Prologue
Darkness. Distinctive levels of unwanted sweat. Unpurified blood stains. The nerve wrecking pain. All in one place. Was what she felt as her body floats around the surface of the water. Her breathing collided with the calloused surface of the brink. Eyes fluttered shut, Nyala chanted the words out of her mouth. Her words reverberated through the quite surrounding which was rising with only her hushed voice.
Nyala curled her fingers into a fist, lifted it up to the sky and then nestle it down the water. A torquise light formed around her fingers. Nyala's body began shaking as she kept on chanting the words, her eyes quivering, body jolting back and forth. The light soon turned to flames of dark powers which instantly made her quicken her pace.
"You should know your powers aren't going to get better with you getting under the waters right?" A voice resonated from behind her making Nyala's eyes to flutter open. The flames ignited around her fingers disappearing instantly.
She hissed out before throwing her body out of the water. She soaked her wet hair and pulled in into bun before charging towards the figure. She didn't mind how the chilly breeze of the night was cascading through her skin. It never hasn't gotten better at every end of time of the year. It had always been the perfect opportunity for Nyala to practice her magic. "And you should know better not to meddle in my affairs Corvin" she said to the figure who was no doubt towering over her frame.
Nyala was born to be a woman with the manlike body. Six feet inches tall, silver hair, and torquise eyes. She was born with a strand from the sea. She was named after the sea goddess Nyata. Hers was Nyala. "I thought I could come check up on you. The cut was deep you know" the way his eyes raked lustily over her body made her yanked him forward by the collar.
"Don't you dare Corvin! You and I both know you wanted me to succumb to Teagan. And I'm not going to allow that!" She spat. The man called Corvin didn't cower or show any sign of fear instead the smile or rather the smirk on his face grew more. He liked the spitfire in Nyala's eyes. She never fail to amaze him whenever she stood on her ground. It was one of the reasons why Teagan had kept her in his possession. Even though he knew she was going to grow up to be a troubled brat.
Corvin trailed his hands over the edge of her brows, down to her cheeks before he stopped just beneath her lips. He held her gaze. "If not because you and I are family, I would have taken you right here. But too bad I don't want my head chopped up by father" that made Nyala blood boiled.
It wasn't the first time Corvin had tried sexually harassing her. He had tried countless times to lure her to his bed even though he knew she was like his sister. They grew up together. In Teagan's care. However, his lustful demeanor will never change. Corvin is not only a coward in the eyes of women, he is also the fool in his family. The Celestine family.
“All these petty practice won’t move father.” He said. Nyala inside was boiling with anger. Corvin always know how to open his mouth and sprout nonsense. She has no ounce of respect for him anymore. He is a bad influence to Teagan. Always trying to poison her guardian mind. She was sure he was the reason why Teagan had initiated the plan to trade Rostledam.
Nyala threw him a death glare before withdrawing back allowing a meter space between them. Getting closed to Corvin will do her no good. Especially when she has a mission at hand. And that was convincing Teagan not to sell off the roots of the family business to the enemies. "Where are you going?" Corvin voice catches up to her as she began making her way back to the house.
"I'm going to make hell" she answered curling her hand into a fist to gather warmth in them. Not like she wasn't used to the cold. After all, she was born in the ice cold waters. But at that moment of time, she needed to warm up her heart not to put herself into more troubles.
Teagan had warned her already by stabbing her with the table knife when she argued with him on the matters at hand. But Nyala knew she won't sit back and watch him sell half of the Celestine property to worthless wolves. She might not have full right over the horizon but Aldmoor town had always been her home. Where her parents found each other, where they were killed and where she grew up in. And she isn't going to let that get taken away by any werewolf realm.
Nyala kicked the door to her foster father's open or much more to say her uncle. The almost burning candle lights greeted her topped with the smoke channeling from the counter where the man was puffing out cigarettes. "You can't sell off Rotsledam!" she declared as she walked towards his desk.
Large hands came into view before a big bold face covered with mustache followed. The aura lurking around him screamed strong man in charge. Seated behind the desk was Teagan Celestine. The leader of Aldmoor town. The man who ruled four villages. Aldmoor, Rotsledam, Glowing hearts and Royal witches.
"I thought I had made myself pretty clear earlier Nyala" he said his eyes going to Nyala's arm where he had stabbed her earlier moments.
Nyala marched forward her eyes burning holes in the old man. "Rotsledam is the last thing you should trade to the wolves!"
"Do you need more warning?" Teagan profound lightening another cigarette. Nyala snatched it away just before he could take it to his lips.
"This is a serious matter Teagan. We have kept the villages under our control for years. We can't just trade it off to some outsiders. We don't involve ourselves with the werewolves realms" Nyala stood on her ground firmly. They had not had any connection with the wolves for as long as she could remember. The last time they did didn't ended up pleasant. It was said to be the time Nyala was born. It was said to be the same day her parents were sacrificed to the ice moon goddess in exchanged for meddling in the affairs of the werewolves but now Teagan is trying to repeat the same thing.
What more does he wants. He has the people under his control. The magical world from the Royal witches, the fighters from Aldmoor. What more power does he wants to posses with the wolves?
"Sit" Teagan commanded. Nyala would have want to decline his offer but the way the man's eyes were digging nails inside her at that very moment left her with no choice. She exhaled out before crashing on the stool facing him.
"I know what you're worried about. The people. But this time around, things are different. Scenarios have changed. We might be the best of all but we need more resources. The wolves needs something precious from us. To give them what they want, we need to take theirs too" Nyala brows shoot up at Teagan's words. She could hardly process where his words were heading to.
"I don't get you Teagan" she said. A small smile occupied the man's face.
"That is why you need to always act with your brain rather than your powers. This is not the time to perfect your magical abilities. Do you know why I favor you among Corvin and Bruno?"
"Obviously because I was born to protect this town" Nyala answered shortly. It had to be that. She didn't miss the chance of the revelation. She was born to protect Aldmoor. She can't leave her kingdom even if she wants to because wherever she goes, her worlds are tainted and chained together with her fate.
"You're right and also because you're smarter than my sons. Corvin is a fool and Bruno lacks common sense. You are the only one I trust who can lead this kingdom on behalf of me"
"Your father was right when he said you're an angel of Celestine" He added. That should have cracked Nyala a bit but all she could feel was numb. Teagan and her father are brothers. They ruled the Celestine family passed on by generations before her parents got caught up in that calamity.
Silence followed in the room. The one that made Nyala questioned what Teagan was going to propose this time around. He knew Nyala won't back out that easily. He needed to come up with something that will cage her down. Something that she will have no choice but to go by his rules which she sometimes follows and sometimes doesn't. This time around Teagan was going to make her do the sacrifices. "Can you say something already Teagan. I have to attend the glowing hearts meeting" Nyala hissed out boringly.
Teagan leaned forward, intertwining his fingers together. His eyes were directly fixated at her torquise ones. The rare of one's creature. One of the things that made her different from every other being in the town of Aldmoor. Teagan knew it was time to put her to use. "The wolves are coming for the end of the season festival. If you manage to tune out your magical powers, Rotsledam is safe and if it goes the other way round-"
"Rotsledam is going nowhere near the wolves!" Nyala declared before he could complete his statement. Eyes burning with fire. She was going to do whatever it takes to protect the town from the damn wolves.