Chapter 6 • Piece Of The Puzzle

Chapter 6

Piece Of The Puzzle

Clarissa

 “Please let him go, Elias! This is all my fault; punish me instead,” I pleaded, following the long line of people heading to the execution. The morning sun was shy, merely peeping out of a dark cloud as if feeling sorry for me. It was a still new morning, no winds pushing the trees, all of nature sympathizing with me. It was all my fault. Elias tugged my grip off his arm and shoved me hard away from him.

 “Guards, keep her at bay! No one should know about her participation in this crime. I shall cleanse the pack of this abomination. You, Amaya, shall have your punishment later,” Elias threatened, baring his teeth at me, his lips curled in jealousy. He was the Alpha and my mate but I felt nothing for him. My heart broke as I saw my lover tied up at a stake to be burnt alive.

 “Go, Amaya!” he screamed from on high. “I will be fine. Don’t watch me die, please. I love you.”

 His final words to me suddenly made me realize my loss. How would I go on without the one who had my heart? How could I live without Lance? All of a sudden, I couldn’t breathe and my hands shook. The disgusting smell of sulfur stank in the air and my eyes watered from the stench. The guards tightened their hold on me but they were no match for the boiling power in my veins.

 “No! No! No!!!” I growled, each word sounding more animalistic than the last and my eyes darkened, the blood rage overtaking my senses. 

 “My lady!” a terrified voice squeaked from somewhere outside the torment I was in. I had a grip on a guard, choking him till he turned blue. He seemed to have a feminine voice, something quite unusual for a full-grown male. 

 “My lady, please let me go,” he begged, and zeroing in on his face, it morphed into a head full of brown ordinary curls and dull brown eyes. His hairy body transformed too, smooth hands grabbing at my fist helplessly. Soon, the guard became my maid, Kaira and she was on the brink of transcending to the great beyond. Perplexed by the change, I chucked her aside, unaware of the extent of my own strength. I had gotten another flashback from my past, another confusing slice of the story.

 Kaira leaned against a stump, spluttering and coughing, her body wracking with messed-up nerves. Her face was pale and I could see the outline of each of my fingers around her neck, a strange brand that emphasized how hard I had held her. Guilt and shame settled afterward and I was thankful that I had curbed my anger in time. I could have killed her and she could tell judging from the frightened stare she pinned at me. 

 “Kaira, I’m. . .” I paused, unsure if I should be apologizing to a maid for something that I had not done intentionally. “Are you okay?” I changed tactics, still maintaining my dignity.

 She tried to speak but when she cleared her throat, she winced immediately. Had I damaged her windpipe? How angry had I been? My wolf was silent too, probably afraid of me as well. I swung my legs off the makeshift bed gracefully and glided over to where Kaira squatted, still struggling to catch her breath. She saw me coming and dragged herself away from me, making it clear that she did not want me so close.

 “Don’t be silly, Kaira. I’m. . .” That word again. I shook my head, banishing the thought to the abyss. “I won’t hurt you.”

 She raised a sarcastic brow at my reassurance as if to mean, You have already hurt me. My shoulders fell in defeat and I dug in my heels, not sure of what else I could do. She was my maid and if I was to be a Luna half as good as my mother someday, I had to learn how to calm my charges. I took in a deep breath, calling on my wolf spirit to guide me. She uncurled her tail and leaned forward on her paws, ready to help.

 “Come to me, Kaira,” I instructed calmly and stretched my hand towards her. She pouted her tiny lips, blinking at me, her fear greater than her trust. I came down to her level and beckoned to her, keeping my palm lightly on her knees. 

 “You are my charge and I will take care of you always. Come to me,” I repeated even more confidently than before. Golden specks I had not seen before twinkled in her brown Omega eyes and she inched forward a little. I forced a smile on to encourage her and she crawled to me, sitting on her butt mildly. Power surged through my veins at her compliance and my muscles relaxed. I almost felt my wolf nod in approval and I knew that the storm had passed. 

 The blood-drawn marks on her neck were ugly and though they were already healing, the sight of them did not soothe my conscience. Who was I and how could I have the capacity within me to do so much harm? Kaira sat so quietly that I feared she would never speak again. 

 “Can you talk? Say something, anything.”

 Instead of words, tears ran down her cheeks and she shuddered, a chill traveling down her back. She opened her mouth but no words came forth. My heart sank in realization. I had indeed damaged her windpipe; she would never speak again.

 “There. . .is. . .a. .a. . .dance tonight,” she suddenly croaked, her head bent subserviently and a smile blossomed on my face. Relief hit me like a speeding deer and I almost collapsed from the emotion.

 “Yes, yes, there is, Kaira but it’s just a practice. Carlin invited me to watch and—” I peeped through a crack in the wooden booth and saw that it was already night. The thick darkness had spread over the land, perfect for lupine events. How long had I slept? I massaged my neck absentmindedly, the notable events of my nightmare replaying in my head. 

 “Can. . .we. . .go?” she drawled hopefully. “I. . .didn’t. . .want. .to. . .go. . .when. . .you. . .were. . .sleeping.” Kaira took deep breaths before uttering each word, the difficulty in speech obvious from the painful contour of her face. She had stayed to watch me while I slept and I had repaid her with a monster chokehold. It was only decent that I did something good for her. Striding over to where our belongings were, I slipped out a silvery-blue scarf that was my last gift from my mother before she passed.

 “Here, put this on.” She peeled it off my fingers and wrapped it snugly around her neck, keeping her matted skin out of view. I needed to see Carlin; he was an important piece of the puzzle.