Chapter thirty-eight
1084 Words
The news sent Moha into a frenzy. He knew exactly what the Council of Elders had called him and Ndeye to do, but he also knew that talking about it in front of Ndeye would not help her fears and concerns. Unfortunately, he could not refuse to go to this meeting with her under pain of reprimand and disagreement.
_ Damn it! Who do they think they are to interfere in our private life! he said, throwing the glass he was holding against the wall.
_ If they weren't so old and respected, I swear I would have been happy to rip their heads off one by one! Aras growled.
_ If I don't do it first. Ndeye's worried enough as it is without them adding to it.
_ Even Lys is in the same state.
_ What can we do?
_ Nothing, except quietly go and get ready to go to the interview, said Ndeye, who was standing in the doorway of the office.
_ Ndeye? What... Who told you about this?
_ Would you rather I didn't find out, or that I found out when you were done alienating the council?
_ Yeah, probably.
_ I understand you but I'm not made of sugar and I know exactly what they want to talk about with us (coming to hug her)
_ And they have no right to do that!
_ But they already did. So we have to go.
_ But Ndeye...
_ There are no buts about it. We'll go, the discussion is closed.
_ Yes, Luna.
Ndeye broke away from him and left him, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. She had more reason to fear this meeting than he did, and she did, but she didn't want to show it. Deep down she was too ashamed of her inability to give birth since her marriage and felt too guilty towards Moha, whom she was deprived of the opportunity to hold her baby in her arms. She also felt guilty for depriving the whole lupine race of the birth of their next guide. She still hoped that if there was no problem, it was just a matter of infertility and she was afraid that it was her who was the problem. She could not forgive herself. She then gently placed her hands on her belly before asking herself the question that had haunted her nights since her marking.
_ Will I ever see and feel you growing inside me, the baby that I dream of so much?
_ Yes, I'm sure you will, said Moha, who had crept up behind her without her knowing it, placing a hand on hers.
_ I hope so, she whispered.
They stayed like that for a while, letting their silence speak for them, crying out their pain quietly, before getting ready and going to Thailand where the Council of Elders was sitting, where they went as soon as they had put their bags down in the first hotel they saw.
_ Good morning to you. We're delighted you've come, the elders said in one voice as soon as they were settled.
_ Good morning. So are we, said Ndeye.
_ Speak for yourself because I'm far from happy that we're here and in front of these..., Moha said, interrupted.
_ Mohamed! Ndeye scolded him.
_ We understand Alpha that you wish to protect your Luna, said the older elder.
_ And more specifically from the bunch of idiots and twisted people that you all are, said Aras, who had partially taken control.
_ Aras! Iris scolded him, who had in turn partially taken control through eyes that changed.
A duel of auras ensued between the two of them as they stared into each other's eyes until Aras lowered his weapons and relinquished control to Moha.
_ Good! Now we can continue, said Ndeye.
_ You must know why you are here, but we will tell you anyway. We are as concerned as many of you about the lack of children after three years of marriage.
_ And our concern is heightened when we recall what happened the one time the supreme couple went more than three years without a child, added another of the Elders.
_ It was not the fact that the Supreme Couple remained childless that caused it. What happened was because the goddess wanted it to happen and nothing else. So she doesn't need to know.
_ Moha! I am neither made of porcelain nor sugar!
_ I am listening to you! What do I need to know?
_ When the wolves first came to power, it was not from the Sow family that the Supreme Alphas came, but from another family: the Aw. For centuries, both male and female Supreme Alphas, bearing the Aw family name, succeeded one another in power until almost two centuries ago. The Supreme Alpha Lamine who was then in power remained at first three years without having a child, a successor, which had never happened to any of his predecessors, then five, seven and so on until he and his Luna died without leaving any children behind. We were then left for five decades without a Supreme Alpha to maintain order in the world. It was during this time that anarchy was born in our midst. All the Alphas who despised humans but had refrained from showing it became like dogs without a leash and thus showed their true colors. This was the beginning of the reduction of those who were once your fellow human beings, Luna, to slaves, less than nothing. Although this council was already in existence at the time, our fathers could not bring them back to order. Fortunately for us, who were now on our way to ruin, the Goddess came to our aid by making your grandfather, Alpha, the new Supreme Alpha. This is how the Sow family came to hold the supreme power. So we cannot accept that your lineage should die out so quickly because of some minor or major problem and that the efforts made against all those vermin of Alphas should be in vain. Only the Goddess knows what catastrophic things will happen then.
_ I... I don't know what to say! I did not know of any of this.
_ Because you didn't have to! Just tell us what you want from us! Let's get it over with!
_ Moha!
_ All we want is for our Luna here to take a fertility test.
- Writer
