Caia had lived her young life listening out for any small scrap of information Irini gave. She knew returning to the pack was all Irini thought about. It was how she got through her meaningless job each day. Caia was different. Irini had told her little of her parent’s death despite Caia’s pleas. She knew only that a member of the Midnight Coven had targeted her and her parents, and that the pack had been thrown into a miniature war with a man they called The Hunter. The reason why she and her parents had been targeted had not been explained to Caia. When she was younger she had thought her heart might break with the pain of not having known her parents, and of not knowing why she’d had them ripped from her, but as she got older she learned to stop asking, and the need had dissipated to a gentle thrum tucked somewhere under her skin. It had though left her with a desire to be free of everything; the tiny apartment they shared, the obligation she felt towards the pack for having protected her. Caia wanted to travel the world - to have tasted the full scope of moonlight.
The war, however, made leaving the pack impossible.
The pack doesn’t think like that anyway.
They mated, had baby lykans, and lived their lives all together. Safety in numbers. Lucien’s face suddenly appeared before her eyes and even though there was no one there to witness her wayward thoughts, she felt her face warm. Well that can just stop right now, she snapped at herself. The Alpha. Pfft! Turning, she caught her blushing reflection in a long mirror attached to the wall. Caia frowned. She was quite small, she realised, studying her body and features. Her kinswomen seemed taller, fuller-figured, their features darkly exotic with their tanned complexions and rich-coloured hair and eyes. They were all so beautiful compared to her pale scrawniness. Why didn’t she look like them?
The sound of laughter from downstairs pulled her from those thoughts. She was exhausted from the upheaval of her once - yes dismal - but quiet existence, to this ‘my goddess they’re everywhere’ existence, but not weary enough to sleep. She tip-toed out of the room, not wanting to alert the rest of the pack downstairs - thirty pairs of hyper sensitive ears made that a difficult task. But she managed to make no sound as she crept down the hallway, gazing at the simple black and white photos of what she could only determine was the surrounding country. She encountered a large bathroom and then a gymnasium. Why, she thought, Lucien needed a home gym when he naturally looked like one big muscle she had no idea. She was about to leave the gym and creep further on when she heard Ella and Irini in the next room, whispering to one another.
“You were lonely,” Ella was stating grimly.
She received no answer, but the rustling of clothing suggested Ella and Irini were hugging.
“It was just so strange being without the pack. Not to mention frightening, being out there … alone. I felt cold all the time.”
“You had Caia for company.”
“I know.”
There was a moment of silence and Caia’s body tightened in anticipation. Maybe Irini really did hate her.
“What is she like? I mean really like, Irini?”
Why does Ella sound so worried?
“She’s good, mom.”
“Good?”
“Yes. Good. Kind, I mean. Gentle.”
“Gentle?”
Again, another stretched silence.
“Gentle, Irini? Lykans aren’t gentle.”
“I mean in nature. She’s soft. Calm … I dunno.”
“I noticed. She’s so still. So not …”
“Like us,” Irini finished. “I know. I noticed it more and more as she grew. There was no fire, no tempestuous outbursts … you can, you know … tell-”
“Ssh,” Ella abruptly cut her off, and Caia realised she must have been heard. Quickly, and as quietly as she could, she returned to her new room and shut the door softly behind her. She heaved a sigh leaning against it, trying to catch her breath. She laughed, but not in merriment.
“How did I get here?” She asked no one.
She couldn’t let their conversation upset her, and she couldn’t let herself dwell over what Irini was about to say or it would drive her crazy. She’d had enough crazy for one day.
When the sounds of the pack leaving, one by one, filtered up to her room, and the final kicks of the gravel driveway as their cars drove off could be heard, Caia cracked open her window and carefully descended to the ground with the ease and agility of her species. Dropping to the grass with a soft thud, Caia breathed a sigh of relief. She let the smell of the damp earth and wet wood overwhelm her. It was wonderful. Glancing up at the moon, shining like a brilliant orb of comfort in the dark sky, Caia thanked Artemis that it had made an appearance from behind the clouds tonight; she could peel the anxiety of rejoining the pack from her human skin, and run.
Quickly, she removed all of her clothes, the night air cooling her anxious flesh.
And then, she let the change happen.
She felt the pain of her skin transforming; she could feel every piece of fur pushing through, and ironically, the pain was like that of someone pulling a strand of hair from your scalp - that unexpected wince … but thousands of winces all over your body. She relished the burning pain of her muscles stretching and straining as they reshaped. The almost satisfying cracking of her bones as they said goodbye to the girl and hello to the wolf. The way the rushing blood in her ears drowned out her surroundings as her heart grew larger in order to pump the extra that her other self needed. She watched her nose grow in front of her eyes into a long snout, felt the sharp watery pain of her eyes elongating, her vision defined and clear-perfect. Caia came down onto all four legs, enjoying how soft the ground felt against her hard, leather paws. Then she laughed, a hoarse animal sound, at the tickling sensation that was left over when the change was complete.
It was exhilarating to be a wolf.
The trees were suddenly a blur as she took off through them, racing around the obstacles and leaping over bracken. She felt the warm glow of the moon on her soft pelt and knew that it didn’t matter about the pack being home. She already had a home, and she was running with it, the night whispering comforting words in her ears as she soared.
Lucien stayed as far back from her as possible. She seemed lost in the feel of the run, which he was glad for, otherwise she would have felt his presence before now. Caia was extremely fast, faster than the other females of the pack, and this pleased him. She was a beautiful lykan but more than this he could feel her joy from a distance. Caia was part of the night, of the woods. He knew the others were worried about her, he himself was worried. But watching her, keeping her safe, he realised that perhaps she was more lykan than they could ever have hoped for.
4 - School Rules
Irini had never been much of the mothering kind (having been so young Caia couldn’t really blame her) so Caia was used to being up by the crack of dawn and taking care of herself. She had hoped to have the house to herself on her first morning in Lucien’s home but, as she crept downstairs, she could hear the sounds of the living coming from the kitchen. Taking a deep breath she walked with what she hoped was a sedate confidence into the room. The sedateness and the confidence disappeared at the sight of Lucien at the kitchen table, hunkered over a paper and sipping coffee.
“Morning.” He looked up in greeting. His bright eyes were as hard as the day before, and he produced no smile for her. She answered exactly in kind. “You’re up early,” he observed.
She nodded, not really sure how to engage in small talk. Instead she shifted her weight onto her other leg, waiting for him to tell her where to find some breakfast. He said nothing, merely stared.
“Um.” She glanced quickly around the kitchen and spotted some cereal on a far corner. “Can I help myself?”
He nodded. “Of course. This is your home now. There’s coffee in the pot and orange juice in the fridge; bowls are in the second high cupboard to your left and utensils in the drawer below it.”
Caia sighed inwardly. Obviously he was a ‘throw ‘em into th
e deep end’ kind of guy. As she gathered her cereal, nervously finding her way around the kitchen, she was aware that his gaze never left her. And being a usually very even-tempered lykan she was surprised by her overwhelming desire to snap at him and childishly ask him if he wanted to take a picture of her so he could cease staring. Yesterday he had definitely bothered her in some way. Evidently the feeling wasn’t going away any time soon.
When she finally found a seat at the table across from him he was still staring. She tried to ignore the heat that blossomed beneath her cheeks at his scrutiny.
“Yesterday must have been a little overwhelming for you.”
She looked up from her cereal. Goddess, he was huge. Struck dumb apparently, she merely nodded. Her reaction to him produced a quirk in the corner of his mouth which she suspected was a smile … or it could’ve been a smirk …
“You don’t talk much do you?” His brow was furrowed and he was looking at her as if she was an unusually complex puzzle.
“Only when I feel like I have something useful to say. I prefer to listen … you learn a lot more a lot faster.”
She was surprised when he actually chuckled, giving her a glimpse of his perfect wolf whites. “I suppose you’re right. Magnus would approve.” He smiled softly as he sipped at his coffee. “Big guy missed you.”
“I missed him too.”
“He all you really remember?”
Caia stopped eating and looked at him. His tone and the way he observed her told her that his question wasn’t merely out of curiosity. Pack Leader was beginning his interview. “I remember Magnus the most.” She looked over at the bulletin board he had pinned to the kitchen wall. Along with deadlines, memorandums and notes to one another, there were a number of photographs of the pack. “I do remember Ella though. I remember you, too.” Her eyes turned back to him. His gaze was still fixed on her.
“I thought maybe you were too young. I must have taken off just before you left with Irini.”
“Yeah, but I have this vague memory of you, too. Young, moody, avoided me like the plague.” She smirked.
His face remained expressionless as he replied, “You were a kid. I didn’t have time for you.”
If he thought she was going to be upset or insulted by this he could forget it. Instead she continued, “I remember Dimitri and some of the other, older pack members that I met last night. I didn’t think I would, but... I don’t know, they just brought some memories back, I guess.”
Lucien sighed. “Still, it’s been a long time.”
Caia finished her cereal and got up to rinse her bowl. “Are you asking if I’m ready to rejoin the pack?”
He made no sound but when she turned around he was standing right before her, so close she could feel the heat from his body stroking her skin. “You’re seventeen and you’ve never ran with a pack,” he murmured.
“No,” she whispered. “And no, I don’t think I’m ready.”
He seemed surprised by her admission and pulled back a little. “You have a lot of learning to do. From what Irini has told me we have nothing to worry about your integration into the local high school. But you must be advised on how the pack works.”
“Advised how?” She gulped nervously.
Lucien stepped forward again. “By learning from experience. We’ve moved our monthly run up to next Sunday. You run with us.”
Her heart started racing a little faster at the thought. Unlike the pack she had begun to feel and enjoy the privacy of the change. She had to share her favourite thing? With these strangers? With him?
He seemed to understand, his large hand pressing onto her shoulder in what she guessed was supposed to be a reassuring gesture. Instead it felt a little threatening. “Loners don’t fit well into packs, Caia. I won’t have them in my pack. Especially not you.”
What did that mean?
She was about to verbalize this but stopped as his ‘talk’ triggered a far more pressing question. “I have to start learning huh?” She led.
Lucien nodded stoically.
“Fine. Here’s a question you can answer that Irini wouldn’t.” Caia watched curiously as his face hardened and he pulled back as if ready to face something unpleasant. “Why … why did The Hunter pick me? My parents?”
The big lykan heaved a heavy sigh and leaned back against the counter crossing his arms over his chest. Caia almost gulped at the way his muscles rippled with the movement.
“At first,” he began softly, his eyes not quite meeting hers, “We thought it was an attack on the pack, that we were one of the unfortunates the Dark Coven had targeted. It was confusing because we’re a small pack. Small packs don’t tend to draw the eye of The Midnights. But we later realised it was a member of the Midnight Coven acting independently from it. Your mother and father had taken a trip and apparently whilst on it they came across a Midnight – The Hunter. Recognising what they were The Hunter tried to take them out. Your father killed one of The Hunter’s followers, and The Hunter tracked them back to us, and to you. He killed your parents and tried to get to you, but you were well protected. And as you know he didn’t give up. He came back for you four years later and again, he failed.”
Caia blinked, trying to take this new information in. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“Why?” Lucien frowned. “What?”
She shrugged. “Why, when he got to the pack, did he just kill my parents? Surely he would have went back to the Coven and told them about the rest of the pack?”
Lucien shook his head, looking irritated by her questions. “No. He acted out with orders of his coven. He would have been reprimanded for his attack rather than rewarded. Besides, The Hunter is called exactly that because he was insane, obsessive. He wanted your parents dead and any trace of them – that would be you – gone, and that was that. There is no rhyme or reason to creatures like him.”
Before she could reply, a bright voice called from the doorway, “Oh how good it is to be home to a kitchen that’s bigger than a cereal box.”
Both she and Lucien turned to Irini who was practically crooning as she danced into the kitchen.
“Our kitchen wasn’t that bad, Irini,” Caia mumbled, not only reeling from Lucien’s story, but also from having overheard Irini’s conversation with Ella the night before. Irini didn’t know she had heard and she didn’t want her to. Instead she let a placid mask slide onto her face.
“Ha. Speak for yourself.” Irini shook her head as she poured herself some coffee. “It was tiny for a girl who was used to … well … this.” She gestured with both hands as she smiled at the room.
“Glad you’re back.” Lucien chuckled as he held out his own mug to be refilled.
Caia’s mind wandered from the kitchen as brother and sister bantered easily with one another as if the last ten years of separation hadn’t existed. She was lost in a mass of whys and hows - furious and relieved all at the same time. She was furious to realise that if her parents hadn’t taken some stupid trip away from the pack they would still be alive; furious that Irini hadn’t already told her and saved her years of worrying about the pack... which led her to relieved. She was relieved that her parents were the targets of some weird, persistent hunter, and not a soldier of war sent by the Dark Coven to wreak havoc and destruction upon their small pack. Boy, if she’d known that for the last ten years imagine the hours of sleep she wouldn’t have missed. She looked at Irini and wanted to be angry at her, she really did. But it wasn’t in her nature to growl and hiss and spit, neither was it in her nature to hold a grudge. And how could she when Irini’s face was flushed with a happiness she had never witnessed there before; her eyes bright with what she could only imagine was a new lease of life. She looked so young. As if the ten years had melted away and she was eighteen again. No, Caia couldn’t be angry with her. Irini was ecstatic to be home. If it hadn’t been before, it definitely was obvious now, that she had genuinely been too upset to discuss anything of the past with her young charge.
Her thou
ghts and musings were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell, and both Caia and Irini’s heads snapped towards the sound in alert. Lucien’s eyes narrowed as if he understood; for years now both of them had been living quiet, isolated lives where the doorbell ringing signalled a potential threat.
“It’s OK,” he reassured them. “It’s just Jaeden for Caia.”
She frowned at this, her mouth forming an ‘o’ shape in question. But he was up and out of his seat before she could speak, returning to the room a few seconds later with a tall brunette who looked about Caia’s age. The first thing Caia noticed about her was the warm friendliness in her eyes, but as her gaze travelled over her she realised that the girl, with her piercing blue eyes and luscious curves and curls, was as outrageously attractive as the rest of these creatures. She had a feeling her self-esteem was going to take a hammering amongst this crowd.
“This is Jaeden.” Lucien nodded to Irini and Caia. “Irini you remember Jaeden, Dimitri’s daughter?”
Irini smiled brightly at the mention of the Elder and got up to hug the girl who was at least three inches taller than her. “Of course,”
Jaeden laughed at that and Caia was warmed by the pleasant sound of her chuckle. The girl’s blue eyes found her. “Do you remember me, Caia?”
Gazing at her in concentration she had the vague impression of a gangly young girl who used to have to coax her into playing with her. She nodded and smiled tentatively back at her. “Yeah. I do.”
Lucien looked pleased. “Good. Jaeden’s taking you to school.”
“School?”
“School.” He nodded, enunciating the word as if she were an idiot. “It’s Monday. I’ve got it all sorted out. They’re expecting you. I told them that your guardian died and as a minor you had to come here, so there shouldn’t be too many questions about your transfer one semester from graduation.”
Moon Spell: Part One in the Tale of Lunarmorte Page 3