Alliance of Shadows: NEIL

The Goddess's Test

The silence that stretched between us felt like a deep chasm of anxiety and fear. I felt like the seconds that were ticking past were taking a painfully long time to go by. As if the entirety of time itself was slowly coming to a stop. Still, I patiently waited for her to acknowledge me.

“Neil, I don’t know what to say,” she whispered. My heart dropped to my stomach as the worst possible scenario played out in my head. Dejected, I moved to get up, but she pulled me back. "Neil, I never said no."

"You didn't say yes, either," I told her.

She giggled. “Yes."

I couldn’t hide my disbelief from her if I tried. She must have sensed my apprehension because she grabbed for the ring.

“Oh no, you don’t!” I said as I pulled the box away from her. Grabbing her hand in mine, I slid the golden band over her knuckle. I pulled her into my arms, kissing her as I whispered, “I love you.”

Sighing happily, she said, “I love you, too, Neil.”

The ambiance of the building – the soft lighting, the quiet quartet playing live, and the well-thought-out design that allowed either shadowed conversations in dimly lit booths or lively chatter in well-lit areas. Lit by bright overhead string lights that criss-crossed the ceiling above the ten-by-ten polished wood slats was the dance floor. They looked like stars as they slowly faded in and out.

“Be beyond a reasonable doubt that you’re sure on taking the next step, Izzy. I don’t want to rush you,” I said softly.

“Oh, I’m certain, Neil. Of all the people who claimed they would help me, only you never gave up. You think I saved you, but I think we’re saving each other.” She murmured.

Tears pricked my eyes, and I blinked them back. Just months ago, I’d had the same thought. Now, with everything out in the open (well, almost everything), I prayed to the Goddess that nothing got in our way. “You’ve made me so happy, Izzy. I know it hasn’t been for long, and I know that things have been out of control for some time, but I would sacrifice all I am if it meant I could keep you safe.”

“I just want you, Neil,” she whispered brokenly, and I knew she was trying not to cry.

“Wanna take a selfie for our respective guardians then go have a dance?” I asked, pulling back to look into her shimmering blue eyes.

Oh… s**t…

Okay, do you recall when I said I would never be that gushy, lovey-dovey way my father was with Clara? Yeah, I was exhibiting that behaviour. No wonder he wasn’t shocked when I said I was going to ask her to marry me.

I pulled out my cell phone, and we took a selfie to send to Clara and Dad with the caption ‘She said yes!’

When we were done eating, I took her by the hand and led her to the polished wooden dance floor right in front of the live band. I was content as I held her in my arms while we swayed to the music. Her hand in mine sparkled as the ring caught the overhead lights. I looked down at the same time she looked up at me, and I took the opening to plant a kiss on her lips. When we were done with our dance, she waited by the bar while I went to get our stuff from the table. I turned in time to see a man talking to her.

No, not a man, I realized with a frown.

A Werewolf.

I covered the distance between us and stood behind her just as he told her that she should take the opportunity to get to a safe place. Why were so many people against our happiness? Too many people tried to destroy us at every turn, only to be shut down in one way or another.

“Excuse me, but my fiancée and I were just leaving,” I said as I helped her with her coat.

He scoffed, “I’m sorry, but she is not leaving with you, Dane.”

This guy, though seemingly harmless, was a Rogue I couldn’t dispatch in a building full of innocent Human people. Unfortunately, I couldn’t recall his name in that moment. I was too obsessed with getting my Mate to safety.

Izaria’s hand connected with his face. No one moved or made a sound as tears of aggravation gathered in her eyes. “For the last damn time, I don't need saving, I don't need a safe place to hide, and I don't want your unsolicited commentary about my relationship. The next person who even thinks about getting into our business will need emergency medical care.”

Her voice cracked, and I pulled her close. The strong scent of guilt settled over the crowd. Taking her into my arms, I tried to soothe her, “Izzy, baby, it’s okay, everything is going to be fine. Breathe, honey.”

I cleaned the tears from her face with a cloth napkin that one of the servers handed me. A sudden flash of clarity settled over me as I swiped my credit card. She had, once again, publicly claimed me in front of people who would rather see me dead than happy.

Getting to the car, I scanned the area for danger before leaving. She was crying quietly, the silvery tears catching in the random bursts of light from the street poles. Slipping into my seat, I felt her clutch my hand in the dimly lit shadows of the car’s cab. Fighting to hold onto her sanity in a way that helped both of us in that moment.

Letting the new quiet fall over us, we shared a moment of silence to regain our bearings. Once we were okay, I started the car and drove to the outskirts. There, tucked away in a less-travelled location, was a place called Hidden Falls. The waterfall could only be seen from the beach area, surrounded by lush greenery and various trees that were in the middle of changing colour while the whitewater rushed down from an underground river. Colliding with the rocks below, it created “clouds” of spray that refracted light into rainbows.

“Neil,” she breathed, her eyes full of wonder and amazement as she quickly walked to the water’s edge. “What is this place?”

Stopping beside her, I smiled. “This is me and the guys’ secret swimming spot. The locals named it Hidden Falls.”

“An apt name for such a gem. You would never say that this place was even here unless you knew where to look.” Izaria whispered, the presence of Nature soothing what I couldn’t. She turned, slipping her arms around my waist. “So, are we really engaged?”

“Do you want to be?” I asked, unusually cautious. “I’m not going to twist your arm, sweetheart.”

King lost his ever-loving mind after that. Snarling, his fangs dripping menacingly, he pressed down his front left paw to make sure I saw the sharp, deadly claws curtained by black fur.

Time to shut down another myth. At least, part of it. See, in order to be able to talk to your wolf, they must first choose whether or not you are worthy of hearing their celestial voices. If not, then they made themselves known, but never spoke. If yes, then they could impart the Goddess’s wisdom.

I didn’t know his name until eight years after I first shifted, but that was only because I was far too young to control him at the tender age of eight. The night of my sixteenth birthday, I sat in a circle of fire and stone, the calm silence of Mother Gaia all around. Then, the only time I ever heard him speak, my wolf spirit padded out from under the foliage, surrounded by the ghostly light of a powerful aura.

“My name is King, young Prince.” He’d said, not bowing, and not threatening, but acting as my equal in all things. “You and I are one in the same, Prince Neil. Prove worthy of our Mistress’s wisdom and receive my voice as your conscious. Until then, I shall remain your dutiful partner whilst we share in this body.”

After that, true to his word, he never again spoke to me. It hurt at first, until I heard that almost everyone else only had their wolf grunt out their name to their host.

“I said yes, didn’t I?” Izaria said, her face set in a false frown.

“Yeah, you did,” I replied. Sitting on a stone bench made of concrete and driftwood, I wrapped my coat around her shoulders as we sat enjoying the natural world around us. Now that my life appeared to be on track, I tried again to reach out to King. Just to see if I’d earned the right to converse with the powerful spirit housed within my body. ‘King? Are you… Are you there?’

Nothing.

‘I love her,’ I said inside my own head. Every mind-link other than my connection to my spirit was closed to give me a chance to find out.

The massive, ink-black wolf uncurled, lifting his head to look right at me. He tilted his head to the side, evicting a huff of air. The line of his maw seemed to curve up, which was when I saw the sparkle in his deep brown-gold eyes. ‘The Mistress is happy with your growth, young Prince.”

I froze. He actually spoke to me for the first time in five years.

‘Say my name, Prince Neil. My true name,’ his deep, rumbling voice sounded like growling, but I could clearly make out the words.

‘I’m unworthy,’ I said lowering my head.

A woman’s laugh, then a gorgeous red-haired woman, the Goddess herself appeared crouching beside King. “My dear child, that only means you are humble enough to be granted the gift of communication.”

‘Twilight King, Master of Shadows, Bringer of the Storm,’ I answered.

‘You… pass.’ King said. ‘The first in a line of many. Now, I’m going back to sleep. I suggest returning home with our Mate, Neil. We are, forevermore, equals.’