Origins : The Luna City Trilogy

(10) Secrecy...

Curling up on the sofa with a fresh cup of coffee clasped in my hands, I lose myself to the intuitive sense of wakefulness settling within while Isaac presses play on the first movie picked out for us to watch. Sinking into the overflow of scatter cushions propped behind me, my mind clouds itself inside a fogging mist of apprehension while this morning’s revelation plays itself on loop within my head. As the minutes trickle by and roll into hours, I struggle to unwind while the dull state of aching fatigue nestles inside of my muscles—refusing to grant me relief; stubbornly lingering as the day passes by while fading into the early evening. As the laughter of my hosts fills the room, I remain far too distracted to pay the movies any attention—struggling to join in while the best that I can conjure is that of a drifting smile. As my vacant eyes glass over, I fixate on the sickly beat echoing within my chest like an unrhythmic drum while glaring numbly towards the blurred images filling the screen. Unable to focus despite my persistent wilful attempts, I decide to silently run over all that I wish to say and ask as I wait for the arrival of this so-called Chief, the Alpha of the Shadow Pack.

Glancing up, my eyes find themselves drawn to the ticking clock teasingly placed above the television, antagonising me while I painstakingly watch the long hand make its way around the circular face. With my mind acting like a track circuit operating at full mass, my racing thoughts rush around with little to no direction. Jumping from one conclusion to the next, I struggle to find any clarity in the situation that I’ve found myself in—missing the wisdom-filled advice that Ash and Lillie would usually offer, making me wish even more that they were here. As if the weather were mirroring my sinking heart, a wave of dark clouds gather in the dimming sky outside while a brewing storm creeps across the Luna City—descending the once bright living room into a well of natural shadow. Catching my attention, I peer through the wall-length window and out towards the brightening cityscape; marvelling as I witness the concrete utopia come to life in the night’s eve, awakening within a sea of flickering lights.

Mesmerised by the scenic view unfolding, I fall unknowing to the livening others sat around me while the rolling credits play out in the background—remaining utterly oblivious to whatever film had just come to its end and whichever one was soon to begin, still reeling in enthrallment as I listen to the gentle patter of falling rain collide against the glass pane. Unknowingly prompting me to return from my drifting thoughts, Mato yawns abruptly while stirring at my side; wriggling as he kicks his legs from discomfort while awakening from his extensive nap. Appearing fed up with the cramped seats, Mato lazily slips off the sofa and stretches out before shaking his ruffled fur in a burst of movement. Darting a tiresome glance towards his sister, Dakota nods back knowingly while throwing up a mocking hand in solute as if she were a captain dismissing a soldier. Rolling his eyes, Mato sets off and sluggishly shuffles through the unlit room; heading toward the ascending stairs before silently slipping out of our sight.

Grabbing the notepad that Dakota had fetched for me earlier on in the day, I scribble curiously upon a clean page before turning it her way. “Where is he going?” I ask while Dakota reads over my unsteady writing, awakening her from the boredom induced slump that had condemned her into a tiresome submission. Sitting up stiffly, a relieved sigh pushes past her lips as she welcomes the distraction—appearing grateful for the exchange while Isaac remains indecisive about what he wants to watch next.

“He’s done for the night, so he’s heading up to his room,” Dakota cracks her neck from side to side, causing Isaac to dart a look of disgust in her direction.

“Do you all stay here, too?” I jot down curiously before flashing Dakota the notepad.

“Nope. It’s just me and Mato here with you. We moved in a few days before Doc approved your home care so that we could keep an eye on you while you recovered. I’m here most of the time, but Mato’s in and out. The poor lad still has a few more weeks to go before his Warrior assessment. So, for now, he needs to keep reporting to Tyler early in the mornings for training,” Dakota crosses her legs as she reaches out for her almost emptied mug, finishing the rest of her lukewarm beverage, “-I don’t envy him. I can’t say that I miss being a rookie,” she jokingly comments while wiping her mouth.

After hearing that the siblings had been uprooted from their lives to move into this place solely for me, I can’t help but think that my presence here is nothing more than an inconvenient burden. Battling my rising inner-guilt, I feel inclined to apologise while Dakota scans over my truthful words as they are being written down, “I’m sorry that you’re stuck here with me”. With softening eyes, Dakota tilts her head while shaking it from side to side, a musing smile tugging at her lips as if signalling that I wasn’t quite understanding what she was saying.

“Don’t be sorry. Honestly, I’m happy to be here with you. And anyway, I volunteered to do this just like Mato did. The fact that you’re here is,” Dakota pauses in amazement while carefully pondering over what she is to say next, “-well, let’s just say it’s the best thing that’s happened to our pack in a very long time. The Shadow Pack has gone through a lot over the past few years and even more so as of recently. Isaac can tell you that. Willow, your arrival has been a blessing,” she reaches out and places a squeezing hand upon my own; her tone oozing with reassurance, “-so please don’t apologise.”

“She’s right, you know? You might not have realised it yet, but your presence here has already changed so many things,” Isaac chimes in agreeance while wearing an earnest expression on his face—his attention swiftly dithering as his eyes flicker over to the bright glow erupting from the table while it illuminates the room, “-hang on a second,” he peers over towards his phone as it continues to buzz noisily against the glass counter, “-I’m sorry, you’ll have to excuse me for a moment. I’m going to need to take this,” his face toughens with seriousness while he quickly snatches up the device almost defensively.

Squinting away from his lit screen, Isaac shares an unspoken order with Dakota while his eyebrows lower sternly as his stare meets her own—making her sit up snappily while she grants him with her full, undivided attention. Clearing her throat, Dakota nods as if she were acknowledging some sort of secret message; making me guess that the pair had just exchanged words through their mind link. Dithering no further, Isaac hastily turns around and heads towards the vacant kitchen, allowing the swinging doors to chatter upon their close while he answers the incoming call—leaving the apartment to fall into silence apart from his faint voice mumbling in the neighbouring room. Unsettled by the building secrecy that continues to mount up, a flooding wave of anxiety courses within my body—leaving me to fidget within my seat as I accept its looming presence now that it has become an all too familiar acquaintance of mine, returning often with its unwelcomed frequent visits.

“I was thinking, little wolf. Would you like to go and get some fresh air once you’re steadier on your feet, hm? We could take a walk around the City park if you’d like?” Dakota senses my concern and attempts to distract me through her cheerful invitation, sliding herself into my direct view as I quietly continue to stare at the closed doors, “We could even visit some of the shops afterwards if you fancied it. We got the basics for you here, but I’m sure that there are a few things you’d like to get, hm?” she stands up gracefully, “You know, to make this place feel more homely? Plus, we really need to get you some clothes,” she swirls before striking a dramatic pose while placing her hands on her hips, forcing me to release a rasp, painful chuckle, “How about it?”

Caught in Dakota’s orchestrated trap of distraction like a fly stuck within a web, my eyes flicker to her while I nod excitedly—overly keen at the very suggestion as I suddenly feel desperate to stretch my legs and explore. Feeling like a bird trapped within a cage, I peer around the minimalistic room—realising how stuffy the apartment has grown to feel in just the passing time today, making the sound of escaping my well-intended prison that of a heavenly concept. Picking up my notepad, I messily write, “The walk sounds great but you’ve already given me so much. We don’t need to get anything else,” across an already cluttering page while Dakota shakes her head through a bemused smirk.

“To be fair, you haven’t really got much of a choice. The Chief has asked me to get whatever you might need and let’s be honest, as of right now, you have nothing here. We gotta’ sort you out, little wolf. Plus, it’s not every day that the Chief gives his card out. Like, ever,” she stresses through a giggle before flopping back into the plump sofa, “-just make the most of it. I know I would,” she winks encouragingly when Isaac re-enters the room, uttering his aggrieving goodbyes to the unknown caller before loathingly shoving the mobile into his back pocket.

“Oh no. I know that look. Is everything okay?” Dakota reactively tenses at the sight of her agitated Beta while he sits down, “What’s happened? Is it over?” she leans forward, her face slowly twisting into a scowl as if expecting the deliverance of bad tidings.

Raising his hands, Isaac presses his fingers into the sides of his temples and massages his reddening forehead—soothing the rippling veins bulging out from beneath his hairline while he lifts his feet to rest on the bare corner of the table before lounging back. While his eyes shift sternly, they appear much more assertive; harnessing an abundance of dominance, far greater than what he has already shown during my brief time here, when I warily sense his aura transform—now feeling stronger and more dominant, contorting the surrounding air accordingly. Shuffling back, I sense his anger ripple throughout the room, unable to escape its being as he struggles to rein it in. This must be his Beta side coming through.

“Uh, not really. There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that they did actually show up this time. The bad news is that they aren’t willing to compromise. So, as you can guess, the meeting hasn’t gone to plan. Elijah’s going to need a bit more time to smooth things over with them before he can make his way here,” Isaac dully answers through an exhaustion fuelled groan.

“Oh,” Dakota scoffs while crossing her arms angrily, “-I didn’t think that they’d play fair. I mean, did we honestly expect anything less? Nothing is ever easy when it comes to that pack of mutts,” she chews her lip mindlessly as if she were trying to hold back from saying something much worse, “-we should know that by now.”

“That’s true,” Isaac allows his hands to flop heavily onto his lap, leaving me to raise my eyebrows in bewilderment—completely lost at whatever it is that they are discussing, “-but you’d think that they’d have a little more respect for our kind’s ways. We haven’t evolved that much since the Blue Moon era to forget our biding traditions. Well, the Shadow Pack hasn’t at least.”

“Don’t worry about all of this nonsense, Willow. It’s just some boring business stuff,” Dakota waves her hand dismissively when she catches sight of my puzzled glare, her forehead remaining deeply creased despite her assurances.

Sensing this isn’t the time to press for more information, I smile and nod without question—unable to shake the lingering feeling that there’s more going on than just plain old business issues. Realising he may have said too much, Isaac drops his feet from the coffee table and sits up straight—reaching over to clean up the clutter of mugs and bowls lining what was recently his impromptu footstool.

“Speaking of, Elijah has asked me to head over there tonight to see if I can help wrap up the negotiations, but seeing as it’s getting late, I think it’s best if I just go over there right now,” Isaac shifts awkwardly, casting a glance of concern towards us, “-will you guys be okay on your own? It’ll probably be pretty late by the time it’s over, knowing them. So, I think I’ll just head back to the manor for the night if that’s alright? Seeing as it’s closer. Plus, I hate driving in the dark,” he comments glumly.

“Will we be okay? Are you serious, hm? Who do you think I am? Some incompetent pup?” Dakota almost sneers, sitting bolt upright while darting an infuriated glare towards him, “Talk about insulting,” she storms.

“Hey, I meant nothing by it,” Isaac erupts into laughter; riling Dakota up even further while he brushes his hand through his hair, making it ruffle backwards while exposing his distinct jawline, “-and watch that mouth of yours. If you were anyone else-” he snaps his head sharply while baring his teeth in a joking manner, “I swear you’d be in trouble,” he turns around while heading to the door.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dakota mutters flatly; paying Isaac’s teasing no further attention while he grabs his coat off the vintage coat hanger and puts it on, “-whatever. I can still wrap rings around you,” she muses in protest, causing him to grin widely.

“Maybe back when we were kids, you could. Now though? Well, I’m not exactly sure about that one,” Isaac refuses to accept her gloating claim, “-anyway, I better head off. I’m sorry for leaving in a rush, but this is important. I’ll be back to see you soon. Goodbye, for now, little wolf,” he smiles momentarily before unlocking the closed door and leaving without another word, allowing a sharp click to echo throughout the stillness of the room when the door slams shut behind him.

Staring at the door, I ponder while sitting in silence—unable to unravel the mystery of what’s going on, as it appears no clearer than it did before. Left puzzled and fancying my chances given that it’s only Dakota and myself here, I burst into movement while reaching for my almost filled notepad and scribble “What was that about?” before waving it to catch Dakota’s attention while she stares off into the distance, hoping for some honesty now that we are alone. With a drooping jaw, she stammers on her words; appearing unsure of how to answer while I raise a poised eyebrow her way, watching as she nervously brushes her hair over her shoulders while carefully contemplating what to say.

“I really can’t say too much right now. I wish I could, I really do, but for now, all you need to know is exactly what Isaac had said earlier. Your sudden arrival has changed a lot of things, and just in the nick of time, might I add. I guess you could say that there was,” she pauses hesitantly, “-a pretty big deal about to go down before you turned up, but seeing as you’re here, the Chief doesn’t care about that deal anymore,” she laughs nervously while studying my reaction, “-and thank the Moon Goddess for that. We’re just having a tough time letting down the other party. It's nothing for you to worry over, honestly.”

Unsatisfied with her answer, my need to understand refuses to dwindle when I can’t help but question what type of meeting goes on this late into the evening. Trawling through the stories that I’ve heard about the Shadow Pack, there’s no doubt within my mind that there’s more going on behind closed doors than what’s appearing on the surface, but, no matter how hard I try, I can’t quite figure out how it involves me. Watching my curiosity sore rather than extinguish, Dakota shuffles and reaches for her phone—her eyes fixating on the handheld screen as if she were trying to avoid my inquisitive glare, pretending to be blissfully unaware while she clicks and scrolls away before jumping to her feet. With her attention glued elsewhere, she heads over and switches on the nearing lamp—cascading the soft-grey room into a mellow glow of artificial light.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. It’s not too late to order. Do you fancy some takeout?” Dakota asks while rubbing her stomach hungrily, looking over in hope.

“I could eat. What do you have in mind?” I write back, allowing myself to be swayed when I become aware of the soft grumble resonating within my stomach—realising we had completely skipped dinner when I look up at the clock, noticing how it is long past nine in the night.

“Hm,” Dakota peers over towards my notepad with delight before quickly withdrawing her eyes back to her phone, her lips scrunching with indecisiveness while she glances over what’s available; thinking hard about what it is she wants to order before a content smile creeps across her face, “-how about pizza?” I nod back, unable to remember the last time I had indulged in the long-forgotten treat.

While we eagerly await our food, Dakota passes the time by telling me all about how she and Mato had become a part of the notorious Shadow Pack—both accepted members of the widely renowned family. Engrossed in her story, I listen attentively to how her parents had narrowly escaped an ambush similar to the one that occurred within the Crescent City, causing them to run for their lives. Dakota gushes with nostalgia as she explains how the newlywed Dupont’s were uprooted and forced to travel afar—forced to search for a new pack and a place to call home if fate were to be on their side. Just like I, they had luckily stumbled into the Luna City’s clearing when the district was formerly ruled by the Night sibling’s cruel and arrogant father, Ryker Night.

Despite Ryker’s usual hostility shown towards unwelcomed trespassers, the Moon Goddess smiled upon them when the Shadow Pack’s Alpha took a liking to the unannounced guests—impressed by their very survival while Dakota’s mother, Elena, had endured the treacherous journey all while heavily pregnant with their first child, a soon to be born Dakota. With open arms, Ryker took the Dupont’s beneath his wing and welcomed them into his home; showing an unforgettable act of kindness towards the cast out strays, noted to be a rare gift bestowed by the cruel ruler. Eventually, over time, a strong friendship had forged itself between Dakota’s father, Sebastian, leaving him to be considered the Alpha’s right-hand man—condemning him to assume the role of Ryker’s missing Beta.

As Dakota speaks of the Night family, her voice resonates with pure adoration while it amplifies with that of loyalty—casting further doubt over everything I knew about the Shadow Pack and its past and present rulers. Before we can delve any further into the pack’s history, Mato thunders down the stairs before bursting into the room and bounding up onto the sofa. With flaring nostrils, he pants excitedly while looking at his sister as if a private alarm had awakened him from upstairs—alerting him of the presence of the recently delivered food while he sits patiently by for his portion.

“Every single time,” Dakota snorts, “-I swear your life revolves around food and sleeping. It’s a good job I knew this would happen. I got you some of the chicken that you like, is that alright?” she asks while reaching into the plastic bag; pulling out a polystyrene carton before opening it up in front of him to allow the puff of trapped steam to pour out.

Howling softly, Mato seems thrilled with his unannounced meal and happily begins digging in—clumsily pushing the carton out of his sister’s hand and onto the floor, causing him to descend like a vulture. Once finished, I look up at the ticking clock and realise that it’s now gone eleven—left feeling surprised at how fast time had passed, underestimating how long Dakota and I must have been talking for. As I lower my head, I notice my throat has grown to feel sore—clearly overworked from the long and exhausting day after being awake for hours on end. Despite my eagerness to meet this mysterious Elijah, I weakly cave to my body’s pressing needs; obeying its demands while it cries out for rest, begging me to give in.

Yawning loudly, I pass Dakota my notepad to tell her I’m feeling pretty tired. Getting up to help me, she leads me to my room and helps me get into bed. While I pull back the soft covers and settle myself for the night, she leans down to open the bedside cabinet before fetching a closed bottle of pills. After popping off the lid, Dakota shakes the small tub and allows two daunting sized tablets to fall into her hand. Disappearing into the bathroom besides me, a beam of light shines from the doorway when the sound of gushing water soon follows in its steed. Switching off the tap, Dakota swiftly returns to my side while holding out a glass of cold water for me to have.

“Here you go. You need to take these, little wolf. Doc’s order’s I’m afraid,” she smiles sympathetically while placing the medication into my hand—waiting until I take the frosted cup from her and place the large pills onto my dry tongue, washing them down straight away with the refreshing drink.

“If you need anything, I’ll be in the room next to yours, hm?” Dakota takes the glass away helpfully while hovering for a few seconds, making sure that I’m okay before parting for the night.

Riddled with exhaustion, my body wastes no time in drifting away—unwinding as I submerge myself in the gentle fabric while it caresses my skin in a soft embrace, feeling drained after the uneventful day. Lying still, I hear my wolf whine with disappointment from the silent acknowledgement—somewhat sounding disheartened by the no show of the Alpha. Too tired to read any further into why she is so concerned, I give in to the fast-acting medication while welcoming the warm and fuzzy sensation swelling inside of me while I blissfully fall asleep.

Falling into darkness, I’m thankfully greeted by only that of nothingness—undisturbed with no unwelcomed images of my past to haunt me, just left in a void, surrounded by silence. As if I had sung my praises too soon, my body jolts upright against my control—awakening me when the deafening howl of my wolf ruptures within my skull, sounding longingly in her outcry. Snapping my eyes open, I freeze with fright while drawing in long shuddering breaths—somehow feeling as if something were off. In a daze, I glance over towards the digital clock placed on the bedside table, noticing that it’s just gone three in the morning. Aware of a growing chill bluster towards me, I look over at the window; watching as the curtains flutter while the chilling night breeze drifts across from the other side of the room; making me remember that when I went to bed, the window had been closed.

With no explanation, my heartbeat suddenly picks up its pace as if it were racing like a beating drum. Getting the feeling that I’m being watched, my skin casts itself in goosebumps while I wildly search the room when my eyes catch sight of the intense, magnificent silver set staring back at me—locking me in a powerful trance.

“Hello, Willow,” an intoxicating voice ushers from beneath the shadows, pressing the air out from within my lungs.

“Mate” my wolf calls out; her voice echoing clearly, crisply audible for the first time outside of my dream plane.

Wait, what did she just say?