Grandma stared at me for a moment of silence then sighed in resignation. She gestured for me to take a seat and I rushed to sit next to Chris. Chris looked as confused as ever and he opened his mouth to ask questions but I pinched him to be silent, I did not want him to interrupt the moment.
"All of this started before you were born," she began slowly. "The history has changed over the years as it was passed down from generations but according to legend, the wolves of Lunarius began to stray. They left the ways of the goddess they were sworn to serve and began to stray. In retaliation, the goddess decided to curse them. She locked up their wolf form and bound them to their human bodies. To ensure that the curse continued after generations, she created a seal and put it into the hearts of one family..."
"Ours," I finished for her and she nodded.
"There was a reason wolves were drawn to you. They could sense the seal in your bloodline. Your parents feared for you so they allowed you to forget until you were much older. The way the seal was designed, it would flow into the first child after their eighteenth birthday. It flowed from me to your mother and it should have flown to you but on the way to do that, your parents died."
"Wait," I cut her off and she turned to me. "I thought she was taking me camping. That was what my parents told me. Camping was my suggestion, what do you mean they wanted to pass on a seal to me?"
"They planned to do it away from the town which was why camping was a good idea. The accident was unplanned and because your mother hadn't passed on the seal, the curse was broken albeit not completely," she sighed and ran her hands down her face. "You wouldn't have known because you ran before the next full moon but the entire werewolf population of Lunarius shifted for the first time in years. They could not control their wolf side and they only shifted on the full moon."
"Darius returned with his pack and they had to bring order into the town. They shift every full moon with pain and trouble. That was a consequence of the curse breaking the way it did. The only way to stop it would be for Darius to marry you. That is why the moon goddess made you mates. That is also why everyone is out to get you. No one wants the wolves of Lunarius to regain their full strength. In their prime, they were a force to be reckoned with."
When she was done with her story, I was left more confused than anything. It felt like too much to take in and I couldn't wrap my head around everything. My mother died with a magical seal in her chest that was supposed to go to me and I had been sold in marriage to a man I had never met by a mythical goddess so I could end their suffering.
"I don't want this," I said suddenly and Grandma turned to me in alarm. "I don't want any of this. I refuse to be some pawn in their game. I am sorry for the wolves but I cannot do this."
I stood to my feet and Grandma rushed over to me. She grabbed my shoulders with both hands and although I tried to move out of her grip, she refused to let me go. I suddenly understood why she hid it from me for so long. If she had told me earlier, I would have run without a second thought. Just because I wasn't running didn't mean I wanted it.
"I can't."
"You can," she cut me off. "There is so much resting on your shoulders, Leindra. I know you might be scared but you have to do this. They are all counting on you. Your friends are looking to you as their salvation. If it isn't you then it will be your descendant. Why do you want to give this fight to your children?"
I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. Before I could speak, I heard footsteps
and Darius returned with Ian and Amy who were carrying boxes. I realized how real this felt and I went into an instant panic. I couldn't leave my home, I couldn't leave my brother and Grandma.
"What about Chris?" I asked Darius. "You are so concerned with getting me to safety but what about my family? I can't hide whole they are in harm's way."
"Faye does not want your family. You are her prime target and she will not stray but if it makes you feel better then your family will be protected."
"I don't want to leave. This is not fair. My life should not have to take a hit because of you and your problems," I pointed an accusing finger in his direction and he did nothing to dissuade me. "Shouldn't she want the curse to be broken as much as you do? If she is of the Lunarius bloodline then she should want this. Why is she against it?"
"Faye does not have a wolf form," I was confused by his words. "The correct term for her condition is 'runt'. She was born without a wolf form. When the curse broke and we all shifted, she did not. It fueled her anger against me and she somehow blamed me for it. She would rather that we all lived like this than gain control of our wolf forms while she did not."
"Why didn't you tell me?" my question was directed at everyone in the room. "Don't you think it was something I should have been told earlier?"
"Maybe, but we can't cry over spilled milk," Darius said and his tone signaled that he would not take any questions or challenge. "We need to leave now if we are to get back to my place and brief the guards."
I wanted to protest but I knew it would do little to nothing. I knew there was nothing I could do in this situation so I nodded. I pulled Chris into a hug and he allowed me. He held me tight and I knew he was just as worried as I was. We were humans caught in a werewolf crossfire and if we weren't careful, we would be nothing but collateral damage.
"Be careful," I whispered as I pulled back and he smirked.
"You too."
We left after that and during the entire ride back, I stayed completely silent. I was furious and I could tell that my anger was choking up the entire car. No one dared to meet my eye and as soon as Darius parked the car, I got out and slammed the door hard. I could hear him calling my name but I ignored him and made my way into the house.
His entire friend group was there but I ignored them and made my way towards the stairs. I heard footsteps rushing after me and I knew it was Amy because her steps were softer than the others. She managed to catch up to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. At first, I thought she would pull me to a stop but instead, she directed me toward the room where I would be staying.
It was in the hallway opposite hers and just by being there, I could smell Darius' cologne. I knew I was in his wing of the house but I was too weak to protest. The events of the day were beginning to catch up to me. My bones felt like lead, my face was pulsing and I wanted nothing more than to get into a bed, fall asleep and wake up to see that everything that happened today was a bad dream.
There were only two doors in the hallway and they were opposite each other. She led me towards the one on the left and when she pulled it open, my mouth fell open. The room could have fit at least two of my old rooms. If I had seen the room, I would have doubted it belonged in the house judging by how modern it looked.
The walls were cream and the floors were hardwood. There was a grey rug that covered most of the floor and it perfectly matched the blankets on the large king-sized bed lying in the middle of the room. There was a large crystal chandelier in the middle of the room along with a flat-screen TV, a sofa, a bean bag on one side of the room and a large vanity on the other. I had never seen anything like it and judging by how clean it was, someone was taking care of it.
"Do I want to know?" I asked Amy.
"He had it made for you. He hoped to ask you to move in on better conditions," I scoffed under my breath. "I know you're upset about everything but Darius isn't a bad guy. He likes you and I know that because I know him. He wouldn't do all this if he didn't."
"You mistake like for need. He needs me to break the curse, nothing more," she opened her mouth to protest but I cut her off. "You should go, Amy. I want to be alone."