Awaken

Chapter 8 * may be sensitive to read *

    *** NOTICE TO READERS: I placed a disclaimer because Alaric will experience some trauma in this episode, however, it is not anything relating to: assault of any nature, physical contact abuse or harm from any physical force and I just wanted to bring awareness before reading.  Thank you.

 The room was silent when Nova finished speaking.  Cora and Rosalie sat stoically, taking in everything she had told them.  Rosalie held one of the twins at her bosom, Cora had a protective hand over her stomach.  She knew she was asking them to put themselves in a risky position for the sake of her own child, but she needed them if the ritual was going to be successful.  Alaric needed them.  Dia was pacing back and forth in her mind waiting for one of them to speak, and she could see Maverick from the corner of her eye, his arms crossed as he leaned against a wall, worry etched all over his handsome face at what she had just revealed.  Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, but she held them back.

     Finally, Rosalie cleared her throat, passing the baby to Felix before turning her attention toward Nova.  " You are like a sister to me, Nova, and our wolves themselves are related.   Alaric is my family.  I swore to you, and Joan swore to you, that we will follow your lead in any event.  If you need us to help rid Alaric of this dark force, we are there.  No hesitation" she said firmly.

    Across the table, Cora nodded.  " I will admit, little sister, I have some fear.  You all know that I am pregnant, but, I trust you more than anyone else, even Maverick.  If Dia says you need me in order for Alaric to be healed, then you have me.  But, we must be smart about this.  It's obvious someone or something, most likely Jagson, has a negative grip on my nephew.  Where will we perform this act?  Will it be just the three of us and Alaric?"

   Nova let out a sigh of relief.  She wasn't sure why she had been so worried, but the fear they wouldn't help her had been magnificent.  She reached her hands across the table, toward the two women she loved most in the world.  They smiled as each took a hand, Cora nodding for her to speak.

    " There is a small cluster of caves just beyond the port.  I thought perhaps we would take Alaric there after dusk tomorrow.  Any energy that is cast from him could be held in the cave for Rosalie to extinguish.  It's far enough away from the village, no one should be at risk of any harm" Nova said.

    Cora c****d her head to the side.  " And will we go alone? If it is actually some work of Jagson's I think it would be in our best interest to take a handful of others with us in case he tries anything while we are performing the ritual" she mused.

      Nova sighed, nodding her head in agreement.  " You're right.  Perhaps Mikael, Ronan and Maverick could come with us.  Leave Felix and Dennis in charge here at home. "

      Maverick stepped forward, placing his hands on the table next to her.  " If you are waiting for dusk, it wouldn't hurt for a few vampires to come.  Their bite is deadly to a wolf."

      Nova offered him a small smile, she knew he wasn't suggesting.  " Alright love, we will bring Dianna and a couple other vampires as well."

      His eyes searched hers for a moment.  They were soft, a glimmer of fear behind them at what they were discussing.  He placed a kiss on the top of her head.  " That settles it then."

      There was a somber feeling around the room and Nova couldn't help but feel responsible for the tension in the air. She shook it off, Alaric was her son, and if he was suffering, she would do anything to end whatever was terrorizing him. She stood from the table, wishing everyone a good night and went to seek out her young son.

Alaric was playing with some of the other children when Nova found him. They were nestled up together in a group in the main room of the inn, playing with odds and ends. Nova smiled, seeing Alaric and Draven sitting side by side, passing a wooden boat back and forth between them. She gasped as Alaric lifted the boat up, his eyes connecting with hers as he brought it smashing down onto Draven's fingers, a loud shriek coming from the other boy. She wasted no time rushing to them, Alaric still holding the stoic look on his face as Nova scooped Draven into her arms, quickly examining the injured fingers. A screech pierced the air and to Nova's surprise it was coming from Alaric. He was sitting at her feet, his face dry from any tears, but screaming while she held an injured Draven close to her. Draven stared at his little friend, a look of fear on his face, silently crying. They were quickly joined by a worried Dianna and Nova passed Draven to his Mother, kneeling down to face her own son.

  Alaric was still shrieking, screaming, nonsensical blubbering coming from his mouth as his Mother gently took his face in her hands. " Alaric, my prince, what's wrong, what hurts you?"

Just as suddenly as he had started, Alaric stopped, closing his mouth abruptly as he turned his green eyes on to his Mother. Nova was bewildered at their glow, the boy not yet having his wolf. In a sudden jerk of movement, he wrapped his chubby hands around her face. " You will die, Mother" he growled.

Despite her efforts, Nova couldn't help but to jump back from the boy, fear creeping up and down her spine. The boy who spoke was her son, but the voice, it didn't belong to him, and he spoke the words much more clear than his normal toddler babble. She c****d her head at him, searching her son for some apparent force or energy, some sign of whoever was invading her sweet boy.

  She inched herself closer, placing his face into her own hands. " Seek inside him again Nova. Be mindful, I will not be able to hear you just like before" Dia instructed.

  Nova nodded, closing her eyes as Alaric struggled beneath her hands. She held him firmly, praying to the Goddess she didn't harm her child in her efforts to heal him. Her light flowed through their connection, and she could hear the distant sound of Maverick's voice as she pushed deeper inside the mind of their young child. He was telling her to stop but Nova could feel herself shaking her head as she delved further. Finally, she reached Alaric's mind, and just as before, she felt herself projected, could see herself standing on the dark path inside his core.

The shadows swirled around her, like a black cloak, the sounds coming from within them loud and howling, like a creature in pain. Snarls and growls surrounded her and she turned in a circle trying to find their source. She took a step forward, lifting an arm against a shadow that rose in front of her face, clearing her vision of the path she was on.    Somehow, the space felt familiar, as though it were her own, or a place she frequented. Her opal began to thrum, and she tapped it, it's light blasting forward like a beacon in the night sky.

She held her breath as she walked the pathway, the snarling becoming louder and louder. Every so often, she took a glance behind her shoulder, worried the " bad lady" would somehow make another appearance. But Nova saw no indication of the red eyes, no chill of death creeping toward her. She sucked in her breath, walking further into the dark. A low growl to her right caused her to turn sharply. A short distance away, she could see there was an image walking toward her, stealthily at that. It's stance was low, and whatever it was had green eyes much like Dia's. But,        Nova felt no fear, not like the last time, and she found herself walking toward the figure instead of away.

Shock spread throughout her body, both physical and in her projection. Alaric's Wolf was face to face with her. That's why she felt the place was so familiar, this was his mind space. The sacred place for human and wolf and she was intruding. The wolf lowered his head at her, his teeth bared as he snapped and snarled in her direction. The animal was magnificent, even larger than Dia, ebony in color with the eyes that glowed green like the highest flame. Instinct took over and Nova bowed herself in it's presence, a hand reached gingerly in the wolf's direction.

He was an Alpha alright, pulling himself to his fullest height as he took in her scent and behavior. He kept his canines out as lifted her hand with his snout, absorbing her scent. Her presence in their mind space was unheard of, unnatural, and the fact that the great Alpha wolf was awake while his human still a child was a phenomenon, and he knew it. Satisfied that Nova meant no harm, he lowered her hand, moving closer to her, circling her as though sizing up who she were. She held her breath as he sat on his hind, and though his eyes never left her, Nova knew he was searching through the young child's memories. It didn't take long. The moment he recognized her as Mother, the massive wolf was lowering his back to her and Nova jumped on with no hesitation.

   He ran, and Nova couldn't help but feel amazed at just how deep the mind space truly was. She ducked her head against the swirling abyss of darkness they sped through, the horrific sounds coming from them bringing her to tears. Her son was suffering and she was angry about it. This aggressive behavior unlike him, almost torturing him. Before too long, the wolf stopped, lowering himself for Nova to jump off. What she saw made her drop to her knees. In front of her hung rows and rows of vine like substance, and she could only assume it was somehow connected to Alaric's issues. A cluster of them jerked upward and downward, to and fro as though some phantom force were tugging on the child's brains.

Nova placed her hands on the mass of cord, and was immediately flung backward, her hands burning in pain. She pushed herself up, gritting her teeth. This is what needed to be healed, fixed. The cords began to move faster, as though someone were yanking on them , and a shadow began to weave itself in an out of the cords. It wrapped itself around her, pulling her back making it impossible for Nova to reach her goal. Alaric's wolf paced beside her, howling, snapping it's teeth at the shadow. Still, it clung to her, working it's way up her body, squeezing tightly, making it difficult for her to breathe. She struggled against her, her feet kicking weakly from beneath it's grip as it lifted her up in the air. Below her, she could see the black wolf leaping, trying to grab the bottom half of the force that held her suspended. A black wisp traveled across her chest, covering her mouth as Nova tried to wrench her head out of it's direction.

Her body began to shake violently and the air was robbed from her lungs. Her eyes squeezed shut as the shadow rose up , intent on engulfing her. Suddenly, a roar broke through. Maverick was calling for her, his voice booming from the depths of Alaric's mind. That's why she was shaking. He was trying to pull her back as he had that morning. Another voice joined him, and she could tell it was Cora, screaming for her to wake up. A flash of green sprung out from her chest, and the shadow dropped her, leaving her to fall on to Alaric's head space with a resounding thud.

The landing was enough to jar her back to her physical form. When her eyes opened, Alaric was staring at her, blood running from his nose, his face covered in big tears. The world seemed to melt away from Mother and son as she embraced him, gathering him closely. " Alaric, I promise you, Mommy is going to save you" she whispered in his ear.

He didn't reply, just wrapped his arms around her neck, the blood from his nose smearing across her shoulder, it's iron tint hitting her nose. She felt his body go limp as she stood with him, passed out in his Mother's arms from the experience. Placing a protective hand over her only child's head she turned to face her family.

   " Nova. What. The. f**k. Was. THAT!" Maverick boomed, his crystal eyes flashing in anger. " What did you do to him? He's bleeding! I have been screaming for you for over thirty minutes now!" he shouted at her.

She could see the tears in her mate's eyes. " Maverick, you know I would never harm him! He is my son! OUR SON!" she roared back. " I understand you are afraid but don't ever insinuate that I intentionally have brought him harm! I love this child more than life itself and you of all people know that!" she finished, her voice cracking as she began to sob.

   Cora's face was pale as she stepped forward, but her eyes were set in steel. " Nova, Maverick, please, stop shouting at one another. Nova, I have to agree with Maverick in the sense that whatever you were doing seemed to be hurting Alaric, but I certainly don't believe you would do it with intent" " What is it little sister, what did you see?" she questioned, motioning for them to sit.

   Nova refused Maverick's hand, angry with him for having assumed that she would ever injure their son while loving him for his fierce protection of the boy. She blinked back tears as she sat, holding Alaric close to her. After taking a few breaths, she explained to her mate and her twin what had just happened, how she had met Alaric's wolf and he took her to the source of Alaric's sudden behavior. Maverick lowered his head in shame as she explained what had happened to her and guilt struck her. She reached her free hand out to him, relieved when he took it. They were both afraid. By the time she had finished telling her story, Rosalie, Dianna and Ronan had all joined them.

Rosalie cleared her throat after several moments of silence had passed. " Joan says the fact that you met Alaric's wolf is sign enough that we are dealing with something very evil. Everyone knows wolves stay dormant until it is time for the first shift. She said it wasn't you who woke him, but the dark presence itself. Just by the way you described him meeting you, he was woken by the need to protect his human." she said softly.

   Nova nodded. " Yes, that makes sense. I could tell the very moment he recognized me as Alaric's Mother, or at least not a threat because it was then that he helped me. When the shadow had it's grip on me, he was desperately trying to free me from it, but it's almost like he isn't strong enough yet".

   " Yes. Joan said that you were not the cause of Alaric's reaction, but rather his wolf. He took the same blows as his counter part did while fighting the force that had it's grip on you. She says her sister isn't wrong, that this is indeed the work of dark magic, something very sinister at play" Rosalie advised.

  " As soon as I heard Cora's voice, my opal woke up, the very force of it is what caused the shadow to let me go" Nova murmured.

   Rosalie nodded. " Yes, her connection as your sister and the strength of the onyx was enough to fight the shadow. Joan says this is why you both are needed to cast the magic out. You heal, while Cora fights".

" My sister is right, it makes sense. I hate that I wasn't able to be there, to save you from whatever had a hold on you" Dia snarled.

   Nova let out a small chuckle. " Dia is annoyed she missed the action but agrees with Joan. After what I've just witnessed and experienced, and what Alaric has been through, I know more than ever we have to cast this thing away from him. He and Draven argue, but it's becoming more and more physical, and only on Alaric's end".

" This is true. Draven has two broken fingers, Alaric being a toddler himself, he must have hit him with outlandish force at their age" Dianna spoke up, her tone soft and full of worry.

" Oh Goddess! Diana, I am so sorry, please, please bring him here, let Auntie help his boo boos to feel better!" Nova exclaimed, silently kicking herself in the ass for forgetting all about the initial injury.

Dianna bit her lip between her teeth, her eyes slightly pointed at the still sleeping Alaric. " I don't know....what if the young King wakes up angry ?" she questioned.

   Nova searched her friends eyes for a moment, wanting so badly to defend the child she held, but understanding Dianna's fears after all that had transpired. Sighing, she gently passed Alaric to his Father, giving Maverick a kiss as they transferred their son. She reached a hand out to Dianna, who promptly took it.

  " Dianna, I am sorry that all of this has happened. I am sorry for Draven and for Alaric, but I promise you that I am going to save my son so that neither of them have to live a life of fear in any way" she vowed.

Dianna gave her hand a tight squeeze. " Ah, sweet Nova, Alpha Queen that you are. I know that you will. And when you go to cast the demons from that boy, I will be with you" she swore back.