Luna Athalia

14. The Sylas She-Wolves

Athalia Marie Sylas

One day after Vince's message, Athalia was sitting up in bed, feebly picking at her wounds as they healed. Her Alpha blood was strong, banishing the wolfsbane from her system and healing her as quickly as she could. Cecilia was gaining strength, their heart beating strongly as the two found the will to get out of bed and shower for the first time in two weeks. Her ankle was still slow to heal and she found herself sitting on the shower floor as she washed through her hair, unable to keep weight on it for too long.

She kept her mindlink open to Remy, switching over to Vince every once in a while and sensing the strengthening bond in both. For now, she only felt the edges of their emotions: frenzy, worry, hope, love, fear, anxiety, and the inklings of their thoughts that failed to form in her head. She could tell they were reaching for her but the multitude of other duties kept them away.

As Athalia emerged from her bathroom, she immediately stumbled backwards at the looming dark figure standing by her window. She gripped the thick white towel to her chest, a glare slicing her features as she partially hid behind the wall that separated the two rooms. A growl cut through her throat, though mild and raspy as she still hadn't much opportunity to speak out loud since her allowed recovery.

"Your shame is adorable, princess." Sebastian grumbled, not taking his eyes from her window view. His thick arms were crossed over his chest, a black t-shirt straining against the muscle in an almost enticing way.

"I maintain my dignity, rogue. It takes more than few days in bed to sully that." She retorted, though the tremble in her fingertips threatened to betray her. Her bracelets had been taken away. Though the rogues may not have known their power, it was clear they were intent on stripping her of anything that may aid her escape or hope of one.

"Do you?" He finally dragged his gaze away to look at her, taking a threatening step in her direction. She flinched, much to his delight, and he took another, "Awful amount of lip for someone who lost a third of their pack just to quash some childish love triangle."

Athalia flinched again. Did he actually know about her fated mate? The guilt began to eat at her, as it did every other moment, of all the blood on her hands.

In a few more steps, Sebastian was looking down at her, still partially hidden behind the wall. His gaze was heavy and his voice was deep and low as he reached out and grabbed her chin once more. She wanted to react but her trembling hands were transfixed on her towel to keep it closed. Or at least that was the excuse as they gripped the terry fibers, her chocolate eyes refusing to meet his dark orbs.

"I will watch you burn for all the souls of my people that you tortured, for every being who suffered at your command," his grip tightened, constricting her airways and raising her feet a few centimeters are she strained against his grasp, the flood of warmth in her body only explained by the rush of blood that was leaving her head, "though not after you've felt way they have first. And you will watch, too, as your pack crumbles around you, until you are begging me to join them in death."

Sebastian Rafael Bellevue

Seb had heard of the bewitching effect the Sylas Lunas had on wolves. It was something of a fantasy tale told even before he was banished from his pack and forced into rogue-hood that the Sylas she-wolves were laced with old magic. The tale said that the oldest families, those that maintained their bloodline from the beginning of werewolf history, were superior to those that branched off. It is said that witch magic is artificial, an attempt to match the natural potent magic of the original werewolves. It was so that the males who wed them took the Sylas name, their bloodline passed on through their women. Daughters were just as, if not more, important than bearing sons. Surely, Seb had never believed it - until he met one for himself.

The first time he laid eyes on Wynn Sylas, Roaming Ember had been visiting the Stone Edge Pack, and it was the first time Sebastian experienced the kind of beauty held within their royalty. Wynn's ebony hair flowed about her like water, with skin so pale and smooth he swore she was made of morning light. In his stupor, he took a nose-breaking hit to the face from his sparring partner. As their eyes met in the midst of commotion, he swore he saw galaxies, a swirl of fiery creation that birthed life and color in his soul, and heard music in the peals of her giggles as she watched him. It was the fated bond of mates, he was sure of it. Yet as he took steps towards her, ignoring the protests of his sparring partner, his view was blocked by another.

He later learned that it was Aaron Brandon, the future Alpha of Roaming Ember and Wynn's arranged future husband.

Seb spent the next three years vying for her attention, stealing away from his duties and his pack to see her whenever he could. They would meet in secret, vowing to always choose each other over their duties. But they were young and naive and as each day brought them closer to Wynn's 18th birthday and the day of her wedding, he felt her obligation to duty take priority over her heart.

The last time they had been together, she whispered I love yous and I'm sorrys in the same breath before slipping out of his arms and into the night, wolfsbane coursing in his blood to keep him from chasing after her.

When he had awoken, she was married and their bond was broken, splintering his soul.

When he returned to his lands, he continued holding on to a thread of hope that there was some way to get her back.

When he heard she was pregnant not a month later, he began wondering if it was the fate bond that shackled him or the witchcraft of Sylas magic.

When she birthed another Sylas she-wolf, he began to plot against the family that made a fool of him.

And when he voluntarily left Stone Edge in favor of chasing revenge, he found it fitting that his rogue status matched the fractured being he had shriveled into.

And it was him who sunk his jaws into Luna Wynn's throat 13 years later as she died with her daughter's name on her lips.