Seize your fate

"I am coming back..."

Chapter 6

Clarissa stood at the doorway, not wanting to alarm Sienna. “I swear Sienna I didn’t know. I only found out after the Alpha arrived at our house.” “Who?” Sienna asked confused. “Adrien. He is the Alpha of our pack. He commands us, and we are all submissive to him.” Sienna started to laugh, “this is insane. Why are you in on this?” Clarissa didn’t want to move and scare her off. “Sienna, I swear I didn’t know. After my mom died, my dad didn’t want to live on the reservation. He is from a much smaller pack in Europe. So, we just lived with the humans. Close enough to my pack.”  Sienna laughed, “I never saw you howling at the moon or anything.” Clarissa was being very patient. “We don’t do that. Only in mourning,” and she flashed her canines at Sienna. Sienna could logically argue against a lot of things, but she definitely saw that. How could she explain that? Clarissa smiled at Sienna trying to help calm her down. Adrien insisted she come here and tell her the truth, but she didn’t know why this was so important. They never revealed themselves to humans. They have always married humans and had families. The werewolf didn’t always pass on to the children and then there was never much reason to tell. All the marriages always ended in divorce anyway. All of them. And they just met like two weeks ago so what the urgency? But Clarissa couldn’t argue, she had to obey. Adrien was the Alpha, and he was the biggest, strongest, scariest Alpha in existence. She had traveled in the past with her father to meet his pack, in England. The pack was small. They lived mostly in the cities with the humans. They were much smaller werewolves, and the Alpha was half the size Adrien was. She thought this was a good thing. She hated being a werewolf. She shifted once at 18, like all werewolves do and she never saw a reason to do it again. She respected the way of the wolf and her pack but wanted to be human They have been assimilating with humans for years, most werewolves have lost most of their animalistic features. Clarissa was really grateful for that. Even she who was a pure pup, she was of regular size as humans. She could shift if she wanted to, but she never did. Sometimes the canines helped if she had to chew a hard piece of steak, but that was it. Clarissa’s father was English, and her mother was Native American, so she had tan skin, brown wavy hair and big green eyes. She was slender and athletic, but she did do a lot of yoga, so it wasn’t just the wolf. She had delicate features and was very beautiful. They did heal a bit faster and were physically relatively stronger and healthier, but other than that it just made her feel different and weird. She was fortunate enough to have a Shaman in her pack, who taught her to control shifting. Most packs didn’t have Shamans and a lot of the werewolves lived in isolation. Some committed suicide and a lot were hospitalized with mental illness. They were a dying breed. They didn’t fit in this world anymore. They belonged to ancient times. She had to somehow explain all of this to Sienna. Blackhawk suddenly stood up. “Clarissa, I think there is a better way to show Sienna the truth, instead of all this storytelling.” Clarissa smiled and nodded. “If she is who I believe her to be, this way would be quicker.” Sienna didn’t understand a lot of what she was seeing, but she knew she wasn’t leaving this cabin. She wasn’t going anywhere with these people. She felt glued to the chair she was sitting on. They both stood staring at her, the fire roaring in the fireplace beside her. The room was silent, except for the crackling of wood in the fireplace. Suddenly they moved back, as a white wolf entered the cabin. She sat quietly by the door staring at Sienna, with her golden eyes. Sienna slowly got up, and the wolf stood with her. “Sienna please don’t be scared. This is a special night. Most people don’t know this, but this is the longest night of the year. The moon is full. I know you don’t understand it yet, but please come with us outside. I promise you will have your answers.” Sienna followed them outside, as the wolf walked beside her. “Clarissa please stay here. If Adrien comes back, tell him we will return.” They walked into the forest disappearing between the trees. 

Adrien stood in front of his father. His father sat slowly in his big chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. Damien and Jacob looked at each other. The Shaman was never wrong, and what Adrien was saying made sense. They had both seen the frenzy he was in, when he ripped those women apart. He was never at peace. But they could sense that this was changing him. His father could sense it too. “Adrien, I don’t know what all of this means, and we will figure it all out. I don’t know what this mate business means, but for the sake of both our packs you have a wedding soon. I need you to be ready and focused for that.” It was an order from the Alpha and not much he could do about it. Adrien pushed his way out the door, his legs carrying him back to the small cabin in the woods. Damien and Jacob ran after him. Damien was the one who finally caught up with him. “Adrien wait!” Adrien stopped in his tracks. “I don’t exactly understand what is going on, but please you have to think. You have always been logical, before anything else.” Adrien stared at them. “We have to think about everything, together. I promise Adrien we will figure this out.” Jacob stood next to him. They were the only people he trusted with his life. They have been through everything together. They wouldn’t hunt with him, but they never abandoned him. Even after what they saw him do. He felt a tear escaping his eye, as it rolled down his cheek. They could see it so clearly in the moonlight. Another tear rolled out his other eye. He was in pain all the time, since he could remember himself. The only time he felt relief, was with Sienna. Small windows of complete inner peace. He felt safe with his Bettas, and he felt a storm coming. One that he could not fight on his own. He hugged them, engulfing them in his massive arms. He let go and Jacob smiled. “You don’t have to walk alone anymore Adrien. We are here with you.” He nodded and the three of them walked to the cabin. 

Clarissa sat on the stoop watching the three of them approach. She inhaled deeply, scared of Adrien’s reaction. She dropped her gaze as he walked up to her. “I am sorry Alpha. Sienna went into the woods with Blackhawk. He said not to worry, they were coming back.” Adrien nodded and put his finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his. “None of this anymore. You can stare me in the eye… I am your Alpha. Your protector, not your punisher.” Clarissa felt her body tremble in fear. This was not done. “I need your help, all of you.” He walked into the cabin, and they followed. “Blackhawk just told me a part of the story. Everything he found out is here, in all these documents and books. We must put the puzzle together.” He cleared the table, as they started gathering the documents spread around the cabin. “Damien, go get a giant board and markers. We are going to figure this out old-school.” Damien jogged out the door as Adrien sat at the table. “Let’s start at the beginning. I am Rougarou…” 

Sienna followed Blackhawk as he walked deeper into the forest. They walked in silence, as the wolf walked with her. She felt her senses becoming more sensitive. She could feel the cold breeze on her face. She could smell the strong scents of the trees and flowers. She began to hear more clearly, the sounds of the forest. It was so loud, even at night. The further they deepened into the forest, the more sensitive she became as she felt the warmth of the wolf standing near her. After hours of walking in silence, they arrived at a brook, trickling water over the small stones. The water was so shallow, but not frozen. It was surprising as opposed to the mounting snow on either side. She just now realized; they had been walking for so long that her feet hurt. Blackhawk stood and watched the brook, as its waters flowed. “How do you feel Sienna?” She stood next to him. “I feel like my senses are awakening. I can smell and hear the forest. It is amazing.” He smiled softly. She is the one he had been waiting for. He knew it, the moment Adrien told him about her. “Sienna, you must keep walking the rest of the way by yourself dear. There can only be one Shaman for this pack, and my journey is now finally finished.” She held his hand, still staring at the water. “I think I know this place,” she whispered. “I know you do. You have seen it in your daydreams.” Blackhawk squeezed her hand back. “And you know what it means.” Sienna nodded. “It is where the spirits are strongest.” “I wish I had more time to guide you. To see what you will become. You are destined for greatness and with it sadly much suffering. It is the way of the Shaman. They must walk through fire. That is what forges you. Remember that.” She let go of his hand. “Thank you, Blackhawk.” He sat down. Feeling his old, tired body become heavier and pained. “Thank you, Sienna, for embracing your destiny.” She felt like she was coming home. To a place she knew well, a place she felt at one with. She felt it more strangely the further they deepened into the woods. She turned and began walking up stream. She walked for a while, and she felt a cold breeze swirl around her. The wolf beside her began howling at the full moon. Blackhawk was finally at peace.