THE SCAR THAT BINDS

SELENE

Another forth night had passed still with no sign of the full moon and it had begun to take a toll on everyone. I had been on bed rest the past week. This is the weakest I had ever felt in my life. The salutary had tripled my dosage of medicine just to ensure that I had some strength in my body. I was worried. I couldn’t feel my wolf. I knew she was there because if she wasn’t then I would be nothing. Every werewolf had their consciousness split into a complete half. And although we couldn’t have direct conversations with our wolf side like fiction books say, we could feel them almost like they were ingrained in our consciousness. Losing your wolf was like losing half of your soul and the gap could never be filled. Only two thing could cause one to lose their wolf, the first was losing the person whom you has been chosen to share a bond with and then give your mark and the second was being away from the full moon for so long. My wolf was slipping further and further into my consciousness and I knew that soon she would be gone and I was scared.

The Alpha King had sent a message, as per the seers vision, he was on the hunt some girl. That for me was a load of bull, there more important things that needed to be done than going on some headless hunt or someone who they know nothing about. The search was in vain in Oleander and Ferdinand and our pack was the last one. “How do you feel, we get to meet the Alpha King today like in person” Nova said excitedly. She had not agreed to live my side since I had been bedridden. I frequently get visits from Coleton, Miss Rogers who frequently dropped by to give me food and even Cece but Nova she had been here around the clock like my personal live in nurse and I couldn’t be more grateful. 

“I feel like the Alpha King is wasting his time one more forth night without the full moon and we’d all be doomed I don’t think I’ll be able to survive it” I said and Nova turned to me with a serious expression, I know she hated when I talked like that but it was a fact. I could feel my limbs giving up on me, my wolf was slipping away from me. Maybe it’d be better without me, I was a liability anyways. Nova gripped both my shoulders, but I could feel the effort she was taking not to apply pressure. My bones were very fragile now. I was even sporting a fractured ankle at the moment for limping too hard, if that didn’t sound pathetic enough. “Stop it” Nova said “things will be better soon, the Alpha King is up to something. I feel it in my witch senses and they have never been wrong before” she said with full conviction.

“Look all I’m saying is that in the while that he has been on this useless witch hunt rogue attacks have tripled. Almost as if the know that our defenses are down and is nobody wondering why the rogues don’t seem to be affected by the absence of the moon?” I said and she heaved a sigh “look Selene everything will be ok. If this this plan fails, there will have to be another way, the moon goddess never abandons her own” she said and I nodded “for all our sakes I really hope you’re right. The fact that we haven’t lost a wolf yet to the rogue attacks doesn’t mean that it won’t happen”

The Alpha King was set to arrive in our pack by midnight and as the time drew closer I could feel my wolf stirring. For about a week it felt like she was retreating far into the deepest parts of my mind and the one time she chooses to show up, she makes me feel than a person with claustrophobia locked in a room, how great.

“We have to get to the Pack house now” Nova said by that time I don’t know what was wrong, my wolf was restless using up all of my energy to pace around at the back of my mind. I had stripped off my clothes because everywhere was hot. Nova’s eyes widened when she saw the state I was in.

“I just went to make myself a coffee and you want to die on me?” she said with a light tone but she was pretty serious. That was Nova, either make light of the situation or freak out.

“We have to get you to the Salutary” she said.

“But the A-alpha K-king” I said barely stringing my words together keeping my eyes open was even much of a stress.

“Fuck that!” Nova said and turned to me. She lightly tapped me on my cheek “hey don’t you dare close your eyes”

She managed to get me into clothes before taking me outside. “Darn the moon I don’t think I’m going to be able to shift” she said and paused for a while “I’ll teleport us there” and maybe it was just me that was delirious but I think I heard her see teleport. When did Nova begin to practice magic and why wasn’t I aware of it.

“I hope this works she said” and held my hand she heaved a sigh and her face turned blank like as though she was really concentrating, this was the most serious I had ever seen Nova in my life.

“What are you doing?” I asked and she glared at me

“Don’t distract me I have to keep the mental picture of the pack house in my head except you want us to end up in the middle of nowhere” she said and I nodded “o-ok t-then”

 “Astra descentio, corpus meus, locum novum, apparere”. For a while nothing happened. Nova’s hopeful look turned downcast. “Fucking useless” she cursed herself “t-that’s no true-”

Before I could do that I t felt like the ground was moving and in the blink of an eye we were in front of the pack house. “I’m going to be sick” I said and turned away quickly to puke my guts out. Nova couldn’t contain her giddiness even as she rubbed my back. “Fuck yeah I knew I could do it” she said. “No let’s get you to the Salutary I reckon I might have made things worse for you” she said.

“Wait a minute, do you smell that?” I asked and she arched her brow at me “smell what?” she asked and just like that it felt like I had lost control of my body. “Like I was there yeah, but I was only a spectator”. And just like that I could feel myself running in search of that tantalizing scent. It smelled of a heady mix of smoked cedar wood, storm-soaked earth and a fait undercurrent of burnt amber. With just a whiff this scent was beginning to feel like home. I could hear Nova calling after me, her footsteps right on my heel but I was already too far gone I had to find it the scent that was calling to me.

Full speed I crashed into a hard chest. Hands flew to wrap around me before I could hit the ground. And I was face to face with those green eyes that seemed to be haunting my dreams. It was the Alpha King. How could this be? Sparks erupted everywhere he touched and I felt consumed “Mate!” I heard a voice in my hand and my eyes widened “this couldn’t be possible, there was no such thing as fated mates and there sure as hell wasn’t anything like a voice in our head. That was all a myth made up by humans to try and form a narrative for what they couldn’t explain. I quickly stepped away from him, everything was too much too intense and from the haunted look in his eyes I’m sure he felt it too. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Nova made a move to me but he snarled and brought me closer to his side “Mine!!!” he barked. The sparks had resumed his scent consumed me. And that’s when we all saw it the full moon. Howls erupted all around us as people succumbed to the power of the moon, quickly shifting to their wolves.

Before I could make sense of what was happening a loud scream erupted, it was from me my entire body felt like it was on fire. One of my bones cracked, and then another, this wasn’t my first shift so why did it feel like it was? I hurt, everywhere. This continued for what felt like hours until the shift was complete. This was my wolf but I was a lot larger and it took me quite a few attempts to get control of my new size. The Alpha had already transformed into his wolf and he moved to me and. nuzzled me, drenching me with his scent a deep act of possession.

“I am Nadine, your wolf” I heard that same voice again in my head. “How is this even possible? We don’t communicate with our wolves like this” I found myself saying and I heard a soft laugh “you my dear are different”