THE LOVE SHE LOST

~Hanesville, twenty-five years ago~

His kisses warmed her lips and sent a tingling sensation down her body. He was a gentle lover, penetrative through all the depths of her body, making her breath rise and fall in ecstasy. 

She loved him dearly and he loved her too. From the very first night they’d been mated together by the moon goddess, Tave had been a sweet lover. And even when she was tempted to leave him because of who he was, she could never bring herself to stay away from him.

“Mmmmm!” She moaned as his lips rubbed against her ears, “I love you, Tave! I’ll never leave you.”

He came to a slow stop and brought his eyes directly before hers.

“Promise?”

Her eyes answered his question long before her lips said it.

“Of course,” She saw the look on his face and added, “Don’t you believe me?”

He gave a small shrug.

“I do. I just____” He stopped and heaved a deep breath, “I can’t help but think that someday, the enmity amongst our packs will separate us. I love you so much, Opal,” His ocean-blue eyes peered into hers, “I want to be with you forever.”

Opal smiled slowly. She knew he meant it. And she meant it. There was never going to be an end to their love, not in this world and not even in the world to come.

He wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her full body. They were standing under the moonlight, caressing themselves and making promises with the stars as their witness. Neither of them knew that the universe had bound them to the promises they made this night.

“Come on,” Tave said, swooping her underneath his arms, “Let’s make love under the moonlight.”

She grinned broadly, excited by the thought of making love with him

Tave’s lips swallowed up her lips once again, and she gave in easily. Like a flower falling under the heat of the sun, she melted into his hands without fighting it.

He pushed his hands underneath her dress and his fingers rubbed her middle gently until the sound of her moans filled the woods.

Opal had never known a pleasure so great. It enveloped her entire body, causing her to quiver as an electrical sensation swept through her.

They’d made love that night until the moon disappeared underneath the dark clouds that loomed in the sky.

It had been seven months since they broke the promises they made to each other and a lot had happened since then, yet, she still missed him. The night was warm and peaceful. It reminded her of the love she had lost.

Opal Kendrick shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. Her mission tonight was important. Nothing could go wrong.

She snaked through the woods, careful not to make a sound. She carried herself like an ox, spreading her furs through the woods as she moved. 

She looked up and spotted a dull, yellowish full moon overhead and instantly, it triggered her transformation into her full werewolf form.

Tonight was a night she had anticipated for almost a full month. Nothing would stand in her way tonight. She would make sure of it. One way or the other, the gemstone was going to find its way into her hands tonight. 

Her feet felt light on the ground she walked on. She could hear the sound of the dry twigs breaking under the weight of her feet and the chirping of the birds in the distance. 

The woods seemed so alive tonight. She could not shake off the uneasy feeling that someone was watching her from somewhere in the woods. The gemstone was here somewhere. The prophecy said so. She had to find it soon and get out of there. 

She journeyed on until she crossed the borders into foreign territories. A seagull shrieked in the distance. An ill omen, Opal thought. Not tonight, she thought aloud. Nothing would stop her tonight. 

The woods opened up to receive her as she journeyed through it. A whirlwind rushed past her, shaking the trees beside her. Opal stopped and waited, leaning on the bark of a giant oak tree whose large leaves spread above her, shielding her from the fierce wind that was coming. 

The whirlwind lasted for another minute and then, silence swept through the woods. Deep, still silence. Opal lingered for a moment, trying to decide whether it was okay to move on or not. 

She soon made her decision. She transformed back into her human form and put one foot before the other. As she released her grip from the bark of the tree, ready to forge ahead, she heard a voice that startled her entire being. 

“Stop right there!” The deep masculine voice ordered, chillingly close. 

Opal froze at the spot. She could not breathe. 

Her first impulse was to turn around and give whoever it was a punch in the face. Bad idea, she thought. She had no idea who it was or what he carried. What if he was with a gun? 

Her ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. She waited, marking her time, taking slow deep breaths. She felt him draw closer to her until she could feel him breathing behind her ears. 

“You’re a werewolf,” The man said, sniffing her body. “What are you doing here? Do you realize that you’re trespassing?” 

Opal did not answer. The voice sounded familiar. She gulped hard and tried to steady her breathing. The man was making a round turn now. He soon circled to her face and they both beheld each other’s faces. 

“Tave!” Opal said, finally finding her voice. “Stay out of my way!” 

She looked into his deep, dark eyes and felt a churning sensation go through her. He was her mated Alpha werewolf from The Order of Lycan. He was called Tave Hamilton and was the only son and sole heir of Mr. Henry Hamilton, the revered master of the werewolf pack of The order of Lycan. 

“Well, you have some guts for showing up here after what you did,” Tave Hamilton said. He poked his face higher and glared at her, “I should kill you here and now for murdering Xavier, my brother, and Carlo, my best friend!” His voice was laced with pain and anguish. “I trusted you, Opal!” His voice hardened in another moment, “That was a mistake.”

Opal drew an exasperated breath. 

“For the last time, I am telling you that I have no idea what you’re talking about. I did not murder Xavier and Carlo. I mean, I would have loved to, but I didn’t. They did murder some members of my pack, after all.”

“Really?” Tave's eyes got colder. “Then why do I see fear in your eyes? Deep primal fear,” He drew closer to Opal until she could feel his warm breath against her face, “I saw you here in the woods that night before you mysteriously disappeared. Are you going to deny that too?” 

Opal did not answer. 

“I desperately want to kill you, Opal,” He clenched his jaws, “I want your death to be slow and agonizingly painful. Alas, tonight is the night I get to carry out my vengeance!” 

Opal’s shoulders stiffened. 

“You can carry out your revenge later after you give me what I want.” 

Tave seemed to entertain her words for a moment. 

“Come to think of it, you have not told me yet what you’re doing here. You know, I would have thought you’d finally retraced your steps and decided to come back to me which is why you’re here, but no, I’m not so stupid. You already picked sides and that’s something I can never forgive.”

He paused and heaved a deep breath as if he was forcing himself to say the next words that came to his mind, "I loved you, Opal. I really did. But that was a long time ago before you stabbed me in the back," His eyes got sterner, “What are you doing here trespassing on our grounds, daughter of Zeke Kendrick?” 

Opal’s face hardened. Zeke Kendrick was her father’s name. It was the way he said it, with such recklessness that made her maddened. Her father was dead, killed by one of them. 

Hearing him taunt her by calling her father’s name infuriated her. Her body was fueled with unexplainable energy that forced her to change the narrative at once. 

By some divine arrangement, a loose tree branch fell exactly at that moment. It landed on Tave's side, causing him to lose concentration. 

This was the distraction she’d been looking for. The grounds were slippery. There had been a cold shower during the day. It was easy to corner him and make him fall. 

She knew she was no match for him if it ever came to a fistfight, so she resorted to using other initiatives. She moved like a fox, swooping him on the feet. He staggered backwards until his feet caught up with an undergrowth and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. 

A twisted smile spread across Opal's face. Quickly, she pounced on him like a wild cat, sitting on his face. By the time Tave realized what had happened, he was trapped. 

She sat solidly on his body, one hand holding his hand down and the other one holding his neck down, choking the life out of him. Tave panted, struggling to breathe. 

“Shhhhh!” She said, hushing him, “Now, I get to ask the questions and you provide the answers to my questions. Agreed?” 

Tave could not answer. His voice was trapped by her strong hand on his neck. She released her hand from his neck slowly, giving him enough space to answer. 

“Y___Yes,” He quivered. 

“Good.” A cynical smile followed. She spoke her next words very slowly, making sure that he caught every word she said, “Where is the last sacred gemstone of Eden?” 

She did not miss the shocked expression in his eyes. 

“What?!” 

Opal began to press down on his neck again but he stopped her before she succeeded in choking him any further. 

“W__wait! I’ll answer you, okay?” 

“Where is it?” Opal repeated. 

“First of all, I am the keeper of the gemstone,” Tave said hastily. 

Opal rolled her eyes. 

“Do you seriously think that I came all the way here to know who is the keeper of the damned gemstone?” Her tone hardened, “Where is it?!” 

“Why do you want it?” 

“It's none of your business. Just tell me where it is,” Opal said impatiently. 

Tave was beginning to choke now. He coughed aloud to clear his airways before he continued. And when he spoke, his voice sounded like rough char. 

“You don’t understand, Opal,” He said, his breathing labored, “The gemstone must never leave my possession. I have hidden it so far from my father because he is conniving with Mr. Tom Banes, the supreme leader of your pack to use it to bring evil to the world. I cannot give it to you.” 

“That’s sad,” Opal said, her voice cold as steel. “Really sad. Because now I have to kill you.”