Lycan's unexpected mate

Joanne or Johann

Atalanta

I search through the sitting room thoroughly. All the walls are full, there aren't any openings anywhere. Diana can't hear or smell anyone, either.

'Next room?' I ask her and she nods in my head.

I move us to the bedroom. There is a king-sized bed with its front in the middle of the wall opposite to me. A bedside table is on either side of the bed and there is a small lamp on each. There isn't much space here. It may be caused by the fact that the walk-in closet is open and there are all necessities there, clothes, shoes, accessories for both men and women. I can see two more doors, one leading to the bathroom and the other probably to a balcony.

The whole floor is covered in a soft carpet that is in one piece. There is no chance to have to hidden trapdoor somewhere here. Somehow I can remember an old rhyme that my parents drilled into my head in case anything bad were to happen and I needed to hide where no-one could find me.

Be brave enough

To wake the bear up.

Scurry mouse

Into your house.

Lift the lid,

Be glad you did.

Diana smiles in my head fondly. She knows that, although these rhymes sound childish and I had a nice drawing next to it from when I was seven, it is a set of instructions. A set that even a small child can chant and remember. I have never used the secret passage to our castle but I know it exists and my mother sweeps it every once in a while (meaning every century), just for the sake of checking that it is still not falling down. The passage is more than 2000 years old and no-one knows who built it and for who.

Anyway, I look around the room, under the bed and behind the mirror. Once again nothing. I sigh discouraged and decide to go to the closet next because I still need to find appropriate clothes for Alpha White.

I stop at the threshold and sniff the air. I can smell someone here but I can't say where the smell is coming from. Diana starts pacing in my mind as well. We both feel that we are close. But there isn't anything here. And from what I can tell about the width, there can't be anything in the side walls because they are as wide as the floor itself.

I take a deep breath and decide to find the clothes. I sort through T-shirts, shirts and suits when my eyes land on his navy dress blue uniform. He has the ceremonial uniform in his closet! It still has his nametag and he had the rank of a Lieutenant! Wow!

Diana, being herself, wants to see as well and looks through my eyes. It's extremely difficult for werewolves or lycans to become part of the human army service. It's not because we wouldn't pass the strength and endurance tests. It is because we hate being away from the pack and, he was a marine, so the water is an added drawback. I wonder how he managed to acquire such a high rank . . .

'I think he would like to be buried in this, don't you think, Diana?' I ask.

'Totally agree. Put it on the bed and let's find something for now that can get ruined,' she suggests and I comply.

After putting his uniform on the bed, I return to examine the closet more closely. I find a common black shirt and trousers with creases. I can feel that Diana agrees with my choice. Setting these clothes aside, I start knocking on walls and looking for artificial addition to a space. It is frustrating when I get back to the door empty-handed. In the end, I close the door and that is when I see a rupture in the wall. It's tiny but high enough to form a door. I notice a scratched place in the wall, anyone could say that it's from the doorknob but my lycan eyes know better.

I inch closer to the scratched surface and run my hands over it. It's soft as though someone touched it regularly. I press my palm into it and, suddenly, I can hear a snap. The wall opens like those kitchen cupboards that you press on. And my ears twitch when I hear a soft whimper. I stay where I am and listen with my head bent down. 'Diana?' I close my eyes and focus on my lycan.

'If it were a warrior able to fight, he wouldn't whimper, dear.'

'OK, I'm coming in.'

'Careful, there might be traps.'

'Not helping.' I stick my mental tongue out and Diana huffs. I know that she cares for me deeply but there are things I know myself and I don't need her explicit reminder.

I shake my head and grasp the opened wall. I open the lid and I am met with a pair of blue eyes in a wrinkled face. It's an elderly woman who is holding a bundle. She gasps in fear and looks at me terrified. I show her my hands in a gesture of peace.

"I'm not here to hurt you," I announce. "Alpha Merdok White sent me to get you. You don't have to be afraid of me."

She gives me an odd look and I realise that I am still reeking of blood my trousers are soaked in, and my hands are still red. If I saw someone like this, I would also question their intentions with me. I put my hands down and try to rid them of the dried blood, smiling sheepishly.

I look back up only to meet with the woman who was still staring at me. Even in the dimly lit space, I can see that her eyes hold immense wisdom. She seems to know and remember so much. She is clad in a white robe and I can't help but gaze at the bundle of clothes that she holds to her chest. She notices where I am looking and pulls the bundle closer. I cough and decide to introduce myself. This isn't something a murderer would do, right?

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Atalanta Summons from the Silent Heights Pack. We came to help with the rogue attack on your pack and now we're gathering survivors and those who need help."

She blinks in surprise but it feels pretended. Maybe I'm just imagining things. I get to a different approach. "The Alpha sent me here to save Joanne, so, please, let me help you. I'll walk you back to the rest of the pack. I'm sure someone misses you." I cross my mental fingers to persuade her. She has to be the Joanne that I've been sent for.

She flashes me a real smile then, admitting, "Yes, maybe some of them do miss me."

Her voice carries some sort of magic, it's so enchanting. I keep wondering who she is to the Alpha. I can see that she is gathering the courage to step out and I back two steps to give her more space. I can't rip my eyes from the bundle, though. She slowly exits the cramped alcove and stands up. She is a head shorter than me and she looks fragile with age but I can feel a powerful aura around her. Could she be an Elder? But these are rare in normal packs . . .

She walks closer to me. "I can see the question in your eyes."

I frown slightly as she rocks the bundle. And then I hear it. Another breathing and a sigh. My mouth forms a huge O as I finally connect the dots. She is holding a baby! And by looks of it, the baby is very young, my guess is they are only a few months old.

She nods her head. "So, you know now. And I believe you aren't here to harm us."

I nod my head vigorously. "I've promised the Alpha to take care of you so I'm doing just that. Can you walk downstairs with me?"

The woman nods curtly and starts walking stiffly. I can't imagine how long she had to sit there with her legs bent. She wavers unsteadily and I offer: "Do you want me to take the baby? Then you can lean on me."

"I would be grateful, darling, thank you."

I outstretch my arms and she softly places the baby in them. I look down at the kid when suddenly a gust of wind catches me off-guard. I look at the old woman, only to see that she is no longer old and weak. She still has her clothes on but her hair is as black as ebony and her eyes have more life in them than anything I have ever seen. And somehow I know.

"M . . . Moon Goddess?" I stammer awkwardly.

She caresses my chin while my eyes tear up. This shouldn't be possible. I'm not worthy, yet. I haven't done anything grand.

She smiles at me kindly. "Oh, but you are worthy, my child. You have carried out the promise for a dying man. You are one of the most selfless people in this land. I know how you feel about all the attacks, losses and your ruling. "

My eyes widen in surprise.

She continues: "I can only offer you advice. Fighting as a warrior, you can't change much. I know ruling scares you because of the responsibility . . ." When I try to object, she silences me with a lifted index finger. ". . . but being in charge can give you a better insight and you can actually implement your ideas that are so far only in your diary." She chuckles lightly at that while my cheeks turn red. "Child, you've done great today and I am proud of you. Unfortunately, the future is going to bring more pain to you so, do me a favour and stay yourself no matter what. And don't ever stop believing in yourself. You will need to keep this in mind when the time comes. Trust me that you are stronger than you think and you can overcome everything."

With that, she kisses my cheek lovingly with motherly care. She offers me one last smile and vanishes into thin air, leaving me alone in the bedroom. My knees feel weak and I collapse on the floor. Diana is also overwhelmed. Tears keep flowing down my face as I look at the child. The baby smells like Merdok to me, but that shouldn't be possible, right? I didn't know that Luna was pregnant.

I open the baby's covers, only to see that it was a healthy baby boy who can be around a month old. And then it clicks. His name is Johann and, with the troubled breathing, I could have easily misheard Merdok in the forest.

"My baby Johann, what are we going to do now?" I whisper brokenly, the encounter with Moon Goddess forever etched in my mind. Her words force me to make up my mind - I'll accept the Royal training with my father. But they also bring me immense pain because I can't help but believe that my Mate is going to reject me . . .