Without a Wolf

10

"The Alpha does not wish for me to tell you this," Selene started, her eyes peering delicately back at mine.

Selene stood before me in the garden, her presence a calming energy breaking through the chaos of my mind. Her hair was as silver as the delicate pendant on her neck, but it shone with a sparkle that hinted at something magical, something otherworldly. Her eyes were the color of the flowers around us, a beautiful violet that seemed to hold secrets and mysteries. And her skin was the color of the sun, as if she had been kissed by the very source of life itself.

As she stood there, there was a breeze gently blowing through her hair. She seemed to radiate a sense of peace. It was as if the garden itself had given birth to her, as if she was a part of its very core. As she spoke, her voice was as soft and sweet as the song of a bird, bringing with it a wisdom that seemed to come from a place far beyond this world.

There was a magic to Selene, a beauty that transcended the physical world. She was a part of the garden, and the garden was a part of her. And as I looked at her, I couldn't help but feel that perhaps, just perhaps, she held the key to unlocking the secrets of my own soul.

"Why not?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

She took another long, studious look at me. "He does not wish to worry you."

"About what?" I asked, my voice turning sharper as I began to wonder what she could be talking about.

"What did he tell you about your healing?" Selene asked me, as she placed one of her hands on my right arm.

"He told me that I was healing worse than a human would," I explained, remembering his words and how they had haunted me.

She raised one of bushy eyebrows. "Did he tell you why?"

"He..." I stumbled, trying to remember. We spoke about so many things. "He said it was because I didn't have a wolf any more."

Selene nodded, "and what else?"

"That was it," I shrugged. "That's all he said."

"He forbade me to tell you," Selene said calmly, and she placed her other hand on my left arm. I felt a sinking feeling, knowing that no wolf in his pack would be able to disobey his orders. "But I think it's my plan to tell you," Selene continued.

"How?" I asked her, "how can you disobey your Alpha?"

"I am no wolf," she said simply, and as she spoke the words the violet in her eyes flashed brighter.

"What are you?" I asked, peering back at her in curiosity.

"Old," she said simply. Selene's eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, there was an intensity in her gaze that left me feeling a little unnerved.

"But, I am not just old," she said, her voice taking on a weighty tone. "I am a being of magic, one that has lived for centuries beyond what a mortal could ever hope to achieve. I am a healer, not a liar," she continued firmly. "And the Alpha does not intimidate me."

"Please, tell me what's going on with my healing," I urged her, feeling anxious and frustrated at the same time.

"It's quite simple," Selene said, as she increased the pressure of her palms against my arms, I felt a strange sensation, as if her touch was transmitting waves of warmth and calmness into me.

"You are not a human, Gemini," Selene said. "Despite your wish to be one."

Her words struck me like a bolt of lightning, and I felt a twinge of shame and confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked, not quite understanding what she was getting at.

"Even though you may pretend to be one," Selene continued, her gaze piercing through me. "You are a wolf, born from wolves. You were raised by wolves, too."

I felt a flicker of recognition at her words, a sense of belonging that I had pushed away for too long. But there was something else in her tone, something that hinted at a deeper truth. It felt like she had buried a riddle inside her words, and the answer was a clue. She looked at me curiously, but if she had left a clue for me to find, it wasn't blatant enough for me to notice.

"Without a wolf, there is only one destiny which awaits you," Selene said, her voice grave.

I knew what she was going to say before she even spoke the words. "To live as a human forever," I said.

Selene shook her head, her eyes full of sorrow. "No, Gemini. Without a wolf, you will slowly wither away and die."

I gasped at her words, feeling a chill run down my spine. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice shaking with fear.

"Your body is rejecting the human form," Selene explained. "Your healing has been compromised because you are no longer whole. Without a wolf to anchor you, you are slowly losing the essence of who you are."

"I'm not dying," I said incredulously, shaking my head. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine," she said slowly. "Your wolf is your lifeline. Without her, you will begin to fade. In the three years since she's been gone, your body has already begun to give up."

I noticed the way Selene slid details that I hadn't shared with her into her words. She knew details that I hadn't told anyone, at all.

Did she know who I was? Did she know the truth? If she heard that thought in my mind, she didn't answer. She only continued looking at me, squinting at me so her eyes became even more wrinkled at the sides.

I stared at Selene, feeling as if the ground had just given way beneath my feet. For as long as I could remember, I had always felt a disconnect between my human and wolf sides. I had pushed away my wolf instincts, hoping to live a normal human life, but now it seemed that decision had come at a steep cost.

"Without a wolf, you will die," Selene repeated, her eyes never leaving mine.