I am the Light - His last Redemption (Book 2)

Chapter 8 - Calliope

My eyes are about to fall out of my head. She has a sister? I never knew that. I admit, I never asked, but the fact that she’s with the Nightshadow hits a different cord with me. Something ugly rearing its head inside my chest. Did he forget about me and moved on with someone else? And why would a witch be okay with him killing other wolves? It doesn’t make any sense to me. Witches are all about life. We don’t take it. Not unless it's absolutely necessary.

“What... what do you mean, he’s with your sister? Who is she?”

“Her name is Adeline. She’s not like me,” she says hesitantly, “we’ve grown up under very difficult circumstances. Our parents died when we were little. Too young to remember them. We grew up in foster homes. There was a time, we were inseparable. We relied on each other, but it all changed when we ended up in an abusive foster family. It was the mother. She didn’t hurt us physically, but she was emotionally cruel.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know this,” I say carefully. I never noticed how little I know about our coven leader. She always seems to be so open and kind. I can’t imagine her being anything else but happy.

She’s a great teacher and she’s always calm. She loves every single person of this coven and she’s amazing with the kids. Especially River.

“I don’t advertise it,” she says with a soft sigh as she curls her jeweled fingers around her tea mug, “my sister and I grew up without magic, but we always knew that we were different. We could sense things that others couldn’t. As time passed and the abuse became almost unbearable, I retreated into myself. Adeline had a different coping mechanism. She was angry and she gave into her rage. At some point, she started blaming me for everything that happened to us. She became uncontrollable and driven only by her anger.”

“That sounds a lot like the Nightshadow,” I say carefully.

“Yes and no. We all have our reasons for the things we do. Your mate sought revenge for your death.”

“Yes,” I nod, “he blamed his father. Just like Adeline blamed you. Is she seeking revenge too?”

“Our foster mother doesn’t live anymore. My sister's anger is directed at me. She thinks that I’ve got it all, while she was left behind. But that’s the point,” Callie says, “she made a choice. She decided to give in to her pain and anger, while I tried to find a way to heal. It took me a long time to cope with my past.”

“How did you manage to do it?” I ask, “I don’t know why, but I feel like I need to do the same thing. I need to find myself again.”

“Do you? Or do you just want to find the person you used to be?”

“I want… I want to put the missing pieces back together,” I say and tap my temple, “I want to remember.”

“Have you considered that the part you’re missing is your mate?” I nod hesitantly. “I only know in theory how this kind of bond works, but it’s a holy connection and it is not to be underestimated.”

“But he’s with your sister.”

“Not in the sense that you think,” she says with a reassuring smile on her lips, “but she needs him for something. Unfortunately, I don’t quite know what it is.”

“How do you know?”

“My sister and I were born during a lunar eclipse. Twins born on a night like that share a special bond. We have always been very sensitive to others' emotions.”

“I always thought you knew exactly what I’m feeling,” I say and she nods with a little smile.

“Your emotions are quite strong and I can sense your frustration. I also sense your curiosity about things. You don’t like unanswered questions, do you?”

“No,” I admit and for some reason, I can't help but chuckle. This feels like something I have been told before. “But in this case, I feel like hearing my story isn’t enough. I need to remember. I need to feel it all over again. Even the pain,” I sigh, “does that make any sense at all?”

“Yes, it does,” she nods.

“A part of me wants to leave right now and find my mate.”

“What’s keeping you?”

“River,” I say, “I can’t leave him here and I won’t take him with me. It's too dangerous out there.”

“Do you remember how a wolf pack is organized?”

“You mean that they used to be a family?”

“Yes,” she nods, “and to communicate, they share a special telepathic connection.”

“Are you saying I could contact my mate that way?”

“Probably not, since you have lost your wolf and the connection only works over a certain distance. And with your bond severed, it might not work at all. But,” she holds up one finger, “the Alpha always shares a special connection with his offspring. His heir. He will be able to hear River.”

“How am I supposed to explain to my two-year-old son that he should contact his dad with his mind?”

“Well, he might already be mind linking him, without knowing it. Since the voice in his father's head won’t make much sense to him, he will probably brush it off as an illusion, but I am almost sure that he is aware of the little voice in his head.”

“Is it like that for you and your sister as well?” I ask, trying to wrap my head around this. Shouldn’t he react to his son somehow? To that voice in his head?

“We are connected and I can sense her emotions. It always gives me a rough idea of where she is and what she’s up to. I can’t quite explain it. It’s like a premonition and I know that she’s up to no good.”

“But you said she is with the Nightshadow. Does that mean he knows what she is doing? Is he involved in whatever she has planned?”

“Are you asking me if he’s evil? You should know the answer to that question.”

“How?”

“He’s part of your soul. You know the answer!” she says, padding my hand reassuringly.

“He killed people,” I whisper, still not sure how to feel about that. I am aware that he didn’t kill innocent wolves, yet, is that enough to justify his actions?

“Yes, he did.”

“And I am supposed to be okay with that?”

“You know, darkness is always attracted to dark magic,” she says, “my sister knows that. She paid a great price for her magic and she is determined to use it now that she can. Your mate is a powerful ally. I doubt he even knows his strength. Right now he’s just driven by his grief. Grief has turned from rage into numbness. He doesn’t feel anything.”

“Like me?” I am not grieving, but in a way, I am just as lost as he is. I was just lucky that I was found by people like Callie. I was lucky to end up on the bright side of life. Not the dark, like he did.

“His soul is yearning for yours. Yes.”

“But I’ve read in one of the books about the darkness, that this kind of magic can consume someone’s soul. What if he is already gone?”

“You can’t lose your soul. But if you imagine it like a misty substance, it changes color. Some witches can see that. It's what we call the aura. The color depends on so many factors. Your mood, your choices in life, and how you feel about them. Now, dark magic will suck all those feelings from your soul and make you indifferent. Sometimes even ruthless.”

“Is it beyond repair?”

“Nothing ever is beyond repair. Look at me. I was broken once, but I fixed myself.”

“Your sister, Adeline, is she like that? Ruthless?”

“She holds on to her anger and fear because both these feelings support chaos. The difference between her and your mate is, that Adeline doesn’t want to be fixed. She feels like her actions are justified. That she is entitled to cause chaos and spread evil.”

“How?”

“She can create monsters. It requires a blood sacrifice and some heavy magic, but she is the reason we have to deal with Rougarous and Wendigos. All it takes is one and the disease will spread like a wildfire.” Callie explains folding up one finger, then adding another and another until she wiggles all ten at me. Her rings glitter dangerously in the dim light.

“That’s her doing?” I ask stunned that a single person could cause such havoc. No one can be that spiteful, can they?

“I’m afraid so,” Callie sighs, “she always had an interest in ancient creatures like that. I remember her saying that they should be even more vicious. And she was just a child at that point.”

“I don’t know if I should feel sorry for her or hate her,” I say shaking my head. I can’t begin to imagine what she’s been through at such a young age, yet, when I look at Callie and see the woman she has become, I wonder where the hell Adeline went wrong.

“It’s always one split moment in our lives that decide our path.”

“Can’t it be two? Or three?” I ask, wondering if there is any saving for the man I probably love. The man my soul is desperately begging me to find.

“It can,” she smiles, knowing exactly what I am thinking.

“Look at you,” she says, “you are living proof of that.”

“Yeah, well, I’m just too stubborn to die,” I chuckle, “and it probably helps that I don’t feel drawn to the darkness.”

“We all are drawn to it, Mika. It can be little, meaningless things like jealousy or pettiness, but no one is free of it. It’s just a matter of how willing you are to give into it,” she shrugs, “it always has potential to grow within a person. May she be as pure as the Goddess herself.”

“She can be cruel,” I dare to say, “taking my mate away from me. Making him believe that he has lost me. And River. Look at what it has done to him.”

“Or maybe it was a test,” Callie suggests, “maybe she needed the Nightshadow to make the right decision.”

“He didn’t,” I sigh, “Callie? How can I find him? I need to make this right again. I need him to heal.”

This is all very confusing. I want to find him and tell him that I am okay. I want him to meet River. But at the same time, I am terrified of what that might do to me. What if he’s beyond the point of recognizing me as his mate anymore? What if the dark witch has messed up his mind and there is no saving him?