Love’s Eternal Fire

Chapter 16: An Ending

Kesiray's POV

Opening my eyes, I noticed a distinct smell of bacon and something sweet wafting all over our room. Reaching next to me, the bed was empty and cold.

"Solaris?" I called, sitting up.

"Yeah?" he called. Looking towards where his voice came from, he turned and carried a tray of food that he had just picked up from the coffee table in the sitting area.

"What's all that?" I asked as he approached with the tray.

"I thought you could use some breakfast before you went to help Luna Kivela teach her class today," he said, setting the tray next to me on the bed.

"Thank you," I told him, examining what he had brought me.

"You're welcome; I think I made friends with the head of the kitchen," Solaris joked.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, picking up a piece of toast.

"Yeah, she gave me a lot more than I asked for," Solaris said, indicating the entire tray of toast, bacon, pancakes, fruit, coffee, and orange juice.

“What time is it?” I asked, taking a sip of the coffee.

“It’s 8 o’clock,” Solaris said, helping himself to the breakfast.

“Kivela said the class starts at ten. Are you going to join us?” I asked.

“I think so; I have nothing else to do unless Savion wants to train for a little while,” he said.

“Why don't you two do that? You guys can train, and then you can join if I’m still teaching the class?” I suggested.

“Alright, we can show these wolves a thing or two,” he smiled.

We finished our breakfast, and I showered while Solaris returned the tray and leftover food to the kitchen. I was excited for today; this was the first day since Solaris and I had met again that I didn’t feel anxious about what was coming. We were safe, and soon, we would be back on our way to making a new home for ourselves. I hadn’t packed much in the way of workout clothes, but I did find one pair of shorts. I borrowed a black T-shirt from Solaris and called it a day. I was supposed to meet Kivela outside the pack house at nine forty-five so she could show me where we would be holding the class. She didn’t think it was best to do it in a classroom but rather in the woods, where she thought I would be more comfortable and show the students what I could do.

“Have a good time training,” I told Savion and Solaris as they left me standing on the pack house steps.

“You too!” Solaris called over his shoulder. “I love you!”

“I love you too,” I called back. A few minutes later, the front door opened, and Luna Kivela came out and looked lovely in a matching workout set.

"Kesiray, are you ready to show these wolves a thing or two? I think this will be good for them, considering some might be able to control elements if they've gifted wolves," she told me.

"I am!" I told her, joining her on her descent down the stairs. "I'm excited to be able to help. Before I left, I helped my friend Gwena teach some of the young fairies, and I enjoyed it."

"Good, I'd love for you to explain why learning about the earth is important and what it can teach them. These young wolves are so inclined to want a quick and easy fix to everything; they don't seem to understand the wonder that's all around them that the Moon Goddess has given," Kivela said.

"I understand; my older sister Thazel was so busy preparing to take over for my parents that she didn't have much time for things like understanding the elements, which seems strange considering she was going to be in charge of all the earth fairies," I thought.

Kivela took me to a large clearing in the woods. Blankets had been laid on the ground, but it looked like we had arrived before any students.

"Don't worry; my being here will ensure no one gives you a hard time. They know I don't tolerate such things," Kivela told me encouragingly. People started to trickle in, and it looked like most of the wolves I would be teaching were teenagers just before they gained their wolves. Many looked disapproving, but others looked at me, and I saw curiosity in their faces. They all took seats on blankets, waiting for Kivela to begin the class.

"I want to thank everyone for coming today. I know this is different from our normal instructions, but I figure we have a guest here, and we might as well use that to our advantage," Kivela said. "This is Kesiray Willowbead; I'm sure by now all of you know her story and why she's here. She and her mate Solaris..." A defined giggle ran through most of the woman when Kivela said his name. "Her mate, Solaris, will be leaving very soon, but she is a powerful earth fairy, and I think we can all learn a lot from her. You all seem so sure technology will always be there to help, but I want you to understand it might not always be, and when some of you gain your wolves, you might be gifted and can control the elements." Another shiver of excitement rippled through the crowd.

"The elements can teach us a lot without even being able to control them," I said. "Fairies rely heavily on earth healing and letting the earth teach us."

"Which is something I believe we should be learning as well," Kivela added. "Now, let's begin."

Most of the wolves in the class seemed interested in learning about the elements. Although I was an earth fairy, I knew all the other elements. Since I was the daughter of one of the leaders, my parents made sure I learned about all aspects during my tutoring. The class went well, and I pulled out all the tricks to get everyone excited about what could be accomplished. I talked about plant healing and how you can treat wounds when we're away from a hospital, and even Kivela seemed interested in listening to what I had to say.

I was a little sad when it was time for everyone to leave. I knew we would be leaving tomorrow, and this would be the last class I would get to teach for a while. I thought Solaris would come by, but he hasn't so far. He must have been having too much fun showing off with Savion to everyone else.

"Thank you for doing this," Kivela said, collecting the blankets on the ground.

"I had an amazing time, and I hope everyone took something from the lesson," I said.

"I think they did; I know I certainly did," she replied, smiling. Her smile quickly faltered, and she got a faraway look in her eyes.

"Is everything alright?" I asked when Kivela hadn't said anything else.

"Yes," she replied, blinking a few times and smiling. "Bastan was just mind-linking me about something."

"That's something I wish Solaris and I could do," I admitted. "He can do it with Savion, but not me."

"Consider it a blessing," Kivela told me. "It's probably nice not to always have someone in your head, especially as the Luna. If it's not Bastan, a pack member needs help."

"That sounds like a lot to handle," I told her.

"Being a leader and protecting people always takes a lot," she said. "Will you help me return these blankets to our storage shed?"

"Sure," I replied, collecting the few blankets still on the ground.

"Thanks. Normally, an omega would come out to do this, but I figure we're out here. We can take care of it," Kivela smiled. "Tell me more about your family."

"Well, I have my older sister Thazel, and she has a mate named Indi; he's a light fairy," I explained as I followed Kivela into the woods.

"Do they have any children?" she asked, looking around.

"Yes, two daughters, Libivia and Genevieve. I miss them so much, but I'm hoping I can one day explain why I had to leave," I told her.

"I know it must have been hard leaving everyone you love behind; I'm sure you love them very much," Kivela said.

"I do, but my friend Gwena was right. They kept me locked away for so long and tried to control me; now it's time I start living to make myself happy," I explained. Kivela fell silent as we walked deeper and deeper into the woods. "Where is this shed?"

"It's just down here. We keep it hidden because we keep many important things inside, and we don't want others getting their hands on it. I called it a shed, but it's more of a building," she told me.

Out of nowhere and from behind me, I felt hands all over, clamping down on my arms and shoulder, ripping the blankets from my hands. People were surrounding me, and I knew I was in trouble. Before I could react, something hard and hot clamped around my wrists; the burning sensation told me it was iron. One weakness of fairies was iron; it burned us and stripped away our powers.

"What the he**?!" I explained, trying to struggle against my captors. Kivela was standing in front of me, still clutching the blankets to her chest, looking at me with sadness.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. From behind me, Alpha Bastan came to stand in front of me, looking stone-faced and cold.

"What are you doing?" I asked, still trying to escape the many strong hands holding me.

"I'm keeping my pack safe," Bastan told me without emotion. His words were hard and heavy, coming out of his mouth like bricks falling onto my chest and weighing me down. Another person appeared beside Bastan, and my stomach felt full of cement. My mouth went dry when I looked into Indi's face.

"Did you think it would take us long to find you?" he said, nose in the air, looking down at me.

"You can't do anything; Solaris and I had already marked each other; it's over!" I spat.

"Yes, we're aware of that," Indi said, sounding bored.

"You told me we were safe here!" I yelled in Bastan's direction.

"And I told you you would have refugee here as long as it didn't put my pack in danger," he said. "Indi and the head warrior to Solaris' clan came looking for you, threatening war if we were hiding you; I knew I couldn't let that happen."

"What? Where's Solaris and Savion?" I asked, looking at Indi.

"Don't worry, they're on their way back to their clan," Indi said, folding his hands behind his back.

"This won't keep us apart; we'll fight and find our way back to one another," I told him through my teeth.

"Not with what your parents have planned," Indi told me mockingly. Indi nodded his head. One of the people behind me placed something over my mouth; I inhaled a foul-smelling odor into my lungs, taken by surprise. Instantly, the world around me started to get dark. My body felt heavy, and soon, everything around me went completely black.