Chapter Thirty Three

Beast

My world is dark, but I see images of everything before the curse. I can see my brother and I splitting wood at the house. Logan, I miss him dearly and wish I could see him again.

When we turn, I can see our parents, standing in the cottage doorway with smiles plastered on their faces. Ma. Pa.

Oh, how I miss them too.

The world begins to swirl and I see the day that the two sisters arrived. They are standing in the middle of town, asking our alpha to stay and swear their alpha sent them on a search to find wolves as mates.

Though he wasn’t sure about it, he allowed them to stay.

Eventually they caused issues by being like sirens and calling males, mated and unmated, toward them. Even my poor father wasn’t left alone and I had to go to town every morning to drag him and my brother away from those witches.

Soon, they made me and Logan the objects of their desires.

I remember that day well. We were in the village area when the pack grew quiet and Natalia had stared at our alpha. Her eyes never wavered, even though his alpha command was filling the air and suffocating most of the pack.

“Do you really think that works on me?” She had asked. “Silly little wolves. You don't know who you are dealing with? I’m over eight hundred years old and won’t be brought down under a simple command.”

Mist grows thicker around us, cutting us off from everyone.

“Come with me, Lucian.”

“No,” I told her firmly. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You are insane.”

“Insane? Are you sure that is how you want to speak to me? There is no one here to help you now.”

And that is when I ran. I remember it clearly. I darted into the woods and the mist followed me through it. Sadly, I had no idea where I was even going, but then I ended up at the creek nearby.

That’s when the mist cleared and I remember dropping to my knees at the creek to get a drink of water.

And then she came.

Branches cracked off to my right and I glanced up, wishing I had lost her.

Emmeline stepped forward, a flowing cloak tied around her neck and covering her dress. “I came to offer you another deal besides the one my sister gave you.”

“What kind of deal? She never offered me anything. Natalia wanted me to become her mate and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

She reached out her hand from underneath her cloak. “How about you become mine instead? I’m sure I’m more suitable for you.”

“You aren’t my fated mate, either. I’m supposed to be with Emily, the alpha’s daughter. It is the way of the wolves. If we can’t find our fated mate, we mate with someone around our rank.”

Suddenly, she pulled back as Natalia came into view and I saw why Emmeline looked so scared. One moment she was there and in the next, only her cloak was left behind on the ground.

“What have you done?” I asked.

“She’s fine, but she won’t be causing problems for anyone where she is. You see, we have our own realm that we created years ago. Sometimes we go there, just the two of us to let time go by. I had to wait until the moment was right to get my revenge. I won’t be shafted again.”

“Why are you doing this?”

She only smiled. “They robbed me of my mate years ago and it is your line that ruined me. So, you will be mine.”

I scooted until my back hit the tree. Sweat dripped down my brow. “No, you can’t do this. Please.”

“Tell me how to make a mate bond with you.”

“Natalia, it can never be. It will never be fate.”

Her hand raised above her head and a white light emitted out from her palm.

“Then I curse you with what was supposed to be a gift. You will roam these woods and never escape me. You will forever be a beast and there is only one way to end it.”

The world grew dark after that as I heard her chants. “The only way to break this curse is for the caster and her bonded coven mate to die after you take your white wolf mate. Oh, Lucian, if you had only chosen me willingly, then this could have been avoided. I will grant you one simple kindness. On the night of the new moon and on the full moon, you may leave your forest home, but only once each. After that, you will belong to the woods and only I can ever set you free.”

My eyes suddenly open and I can see the woods before me, laid out like they usually are. Some of the trees look odd, as if they have been bent by something huge.

I must be dreaming again. This can’t be real.

Crunching leaves behind me pull my attention away from the oddly angled trees and I look to my right, only to see falling leaves of various shades of colors. Then all goes quiet and I see her.

“Hello again, Lucian. I bet you thought you’d never see me again.”

Emmeline?

I take off running as fast as I can through the woods, looking for anything that’s familiar, but all I find is the cottage that looks like my family’s old home. Instead of running away, I run right to it, only for the door to open up and Emmeline step out.

She offers me a warm smile as I come to a skidding stop.

“Well, hello. I guess you came to find me before I could find you.”

I gently nod, but that isn’t what I had planned. Where am I?

“Poor Lucian. I bet you feel lost. You see, this is where my sister sent me two hundred years ago when I made you that deal at the creek. This is our realm. I guess things have changed since then and you probably didn’t break your curse for her to be able to send you here. You should have paid attention to the words of the curse she cast. I bet you used those two nights up too before being able to claim a white wolf descendant of Emily’s. What a shame.”

No. I can’t stay here. I need to get back to Lillian. Will you help me leave?

Her eyes soften. “How do you expect me to help you? My powers haven’t been a match for my sister’s in a very long time. Not since I cast the original curse because of what she did eight hundred years ago. I don’t know that you will ever be able to go back. If I knew how, I would leave as well.”

Emmeline gazes at me, waiting for the next thought to cross my mind. I realize that she can hear my thoughts, but I guess that is part of the magic of this realm. But there are some things I don’t want her to know.

“It’s okay. I’m not like my sister, so you can talk to me.”

I hate this.

“Well, I completely understand why you do, but how about this? If you talk to me, then maybe I can prove that I’m not a bad person. Do we have a deal?”

What other choice do I even have?

“None,” she says with a laugh. “You might as well learn to love it here because you may never escape this realm.”

She motions for me to enter her little home, but I am skeptical. This might be another trap, but I really don’t have much of a choice in the matter. Slowly, I trot through the open door and she closes it softly behind me with a tiny click.

A sweet smell fills my nostrils, and I instantly drool. I haven’t had any kind of baked treats in so long and it reminds me of the muffins my mother once made. Oh, how I miss her cooking.

“Your Ma is something else.”

I miss her. When I woke up as this beast all those years ago, I returned to the house and they were all gone. I never knew what happened to them.

She only shrugs. “That is probably my sister’s doing. She was set on getting your family line back because of the rejection she received from Liam all those years ago. She just couldn’t let it go. But, as far as I know, she probably cast a spell over the pack to make them forget your family and probably cursed the alpha line as well. She had spoken of it in case you rejected her as well. Of course, I didn’t expect to be sent here as well”

Everything suddenly makes sense. That’s why no one ever thought much about the cottage nor did they ever ask about who once lived there. They went on like nothing happened after the alpha family moved the books from their home into our old cottage. It was all a setup.

Emmeline nods as she moves toward the stove and stirs a pot sitting there. “She never wanted anyone to discover who you were or break your curse, especially the alpha family.”

How does she know this? She wasn’t there.

She pauses, her spoon in the pot as she turns to look over her shoulder. "I just do. Sisterhood and all that."

Then what else do you know? I prod her, hoping she'll spill some important information.

"Well, I know she disguised herself and used her charms to woo Corbin's great grandfather. Then, she hid herself all these years, killing his mother after he was born, and took her place. The pack never knew otherwise either, which was sad, but necessary to keep the illusion over them."

Why would she do such a thing? I get she was mad at me for not choosing her, but what good does it do to keep a pack separated from the world? There are five other packs out there. It has doomed Dark Moon and eventually, they will all die out.

Emmeline pauses again, before resuming stirring the pot absentmindedly. "Power, why else? Plus, she wanted to make sure Lillian's family never broke your curse. I think deep down she always hoped you'd beg her to be changed back, but you are one stubborn beasty."

I'd never beg.

She grabs something off the counter and places it in her hand. A mitten, I realize. Slowly, Emmeline opens the stove door and pulls out something that smells delicious.

I watch as she sits it on the counter, and I can't help but follow it with my eyes. The smell is just amazing, and I wonder if she'll let me have a taste.

"So, I will finish that story. My sister wasn't that smart, though, obviously. I don't think she was counting on Lillian to be that bold or the fact her grandmother would end up staying in your family’s cottage where the books were. It all backfired in her face.”

The books?

Emmeline laughs. "Oh, have you forgotten? The history of all the packs were taken from the alpha house and only certain ones were left. That was part of the curse over Dark Moon.”

I finally sit on my haunches, staring at the counter where the treats lie. It's driving me insane. I don't even hear what she says anymore. All I hear is the books were in the cottage and nothing else.

She follows my line of sights and laughs again. "Oh, I guess you want a muffin. I think you can have one early, but the rest are saved for my guests. They'll be here soon."

Guests? Who else is in this world? I thought it was just you.

Her smile is bright as our eyes meet. She hands the muffin over on a small plate and sits it on the ground in front of me. "Oh, you'll see."

I inhale the muffin in front of me and lean forward to snatch it between my teeth. Crumbs fly everywhere as I eat it, but I don't care, though I feel bad for leaving a mess on the floor.

"Never mind the mess. It's fine. I have a broom, after all."

Soon as I'm finished, she leans forward and scrapes the crumbs out of the fur around my mouth. They fall to the floor and I'm just sad they don't make it into my mouth.

"I'll make sure you get another once the guests arrive."

She sweeps the floor and has it clean in a flash. A soft knock at the door alerts me to the visitors' arrival, but I don't know who it is and I'm curious.

With a smile on her face, she rubs her hands against the apron before rushing over to open the door. "Oh, it's so nice to see you all. The muffins just got done and I have dinner on the stove."

The woman says, "Thank you. We brought some bread to go with the soup, if that is okay."

My ears don't believe what they are hearing. It can't be. All these years, I've wondered what happened to my parents and here they are. Ma steps through the doorway first, right into my line of vision.

I rush toward her and collide with her, causing her to fall to the ground. "Oh, my. Your puppy is quite happy to see me. When did you get a wolf?"

Logan reaches down and pats my head. "He sure is friendly."

Emmeline laughs. "Take a closer look."

They all look perplexed as they take me in. Pa's gaze meets mine and he gasps. "No, it can't be."

Ma looks confused, and Logan is eyeing me closely, but it seems Pa is the first to figure it out.

Finally, he says, "Don't you see who this is? Lydia, it's Lucian. We've found him."

"More like he came to us," Emmeline says, as she rushes back over to the pot of soup. "Looks like my sister sent him here before she met an untimely demise."

Ma falls to her knees and pulls me into a hug. Tears wet my fur as they fall from her face. "I never thought I'd see you again, Lucian. We've all missed you so much. What happened to you? Shift and tell us everything."

I pull away and whimper. If I could, I would Ma.

She sits and waits for me to shift, but when nothing happens, she blinks her eyes rapidly and looks confused again. "Lucian, shift honey."

Emmeline takes a step forward, the hot soup pot clenched tightly in her hands. "Oh, he can't do that. Didn't you know he's cursed?"

"What?" Ma asks as she looks between Emmeline and me, a look of disbelief plastered on her face. "What do you mean by he's cursed?"

Pa growls and places his hands on my mother's shoulders as he looks at Emmeline with a look of hatred. "Why would you do this to our son?"

"Oh, it wasn't me. I was banished here, just like you were. Actually, it happened all on the same night, remember? I was here setting up the house, then poof, here you came. My darling sister is the mastermind behind this, though I never thought she'd go this far." Emmeline shrugs and goes to put the pot on the table. "We're all just victims of hers."

Ma lets out a small cry as she throws her arms around me. "I'm so sorry you've had to live like this all this time. We never knew. I thought you got to live your life with Emily, have pups, and die an old man."

I stare at the wall behind my family, uncertain of how to react. It's not like they understand me, though they should since we were pack when all this happened. Something tells me the witch played with more than I can ever imagine.

Emmeline goes and fetches the muffins off the stove. "I believe Emily went by Lira after that incident. Natalia didn’t want anyone figuring out how Lucian’s curse could be broken.”

"Lira? That sounds insane," Pa says in a whisper.

"It’s just another thing my sister caused. She is definitely a tricky witch who had a plan.”

Ma and Pa exchange a look while Logan moves quietly over to the table and sits.

"It sounds like you speak in riddles. Why don't you tell us how to break this curse that is over my brother?"

"I wish I could help, but unfortunately I can't. You all weren't the only ones she cursed that night and she made sure it would never be spoken of again, even if she died or met a block in the road."

A whimper escapes me and she cuts her eyes over at me. "I know you tried to tell your mate before you got sent here, but you and my sister are the only ones who know how to break it. Even if I could tell them, what good would it do? You know it's up to you and your mate. That's all I can say."

Ma goes into shock. "You have a mate?"

Emmeline nods. "One which he hasn't claimed, but that is all I can tell you. It's between the two of them to figure out the rest."

As I sit on my haunches, all they can do is stare at me. I know the frustration they feel because I have felt that way my whole life. When I was first cursed, I wandered to the cottage only to discover my family was gone. I wandered the woods, hopeless and alone, then I heard the ramblings of a beast that lived in the woods. At first, I was petrified because I didn't want to mess with a beast like that.

I edged closer to the village and went to cry out for help, but hit a barrier. It wouldn't let me pass through and I didn't understand why. Sadly, I soon realized the monster they were terrified of was me.

Oddly, after days of searching from the edge of the woods, I saw Natalia was nowhere to be found. Not only that, but the village acted differently. It was like my family never existed.

Shortly after that, the alpha family moved several books to my old home. They looked like they were in a trance-like state as I watched them. Once they were back in the village, they shook their heads and looked at each other as if they didn't know what they had just done.

All hope was lost until Lillian's grandfather was challenged by Corbin's father and lost, though I’m still perplexed as to how he ever arrived in Dark Moon when I patrolled the woods. Grandmother moved to the house as an outcast and it's like the cloud lifted little by little. She found the books and came outside to ask me if it was me?

The only bad part was when she tried to tell her family she was muted and couldn't say anything. Her daughter and mate lived in fear of me, though I never harmed them.

Later on, they were tossed into the woods for me to devour and rumors spread that I killed them. Instead, I carried them to the Night Walker’s pack through the woods. I thought they would mourn for the daughter they left behind, but I was surprised when they went on like nothing happened.

It was like leaving the village erased everything. Now I sadly realize the witch ensured they wouldn't remember before they were cast out of the village because she was hiding in plain sight all this time.

"Lucian, you poor thing. I just can't help but keep thinking about how alone you were all this time." Ma strokes the fur on my face softly as the tears continue to fall. "I wonder what the village did with you like this."

Feared me. Ran from the woods. Screamed and yelled at me. You know, the things you do when you're utterly terrified.

Emmeline chokes back a laugh. "Well, he lived in the woods. He could go anywhere, except the village."

Ma looks back and forth again, the sadness clearly visible. "I will kill that witch for ever thinking she could mess with my son."

Emmeline shrugs. "Come eat. There is nothing you can do, though you'd like to. Now, we wait."

Pa and Ma move to the table and sit next to Logan. Emmeline joins them, then looks at me. "Oh, I promised you another muffin."

She gets one off the plate from the table and puts it on the dish she gave me earlier. When she sets it on the floor, my mother scoffs. "Why are you feeding him like an animal?"

"Does he look like he can sit at the table and eat off a plate with a fork?"

They all turn to look at me. My brother has a smile on his face as he looks at me from head to tail. No, I couldn't do that. Not only would it be awkward, but I'd probably break the chair as well.

"Ma, he isn't even his normal wolf size. He's huge. Do you really want him to try to sit on the chair? I'm sure it would be awkward for him. Way more awkward than to eat off a plate on the floor."

I nod to agree with Logan, but Ma looks sad.

"You can't blame me for that, honey. Don't look at me with those puppy eyes. I understand, but I still feel bad." She gets her bowl, filling it full with the soup and then comes to sit on the floor beside me. "I'm not eating at the table when you're eating down here."

Emmeline says, "Why don't we all just eat on the floor with him? Maybe you can tell him about everything you've done since you've been apart?"

Pa, Logan, and Emmeline move down to the floor with me, with their bowls of soup in hand. We all begin eating as Ma talks until my ears almost fall off. She goes on about their life here and how she has a garden for all her vegetable needs.

They're smiling and laughing as I silently listen and observe. I don't miss how happy they look and I try to smile, but of course it doesn't look like it. Ma finally stops laughing about the time she fell over in the garden and says, "We've missed you, Lucian. We tried to make do in this crazy place, but our hearts were never full without you."

For a brief moment, I wonder what it would be like if I was never found and lived out my cursed life here with them. All the things we could do to make up for the lost time between us. Things might be great. It sounds like this place has everything we need and I guess we could literally live forever.

One thought plagues me, though. What happened to Lillian? Emmeline mentioned her sister was gone, but did Lillian make it out unscathed? What about Grandmother? Did she mate Corbin after? Will she be okay without me?

My stomach turns and I can't eat another bite of the muffin. Emmeline notices and smiles. "Don't worry, beasty. Lillian is alive, but she's going through some changes right now."

Changes? What kind of changes?