The Lycan's Curse

Guilty Memories

I looked into the eyes of the man who had stood by my father’s side through thick and thin, through countless battles and keeping the wolves in our pack in order. No matter how much right I had to leave his son to his fate, I couldn’t do that to my Uncle Will. He’d lost his wife, I couldn’t let him lose his only son. His eyes narrowed with suspicion, couldn’t say I blamed him. His voice trembled as he spoke, “Are you lying to me? Am I being punished for what my son did to you with a sick joke?!” His grief-stricken voice rose as the words came out. I didn’t take anything personal; I couldn’t begin to imagine what type of pain this man was in. I grabbed his hand before he said anything else and began to let my power flow through my fingertips. A soft rustle of wind began to flow through William’s hair and as I began to glow silver, he seemed to let out a deep breath as if he had been holding it for too long. Soon enough, the white diamonds began to appear on my cheeks like a sprinkle of freckles. I could hear Beth gasp in wonder as she entered the room and William’s breathing began to even out to a slow rhythm. He leaned back in the recliner next to Brent’s bed and began to snore slightly. I turned to Beth and said, “I figured he’d make a better decision with a rested brain. I don’t know how long he’s going to sleep though, doctor. Maybe you should keep an eye on him?” Beth was still staring at me with her mouth agape. She pointed at my face, where the glistening diamonds still shone. I sighed, “They’ll go away in a few minutes. Lord Tsukuyomi’s gift.”

I noticed the tightness around Beth’s mouth when I mentioned the dark lord of the moon. Everyone in this pack except for me, my father and my uncle worshiped the Lord Tsukuyomi instead of the mother Selene. This was considered blasphemy among some so, we kept it quiet. Or at least tried to. My uncle never kept his mouth shut when Beth asked him something. I was sure if my uncle had not renounced Selene, Beth would have been his mate and I think she knew it too. I took a deep and carefully chose my words, “My uncle has his reasons, Beth. He can’t keep a secret from you, why don’t you just ask him?”

“Because I already know why.”

She turned on her heels and walked out of the room, shutting the door with a crisp snap. Once again, the guilt started creeping into my gut again. I partially knew why my uncle had pledged himself to Tsukuyomi and it was because of me. I started to make my way out of the hospital and into the woods, almost as if I were in a trance. The memories of when my dad, Fern and I took a trip to Japan to study the legends of the silent wolf. That hadn’t been our first stop. We had gone to Hawaii first, then Mexico and that all led us to Japan. I was excited and saddened in going to Nagasaki. So much tragedy had struck that city in WWII and it could be felt once we got there. We didn’t waste any time but, went straight to the temple of the moon god. We sat there for hours, watching the moon rise. It was around 1 am when my dad finally spoke,

“We have to leave you now, Ashari. We cannot be present for what’s about to happen.”

I looked at my father incredulously, “The f**k you mean, you need to leave? You can’t just leave me here in a country where I can barely speak the…”

I trailed off. My uncle and my father were no longer sitting at the steps of the temple but standing and facing away from the shrine. Their eyes were silver, and I mean, completely silver, not the iris nor the sclera were their normal color. I slowly started to back away and my back pressed against one of the stone pillars of the gate. They walked forward, away from the small wood and the stone gate. I was completely alone. My heart was racing, was I seriously about to have a panic attack? Then the night became silent. There was no sound; I couldn’t even hear myself breathe. Absolutely nothing. And then,

“Another poor confused soul? What is it that you humans want this time? Fame, fortune, love?”

A man with armor stood before me, his skin pale as the moon and his eyes shone silver, much like how my uncle’s and my dad’s looked before they totally ditched me. I couldn’t speak. I just gaped at one of the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. Long, thick straight black hair flowed in waves around him, reaching down to his waist.The clothing under his black armor looked to be made of the finest white silk, tight against his slim yet, muscular body, shimmering with what looked like diamonds. He was ridiculously tall, maybe 7 foot, yet he moved with a grace that it looked like he was made of moonlight. His eyebrow raised at my open mouthed stare, “Are you finished?”

“Who? What? Why? How did you even get here? Who are you? Why did my dad and uncle Fern have that freaky eye thing that you’ve got?” I managed to stammer out.

I could have sworn I heard the man snort in derision, “You come to my temple and sit here for hours and then they ask me who I am and what am I doing here.”

My gut started to twist as it suddenly dawned on me; I fell to my knees, “Lord of the dark moon, Tsukuyomi no Mikoto.”