Unsettled Magic

Chapter 8 - The Half-Breed

            Just before midnight, Rowan and I made our way to the opposite side of the pack house.  The walk to get there was filled with anxiety as we tiptoed through the halls.  With each creek the house made, we would stop and listen for any signs of being caught.  The shadows that cloaked the dark hallways kept our presence hidden but neither of us were convinced the beating of our hearts wouldn’t give us away if someone were to walk by. 

            As we reached the spiral staircase that led to the west attic, it suddenly occurred to me why people didn’t use it.  Every step we took caused the stairs to groan beneath our feet.  The boards would bow in protest if we stayed in one spot for too long.  We had to make the decision to move quickly and take a chance with the noise, or else we ran the risk of falling through the wooden planks.  Something like that was certain to wake the rest of the house. 

            Once we reached the top, Ro and I moved a few dusty boxes around in search of proper seating.  She managed to uncover a loveseat for her and Theo to sit on.  I moved over to the bench underneath the attic window.  It seemed sturdy enough to support a single person.  Rowan tried to tidy up the loveseat and worked on its mountain of dust before Theo got there.  I pried open the attic window to let the space breathe a bit.

            It was obvious that nobody had been up here in at least ten years.  The number of cobwebs alone would have been enough to make me run screaming in the other direction, had the proceeding conversation not been so important.  I needed to remember this space.  It was quite the quaint spot to be alone and decompress. 

            The fact that I had been living in the pack house my whole life and never knew all these boxes were here had me insanely curious.  I would find time later to come back and see what was here.  To go the extra lengths to hide something in such a remote spot of the house meant it was either extremely important, or extremely secretive. 

Just as I was about to bring up my thoughts to Rowan, we heard the familiar groaning of the attic steps.  Both of us held our breath and hid behind dingy boxes in case we were followed.  I let out a sigh of relief when Rowan jumped up and threw her arms around Theo instead.  Greeting him, however, was the last thing on my mind when I stood up to find them with their lips locked together. 

            Moving over to the window bench, I watched as the moonlight danced over our garden.  The flowers had long ago become overgrown as the lesser abled members of our pack were filtered into positions that were needed more.  Many pack members became warriors, while others became staff of the clinic, childcare providers like teaching, or focused on farming.  Now that access to our wolves and their abilities were a thing of the past, a hierarchy outside our pack leaders was becoming obsolete.  There was no such thing as an omega anymore.  Anyone that could be spared, was filtered into one of those four categories.

            I glanced over to where they stood. Neither had moved an inch since Rowan threw herself into Theodore’s arms.   I wanted them to have this moment, but every minute we spent up here was valuable.  As far as I was concerned, they could finish exchanging spit after we had our discussion.  I cleared my throat, hoping I wouldn’t have to physically come between them.  My subtle attempt to bring their attention to the fact that they weren’t alone was moot.

            “Uh… Guys?”  The sound of my voice only seemed to draw them closer together.  It was like their subconscious registered my presence and actively worked to avoid me.  Sighing, I got up and looked around for a tool to pry them apart.  I’ve never met actual bonded people before.  I wasn’t sure how safe it was to put myself between them. 

            Grinning, I walked towards a tall standing lamp in the corner.  Taking off the crystal lamp shade, I took the stand portion back to where they were and pushed the long copper pole between them.  It was difficult at first, until I managed to push Rowan far enough away from Theo to physically separate them. 

            They both turned to snarl at me, Rowan stopped shy of doing so when she caught sight of my face in the moonlight.  I spun towards Theo as his snarl had turned into a slight growl, rumbling through his chest. 

            “Cool it, will you?” I said in his direction before going to sit on my window bench.  “Rowan is my best friend, I’m not into her like that, and we have a lot to discuss.  One of which includes your lover-girl over here.” I told him as I indicated to Rowan.  I had a feeling bringing her up would settle his nerves.  If she was in danger or something was wrong with her, his desire to protect her would overpower his possessiveness.

            He looked at her in surprise as he walked over to where she stood and took her protectively in his arms.  She hugged him back tightly before leading him to the still dusty loveseat she had discovered. 

            “What do you mean?  What’s wrong with Rori?”  The concern was clearly laced in his voice. 

            “First things, first.  You and Rowan.  We need to define what… this is…” I said, gesturing to their close quarters.  “People around here don’t act like that.  Except for maybe your uncle and his husband.  If you and Ro start doing that so soon, people are going to ask questions. Questions that none of us know how to answer. It would be great if we could tell people the truth- that you two are mates, but that will go one of two ways.

One, people will challenge you to prove it.  Which is impossible because neither of you have access to your wolf to complete the bite.  Making claims like that, around here, at least, is punishable by imprisonment if you cannot prove it.  It gives false hope and wastes resources that the royals gave to us.

Two, and worse yet, they will believe you.  And because they believe you, they will force experiments on both of you.  Rowan already can't handle them well.  And I don’t believe either of you want that, right?”  I looked at them firmly, waiting for the gravity if the situation to sink in.

            I could tell the wheels of thought were turning in their minds.  Neither situation was very appealing.  Nobody wanted to go around pretending that someone as important as their mate didn’t exist.   Rowan would have it easier when she was alone, but there was no telling how a forming mate-bond would affect her. 

            “I mentioned this to Ro already, Theo… but Alpha Roman pulled me aside after dinner today to see what was going on between the two of you.  I guess she was having trouble keeping her eyes off you and someone noticed enough to tell her father.”  I snickered as her face reddened. His eyes lit up as he looked down at his mate.

            “In the end, I was forced to tell him that she has quite the crush on you.”  My smile widened as he blushed too.  “Of course, I kept the fact that you are mates a secret.  The Alpha mentioned he would be talking to your uncle about betrothing you together to keep you out of the MCP.  

If I were you, Theo, I would start talking casually about liking her back.  It will increase the chances that Beta Tomas will agree.  Especially since mating with the Alpha’s daughter, and only child, would make you the next Alpha instead of the next Beta.  Your uncle would have to find a new Beta candidate.

            Taking a deep breath, I decided to get right to the point.  There was more to what was going on than just the politics of pretend-chosen mates.

            “Theo, how much do you know about conscious walkers?” Ro asked him quietly, looking up into his eyes.

            “I don’t know what a conscious walker is?” he responded with a confused look on his face and pulling Rowan closer.  She leaned into his embrace as we talked.

            “A conscious walker is what Ro and I call people like us.  People who seem to have more cognitive function than the average person wandering around here.  In fact, you seem to be a conscious walker, too.”  I made sure to look him in the eye as he processed this information.  The look of understanding in his eyes led me to believe he might have insight on why this might be the case.  Before I could question him on it though, Rowan had continued with the explanation.

            “Theo… I’m not a conscious walker, technically.”  Confusion crossed his face once more before she continued.  “I only seem to hold myself together when I’m around Logan.  Otherwise, I’m just like the others…” she blushed a little.  “You help too” she told him, petting his chest absentmindedly. “But Logan makes my mind clear.  I can’t explain it.  She makes me feel like a real person again.”

            Theo’s gaze met mine as he sized me up for what seemed like the first time.  I knew he was curious about my awake state back in the classroom and again at the clinic, but it was like he suddenly found me interesting instead of a passing intrigue.   I narrowed my eyes at him, the sudden change in his demeanor raising some questions for me.

            “You know why I’m like this, don’t you…?”  I ask him with a steady yet firm voice.  Ro perked up as she looked at her mate and stared, waiting for an answer as well.  He blushed and looked away from both of us, clearly trying to avoid giving us an answer. 

            “I’m serious, Theo.  I have no idea why I’m like this when almost everyone but me, you, and sometimes Rowan are not.  If you know something, you have to tell me!”  I found myself standing with my fists balled to the side as I pressed him for information.  I would find out one way or another, but I was trying to be supportive of Rowan.  Theo didn’t seem like a bad guy, but he would be on my s**t-list if he didn’t tell me what he knew. 

            “I… can’t tell you why you are the way you are.  I can only tell you why I am the way I am…” he began in a whisper.   

            I could tell the topic was a bit uncomfortable for him, so I sat back on my window bench to appear less threatening. Bathing in the moonlight had always been unusually relaxing for me.  I was like a cat trying to absorb the sun’s rays.  It filled with tranquility as I waited for Theo to continue. 

            “If I tell you...” he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  “If I tell you, you have to promise not to repeat this to anyone.  It could put my life in danger.  Maybe even yours if the same holds true for you.”  He looked directly at me as he said the last part.  What kind of secret would cause a conscious walker and jeopardize our very existence?  My interest was officially piqued.

            “It's okay, babe…” Rowan cooed, trying to coax him to open up more.  “Logan is the most understanding person I know.  And the two of us can keep a secret if that’s what you’re worried about.  You don’t have to be alone in this.”  She climbed onto his lap and nuzzled into his neck, her actions tamed the frightened beast within him. 

            He nodded his consent and wrapped his arms around her, cuddling her as if she were his lifeline before beginning. 

            “In order for you to understand what I’m about to tell you, I should probably explain something that is being left out of all our history books.”  I nodded for him to continue.  As much as I didn’t want to listen to a history lesson at one in the morning, I wanted the information he was willing to give. 

            “Ten years before the contagion hit, there was a massive hunt for crossbreeds.”  Rowan frowned and interrupted him.

            “Crossbreeds?  Why is that a bad thing?  Isn’t that where varying breeds of the same species mate?  We have a couple different species, just in our pack.  Beta Tomas is an Arctic werewolf, for example, and Gamma Dean is a Yukon werewolf.  They are different breeds but the same species…”  the horror on her face spoke volumes about how sheltered we had been.

            Theo shook his head as he continued.  “That’s not what cross-breeds used to mean.  According to my dad, scholars changed the terminology to hide the horrors of what was really going on.  What they used to call crossbreeds is now called a half-breed.  It’s what happens when people would mate with someone outside their species.  Their offspring would usually have abilities from both sides of their genetics.” 

            “Why is that such a bad thing, though? Wouldn’t something like that bring a wealth of blessings to packs or whomever it came upon?  Our pack could do wonders with an alliance with other species.”  I had to question him.  His reasoning wasn’t making any sense.  I know things have been tense since the Haven separated eight thousand years ago, but I also knew werewolves, at least, worshiped the mate-bond no matter who it was with. 

            “It didn’t start out as a bad thing, from my understanding.  But eventually, the half-breeds were hunted before puberty and killed.  My father said that it's in the nature of all living things to fear what we don’t understand.  I don’t have a lot of information on that part.  Only that it was a very dark time for a lot of people. Neither of my parents cared to talk about it much.”  His voice had gotten quieter the more he spoke and now both Rowan and I were leaning in to hear his tale.

            “What does that have to do with you…?” Rowan asked, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it. 

            “I’m…” he looked away as if he were ashamed.  Afraid that if he said the words, they could never be undone and he would be locked up forever.

            “You’re… a half-breed, aren’t you…?” I asked faintly.  The nod of his head confirmed what I had pieced together. 

            The look on both our faces was one of shock and wonder.  We had never even considered the possibility that that could happen.  With the animosity between species, for something like that to occur often enough for anyone to take notice, the moon goddess would have to have gifted them with a mate outside their species.  It wasn’t uncommon, even before the contagion, for someone to find a mate of their choosing instead of one hand-picked by the goddess.  But for it to be common enough to have a label, it would had to have been divine intervention. 

            The news that this had even happened had excited me.  It had been so long since any new history about our past was mentioned, that I thought Mrs. Emmerson had covered everything.  Ultimately, her teachings versus what Theo had just told us contradicted a bit.  She had said all knowledge to other species was lost once the Haven went their separate ways.  Perhaps things were not as black and white as they seemed.  I always found myself surrounded by a little grey.  I started to understand why.

            “Theo…? You’re telling us that you are a conscious walker because your genetics are only part werewolf?”  I waited for his affirmation before continuing.  “That must mean your dad is not a werewolf, right?  Since your mom is Beta Tomas’ sister.” He nodded again and I started pondering the implications.  He mentioned that his dad had explained this to him.  That meant he was in contact with a species outside of our own. I was beyond fascinated.

            “But… you said that someone might come after Logan, too?”  Ro looked at me with a worried glance.  “Does that mean you think she is only half werewolf like you are?” 

            Surprise crossed my face.  I hadn’t even considered that.  My initial thought was to reject that possibility.  But the more I’d pondered it, that kind of made sense.  My father refused to talk about my mother, so I had no idea who she was or what she was like. 

            “I… don’t know if that’s true or not.  I don’t think I have any unique abilities…” I began, “but I won’t rule out the possibility.  I know nothing about my mother.  Not even her name or where she came from.”  I started to pace in front of my attic window, attempting to work out my thoughts.

            “It doesn’t make sense, though…” began Rowan again.  “Why would you being a half-breed have any effect on whether you were a conscious walker or not?”  We were both at a loss and looked at Theo.  He obviously had other experiences than we had. 

            “Honestly, I’m not sure.  Any theories I could pose would make me sound crazy.  And I would rather not make an accusation or hypothesis without some facts to back me up.  Before I met you guys, though, I was just as confused as you.  I didn’t realize being a half-breed was what caused me to be more aware of my surroundings.  It wasn’t until I met you in class, Logan, and Uncle Tomas later told me your mom died, that I realized it was a possibility for you too.” Theo gave me a smile that showed what a relief this revelation had on his spirit.  

            I couldn’t imagine being alone like that.  I knew that there wasn’t anybody else quite like me in the pack, before.  But at least I had Rowan.  “Didn’t you have any friends in the Silent Moon Pack, like Rowan is for me?”  Sorrow filled his expression as he shook his head.

            “No, none.  They were all like everyone else at school.  Even my mom wasn't as with it, mentally, as often as Rori is.  Whatever is going on, it has to be linked to you, Logan.” 

            Smiling at him, I took his other hand, brushing off the subtle growl from Rowan.  “Ro and I will be your friends, Theo.  And just call me Lo.  Now that we have the start of an answer, we can all keep our eyes peeled for clues to what might really be going on.” I stood from the window bench and dusted off my silky crescent moon pajama shorts.

            “I think the three of us should be spotted together a lot.  It will help take the attention off you two until you are an established couple. We can just tell people we are showing you the ropes.  I know we aren’t taking over our fathers’ positions, but they did train us in their ways just in case a suitable wolf couldn’t be found.”  I smirked at the two of them as they leaned in to give each other an embracing kiss. 

“I’ll give you as much alone time as I can, but we will all have to be sneaky about it.  And nothing that will give you two away.  Most of the pack is pretty dense but there are still some mildly observant wolves.  Like my father – or the clinic staff.  So nothing that’ll leave a trace…” I had all but lost their attention.  “Things like hickeys, or pregnancy are too obvious.”  I laughed, quickly covering my mouth to silence the noise as they choked on each other’s faces in surprise. 

            “Let's call it a night for now, you two.  We should plan regular meet-ups up here.  Plus a schedule so I’m not interrupting you either.  I’m your friend, but I don’t want to be that close.”

I headed over to the death-defying stairs before turning back to them. “We have training tomorrow.  If you’re late, you have to do the gardening.”  I pointed out the window I was next to before making my way back to my bedroom.  Tiredness had crept into my mind, and suddenly, I was unable to find amusement in the fact that they both came barreling down the stairs after me.  I had learned a lot.  Tomorrow it would be approach it with a refreshed mentality.  Tonight, I just wanted to sleep.