In The Beginning, Chapter 102
Charlie POV
After the Alphas had left, and we got back to Applewood, we were exhausted even though it was only early evening.
“What do you want to eat?” Daniel asked, coming back to the couch with a handful of menus.
“I don’t mind, I’m too tired to make a decision.” I groaned, stretching my muscles before snuggling into his chest.
“Hmm. Thai or Mexican?” He asked, dropping all but two of the menus on the coffee table and showing me the remaining options.
“Why these?” I giggled, baffled by his selection process.
“We haven’t ordered from them yet.” He shrugged.
“Mexican.” I replied, plucking the menu from between his fingers, and opening it.
“You don’t like Thai?” He asked as I looked over the options.
“If it’s a choice between anything and Mexican, Mexican always wins.” I replied as he began playing with my hair.
“And would you like to eat in here with a movie? Or in bed?” He asked, as he ran his nose up my neck.
“How about in here, and you can answer some questions, then we can have a bath when we’ve finished?” I countered, and he chuckled softly.
“Sounds perfect.” He smiled; we spent a little time discussing the menu before we put our order in. “What do you want to know?” He asked, putting his phone away, and getting comfortable on the couch again.
“What was the twin thing about today? What was with Alpha Vogel? And do you have any idea what happened on Luna’s Day 1983?” I asked gleefully, as he shifted me, so I was lying on top of him, his head on the armrest, our legs entwined. I rested my head on my hands on his chest, his arms circled me around my lower back, while he chewed over my questions.
“I have no idea what that meant, but I imagine Luna’s Day is some sort of code, Gunnar and Vali have been friends since they were kids. Kinda like me and Lander and Kasa, there are things I could say to them to convince them if I needed to. Alpha Vogel wanted you; it was obvious to everyone, I don’t know if it was sexual, but it was desire.” He growled softly; I raised my hand to his cheek to comfort him. His hand caught mine and brought it to his lips, his beard tickled my palm as he placed a chaste kiss on it.
“I wish there was something I could do to help.” I whispered, and his face broke into a huge grin.
“This helps, having you close, doing something vaguely normal, like ordering take out.” He chuckled. “Feeling your body on mine, your heartbeat, your scent, it all helps.” He insisted, pulling me up his body slowly until he could reach my lips. His hand slipped over my shoulder, into my hair, drawing my face to his slowly, until our lips met. After several minutes of soft, sensual kisses, his one hand still in my hair, the other like a steel bar across my back, his face in my hands, he pulled back. “What was the other question?” He teased.
“The twin thing.” I smiled, and he sighed deeply.
“It comes from a story not often told anymore, but old prejudices run deep, especially in small communities likes packs. Twins are extremely uncommon amongst Lycans, typically because female Lycans are less likely to have hormonal imbalances that lead to multiple births, but before science explained it, there was a superstition. The story talks of a mighty warrior queen, a Lycan, who mated with a powerful king, whose magic had made him the only being to defeat her warriors in battle. Many feared the pup that would grow from their union, for he could be the most powerful ruler the world had ever seen, and when the queen became pregnant people were overjoyed and terrified in equal measure. It wasn’t long before the healers knew something was different about the queen’s pregnancy, and unrest amongst the people grew. When the queen gave birth, the king announced the birth of identical twin boys as a blessing, and held a massive feast in their honour, but the labour had been long and hard, and it took the queen a long time to recover. When she did, the healers examined her, and found she could bear no more children. As the twins grew older, they were obviously different to other pups, often displaying senses they should not possess until they matured and received their wolves. When the boys turned twelve, they shifted for the first time, but in their wolf forms, were little more than animals, seemingly able to communicate with each other, but no one else, and attacking anyone who dared approach them. When the twins turned eighteen, their father died, leaving the two kingdoms to his sons. The elder of the two saw this as an insult, and began plotting his brother’s demise, the younger twin was also angry, their father had given his brother the choice of which kingdom he ruled, leaving the younger feeling slighted. Soon a bitter war broke out between the brothers, each preferring to see both kingdoms destroyed than in the hands of his brother. Neighbouring kingdoms sent envoys to sue for peace, but the twins sent back their heads, prompting the other rulers to band together against the twins. The war took years, and thousands of lives, but when the coalition of rulers stood before the defeated twins, they found rabid beasts, still more interested in killing each other, than ruling their people. The healers, doctors, philosophers, and historians were all tasked with discovering what happened to the twins, the best theory anyone could come up with, was the soul of the wolf was too much for one body. They explained this by citing the twin’s abnormal strength, and early shift, and declared all identical twins to be killed. Fraternal twins were distrusted but allowed to live, most of those are from a union between a Lycan, and something else, but they are rare too. Louisa and James Michaels are the first twins we have had in the pack in the last hundred years, their mother was human.” He explained, watching my reaction with interest.
“So, twins are evil because there’s too much wolf in them?” I asked confused, Daniel’s wolf had always tried to be gentle with me.
“I think it was more of a metaphor, their wolves should have been under the human side’s control, but it seemed to be the opposite with them. However, there is no evidence of twins ever inheriting two kingdoms. I doubt there was ever a Lycan that could shift before their sixteenth birthday, or even twins that the story was based on.” Daniel shrugged, kissing me softly, before closing his eyes and sighing contentedly.
“Why don’t you trust Steven?” I asked hesitantly, his brows knitted together before he opened his eyes.
“You picked up on that huh?” He asked with a sad chuckle, a pregnant silence enveloped us. “Zeta training is more than just honing specific talents, we practise healing, strengthening our senses, and stealth tactics. One of the things that a lot of Etas fail to master, is control, over our scent, our blood pressure and heartrate. Every Zeta is taught, but very few master these abilities, I believe Lyall has. The other Alphas, their heartbeats increased slightly at the shock, especially when I told them about the Network, before they regained control, it was involuntary, a natural reaction that is almost impossible to fight. Lyall’s heartrate didn’t falter once, it’s suspicious. I think he has used the Network, at the very least he knew about them and failed to act, but something about the look in his eyes... I think... I think maybe he’s been to Dessert Plains pack in Nevada... the one with the nymph... house.” I felt simultaneously thankful for men like Daniel, who couldn’t even say whore house, and disgusted that powerful men like Steven Lyall sought out ways to feel more, by abusing those weaker than them. “Something about him, when I was talking about it, I would swear it was recognition, it triggered a memory, a happy one for him.” Daniel added quietly. I remained silent, the truth was even at the restaurant I got a bad feeling off of him, there was something cold, in his eyes, even when he smiled, his eyes remained detached. “You don’t seem too shocked either.”
“I... don’t get a good feeling off of him, so hearing he could be involved in something criminal, and morally reprehensible... isn’t such a stretch.” I tried to be as diplomatic as possible, while being honest.
“Any of the other Alphas give off bad vibes?” He half-joked, his hand moving up and down my back gently, reassuringly.
“Just Vogel.” I replied, and his hands froze for a moment, disrupting the rhythm. I raised my head to look in his eyes, but he had them closed, I knew he had felt me move. “Daniel?” I asked softly, when his eyes opened, they were the burning amber of his wolf. I pulled myself up to run my nose along his. “He will never touch me.” I whispered, and he growled aggressively. “You have my permission to rip apart anyone who tries to take me away from you, if I don’t do it first.” I teased; I stayed close to him until his eyes melted back to his beautiful brown.
“I love you.” He whispered as his grip around me tightened.
“I know, I love you too.” I smiled, as his lips captured mine.
*hello everyone, apologises again about the late update, hopefully things will be back on track by tomorrow. Thank you for reading, and please leave a comment and /or like.
Constance*
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