Chapter Six

Taliah's POV

With the intel Anar’s people provided we found the place easily. It was a small plot of land east that took us 6 hours away from the pack territory. We saw so much on the way there, none of it was good. The world had been turned upside down. Where beauty and all of mankind's technological advancements used to stand were replaced by ruin. The only word I could use to describe it was emptiness. Whole cities where now scavenge sites, people would come out during the day and visit the hospitals to take what they could find, markets where ravaged for anything people could find useful.

Anar explained that the human factions and military were responsible for clearing away most of the damage to at least create roads for people to even get around. No matter how much they tried to resist, humans stood no chance against the creatures that lurked in the night. There were no weapons they could use to fight, nothing to keep their borders safe without the help of the supernatural world.

How long would that last though? Humans were grateful now, but it is in their nature to become desperate to survive when things go to shit. When they run out of food, water, and supplies, how long will it take before they turn on us? We were the people who have always lived primarily off the land. They may have nothing to fight against the soul sucking beast that go bump in the night, but they had developed weapons for our kind long ago.

I was pulled from thoughts as the car came to a stop. There was a small cottage down the road. It was closed off to vehicles, so we got out to walk the rest of the way. I grew more anxious with every step I took. Anar grabbed my hand and entangled his fingers in mine as he sensed my emotions.

“It could be nothing Liah, I don’t want you to be too worked up.” He said pulling the back of my hand to his lips. I looked up at him and his eyes were fixed straight ahead. I could sense not only was he worried about me being disappointed, but he was also staying sharp incase there was trouble. It made me realize that we were walking into someone’s territory unannounced. With that thought both me and Nyx became alert.

As we got closer a male figure came into our view. The cottage house stood on a vast field of land. From where I could see him, he seemed to be working on something. We got closer and I watched him swing threw huge sacks over his shoulder, each one about the size of a whole person. Nyx grew uneasy witnessing such strength. When I suddenly caught his scent, I came to a hopeful yet dangerous realization. He wasn’t human that was for sure. I went to whisper the same thought to Anar, but the hard look on his face let me know he had already figured it out.

The man walked back inside the cottage with the load, after a few seconds he reappeared empty handed. Anar and I were now in the front yard, and I could see him clearly. His strange shining violet eyes met mine, and astrange feeling began to form inside me.

“Ohthere?” I said my hand leaving Anar’s as I took a step closer to the porch where the man stood.

His lips tugged up into a grin, and goosebumps began to form over my entire body. The shirtless broad shoulder man turned and called out.

“Ohthere! Visitors!” He called through the screen door, his voice echoing inside my mind making me flinch. What the hell was going on?

Anar stepped to my side, his hand snaked around my waist. The man chuckled and rolled his eyes before walking over to the seat on the porch. He sat down and fixed his eyes on me and Anar.

The door swung open drawing my attention. The second man who emerged from the cottage left me speechless. He was a spitting image of my uncle; it was an uncanny sight. He didn’t just have a few features, I mean his face, his build, his hair, they were identical.

“Ohthere.” I said, not as a question but confidently this time.

“That’s me, how can I help you?” He asked taking of his gloves and walking over to the other man. I hadn’t noticed the other man was smoking until Ohthere grabbed his cigarette and took a puff. My senses were so overloaded trying to process what I just heard. His voice was an auditory phenomenon. a wolf's hearing is sensitive already, and to hear the same voice that I remembered so vividly from my childhood, it was so strange.

Watching me lost for words Anar nudged me and brought me back from my own mind.

“I’m Taliah Natura. My mother is Zion Calhoun, my uncle..” I started to say, but before I could finish, I watched the cigarette drop from his lips as his our eyes met.

“Leo Calhoun?” He asked tears brimming in his eyes.

“Yes. He is you father?” I asked excitedly, as the words left my lips the unnamed man sat up in his chair watching the exchange eagerly, his eyes darting from mine to Ohthere's.

Ohthere said nothing as he processed the information.

“I’ve come to ask you to come with me to Bloodmoon, and to be, to be my Beta.” I stuttered out. I was shocked when the unknown man began to laugh loudly. I glared at him as he tried to catch his breath.

“Is this a joke?” the man asked still chuckling. He obviously didn’t know how to read the room. I’m sure no here found any of this funny.

“Who the fuck even are you!?” I snapped at him, surprising not only him but also Anar and Ohthere.

He chuckled once more before standing. Ohthere slapped his him letting him know to stand down, but he didn’t. Anar grabbed my arm and stepped forward placing himself between me and the men on the porch. My glare was fixed on the man with the glowing purple eyes. The man threw both his hands up teasing as he back away and proceeded to walk back inside the cottage.

“I’m sorry for my friend, why don’t you guys come inside. I’m sure we have a lot to discuss." Ohthere said.