Heavy rain poured down mercilessly as well as thunderous claps from the thick gray clouds above sounded, replicating the atmosphere now at The Night Howlers territory.
The five days of mourning have been completed for their great grand Luna. The pack members had all gathered at the burning site for the last ritual for the dead and watched with mournful eyes as Clayton walked towards the body of his grandmother, who is placed on a high constructed branches of twigs with a white cloth covering her entire body except for her face and clasped hands that are on top of her stomach.
All alphas and lunas of the allies they had made over the years attended the last rite, giving their last respect to the woman, who they cherished and treasured. Even the Lycan King, himself, King Atticus the Fourth, and his family came and the sorrow on his face could not be hidden. He had considered Catherine as one of his closest friends back when they were still young.
White flowers were arranged around the body while one Lunar Flower has been included in her clasped hands. The flower is said to be a guiding light in seeking Paradise.
They watched as Clayton touched his grandmother’s forehead, caressing it ever so gently and lovingly before he finally bent down and kissed her on the cheek for a long while. He then stepped aside as the remaining members of the family gave their last goodbye.
Lastly, when Clayton was the last one who had finally step back down on the ground. He took the flamed torch Liam handed to him and then reached for his father’s hand. Together, they finally lit the branches to fire. They stepped back and watched as the flames started to burn up until it finally reaches the dead body.
It took almost five hours for the flame to finally subsided and Clayton never left. He stayed and watched as the assigned Omega pack members started gathering the ashes to be placed inside a marble box.
Clayton suddenly looked up when he heard a long and sorrowful howl in the air.
He knew that howl by heart with his eyes closed even from thousand of miles apart.
Conrad.
He closed his eyes and let the tears that he has been holding fall on his face. He listened the entire time to his elder brother’s sorrowful howl. He knew why. Despite all the damaging, undesirable and destructive things Conrad has done, their grandmother showed nothing but love for him.
If there was one person who can control Conrad, Catherine was the one who could do it.
“Clayton.”
He turned at the voice of Liam. He stood a few feet away from him with Lily, who is still sobbing quietly beside her brother.
“Conrad must have heard,” Clayton said when he took one look on his face. He run his one hand over his face and watched as the omegas finally lowered down the box on the excavated ground and put the earth back. He looked up after the last, long howl was finished. “Regardless of how he became, he always cherished grandma and loved her in his own way.”
“Grandma Cat has always been a compassionate person,” Lily said hoarsely. She walked towards the ground where the box was buried and laid down some flowers. “I saw Conrad one time. I saw the way his face softened at the mere mentioned of her name. She will always have a special place in his heart as well as you.”
“She told me to look for him,” Clayton finally revealed.
“What?!”
Clayton started walking back towards the common grounds, nodding at the greetings his members had given as they go back to their normal day to day activities. He stopped and helped an elderly man stacked some boxes inside his studio and patted him on the back when he gave thanks.
When they finally reached the confines of his office in the Main House, Liam looked at him intently.
“Did I hear you correctly?” He asked. “Did you just say that your grandmother asked you to look for Conrad? Whatever for?”
Clayton sat behind his desk and looked at Lily.
“Lily, the story that you always love to talk about,” he started calmly. “Do you know everything behind it? Like where it came from? How it started?”
Lily looked at him.
“I’ve been telling you, boys that it’s not just an ordinary story,” she pointed out firmly. She looked at Liam for a while before turning back to him. “Why are you asking me about that? You always viewed this topic as insignificant ever since. You’re just letting me be because you’re being a good friend.”
“What’s going on, Clay?” Liam asked.
“Grandma said that it’s a prophecy,” Clayton answered patiently. “She said that it was foretold more than fifty years ago. Do you know about this, Lily? Forgive me for asking this, but I know that you had been so engrossed on the story that you might have an idea.”
“I read somewhere about it being called a prophecy,” she said softly. “But I really didn’t delve into it seeing that there’s no development on it for so long. I guess it has just been considered as that. A prophecy.”
Clayton remained silent for a while.
“Can I ask you a favor?” He questioned. “Please keep it to yourself for now. I need you to investigate this prophecy carefully. Get any details, even if it’s small that has something to do about it. I’ll ask my folks about this also. Grandma told me, too.”
“Why are we doing this?” Lily asked.
“Grandma requested me several things to do before she passed,” Clayton answered seriously. “Number one is to know about the story or prophecy of the wolfless child. Second is to find her and help her. She told me to protect her with my life. Third is to find Conrad and help him as well. She said that’s it’s the way to help me and prophecy. I don’t even understand what she means by that.”
“The first and third requests are easier to do, Clay,” Liam commented seriously. He thought for a while before cocking his head to one side. “But, what about the second one? How do we find her? How will we know that she’s the one being described in the prophecy?”
“Perhaps, the research I will be doing will have an answer to that,” Lily stated. “But, it’s going to be a long shot. There’s not much about it being mentioned. It means, that it might have not yet even started.”
“Or if ever it did, someone kept quiet about it?” Liam supplied.
Clayton abruptly stood up at Liam’s comment.
“Now, it makes sense,” he said loudly.
The twins looked at each other, perplexed before they turned their identical brown eyes at him.
“What makes sense, Clay?” Liam asked.
“There’s a Sigma! There is one living in our midst,” Clayton said firmly. “Grandma mentioned about a Sigma but was not able continue because grandpa has arrived.”
“That’s impossible!” Liam reacted loudly. “No one has seen one for a very long time! You know how one is. It’s impossible to even track one!”
Clayton nodded.
“I know,” he agreed. “But, it gives me a place to start.”
Five years later... It was a late, dark, and foggy Wednesday night. The heavy rain that started in the afternoon has finally subsided but that didn’t stop the cold from enveloping the atmosphere. The streets are nearly empty and from time to time, a car will pass by, splashing water on the puddles that they will be driving over. Clattering sounds of tin cans dropping on the ground can be heard as several cats were fighting over food that they had scavenged from the garbage bins located in the alleyway. Twenty-year-old Amarah Saville wrapped her wool scarf around her neck and put on her gloves, to protect herself from the cold after closing the door of the clinic, where she works as an assistant. She was about to walk towards the direction of where she lives, which takes around twenty minutes, but stop when she heard her phone ringing in her jacket pocket. “Matt, I just closed off and will be there in fifteen minutes. Glo has all the details o
Clayton, now twenty-six years old opened his eyes but immediately shut them after being blinded by an intense lighting shone above him. He moved his head to the side to try eliminating the illumination. He tried raising his one arm to shield his eyes but felt it heavy and immobile now. He was attacked, taken by surprise by a trap that he knew his brother had set up. Ever since he had overtaken him and became the alpha of their pack, Conrad had never forgiven him for taking what he thinks was rightfully his. It had finally confirmed Clayton’s suspicions that his brother had pledged his allegiance to their father’s old nemesis, Ian Fullerton, alpha of The Rebel Rogues. Clayton was on a mission on a source that he got with regards to the last wishes that his grandmother had told him. It has been five years since her death, but up to this day, he had managed to only accomplish one. But, only a bare minimum. With Lily’s research and help, she finally discovered th
Alpha Ian Fullerton of The Rebel Rogues, looked up from his desk when he heard a knock on the door of his office. He ordered the one knocking on the door to come in and he saw that it was his beta, Anthony Madison. Anthony is a tall, muscular-built guy with dark hair and dark eyes. He has a scar on his face, running from the bottom of his right eye down to his chin. He looks formidable alone with that look and he had used it to his advantage. “Langston has just returned,” Anthony informed after he closed the door. “He’s waiting outside and wants to speak to you.” Ian leaned back on his chair, clasping his hands in deep thought. “How is he?” “He’s still hungry for power,” Anthony answered seriously. “The disgrace and banishment that he received from his pack seems to be the one fueling his drive for it. If I was on his shoes, I would rather be killed than having that trademark for the rest of my life.” “That’s why I still don’t understa
Clayton could not remember how long he was asleep or unconscious the moment that whatever was administered to his body took over and lose the fight for control of trying to stay alert. But, now that he had regained his consciousness, he felt his strength returning and he can finally move his hands and feet without feeling heavy.He tried rising but he can still feel his body aching from the attack. Finally giving up, Clayton remained lying on the bed he is on and let the medicine do its work in his body so he can be able to recover and heal fast.He needs to return to his pack.He finally was able to open his eyes and he realized that he is inside of what look like a small hospital room. There’s a counter with a sink to his right and some medical accessories that will be needed for any dressing of wounds. There’s also a small basin and a sponge beside some toiletries.Could not be able to sit up, Clayton raised his arms to check on the injurie
“Hey, let me out of here!”The minute Clayton was conscious again, he started struggling from the handcuffs that was placed around both of his wrists and tied to the bed railings. He tried to break from him, using his strength but somehow, he could not. He started shouting from his room but there wasn’t anyone who came to check on him.“Hello?! I’m f8cking sure that you can hear me out there!! Get me out of here, you f8cking as$holes!” He shouted angrily. “I demand that you release me immediately or you will suffer the consequences!”He tried transforming into Kragen but could not even do it.He even tried linking with Liam, but somehow, whatever that was injected in him prevented him from doing that as well. Clayton cursed loudly so that he could be heard.“It’s best you conserve your strength,” an amused and dry voice finally replied. “The sedative is still in your system. Tr
Clayton paced back and forth inside his office, his mind getting restless as well as his body. He stopped for a few minutes before resuming his actions, closing his eyes, and bending his head in deep thought.It has been three weeks since he was discharged from the clinic by that Matthew Slade, and he did what he was being asked of much to his frustration. He remembered lingering at the clinic’s waiting area despite being discharged early, when Amarah, her real name, finally coming in through the front door after Matt.“Amarah,” he stated softly.To his discontent, Amarah stepped behind an amused Matt for her protection and hid herself. He noted that she had a scarf wrapped around her neck and her eyes reflected fear when she looked towards him. The last thing he wanted her to feel if she is around him is fear. But, because of what he did, he somehow instilled that on her.“Amarah, please know that I didn’t mean to hurt you l
Amarah opened the cabinet, which contains the clinics stock of medical supplies and started counting them for their usual monthly inventory on a not so busy Friday morning. She counted the number of boxes of surgical gloves they have left and wrote it down on the paper pinned to a clipboard she is holding.She then proceeded checking and counting the saline solution bottles.After two hours of doing inventory, she went back to the reception lobby and proceeded to her computer to start on her report.“Hey, would you mind doing this for me as well?” Tracy Sutton quipped.Amarah looked at the document being handed to her.“Isn’t that supposed to be your task to do?” She asked patiently as she open a new file and started encoding the standard format. “Matt will be reprimanding you again if he finds out that I did your report like I did last month.”“Like, please stop telling me that, Arah,” T
Clayton sat stiffly on his chair inside a small, quaint restaurant while rubbing the back of his head, where the clipboard Amarah hit him with, to ease the soreness he felt. He looked hardly at Matt, who went with them to prevent any further harm to him, trying to control his laughter over what happened.He looked across the table at Amarah. His Amarah, who just whacked him on the head with a clipboard that she had been holding since he followed her in to where she was being checked, as he was kissing her inside the clinic. The woman the damn doctor beside him said that she could not even hurt a fly and Clayton believed it. Right now, she is staring angrily at him, like daggers are shooting out of her eyes.Shocking Amarah with his bold action, Clayton held her by her chin as he bent down and kissed her deeply, sending her a message that he will make her his. She struggled from him but his hands on her waist and chin prevented her from doing that.Her full, red