A God Amongst Wolves

16

Word Count: 2410

~Venn

This may possibly be the most painful moment I've been forced to endure.

Alvera, Eldon and I trek through the forest toward my estate, not even an hour after the Moon Goddesses ceremony was conducted.

Since then, things have been…tense.

Alvera is still very clearly overcome by shock, having said very little since we drove up the mountain. Her eyes have a glazed look about them as her mind fights to understand what has occurred.

I purposefully waited until we were out of the car and on solid ground before I explained what occurred to Eldon. I've given him ample chance to hit me, although he is yet to take me up on the offer.

Instead his jarring voice rings incessantly in my ear behind me as we trek into the forests embrace, leaving behind civilisation.

"This has to be some twisted jokeâ€""

"Why would I joke about this Eldon?" Alvera snaps back at him, glancing over her shoulder to pin him with a glare.

"I…I don't know, you tell me!"

He pauses in the path so I shove at his shoulder. "Keep walking."

He stumbles on, readjusting his clothes irritably. I'm keeping behind them both so I can monitor the situation.

And, selfishly, I enjoy watching Alvera. Her dark blond hair is haphazardly pulled into a ponytail, but stray strands have slipped from the band, clinging to her sweat dampened neck, melding with the dark of the new marking.

It's my heritage marking, curated by the Moon Goddess, having travelled through many bloodlines to now be a part of her skin. She is mine now, my packs.

As bad as I want to feel about it, there's a grim sort of pleasure beholding me knowing that fact.

"You may command a pack but you don't command me, asshole," Eldon growls, adjusting his backpack. We swung by Belle's house for supplies earlier â€"  they will be staying with me for a while.

I can't have Alvera out of my sight for too long. Not at such a critical point of this phase.

"I understand you're angry, Eldon. However, this was not my decision," I insist for what must be the eighth time today.

When he woke from his healing, he thought Alvera and I had gotten matching tattoo's from one of my pack members, who he thought was a tattoo artist. I let him mellow in that delusion for a while so Alvera could stay silent and think.

She's in shock, who wouldn't be? It confirms to me that I cannot tell her the entire truth about her bond, and how much danger it is putting her in.

I'm not sure if she can feel the intangible tug between us now. The feeling of some presence, linking us together. If she does, she hasn't acknowledged it.

"Who would you have chosen if it were your decision?" Eldon questions.

"I've never considered it. I always knew the Moon Goddess would make the decision on my behalf, to fulfil a prophecy," I exclaim before grimacing, realising I revealed a little too much.

Alvera looks back at me, his brows drawing together beneath her fringe. "What prophecy?"
 
I just shake my head. "One thing at a time, Alvera."

The forest whispers and purrs around us, a great breeze tousling branches and leaves. It's almost as if it's feeding off Alvera's tense energy, her shoulders hunched up as she quickens her step.

"All I know is you've married my girlfriend!" Eldon's voice rings out, a shrill bite to it. I swear I can hear birds take off from their perches from the sound alone.

"We are not married in the traditional sense. I use that terminology because it is the closest reference to what humans have," I insist.

The bond is not entirely complete; it's most fundamental element is, however, there is so much more to it that I'm not yet inclined to bring up.

"Explain it better then." Eldon stops in his tracks, whirling around to face me.

I sigh, rubbing a hand through my hair. His fingers are bunched up into fists, and his entire body is coiled with unspent energy. He's going to take a swing at me at some point.
 
"I don't think my explanation will ease your concerns," I admit, looking past him at Alvera, who lingers at the edge of the path, her ankles entwined in a knot of brush.

"I want the truth," Eldon demands.

Alvera nods. "Me too."

"It's a union, of sorts. One that connects us both physically and…not." I rub the back of my neck, unsure of how best to explain this. "That marking shows all competing Alpha's that Alvera now belongs to me. My marking suggests the same."

I gesture to my own throat, where a new set of swirling lines have appeared, entwining with existing ones. It depicts our interconnectedness, how our bodies are aligned similarly to how our souls are.

Such concepts are almost impossible for humans to reconcile. They are used to their connections being external, barely skin deep. For werewolves, there are many connections that can bind two individuals, making them one.

Alvera will learn that soon. Probably at the same time she will realise Eldon is not made for her.

"Does it rub off?" Eldon looks back at his girlfriend, disgust etched into his features. She scowls back at him.

"No. This union is unbreakable. The marking goes deeper than just her skin. It is part of her now," I tell him, bracing myself in case I need to fend him off.

He just digs his hands into his hair, gripping the strands painfully. "Jesus…fuck."

Poor guy. He's stumbled between destiny and a prophecy and is going to have to dig himself out.

"Although Alvera and I are connected, I do not personally deem myself entitled to her. There are certain…intricacies, to the bond we now share. However, she is no way obliged to consider me her lover," I tell him gently, looking at Alvera to ensure she understands too.

She wraps her arms around herself, dappled sunlight playing along her features.

Eldon steps closer to me, jabbing his finger in my face. "When we find Belle we are leaving this God forsaken place, and you will never see Alvera again."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." I push his hand away. "If Alvera crosses the border to my pack without me, she will suffer great physical ailments. She will not know a worse pain."

She gapes at me. "That's horrifying."

"So what, she's stuck here?" Eldon splutters.

"Yes."

"You took that choice from her!" He yells.

"I didn't make this decision! I tried to get her away, but the Moon Goddess commanded fate differently," I growl, striding at him. He has the decency to take a shuddering step back. "I wanted nothing more than for Alvera to get as far away from me as possible. All I've ever done is encourage her to leave this town, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing could be done!"

I've been wracked with guilt since the day I first saw Alvera. Something clicked in me â€" I knew. I knew she would be selected for me, and that there would be no way for me to stop that.

I thought when she left town I had done it. I had weaved my way around destiny and saved an innocent girl's life.

Instead, the Moon Goddess played a cruel game, bringing Alvera right back where I could reach her.

Now, she is bound to me in more ways than I want her to realise…

"Then you should have told her the truth, so she could know not to come back," Eldon snaps.

"It doesn't matter. If she knew, life events would have brought her back here anyway," I insist.

I considered telling her the truth about me, giving her a real reason to run. But what would it have mattered? The Moon Goddess commanded a crash that almost killed her, pulling strings and twisting fate.

No matter what, Alvera would be mine.

"So Belle is only missing because of your Moon Goddess?" Alvera asks softly, her face stricken at the thought.
 
"No. She is genuinely missing," I surmise, even if I am not entirely convinced. "How the Goddess tips the scales, we shall never know. It is not, however, as simple as you think."

"Well I'm not leaving. She is still my girlfriend," Eldon states decidedly.

"That's fine. You are welcome to stay in my home for as long as you desire," I tell them both. "However, there is more about the bond that you should know about."

Now comes the uncomfortable part. It must be mentioned for Alvera's safety, but it's not going to win me any favours between them.

Eldon sighs, throwing his hands up. "What now?"

"Once a month, a natural force is going to…pull Alvera and I together," I mumble, trying not to grimace.

Eldon blinks, confused. "What does that mean?"

I sigh roughly. How am I supposed to say this without causing Alvera to run for the border right now? How can I convey that this is just another of the Moon Goddesses tricks, meant to test my self-control?

"On one day, every month, Alvera is going to want me…putting it delicately."

Alvera frowns. "Want you?"
 
"This is normal for all werewolf pairings," I explain quickly. "Our populations have not waned over the years despite human intervention for a reason."

"Ugh! You're telling me you're going to fuck my girlfriend now?" Eldon plants his hands over his face, crouching down as if the information has physically wounded him.

Alvera turns to look away, bracing her hands on her hips. "No…this can't be real."

"For most werewolves this sensation that overcomes them is relatively manageable. It's just an encouragement, let's just say." I tilt my head from shoulder to shoulder. "However, in humans, the affects may be far different."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning Alvera will feel the magic far more intensely than anyone else. I am Alpha, so I can control it with no issue." I look between a stunned Alvera and an appalled Eldon. "The urge for me will be no more difficult to manage then common urges for pleasure."

Well, that's my theory anyway. I don't mention that I'll likely be overcome with an animalistic urge to ensure Alvera remains mine, which means Eldon may be in more danger than he realises…I'll bring it closer to when it happens.

I want them to know they are safe with me. I'm going to do right by both of them.

"You will not be touching my girlfriend," Eldon warns.

"I'll put as much distance as possible between myself and her for those twenty four hours, do not worry," I assure him, thick chains and cuffs coming to mine. I'll chain myself to the ground if I have to.

My attraction to Alvera is very real, and is a large problem.

There are many reasons why the Moon Goddess may have selected Alvera, but I assume it's to torment me in the most effective way possible.

Eldon lets out a great sigh. "I'll be around anyway to help her out, I suppose."

"Well, only I will be able to sate her," I add. The point of the urge would be for naught if she wanted other males. "Rest assured that we can help you channel this feeling into anger, Alvera. It may be painful to experience such rage for that long, every month, but it may cause less issues then the overwhelming urge for…well, you know."

"This is beyond fucked." Eldon rubs the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"If it's so intense, how can we be sure I can turn desire into anger?" Alvera asks tentatively.
 
"You will retain rational thought," I promise her. "If you are not attracted to me, then the feelings will be easier to manifest into anger, or some equivalently strong emotion. Being that you're obviously in love with Eldon, then this shouldn't be an issue."

I watch the two exchange a wary glance.

"You should have started with that," Eldon grumbles.

"I don't want you to write off the reality of this monthly occurrence," I add apprehensively. "There is a chance, one day, that Alvera's feelings could turn in favour of me. I know it's hard, but it's realisticâ€""

All of a sudden, as I anticipated, Eldon swings his fist at me.

"Eldon!" Alvera screams.

He's easy to evade, my body turning to the side while his flings forward. I grab his shoulders, shoving him against the broad trunk of a tree, giving him a shake.

"I wouldn't try that with any werewolves, let alone an Alpha," I growl. "I am not trying to take Alvera from you. I am simply being realistic."

I know somewhere deep inside her, Alvera is attracted to me. She has to be, it's part of her destiny. It also helps that I can see it in her eyes when she gazes up at me.

"Oh yeah, because she definitely wants a psychotic werewolf guy whose gotten her wound up in this situation to begin with," Eldon snaps, trying to fight me off but it's no use.

"There is a reason why her and I are paired together. We will fight it, but there is always a chance, if we're not careful, that things could change between us." I let him go. He stumbles off, righting himself.

Alvera is staying painfully silent during this exchange. She stares down at the ground, scuffing her feet in the dirt.

"We are going to stay as far from the cursed manor as possible. Right near the border," Eldon tells me harshly.

"We can speak about that. For now, you both need to eat and rest. The spell protecting my manor has been lifted, and is restored to its original condition."

Eldon looks at Alvera, likely wanting to silently convey his disdain for me. He's completely warranted in that feeling, and for trying to attack me.

She just shrugs weakly. "He's right, Eldon. I feel weak. Let's go."

So, without another word, we trek toward my manor, and to a fate none of us can back away from.

💛••💛

If you want to read ahead at any point, you can read this story 15 chapters ahead on INKITT and 10 chapters ahead on RADISH.

Inkitt:

Radish:

~Midika 💜🐼