She chose her isolation and freedom. Tomorrow he would call upon his betrothed and soon-to-be father-in-law.
He wasn't excited about that in the least. He finally finished the tedious work chores. Once he was done, he turned down all the lanterns and exited the forge. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep. A few hours later, a loud scream and the smell of smoke awoke him, giving him a fright.
Caleb was disoriented but still able to dress quickly. By the time he reached the center of his home, he realized the scream was coming from his own mother. His heart began beating fast. Adrenaline slowly filled his veins. The further he walked into the room he was able to see both his mother and father. They were surrounded by five men, Amaruq and four of his goons.
Both of his father's eyes were both swollen and black. His mother's face was tear streaked. She noticed Caleb out of the corner of her eye and stared in his direction. Amaruq followed her gaze. It landed on Caleb. Amaruq smiled.
This time, his eyes were big and yellow, and his canines were extended and looked sharp. He spoke to Caleb then, "Ah, just the man I came to see."
Caleb felt his guts twist in knots. His suspicions about Amaruq were now being confirmed. Caleb was terrified on the inside but knew he had to remain calm long enough to outsmart him.
Caleb finally spoke then, "Let them go!" He demanded, walking up to Amaruq only to be stopped by two of his men when he was only a few feet away.
Seeing Caleb act tough while he was in distress, amused Amaruq. He laughed at Caleb, "Such spirit. Tell me, boy. What will you do to keep your family alive? How far will you go?"
Caleb knew he was entertaining a madman, but he also knew he had no choice, and even then, at any time, Amaruq could kill them all. But right now, he was amused. Caleb looked from his mother, who was being held by one of our group's men, to his father, who was kneeling on the ground.
"What do you want?" Caleb asked in a clipped tone.
"I think you already know the answer to that." Amaruq quipped.
Caleb felt his nerves unravel. He decided to keep silent and give Amaruq time to further explain. He did. "Where is the wolf?"
Caleb was truly surprised by Amaruq's question.
He had thought he had been sent by Sylvie's mother, Luna. He had assumed she figured out her daughter wasn't dead, but that didn't seem to be the case. He wanted the wolf. How did he know about the wolf? And how did he connect Caleb to the creature? He wondered. Did someone see them at the orphanage all those nights ago? His mind was racing.
"Wolf? What wolf?" He lied, staring into Amaruq's eyes.
Amaruq smiled at him, turned around, and walked over to his father. Caleb knew his plans. Amaruq took his left knee and smashed it hard into his father's face. His father's nose broke, and blood gushed like a geyser, making his father cover his wound with both hands and cry out. The blow also made Amaruq's men laugh.
Caleb hated them all and wished he was strong enough to kill them. He wasn't. He saw his father beg and plead with Amaruq. "Please, sir. We know nothin'. My son is-"
"A FUCKING LIAR !" AMaruq interjected, then turned his bright yellow eyes on Caleb. They looked even wilder now, almost like a rabid Wolf. "Tell me where the wolf is or I end your father's miserable life, and let my man make a real woman out of your mother." He threatened.
Caleb swallowed hard and answered. "I-I'm telling the truth. I don't know."
"Have it your way," he said and took a single-shot pistol from his waistband. He pressed it against Caleb's father's head.
Caleb had to make a choice now. His family or Sylvie. Sylvie had already told him nothing could ever come from their relationship. Could he live with his parents' death on his hands? Two lives or one?
Click! It was the sound of Amaruq cocking the hammer back. That dangerous sound brought him back to reality and his choice.
"Alright. Alright. I will tell you! Please, just leave my parents out of this."
Amaruq still wore that sick grin on his face. He removed the pistol from his father's right temple, then pointed it directly at him.
"Tell me." Amaruq broke through his circle of men and stood inches away from Caleb, still pointing the pistol.
"Sylvie is alive. The wolf is with her. Now I've told you what you want to know. Let my father and my mother go."
Amaruq wasn't surprised by the news of Sylvie being alive. He knew Luna would probably be. Although she had tried to hide it from him, Amaruq knew Sylvie was Luna's child. Even though she cared to never really discuss her painful past. It left Amaruq with what he felt like no choice. Her attack had been quickly buried, and few people actually remembered it, and those who did were now gone. Sylvie and the wolf. Amaruq felt like he had been punched in his gut. It was hard to breathe when he finally made the correlation between Beowulf's death, Sylvie being in the barn, and the wolf being with Sylvie. Now he knew who was to blame. "Are they still on the island?" He asked.
"Yes, I believe so." He stammered. It was a heavy silence as he watched the leader contemplate his words. Then Amaruq looked at the one holding his mother, then gave him a nod. With one swift motion, the goon snapped Caleb's mother's neck like a chicken.
It was so sudden his scream didn't have time to leave his body. He watched as the terror and light left her eyes, and she crumpled and slid to the floor. Caleb's anger fell on him like hot water. He let out a yell of pure rage and began fighting and punching the two men like he was a mad man. He landed a few but quickly got kicked in the chest and fell to the ground.
He could hear Amaruq's laughter ringing in his ears. He was suddenly standing over him.
"You...You said you wouldn't harm them if- If I told you." He was gasping for air as his saliva turned into blood.
Amaruq put his booted foot on the same spot he had just kicked. Pain like no other shot through Caleb.
Amaruq's next words sliced through like a white-hot blade. "I told you. I wouldn't kill both of them." He corrected Caleb and put back his head, and laughed hard. Once again, his men joined in.
"You're a fucking monster!" Caleb sobbed.
Amaruq removed his boot and kneeled down. He and Caleb were at eye level. "Don't worry, my boy. I am, and so will you be when I'm done with you."
With no warning, Amaruq punched Caleb, knocking him out cold. He stood and spoke to his men. "Take the boy and his father. Burn this place down."
Amaruq exited the Blacksmith's home...
| Randolf |
In less than 72 hours of Alpha Randolf's return, he had finally come up with a plan he felt would work swiftly to eradicate both of his current dilemmas. He had been at every military base in every territory all over the civilized, war-ravaged world. And knew firsthand that the Lycan's power had lessened over the past decade. Their main leader had been Formidable he had gone by the name of Yanoush. He met his untimely death at the hands of Randolf, who at one point had infiltrated the Lycans, learned their strategies, and used it against them.
It had been like a very careful game of chess each time he took down a Lycan's nest or a rogue Werewolf clan, they were closer to world peace. Being the Alpha Loux Garoux had been deemed by the church to be of the natural order of the celestial gods. Out of the three, it was the only one with verifiable historical connections to royalty. Whereas werewolves were bitten or branded and very often turned from eating animals to seeing humans as prey. If its appetite went unchecked, a werewolf could eat and turn a town in less than two days. The longer a person stayed in their werewolf form, the less likely they would be able to transform back into their human form after the first Bloodmoon.
Rumor has it that's how the war originally started. Physicians and Scientists pushing the boundaries of medicine, and gene manipulation. One of the subjects broke out of their lab. By the time they had captured him, it was too late. He had infected over 30 people, and in a matter of a month, the world shifted, changed and here they were hundreds of years later, still fighting for peace.
Still righting the wrongs of the medical field. Randolf looked at his watch. He had to get ready. His company would be here at any moment. Today's company was integral to the plan.
Today, Randolf looked the part of the great Alpha.