The Secret

“Ah ah ah… think about your next move before you regret it, Lucas,” Raul warned while still on the rooftop, now in his human form. He gazed down at the very angry Lucas and his minions and smiled in satisfaction. 

“Your sister will be fine only if you step down, Lucas. Otherwise, I’ll deliver her body to you bit by bit.” He laughed aloud.

“We won’t fight today. So long as we have what we came for. We will live to fight another day. But be ready then, Lucas because it will be bloody.” He concluded and transformed as he hopped out into thin air. 

Some members of his team followed sooth and others remained to finish the fight while Raul and the others made for an escape.         

It was a fight that lasted for long hours. The wounded Hayley watched helplessly from a distance, weak, almost lifeless as carcass filled the battleground. She smiled in satisfaction at the sight she saw. She knew her brother would never lose to miscreants but she was worried he would be broken because of her abduction. She was after all; the only family he had left.

The battle was over and Raul lost all his members that fought in it. Only one female managed to escape, severely wounded.

She limped towards Raul who stood waiting at a distance with the rest of the pack in her human form.

“I’ve failed you.” She cried on her knees.

“Shhh!” Raul took her face in his hands gently and stroked her hair in a tight hug. “You fought well.”

“The others… they’re dead.”

“And May?” Raul was soft.

“Captured.” She replied.

Raul was disappointed. He paused with his eyes closed like he was pained and then gazed at the dying female, gasping for breath, and said calmly. “You’ll always be in our memories.”

“Help me, my love.” She begged between sobs.

“Shh! You must sleep now. You can’t come with us like this.” He hugged her tightly and whispered. “You’re weak now and must rest… but we will always remember.” Then he snapped her neck and she fell lifeless to the ground.

Hayley was too weak to react, she watched equally gasping for breath as she cried out.

“What are you going to do with me? Are you going to kill me too? I’m useless to you like this.”

Raul approached her slowly, his face was without expression, and said, “No. you are useful to me, either way. Feel free to decide how you’d like us to return your body to your brother. Dead and in pieces or whole and alive?”

At this Hayley swallows hard in silence.

“Good choice.” He concluded and faced his minions as he commanded. “Move out!”

They all transform and carrying Hayley, they headed back to their home.

Hayley was kept in a dungeon since then with little to no food. The Night’s clan’s home was a wreck. Hunger everywhere and aggressiveness amongst them. Many of the males even tried to get with Hayley but she fought them all really hard despite her injuries and her slow healing process.

Raul just watched in his lair.

Fifteen days have passed since the battle between Raul and Lucas and Hayley was still locked up in the hell hole with little food and water while Raul had his minions hunt or steal foods from neighboring mainlanders to him. He was, after all, the Alpha of his clan with all the females to himself since he had no mate. Hayley watched him from her cell in disgust as the females in his clan were frolicking around him. All she could think of was how she would get out of there and take his head off his body.

Raul’s eyes met with Hayley’s as he enjoyed his females hovering around him. He gave them a sign to leave and every one left his lair. Then he approached her cell still gazing into her eyes. She was angry with so much hate in her eyes.

“You look pale.” He teased.

Hayley ignored him and looked away.

“You haven’t been pleasing to my boys.”

“They disgust me. Just like you do.” She snorted.

He eyed her briefly and sighed. “You don’t have to be like this, Hayley. As much as you hate me, I do care about you, you know?”

She threw him a stern look.

“All I want is power. Why is that such a bad thing now?”

“Your sick quest for power is not my problem. I just wonder why you have me involved in all this?” she replied.

“You are my mate.”

Hayley’s eyes met with his again. “What!?” she scoffed.

“Yes. You are my mate. I got this revelation from the Moon goddess as a young wolf.”

“You can’t be serious. I’d rather die than have you for a mate.” She yelled.

“Ah ah ah… careful what you wish for.”

Hayley panted in anger.

“Or you might just get your wish. Then you’ll ruin all my plans.” He continued.

Hayley was silent.

“You have the power to connect to one’s past. So, take my hands and see for yourself. I’m telling you the truth. You’ll see that we have met before as young wolves.”

She hesitated. “I won’t touch you. I don’t want to see any more evil plans you have for my family.”

“Hey…” Raul calls out softly. “What have you got to lose? This is an opportunity for you to see who your true enemies are and what your role is in all of this.”

“You heard the Moon goddess tell my future so you’re just trying to manipulate me.”

“Yes, I heard her tell you your future but this is no manipulation.” He paused and made to leave. “You know if I leave, you may never have this chance again.”

Hayley watched as he walked away and after a few minutes of reconsideration, she called out.

“Ok!”

Raul smiled in satisfaction, revealing his handsome look as he turned back to return to her cell.

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you out. I’m playing it safe.” He confessed as he slid his hands between the bars towards her. She took a deep breath and sighed as she looked into his eyes and then took his hands. She gasped as she was taken to his past.

Raul as a young wolf wasn’t always mean. He was a jolly fellow, loved by all who knew him. His father was the pack’s Alpha, Out-West, far away in another land. He had two sisters and two brothers. He was in fact, the youngest in the family. He loved his family so much and they were close. Everything seemed fine until outlanders encroached on their territory in search of food. They murdered lots of people and even went from house to house in search of food and survival.

Little Raul did not understand what was going on so he ran to his mother for safety to find his father standing over her in his full form. He gasped in awe and made to run when his father chased him to the outlands. Raul hid between the bushes in the outlands wondering why his father would kill his mother.

“You can’t hide forever, Junior.” He roared softly still searching for him.

Little Raul’s breathing was heavy now and he tried to cover from being sniffed out by his father.

“Or don’t you want to know what happened to your mother?”

“I saw you kill her,” he replied sobbing.

This was good for the Alpha in search of him as he could use this means to sniff him out of his hiding place. So, he engaged him in a conversation.

“No son, I can explain.”

“Noooo!” Raul roared and immediately got caught by the neck. He struggled to release himself from the Alpha’s grasp but couldn’t. he then transforms into a young werewolf and is released from the Alpha’s grasp.

“I’m going to send you to the spirits like your mother.”

“You blood-thirsty hypocrite of a leader. You will never taste my blood.” Raul threw his fears behind him and ran into a fight with his father.

Though he was young and inexperienced in battle, he refused to be defeated. The Alpha beat him to near death until he grabbed a piece of old wood and stabbed him in the left eye. The Alpha struggled in pain while Raul made to run away.

“I will tear you to pieces. I will eat you.” He pursued him following his scent. Raul ran as fast as he could until he came to a dead-end with rocks at the bottom. Gasping in fear he shouted to the Alpha who approached him fiercely with one good eye.

“This is how you repay me for taking care of your bastard ass?”

“You murdered my mother. I’ll never forgive for that.”

“She deserved to die for betraying our clan.”

“I don’t believe you,” Raul yelled.

At this, Hayley, still in the vision of his past, shivered in fear for the young Raul.