The Risen

A Night Stroll

Calder’s POV

As she went to bed I couldn’t help but play the sweet innocent kiss, over and over in my mind. If I don’t get my s**t together I could lose her. I can’t lose her. I swiftly started picking up the house, while also trying to be as stealthily quiet as I can possibly be. I dusted, disinfected, loaded up the dishwasher (a few times I might add) and swept and moped the entirety of the house. It took some time but I was determined. By the time I finished it was two in the morning. 

Though I had done so much with little sleep, I felt wide awake, the adrenaline pulsing through me. She was here… actually here. I never could’ve dreamt that I’d be given this second chance, that I’d be able to redeem myself, that I’d get another chance to love and to be loved. Love was all there was to werewolves, something of the utmost value and importance. Nothing trumped the love of your mate, who would be the love of your life, the love of the moon goddess and the love of your community, your pack. 

I hadn’t felt not even an inkling of that until Arieles burst into my life like the ray of hope I so desperately needed. I just felt in my bones that with her arrival everything would change, she was the end all be all of everything. Two hundred and fifty years I have waited, 26 years she had waited, we would not wait any longer. As I sat down to take a break I recalled the events that had just transpired for the thousandth time in my head. 

There was so much about her I still didn’t understand and that I still found a bit disturbing. From what I can tell she was human. But the symbol on her chest was quite the opposite of that. It was the sacred symbol of the moon goddess. How could she have known that? Where had she come across that symbol? Was she even human? 

The necklace had made me a bit light headed as well. I felt an energy coming from it, one I hadn’t felt since wartime. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it left me feeling perturbed. Just then I remembered her car. “s**t” I whispered and slowly closed the back door of my house, locked it and proceeded to my pick up truck. 

As I rounded about the big grassy plain. I found what had to be her broken down car, it was a dirty white old beater. It looked like an early 2000’s, maybe late 90’s hunk of junk. I quickly thanked the moon goddess for her safe arrival to my humble abode. I didn’t want to invade her privacy but I took a quick peek into the passenger window. It looked like she had been living out of it for quite some time. 

Though it did look spotless on the inside, she had blankets, pillows, shoes and a bunch of other bags inside. I felt an overwhelming sadness come over me, it was my fault that she lived like this for the past 8 years. If I would’ve been a better man, the moon goddess would've given us to each other sooner but because of my sins we both suffered. She was lonely, from what I could tell and her parents' rejection must’ve had some kind of impact on her. The way she flinched when I wiped the oil off of her face made me think someone had hit her… 

I couldn’t help but snarl. But then took in a long, deep breath, Don’t do this Demetrius, we lost each other due to our joint anger. We can not lose our cool again. I heard him whine in my head and simmer down inside. Demetrius was my wolf name, we were also two halves of the same soul. Apart, but all and all the same. 

Demetrius was very much ME and for the most part our feelings were jointly felt, but Demetrius’s feelings were more heightened, more animalistic. He had a fierce need to protect his family and a loyalty that brought us to our very own demise. All the way down the rabbit hole of despair. 

I will do better for her, but I don’t want to risk making any mistakes this time. I decided right then and there that I will call Erick, my younger brother and tell him the news and ask him for his guidance and help controlling my anger and winning over Arieles. Just her name gives me heart palpitations. 

I hitch the little car to my big ol’ pickup truck and start hauling it up the hill. It was no longer smoking at this point and I could tell it was a goner. There was no fixing this, she’d need a replacement. But I promised her I’d bring it to her and so I did. I left the car in my driveway and proceeded to go to my room. I dial up my brother, I must've called him twice before he finally answered. 

“Brother…” He groggily answered. “Are you alright? The sun has not even risen yet.” 

I could tell he was still half asleep. My brother has always enjoyed his beauty sleep.

I quietly replied, “Brother you won’t believe this. My mate… my second chance… she’s here!I...I don’t know how or why but she’s really here.” My eyes began to well up. 

“Brother...are you serious?!” He sounded more awake and alert now. 

“Yes brother it is true...I am so grateful...she’s perfect.” I allowed myself to cry like I haven’t cried in over a century. 

Erick remained quiet for a minute, pensive no doubt. 

“Brother are you there?” I asked, choking up. 

“Yes… oh my goddess brother. This changes everything. There hasn’t been a mate found in our pack in over 250 years. She can be the first of many… maybe I will even..” his voice cracked and I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. He has been praying for this day. 

“I can not think of anyone more worthy than you! I don’t know what prompted the moon goddess to change her mind but I am grateful. I need your help Erick. I can not mess this up, for me or for the pack. This could be a test from the moon goddess. I will not risk everyone else's chance at feeling the way I do. I already care for her so deeply. She’s special. I can feel it.” I said. 

"There’s no doubt she’s special.” He chuckled. 

“But how did this happen brother? How’d you find her? Where’d she come from? What is her name? I can be there tomorrow or rather today at noon. Can I come brother? I must see her!” Erick hastily asked. 

“Her name is Arieles, she’s kind and has a uniqueness that makes her enigmatic and draws me in completely. She found me! Believe it or not. She knocked on my front door. Her car had broken down and she came to me. Work of the goddess no doubt. You won't believe this brother, she bears the symbol of the moon goddess on her chest. But she seems altogether human.” I said. 

“Wow, she really is a gift from the goddess, surely the moon goddess wanted you to know. We will do everything we can to make her see you… the real you. “ 

I was about to answer him when I heard a rattling coming from Arieles’s room. I didn’t want to pry, however I was worried for her. I had to know she was okay. I rushed to her room with the phone still in my ear. 

My brother continued to ask “Are you there Calder?” I quietly opened her room door and what I saw floored me. Arieles was suspended in the air with a force that was almost lifting the bed she was on. Wind swirling all around her, I almost dropped my phone but then started clutching it for dear life. Her eyes were closed. She seemed to be tossing and turning while floating,in obvious distress. 

“Brother come soon and with haste.” I quickly hung up. I went to her, shaken to the core...Was this… magic? My hands were trembling as I reached up to her. Is this… real? As I touched her shoulder she calmed and slowly but surely began to come down from where she was floating. I noticed one of her wrists was tied with a rope to the bed  which kept her from… what?... floating away? 

Did she know she was capable of this? Her wrist looked bruised from the tension of the rope. She was now laying on the bed once more. She turned her head and laid it on my hand that still rested on her shoulder. This just got a whole lot more complicated.