Blood Of The Luna

Chapter 2

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Now to everyone who didn't know who Damian was, at first glance, it would seem like I was overreacting. But trust me, that couldn't be further from the truth. There was no way in hell I would agree to what my father was suggesting. What he wanted me to do, that could be classified under catastrophic events which could destroy anyone's life.

I couldn't marry Damian; that was completely and unequivocally out of the question. Father may not be too bothered about him or his reputation, but I knew Damian better than my father ever could. Damian was a ruthless man, and more dangerous than anyone I had ever known. The last time I saw him, he was beating up an elderly man because the man had spoken to him disrespectfully. If he could do that to someone much older than him, then I feared what he would do to someone like me.

His reputation preceded him, and everyone who knew him steered clear of him. Why would father ever want to pair me up with someone like that?

People didn't really see much of him, but there had been rumors about him and how dangerous he truly was. News got around fast, even though our two packs were quite different from each other. The Bloodhound territory was north of ours, and they dwelled in the mountains mostly because they did not like mingling with humans. That was where my father was different from Alpha Dominic. He didn't mind living so close to humans, as long as they would remember who was truly in charge.

But that was a story for another day. Today, my biggest problem was having to come to terms with the revelation that I might end up marrying a psychopath. I couldn't agree to this. Father couldn't decide that for me. And he might be the Alpha, but it was time for me to stick it to the man.

You see? It was all about picking your moments.

I barely paid any attention to anything else that happened in school that day. Ethel tried to figure out what was wrong with me, but I shrugged off her attempts to poke out an answer from me. I didn't want to tell her what happened, because saying it would make it real. Somehow, I felt that if I could keep it to myself, then it wouldn't become real; it would just be a figment of my own imagination. I couldn't take that step just yet. And so I kept it to myself, and when the time would come, I would tell her all about it.

As soon as the bell rang, I bolted out of my seat and headed straight outside, before Ethel could catch up and pose some more of her frustrating questions. I dumped my books in the locker and walked out before anyone else could stop me. I need to get home and inform mother of the crazy decision that father had taken. She was the only one who could convince him to stop this madness. Ergo, she was my only hope.

It was a ten minute walk back home from school. I usually took the time to listen to some music while I walked, tuning out every little bit of noise around me. But to my dismay, I found that I had forgotten my headphones at home. And to say that the streets turned into a circus after the bell was an understatement. Everyone turned into a wild animal on their way home, and the many cliques which I had come to know so well would peel off and chatter loudly until we reached Downing street, where the crowds would slowly start to disappear and I would be free to continue straight on, being the only one heading in that direction.

First came the jocks, who made it a competition amongst themselves to see who could be the loudest. There were fifteen of them who walked home everyday, while the rest either took the bus or had their own rides. Their group was the rowdiest, and the one I sought to clear quickly enough. All they ever did was talk about girls, football, and the annual hunt which some of them participated in.

Then came the stoners, the ones who were always high. No one ever saw them with drugs, and yet somehow they were always tipsy and swaying across one side of the street to another. Father warned me that if he ever saw me hanging around with any one of them, I would be disowned and stripped of my birthright. I steered clear of this group as well.

The GMEs, or the Greek Mythology Enthusiasts were another party I just didn't mind, a small group of six people who only ever talked about Greek gods and their power. One could always find them arguing about who would win in a fight between Hades and Poseidon, or Athena and Aphrodite, or Zeus and Kronos. I actually didn't find them so irritating, because I could relate to some of what they were saying. I read a lot about Greek mythology as well, and the topic of gods and demigods was one I could sit back and enjoy for some time. Unfortunately, they were quick to depart from my path, all six of them living in the same street which was only a stone throw from the school.

And then came Mr Joaquin, the big bad wolf of Blackburn High himself. His presence was usually the loudest, since he made it his mission to disrupt what little remained of the silence with his stupid motorcycle. He would slow down and talk to everyone, including the jocks, the stoners and the GMEs. Everyone liked him, and it was easy to see why with the way he engaged all of them like he was genuinely interested in what they had to say. I was the only one who seemed to be able to see past his facade. And usually, when he came roaring past on his bike, I would look the other way and pretend not to have seen him.

But today, he didn't come roaring on his bike. He walked calmly towards me, and what I found stranger than anything else was how he ignored every other group just to talk to me.

"Hey Alyssa," he muttered, falling into step beside me. I looked up at him, shocked by his appearance. He had taken off his jacket, and now he was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt which looked like it had been shrunk in the dryer. He wasn't even carrying single book, and it would have been hard for anyone who saw him to believe that he was coming from school.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, glancing back to make sure he was alone. "Where's Ethel?"

"I'm here to walk you home," he said simply. "Ethel has gone for a spin on my bike."

As he said that, a mental image of Ethel zipping across the highway flashed in my mind, and I nearly laughed. I mind-linked her to see if she was okay, and she told me not to disturb her because she was trying to concentrate.

"Well she seems like she's having fun," I said. Usually when a mind-link is formed, some of the emotions both people are feeling can seep through, and what I felt from Ethel was pure ecstasy.

We continued in silence, and very soon it got awkward for me. Joaquin and I never really spoke to each other. Our social circles were entirely different, or to better put it, he had a social circle and I didn't. I'd known him since middle school, when he offered me his jacket in the rain as I was feeling cold. His family was the only one I knew of that hadn’t spent their entire life in Blackburn. He and his widowed mother moved here when we were kids, and they had remained here ever since. I could somewhat remember the initiation ceremony when they were welcomed into the pack by my father, some seventeen years ago.

But we never really spoke. And although he was a constant part of my life, there was no middle ground to form a relationship. Except now, since he seemed to be dating my best friend.

"So," he said suddenly, "I hear your father was at the school today. Is everything alright?"

"For the most part," I replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's something personal," I said. And before I could stop him, I felt his presence in my mind as he started rummaging through my thoughts.

"Cut that out!" I snapped at him, hurrying up so I could put some distance between us. I hated whenever he tried to do that. I had told him several times to never read my mind, and his response was always the same. He simply couldn't help himself.

Each of us was born with our own special abilities, aside from our wolf powers. The strength and speed was a given, and it came naturally to all of us. Joaquin's was the ability to read minds, and Ethel's was the ability to walk through walls. The girl had never opened a door before in her life.

And as for me? Well I was born with the uncanny ability of being absolutely ordinary. I had no special powers, and apart from my wolf abilities, I was just like everybody else. Everyone found this strange, and when I was younger, my parents sought the help of the best healers they could find. But everyone said that I was fine, and all they had to do was give me some time. Perhaps that was why father was so pissed off with me all the time.

"You seem distressed," Joaquin said. "Is it about Damian?"

I glowered at him, furious that he had gotten deep enough into my mind to see the truth. But hearing Damian's name on his lips reminded me of the truth that I was trying to run away from. My heart sank at the memory, and I felt an inkling of hatred towards my own father for subjecting me to this punishment. This was all his doing, and no matter how much he might try to justify his actions, I knew that it came from a place of resentment. He wasn't doing this to help me. Instead, it was to spite me. He couldn't stand the thought that I would succeed him one day, and so he made it his life's mission to frustrate my life as much as he could while he remained in power. If he was going to go out, then it would be with a big bang.

"Alyssa," Joaquin said, "you shouldn't dwell on such negative thoughts. I understand the predicament you are in, but I can assure you that things are not as bad as they seem. Your father does not hate you. He's simply trying to look out for you, because he is worried about your future."

"And how would you know that?" I asked. "You don't know the way my father's thinks, Joaquin. No one knows what goes on in his head."

"You seem to have forgotten that you are speaking to the only person in this pack who can dive in and out of people's thoughts undetected," he said proudly, puffing out his chest with pride. I laughed at him, and my bad mood was somewhat lightened by his humor.

"So you've read my father's mind?" I asked.

"Once," he said. "It was this summer, before the hunt. We were gathered at the edge of Acre woods, and he was giving a speech about how we were going to go about it. I saw the opportunity to delve into his mind while he was preoccupied, and I stayed there for about five minutes before he started to notice that something wasn't right."

"And what exactly did you see?" I asked.

"Conflict," he replied. "Your father was torn between trying to keep you safe and allowing you to participate in the hunt like you asked. He felt bad for denying your request, but he kept trying to justify it by telling himself that it was because the hunt was too dangerous. He didn't want anything bad to happen to you, knowing that you are the future of this pack. But amidst all the conflict, there was an overwhelming sense of love for you. He cares about you deeply, Alyssa. And I'm sure that if he were the type to talk about his feelings, then you would know that without a shadow of a doubt."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe," I said.

"And why is that?"

"Because I've known the man my whole life," I said. "He isn't the type to care about how everyone else is feeling. If he wants to do something, he simply does it. And when I asked him about the hunt, he shut me down instantly without even thinking about it. You expect me to believe that he was concerned about my feelings after that?"

"Well, it's the truth," he said. "I have no reason to lie to you, Alyssa. Especially now that I'm trying to create a friendship with you for the sake of Ethel."

"So you guys are really that serious?" I asked.

"Ethel is simply amazing," he said with a dreamy look in his eyes. "Over the summer, I've come to realize what an amazing person she is. She has a kind heart, and she's always funny and lively. I don't have to pretend when I'm around her. And I don't know what the future holds for us, but I'm sure that it will be nothing but good things for both of us."

We'd finally reached my home, and Joaquin stood on the side walk with his hands in his pocket. "Listen," he said, "you're going to have to stick this one out. I'm sure if you just have a conversation with your father, he will explain the reason why he has acted the way he has."

"I hope you're right," I said. "Thanks for the walk though."

"Anytime," he replied, smiling at me. He turned around and walked away, while I headed into the house. Even from here, I could tell that both father and mother weren't in. I was glad for that, because I needed to be alone right now and sieve through my thoughts.

As soon as I touched the door however, something strange happened, and I was thrown into a panicked state. Everything went dark, and there was a shrill noise somewhere at the back of my mind. I couldn't see anything clearly, and the world seemed to spin out of control.

When I opened my eyes, I nearly screamed from shock. I was standing on the edge of a cliff, watching over what appeared to be a great battle. I couldn't understand what was going on, and now my heart was beating so wildly that I feared it would burst out of my chest.

The battle wasn't like anything I had ever seen. As far as I could see, there were several wolves hunting down each other ferociously. Blood and corpses were everywhere, and there were huge catapults which were launching flaming balls into the air.

Behind me, two people were battling each other with swords and shields. I turned around slowly, and when I saw who they were, fear cut through my heart like a knife.

It was a tall, burly man with blood all over his face and several cuts all over his body which were healing much faster than anything I had ever seen. He was moving deftly, hacking away at the smaller person who was weaving and darting out of the way. I couldn't understand what was going on, because the smaller person looked exactly like me. The only difference was that her hair was cut short, and she had a flaming tattoo on her left arm.

And then, quite suddenly, I was hurled away from the scene, and I found myself standing on the front porch once again, with my hand on the doorknob. I whirled around, and the only thing I could see was Joaquin walking away.

What in the hell just happened right now?

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