Lacrimosa

At the age of eighteen, a wolf is destined to find its mate. The one person that they are destined to spend their lives with. The one that they would move Heaven, Hell, and Earth for. Their equal and their other half. Sometimes they are found within the same pact and then there were those that found their mate later in life due to various circumstances. The other may be too young or they lived somewhere outside the pack. Eighteen was when a pup became a wolf, and they began their new life whether it was within the pack or another. Either way, the Moon Goddess blessed the wolves with their mate. Instead of finding his mate, Markus Madigan paid the blood price to the Moon Goddess and assumed the title of Alpha from his late father, Alexander Madigan. Everyone loved and respected the late Alpha as he and his Luna did everything to ensure the pack would survive and thrive. The Luna, Lyanna, had been killed, years before, protecting her son and his classmates when a group of rouges attacked the preschool. She viciously fought and even though she was able to drive them away, a rouge had delivered a fatal bite to her throat before she ended his life. Alexander died just last year, in battle like his love, but he fought for his entire pack. The name of the Atruskians sent ice through the heart of every wolf as they were a group of human werewolf hunters. Legend had it that long ago, a wolf stole away in the night with his mate, who happened to be a daughter of Lord Atruska, who, in return, swore vengeance on all of those with wolf blood. So, for centuries, werewolves and Atruskians were at war that soon spilled into Night Hunter territory. Alexander and the rest of the Night Hunter pack fought and were able to drive the Atruskians away, but a silver arrow found its way into the great wolf’s shoulder, killing him as the sun rose over a field of bloody corpses. The memories of seeing his parents’ deaths seared their way into Markus’ mind and he felt himself fill with dread as he wondered how he would uphold his family name. Would he be able to lead the pack the way his father did? Could he protect everyone like his mother? These questions constantly plagued his mind, and he couldn’t shake the feeling of absolute dread. ‘All we can do is our best,’ his wolf spoke in his mind. ‘I know, Fell, but I don’t want to let the pack down,’ Markus replied back as he wandered down the street. There was a human town that existed on his pack’s territory and often, Markus found himself aimlessly wandering around. Like the rest of the human race, they were blissfully unaware of what lay just miles away. That was one of the few reasons Markus had for coming to the town. People didn’t know that he was the now Alpha and left him alone to his own thoughts and to his wolf. ‘It’s a legit fear but you will do well. We will do well. We are born Alphas. And besides, we have the King’s blessing.’ Markus blinked a few times as he stopped at a crosswalk, taking in what his wolf said. The Wolf King, Dante Mycroft, was close with the Madigan family and had often considered Alexander Madigan is brother-in-arms. When Alexander fell, the King personally made the journey to the pack capital to grieve for his close friend. Like Markus, the King had experienced the agony of losing family as his own wife and daughter were slaughtered by Atruskians. Yet, he remembered that he was a King and dutifully continued on. Still, at Alexander’s funeral, Dante had said to Markus, “Pain is a part of life, but you must continue. You are the key to your pack’s survival, and you will be a great Alpha, even better than your father. Like Alexander, I will wish you good fortune during your reign as Night Hunter Alpha.” The Wolf King believed in him and that should have been enough, but still, Markus could shake that fear. He wanted to live up to his father’s legacy and ensure the pack’s survival. At the end of the day, Markus wanted to be able to look back and be proud of what he had done. All his life, his father had trained him to take over, but he never thought that his father would not be there to watch his son take command of the pack. No, Markus felt like he became Alpha way too soon. Still waiting for the light to signal safe passage, Markus took a deep breath and quickly observed his surroundings. The humans were unaware that an Alpha werewolf was among them and he envied their naivety. The sun would set soon, and he knew that eventually, he would have to make his way home, but a soft melody perked his and Fell’s ears. Raising his head slightly, Markus closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint the source. ‘That sound,’ Fell growled, starting to pace anxiously, ‘We have to find it.’ Markus nodded and quickly crossed the street, listening for the delicate notes. Ignoring the glares of the elderly couple he brushed against, he found himself in front of a music studio. Glass walls covered the sides, and he could see into each room. Musicians of all ages were scattered in the building, but his focus was on the one close to the entrance. A small crowd was gathered around the window as Markus made his way to the front to see a young girl sitting at a piano, playing a mournful song. She was much younger than him, possibly thirteen or fourteen, but her fingers danced along the keys like a virtuoso. He couldn’t see her face, just her back and her messy silvery blonde ponytail. “That’s little Annabelle McCade,” he heard someone whisper, “She’s only thirteen years old and is a musical prodigy.” “She plays both the piano and the violin.” “I bet her parents are proud of her.” “I hear her parents are actually dead and was brought up by a distant aunt and uncle.” Ignoring the rest of the whispers, Markus pulled away from the crowd and found himself standing at the entrance to the studio. Like him, Fell was drawn to the girl and wanted to be closer to her, so he turned the handle and walked in. There were other students in the hallways, but they were all too busy to notice him as he made his way towards the room that held the small girl. Through the glass on the door, he got a better image of Annabelle McCade. Despite being so young, she had an ethereal beauty about her. Her blonde hair framed her slender face perfectly as those stormy grey eyes focused on the piano keys. She had her thin lips pursed as she listened to the notes that filled the room. Her body was small but developing as his own eyes traced the curves on her upper chest. Markus felt slightly ashamed of what he was feeling: she was a child, and he was damn near an adult. Yet he still couldn’t help but feel drawn. It was like the Moon Goddess had chosen a physical form and this was it. ‘She may be our mate,’ Fell growled softly, ‘She is young, but why else would we feel this drawn to her?’ Suddenly, a low growl was heard, and it was not Fell. No, Markus noticed the large Doberman that was now making its way to the door. Unlike the typical black and tan markings, this dog was red, but its body was built of pure muscle and its teeth bared. Markus and Fell knew that this dog stood no chance against them, but they could see that it was protective of Annabelle, who stopped playing. She had turned her head towards the door as she stood up. “Who’s there,” she called out, “Wolfie, stop growling.” Confusion filled his entire body as he quickly studied her. She was looking straight at him, but she made no other movement than to grasp the edge of the piano where the handle of the leather leash on the Doberman’s vest was. Her movements were incredibly cautious, and she kept turning her head as if to listen for something. His eyes then traveled to the word’s stamped on the patches. Service dog Taking a deep breath, Markus opened the door as the dog made its way back to her and sat down next to the bench, eyeing him cautiously. “Sorry, I heard you playing, and I just had to see for myself.” “I don’t know your voice,” she said, nervously, as she toyed with the leather lead in her hands. She stared straight at him with those stormy grey eyes, but it hit him like a ton of bricks. She wasn’t looking at him at all. She faced the direction of his voice because she could pinpoint that. She quickly grabbed the leather leash because it was something she knew. The dog was her service dog because it could do something that she was unable to do for herself. ‘She can’t see,’ Fell said in complete shock, ‘She’s completely blind.’ “I’m sorry. My name’s Markus and I heard you playing, and I guess I just wanted to see the one who could make a piano sing like that.” Annabelle c****d her head to the side as an eyebrow raised. Gripping the leash tighter, she gave a soft command and the dog got up and walked over to him slowly. Markus remained completely still as the dog sniffed his hand for a few seconds, huffing before sitting back down next to his owner. “Wolfie likes you,” Annabelle said, a little smile forming on her thin lips, “I’m Annabelle and I’m going to guess you can tell why I need him.” He was surprised. Both he and Fell were wondering how to approach the subject of him knowing she was blind, but she made it easy for him. At twelve, it was obvious that Annabelle had a bit of a snarky attitude. “Well, that made it easier,” Markus replied, scratching the back of his neck. “You’re fascinating, Markus. I’m going to get dinner if you’d like to join me. Then you can tell me why you’re being a creeper and watching me play.”