Feral Lust [18+ mature]

Desolation

Three months. For some, three months might be nothing but for Celeste, the three months since she had been captured by Dante, it had brought drastic changes in her life. Not that she hadn't been before, however, now more so than ever, everyone seemed to call her a cold-hearted b***h, behind her back, as though she didn't have super-sensitive hearing. Add in the fact that her mother was of a mixed bloodline and everyone somehow knowing the things that Dante had done to her, the clan-mates seemed to stray clear of her. Well, everyone except Tyra. Even her mother preferred to stay with her father for the most part of her time but whenever she was around, Celeste didn't feel like talking to her. Her father might have forgiven her for hiding such a huge secret, but Celeste couldn't shake off the anger she felt when Colina told her about the witchy voodoo. I mean, we're family and families don't hide things from each other. They don't deceive each other.

The only good thing to happen after the battle was that Tyra had found her mate. Owen was previously from Ben's pack and had turned on Ben during the battle, later to find Tyra. Celeste didn't admit it, but she was envious. Before a wolf turned eighteen, they couldn't sense their mate and Tyra wasn't even eighteen yet, but Owen was and the way they loved each other was evidently enough.

Nonetheless, at the present moment, she was going to meet her father and nothing could dampen her mood. She must have spoken too soon because the moment she stepped into the infirmary, she saw Colina's tear stained face and the pack doctor's grave expressions.

"What's wrong?" Celeste asked her mother, who looked at her and briskly walked out of the infirmary. Celeste then looked, rather glared at the doctor. The pack doctor was a very old fellow with silver-grey hair and a sunken face, so watching his grim face gave Celeste the worst ideas about her father's ailment.

"Celeste, I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news but remember, whatever happens, it is for the best." His voice was sullen, which irked Celeste even more.

"I don't want your spiritual teachings, doctor. Get straight to the point." Seeing Celeste seething in anger, the doctor spluttered and then consumed himself. "Blayne's situation had been precarious when your mother, erm, revived his waning spirit. She was, however, only able to save a part of him and it's heartrending to say that Blayne might not be able to shift anymore. He... he might have lost his wolf, he might only be a human now."

"What do you mean by 'might'? How can you not be sure of his condition? What kind of a doctor are you? A useless one." Leaving the doctor where he had been, she ran to her father's room but stopped short when she realized that maybe no one had conveyed the message to Blayne. She didn't want to be the one to distress her father anymore so she collected her bearings and forced a smile to her face as she opened the door to the room.

To her surprise, Blayne was awake and looking healthier than the day before. Circumspectly, she took a seat adjacent to his bed and smiled through the tears as Blayne took her hand in his, beaming proudly at her daughter. Before this day, her father hadn't been able to speak much because of the sedatives and painkillers but currently, he seemed as though he could tell her a bedtime story. She desperately tried to keep her tears at bay.

"Hey, dad. How are you feeling today?" She asked and was frustrated at how shaky her voice had sounded.

"Like a truck run me over but still better than yesterday." He joked, "They've laid off the sedatives, so I am not drooling or sleeping most of the times." He even winked at her, and these loving gestures finally broke the walls she was trying to build. The tears came flooding down her face as she hugged her father.

"I thought you'll never wake up. I was so scared; don't ever do that to me again." She cried in her father's arms.

He kissed her head and then said, "I'm never leaving either of you." His voice sounded weaker, which made her realize that she might have been hurting him with her weight, so she sat back and wiped away the tears, furiously.

"You battled Ben's scum with such gallantry that it made me prouder than I already was of you, Celeste. I also apologize for not saving you from Scott or Dante any sooner. Colina-" Celeste cut him off as soon as he took her name.

"Please don't talk to me about her." She said. Blayne sighed heavily.

"Celeste, I know you're hurt that she had hidden the truth from us but she had her reasons. Try to understand her as well." He pleaded Colina's case.

Shaking her head, Celeste got up. It was time to leave. "We're family, and within families, there are no secrets. She didn't have to tell me, but she shouldn't have hidden it from you. You're mates." Kissing her father's forehead, she squeezed his hand. "I will see you again tomorrow, Dad. I love you."

As soon as she stepped out of her father's room, she ran back to her rooms and cried her heart out. She cried for her father's health, her mother's secret, her own lost dignity and everyone their pack had lost. It was as though she wanted to move the clock counter-clock-wise. Everything in her life seemed to have spiraled in the wrong direction.

Xavier had taken over all the responsibilities of the pack just as before, as though he had never left, as though that unfortunate night had never happened. He continuously felt sorry for abandoning his pack. While some of the members had started to trust him again as their alpha, he could notice that some of the members were still wary of him. However, he had complete faith and support of the half-vampires because he had not only ordered the reconstruction of the previously filthy servant quarters, – now known as Vampires' abode – but he had also commanded every lycan of his pack that any dire behavior towards the other species would be considered against the pack law and penalty would be ensued. Greta was glad, not only because they were finally back to their lives, but because Elder Zachiarah had sent a message earlier in the previous week that although the shifting came difficult to him, Elliot was showing fruitful results in his training and that alone was enough to lift Greta's spirits.

Elliot, however, had noticed a lot of changes in himself since he had brutally torn Lloyd apart a week ago. What infuriated him the most was the fact that shifting had felt like coming home to him, it had resembled the feeling of his face nuzzling against Lea's neck and taking in her delicious scent. He hated how thrilling and calming, killing Lloyd had made him feel, so much, that for the first time, he had shifted back to his human form as easily as cutting butter with a hot knife.

Everyone else in the tribe was treating him as a murderer for which he didn't blame anyone but himself. For the first couple days, he was put in chains because the people were scared of him. Later, on Elder Zachariah's request, two guards were assigned outside his rooms throughout the day who were supposed to escort him whenever and wherever Elliot went. During his daily shifting training, only Elder Zachariah was supposed to be present and even the two guards were sent for a break. That didn't matter much anymore because Elliot refused to even think about shifting. He still couldn't forget what he'd done to Lloyd, how he had shred him into pieces. He couldn't afford to lose control again because if he did, he'd even lose his sanity. For this reason only, he had been punishing himself by training more than his body could take, inflicting physical harm to his own flesh.

The tribe members had been scurrying away as soon as they got a whiff of him. The previous day, when he was returning from his combat training, he heard two patrolling wolves talking and their words wrenched his heart.

"They shouldn't have let him lose; he's a danger to everyone." One wolf had said.

"It's true. What he did to Lloyd, he could do to anyone and we'd not be able to do anything then. He's an insane one." The other one spat, sounding disgusted.

"I think the Elders should execute him for such a-" He stopped short when Elliot came into view but Elliot didn't raise his head or glare at them like he normally would have, in his previous life. Even he wanted the Elders to punish him with a death sentence.

One thing wasn't clear, though. Why are the elders protecting me? It's incomprehensible. He kept thinking every time a pang of self-hatred surged through his body.

Currently, Elliot was headed back to his room after the morning training when suddenly a blur of blonde flashed in front of him. A moment later, a blonde wolf lunged at him from out of nowhere, taking him down as his head hit the ground. He, however, did nothing to protect himself from the angry wolf's claws as it scratched his arms and chest. The guards though took it upon themselves to haul the blonde wolf away from Elliot. Without having to see the wolf's human face, he knew it was Lloyd's mate.

Elliot stood back up but when the wolf shifted, she lunged again at the killer of her mate, without bothering to cover herself. Her eyes were puffy and red but held an amount of anger that could bring down wrath upon anyone. Again, instead of protecting him, Elliot fell to his knees and did nothing to block the vicious attacks to defend himself.

When Lloyd's mate realized that Elliot was doing nothing, she stood back and spat at him. "You're pathetic and I hope your life would be so, as well. I don't want to give you a painless, easy death and save you from the torture that you'll hereafter feel every day of your life. Lloyd's face will haunt you, and so will mine. I only wish no wolf, not even you, have to go through the pain of losing a mate." With those cursing words, she turned around; leaving guilt and hatred clawing at Elliot's heart. Without looking at the crowd of angry wolves that had gathered around, he picked himself up and went back to his quarters, a tear streaming down his face. It didn't match even half of the storm that was whirling inside him though.

The torture had already begun.