Damien - The Beginning

Chapter 3 - Grave Sin

Hayes rushed down the hallway, barging into Ansel's room, a wide smile on his face. Ansel looked up from his book, and smiled, shaking his head. Hayes grinned and shut the door.

"You're not gonna believe this, Ansel," he said excitedly, plopping down on Ansel's bed.

"Surprise, surprise. You got laid. Twice," Ansel clapped, placing the book down.

"The first didn't even count," Hayes laughed. "Since Monica sleeps with everyone."

"The second was your beloved Rose, I'm guessing? Sounded like her," Ansel smirked.

"She finally said yes man," Hayes beamed, his eyes glowing in happiness. Literally.

"Look at you," Ansel laughed, slapping the back of his head. "Grinning like the i***t you are."

"I can't help it, brother. I'm so happy I think my heart will explode," Hayes replied.

"Well," Ansel said, "imagine what will happen when you do it with your actual mate."

The smile on Hayes's face faltered, and the glow of his eyes began to die down.

"Do you think there's any way to, you know, reject your mate?" Hayes questioned, and Ansel's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I mean," Hayes sighed, sitting up straight. "What if we're in love with someone else already? What if we just don't like our-"

"Hayes," Ansel cut him off, sitting up as well. "You know you're talking like a human being who has just been introduced to the werewolf world?"

"No, I'm not," Hayes frowned.

"Yes, you are, man. You can't not like your mate. She'll be someone especially created for you. And you for her. How can you not like her? The kind of love and attraction you'll feel for her will be very different to what you feel for anyone else. I've heard that you feel literal sparks everytime their skin touches yours. Mates are really unmatched to anyone else you could ever fall for," Ansel explained.

"Has anyone ever not rejected their mates?" Hayes sighed.

"Well, there have been myths. About werewolves who simply detest their mates. You know, just bad people who are unable to feel any love, who are so drowned in darkness, that they are beyond redemption. There have been such werewolves who have disliked their own mates too. Because they're just incapable of feeling anything," Ansel replied. "And you, my friend," he grinned, placing his hand on Hayes's shoulder, "are one of the most emotionally sensitive werewolves I've ever met."

"Oh shut up," Hayes rolled his eyes, slapping his hand away.

"It's true. You're a true warrior, you don't think twice before destroying your enemy, but I've seen how you react when someone of our pack is hurt. It's the most admirable quality you have, if you ask me," Ansel smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, blah blah," Hayes waved him off. "So you're saying that jerks are able to dislike their mates?"

"Come on, Hayes," Ansel said, rubbing his temple. "Let this idea go, alright?"

"Fine, whatever. Rain on my parade," Hayes rolled his eyes. "I'll go ask Mom about it."

"Don't even think of doing that," Ansel warned. "Your mother will slap you. Really. She will. Stop acting like a dorky teenager, you ass. You'll forget all about Rose the second you see your mate. Don't trouble your parents over this."

"I will not," Hayes said with determination. "You'll see."

"Yeah, yeah," Ansel shook his head, rolling his eyes.

- - - -

Walter stopped himself from pacing around, his forehead covered in sweat and his palms weirdly itchy. He checked the time on his phone. It had been over two hours since he had been waiting outside the witch's lair. The witch, as well as the Luna of the Beasts of Helmfirth. He found it truly fascinating, that the Alpha had a witch for a mate. It must have been so much easier for him to rule, with someone so powerful by his side. Someone who could read the energies people gave off, who could tell in an instant if anyone meant any harm to them.

"Sir, Luna Blair has asked for you."

He got snapped out of his thoughts by the voice of a beautiful, young girl. She looked about his own son's age, and he couldn't deny that her beauty was exquisite. Walter instantly noticed the resemblance she held to the Royal Witch, and he smiled down at her.

"You're her daughter, aren't you?" Walter questioned.

"I am," she nodded, with a small smile.

"I can see the resemblance," Walter replied. "May I?" He asked, gesturing to her hand. She smiled and placed it in his, and Walter bent his head down to kiss it. His lips lingered for longer than they should have, his eyes stuck on her face the entire while.

The girl frowned, before withdrawing her hand from his.

"You are truly a beauty. I've never seen a girl so stunning before," Walter smirked, his eyes shamelessly glancing over her body. The girl stared at him silently, her eyes slightly narrowed, before she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Mister whoever the hell you are," she said, making Walter's smile twitch. "The Luna of Les bêtes de Helmfirth is not used to waiting for people. Especially for perverted men who try to flirt with her daughter."

"Oh, no, no," Walter instantly shook his head. "I wasn't flirting, Princess. It was a mere compliment."

"Well," she replied, raising her eyebrows, "keep them to yourself. Not just your compliments, but your eyes as well. They seem to wander."

"My apologies," Walter looked down at his feet, even though he didn't actually mean the apology.

"Just go inside," she rolled her eyes, before walking away from him.

Walter resisted the urge to turn around and see what her ass looked like, as well as the one to tame the beast inside of that girl. He realized he had more pressing matters to attend to, and went straight inside. He was immediately surrounded by a pleasant, lavender scent, and the dim lighting of the room added to the sense of calmness and tranquility. Despite the soothing ambiance of the room, as soon as Walter set his eyes on the Luna, his heart started to race in fear and anxiety.

"Walter," Blair acknowledged, giving him a small nod.

"Luna Blair," Walter smiled, emphasizing on her title. He walked further, closer to the chair she was seated on. It looked more like a throne actually, decorated with a beautiful emerald on the top of its back rest. It was the mark of Les Bêtes de Helmsfirth, the signature of their Royalty.

"Sit," she gestured at the ordinary wooden chair in front of her, and Walter quietly obliged.

"How have you been?" He asked, trying to ease his own nerves. He was terrified on the inside, unsure of what her answer would be. Whether she'd help him or not. He knew the visit could go horribly wrong, and he could end up getting killed in that very chair. After all, he had committed the greatest sin of the werewolf world.

"Never been better," Blair replied, slightly shifting in her seat to get more comfortable. The aura she was radiating was the same as always: glorious and confident. Yet something was different. She looked a lot more mysterious than Walter remembered her to be. She always used to be expressionless, her face stoic. But that day, she looked like a real block of ice. Impossible to read.

"That's great," Walter smiled, intertwining the fingers of one of his hands with the other.

"Well?" She raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here?"

"I actually need something from you," Walter replied, trying his best to put on a confident front.

"Before you say anything else, Walter, I should remind you that I'm the Luna of the Beasts of Helmfirth now. Choose your words carefully," Blair warned, although her voice was still as calm and smooth as ever, her expression still unreadable.

"No matter how much I actually want to ask you for that," Walter replied, smirking, "that's not it." He took a deep breath. "I did something I should not have done."

"Tell me something new," she replied, looking bored.

"Blair," he sighed. "I turned a human."

Blair's eyes widened, and Walter could see the shock on her face. Suddenly, she did not look like an ice block anymore.

"You did what?" She snapped, her eyes now narrowed to slits.

"I'm sorry! I swear it was a mistake. I didn't mean to," Walter raised his hands up in surrender, while making a futile attempt to calm the witch down.

"You do not dig your fangs into someone without meaning to, Walter! Do you take me for a fool?" Her voice boomed through the room, and Walter's eye twitched at her tone. Normally, he would have grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the wall, squeezing the air out of her to shut her up. Maybe he would have squeezed something else as well. But, at that moment, he needed to keep his calm and suppress his anger, because he needed her help.

"It was a mistake, alright? We were having s*x and I accidentally bit her. I forgot that she wasn't Selene. It was an accident!" he tried to explain, but by the look on Blair's face, he could tell she wasn't convinced.

"Why have you come to me, Walter?"

"Because I need your advice. Please, help me. For the sake of our friendship." For the first time in his life, Walter was begging for help from someone. And he detested it.

"We were never friends, alright? We were two lonely people who used to screw. That changed when I found out that you had been cheating on your mate with me. Do not, call me your friend ever again. Do you understand?" She warned, her jaw clenched.

"Alright," Walter said softly, nodding. "We weren't friends. But we aren't strangers either. Can you please help me? For the sake of whatever we had?"

"What the hell am I supposed to do for you?" Blair asked in disbelief.

"You tell me what I should do. You're the smart one here. One with all the ideas. Help a man out," Walter insisted. "And help me out as the witch of Helmsfirth, not the Luna of the Beasts. Please."

She stared at him with her jaw clenched in anger, completely silent. After a few seconds, she looked away from him, cursing under her breath.

"Alright. I need you to answer all my questions honestly," she said. "Did that girl want to be turned?"

"Um, I'm not sure since that's not what you normally talk about during s*x," Walter smiled. Blair bit her tongue in order to stop herself from cursing at him.

"What was her name? Where does she live?"

"I don't really know. Didn't ask," he shrugged.

"Well, where is she right now?" Blair rolled her eyes.

"How am I supposed to know? She ran away!" Walter replied in annoyance.

"The hell?" Blair asked, frowning in confusion. "You didn't go after her? You let a transitioning human just run off?"

"Well, she outran me," he replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"How is that even possible?"

"She hit me in the head with a vase."

"So you let her run?"

"I fainted!"

"You, a werewolf, got knocked out by a freaking vase?" Blair looked at him like he was crazy.

"I had injected myself with Wolfsbane. Wanted to let go of thoughts for a couple of hours," Walter confessed.

"Another crime," Blair shook her head in disbelief, closing her eyes.

"There's a way we can find her. She may go to the police," Walter said.

"And tell them that a guy turned into a werewolf and bit her? No one will believe her. She won't do that," Blair shook her head.

"She could tell them about how I tried to suffocate her with a pillow, though."

- - - - - - -