Chapter 5

Lucien

I watched Luna sleeping beside me, keeping a safe distance. I was doing everything I could to ensure that our partnership worked. Layla was wearing a striped pajama, which I found ugly, and she wore socks to keep warm, something that should come naturally to her. As the leader, I could have several females if I wanted to, but I wasn’t that ambitious. Having a woman like her in my bed was more than enough for the years of forced chastity I had chosen to endure.

“Mama… Papa… Siblings…”

My wife was continuously dreaming of her family. This was consuming hours of her nightly sleep.

“Calm down, Luna. Sleep.” I whispered, seeing how my voice seemed to ease her distress.

This brought me joy, even though I didn’t understand why.

“My Layla! MINE!” roared the wolf inside me again, demanding that I take the virgin and immaculate wife sleeping peacefully beside me.

I spent the night awake, needing to keep the wolf in check to prevent any untoward actions. It had been centuries since he last surfaced, so I had to stay vigilant. Any movement from her could activate his more obscene side, one of his personalities. I couldn’t afford to falter; Layla didn’t deserve such an offense.

Before dawn, I got out of bed, leaving her alone in the room. I needed to feed, a way to calm the beast inside me. I was distracted, watching the dense snow continue to fall outside the window.

“Good morning, Lucien.” The sensual morning voice reached my ears like a sharp pain, making me get up quickly and give her a rough good morning.

Layla

I sat at the table, watching him serve me. For the first time in my life, I felt pampered.

“Is it true that when we are in wolf form, we have natural telepathy? That is, we hear and share intimate thoughts? I kept pondering that, I think I ended up dreaming about it. I don’t know.”

I spoke normally, watching my husband bring two pitchers, one with orange juice and the other with milk.

“Yes, but I don’t think it’s a good thing. Everyone in the pack finds out. A bunch of gossips.”

I found his unflattering way of speaking amusing. Lucien sat down, still serving me coffee, pastries, and a bowl of cereal.

“Sorry, we don’t have any fruit here.” he said curtly.

I didn’t mind his bad mood; I had lived with seven males from my family with the same temperament, especially at dawn.

“It’s okay. When I transform, I’ll be able to probe your most secret thoughts.” I said, smiling.

“Then I suggest you prevent that transformation as much as possible. I don’t want you probing anything of mine, understood?”

Lucien was really grumpy, though he was still attentive to my needs.

“Don’t worry, my wolf doesn’t control me. In fact, I don’t think I even have one inside me.” I said naturally as I began to eat.

“Don’t lie, especially to yourself, Layla. And even if your beast emerges, you won’t know mine. So we’ll never probe each other’s minds.”

He ate a generous piece of apple cake, crumbling a good part of it as he brought it to his lips. I didn’t know he was so skilled in the kitchen.

“Why?” I was surprised by the confirmation, after all, he was the alpha, and transforming is something perfectly natural.

“Layla, I…” he cleared his throat before continuing, but a motor noise captured our full attention.

“Lucien!” I said, extremely worried, getting up with him.

“Stay here, this battle isn’t yours, Layla.”

“But…”

“Please, stay. You’ll be safe here.”

He passed by me, placing his warm hand on my shoulder, which trembled with fear. The enemy had arrived at my father’s pack!?

“I’ll fulfill the agreement.”

He left, slamming the door. I wanted to run and fight alongside him, both in wolf forms. But fear governed my darkest thoughts, imagining bloody deaths, fights in sweat and snow. I realized how much of a coward I was; my wolf would never emerge to face the enemy of our brotherhood. I gripped the coffee cup tightly, using an unusual strength for someone who had never transformed. Yet, there I was, feeling an overwhelming energy within me and a supernatural voice tearing at my throat.

“Lucien!”

I slammed the coffee table, breaking it in two without even feeling the action being executed. I watched as the food slowly came together, mixing solid and liquid in the center. Suddenly, everything returned to normal. I looked intensely at my hands, astonished by such power. Trembling, I tried fervently to push away the fear, as it was an endless source of obstacles. Desperately wanting to feel that again, I advanced and stood in front of the large mirror by the exit.

“Wolf, do you want to bring your human back safe and sound? Rise, come, let’s claim him, protect him.”

In a sudden burst, an animalistic growl filled the room.

Lucien

Upon reaching the distant pack, I understood their fear better.

“Is this all the warriors you have? Call your females; wolves usually fight better than we do.”

“Are you crazy? Do you want to put them on the front lines?”

I gave the oldest of Layla’s brothers a good look, making him nervous with my continuous observation.

“We will not sacrifice our females.” said my father-in-law before transforming into a black wolf.

All his pack members shifted into their animal forms, except, of course, me. They looked at each other in their animal forms, finding it strange that the alpha, the former leader of the entire pack, stayed in his human form.

“Lucien!” A sinister voice echoed across the open field, their tents having been removed in time. Before the battle.

“Do you know me?” I frowned, searching for the being that remained a mystery to my keen eyes.

“Yes! And your beloved Layla as well.” confessed, causing a mountain of rage to grow inside me.

Then he appeared, so fast I couldn’t keep up. Not even the wolves, clustered together, managed to catch him in unison. A tactic with little effectiveness against an immortal being of this caliber. In a thousand years of life, I had never seen anything like it, and I’ve seen beings of all kinds. Noticing that malevolent presence, I realized two things.

“What have you done to yourself, monster! What do you want by exterminating my lineage?!”

The wolves roared in position, ready at my command to kill him.

“They are second-line, so your lineage is safe.”

He showed his fangs by transforming into a two-legged blue wolf. In seconds, he returned to his previous state.

“Even though the family’s blood has been diluted over the years, they are still mine. They are all my relatives.”

Just as I was about to say something, his arrogant attention, and that of everyone in that pack, turned to the highest hill. I followed suspiciously, but as soon as my eyes spotted the beautiful figure in white wolf form, with three lovely tails of the same fur, looking back at us, my heart took a disturbing leap. “It’s her, my Layla.” confirmed the wolf inside me.

 I began the fight, instead of standing there admiring the almost impossible event unfolding right before the eyes of those who had scorned her. Everyone greeted her with howls, calling her to join them in this war, unaware of her true identity.

“Thank you for bringing her.”

I chased after him like a predator after its prey.