The Rejected Link

Chapter 12: Good and evil

The moon is full tonight, its light shining brightly on the deserted path to my house, illuminating it with the trees that surround me.

I hummed a tuneless melody, taking my time to get home, my feet heavy, my heart heavier. I just couldn't understand.

Why go through all that trouble just to push me away in the end?

Discard me like I was just a chore that was completed. Act like you care about me one minute and then I cease to exist to you in the next. It broke my heart.

Seeing him endure all that had happened the last few days, watching him attend to my every need, caring for me, and providing for me, I thought that maybe he had a change of heart. That maybe we had a chance.

The eyes that carried worry when I was wounded, the person that found me when I was tranced is not the same person that shouted at me and forced me to leave. I could see the conflict in his eyes, distant but there. He wanted me, wanted us but something held him back.

It made me wonder if the darkness I kept feeling from him was the reason. If it was so big of an obstacle that warranted us not being together. That made him keep me at bay. I wonder even more how I could feel that. I've always been a slow wolf; my lack of a wolf made my abilities almost non-existent; I wasn't as fast as the rest, and I healed slower than others. My hearing, sight, and smell were average. In essence, when one looked at me, the mere thought of me being a werewolf was slightly embarrassing.

Maybe that's why he doesn't want me!

But I could feel the darkness that was radiating off him at times, it was something dark, something of magic. I didn't know too much about magic; it was something that werewolves couldn't do, only witches. But the only tales of witches were in books.

A rustle in the trees drew my attention from my thoughts. I halt my senses on full alert. I thought maybe it was a stray animal or maybe a fruit that fell, but then, the rich scent of oakwood entered my nostrils, and for some reason, I relaxed. The scent was strangely familiar to me now.

The figure emerged from the gloom, a silhouette against the pale moonlight, still hidden behind the mass of trees. I knew who it was, or rather, what it was. It had been watching me recently, through my window, at the festival; the reoccurring scent convinced me it was what saved me from the man in the woods; it was even there in the cave. It sure was persistent.

I was glad for the company. I knew I should be scared; I'd seen it fight; it was powerful enough to hurt me or worse, but I felt calm even under its piercing gaze.

I glanced over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of its radiant red eyes. "Still keeping tabs on me, are you?" I asked, my voice a soft murmur in the stillness.

The figure remained silent, watching. It didn't speak, but as I moved, it followed. “Do you always have to hide?” I asked, my voice still low; I knew it could hear me, so I didn't bother to speak lightly. Something about this creature intrigued me. A creature of such magnitude is prone to be a predator by design. But it had not attacked me once. It only ever seemed to show up when I was in need.

I smiled.

It wasn't menacing, not in the way a predator would be. It was more like a guardian. I quickened my pace, the shadow mirroring my movements, a silent echo in the quiet sky. “Would you ever come out to me?”

No response.

I reached my house, small with railings, painted pale cream, and a garden overflowing with night-shade. Mother's favorite flower. It wasn't big like the rest of the houses in the pack, but it was ours and I loved it. The scent of mother's ginger tea wafted through the open window, a soothing aroma that always relaxed my body and soul.

Inside, Mother was seated on the couch, a book open on her lap. She looked up as I entered, her lips lifting in a small smile. "You seem bright, little shine," she observed.

I shrugged while going to sit by her, "I may have made a new friend," I replied vaguely.

Mother raised an eyebrow, turning to keep her book on the table that rests beside her. "A new friend? Who? Your mate?"

I nodded towards the window. "No, Mother, someone who likes to remain in the shadows," my voice was a playful whisper.

Mother chuckled. “ It's nice to see you making more friends," she said. I relaxed myself beside her, resting my head on her shoulder, the warmth of her body, calming me. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply and held my breath, then exhaled, feeling lighter than before. I could hear the rhythmic thump of my mother's heartbeat.

I could feel the figure's presence outside, its scent lingering faintly in the air. I never liked to be watched but I didn't mind it watching me. There was a strange sense of peace in the knowledge of his presence hovering around me.

“Mother,” I whispered my gaze ahead.

“Yes, little shine?” She responded, her voice low. She raised her hand and began running it through my hair, the feeling relaxing.

“Do you know about the Heart of Lunaris?” Her hand froze in my hair, I could feel her body tense.

I lifted my face to see her looking at me, shock clouding her features “How did you know about that?” She asked, her voice was sharper, rigid now.

“I was wounded, poisoned,” I start, worry instantly takes over her eyes. Her emerald green eyes shone from the reflection of the fireplace. “I'm healed now, my mate used the Heart to save me.”

I smiled slightly remembering the events that took place, “But something strange occurred. As the heart healed me, it was absorbed into my body and I had a vision”

Mother didn't say anything; she quietly got up, locked the door, and gestured for me to follow her. She walked down the hallway to the library, pushing the door open and holding the door for me before locking behind me.

“The heart of Lunaris,” she started as she walked, “is a very powerful relic. It is ancient, very ancient”. We stopped at the last shelf and took down a book. The cover was dusty like it hadn't been cleaned in decades; Mother always cleaned the library, so a dusty book was something that piqued my curiosity.

We walked to the corner of the library where two cushioned chairs were, sitting ourselves on them; Mother began reading, “ Legends have it that it is an object of immense power. Over three centuries ago, there was a witch, one of the first witches ever created.” I interrupted her before she continued,” Witches exist?” I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me.

She smiled wide, and her eyes glistened with amusement.”Oh, witches do exist, little one!”

“I thought they were only folklore” I implored.

“Witches were in existence way before the creation of werefolk, they walked this earth for centuries…but that is a story for another day.” Her lips tilted more, and she traced my chin lightly with the tip of her fingers before getting back to the book.

“She was said to have grown with power, quickly creating spells and potions to many degrees. Most of the spells in history right now were of her creation. She knew her way around magic, becoming one with it. Everything was fine in the coven; everyone lived in harmony until one day, the witch became greedy. She wanted more power than she already possessed, she wanted to be above the other witches in every way possible”

I kept my eyes and ears trained on Mother as she spoke, amazement igniting in my mind.

“One day, in her quest for power, she developed a spell, too powerful, and tried to test it out on a friend of hers. The result was dreadful, her friend broke out in boils that brought on extreme pain, one that soon consumed her. The witch, intrigued by the fact that magic could result in death, began to create new spells, which bound to curses, plagues, and ultimately, death.

She brought forth dark magic. Magic that was of pure evil intents.” Mother's face contorted into that of sadness.

“ She became too powerful, the dark magic taking too much hold on her essence, erasing whatever light she had left. It was torture for the other witches, so her sister, equally powerful, decided to put an end to it. She went into the woods and performed a ritual using her blood; she crafted a stone of extreme light powerful enough to oppose dark magic. She used it to reverse the effects of her sister's doing. Her sister, unhappy about it, wanted the stone for herself; she believed she could corrupt it with dark magic, therefore enhancing her power.

They fought for it. Both sisters go neck and neck for the stone, with intentions of good and evil. The creator of the stone protected it with all her might, but her sister, consumed with desperation, was relentless; she cast a spell that was slowly killing her. With her last breath, the sister tapped into dark magic to stop the sister from getting the stone, she killed her and gave up the ghost. They died in the very forest where the stone was created, both sisters gone, their essence and magic dissipated into the forest surrounding them, light and darkness, good and evil. The soul of the sister that created the stone transformed into a beast, an effect of the dark magic she had used, but her heart remained pure, so she vowed to guard the stone for all eternity.”

My eyes grew with shock at the beast we had encountered in the cave. She created the stone?

“Those grounds are what we know to be the Whispering Woods now. The stone was named after her, the one who created it” She shut the book.

“Lunaris, that was her name?” I ask, my voice filled with curiosity.

“Yes, little shine…something worries me though!” Her eyebrows crease, her mouth coming into a straight line.

“What is it, Mother?”

“Many have tried to get the Heart of Lunaris and all have failed. But your mate succeeded?” She asked, standing up; she began pacing around the small corner.

“Yes Mother, why?” I didn't like the feeling that was slowly rising in me, Mother looked confused. She was never confused. “What is it, Mother?” I ask again, joining her on my feet.

She stops pacing and faces me, her next words sending shivers down my spine “Only those with powers strong enough can defeat her and get the heart, that also means that the one that defeats her, must possess dark magic”