Chapter 24: Will

Chapter 24: Will

The rage that flowed through me initially, the same anger that prompted me to be rude to Alexis, was not gone. I could feel it bubbling under the surface, lingering, waiting to reappear. However, the more time I spent with Alexis, and the more time I spent doing things I loved—including taking care of my ship and occasionally sailing it out into the shallows, training the troops at the commune, and catching up on the events of the world that took place while I was imprisoned—the more normal I felt.

Yet the rage still lurked. Although I had promised Alexis I would never be rude to her like that again, it was a Herculean task on my behalf to ensure that the rage did not consume me enough to make me snap at her ever again.

But anger was not really a big component of my life at this immediate moment. For once, I was relieved. As my pack strengthened, the vampires became more cautious and started avoiding the main roads even at night. There were fewer and fewer vampire lurkers now that Alexis and I had killed two of their important men. The sniper thing was a complete sham, as the two vampires had confessed before dying, which meant that Ralph had no legs to stand on.

Blair was just a tiny blip in my mind. He could try all he wanted to create the Wolf’s Bane, but I knew that he wouldn’t be able to do so, just like his father hadn’t been able to.

Like all alphas before me and all alphas who will succeed me, I was tasked with the role of strengthening my pack. It was my job to make them strong enough to fend off any attack. There were going to be many dangers, not just vampires, corrupt mayors, or eccentric billionaires with a revenge agenda. I knew it. Werewolves, by dint of their strength, invited challenges. This had always been the way. Our foes seemed to find us. It was not our job to worry about them finding us. It was our responsibility and honor to engage them in battle and show them that we were not meant to be trifled with. That’s how a werewolf demarcated his territory. And that is exactly what I was doing by preparing my pack members.

“You have all been very valiant today,” I said, my body drenched in sweat. It did not matter that today was as a cold winter day. When we worked out together on the training grounds, all of us sweated, no matter what the weather. Like me, most of the men standing below me on the ground were shirtless. The women wore fitting gym attire. Alexis was among them. “But this is not where we stop.”

One of the pleasant things I noticed gradually was that my pack members no longer groaned whenever I pushed them harder. Rather, under my leadership, they had begun inviting the challenge of a hard workout session. None of them groaned in protest now. I did not exhibit this outwardly, but I was very pleased.

“Today, we turn to our true nature. So far, you have trained your human bodies. That is good enough. But going forward, we are going to strengthen our wolf forms. Previously, I did not deem you strong enough. However, after so much time has elapsed since I first started training you, I am proud to say that you are all ready to train in your true forms.”

Upon hearing this, loud cheers erupted from the crowd of pack members assembled on the training grounds. Some of them whistled, others clapped, while the more enthusiastic of the bunch started howling. I allowed myself a little display of emotion and smiled at them benevolently from above. My eyes caught Alexis’s, and we shared a brief glance during which we grinned at each other.

“I have pushed you hard these past days, but today, you have earned your keep. You may all stand at ease. We will commence training in our wolf forms in the night,” I said.

Once the crowd started dispelling, Vincent came up to me as I was putting my shirt on.

“So, what was that all about?” he asked.

“It means we’re all ready to properly start our training,” I said. “You as well. You are a very brave werewolf, Vincent. One of the best of us.”

“Hey, don’t you go soft on me.”

“As the teenagers these days say, I’m just spitting facts.”

Vince threw his head back and started laughing loudly. “Man, you should never try to speak slang. It just throws off your entire alpha vibe.”

“I agree,” I said. “One does not spit facts. One states them. This whole generation has taken the spoken language and has shoved it up its own ass.”

“See, that’s a sentiment that I do agree with. No cap,” Vince said. “But enough about verbal jousting. Tell me about the voyage. Did you and Alexis have a great time or what?”

“You are the closest thing I have to a best friend,” I said. “So I will confide in you. I have taken Alexis as my mate.”

“You mean you’ve re-accepted her as your mate after publicly rejecting her in the first place,” Vince said. “It’s not my place to say this, and I’m sorry if I’m overstepping my bounds, but you must understand that accepting someone as your mate should be made public knowledge. Right now, this knowledge is shared merely between you, me, and Alexis. The entire pack deserves to know this,” Vince said in all seriousness.

“You are right. It will make the matehood official. What do you have in mind?” I asked. His words did not anger me. Vince had a way of saying the right thing in the right tone. It was hard to get irrational in the face of his logic.

“A party. Throw a party. You’ve been spending all this time with Alexis. It only makes sense that you spend some time with your pack members. They are your family. All of them bear the Grimm name, live in the Grimm Abode, and are descendants of the original pack that you brought over from Germany. Throw a lively party. Let there be a bonfire. The people shall sing and dance and feast and drink. Plus, it would boost morale more than any of your pep talks ever have,” Vince said.

“Then it is decided. I entrust you with this task,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Vince groaned. “Oh, man. Don’t shoot the messenger. I was just the idea guy. Someone else has to be the execution guy.”

“I’m only suggesting that you arrange the party because I’m very confident in your abilities,” I said, coaxing him further.

“Fine. I shall bear this cross,” Vincent said, making an imaginary cross in the air with his hands.

“Finally, a reference that I understand,” I said, clapping Vince on the back once more.

***

A red bolt shot through the black sky and, seconds later, burst into a vibrant display of color. A few bolts followed suit, serenading rainbows through the night. Below, partygoers yelled in excitement as more fireworks got lined and lit and blew into the sky.

The festivities were in full form. Yellow bulbs hung from the walls and roofs of the commune houses, and at the center, a large bonfire leaped to the sky. Around this bonfire, the women and men danced, arm in arm. Little kids ran across the commune with party streamers in their hands. Some of the teenage girls and the teenage boys of the pack were sitting in the seats around the bonfire, sneaking cigarettes, flirting with each other, and laughing raucously. The entire Grimm Abode was reveling with boisterous sounds of cheer and laughter.

Revelers lined around the tankards of ale and beer, pouring each other cups of cool drinks, sloshing their cups as they cheered deeply from their bellies and slapped each other good-naturedly on the shoulders.

Alexis sat beside me, a glass of wine in one hand, my hand in her other hand. She was humming to herself and shaking her feet to the infectious rhythm of the music coming from the speakers that Vincent had installed. Apparently, some singer known as Katy Perry was a big deal and her song “Firework” was funky enough to make everyone dance.

From time to time, people came to us and greeted us, congratulating us on the officiating of our matehood. I politely addressed everyone, shook their hands, hugged a few of them, and high-fived the younger members of the crowd.

“Vincent really pulled all the stops,” Alexis said, squeezing my hand. “Never in my life has there been a party of this sort in the commune.”

“It’s all for you,” I said, squeezing her hand back.

My senses were flooded with the aroma of roasted pork. I shot a look to my right, where all the cooking was taking place. Some of the older men had taken out their grills and were cooking hamburgers, bacon, steaks, and chicken. A few of the more gastronomically inclined sort were roasting an entire pig above a fire. They turned the skewered animal slowly, letting all its sides cook.

Vincent, the manager of this lively party, ran from one end to the other, making sure everything was in order. Even the oldest members of the pack, such as Fred, were out in the open, sitting in a circle around the bonfire, talking of the good old days, smoking their pipes.

“Come dance with us, Will!” Edna, one of the sprightly ladies, gathered around the bonfire, beckoned me to join them. I looked at Alexis for approval. She solemnly nodded with a brief smile, letting me know it was okay.

So, I got up from my chair and joined the dancing ladies, albeit a bit hesitantly. We twirled and whirled around the dancing flames, clapping our hands, throwing our heads up, kneeling as we circled the fire, then jumping to complete the circle. It was a beautiful form of dance that was inspired by the Vikings of old.

“Come, Alexis. Join us,” I said, calling out to her and extending my hand. She shook her head nervously. “Come on! It’s going to be fun.”

She gave in and joined me in the circle dancing around the fire. I lost track of time as I danced, whirled, twirled, jumped, and knelt around the burning flames, but by the time I was done, my entire body was drenched in sweat, and I had worked up a nice appetite.

Unable to stay on the dance floor any longer, I grabbed Alexis’s hand, and we raced through the party to where the cooking was happening. She giggled loudly as she ran alongside me.

The self-appointed chefs delegated to that area served us grilled meats, roasted pork, and sides of fresh vegetables. Alexis and I took our plates to our seats and watched the party unfold as we feasted ravenously, consuming copious amounts of mead to quench the spice.

“I am stuffed!” Alexis proclaimed after finishing her plate for a second time.

“I’m tapping out, too,” I said, groaning loudly as I struggled to put the empty plate back on the table. “Do you want to go for a walk, maybe?”

“A walk sounds lovely. Let’s go far from the madding crowd,” Alexis said, slowly getting to her feet. “I need to stretch my legs if I’m going to digest all this food.”

“I concur,” I said, feeling a little lightheaded after all the eating and drinking.

While the party went on in full force, Alexis and I snuck out the back, leaving the loudness and the lights, and the laughter behind.

“Did werewolves throw parties such as these back in the old days?” Alexis asked as we walked along the forest path.

“The Grimms trace their lineage back to the Vikings. They were the original Germanic people. Shapeshifting was a religious component of the Norse Pagan religion. Loki, Odin, Freya, and Frigg, all of them gods of the Norse pantheon, could shapeshift. Becoming a werewolf was never a matter of curse for us. It was a gift. Shapeshifting was our honor as given to us by the gods. There aren’t any written accounts of all of this, but this knowledge has been passed down the generations for more than a thousand years. Some of the greatest characters in Norse mythology were wolves. Fenrir, the wolf who would cause Ragnarök, was a wolf. Geri and Frekki, Odin’s loyal animals, were both wolves,” I said, feeling it fit to share some of the old wisdom with her. This was a good time as any. I wanted to impart this knowledge to her. If her parents had been alive, it would have been their role to tell her these things. But as her mate, it fell on my shoulders to teach her our customs and history.

“So the werewolves came from Vikings,” Alexis surmised.

“The Vikings were just one category of the Norse people. The warriors, the raiders, and the men in charge of the battle, government, and diplomacy. Those who weren’t Vikings were delegated other roles. But yes, in general, back in the day, werewolves originated from the Vikings. It’s where the term ‘going berserk’ comes from. Some of the werewolf Vikings could shapeshift in the middle of a battle and go berserk on their enemies,” I said. “There were many Viking customs that we still adhere to. You asked if the werewolves used to throw parties like this in the old days. The answer is yes. They did. We keep the customs of our ancestors alive to honor them. In that way, this party is in honor of them as much as it is in honor of our matehood,” I said, wrapping my arm around Alexis as we walked back to the commune.

“I want to acknowledge something,” Alexis said. “I know you’re struggling with your mental health. Your rage issues, to be specific. I know this the same way you know so many things about me. It’s our bond. It has strengthened these past few days, allowing me to sense you more strongly, to perceive you more deeply. I just want to acknowledge that you’re doing a brave job. I am so proud of you. You’ve come a long way, Will.”

Such words of compassion served to kindle my emotions. I hugged Alexis while we were still far from the commune. This was an intimate moment I wanted to spend just with her.

“Thank you,” I said, hugging her tightly. “I want to acknowledge that you have been very kind and compassionate towards me. I truly appreciate this.”

“Aww, come, give me a kiss, then,” Alexis said, pulling me closer by my collar. I obliged happily, kissing her warm cheeks, her flushed face, and her rosy lips in the faint light of the moon.

Our kiss was broken short by louder sounds erupting from the commune. Unmistakably, they were howls. Alexis and I ran to the commune, uncertain as to what had happened, and it was only when we turned the corner and saw the strange proceedings did we understand that it was not a matter of emergency but that of continued celebration.

The training grounds were lit up, probably for the first time in the night since I’d been here. On the grounds, dozens of people were surrounding a pair of wolves engaged in a friendly battle. The crowd cheered them on as the wolves fought each other.

“What the hell?” Alexis exclaimed.

“Ah, yet another one of our old customs. At the end of such celebrations, the werewolves customarily engage in a friendly battle with one another to commemorate the festivities in their way.” It appeared that my imparting of wisdom hadn’t stopped for the night. Though, now, after so much, I wished it would.

“Are we expected to celebrate with them?” Alexis asked worriedly.

“Not at all. They can keep on with the festivities for as long as they please. But if you wish, and if you think that’s okay, I would like for us to sleep in the same bed together,” I said. I was a little cautious as to what she would say.

Alexis blushed and averted her gaze. She fiddled with some loose hair and tucked them behind her hair, smiling as she looked away. “I would love to,” she said in a whisper.

“Then let us be part of this party no longer and part ways,” I said in a spontaneous burst of verbosity.

“Someone’s a little tipsier than they’re letting on,” Alexis chuckled.

I snuck Alexis into my home, eager to fall asleep with her in my arms. This would be the first time we’d share a bed on land. We would only sleep, I wagered, given how knackered we were to do anything else.

We retired into the bedroom and wrapped up in each other’s embrace, and we fell asleep within a moment’s notice, our tired bodies yearning for the rest that slumber offered.

***

Red.

Madness.

Rage.

Bloodlust.

I woke in my bed moments later, not a man but a beast. I could not recall who this stranger was sharing the bed with me. All I knew was agony, pain, and the unending deluge of insanity.

My vision was a sea of crimson.

Somewhere within the deep ravines of my thoughts, in the darkest of places, Edward Beckett laughed sinisterly. With that laughter rose the sheer anguish of the torture he had done to me.

In my deranged wolf form, I thrashed at the woman lying in my bed. Lashed out in the bedroom I was confined in. I hurtled, a hunkering wolfen body, through the house, laying wreck to everything in my path, and tore through the door as I raced to the only place which could restrain my psychosis.

The woods.