Seize your fate

Choosing your fate

Chapter 8 

Adrien pushed Sol back gently. He knew how strong he could be and didn’t want to hurt her. Sol looked confused. “Sol, I am sorry this is really important. I have to go.” She pouted looking sad, “will you come back?” Adrien was already dressed, pulling his boots on. “You better go home. I don’t know how long this is going to take.” She slowly began slipping on her cloths. “It’s just as well. I have to finish packing.” For a second Adrien forgot about the wedding. “I am almost done. I want to move the rest of my things tomorrow, after the rehearsal dinner.” Adrien hadn’t packed anything. He wasn’t even thinking about the wedding, all he thought about was Sienna. He thought she was dead, and now she is here. He was so confused; he couldn’t deal with any of this right now. He just wanted to see Sienna. He kissed Sol on her forehead and swung the door open, almost knocking Clarissa over. “Where is she?” he whispered. “In the cabin, with Damien and Jacob.” He nodded and pulled her out. He ran the whole way, knowing Clarissa couldn’t keep up. The questions were flooding his mind, and he needed to see her. How was this even possible? How could she have survived this long? His legs couldn’t carry him fast enough. He glided over the snow, his heart beating fast. He was nervous. He couldn’t believe he was going to see her again. He hadn’t even noticed the tears running down his face, as he ran into the cabin. Sienna sat by the fireplace. Her cloths torn and filthy, but she smelled divine. He could see Damien and Jacob were affected by it as well. It was her scent. It had changed. It was much sweeter, drawing him into her. Her hair was up in a bun, and she was holding a cup of tea in her hand. Adrien fell to the floor kneeling in front of her, his eyes looking over her face and her body, trying to see if she was okay. “Sienna,” he whispered. She raised her hand to stroke his cheek. She could finally take a deep breath. She felt like she had been under water all this time, and now was able to inhale. His large hands cupped her small face. She was a bit paler, but her eyes were mesmerizing. Their blue color shining as the fire burned beside her. She was different, stronger. Her aura was shining brighter. Adrien couldn’t talk. He gently kissed her. He had missed her taste so much. How could he for a second think he could live without her? Her hand traced to his short hair. He pulled back from her. “You cut your hair,” she stated quietly. She smiled. “I like it.” He laughed. It was a laugh of relief. He could feel the tension draining out of him. He was never going to let her go again. He kissed her again, and this time he felt her kissing him back. His mind was clear. There were no questions, no answers. The world stood still as he held her, kissing her, tasting her again. Inhaling her new intoxicating scent. She was even more perfect than he remembered. They were locked in each other’s embrace. Finally, Sienna pulled back to breath. “Sienna, love, I swear I came back for you. I came back so fast and you were just gone.” She nodded, there would be time later to talk about this. “Adrien, I need to talk to the Alpha.” Adrien shook his head, trying to stabilize himself. He helped her up and held her tight by her waist. Her white wolf stood up next to her. He had only just noticed her there. Sienna was walking with a wolf. Just like his grandfather. Sienna turned to look at the board. Clarissa had already filled her in on everything they discovered, connecting with the other Shamans. More pieces to the puzzle. It was becoming clearer. “I think I would like to get cleaned up. Can you ask your father to meet me tonight? It is very important.” Damien cleared his throat. “Adrien, tonight is the rehearsal dinner.” The realization came rushing back to him. He was getting married to someone else. Now it was Sienna’s turn to look a bit confused. “I need to talk to you alone,” he said, his voice shaking. His whole body was shaking. It was hard enough to go through this wedding when he thought Sienna was dead, but now? The three of them walked out and closed the door silently. “Sienna, I swear I thought you were dead,” his voice was deeper, hurt. “I know,” she whispered. She had already had this same conversation with Clarissa and then his Bettas. “Blackhawk took me on a journey. It was a path I had to walk alone, Adrien. He told me that I was now the Shaman of the pack. A wendigo, descendent from my father’s side.” She showed him her scars. He knew what they meant all too well. She walked back to the fireplace to warm up. “I had to be tested by the spirits alone. I had to survive, and bond with my wolf.” Adrien’s head was spinning. “You are a werewolf?” She sighed. “Yes, but I can’t shift like you. I have heightened senses, but that is all.” Adrien sat down on the chair. “And you are a Wendigo?” She nodded. “I am not sure what it all means yet, but I am slowly learning.” He shook his head in disbelief. It was a lot to take in. “My father was the descendant of the last Wendigo,” she continued. “Blackhawk was waiting for me to come and take my place in the pack. He couldn’t move on to the spirit world without it.” She walked back to Damien, stroking his cheek, wiping away his tears. “He loved you so much Adrien. He was so proud of you, and he knows that you will guide this pack wisely.” “Sienna, I am getting married,” he just blurted out. “What?” she felt her knees weakened as she stepped back. “I came back for you, and you were gone. So was Blackhawk. I had to agree. This has been decided a while ago by the Alphas. It is the only way to keep the peace between the packs.” She felt the blood drain from her face. “Adrien, how long have you known about this?” She sounded angry. “A while,” he said quietly. “When we were… together?” A tense silence stood in the air. She nodded. He didn’t have to answer. Adrien wanted to tell her there was nothing he could do. This was decided for him. He had to save the pack, and this was the only way. He was trying to find a way out, but then she disappeared and so did Blackhawk and he was alone and lost. He had to mate Sol. It was the only way to save the pack. But instead, he said nothing, and just stared at the floor. “Please Adrien, leave,” her wolf began to growl quietly. Adrien turned to her, quieting her with his gaze. He was the Alpha. A Rougarou. He was the strongest of his kind, and no wolf would growl at him. She whimpered and stood behind Sienna. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Was fate this cruel? She went on a journey to find herself only to lose Adrien? “Please Adrien, I can’t do this,” she fell to her knees, feeling as though her heart was being torn out of her chest. It physically hurt. He stood, coming closer to her, but she stopped him with her hand. “Just go…” she said louder this time. Adrien thought he was losing his mind. It was happening all at once. This was far worse than fate taking her away, he did this to her. He hurt her. He rejected her by agreeing to marry Sol. He led her on, knowing full well that he had to marry Sol. He should have stopped it before she developed feelings for him. But he was selfish, thinking only of himself. This was pure torture. He slowly stepped back and walked out the door. He was staggering, unable to maintain his balance. Jacob caught him and held him tight. “Jacob, please watch over her to make sure she is alright. I have… to go.” He ran towards his parents’ house. His heart breaking into bits and pieces. Adrien was gone. 

Clarissa walked back into the cabin. Sienna was on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest. She was sobbing and watching the flames in the fireplace. She put her arms around her. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” she whispered as Sienna’s crying became more forceful, her body shaking. In the end, it was Adrien who had hurt her most of all. They just sat in silence in front of the fire. Sienna let her mind travel. She was daydreaming, and in a second her mind was no longer in the cabin. Clarissa felt Sienna’s body go limp, her eyes fluttering. She tried to call out to her, but her white wolf stood over her. Damien ran in as he heard shouting, rushing to them. Her wolf not letting them get near. “Clarissa!” he yelled shaking her, “Stop!” Clarissa stopped screaming Sienna’s name, looking at Damien. “She is daydreaming, just like she told us.” Clarissa looked down at her. Her best friend was alive. A Shaman of her pack. She thought she was just a human. A human who somehow met her Alpha and had a hot romance with him. A romance, that’s all. And now there were legends and prophecies, fate. It was too intense. She let Damien’s strong arms hold her, as she sank into him. Things were changing, big things and she was a part of it. They all were.

The Alpha’s mansion was beautiful. The caterers were running around, setting up the tables as the party planner was yelling final orders. The wedding was going to be in the garden. The Alpha would secure their bond. Adrien was in his room, getting dressed. Damien and Jacob were sitting with him. He was wearing a black suit, and a white dress shirt. He refused to wear a tie and the top buttons of his shirt were open, revealing his chest. “Adrien, forget everything tonight, just focus on the dinner. We will sort all if this out tomorrow.” Adrien growled fidgeting with his cuffs. Jacob had brought a bottle of scotch with him, and they were drinking. He poured them another round. Sol had arrived with her party, and they were getting ready in their rooms. She was beaming with joy. Adrien wanted to call it off. To tell her that she deserved someone who will genuinely love her, and not just someone who just had to mate her in order to save his pack. He just wanted Sienna. Adrien was ready, and they could here voices from downstairs, as the music was playing. He should have stopped it, but now it was to late. He had let his beast take control so he could disappear completely, not feeling a thing. He inhaled heavily and walked out, his Bettas at his heels. Sol looked amazing. She was wearing a baby blue gown, glowing against her porcelain skin. Her long hair was flowing in soft curls. She would make any man’s heart skip a beat. Any man but Adrien. His heart wasn’t beating anymore. The evening was nice. Speeches were made by the Alphas, as applause followed. The music was nice, and everyone was in a good mood. Introductions were made, and the promise of peace between the packs was spoken, more than once. Adrien held Sol’s waist the entire night, smiling at different guests. He felt like everything was fake. Is this what it truly meant to be an Alpha? He had learned so much in the past weeks about the true meaning of being a werewolf, but those were more ancient times. Now it was mostly business and politics. The evening progressed nicely, and the dinner was very good. Sol was coming tomorrow to live with the pack. Adrien would be moving in with her into the house on his parent’s property. He would be named the new Alpha at the wedding ceremony. It was all going according to plan. Adrien looked outside the big French windows as the alter was already built in the garden, at the edge of the pool. This was going to happen, and he would have to accept it. Being a true Alpha meant always putting the needs of the pack before your own. He just never thought it would be this hard. Guests were beginning to bid their goodbyes, when Clarissa came in with her father. The Alpha’s eyes lit up. “Deagan, how are you?” he walked to him. Clarissa’s mother was the Alpha’s cousin. After she died Deagan and Clarissa just moved off the reservation. They shook hands. “I am fine, busy working,  you know.” The Alpha smiled, “I haven’t seen you since our business a few months ago.” Deagan had a glass of scotch in his hand already, Clarissa standing closely to him. “Yeah, you know how busy I am. Clarissa and I always mean to come up here, and we never get around to it.” He sipped his drink. “I am afraid, that I am here not just to congratulate the happy couple,” he said finishing his drink. “It seems our young pups have been working hard.” The Alpha looked confused. The house was now almost empty, except staff cleaning up. “We should talk. Privately.” Both Alphas went into the study, Adrien following them. Clarissa and the Bettas following closely. Clarissa had gone to her father to tell him everything they had discovered. Everything Blackhawk had discovered, and they just completed. There was great admiration for Blackhawk in the pack. They may have strayed far from their true nature, but they knew how important the Shaman was. Both Alphas sat proudly, as Deagan explained. Clarissa would jump in to correct him or add necessary information. They sat silently listening to the long explanation. “We Alphas have heard some of these legends, but we really did not know things were this bad,” Adrien’s father said. Adrien stepped forward. “We were a few packs here in America. We were close. We are scattered now.” Sol’s father nodded. “It weakens us. I have always said that.” Adrien has been worried, ever since they learned more and more, what the effect of werewolves who were not pure would have. It seemed that was his father’s main concern. Werewolves were Native American, and only mated each other. But things were different now, and they had strayed so far from their true nature, the effects of this were unknown. “I want to see Sienna,” Adrien’s father said. Clarissa stepped outside as Adrien sat nervously. They hadn’t said anything about her, except that she was the Shaman of the pack now and a Wendigo. Clarissa came back with Sienna, her wolf close to her. She had cleaned herself, and was wearing a long white dress, her feet bare. She was a sight. Both Alphas gasped at the sight of her, as her scent reached them, cloaking them like a soft, comforting mother’s hug. She walked in, ignoring Adrien completely. Adrien’s father stood tall, towering over her as she lifted her wrists. On each wrist, was crescent moon scar. The sign of the Shaman. He didn’t need to see it. It could be felt at her presence. He asked her to sit with them, as she explained what she knew about the powers of the Wendigo. “There is great value to the ability of the Wendigo to daydream and tap into the darkest and unknown places of the mind, where collective memory is stored. Now, we haven’t been able to figure out what the mating and marking ceremony is,” Sienna said. “But it is becoming more apparent that all, this is happening now because our species is in real danger of disappearing. The ceremony seems to be fundamental, and I am also trying to understand it, but for now this is all we know.” Adrien’s father looked at him. He knew something was different about Adrien, just from the sheer size of him. He had heard legends of the Rougarou, but mostly that it was a deadly beast, with a black heart. All the years his son was so serious, alone, never smiling. Especially after what happened to those women, he suspected Adrien could be a Rougarou. The order was to kill Rougarou since they were murderous and dangerous. They had never consulted with the Shamans. They didn’t know how significant they were. It was becoming apparent that there was so much they didn’t know or understand. Sol’s father stood, as he rubbed the back of his neck. He felt afraid, but not quite sure why. They had maintained order so long, or at least they thought they had. And now it might all be coming apart. Sienna stood, as her wolf stood beside her. “I have to go now, I am really tired,” she excused herself, as both Alphas shook her hand. She turned to go, and Adrien stood up. Damien caught his jacket, keeping him in his place. The situation was fragile enough. 

Sienna walked into the hallway, feeling the gaping hole in her chest grow. She walked to the front door as a young, beautiful woman stood in her path. “Are you the Shaman?” she whispered. Sienna knew who she was. “Yes Sol, I am,” she smiled at her. It wasn’t Sol’s fault. Adrien did this to her. Sol held her hands tightly. “I am getting married, and I am really nervous.” Sienna smiled gently, even though her mind was screaming at her to walk away. “I mean I know what is going to happen, but I am scared. I am still a virgin,” she whispered. Sienna took her to the couch in the living room and sat across from her. She wasn’t just a Shaman; she was also a woman. “Sol, I understand why you are nervous. This is a big step. You have to feel safe and comfortable, and let your body tell you when its ready.” Sol seemed so young and scared. “I know this is an arranged marriage, but how well do you know Adrien?” she asked, trying to pretend as much as she could that she had never been with him. Sol’s eyes lit up. “I only met him a few weeks ago, but I could tell we belonged together the second we met.” They hadn’t noticed that the meeting at the study had ended, and Adrien stood at the entrance of the grand living room. “I mean we have already kissed, more than once and we have laid naked in each other’s arms,” Sol blushed. Sienna wished Sol had a friend she could talk to this about, because this conversation was killing her. “That’s great Sol,” she said feeling her eyes well with tears. “Let yourself get comfortable with him, and it will be alright. It only hurts for a second, and I am sure Adrien will be gentle.” Memories of their first night came flooding back to her. How scared Adrien was of hurting her, how gentle he was. How safe she felt in his arms. How she let him wash over her in waves of ecstasy. How she came so hard, and so fast. She just wanted more and more of him and now it was over, and Sol will get to feel all those incredible sensations, with Adrien. Sol smiled and hugged Sienna, catching her off guard. “Thank you,” she whispered and got up. Noticing Adrien, she giggled shyly as she approached him, standing on her tiptoes to give him a light kiss on his lips. Sienna looked away, fighting her tears. “I will be upstairs in a minute,” Sienna heard his husky voice. He was sexier than she had ever seen him, with his short hair, and his elegant suit. There was something darker about him though. Sienna couldn’t fight back her tears any longer and prayed that he would just leave. She could smell his strong scent, knowing he was coming closer to her and kept her eyes down. Her wolf was growling, and she could hear him behind her, growling back. She didn’t want a fight, so she turned to him, tears rolling from her eyes, as she lay her hand on her wolf’s head, calming her down. His canines retracted back, and his dark eyes were shining with a hint of amber. Sienna wasn’t going to let this break her. She was a Shaman, the healer of the pack. She was just as important as the Alpha. “Sienna, I am so sorry, I swear I came back for you.” he mumbled. She started to walk away, and he grabbed her arm. His mere touch sending shivers down her spine. Every part of her that he touched tingled. “Sienna please, I… I love you, only you. I am doing this because I have to, as the Alpha,” he whispered in her ear. Her eyes inflamed with rage, she turned to face him. “Why would you say that to me Adrien? Haven’t you already hurt me enough?” He held her closer. “I have no choice. The Alphas insisted I marry her, to bring peace to the packs.” He shook his head slightly, as his large palm cupped her face. “I tried to fight it, I wanted to, but then you disappeared with Blackhawk, and I didn’t know what to do…” his voice trailed off. She could barely see his face through her tears. The pain in her chest was throbbing. “But it is you that I love Sienna. Couldn’t we maybe, just find a way to be together?” She couldn’t believe what he was saying. She acted on her first instinct and slapped him across the face. “You want me to be the other woman? Your mistress?” she hissed at him. “So, you can crawl back into her bed, after f*****g me?” Adrien seemed hurt and very angry. She could feel his rage grow and his aura darken. He gripped her harder. He knew he was hurting her, but he felt out of control. “Let go of me Adrien,” she was furious. He never wanted any of this. He just wanted her. “This cannot be our fate, Sienna. I refuse to believe that.” She looked up at him. “You chose your fate, Adrien. You chose to lie to me, to hide this. You chose to marry her, to kiss her, to lie naked with her,” she was really trying not to yell. “Sienna, I thought you were dead!’ he was holding her so tight she felt as if he was crushing her arm. “Well, it seemed like you had a great time at my funeral,” she knew she was pushing him over the edge, but she just wanted to get away. He pushed her back and she hit the table, nearly falling over. How could she believe he was like this? How could she not see how much he loved her? He would marry Sol if he had to, but he would only be with Sienna. He never wanted to touch Sol. His rage was out of control. The beast inside of him was violently enraged. He turned and ran out the front door, shifting into his giant, black wolf. He would run until his heart didn’t hurt like this, or until he dropped dead. Sol was in his bed. She had stripped completely naked, waiting for him. To feel his warm body next to hers. Sienna slid to the floor, feeling the bruise on her back, and arm. Adrien had picked his fate, and it was not with her. He picked his fate with Sol, and she would have to learn to live with that or die trying. Adrien ran past the cabin he loved so much and into the forest, howling fiercely at the moon. He was mourning Sienna; she was now really dead to him and he was dead to the world.