Chapter Nine

Slowly circling the unmoving figure, he approached like a predator to its prey. He had found her! That's what kept ringing in his mind. He found himself in his human form.

"Aliyah....." He called out in a gentle voice.

She turned to him but did not get up. She let out a whine.

"I'm not worthy of you." She thought.

"Why would you think that?" He asked.

"Wait.... You can hear my thought?"

"Yes. It's the mind link....." He told her.

"Why do you say such things?" 

"I can't shift, I can't even handle a little heat!" She cried out in frustration.

"But you are an amazing person. I know we have known each other for a little while but I have seen how you care about other people. You have a good heart. It does not matter to me if you can't shift anymore....." He assured her.

"You didn't want me....."

"I'm sorry I made you feel like that, I thought that what happened to me years ago would happen again. I was afraid to let you in. I was a coward...I did not want to disappoint you."

"You can never disappoint me Divine.

You saved me even when you were not sure I was really your mate." She told him.

"I want us to work too. But I want it to not just be our mate bond pulling us close, I want you to like me as a person too. I want you to be happy..."

"I want that too."

"Good. Let's go home and we will do this together."

"I can't.... I can't cross over...." She said looking down.

For once Divine saw that there was a black fluid filled circle surrounding her. He tried to walk over it but there was an invisible barrier that knocked him back.

He tried moving his arm through it but it burnt him and he flinched. A strong wind started blowing and kept growing.

"Ali love, we need to do this together okay? Give me your hand." He stretched his hand towards her ignoring the burning sensation that sizzled through it.

She stretched hers too and touched his. He was pulled into  the circle and it ignited in orange and white flames as the howling wind intensified.  

The strange wolf appeared again out of nowhere. It started materialising into a human form but went back to a wolf before it completed the shift. Why would this strange wolf do that?

An idea struck him at what the wolf was trying to tell him.

"Aliyah, you need to trust me on this okay? We will get out of here I just need you to try as hard as you can." He told her.

"I will..... What do you want me to do?" She asked as she dried the tears that had graced her fair face.

"I need you to shift. Please." He said sternly.

"Divine.... I can't....."

"Yes you can. You are are a strong wolf. You survived the idiot alpha who locked you up and hurt you, you escaped him." He said and she looked up at him expectantly. "You survived out in the wold alone. The moon goddess did not let you die there, she won't let us die here. You are my mate, do you know what that means?" He asked.

"No..." She said shaking her head.

"It means you are a Luna. You have a half of my soul with you, now close your eyes and picture your wolf. Do you see her?"

"Yes.... She is tied up...."

"You can break her free because you are one." He kept talking to her as the fire got close to him and his strength wavered.

Divine closed his eyes,shifted  them then opened and saw Aliyah being engulfed in white smoke. There were burning ropes over her and he almost broke down. She was in terrible pain and fear gripped him.

"You are a Queen love, you are meant to be one of the greatest Lunas to ever exist. I need you. Now break those ropes!" He encouraged her.

She gave out a shrieking pain that soon turned into a howl. 

She had shifted into a wolf and the flaming circle exploded knocking them both out.

***

He awoke to someone calling out his name.

"Quiet please. That's very loud." He groaned then jumped up when he remembered Aliyah.

"Aliyahhhhh."

"I'm right here. He turned and was face to face with a silver furred wolf with an azure streak at the middle of the back and  similar eyes.

He smiled widely and was about to turn too when a stabbing pain coursed through his chest and his body hit the floor in a heart wrenching scream, all he could see was darkness. 

A crushing pain hit his chest as he awakened and he growled. His vibrating voice turned into a white blinding  eruption of light from his chest. He opened his eyes and noticed that he had shifted into his wolf. He heard everyone gasp. He looked up to see his mate guarding him closely while the rest were far from him.

Why did everyone look at him in fear?

He shifted back into his human form and so did Aliyah.

He started approaching his grandfather who took a few steps back. 

"What is happening? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing is wrong son...."

"Don't lie to me alpha. Why does everyone stand so far away?"

"Don't worry too much brother, it's just....no one here has ever  shot pure fireballs out of their chest or seen it before.." Mik said tentatively still not coming to pat his shoulder as he always did.

Divine looked around and saw that he had made a hole in the ceiling. "Sorry about that." He said. "It's new to me too." He said scratching his head.

Everyone smiled nervously.

"Aliyah! Are you okay?" He turned so quickly to his mate,inspecting her for injuries. She looked at him with wide eyes.

"Divine...." She said.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

She slowly touched her fingers to his arm and everyone gasped.

She touched him further almost ecstatic. She hugged him so tight crying.

"It's okay. I'm here. I'm okay. You're okay aren't you? Please tell me what's wrong." He said soothing her.

"Well, looks like his mate can touch him." He heard Beta Logan say.

"Indeed."  Alpha Romulus said.

"Can someone tell me what is going on?" He demanded 

"Well son, we tried to touch you when you were writhing and convulsing on the floor but your body burnt us.Literary."

"I did what?" He asked in shock.

"I will show you..." Orion said stepping forward as the others screamed no. He lightly touched Divine with his finger.

"Wow, the fire is there..." He said as his hand got bold and touched his shoulder further. "But not as bad as before....."

"What do you mean as bad as before?"

"Well when Mik, Beta Logan and I tried to touch you, your body flamed up and flew us across the room." Orion said bluntly.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you..." Divine said sad.

"Are you crazy?! It was awesome. Scary but awesome." Orion said.

He smiled slightly and turned to Aliyah. "Did I hurt you?"

"No actually, she was the only one who was not affected."  Beta Logan said.

"Okay. Let us all go and have some rest. It is late." Alpha Romulus said.

They were all ushered to different rooms. Except Divine and Aliyah.

Divine spun her around as soon as the door closed. He pulled her closer with a hand around her waist. He leaned his forehead against hers.

"How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?" He asked her in a whisper.

"I am alright D, are you okay?" She asked him shyly.

"Don't worry about me."

"Can I ask? What is the story behind this place? How did you find me?"

"Two very serious questions. This is my and Mik's grandfather's pack. Alpha Romulus is my mother's and Mik's father's father." He explained.

"So your mother and her brother married in the Rose-Noire pack?"

"Not just in the same pack, same family too. My father and Mik's mother were siblings too. The twins from one side married twins from another side." He said with a smile.

"Twin mates?" Aliyah asked bewildered.

"Yes. They chose to live in my father's pack because he was alpha and next in line, but my uncle could not let his sister  go away on her own, my father too. So....here we are." He told her.

"I see. That's a beautiful love story. Now tell me how you found me."

"The ladies cast spells to get me to you, apart from the wolf spirit that helped me, I just knew where you would be."

"Wait, what spirit?" She asked turning her head to him so quickly.

"The spirit world is mysterious."

"If you weren't my mate you would not have found me....." She said lowering her head.

"My precious," he lifted her chin up. "Look at me, I had doubts before because of something in my past. But I also meant what I said to you when we were in Limbo. I want us to connect personally, not just because of the mate bond." He told her.

"I want that too. I want you to fall in love with me."

"Yes. Not just because we are obliged by the bond, but because we  love each other as people. "

"Like if we were merely humans?"

"Yes like that."

"Alright."

"Will you promise me something?" He asked her seriously.

"What?"

"Never say you're unworthy. Never think you deserve anything less of happiness, promise me." He said holding her cheek gently.

"I promise my big bad wolf." She said smiling up at him.

He chuckled and connected his lips to her soft delicate ones in a chaste kiss.

"Hey Vines!" He heard Orion call out outside their door.

"I will go see what he wants. Get some rest." He pecked her forehead.

Divine walked to the door, out and into the corridor.

"O, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I need to talk to you." He said avoiding eye contact.

Divine sensed the discomfort Orion  was in.

"What's wrong brother? What happened?" He asked.

"I know you are probably exhausted and all, but I don't know what I must do, if there is anything to do...." Orion said.

Divine had only seen his best friend sad,annoyed and other positive emotions but never disturbed.

"Is this about your mate, Thalia?" He asked.

Orion turned his head so quick he could have broken his neck. "You know?!"

"Orion, I know you and I'm an alpha I sense these things."

"Is this possible?" 

"Yes it is. The moon goddess does not make mistakes."

"What do I do though? Everything in me is telling me to go to her right now but...."

"You are afraid you may be disrespecting the memory of Deena."

"Yes. What do I do?"

"I think Deena would have wanted you to be happy."

"Yes. She would."

"Think about how Thalia is feeling right now. She just found her mate."

"I don't want to disappoint her Vines...."

"And you will not. You are just scared. You are a very loyal,strong and great person. You will not fail anyone. You have not failed me or Mik, or Ma and Pa or Deena. You will not fail." Divine told him a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you brother."

"Why are you two having fun without me?" Mik said through the mind link.

"Should you not be entertaining your wife right now?" Divine asked.

"Yeah, like putting your mouth where hers is." Orion said laughing.

"You have a foul mouth. Have a good night."

The other two laughed.

"I have to go and see Thalia for a bit." Orion said getting anxious again.

"You will be fine. Just breathe."

"Thanks brother."

"Don't stay up too late, we will have an early morning back home."

"Does Pop-pop know?" 

"Yeah. He wants to see us be fore we go though."

"Well then Vines, don't worry about me, worry about Giselle keeping Mik up all night...." Orion said laughing.

"I heard that." 

Divine +Aliyah