"Skyler, are you ok?"
The question was directed to me, and even though I heard him, I couldn't understand what was asked, similarly, I couldn't understand the bond that Ares and I shared and if anybody were to ask, I wouldn't be able to give a proper answer.
My body felt numb as my mind and soul seem to detach itself from my broken reality, and crossed over the threshold of ambivalence where everything seemed to fade away like a passing breath. I was just starting to get used to Ares and his ways, but how am I supposed to cope when someone else was now in the picture.
"Skyler..."
No longer would it be me and Ares but now Ares, me and possibly Octavia. And the idea of sharing was beginning to rub me the wrong way.
I hated being a prisoner of my own mind, it was a dangerous place where I would always fight to balance my penchant for maniacal overthinking and the desire to achieve logical reasoning. And if what Octavia said was true, then where did I stand in all of this? Would he finally kick me to the curb or would Octavia murder me before he even got the chance?
A despairing whimper left my lips when I finally registered the severity of the situation. All along I had pathetically believed that the witch was just trying to weave poisonous threads in my brain but at the moment her nonsense was starting to make sense and her prediction was awfully feeling like they were going to be my actuality.
In the depths of it all, I realized now how the days leading up to this point seemed so unreal to me now. Not only did rogued wolves tried to kidnap me, but witches and vampires apparently have taken a liking to me too!
I was beginning to think that I had become a magnet, drawing all things that were a danger towards me. But before anymore threats could come my way, or before these blood suckers decided they wanted to have me for dinner, I had to tell Ares everything the witch told me the other day-
"What the heck-Cyrus!" I screeched bending forward as water droplets rushed from my face forming a fat puddle at my feet.
"Why must you always zone out like that?. It's frightening" He said amused, and with an outstretched arm, he was quick to hand me a towel to wipe my face.
"My bad, it's just that..." I stopped midsentence as a pang of dejected emotions suddenly swarmed my heart and my voice stiffened in my throat. I felt sad, but this sadness was foreign and unlike any I had ever felt. I couldn't bring myself to talk or ask the reason behind what she meant without feeling worse than I did now, so instead I asked.
"Why did you give me a curfew if you knew these vampires were not affected by the sun?" The question randomly popped up in my mind. I didn't know much about vampires, but back at the estate, when I was younger, I remembered Scarlette telling me stories about the sun being a vampire's biggest enemy. So it was shocking to see one out and about in broad daylight.
He looked at me as if he wasn't expecting me to ask such a question but rather something else, however he sighed before a soft smile touched the corners of his face.
"Well, we didn't know it was possible for them to do so without hurting themselves. The last time they visited, just being awake during the daytime could deteriorate their health immensely, but with the use of special objects the effects would be reduced slightly. However, vampires are ever evolving, so the things they were not able to do years ago, they can do now, which is quit shocking when you think about it". He explained.
A stilled silence followed and I felt every cell in my body urging me to ask about Ares and Octavia's relationship. My desperation was consuming me, drowning me and slowly overwhelming me like being sucked into the murky depths of an oozy mire. But I feared overstepping my boundaries.
"I know that's not the real question you want to ask Skyler and it's not wise to ignore the things that are clearly bothering you, so please, ask away". He coaxed.
"Is it true?" I questioned faintly. "Is it true that Octavia is going to be Ares' Luna?" I could feel the beat of my heart pounding painfully inside my head like a hammer to a nail. And I struggled to rid my pessimistic thoughts even when patient emerald green eyes stared at me as if he had envied the innocence I had possessed to the situation at hand.
"None of what she said was true, so don't take her words to heart" he encouraged "Although, she was right when she said this was a traditional society and following traditions is what's keeping them relevant. You see, Octavia is from a very wealthy bloodline, however, wealth and power are two different things in this world. They cannot buy power, because power is obtained through blood so the next best thing to do is to lie, threaten and manipulate people to their advantage in order to obtain that power"
"However, Ares is a very influential figure in this society and they want to latch unto him like parasites. Vampires are a minority and not only do they lack power, they lack wildlife survival skills as well, so to make up for that they want to be a part of a pack. His pack. But werewolves and vampires have been natural enemies since the dawn of time yet they still sought an alternative not considering how carnivorous it would be for two predators to live in the same space-"'
"So what was this alternative, and how does that conclude Octavia becoming Luna?" I asked not realizing that my voice had seemingly came off sounding a bit bitter. At the beginning ,I wasn't thrilled hearing this possible arrangement and I knew the pack wouldn't be either, it sounded like a new norm no one would get used to, even for me.
"During the time of Ares' conflict with the Were-Court, they accused him of murdering the former head of their family-Alucard, and that was well over two decades ago. Which was quite smart of them because at that time the number of lives that were taken under his name was pretty large and just adding one more would just be overlooked, neither would it be given a thorough investigation. Obviously this isn't the only thing he has been accused of, but to prevent another dispute he offered them an alliance and protection yet they were greedy enough to want more than just an alliance and that's when Aleister suggested that Ares take Octavia as his Luna, while at the same time reviving a dead tradition...They are the worse kind of people Skyler, and they will go to the ends of this earth to get what they want".
In my mind, I knew without a doubt that killing wasn't something alien to Ares, but not that I was agreeing to the accusations, I just knew from experience that he was capable of murdering without any remorse whatsoever. And to be honest, I was still confused, it felt like a huge chunk of information was not being said or he was just sugarcoating his words but it was hard to tell whether or not when his expression was a mere mask of formal politeness.
"I still do not get it, why would he continue to entertain them if he didn't kill Alucard? I don't know, but that's a very unusual thing to do if he didn't actually do it, don't you think?" I voiced.
"I understand what you are saying, but even if he were to speak the truth, it would be the equivalent to lie in Court without any evidence, and evidence is what he doesn't have, so for now he has to keep on pleasing them. But as I said, this is a traditional society and if he were to stop giving them attention, it would be treated as if Ares actually kilt Alucard for fun, which can lead to dispute and ultimately war, and a war isn't something that he needs right now, especially that he has found you. There was a time where he actually believe this society adhered to facts and judge off that basis, but it turns out that's not how they operate" He finished off.
It was funny how far these vampires were willing to go for power, it just goes to show just how corrupt a group could be and the things they were willing to sacrifice for this said power. Initially my first thought was that these vampires were just travelers who happened to be passing by and wanted to drop by and say 'hi' but it turns out the river runs much deeper than that, it left me wondering if these people were the ones Ares was talking about last night.
"I see, so how long do they intend on staying, I don't think I would want to stay here knowing that a vampire can just waltz in anytime of the day" I said truthfully because that just wouldn't be safe neither would it be wise after knowing that there was a pending danger lingering like a shadow waiting to solidify just to carry out its dirty deed.
We were sitting side by side around the island and the next thing I felt was a palm falling flat against my head in three heavy pats but even though it was supposed to come off as comforting, it somehow gave me the feeling of an angry territorial feline using its paw to slap me in the head.
"Don't worry about them, they are very gullible and all it takes is for Ares to offer them something and send them on their way, so they'll be in and out the pack in a matter of two days, nevertheless, it would be foolish of them to even think about endangering you, unless they want Ares to smite them into oblivion, tradition or not they are at his mercy".
For a second my heart warmed hearing that. I couldn't deny it, but hearing that Ares was willing to protect me had put me in a rather beaming mood and I snapped my head away from him as a faint meaningful smile blossomed on my face. It was quite chucklesome how the simplest of things could provoke this kind of reaction out of me and that was saying a lot.
The next few moments were silent with me just thinking and overthinking things until a sudden thought influenced my brain that left me questioning everything else.
"Cyrus" I called slowly while turning my head towards him once more.
"Hmm" was his subtle response, matching my movements and with what was unmistakably the ghost of a smile. "What is it?"
"What will happen if the Werewolf Court knows about me? I saw how uneasy you looked when Octavia mentioned them knowing about me" I questioned after a pause and like a corpse, his expression stiffened but he was quick to play it off with a nervous chuckle.
Now that I think about it and applied her words to my situation, I was beginning to realize that not only did nobody in the pack knew about me but it oddly seemed as if Ares was actually hiding me. At first I thought him leaving me in solitude was just his way of saying he didn't want to accept me and was trying to figure out what to do with me but now... I was second guessing everything.
"It seems to me that the number of your questions keep increasing" he joked but my expression didn't falter. From the way he was shuffling in his seat, I was getting the impression that he was stalling or he was just trying to deter my question.
"Who are they?" I prompted and he sighed. I recalled hearing about them from the witch, but because it was just in a mere instance I didn't think they had a particular significance. And from his delayed response and drifting eyes I knew right then and there this conversation was about to slip in a more arcane one.
"They are a group of people that presides over all Werewolf territories applying laws to specific controversies as well as resolving dispute and... you belong to them" he answered calmly while throwing me a wary glance, however I sat frozen in stunned silence forgetting I had the ability to speak for a moment.
And when I realized he wasn't going breakout in a hysterical fit, it dawned on me that he was indeed being serious.
There were moments where I would remind myself that this was just a sprint that would come to an end, but as time unfolds, the more it seemed as if it was turning into a marathon and I could only laugh at the mutability of life.
"Cyrus" I started with a quiet laugh. "You are not making any sense. I didn't even know what the Were-Court was up until ten seconds ago and now you're telling me I belong to them. Cyrus I'm not some object to be tossed around!" I didn't want to yell but neither did I want to indulge in this crazy delusion and besides, it was Ares I was supposed to take out my frustration on.
"I-I'm sorry" I apologized, he was nothing but kind to me from the beginning and lashing out like that was very rude of me.
"It's ok, I get where you're coming from, and trust me, when I say that if I were in a similar situation I'd be infuriated too. But let me tell you, this decision wasn't one made over night in fact, this decision was made about twenty two years ago. If Ares were to ever find his mate then she would automatically belong to the Court, and he did" he explained and I was left speechless for a second time.
Twenty two years ago I was probably still in my mother's womb or just a newborn and the thought of some random werewolves discussing whether or not I would belong to them was quite creepy. However this bleak predicament left me feeling distraught.
Right or wrong was just something that passes within a flee in this society and my fate couldn't be more fickle. Who knew Ares having a mate was such a big deal?
"What led them to even come up with something like this?"
"Better yet, did Ares even agree to this..." my voice trailed off for a split second. The inconsolable sadness that I had pushed away began to rear its ugly head once more and it was only a matter of time before it devoured me, but that was highly dependent on what Cyrus said next.
"Unfortunately that's a story for another day and I'd be lying if I said he didn't agree to this judgment, because he wasn't supposed to have a mate and it's still a surprise that you exist. I know you think he acted selfishly and that he doesn't care about you but if he didn't care then he would have sent you off to the Court already, he's just too miserable to admit that he actually does". He grinned trying to lighten the mood, and he did.
A half smile touched the corners of my lips at that. Cyrus had a way of painting out Ares in a better light that made me want to trust his words even if it made me seem like a foolish girl who couldn't reconcile reality with my ideals.
"So do you think me not being able to go out in the pack has anything to do with them finding out about me?"
"Well I guess you can say that. Believe it or not, there are persons that work for the court disguised as regular people and not only are they werewolves but also slav-"I looked up at him when I heard him stop suddenly to see his eyes glazed over and even though his eyes were in my direction, I could tell he wasn't looking at me or focusing or anything.
I reached out to pat him on the shoulder when in a flash he grabbed my arm and proceeded to carry me along with him to the door.
"Come, he wishes to see you"
As he was pulling me to the door I realized that he was conversing with Ares through his mind link just now and hearing that he wanted to see me had put me in a frenzied state. Well at least now I could finally tell him about what the witch said, I thought, trying to nerve myself.
Turning the corner, Cyrus stopped abruptly staring at the once perfect door lying on the floor in splinters.
"Oops" he muttered sheepishly, but as I looked at it, I was reminded of the terrible aura that I felt when Octavia passed me and even though I didn't think much of it, something told me I should just tell him what I felt.
"Cyrus" I called and he stopped. "When Octavia passed me, I felt this- I don't really know how to explain it but she gave me this weird feeling" I described and I watched as his faced morphed into absolute horror.
"You felt her twisted spiritual pressure?" he questioned in alarm while grasping my shoulders and bending his head to my level as if to hear me clearer.
I gulped at the urgency in his voice not liking how he seemed so panicked.
"Yes, I guess. Wasn't I supposed to feel it?" He took a step back, seeming confused and genuinely concerned. A claw of fear tickled my spine before he finally spoke again.
"Skyler, only people who have had near death experiences or persons who are near death can feel her aura..."