Wolfe's Blind Moon

07 ~ The Mate Bond's Magic

5 days earlier…

Wolfe waits impatiently for his older brother to come back from the town hall as Wulfric applies for permission to participate in the village's summer fair.

Sitting with Fang and Scout on a bench in the town square, Wolfe feels restless. Have been feeling that way since they arrived in this town in the middle of nowhere, actually.

"He's been there for ages, do you think something's wrong?" He asks Fang, who just shrugs.

Scout snickers. "Maybe the mayor needs more convincing. I like the previous lady. Took one look at him and didn't even ask anything, just signed the papers and told him she was free for dinner. What a she-wolf in a human body!"

Wolfe and Fang roll their eyes at him.

"That lady, as you so nicely put it, would have set the camp on fire if she knew what we really were. Told Wulfric she was allergic to dogs." Wolfe shakes his head. "Can you imagine?"

Fang frowns. "She ain't allergic. She wasn't sneezing or breaking out in hives. I think she just doesn't like dogs at all. Not even those cute little ones that can fit into teacups. How can someone not like those!?"

For all his scary name, Fang is actually a gentle giant who adores tiny things.

"Wulfric narrowly escaped that one. Man, she was just as clingy as her perfume. I met her once, didn't even come too close but I had to wash my clothes three times to get rid of the smell." Wolfe shudders at the memory. "Wulfric had a horrible headache for days!"

Wulfric's arrival stops them from clucking like old hens waiting to lay eggs.

"Hey, you wouldn't answer the mind link! We were getting worried. What took you so long?" Wolfe blurts out.

Wulfric sighs. "There was a long line and lots of people kept talking to me. The summer fair has drawn a lot of vendors and visitors. I had to ask for permits for both the stalls and the campsite. We have been granted the northern forest area, with a warning not to disturb the owner of the little house situated at the edge of the village. Some sort of very valued and cherished citizen. They send people to watch out for her every now and then, apparently."

"I wonder what's so special about her. Must be an old hag who hates everyone and shoots anyone who comes close." Scout says.

Wolfe laughs. "I can't imagine a miserable and bitter old hag being titled a valued and cherished citizen."

"Perhaps they were just being polite."

Wulfric leads them back to their wagon. "Let's go get the rest of the pack. One of you please go and check that person so we'll have an idea of who we're dealing with. I don't like the fact that people will be able to come too close to our camp. One could get curious enough to want to observe us from afar. Fang, take Cotton with you as backup, don't come too close, just observe the person for a few hours. Wolfe, I need you to stay and help me organize the camp. Scout, go find Tail and go back to the town centre for more supplies. Oh and tell Whisky to help Muz with the pups. One of them keeps wandering."

The rest of their party was waiting at the eastern border.

The day passes quickly when one is very busy and before they know it, it is nighttime and they are all seated in front of the fire eating dinner. The pups had been fed earlier and are now asleep.

Fang and Cotton are back in time to join them.

"Only a young lady lives there. Oh, thank you very much." Fang reports, thanking a young she-wolf for the food she handed him. "She went out in the late afternoon and hasn't come back since. We waited for a few more hours after she left but there was no other movement inside the house and she's still not home right now."

Wulfric nods. "Alright. Please check again in a few hours when you make the perimeter run. Those in patrol shifts must do that as well, even during the day. We will observe her for 3 days and see how things are. Watch out for the villagers who will be coming to check on her too."

The next patrollers report that the young lady seems to follow a routine, doing her tasks during the day, and in the late afternoon, she always leaves and comes back very late at night. Nobody has come to check on her yet, despite the clerk's claim that they check on her all the time.

The only odd thing that they report is that the young lady never lights a lamp at night. The house is always dark.

On the third night, Wulfric sends Wolfe to patrol the area at night, together with Scout.

The sky is illuminated by a beautiful half-moon that night.

He and Scout are making stupid bets on who can reach the top of the mountain and go back down first.

Wolfe is about to win when Howl suddenly takes control.

"Hey! What the hell—?"

Howl turns to the right and runs towards the house of the young lady.

"Howl—!"

"Listen, you dum**ass!" Howl snarls.

Wolfe grumbles but listens anyway.

At first, all he could hear was someone simply humming. But soon enough, a sweet voice is filling the air as if the faes of old have returned to make the flowers bloom with their song.

Here comes the north wind

To take my cares away

Here comes the north wind

To ease my soul's despair

Howl steps back from the helm and Wolfe quickly shift into human form. He runs to the nearby tree where Scout has a stash of clothes and grabs only a pair of pants, uncaring about his bare feet and torso.

A shiver goes down his spine as the voice of the young lady rises with the song's ascent.

His heart thuds wildly in his chest, wanting to burst. An incredibly strong pull makes him want to hurry but he can't afford to be seen so he has to be careful.

Her voice is enchanting.

Intoxicating.

He steps closer as quietly as he can, not wanting her to stop singing.

The voice is so pleasant to the ears, a gift from the gods and it would be a sin to stop her.

Through the long dark night

I battle demons

Lurking under my bed

pulling me under

messing with my head

But all through the dark nights

the north wind rattles my window

and I'm never alone, no, no...

Not alone...not alone...

as long as the north wind still blows

He finally sees her sitting on a rocking chair, her eyes closed as she sings, as if trying to recapture a fading dream.

Howl starts howling, running around his head in crazy circles as soon as Wolfe laid eyes on her. "MATE! MATE MATE MATE MATE!!!"

Scout's confused thoughts intrude in the most precious of moments. "Hey, Wolfe, what happ—-"

"SHUT UP!!!" Wolfe and Howl shout in unison, making Scout whine in submission as it was laced with the tone of an alpha command.

Wolfe doesn't care. He is currently being altered forever.

Everything that he thought he knew, all the things that were important to him, his every thought and deepest desire, all fade away in the background as the young lady unknowingly takes centre stage.

His body is burning. His mind with it. An ethereal fire is melting his whole being, preparing it to be moulded into something new.

The mate bond is at work.

And now the dawn is nearing

and I feel the blessed wind rising

and I wonder, I wonder

What they mean when they say

That life is a game

we all play unfair…

Wolfe stares greedily at her, the pull of the mate bond intensifying by the second.

The moon goddess has blessed him with the perfect soulmate.

Even in the darkness, he can see her clearly. She has long thick dark hair that makes him want to bury his nose in it.

Sitting down makes it difficult to tell but she seems tall.

He wishes to see her eyes opening soon, wondering what colour they are, anticipating their reaction, and hoping she finds him as pleasing as he finds her. She smells human but would she be able to feel the mate bond?

The more I think about it

The more I see the truth

the time spent in loving

Was the best part of my youth…

He couldn't help himself. He joins her in the last part of the song and she was rewarded with her eyes finally opening, even though she was frowning into the darkness.

"Hello? Who is there?" she calls.

"What a beautiful moon I've been blessed with tonight. I have finally found you."

"Smooth." Howl inserts in his head. "Cheesy but smooth."

"Not now, jerk! Shut up!"

"Who are you?" She asks.

He steps closer into her line of vision, wishing it was daytime or that at least she has a lamp on so she can see him better too, and like what she'll see.

He has no problem seeing in the dark but it's probably not the same for her.

"If I may say so, you have the voice of an enchantress...I have never heard such wonderful singing in all my life."

Howl hums approvingly in his head.

Wolfe notices her hands trying to find something and understanding dawns upon him. She is looking for something to defend herself with.

Strange.

But not unreasonable.

Perhaps it's because she doesn't understand the mate bond, being human and all.

She must be confusing the emotional turmoil of the mate bond with the fear of a strange man suddenly talking to her in the middle of the night.

He stays rooted on the spot, a proper distance away to make sure she doesn't panic.

"Please don't be afraid. I was passing nearby when I heard you singing and I couldn't help but be drawn to it. I mean you no harm, truly."

She seems to be torn between self-preservation and curiosity. In the end, the latter wins and she stays right where she is.

She nods.

"Will you tell me your name, little one?"

Her lips form an almost smile. "I haven't been called a little one since I was seven years old…How tall you must be if you can say that to me."

Wolfe frowns. What can she possibly mean?

The moon is not as bright as it would have been if it were a full moon, but there is enough light to see and judge his height.

Then he notices something that made his heart drop to his feet.

His stomach begins to churn and he feels cold.

Her eyes. Her beautiful silver eyes.

They are not focused on him.

They are looking in his direction but they wouldn't lock with his own.

"Her eyes…they cannot see us." Howl laments, grief, and pain overcoming the previous elation and high of finding our mate.

"You...you cannot see me?" I ask, dumbly.

Her smile is sad as she tilts her head to the side and blinks. "I hope it doesn't give you strange ideas. I may not be able to outrun you for long but I will fight you until my very last breath."

Wolfe feels like the air around him is suffocating him.

Howl has an even worse reaction. He takes control while Wolfe is still reeling from the realisation and shifts before running away as fast as he could, his paws barely touching the ground, almost flying as he speeds away from our mate.

Wolfe lets him take the reins.

It's unfair.

It's so unfair!

She will never be able to see us. Never feel the thrill of watching his love and desire shining in my eyes. She cannot see…him.

Howl reaches the top of the mountain in no time and stares at the moon, hurting for his mate and her unfortunate fate.

He howls in despair. Their mixed pain is almost tangible as his cry echoes through the forest and is heard even in the village.

"HOWL!"

Wulfric's voice echoes in his mind, tearing them both away from their concentrated anguish.

"HOWL, SHUT YOUR TRAP AND SHIFT TO WOLFE NOW! I DON'T CARE HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE YOU TO WALK! RETURN TO CAMP IMMEDIATELY!"

It was a direct alpha command and despite his misery, he couldn't help but obey.

He shifts back to Wolfe and walks dejectedly down the mountain.

Wulfric is livid when he finally makes it back to camp.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" His normally calm brother snarls. "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET US KILLED!? IF THERE ARE HUNTERS IN THIS TOWN YOU HAVE JUST DOOMED US ALL!"

Wolfe pales, the thick fog of self-centred distress suddenly lifting from his head and even Howl stops his internal lament, just now understanding the gravity of what they have done.

Wulfric mind links everyone. "No one is allowed to shift in the next few days. If there are hunters in the village they will be mobilised soon, if not already. We have to observe what will happen first. The fair begins tomorrow, we will carry on as planned so as to avoid suspicion."

Scout and a few others were ordered to walk around the forest and mountainside to try to erase any traces or signs of wolf activity that may point to anywhere near their camp.

They carry crossbows with them as props, to claim they are hunting the wolf they heard, just in case they meet real hunters.

Muz and Whisky were ordered to never let the pups out of their sight and another wolf was designated to give them a hand because you never know with children.

Wulfric brusquely turns to enter his tent, ignoring his brother and Wolfe follows, walking gingerly behind.

"What happened?" Wulfric asks angrily, not beating around the bush.

"Mate. I found her." Wolfe answers, his head bowed low.

Silence. Then Wulfric sighs.

"Oh, Wolfe. Is it the young lady living at the edge of the village?"

Wolfe nods. "She's… she's human and… she's blind."

"I don't see anything wrong with that. What did she say to you that made you lose your control over Howl?"

Wolfe raises his eyes and stares at Wulfric in confusion. "I…"

"Being human and being blind…none of those is her fault." Wulfric says pointedly.

Wolfe blushes. "Oh, I know that. I just…the mate bond was just so overwhelming…and then we just sort of lost it when…"

Now that he thinks back to what happened, it does seem like an overreaction.

Wulfric sighs. "I understand that the mate bond is very powerful indeed. It will make you feel vulnerable with the new and raw emotions and it takes a very strong will not to be overcome." He speaks in a low voice. "But you are an alpha too, Wolfe, albeit second born. You are stronger than most wolves, please remember that. Act like it. You have a responsibility to this pack. The moon goddess pairing that blind young lady with a werewolf, an alpha, for the record…do you not think that perhaps there is more than meets the eye in this situation?"