Fated | The Heir of the She-Wolf

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

[Valerio]

Eleanor stormed out of the room pissed as hell. “You cannot touch me like that! What the hell are you doing?! The deal was for me to just feed!”, I replayed her shouts in my head.

Yeah, what was I thinking indeed?

I was not seeking a relationship. I was not seeking being binded and controlled. I was not seeking being restricted.

Then why did I kiss her and why did it feel so damn good? More than good. More than perfect.

I followed Eleanor back to the children’s room where Austin and Clara were sitting by the window, both quiet.

“So, did it work? Do you feel stronger now?”, Clara asked Eleanor and got up. “Oh my God, your eyes…”

Eleanor’s eyes were still a deep dark red colour and I had not yet told her that only one other person had it – me. One point for the prophecy of doom.

“I can do it now. Clara, can you walk me through it again, please? I haven’t done such a spell before.”

“Sure.”, Clara replied in a warm tone and took Eleanor by her side, explaining the spell again. Austin was still sitting by twins’ bed and did not say a word or look at me, or Eleanor.

Eleanor returned with Clara smiling in an assuring way behind her. The Magi leader nodded at me and whispered “She can do it” to me.

Eleanor took in a deep breath and sat down by the bed where the kids were still sleeping peacefully, probably dreaming about ice cream and games, or whatever else children dreamed about. Austin finally moved and went by the door, giving Eleanor enough space. She exhaled the breath she had been holding and started whispering the spell that was going to pull the harmful magic away.

I observed in silence as the darkness in the twins’ veins started moving and twitching under their skin. It looked like parasites crawling beneath the surface and the image was paralysing everyone in the room with fear. Such magic was unspeakable, so dark and evil that it crossed nobody’s mind to perform it.

Eleanor kept chanting under her breath with her hands barely touching the twins’ palms. A gush of wind moved her hair around even though the windows were closed shut. A candle sitting on the nightstand came to life and rain water started making its way into the room through the window frames.

All of the warmth was instantly sucked out of the air and surrounded Eleanor in a mystical cloud, making her skin redden and glow. Pitch black strands materialized on the white material of the blanket covering the bed and started crawling towards Eleanor’s hands.

Something was wrong, the blackness was supposed to be directed towards the three elements – fire, air and water, and dissolved into oblivion.

I watched, paralyzed, as the thick black worms touched the tips of Eleanor’s fingers and penetrated her skin. Her eyes were still shut closed, and she was chanting the spell so quietly I could not make out the words coming out of her mouth. Like a movie being played at double speed, I saw the darkness twirl and bury itself deep inside Eleanor’s fingers.

Eleanor opened her eyes and looked at Carla.

“I had to. There was no other way.”

In that moment, Eleanor dropped unconscious next to the twins.

“What the hell happened?”, I shouted on top of my lungs and rushed to Eleanor’s side. Carla was pacing frantically around the room, researching everything with her eyes.

“It should have worked, Valerio, I swear!”, she said and looked at me with fear. “Lux incrementum”, she whispered and a circle of light lit up the room in a soft glow.

“Revelare errata.”

The spell I uttered was meant to reveal if any errors happened during Eleanor’s attempt to direct the dark strings towards the elements.

Silence.

“Revelare errata.”, I repeated but still nothing.

“What if the elements are not strong enough to take in the darkness?”, Austin asked while looking at Eleanor. “She must have known, right? Clara?”

Clara stopped pacing for a moment before barely nodding in agreement. “It is possible. Which means we have to find an object strong enough to hold and latch onto the darkness before it kills Eleanor.”

“I have something in mind.”, I said and stood up. “Make sure she lives through the night. I have to go.”

[Eleanor]

A light breeze played on my skin and woke me up gently. I opened my eyes and blinked several times as the sun was blinding me, shining bright and strong in the clear blue sky. Once my vision adjusted to the light of the bright day above me, I stood up. I looked down and saw my bare feet touching the pure green grass. I was wearing nothing but a soft white dress covering my knees.

Where the hell was I? Is this a dream? Did I die?

Confused, I looked around and saw her.

She was laying on the ground right under a magnificent tall stone ark. A coniferous forest spread behind her, radiating the pure scent of pine and spruce. Her eyes were fixated on me and she was studying my every move.

“H-hi.”, I greeted her gently. I had never been able to see her so clearly before.

“Hey, hey.”, I continued with a soft voice and made a small step towards her but her my eyes caught her body tensing so I stopped. She was… beautiful. Strong. Perfect.

 “Can I come closer? Will you let me?”, I pleaded and made another step. “Your eyes are green like mine, had you noticed?”

She understood me. I was more than one hundred percent sure she understood every word I was saying but then again how could she not? She was a part of me and I was a part of her.

“So, I think I died. I am not sure, though. But it feels like I’m dead. Why else would I be here?”, I kept babbling hoping to ease her and be able to get closer to her.

“Can I come over?”, I asked her and she tensed even more ready to jump on her feet. “Please. I just want to sit by you and get to know you.”

I started walking towards her slowly while she kept studying me intensely. Getting closer I noticed her silver fur was shiny and long and all I wanted to do in this moment was place my hand on her and touch her.

I was two steps away when she broke the silence and cried. She got on her feet and made several steps back.

“Please. I won’t hurt you.”, I pleaded but realized, felt, that she was not afraid of being hurt. She was afraid I would… think of her as a disappointment?!

“What do you mean I would be disappointed of you, you are nothing but perfect!”, I exclaimed and her eyes widened. Now she knew I could understand her. She shook head and looked sideways, avoiding my gaze.

“How could you ever think I would find you disappointing? Please, stop running away from me…”, I said as she kept taking steps back with every step I took forward.

She stopped moving, her head still tilted on the side and avoiding my eyes.

When I reached her she finally looked up at me and I got lost in the green which were eyes. And yellow, I noticed, while looking closely at her.

She had freaking yellow around her pupils and it looked so damn beautiful!

I could not help but smile at the realization that this was my she-wolf and she was damn perfect.

I extended my hand and a low growl escaped her mouth but she did not move. My fingers slightly touched the side of her face and her body twitched with the tension she was feeling.

“You are everything I could have possibly asked for.”, I told her and placed my whole palm on the side of her face while kneeling down to meet her gaze. Another feeling washed over me and it was not mine but hers.

Sadness and fear. Because of all of the times she felt my hatred for Triads and wolves. Because of all the words she heard spilling out of my mouth and all of the feelings she felt were boiling inside my chest and heart every single minute of every day. For years… she felt that.

“Is this why you wanted to stay away? I am so sorry…”, I whispered as her pain washed over me and consumed every corner of my mind. Her sadness was my sadness now and I could not separate or draw a line where I ended and she started.

“I was wrong, and stupid, and you have every right to blame me. But I know now, I know that my hatred was unjustified and unasked for. And I know it in my heart that what I was missing the most was you.”, I said while stroking her fur, shiny and silky under my fingers.

Her body relaxed and she bent down her head and placed it on my legs, giving me her neck.

She and I just sat there for I don’t know how long, being quiet with each other and feeling happiness push aside the misery.

Me and my she-wolf were finally together.