Blood of The Beast

iv

Alastair, before Death:

    There had been rumors running through the village of a creature of the night. The gleam of its eyes had been spotted several times along the riverside. The guards had warned us about wandering alone. I had ignored them. She was waiting for me. 

    I covered ground faster than anyone else. That's what I was known for. The heat of the hunt is what my father had raised me to follow. Everyone wanted to trade with us. I caught fresh rabbit, fish, I was exceptional in bringing down dear. When cold came around I kept my family warm, fed, and safe.

    I had made the journey down to the river countless times. I knew the land as I did myself. It was almost a part of me. I had been born a man. Living, heartbeat, warmth. I was not prepared for what I saw when I got to the spot where we usually met. I had been a little early and was prepared to wait.

    She stood in the arms of another man. He looked down at her lovingly. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the woman I had planned to make my wife. The sound behind me was nothing, but a whisper in my ear. It should have scared me but it didn't.

    "It angers you doesn't it Naloc?" the shiver went down my body as she stepped into the light of the moon.

    "Who are you?" I asked him.

    "My name is Agathos," his voice echoed in my head his mouth never moving. I might have imagined that. "Women have a way to secure their future Naloc,"

    "I have no one else," I admitted. I had recently lost my father. My sisters both married to strong men who kept them as safe as I had.

    "I can offer you freedom. I can give you a life outside of this. Away from women who feel nothing, but the need for this," I turned to look back at them. Her lover excused himself and she sat down. I made a move to confront her.

    "She will choose him tonight Naloc,"

    "How do you know that?" he circled around me and smiled.

    "Are you not afraid of me?"

    "You're a man. Why would I be?" he laughed the sound of it should have alarmed me. I had never heard anything quite like it.

    "Naloc, you are perfect," he stated with his arms open. I stepped back. He walked back towards the village and I made my way towards her.

    "Naloc," she gasped standing up. She didn't come closer like she usually did.

    "Alkatherine, what's happened?" I asked looking down at her.

    I looked her over, her sun-kissed skin smooth and beautiful, her big brown doe eyes gleaming in the light of the moon. Agathos had been right. She was going to choose him tonight. I guess it really didn't matter anymore right. I would never be able to get the image of her in his arms out of my head. I'd never trust her again.

    "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I must tell you,"

    "That you chose Alexandros?" her eyes filled with tears everything about her suddenly changed for me. "Why?"

    "My mother wanted me to marry you. She wanted the stability that you provide, but it was always him," it stung in my chest. I willed myself to nod. "I'm with child,"

    "You let him touch you without being married. This is taboo," I said anger filling me. My body is shaking.

    "We are to be married. It doesn't matter," she shrugged me off turning away.

    "You know who he is. Are you sure he will?" she nodded.

    "Alexandros loves me. I am all he wants," she spoke with pride and conviction.

    "Then I wish you happiness," turned my back to her. What more can I say or do?

    "Thank you for understanding Naloc," she cried.

    I couldn't bring myself to look back at her. The days passed. I did what I did best and never went back to that river bank at night again. The chatter of a wedding began to spread through the people like wildfire. I never paid much attention to it. It hurt me.

    "Naloc," I turned to see my sister walking towards me with my niece wrapped in a bundle in her arms.

    "Calaen," I smiled at her. She handed me the child. I kissed my niece on her small head.

    "Have you heard the news?" I looked up at her. "Yadira and Alexandros,"

    "What?" my chest ached. She laughed.

    "Perhaps you and Alkatherine are next brother. Bebett needs a playmate," she took the child from my arms and walked back over to her husband. They both waved at me while I waved back a bit startled.

    That night I stood at the edge of the river when she came out from the trees. She had been running. To fast to stop herself from landing on her knees at the edge of the water. A cold hand stopped me from going to her. I turned to find Agathos.

    "She can never be yours, Naloc. You are not destined for mundane things such as this,"

    "She's suffering," I said and he looked at me curiously.

    "What about your suffering, boy? Do you not want to spare yourself of what she will do to you?" I shook him off.

    "I will just talk to her," he sighed and gave me a nod. I called out her name and tried to reach for her.

    "Go away, Naloc. I don't want you here,"

    "Alkathrine. I just..."

    "You just what, Naloc? Huh, you want to laugh in my face like everyone else? Do you want to tell me I chose wrong? That he never loved me? I know these things already. Leave me alone, Naloc. I didn't choose you and I won't choose you, ever. I don't want you," I nodded.

    "I just wanted to see if you were okay. That's it. I thought you might need a friend," her face drained of color. The tears slid down her face

    "I hate you. This is all your fault. You should have never claimed what would never be yours,"

    "You're right. I shouldn't have. Just like you should have never wanted something that you will never have. We both made mistakes. At least my scar will fade with time. You will carry yours for the rest of your life. No one will want to raise a bastard child along your side. You've lost your grace and in your bitterness your beauty,"

    "Leave!" she shouted her pain raising something in me as I walked back to my home. His laugh stopped me once I was inside.

    "You are quite the anomaly, my boy," he chuckled, sitting on my cot.

    "What are you doing here Agathos?" I asked shutting the door behind me.

    "A couple of things," he shrugged offering me a clay jug. I smelled it. "Wine is the best cure for these kinds of things Naloc. Believe me,"

    "Thank you," I sighed and took a drink. He patted the cot next to him and took a seat. "You are a good friend,"

    "I want to offer you something, Naloc. I want to change your life. I want to give you more than just the simple life you live. I want to offer you many lives. Life all eternal. You'd never grow old, you'll never die. This suffering will fade and you will take all you have ever wanted and more. Women will bow at your feet. You won't have to fight for them anymore," I laughed.

    "Are you drunk, Agathos?" he smiled.

    "Not yet," he remarked taking the jug. He smiled at me before taking a drink.

    "How would you go about doing that?" I asked humoring him.

    "There is a beast inside of you, Naloc. It is why you are such a good hunter. It is why you take what you want. Alkatherine will not be your first or last heartbreak. You will have many loves, many names at my side. Anything you have ever desired. All you have to do is release the beast inside. Relinquish yourself and become the beast I know you will be,"

    "The beast?" I asked. "How would I do that?"

    "I'd do it for you, my friend. All you have to do is say yes to me and I'll take you away from all of this nothingness,"

    "Would I ever be able to come back?" I asked and he shook his head.

    "No. You have lived this life of a commoner. You will never be this again,"

    "Let's go then. There's nothing left here for me," he smiled.

    "I will come for you tomorrow night. There is something that you're going to need to see in the morning. Bid a farewell to your sisters and nieces. There is no going back now,"

    The morning came fast after he left. I wasn't able to sleep. My body is a little too awake. Maybe it was the wine or the anger I feel towards Alkatherine. I walked out to see that there were many of my neighbors gathered by the river bank. I walked to my oldest sister's home and knocked. She opened with a smile. Both of them are here together.

    "Naloc," they both greeted with a smile.

    "I've brought you somethings," I handed her what little I had stored away. She looked at me with a smile.

    "You didn't need to," Calaen tried to hand them back.

    "I know I wanted to. I came to give you all news. A friend of mine offered me to go with him and I said yes,"

    "Go with him where and for how long?"

    "Sparta," I lied. "I always wanted to go there. I think my skills are wasted here. I've always felt like I needed more and I have this opportunity and I wish to take it,"

    "Sparta," Calaen smiled. "When will you be back?"

    "That's the thing. I don't know if I will be back,"

    "What about Alkatherine?" my youngest sister Iris asked.

    "Alkatherine made it clear she wanted nothing from me. She is with child," they both gasped. "Alexandros is the father,"

    "No," they both shook their heads. I nodded.

    "How can you be sure?" Calaen asked.

    "I never touched her. I wanted to do this the right way. I am nothing if not traditional," they both smiled.

    "Yes, father would have killed you if you would have taken her before marriage," Iris agreed.

    "When will you leave?"

    "Tonight,"

    "It's dangerous,"

    "I will not be alone. There are others and we have to travel a long distance. Agathos wants to get there as the sun comes up. So we can greet the census," I lied. They nodded easily believing me because I've never done it before.

    "If this is what you want brother then you have our full support. We are happy for you," Calaen said they both hugged me.

    "Naloc," we all looked at the door to see my brother in law, Calaen's husband, rush in. "Come, brother,"

    "Excuse me, ladies," I bowed playfully and followed him out. They both laughed and waved as we headed towards the crowd.

    "I am so sorry Naloc. They said it happened in the night. No one knows what happened," I looked at him confused.

    He pointed at the crowd. I pushed my way through it and came to stop as a coldness swept through me at what I was seeing. I looked up to see Alexandros looking down at her in horror. Alkatherine.

    "What happened?" I shouted pushing the crowd away. I knelt down taking her lifeless body in my arms. Her hair wet, her skin ice cold.

    "She drowned Naloc. I found her this morning," Alexandros came behind me putting his hand on my shoulder. I stood up and hit him.

    "This is your fault. You did this to her," he tried to hide the guilt.

    "I don't know what you're talking about," he assured me, rubbing his face where I had struck him.

    "You piece of s**t. You are to marry another woman when you had already made this one yours. She was with child and you left her," he shook his head. "Why? Why would you do this?"

    "I don't know what you're talking about," he repeated looking around. "I never touched her,"

    "I saw the two of you nights ago. The night she chose you and told me to stay away from her," everyone began to whisper. "Did you kill her?"

    "I would never," he whispered.

    "What's going on here?" the guard came and stopped at the sight of the body on the floor. "Alright clear out,"

    Everyone left me and the guard alone with her. I looked down at her and couldn't help but think that this might be over what I had said to her last night. She killed herself. She rid herself of the pain she felt. The pain her child could have lived in.

    "You alright?" he asked coming over to me. "I'm sorry for your loss,"

    "She wasn't mine,"

    "I see," he sighed.

    I went back to wait for Agathos. The wine he had given me wasn't wine at all. It had been his blood and I had willingly taken it.

    I hadn't thought of her from the moment I had left Larissa. It was strange for me to think back on the days of my humanity. I had fallen asleep against the wall outside of the small room. The door was opened and her father walked out.

    "She's asleep," he informed me when I stood up.

    "What happened to her? Why did she change like that?"

    "You know who she is right?" he asked motioning me to follow him. I glanced into the room to see she had changed out of the wet clothes and is sound asleep. I shut the door and followed him.

    "If you're referring to why you started all of this then yes," I answered.

    "Felipe's son was her gifted mate," I froze in my spot. "In leaving the pack and breaking the connection between them a sort of rejection took place. In their shift, the connection was broken. Her wolf lost all sense of direction. It was how she found the lively old woman. Her wolf is broken. When the beast inside protects the emotion of the human side it uses all of its aggression. At least, those are our theories,"

    "Does she know?"

    "Of course she does. She's the one who finished the rejection. She killed his father when he took the pack. Did to him what they had done to her,"

    "Her wolf is very unique. It's not often I've come across wolves like her," he nodded.

    "It's called the Synolo Lykos, Total wolf. She knows how to control it. We had to train her alone away from the others. When she was ready she joined the ranks and took control of her life. After she rejected him not before,"

    "Why do you think she was paired with me?" he smiled.

    "The complexity of your mating was written in the stars Lord Malacoda. She wasn't made for him. There is no pairing. Two souls are together because that is where they are meant to be. She would never have mated with the boy. He's a f*****g p***y. It would be more along the lines of him being her b***h," we both laughed.

    "Matings like ours are one in a million," I praised, he grinned.

    "You should gamble then. I think your luck is exquisite don't you think?" I nodded remembering how she had felt in my arms. "Let her sleep alone tonight. She'll soon be in your arms again Lord Malacoda,"

    "There are no needs for formalities. You are now my alpha. This is your territory. You can call me Alastair,"

    "Alastair then. Call me, Dylan. You are the heir now," I gave him a nod as he turned back towards the west wing. I walked into her massive room. I looked at the packet of paper she had handed me.

    It had wanted to read the original and here it was. It was more than I had ever expected. She described perfectly the thrill of my monstrous being. She has a way with words this one. Isn't disgust that she sees in my life. It's admiration. She had taken the time to get to know what I am to this world and read between the lines of my actions. She sees more than the average intellectual. What more do I want from this small princess with a beast like queen raging inside of her?