Cast Aside Without a Mate

Chapter 20: No Time For Games

Chapter 20 Dante's POV

Prince Lance did not waver at my questions as he remained calm and collected. "From what my people know, they are Neubetu and rogue werewolves teaming up to try and take something of theirs back. At least, that is the information my people have gathered from a few of the captives we took last week when we sensed intruders in our lands." Prince Lance informed us of the two captives they got hold of the week prior. He did not seem to lie, but something about his words was off. My gut clenched, and my jaw tightened at his accusations without proof. "How do you know they were Neubetu?" I said through gritted teeth, a small growl escaping from my throat as I looked at the prince.

My father and Desmond looked at me, puzzled about standing up for the Neubetu, but I brushed them off. "What do they know about the Neubetu?" I thought, "Nothing." Kumu's whisper gently floated through my thoughts, and, for the first time, I did not feel anything I felt before when Kumu spoke. I felt a sense of longing. I felt a loneliness I had never felt before. "Do you think they are innocent?" Prince Lance's soft-spoken voice broke through my thoughts. I knew I couldn't tell them what I knew about Neubetu without having more questions fired at me. I cleared my throat and spoke slowly this time, "I am not saying anyone is innocent. We should seek out the truth about who is trying to go to war instead of assuming who the enemy is." I looked at my family and gave them a look to back me up. I do not believe we should blindly blame anyone until we know the truth.

Suddenly, my father spoke up. "Dante is right. We should first find out who is truly behind this. Then we can deal with them directly. We should find out who the king is that they are looking for. If we can get to him first, maybe we can end this war before it begins." Papa said with conviction in his voice and no room for argument, which made me feel hopeful. At least we will not blame anyone until we shed some light on the situation. I breathed a sigh of relief and made a mental note to send a warning later while everyone slept tonight. I steadied my thoughts as I turned to my father. "We will be alert and ready for anything. Please do not worry about us, Papa." As I spoke, I gave my Papa a slight bow of respect but it was definitely informal at best.

"Dante, before you leave, I have a question for you." Papa's voice was authoritative and clear. "What is it, Papa?" I asked, aloof written all over my face. I steeled myself, wondering what could be so important when I wanted to be alert and get back to Alice to figure out why she made me feel this way. Was it that she was my mate? Perhaps I just enjoyed her company, or maybe I was her fated warrior. I have heard tales of warrior connections that unite queens and their warriors in a different bond than a fated one. It would make them feel loyal to their queen and is almost romantic, because they lend each other strength in battle, and their connection is one of loyalty and servitude. My father's words snapped out of my debated feelings for Princess Alice.

"Is your Menyaka still dormant inside you, Dante? You glowed like a Menyaka does this morning at breakfast before the shift. So I need to know if we are going to war. Can we count on you, son?" My father spoke with pride, and I could tell he was trying to hold it back in case he could not count on me in this war. I smiled softly towards my father and made my choice. "I believe after tonight, you can count on carrying me into battle with the rest of the warriors. I will never let you down and fight until my last breath." I said with pride, lifting my chin while praying no one could hear my heart rapidly beating against my ribs. I have no clue why I agreed to fight in a war when I could fall ill the next day from the games my Menyaka enjoyed tormenting me with. Swallowing my fears, I looked at my father, who beamed radiantly with pride as I agreed to go to war for my people.

Something began to flow through me, an electric current that seared through my veins and felt like they were burning from the inside out. I heard Desmond gasp quietly as he gripped his head, and we saw a powerful energy wash into his body. An aura of soft white light poured into him gently and surrounded him. I watched in awe as my energy spiked, but I was left unfazed as I watched my brother. Looking around, I do not think the others could see what I felt with my energy, not how we watched Desmond light up the room with his growing energy.

Eyes darted between my brother and me, and I felt a renewed rush of energy creep even faster than the last over my body. This time, it felt calm, like a breeze in the wind, and slowly morphed, like the ocean on a hot day, cooling off my overloaded senses. It washed over me softly and was swept away as quickly as it came on, powered by a flame that seemed to lick at the very core of my being. It ignited like fire, melting away any frozen aspects inside me. As the fire inside me died, I felt the soft warmth of the earth and how it sheltered me from harm. I took a deep, calming breath as I dragged in a ragged breath as I sensed spiritual fibers rushing through me. I saw spirits nearby and hiding in the room, a cold sweat breaking over my body. Then, a jolt of lightning felt like it was tearing through me. I gnashed my teeth together as pain shot through me, and an electric, inky black magic shot out of my body like lightning streaking across the night sky, except we were in a council room, and the electric bolt lashed out and upwards without harming anyone. Without warning, the energy that shot from my body bounced off the ceiling and returned to my body. The searing pain caught me off guard, but I quickly tried to jump in front of Des to guard him from the inky bolt heading towards him. However, the inky bolts never targeted anyone else. As the remaining bolts hit my body, I felt a power surge that I experienced, threatening to dominate my soul. I held on to my strength and powers. I quickly dropped into a meditative state and mentally held onto the light slipping away from my body.

I did not have time to think. I quickly hit the floor with my knees, got in a prayer position, and started to chant aloud without caring that others would bear witness. "Please, Great Mother, grant me the strength to hold on to my golden light. May my light never leave me, yet bring me greater peace and strength! Please, Mother, do not take what is my right. Do not take my lovely light!" I chanted quickly and never missed a single word of prayer. I am thankful I have practiced the magic of the Menyakas over the years because this may have been the only chant to save my life—the Mother's Light prayer. As I finished the prayer, a thunderous boom could be heard. My light rewounded and began flowing back into my vessel as I watched a golden light and a white light, like a steady stream, pour back into the heart of my vessel.

Like that, I must have changed my destiny, and a wicked, unsettling howl could be heard outside the borders, but I did not care, I just changed my brother's nightmare and kept my light. "KUMU, I told you we could change destiny! I told you we could change my future!" I was so excited and relieved I wanted to tell Desmond. The celebration came to an end very quickly, though. When everything settled, I felt something encase my golden light and sealed it away within myself, and in my actions, I sealed my Menyaka in a barrier where he could not be harmed or affected. I stifled tears that threatened to take hold of me. "What have I done? Kumu?! KUMU?!" I struggled against the regret. Did I make the right choice? "Kumu." A small whisper of pain left my lips as confusion set in my bones. "What do I do? What did I do?" Regret swallowed me whole. It ate me alive. I knew I had to fix this.