Most human belief systems share the idea that there is a constant struggle between good and evil in the mind, and that the evil has to be kept at bay to let the good flow through, or that measures should be taken to satisfy both the good and the evil to keep a balance between them.For the worshippers of the Moon Goddess who are humans with the unique ability to morph into wolf forms, they believe this too, and while they hold the view that the good in them should be let out at all times, they also think that the evil parts of them too should have its wishes done at times to keep the mind balanced. In addition, they believe that when the evil part of them is in control, it is stronger than the good because it is rarely fed its desire. Once it has taken hold of the mind, it is like a hungry man in sight of food, kept away for so long that it had silently gone crazy for want of its desire and it was now ready to do anything just to have it.Another reason it was stronger was that it co
Jayden drove into the parking lot, parked his car and sat in thought, still carrying his hatred of Johnny in his heart.He needed it to remain in his heart so that he would not halt or have pity at any moment until Johnny was dead. He also needed to get Alisa Grant away so that she would not interfere with it because he did not wish to kill her. That made her his only obstacle right now, and he smiled as an idea popped into his head.He called Clifford and gave him instructions on the phone before going out of his car and into the hospital with a bag that contained the food in his hand.A few strides later, he paused to think before turning around to go put the food back in his car. There was every chance that someone the food wasn’t intended for could have it if he wasn’t alone with Johnny, and the person did not have to be Alisa under any circumstances at all. Not his Avana replica.He smiled at the thought. She loved him excessively, but she was like a toy, or a slave to him, kept
Seeing Johnny as he lay still with his eyes closed in the bed was the most unexpected thing, not even when he planned to kill him. He still carried his angelic looks with his face carrying the most peaceful expression, as though he was not dead but quietly asleep.Alisa had been crying, and he held her tight to himself, her head cradled on his chest. He was not comfortable himself— to laugh and have fun with a kid in the evening only to find out they had died the very next morning.His eyes were wet and he blinked the tears off.Since Avana, no death had hit harder. He had watched Avana grow weak and die and had had the time to prepare himself mentally for her death, but Johnny had been lively and happy the previous evening as the clouds gathered, and Jayden guessed that he would have been the same when Alisa was with him.Jayden remembered himself listening to the drumming of the rain on his window. How was he to know Johnny was transitioning into the afterlife in that same rain?Sta
Alisa turned to him sharply, and he turned to stare at her.“Have you lost someone before?” She asked, looking at him.“I lost people, Alisa.”They were silent for a while before she reached out to hold his hand, and he took it in his, turning his head to look over the city once again.“The first person I ever lost was my father. I was fifteen at the time, and still a little boy, but that made it hurt the more.”“Tell me about it.”Jayden paused and took in a deep breath before continuing. He could feel Alisa’s gaze fixed on him, and he got the strength to tell the story he had not told anyone in years.“I was not always the rich and influential person you know today. When I was born, it was into a family that did not have everything but lived comfortably. My father owned a small shop that sold hardware, and my mother was a full-time housewife. That was the problem.”Alisa moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder.“So what happened?” She asked in a whisper, her eyes glazed ove
Jayden turned away from Alisa again, but this time he made no effort to hold back his tears.“I slowly built myself. I told myself I would never live as my father did, and I saw it as a promise to my father. I accumulated wealth and owned enough to be myself. By twenty I owned a comfortable house and a small car, but I knew stopping there would slow me down. I wanted to be bigger. And that was when I chose to achieve respect from my clan.”“What is this clan you keep talking about?” Alisa queried.Jayden paused, thinking of how best to satisfy her curiosity.“It is a family tie bound by secrecy. I don’t have to tell you.”“So what happened next?”“I distinguished myself during a festival, and that was where I met my wife.”Alisa inhaled sharply, and Jayden turned to look at her. His eyes were back to being cold and grey.“You were married?”“Yes. I was, Alisa.”She said nothing in reply, but it hurt. She did not know why exactly, but it hurt. Her mouth had no words to utter until she
They were lonely and both needed closure.Each of them had bared his soul to the other, letting them see how naked they were, stripped shamelessly by their sorrows.Jayden released Alisa from his embrace, wiped his tears, and ran his hand through his hair, a bit angry that he had let himself be too emotional with Alisa and let her see his weakness, but his anger dissipated when he saw Alisa’s tears.“My apologies, Miss Grant. I did not intend to remind you of Johnny so much.” He used his thumbs to wipe her tears and looked into her eyes, genuinely sorry that he had hurt her with his tales. She looked back into his, wishing he could read past her eyes and into her very soul. She wished he knew that she wanted to mean more than just Miss Grant to him. She wanted all of his attention, love and care. She wanted to be the only woman in his present and wanted him to forget about his past. She wanted to heal his wounds and kiss the scars.More than anything, she wanted to be one with him,
The memory came alive in his headHe remembered his black paws in front of him as he watched through the bushes at the girl who had just come out of the water, naked and wet. He remembered watching because a kind of desire had come into his wolf body when he saw her.The kind of desire that had enveloped him the first time he saw Avana.Now, they were in the very same spots. He was where he stood in his wolf form that day, and she was standing just by the pond.He raised his eyes and looked at her, and in her, he saw Avana.A human Avana. Alisa’s white skin and Avana’s white fur.Alisa’s blue eyes and Avana’s blue before they mated.What he did not know was that Alisa could also recall the last time she had been here, standing face to face with a larger-than-life wolf that looked at her intensely. Somehow, she felt that Jayden was like that wolf. Both were bold and strong and powerful and...He went back to her, his body feeling weaker with every step, drawn to her and held in place
The speed Jayden drove to reach the hospital was faster than any he had driven at recently because he too wanted to see Johnny alive. It was like a miracle. Just that morning he had watched them pull the sheets over Johnny’s face. And now to see Johnny alive...He could feel his eyes sting. He had known the boy for a very short time and had even intended to kill him at a point, but now he felt a sort of close bond with Johnny.Maybe it was because he was beginning to love everything associated with Alisa.He drove into the hospital’s parking lot and ran out with her to find Johnny with an oxygen mask, taking deep breaths into his lungs. Alisa instantly burst into tears and kissed every part of him that his clothes did not.“You have always been a strong fighter, Johnny. For the third time you have won a battle against death.” She whispered after kissing his cheeks, her tears falling on his face.Everyone thought he had died till Stacy saw his hand twitch in the mortuary, and heard hi