I couldn't understand my feelings for Khai or our relationship. The stars had so perfectly aligned to make this pairing yet we fought at every turn and kissed at the second. It didn't make sense. Was this how love unfolded? In ebbs and flows?
"So was that a promise? You're going to get rid of them?"
"All of them," he confirmed.
He didn't face me but I could tell he was remorseful.
"How?" I asked.
"I'll tell them and cut communication."
I hated that we were having this conversation at all. Why couldn't things just flow between us? Why couldn't we just be in love and have an uncomplicated relationship? Why weren't we just normal wolves? I hoped for something different, something perfect but I couldn't say what that looked like. All I knew was that it looked nothing like us.
Khai reduced the speed of the car as we approached the house.
He was ready to turn into the path of the shed when the car rapidly swerved and stopped near a t
I watched them speaking through the window. It made me sick that the bastard was even breathing around me. I wanted to put his head between my teeth and grind his bones to dust and make his family some bread from it. He was such an asshole. How could he do that to Linda? She had given him everything, her love, her life, her body and now he wanted her kids? Why now after all this time? Had he returned for an encore?You can't just leave forever and come back."Calm down, Khai," Roman said sweetly as she rubbed my shoulders.She made me feel better but I still wanted to be angry. I held her hand on my shoulder and sighed in agreement."Oh, I want him. I really do," Yolanda growled as she punched the air.We were all watching from outside. It was like our own family drama. Eddie and Kyle stood inside next to their mother, listening to Greg talking a load of bull while Linda stuck to his side like a magnet.Poor thing couldn't help it, she misse
At least here in the room, his temper fizzled out. He was so worked up about Linda and Greg that I wondered if they had a history. He assured me it was familial at most even though they weren't related. I believed him. Nothing outside of his passion raised alarm. Eventually, I'd have to accept that he cared for a lot of people, a lot of women who were not only me. He was a leader after all. But I would never make space for his side pieces.We'd come up here for a nap but then we started talking again. He told me everything about his inner workings. Slowly but surely he was becoming an open book.We were dosing off in each other's arms when something downstairs banged against the cupboard.His eyes shoot wide open. I gripped his arm and pinned him firmly to the bed and asked him to let me handle it. He tried to test me but I assured him he needed the rest more than I did. He made a guttural sound and rolled his eyes. Reluctant, he stayed in bed.In the hallway, banging fists on the cupb
As I tried my best not to hurt him a putrid scent invaded my nose. I reeled back and Eddie ran away. Kyle ran past me, in pursuit of his brother. I tried to pick up the same velocity, ignoring the stench.The smell began covering Eddie and Kyle's scent and I thought I had lost them. But behind a thicket of trees, I found them at a halt in the midst of nowhere.I stopped as the scent became vivid at this specific spot. Their eyes were set on something. To my horror, I witnessed it once more. Greying flesh and flies feasting on it, dried bones and broken beams of roofs. The unfruitful ground and broken homes. I took in the village and blinked to try and steady myself. Kyle and Eddie stood frozen while I retracted, falling back.My legs felt weak and unable to move, I howled as the flood came to drown me again. Hollow grief, affliction, guilt and angst all at once. My body refused to function as I howled, replaying everything in my head. I shut my eyes and the replay became explicit.The
TW: mentions of abortion and suicidal ideation.What if I finally die?That’s what I thought every day. Then I would stop being a burden to everyone and all the voices of the dead would finally shut up. I'd stop being a burden to myself. I would be better off with the Traga ancestors and, though they already plagued me day and night they would be the only voices. They won't be in my head anymore. I'd be a part of them. I'd ask Traga himself why he hated me so much. Why did he let me come into this world of rejection and shame? Incapable of love and passion.Nobody wanted to give me true love, not even my mother.This was when it all came rushing like a flood, overwhelming me and releasing formidable convulsive gasps.On the floor of my room, I coughed out angry sobs as I choked on every cough. Pain raced throughout my body, making me spaz around on the floor, fighting nothing but the air as I curled backwards. The daggers went into my back and heart.My stomach cringed as a migraine j
I was not afraid of the Azraels anymore, no matter how hard I convinced myself I was, I just wasn't. So, I made myself believe that it was Khai's presence. He'd been efficient in dimming my grief and he really thought I had not noticed how drastically my feelings had changed.He must've done it to my fear as well because I didn't have another nightmare since I saw Intiyago two weeks ago. I couldn't bring myself to cower in terror if I tried.I wondered what else Khai was doing to my mind, perhaps things I wasn't conscious of. Had he actually done what I suspected he did? Or was this the course of emotions? And why could he change the chemistry of my brain but not his own? His powers must've been like my blood.The way I had been at peace with myself was scary. It felt okay to be sitting back and worrying not about my life or anybody’s. It felt okay not to grieve and it felt okay to be unreasonably fond of someone. It felt okay to be here, sitting with Yolanda, Hannah and Linda, baskin
I pouted sadly at Yolanda, she was the first one I gave a hug and she whispered in my ear."I bet when we come back someone will be glowing."Then we both laughed."I'll be like the Sun," I joked.Although, I couldn't understand why she was obsessed with sex. Or even weirder, Khai and I having sex. She reeled back to give me a high five. Hannah followed, then Falcon then the rest. Yolanda gave me another, tighter hug and kissed my cheek."I'll miss you," she said."Me too."It would be incredibly quiet without her.When we were done, they loaded their packed bags from the house into the minibus, which I noticed was being driven by Walter. I waved at him and he waved back reverently.Khai and I stood on the porch, his arms around my shoulder, holding me tightly like I was about to escape. Edna sat in the front seat beside Walter and smiled at me."Don't do something I told you not to," Edna shouted.I laughed and Khai said we wouldn't. Hannah was the last one, carrying the rest of the
Loneliness dawned on me as the day went by. I spent the afternoon outside, basking in the sun but I felt no joy - only a gaping hole in my chest. I started to imagine this was how Linda felt but I had to admit this was a small pain compared to what she felt. Her pain was heavy like a wet blanket, just as cold and annoying.It was only when I had fallen asleep on the couch watching Edna's sitcoms I heard him come in through the backdoor, lock it, and head upstairs. When I found him in the bedroom he was asleep with grass in his hair, naked on the bed. I covered him up and lay beside him. I rested my head on his chest and fell asleep to his heartbeat.In the middle of the night, he stirred and held my hand."I'm sorry," I heard him say but I was too tired to reply.Deep in sleep.Khai shook me awake so rapidly that I thought my head would pop off. I groaned and he lifted me off the bed to stand. It was suddenly morning through my groggy eyes. He told me to hurry up before the food got c
I could see Traga's face vaguely on her shoulder. She looked so small and delicate in that moment and all I had in my chest was regret. I wish I didn't go off into the woods and then I didn't return in a good mood.No one could bear this.Her eyes blinked slowly. This wasn't like the other nightmares, was it? I assumed it was intense due to what we saw in her village, Intiyago just stood there and we did nothing. I wasn't afraid but I knew that if I attacked him Kyle and Eddie would've too and they would either be dead or injured. Linda would never forgive me.Her hand never let go of mine as we sat in the darkness of my room. Moonlight pooled from the open window we both forgot to close, a gentle breeze swirled around the room and cold air filled my lungs, I was at ease. The whole day was such a nightmare. My mood went so low I couldn't bear being alive. I almost drowned myself in Freudian.All I felt was sorry but no apology could make up for the time we were supposed to spend toget
The guard dogs ran ahead of me, howling in celebration. I turned my head away from the corpses and tried to convince myself I was walking back from somewhere else. But I couldn’t forget what I did, not while I had his skull in my mouth.The howls filled the air all the way back to Traga land. Outside the house many wolves in their human forms had gathered, ready to receive us. They were so excited to see us, cheering and joyful that the reign of Azraels was finally over. I placed Intiyago’s head in the middle of the garden and everyone erupted in joy.Where was my joy, I wondered. I couldn’t feel a thing.Intiyago haunted me for so long, made my life a living hell and now that I had ended him I felt no joy nor sense of completion. I entered the house and phased into a human in the kitchen.My behavior offset them but they continued to cheer and celebrate outside, hoisting Intiyago’s head and parading around with it. The house was e
The world was red as I backed away, trying to shake the blood off my face. Intiyago walked slowly toward me. Prowling, Ravenous and angry but his eyes – his eyes were sympathetic.Roman, this is not what I want. His voice was soft in my head. He stopped in his tracks, his head lowered down and he licked drops of my blood which had fallen on a rock.No.But it was too late, his pink tongue wiped the rock clean and his eyes surged with a golden glow. A menacing growl ripped out of him.This is what I want!His voice was heavy again, dark and sharp. The sun healed the scratch and I could see properly again. I charged toward him and clawed at his face. Claw after claw I saw blood and more blood until his face was disfigured. He howled and jumped to the side where he rammed me into a tree. The impact almost broke my ribs but I got back up and gave him everything I had. I rammed him into the other tree and bit into his arm so hard I hit his bone.The painful howl he screamed satisfied me i
Malcolm decided to return to the funeral with a busted nose and lips. I waited on the porch for the guard dogs to appear. They said that as soon as Khai was buried we would get to go.Nothing else mattered but my vengeance, nothing at all. There was no after. I couldn’t imagine it and if I died killing all the Azraels I would be satisfied, I would’ve achieved my life’s purpose.A couple of wolves… Ten? No fifteen. Twenty-seven? Thirty! Thirty, to be exact broke out of the forest, ravenous and ready to fight. Traga guard dogs. Slightly bigger than other wolves and their legs showed that they spent their time fighting and running. These were strong wolves. I almost felt pride when I saw them coming in, if no one knew – they would’ve thought they were wild wolves.I got to my feet as family members and other Tragas came back to the house in their human forms. Hannah ran to my side.“You don’t have to do this. You’re the alpha, send them out instead. You stay.”Vomit bubbled in the back o
When we were out of sight he loosened his grip on me. My hand quickly found its way to his and I held it tight. I couldn’t let go of the warmth, even for a second. I still allowed my mind to play tricks on me. If I did not look at him and imagine his voice as Khai’s he would be Khai.“You can’t do that type of stuff. It’s traumatising,” he said.I knew it was wrong. I did not doubt it but I didn’t care.His other free hand ran down his face. He looked tired and sleepless. The bags under his eyes were swollen, and red cracked through the whites of his eyes. Had he not slept? I looked away from him, to the trees and anything else that would allow me to swap him out with who I wanted him to be.“That’s why we have to look at him before they shut the casket. It prevents such things.”Leaves crunched under his boots and my heels. My ankles and toes hurt.It was insane how it hadn’t been a complete year since I met Khai. I met him in winter and lost him before winter. I let go of his hand. H
A blur turned into a man with long hair, hunched forward, his back to me. His shoulders moved up and down as he sat on the other end of the mattress. Sunlight poured into the room and it was warm.“What do you want Malcolm?”“Alpha,” he said dully. I groaned.“Please don’t call me that.”“Thank you, I wasn’t enjoying it.” He simply said.We were alone in the room, Edna and Audrey must’ve left for breakfast or something. A little tingle in my stomach made me desperately want to see his face.“Hey look at me,” I told him and he adjusted his weight.His hair was wet, dripping still and parted in the middle. He looked clean, it suited him to be clean.“Why do you keep long hair, you look like a songwriter,” I said.A small smile etched upon his face and I had no idea why it felt good. I hated it.On the other hand, my arms felt like they had been squeezed into immobility and my body was heavy. My nose was runny and I sniffled. I had been lying on one side the whole night, crying in my sle
The hours went by and people stopped coming. Most must’ve been sleeping but I could hear them outside, mourning and crying, their whispers like the wind whistling through leaves.Before I could notice, Edna had curled into a ball and fallen asleep. Yolanda said she was going to the bathroom, but she never returned for a very long time. Audrey and I sat in silence for 20 minutes, just staring off into the darkness and the shadows that danced along with the candle flames.“She’s with Jacob, you know?” Audrey mentioned matter-of-factly.I looked over at her and her face was deepened by shadows, the crevices of her smile were like dark corners. The statement didn’t surprise me – rather I was absorbed in the atmosphere of everything. How dark and gloomy everything had gotten, how everybody’s smiles had turned into tears and clenched teeth. It only took a single moment.“How has this affected you?” I asked her.The question scared me at first, I was afraid she would give me something intell
That night Khai’s bedroom was cleared and they only left the mattress. The room was as bare as carcasses my brothers and I left stripped of any flesh after a hunt. His smell went along with everything and all I could smell was the stench of cigarettes, old, from when Khai used to smoke as a teenager.The room was to be the main room of mourning. Whitney, Edna, Yolanda, Audrey and I sat in there with scarves covering our heads and the longest dresses and skirts we could find. Tradition was the reason for everything lately. We were supposed to sit there and mourn until the sun came up and the funeral began.I didn't want to do it, it sounded miserable. But then I realized I was nowhere above misery and I was the one who spent days with a corpse in bed, pretending and hoping he would wake up and call it all some foul joke. That never happened.Although I wasn’t officially a widow I was considered one. We never got down to tying the knot but his ring hun
Malcolm’s eyes fell on me, cold and stern.“This is not Malcolm’s idea, it is simply tradition,” Raymond said calmly.“Yes… but I am the alpha, I can rule that tradition out of the book,” I said.Raymond’s face hardened. He stood up and stormed toward me. His hand wrapped around the collar of my shirt as he pulled me up to his level.“Haven’t you caused enough trouble, bitch? You will do as we say and fix what you broke.”His voice was coarse, hot on my cheek.“Raymond, calm down! Leave the girl alone!” Edna protested.With all his strength he threw me back into the couch and I sat back down. I tried not to show it but my heart was racing and I was scared. Raymond was a large man, akin to a bear. If we wanted to, he could’ve thrown me into the wall and broken through it.“Roman, I hoped I didn’t have to make it explicitly clear but
Before I could get to know Audrey better Yolanda came to call us. Yolanda and Audrey’s relationship was characterized by brutal teasing, nothing was off the table. Yolanda only needed to say a sentence before Audrey criticised it.“Where did you pick up that atrocious accent?” Audrey asked as we walked down the hallway.At the first step, Yolanda tittered.“Must’ve been from those years when you tutored me. Heads up, read a book before you think you can lecture someone.”“I love to see you taking initiative, I didn’t know you could read.”The two giggled between each other. I didn’t know how to feel about the jokes though, since I couldn’t read.It never mattered if I could read or not back home, what advantage would such a skill afford a culture of people who hardly read? School didn’t exist either, at least in the formal sense. All older wolves saw it as their responsibility to educate those who were younger than them. One morning I’d find myself hunting with my father and the next,