MATE'S REUNION

CHAPTER 4: DOMANIA MOURNS

POV: SONIA

In line with the convention of Domania, whenever we lose a member, he or she is cremated. This has often been my biggest fear whenever we lost a member of the pack. And here we are, a member is dead, not just a member but my mate who is also the Alpha of the pack. There's mental conflict as I'm still trying to fathom what Sentinel has to say, that's worth being called good news. I give him a chance to tell me what the news is, but then, would any news be good at this very moment when my mate and Alpha of the pack is dead? No! None would.

After some moments of pause on the phone call, Sentinel finally breaks the silence.

"Mother Sonia, I guess this may sound funny but is actually what I saw some minutes ago. I just woke up from my dream world, in the dream, I saw Alpha Lingard. He appeared to be very strong, very energetic and very vibrant." After listening to a few lines of what he has to say, I conclude that Sentinel is off the tangent. However, telling him to stop the good news at once was a bit difficult, as he will feel bad about it.

So after giving him the chance which was all for nothing, I quickly questioned myself half-mindedly, why doesn't he ask anything about the said Mr Lingard? Maybe the good news is more important to him than Alpha Lingard's health.

I'm just wasting my time on Sentinel's malaria-inspired dream. Nothing more.

"Okay-okay Sentinel, thank you for the call as well as the good news."

I hang the call and divert my attention to my late Alpha mate who lies in a static position, like a fuelless vehicle, stuck at a point without locomotion.

Had Sentinel known he was dead, he wouldn't have said that rubbish.

I turn to Jael who is weeping with her hands around Alpha Lingard. She let it rain. Tears roll down her cheeks in slow motion, taking their time to saunter and caress her smooth skin. I stand looking helplessly. My sense organs go on a short break. I can't tell whether I'm crying or not. Whether I'm present or absent. Whether Alpha Lingard is truly dead.

After some time, I reconnect with the present situation. It's my time to let it rain.

Jael weeps, I weep, we weep. Tears flow like the river Nile, soaking wet my heart; our hearts.

It isn't yet the break of the new day when the news had already spread all over Domania. I like saying Domania because anything else outside our pack means little to us. The name of the city is Lonshell, So, Domania is a werewolf pack in Lonshell.

In line with the undiluted rapport among the members of Domania, Mr Lingard's house is filled with sympathizers. I wonder how the news spread so fast. But it has always been the same, once someone is pronounced dead, the news travels fast without paying a fare. Or did I just miss out on some part of the story? I guess I do.

When Jael and I were mourning, Abigail Ewain called. The conversation was short-lived. Abigail is an exceptional member of the Domania. She has the ability to mind-linking a member's feelings or mood. She can as well tell when one is depressed. I swear I didn't tell her anything about Mr Lingard's demise. She must have mind-linked my mood. If she didn't how would the news spread this fast?

*********

"Oh, my God! Lonshell has lost the greatest man of all time. My condolences to you and your daughter." – Prof. Hogan just sent me the message. His using Lonshell and not Domania does feel strange. Isn't it?

Hogan is not a member of our pack, the city matters most to him.

The time is 6:00 am, too early for a sympathizer to come knocking on my door. It must be Lawrence. He lives just behind my house. I can't recall how I slept off amidst the train. That doesn't matter now. Before leaving to see who is at the door, I look out in search of Jael. She is on the bed where Lingard is. Her world is shaken. They two were fond of each other even to the extent that I felt jealous at some point. At once, they hung out shopping for more than 7 hours. It was just them, I wasn't part of it. Maybe she'd turn to me now since he's gone.

I walk away to see who is at the door. It's him. I open for him without an indoor-to-outdoor conversation. He knows it already, Abigail has succeeded in blowing the whistle to the entire members of the pack.

"Good morning, Mother Sonia."

"Good morning, Lawrence."

"I-I…"

"It's fine Lawrence,"

I know what he wants to say, but as he didn't let it out plainly, I cut in.

He doesn't come without a gift. That's one of the many laws of the pack. When a member is dead, pack members do not go without a gift to the bereaved family. The essence of this gift is to pacify the aggrieved materially.

"Here."

Lawrence says as he hands over a polythene bag to me. With this, he has fulfilled the requirement of the "Dominian convention." In the outside world, While the cities operate according to the provision of the constitution, Domania is regulated by the provision of the Domania convention."

"Thank you, Lawrence. I appreciate."

"Please, tell Jael, I came."

"I sure, will. Thank you."

He sets out without further delay. That's yet another thing about Domania. Pack members don't cry when a member is lost. The convention bars us from doing so because no matter how hard we cry, the dead member will not rise again. That doesn't mean we don't have tears to shade. No!

I did cry but in secret.

I close the door and return inside. I walk to where Jael lies. I wake her up, but she's reluctant to leave at first; says I should leave her alone for some moments.

I don't know what she's up to, but I agree and walk out of the room, leaving her in there with the corpse.

POV: JAEL

Father, this was not part of the plan. We didn't agree to your leaving without saying goodbye to me. I'm saddened. It may be easier to say I'm consoled, but it would take years to forget the memories we had.

If you had given me a chance to wish for one last thing, my wish would've been to stay with me. You know I need you most, but that didn't come. As you would say, always be a good girl, I'll be sure I don't disappoint you. At the same time, I think I'll be stubborn for just one reason. Never mind, nobody has to know, not even my mother who is eavesdropping on us by hiding behind the door. You know, she has always been jealous anytime we're together. Yeah! That's her nature.

I needed to be alone with you for some reason. Although you can't reply to anything I have to say, all I know is that you can hear me.

Father, from today till the day we'll meet again, I'll pray to have you again as a father, even in my next life.

Be fine wherever you are. Love, Jael.

It's over now. Goodbye. Dad.

*******

I know my mother is eavesdropping on me. And I'm about to do it now.

I remove my slippers and walk on my toes to the door, without giving her any sign, the door wide. And behold, my mother, is startled by the way I open the door without giving her any signal.

"It's not different from what I thought. I guess since he's gone, you should stop being jealous."

"Not what you are thinking, Jael. Get it off your head already."

**Don't mind her, she's good a forming strong lie.**

I walk into the kitchen and have my teeth, brushed. In less than 2 hours, Mr Lingard would be cremated in the pack's dead alley. Of all the places where we do our things, the dead alley is always a turn-off to me. The last time I attained the cremation of a pack member, the smell of her body nearly sent me to my maker. It was a strong, nose-blocking, eyes-squeezing and mouth-blocking sort of smell. I hate it with passion.

I hope my dad's body smells good, otherwise, it won't change my hatred for the place. I have to bathe before It clocks at 8. 00 am.

POV: SENTINEL

"Not really, I'm on my way to his house. Yes, Abigail Ewain told me about it, and as you know, her ability to mind-link our emotions is top-notch. Okay.. see you on the dead alley.

That was Herod Timon on the other side of the phone call. His mate had called earlier to inform me about Mr Lingard's demise. It's a big loss to Domania. And no one would do anything relating to revenge since he restricted all of us from doing so.

Maybe because his rule has been earmarked "A peaceful reign."

This name is given to Alpha Lingard's reign, not only because of the peace his reign brings to Domania but also because of his ability to reconcile Domania with its warring counterparts. Only a few members know what led to his fight with Nonsio. He was not a fighter. He was just out of options.

********

His motive for going to meet Nonsio was to settle the difference between Domania and The blood and skull. It saddens me each time I trace the root of the issue. He didn't start the fight. No!

It happened that a member of the Blood and Skull threatened to kill Herod Timon. The reasons are still not so clear. So on one fateful day, Herod met Lancelot Mikel. Lancelot on the other hand had always wanted to kill Herod, but when the chance was given to him, Herod knocked him out in a fair fight. Lancelot was seriously injured, and this did not sit well with Nonsio; the Alpha of The Blood and Skull.

And, in a bid to settle the difference between the two packs, Lingard was caught off guard and was beaten black and blue by Nonsio which led to his untimely death.

He'd be cremated in the next 30 mins, but before then, I have to fulfil my obligation to his family.

POV: SONIA

A knock on the door diverts my attention. Is it already 8.00 am? I leave the snacks on the dining table and go to see who is knocking on the door. It's Sentinel.

I would like to hear the good news again if he wouldn't mind.

I open the door and he walks in with his gift.

"Good morning, Mother Sonia."

"Good morning, Sentinel."

"I'm sorry… That wasn't part of the plan."

"Yeah. I get it. Thank you."

"There you go." He says as he hands me his gift.

"My regards to Jael"

"I-I'll.. thank youuuuuuu. See you on the dead alley"

He turns to get out but I recall we have a score to settle.

"Hey, Sent… mind telling me the good news again?" The poor smile stands out reluctantly on my lips.

"Not necessary anymore!" He replies without making a turn.

I close the door and walk back to complete what I started; eating my snacks.

*********

It's 8.00 am and the corpse is being taken to the dead alley. Just as with every other one, the bereaved family walks at the front in their black apparel, wearing long faces like some unfortunate pieces of humanity. But we're not unfortunate, it's just our turn to grief.

POV: JAEL

No one out there understands how I'm feeling right now. It's

Just me and I, trying to make everything seem cool. It's just hard to watch my dad being cremated today but what else should I do if that's what the Domanian convention commands? The fact that I'm going to the dead alley again, is enough to weigh me down. I just hope it accommodates me today for the sake of my late father.

I don't just comprehend but I feel uneasy each time I recall the fact that he had barred everyone from avenging his death. How is that even normal? I don't just want to blow the whistle yet, but I will see to it that whoever killed my father doesn't go scot-free. And if this is the only point where I'll be seen as a bad girl by my late father, well I guess I have got no other option to go on with.

The cremation rites are about to begin, and every member of the Domanian park gathers in a circular form with the corpse being placed in the middle. That's the way it has always been. The dead will be given the last honour by all the pack members. That will be done by each of us, going round one after the other to have a brief moment with the dead. Each of us will say something we wish to have told him before he died but we were not given the chance. It often begins with the bereaved family so my mum will go first and then I'll follow.

I just hear a sound behind me, so I turn to see what that is. It's my mother. She has fainted.

Not again!!