Book 1: Chapter 53

“You should head back to your territory, Nate.” Her words weren’t an order, but they held an air of ‘don’t argue with me’.

“No.”

Funny enough, one of the side effects of the potion was because my wolf side had been locked didn’t, commands didn’t work as well as they would normally. We found that out when Silas tried to order me back to bed and I could not only ignore it but also refuse.

“Nate…”

“You took one hundred lashes that I wouldn’t have to, didn’t you?”

I looked at Aelia but it was Keri who shook her head and answered. “No, you dumb ass. She took one hundred lashes because if she didn’t, you would have had…”

A swift glare from Aelia shut her up. “This is none of your business, Nate. Go home.”

It was a little more forceful this time but I still ignored it. “Tell me, A! Don’t just…”

“Just what? What are you looking for, Nate?”

My nails dug into my palms in my pocket. What was I looking for? More punishment? More pain? Anything that would somehow make me feel something other than inadequacy. That I was still decent and deserved to stand as Beta still. That I could actually uphold my end of standing next to Aelia.

I was so deep in my thoughts, my entire body shivered as Aelia cupped my cheek. My eyes met hers and there was something in them that made me shrivel up. The amount of pain that she had been through, the years of her life stolen away, on full display in the deep pools of her eyes. Aelia was a carbon copy of Silas, just a little shorter and smaller. Now though, the things she went through gave her an aura and an edge that Silas wouldn’t be able to have.

“Go home.” Her voice was a whisper.

“Let me do it. Let me take the hundred more. You don’t need to do it.”

She smiled but it wasn’t happy. There wasn’t any real emotion behind it. Just blank. Keri was the one who popped up from behind.

“I’d prefer it. Let this pup take it. The Alpha King wouldn’t know the difference if he didn’t ask. Hell, he might feel better about it.”

Aelia sighed. “It was never meant for him.” She leveled with me again, still pinning me to where I was standing. “It was meant as a deterrent to not take the deal. It wasn’t me taking one hundred so you would have two hundred. It was always that you got two hundred and I got one hundred.”

Her hand slipped from my face and she turned. I felt my knees weaken. Suddenly, I found myself falling to the forest floor. It was as though her power, even without her aura, stole my ability to stand.

“He’s really not used to you.” Keri chuckled. “Poor guy.”

“Keri, please. I don’t have much more time before I get called out by Finn and Noah for being missing. Let’s get this over with.”

Keri let out a long exasperated breath through her nose. “Sure sure. What about him?”

Aelia looked at me. “If he wants to stay, he can stay. He won’t move.”

“Aelia…I…”

She turned from me but she was right. My knees were glued to the ground. Why couldn’t I move? Why couldn’t I fight her? My eyes closed as I tried to push up but not even my arms worked. My hands just grasped the earth and clumped it up.

“You know. Your powers are sometimes frightening.” My eyes opened to look at Keri who was looking down at me, almost pitifully.

“Keri, focus please.”

Keri turned from me and opened up the hard-shell case that was on the ground. I realized it was the same one that Aelia had presented me a week ago. Upon opening it, Keri pulled out the same whip.

“A, please…don’t…” My voice fell on deaf ears.

“Brace yourself, Alpha. I’ll make it quick.” Aelia turned and pulled her shirt over her head. My face turned red as I was met with her bare front. However, my embarrassment gave way to horror as Aelia moved to a tree, her hands bracing against the trunk. She didn’t even go down on her knees. Her back, the scars that she had and even the connection of her metal arm, were on full display. It hurt seeing the white and red marks all over but my thoughts were interrupted. A crack resounded and my eyes tore from her and looked at Keri. The whip in her hand seems to shake but Keri’s face was hard.

“Alpha?

“Start, Gamma.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Nothing more was said between the two. I heard the crack first, before witnessing the slice open up on her back. She didn’t take a weakening potion but at the same time, there was no blood clotting help. The line dripped blood down her back. Another crack and a second, third, fourth…one after the other. Tearing up her back and after a while, there wasn’t anything but blood. You couldn’t see her back. It sprayed with every new crack of the whip, splattering her neck and arms.

Keri didn’t stop. There was no break between the cracks but after each one, her face turned tighter and her mouth pressed further in a line.

“Halfway, Alpha.”

I chocked out a sob. Goddess, she was only at fifty? Aelia hadn’t made a sound, no weakness in her posture or brace against the tree. Not even her hands moved, palms still just splayed out against the trunk. Why was she doing this for me? It didn’t make sense. I wasn’t anyone to her anymore. I literally did the most unspeakable thing. Yet, here she was, taking a ridiculous amount of lashes when she was already in pain and already weak. She hadn’t made a sound the entire time.

Again, the cracking started up again and I couldn’t look anymore. My head fell, my chin down with my eyes closed. Just listening to every flick of the whip. After a few minutes, it stopped. A quiet hush fell over the forest and I pulled my head back up. Keri had rolled up the whip and put it in the case. Aelia pushed herself up off of the tree, blood dripping down her back but when she turned, her face was completely passive. As though nothing had happened. That the last fifteen or thirty minutes didn’t happen at all.

“Where are you headed? Down south?” Aelia gave Keri a nod when she passed her her shirt.

“Yeah. The Alpha King was right. It’s becoming more of a problem than we realized. The Hunters…” Keri sighed and rubbed her eyes. “…they are setting up something.”

Aelia pursed her lips. “Why here and now? It doesn’t make any sense.”

I couldn’t help but wince as she pulled her shirt over her head. The fabric would stick to the blood and be terrible to peel off. Why were they being so nonchalant about this? My heart hammered but I managed to actually get up off the floor now.

“There is a rumor…one I’m not sure is entirely true but…” Keri was chewing on her words for a moment. “Some of the packs who are letting humans work and live, have made deals with Hunters. A blind eye in exchange for wealth and protection.”

Aelia growled. “Damn it. This is why I’m against the colonization. You’re asking for Hunters on your territory. But that doesn’t explain the why. Just that…”

Her face fell and I could see her body tighten. Keri caught it as well, but she seemed to know why. I looked between the two of them, confused.

“What would they be after?”

My question seemed to jolt the two of them out of their thoughts. Aelia smiled at me softly and I wondered if she forgot I was there at all.

“A cure.” Keri spat out.

“A cure for…?”

Sighing, Aelia rubbed her eyes. “Us. Werewolves. Turning us human. Curing us of the disease they think is the supernatural.”

I scoffed. “Being a werewolf isn’t something you can cure. It’s…it’s…” The look on their faces made me stutter. “It’s our pride and our gift from the moon goddess.”

Chuckling, Aelia nodded. “Yes. But these are people who despise us. These people think that we are an abomination; genetics and evolution gone wrong.” She paused for a moment. “Witches and werewolves are the closest to being human. Therefore, they think we can be cured. Vampires are already dead and should stay dead in their eyes. Fey are freaks of nature and need to be put down. The act of making a werewolf human, stripping them of everything including their wolf, that’s been years of research…” Her words trailed off.

“They need research subjects still and who’s gonna give up willingly to be a werewolf.” Keri grumbled.

I looked at the both of them. “Wolves like Aelia’s father.”

Nodding sadly, Aelia pinched the bridge of her nose. It was such a Silas move that despite the heaviness of the conversation, I nearly chuckled. She continued to speak. “Silas’ alliances also are so damn hell bent on coming up in the world. Using their wealth that they are willing to throw everything away. Everything that we are. The Hunters are only going to use that as a weakness.”

“But Silas hasn’t given in. I know some of the other Alpha’s have been pushing him, but we aren’t exactly in prime territory for that. We aren’t a big tourist area and we aren’t on the way to a bigger city or outside a big city.”

Keri shook her head. “The fact that those are the only reasons stopping him. Your Alpha will just become part of the issue.”

“Silas wouldn’t…”

Aelia’s hand touched my shoulder and I looked at her. “They might know that too. Which puts you guys in more danger. Especially when our Father was so compliant. It could lead to actions on the Hunter’s side that could end up in a battle. Something we don’t want to start.”

My fists were balled up but my head fell. She was right, of course. It just didn’t make it easy to swallow.

“Mind you, these are still rumors. I need to head South, do some digging. I’ll check in with you once I find something.” Keri picked up the hard case and strapped it on her back. “I’ll leave you in the capable hands of this pup. I’m not in the mood to get my head torn off by Noah and Finn. I can take one at a time, but not both.”

Aelia smiled. “Be safe, Gamma. Don’t get in over your head.”

Keri chucked. “I’m not the one dying. Nor am I the one taking up the monumental task of…” She glanced at me, smirking. “Well, you know. Good luck. Be safe, Alpha. I’ll be in touch.”

Shifting into her wolf form, Keri took off running through the woods. Aelia turned and watched her go. My eyes did too until they caught the red tint seeping through her shirt. Reaching out, I brushed her am, pulling her attention back to me.

“You’ll need to speak with Silas about all this. He needs to be warned. Even if it’s all just rumors. It’s becoming too many rumors, too much chatter.”

I agreed. “I will, but first you need to get back. I don’t understand how you’re still standing after that. Let alone coherent.”

She gave me a wide grin. “Not all of us have the luxury of being pansies, Nate. Some of us have shit to do.”

Scoffing, I shook my head. “Alright, first off, fuck you. Secondly, you shouldn’t have done that in the first place. Not for me.”

Looping her arm with mine, she started to walk West towards the bar. Her touch was calming, the mate bond alive but it seemed to settle. I didn’t know if it was because I couldn’t smell her, or if it was because in my heart I had decided that I would do my best to stay close to her as a friend, but it was not as painful ignoring it. Aelia always seemed unfazed by it.

“Are you going to be okay?"