straight for Isabella. Dominque tried to shout, but his body was too weak. He had lost too much blood and he could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness.
He saw Isabella dodge and heard Lucius howl as Isabella managed to slash him with her claws. He saw their silhouettes as they both clashed, slashing and biting each other. The forest filled with a painful howl from Isabella, and Dominque tried to force himself up. He needed to get to her. He had to keep her safe.
Lucius saw him getting up and lunged at him again. “I told you to stay down!” he growled.
Isabella jumped on him, pushing him off Dominque. “And I told you to stay the fuck away from him!” she snarled.
Dominque could feel darkness surround him, as the pain overtook his body. His thoughts grew hazy and his breathing grew heavy. He could barely see any more.
“What’s that?” he heard Lucius ask.
“Forest fire!” he heard Isabella reply. “I saw a lightning strike a tree. And it’s spreading.”
“Run!” Lucius shouted. That was the last thing Dominque heard, before he blacked out.
Chapter 10
Isabella
Isabella sat i
n Elder Lawson’s cabin, who was tending to her wounds. He finished bandaging her arm and got up to go and check on Dominque. Isabella had managed to carry him on her back and carry the human pup between her teeth. Thankfully, she met Taylor, and he had instantly helped her carry Dominque to Elder Lawson’s. He then formed a team, and they went to tackle the forest fire.
Elder Lawson was the healer of the tribe and after spending some time crushing some herbs, he had tended to all three. Baby’s fever was down a bit now, and Isabella had even managed to feed it some food. Dominque on the other hand was still critical. Elder Lawson did his best, using his best herbs and bandaging him up. Now, all they could do was wait. Wolves usually healed very fast, and now it was up to his body to heal and recover.
“So, there was a human hidden with you after all. A pup, but still,” Elder Lawson said.
Isabella was silent, warming herself by the fire. “It seems Dominque knew?” Elder Lawson asked, and Isabella shook her head yes.
“It was quite brave of you, to fight off Lucius like that. Not many would have stood up like that to him,” He said.
Isabella sighed and said, “He is my leader. I know you think less of me, because of what my father did. But he is my leader, and I will fight to the death for him, if I must.”
“Are you sure he is only a leader to you?” the elder asked, and Isabella blushed.
“I… Yes. What else can he be?” Isabella answered, feeling bitter for some reason.
“The necklace around your neck. Where did you get it?” he asked.
“This?” Isabella asked, looking at it. “It’s the last gift my Dad gave me. Why?”
“That, my child, is the necklace of the moon spirit,” he said, taking the necklace gingerly between his fingers. “Moon spirit is believed to be the spirit that looks after all the wolves. Her necklace is said to be one of the most powerful things in the world. The last I heard, the humans had it. It’s indeed a surprise to see it on your neck.”