Filed to story: Wolf Crying Mate of the Alpha by Jazz Ford
‘Well, lucky for me, King Alec, you’re imprisoned behind these bars. I also don’t plan to be on your menu. Sorry, you won’t get to take a bite,’ I grin.
He gives me a curious look for a few moments.
‘I don’t intend to stay in here indefinitely, Luna,’ his demeanour softening.
‘How did you figure out my name?’ I ask, stroking the blemish on my wrist. It has a peculiar warmth about it.
‘I am Alec! Vampire King, I can figure out a lot by being in your presence, and I may have overheard one of the other witches call you that,’ he admits.
I try not to laugh at his honesty. He smiles sweetly at me and looks over my shoulder.
‘Yiselda, we have a new guest. How about you let me out so I can give Luna here a proper warm welcome,’ he says sincerely.
Yiselda laughs, ‘Yeah, right, I’m going to let you out so you can flee and wreak havoc across the world until everyone bows to you and declares you ruler of the world,’ she scoffs.
‘Why not? It sounds like lots of fun to me,’ he says..
‘Except it’s not pleasant for everyone who dies as a result,’ she says.
‘Those nasty humans deserve to die for what they did to me all those years ago,’ King Alec says, his face full of rage. ‘My Juniper, my darling, sweet Juniper,’ he murmurs as he withdraws into the shadows. As I hear him sob, I frown and feel sorry for him. I have no idea who Juniper is or what happened to her, but I can sense what he’s going through. My heart hurts and feels as if it were a shattered glass that can’t be repaired. My inner self seems gloomy and empty all of a sudden. I place my hand on my chest.
‘Luna, are you alright?’ Yiselda asks. I nod my head.
‘I’m fine, just a little overwhelmed with Pandora’s Box and its contents,’ I joke.
‘Well, now that the formalities are over and done with and the tour is complete, we shall return downstairs,’ Yiselda says, turning away. I go to follow her.
‘Wait!’ Reaching out between the bars, King Alec touches my arm with his fingers. He can’t grasp me because I’m too far away. From where his fingers brushed against me, I feel a warm sense of sparks. I examine my arm, and it feels as if Magnus himself has touched me. When I look up, I notice King Alec’s grin.
‘Until we meet again, just don’t make me wait too long, my Queen,’ he whispers, so only I hear.
I take a few steps backwards with a worried expression on my face. Fern grabs my hand and drags me behind her as she skips toward the exit. I keep returning my eyes to King Alec, and his focus does not leave me until we reach the opposite end of the dungeon and depart.
Yiselda closes the door with the ward spell. As we travel down the stairwell of books, we return to the kitchen by entering the little corridor and walking through the other door, which happens to be the large mirror.
Yiselda, using her magic, pours us another cup of tea as they converse and laugh. But I’m not sure what it’s about since I can’t stop thinking about King Alec. I shake my head and think about Magnus instead. I want to be in his arms, and I need to get rid of these strange feelings.
‘It’s been wonderful seeing you, Yiselda, but it’s time for us to return to Shadow Crest.’ Will you be accompanying us when the wolf council returns tomorrow?’ I ask.
‘It’s probably better if I’m there, just in case.’ She answers.
I follow Fern, Ria, Ela and Lilac past the chicken, cats, frogs, floating objects and the broom sweeping the entrance again and out the door. There is a permanently drawn circle with a star and stones inside. We all step in one by one. I think of home and Magnus as I step in. When I open my eyes, we appear near the bonfire. Reaper caws from his moon tree as I run inside the packhouse, up the stairs and into the office, where I wrap my arms around Magnus and kiss him.
‘Welcome back,’ he says, ‘How was it?’
‘You should have seen the place. It was more than I imagined it to be. There were strangely shaped hallways, a broom sweeping by itself. They even had a unicorn in the enchanted garden!’
‘A unicorn?’
‘Yep, her name is Star,’ I smile.
‘So, what about those Grim things and nightmarish creatures Yiselda mentioned?’
I take my wrist in my hands and begin caressing the mark on it.
‘The Grimghouls were terrifying small creatures with razor-sharp teeth. On the other hand, the Shadow Reapers were difficult to spot since they resembled shadows, shaped like people. They can fuse with your body, causing you to have hallucinations and harm others,’
‘They sound awful?’ Magnus says.
‘They were, then there was Alec, the Vampire King.’ I say, pulling my wrist into my chest.
Magnus takes my hand, extends my arm, and peers at my wrists.
‘How long have you had this tattoo? It looks like an Ankh? ‘A sword with a circle around the grip, like a symbol?’ he asks.
I examine my wrist once more, the redness and discomfort from the burn have subsided, and I can now see what Magnus sees. It resembles an Ankh in appearance.
‘I’m not sure. Alec grabbed me and-.’
‘He did what?’ Magnus growls, abruptly standing up. ‘He did this to you?’
‘I-I don’t know. It happened so quickly. When he grabbed me, I felt a slight burn on my wrist. Then I felt strange and left as soon as I could.’
‘I’ll take you to the pack doctor,’
‘Magnus, it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore, and I feel fine now that I’m here with you,’ I assure him.
He relaxes a little.
‘Fine, but if you feel strange again or any pain, you let me know, okay?’ he says.
I nod, and he places a kiss on my forehead.
‘Good girl,’ he smiles.
Reaper caws and taps his beak on the window. ‘Next time, you need to take me with you, Luna. You can’t just leave your familiar behind. It’s dangerous.’ Reaper mind-links.
‘The other witches didn’t take their familiars with them. So, I don’t see what the big deal is?’
‘It’s a big deal, now let me inside… please,’
I open the window, and he flies onto my shoulder. He calms the moment he lands on my shoulder. His beak is pressed against my nose as I turn my face, and his eyes stare into mine.
‘Reaper, what the heck?’ I say.
‘There is something different about you. Did something happen at Pandora’s Box?’
‘No Reaper, nothing happened,’ I frown.
‘I thought I sensed something odd whilst you were in Pandora’s Box. I was worried something had happened to you?’
‘Reaper, nothing happened. Let’s take a walk outside.’ Ela’s toad leaps down the front steps as I open the front door, ‘I need some fresh air.’ The witches are conversing beneath Reaper’s moon tree. Ria’s snake is dangling from a branch above them.
I take a deep breath and take in the tranquil surroundings. My wrist tingles, but I ignore it on purpose.
‘I’m heading to the lake for a swim.’ ‘Would you all like to come along with me?’ I ask.