#Chapter 88: Return to the Ayzena
+25 BONUS
With no need to fear future attacks, we are set to leave the next morning. I meet with the Elders first so we could work out the details of my absence. Charles is also there, and there is a very informal “changing of the guard,” so to speak. He already knows his duties, so anything they explain to him is merely formality.
For the first time, I feel a part of them. I may not know hardly anyone in the Malkeye pack, but I know this handful of Council members and they treat me like an equal. It makes me feel so included.
the?
And so grown up. Will my mother even recognize me? Of course she will, but will she notice any changes in me? I hope so…and for the better.
The Elders and Charles also see us off. I feel like Charles and I have a connection, especially since he’s the first one to recognize me for who I am. I should be able to trust him while I’m gone..
Rita and Alex wait until we’re out of town to shift.
“I know it may take you a while to figure it out, and I didn’t want you to have to figure it out in front of your future subjects,” Rita tells me with a wink.
“Thank you.”
“What were you thinking about when you shifted before?”
I shrug. “Not about shifting. I was thinking about how badly I wanted to protect all of you. I felt useless, and I really wanted to tear Ryan apart…” I clear my throat. “If I’m being honest.“<
They both laugh.
“Well, we don’t have anyone for you to rip apart right now, Alex jokes. “How did you shift back?”
“I–I guess I just thought about it.”
“Then that’s what you do now. Think about your werewolf form. Think about how it felts to be in that body.”
I try, but to no avail. “It’s not working…”
“Close your eyes and feel it,” Rita explains. “Call forth those feelings, those sensations.”
I close my eyes; it’s now or never! I think about how my bones and muscles shifted, the pain as well as the power.
I think about the breeze through my fur as I run. Then, I think about being with Alex.
That does the trick.
The shifting of my body’s structure is a puzzle that it solves without my thought or my lack of knowledge. I feel each pull, each stretch–like my body is one of those bendy toys.
After I’ve shifted, I watch Alex He’s still in human form, and he approaches me slowly, in awe.
“You are so beautiful,” he says as he strokes my neck.
I lean into his touch. Even in this form, I can feel the current we share.
“Okay, lover boy,” Rita calls out. “Let’s get going.”
They shift and the three of us race back into the woods.
Back at the Ayzena camp, Alex’s mother greets me with a hug and a kiss on each cheek. I’m stunned, but I should expect her to already know everything.
#Chapter 88. Return to the Ayzehe
“It all makes sense to me now,” she says, gently touching my cheek before releasing me, “The 10alkeye Lis who could have known?”
Alex hugs his mother. “Apparently you.”
“I suppose this means we have things to figure out,” his father says.
“First, I need to see Michael.”
Much to our surprise, Michael is sitting up, awake, when we enter,
“What the?” Alex cries out as he rushes over to hug Michel,
The look on Michael’s face says it all. He wants to smile, but he’s too weak. He’s pale and his eyes lack the luster that I saw when I met him. “Alex. You made it.”
Tears streani down Alex’s face. “I did. So did you.”
They embrace, and it warms my heart. If Michael can make it through, then everything will be alright in the world. My chest is swollen with hope; I can only imagine how Alex feels.
When Alex finally releases him, Michael leans back and cocks his head, one side of his mouth turned up. “I hear you’ve gotta Luna.”
Micheal looks at me and I squirm a little. Alex’s face lights up as he looks between us. “They told you, huh?” He pats his brother on the back. “But they didn’t tell me you were awake.”
“It only happened this morning, and we knew you were coming back. Thought it would be a nice surprise.” “Well, I’ve got a surprise for you–we got’em,” Alex says, his voice full of pleasure and pride.
“We got those rogues. Now we just need to get you better.”
“I am, brother.”
Michael is putting on a good front for Alex–but hopefully I’m wrong. His movements are slow, maybe weak, and his voice doesn’t hold the quality it did at our first meeting. Of course, that’s probably because he’s been in a coma. I need to stop being so skeptical.
The future is bright, after all.
Michael coughs and Alex springs forward, one hand on his brother’s back. “You okay?”
Michael nods vigorously, his hand still cupped at his mouth “I just need to rest. I may have slept a long time, but my body sure is taking its time to wake up.”
“We should give him rest,” Alex’s mother says, her face unreadable. “You can come back later.”
Alex nods and pats his brother on the back. “I’ll be back, brother.”
By the time we make it outside, Alex’s parents have disappeared.
“He looks good. You think?” Alex asks with heartwarming optimism. “I can’t believe he’s awake!”
“I can’t believe your parents didn’t say anything.”
He nods, his eyes far off. “Yeah…we should go talk to them.
I allow him to lead me to their house. He holds my hand, and at one point, he pulls our hands up to his lips and
kisses mine.
#Chapter 88: Return to the Ayzeha
+25 BONUS
I really hope this all works out the way he wants, but I worry that they didn’t tell him because it accompanies bad news. I mean, news as big as this should have been shared otherwise, right?
It turns out, his parents are waiting for us in the kitchen, sitting stoically at the table where they like to have ” talks.”
His father speaks up without moving. “Have a seat, son.”
This can’t be good…
Alex pulls a chair out for me. “Is this about Michael?”
Without emotion, his father replies. “He’s not well.”
Alex sits and looks first at his father, then his mother. “Will someone please explain that enigmatic statement? This isn’t a Council meeting…you can speak plainly.”
Tala glances at me, and I can see the pain in her eyes. “The poison had too long to work on him,” she says to Alex. “His body will not be able to recover.”
“But he’s sitting up–talking.”
“Raio was able to give him a medicament, but there is no known antidote.”
“So he’s going to…”
His father completes his sentence. “Die. Yes.”
And I see it. Another single tear sliding down his cheek. How is this man so able to control his emotions? He must be heartbroken!
But I don’t say anything. I turn my attention back to Alex. His face is a mix of emotions.
