Chapter 29: The Wolf Returns!

“Mom” I managed to croak out.

She was dressed in blue robes, studded with sapphires and diamonds, her brown hair swishing in the wind, as she floated in the air, her hands raised. Her expression looked furious and enraged……
I felt a tear drop down my cheek. I frowned as I touched it. I didn’t even realize I have been crying.
So this was what my mother looked like? These cave paintings......there is something in them...

I let out a deep sigh as I looked at her again. She was breathtaking. No man could ever tear his eyes away from that beauty. Even though I looked similar to her, she was more beautiful than me. Her elegance oozed from the way her shoulders were positioned, while I walked around like a tomboy…[my father’s walk apparently, according to Amos].

I frowned as I took a step forward to look in those green eyes again. Why do I get the feeling that she was watching me? The green eyes blinked and fixated itself into mine, a tear escaping from the left eye and I shrieked, jumping back as a jolt went through my body.

I flinched as I heard the screams echo. I tried to control my now frantically beating heart as I willed myself to look once more in to the green eyes. It was still….I frowned. Maybe I had just imagined it. God! This tunnel was giving me the creeps. Now I was pretty damn sure that I had taken the wrong path, because no matter how dazed by Stephanno I had been, I would have still noticed my mother. I scowled into nowhere. That annoying voice in my head had tricked me. I turned my head and saw that the tunnel etched way back. I had been walking for several hours, I was famished and tired. Maybe that’s why I have started having delusions. There is no point walking back now. Guess, I should just keep walking and find out where it leads into.

I took one last look at my mother, then forced my legs to take a step forward, leaving behind the woman who had given birth to me.



………………………………
I looked around me confused……Though I had taken the wrong path, I had still ended up in the woods, but a whole other part of the woods, I realized as I looked around and found the lush greens surrounding me. It seemed like I was in the other end of the woods, much farther from the waterfalls and the ruins…..This part of the woods looked undisturbed and serene……

I immediately took off my dirty shoes and groaned in delight as I felt my bare feet touch the lush, moist grass. There was something about this place that immediately made me go wonder struck like a happy, over excited kid on Christmas.

I don’t know what went over me, but even though I was still famished from my long, tedious walk through the tunnels, I felt all energetic and preppy all of a sudden and I took off running, letting my arms float through the vibrant breeze.
I let out a maniacal laugh as I started speeding up. My cheeks turned red as I felt the wind press against it and weirdly enough I felt free…. liberated...

“Ouch” I groaned in pain as I hit something…..I was running at a very fast pace, compliments of my training with Stephanno, and I didn’t see the big, tall guy in front of me.
“Jess?” A voice asked, sounding incredulous.
I got up wincing and eyed the guy in front of me and my face broke into a big, wide grin as I realized who it was….
“Justin” I shrieked with delight as I quickly wrapped him in a bear tight hug. I felt his shoulders loosen as he hugged me back.

“What are you doing here? Where is Dominic?” I asked as I reluctantly let go of him.
“You look like hell” came his honest reply.
I rolled my eyes as I replied, “Thanks for that….But where is Dominic?”
He fidgeting uncomfortably, his hands raking through his hair.
“Justin?” I managed to stutter it out, as I felt my stomach twist and my heart beating fast with panic.
He would be fine right? He has to be fine? He promised that he would return safely.
My hands involuntarily clutched the chain around my neck as I started growing more and more agitated.

“ We had to split up when we entered the fire sect as all of us together would attract a lot of unwarranted attention. We were supposed to meet at the village market to blend into the crowds. But I kinda lost them . I was stumbling across the woods for the past few hours now, utterly lost.

“So they are fine right?” I asked, my chest heaving with relief.
“Yeah probably. If the blood sect did manage to capture Dominic don’t you think they would make a show out of it and hang him in public like they did with Tristin?”
I nodded at him, my hands still fondling the chain protectively.
“Shouldn’t you be at the water sect now?” He raised his eyebrows as his eyes raked over my messy appearance.
“That is a long story” I stated resignedly, feeling beat all of a sudden, while walking past him.
I stopped and turned , tilting my head slightly.
“Are you planning to stay in the woods for the rest of your life?” I said smugly
“Right” he replied as matched his pace with mine.
Justin soon overtook me and I groaned. I can’t believe that he still overtook me, what with all the training sessions I had.

I stopped in the nick of time, my feet digging into the ground sharply. Justin who was leading the way, had suddenly come to an abrupt stop. I looked at him confused. He froze looking at someone or something…..I followed his gaze half expecting to see a lycan, when I saw a wolf emerge from behind the oak trees. Oh thank god! No lycans this time, only a wolf. So why was Justin so unsettled? I looked past the wolf and immediately stiffened.

Oh crap! This is not good…..not good at all. Another wolf emerged from behind the wolf who had just appeared, then again two more appeared and soon the entire pack stood there holding their positions in front of us.

I looked at Justin perplexed. He took out his scepter, and held it protectively in front of me, shielding me from the wolves.

Three of the wolves shifted and started walking towards us. Okay! I get to see two man and one woman naked. I looked uncomfortably at Justin, who looked back at me equally petrified. Ugh….I guess, it’s not that big a deal for werewolves, they ran around naked all the time, but still what is the harm in donning on some clothes when you are meeting with some strangers? The rest of the wolves however didn’t change but simply stood by watching.

Wait a sec! That man, why do I get the feeling that I have met him before? I narrowed my eyes, peering closely at him…..that eyes. …..The wolf, I realized with a jolt. It was the wolf who had saved me that night from the lycan.

The man the wolf was following had a stoic expression on his face, he was as tall as a boulder and he had wide shoulders, a very masculine beard and he had a challenging gleam in his eyes. Okay! So I am guessing that is the Alpha, and the woman closely following him must be his mate.
I peered curiously at her. She looked weird, to say the least. She had dark brown curly hair, her eyes were green, and those eyes were now looking at me with pity. That outraged me, no one looked at me with pity. Even when I went to high school and had to work several part time jobs, and even when my school friends found out I was an orphan, they didn’t treat me with pity. And she dare?

A hiss escaped from my mouth, and the Alpha immediately stiffened, then narrowed his eyes at me. Justin placed his hands on my back as if motioning me to stay calm.
The wolf that had saved my life hissed pompously, “ You stand in the presence of the Alpha of the blood moon pack and his mate, the Great Seer.”
Selma was a seer?.....Like Daniel? Can she see the visions or does her powers only entail her to show the vision with retaining the information?

When I didn’t reply he continued, “ As you may have already guessed, I followed you that night. I heard the prophecy, however I couldn’t see the one delivering it. Who was the seer? Though there were rumors of a seer in these woods, we had assumed that these rumors were about Selma. But I had no idea that there is another Seer residing in these very same woods.”

“ What prophecy?” Justin asked perplexed looking back and forth between the wolf and me.
He had followed me that day? And he had overheard everything? Daniel had only frozen Stella at that time, he didn’t freeze time, so I reckon its possible that he did in fact hear us. He must have followed us to find out what we were doing in the woods..

Everything's starting to make sense....I was wondering how Stephanno and the other knew about the prophecy. It must have been the wolf who gossiped to Stephanno. But what is his relation to Stephanno? He didn’t know that I would destroy the universe when he saved me from the lycan, he was just doing his duty..But he must have regretted saving me when he found out about the prophecy. It was a relief though that they didn’t find out about Daniel yet. Although I have no idea why Daniel was in the hiding, he had stressed that no one should ever find out about his existence. So I decided its better to change topics.

“ You regret saving me don’t you?” I asked the wolf eyeing me with distaste.
“ Obviously” he replied, shrugging.
The alpha came forward , extended his hand and said, “ Miss Jessica Rupin Valdemeire, pleased to meet you. You are an exact photocopy of your mother, Lily Rupin, the High Priestess. I am Bill Lewis, the Alpha of the blood moon pack. Your mother and I were acquaintances.”


I caught my breath. Everyone had mentioned my mother as the High Priestess. He was the first one to mention her by name. So my mother’s name was Lily?
“ So Rupin is not my father’s last name?” I asked him perplexed.
“ No child! Rupin was the last name of your mother’s family. Your dad never took responsibility for you. It was I who informed your orphanage that your name was Jessica Rupin”
I gasped out loud.

He turned towards Justin and said, “ and pleased to meet you too, Justin Rupin Remali. You have Lily’s eyes too.”
Justin visibly froze next to me.
I gasped again. No….No….His middle name was Rupin? I remembered the first time I met Justin. He hadn’t mentioned his last name then, but just introduced himself as Justin. But that day, he had come to meet me with his parents. Ugh! What the hell is going on?
I looked at Justin with accusation in my eyes and asked, “ Is it really true? Are you my brother?”
He nodded hesitantly and whispered, “ half brother”
“ But your parents are in the fire sect” I stated confused.
He shook his head and replied, “ My dad is actually from the Air Sect. He started residing here after he married Julie, my step mother.”

My head started spinning…..I have a brother! But why did he hide it from me? And Justin is way older than me, so I am guessing mother had him even before her marriage to father. Did father knew about Justin’s existence? No one from our sect knows anything about him being the son of the High Priestess, that’s for sure, otherwise it would become the scandal of the century and tainted my mother’s pure and holy reputation.

There were so many questions…..but I didn’t feel like talking to Justin, I felt like I have been betrayed……why didn’t he ever say anything…..all those days we were together every morning and alone too, he had plenty of opportunities to tell me.

The Alpha clearly recognizing his mistake, said uncomfortably, “ I apologize, I thought you already knew.”
I ignored the comment and asked him, “ You clearly knew my mother, and you knew that I was raised in the orphanage too, so you must know what really happened that night?”

He sighed and started rubbing his hands on his head. He looked helplessly at his mate who came forward and said, “ Hi Jessica, I am Selma. With all due respect I don’t think its time for that truth yet, especially since we ourselves don’t know what actually went down that night.”

I watched her, my eyes narrowed. That voice…… Why was that voice so familiar?
I took a step back startled as I realized that her’s was the voice in my head……The annoying voice in my head was her's....I had thought that I had become delusional or something and started hearing things in my head....but it was her....I was so damn sure of that.Why the hell was she in my head? What the hell is going on?