Chapter 70

~Eliana~

I had hardly knocked on Alistair’s door, before Ian opened the door up for me, looking really happy and excited to see my face. He had immediately ran into my arms, and had given me a big hug as soon as I stepped into the house.

Throughout the day, I had been worried that things were going to go wrong, and that he was going to probably be upset with me for a while that I had left him with a man he didn’t even trust, since my family had seemed to successfully poison his mind against his own father.

However, seeing him quite excited made me feel at peace with myself. I had wanted to give him some time with Alistair, and see that he wasn’t that bad of a person, and I was glad that I wasn’t going to regret my decision, from the happiness inscribed all over him.

“Alistair taught me how to make use of my sense of hearing, and I’m trying at that. I mean, I heard your footsteps from the gate. He also taught me how to tell when people are lying. I haven’t really gotten that part yet, but he said practice makes perfect, and I’m going to keep practicing. He also...”

“That’s enough, my baby. I can see you had a great time with your father, and I can also tell that you had a better day than the one I had had. Can I come in now?” I asked, wearing a cheerful smile.

“I’m sorry to have kept you outside. Come on in,” He said, pulling me inside, and slamming the door hard behind me in excitement.

I discovered that Alistair had been watching us from one corner of the living room, with a smile plastered on his face, seeming pleased.

“Thanks for looking after him today,” I said.

“The pleasure is all mine. I should even be thanking you for trusting him with me. I can’t remember when last I had as much fun as I did today. He’s a great kid, and you did an excellent job of raising him,” He said, still wearing a full smile.

I blushed. “Stop flattering me,” I said, then turned to look at Ian. “Have you had anything to eat today?” I asked, ruffling his hair.

He shook his head, and I looked up at Alistair, with the smile slowly disappearing from my face.

“Don’t look at me. You’re the one who told him not to eat whatever a stranger gives to him,” He said, looking away.

I chuckled. “Ian, your dad isn’t a stranger. Besides, he’s a very good Cook, unlike me,” I said.

Ian’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “Really?” He asked.

I nodded, in the affirmative. “Really. Next time, you should eat whatever he gives to you. As for you, Alistair, you should have insisted. He’s just six, and all he has eaten today is just two slices of bread and a cup of tea,” I said, flashing him a glare.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be sure to do that next time. I only thought that his werewolf side could handle his hunger,” He explained.

“That’s okay. Ian, I got something for you,” I said, giving him the bag the eatery I had been sitting in all day, gave to me.

He collected it excitedly, but just when he was about to accept it, he was stopped by Alistair.

“Guess what’s in the bag,” He said.

“How am I to know that? I’m no magician,” Ian said, looking dumbfounded.

“Yes, you’re something even better. Sniff the air, and tell me what’s in the bag,” Alistair said.

I pinched my own hands, as Ian closed his eyes, and began to sniff the air. I understood that Alistair was trying to train him, and I hoped that he got the answer correct.

“French fries, ketchup, hamburgers, and baked beans. There’s also lemonade for mum, coke for you, and apple juice for me,” He said.

A smile appeared on my face. “I am so proud of you,” I said, then looking up at Alistair, I smiled at him as well for a job well done.

While he was busy feasting on his meal, I excused myself and went to use the bathroom. I had been pressed for as long as I could remember, but I wasn’t comfortable with using the restroom at the eatery, and that was why I decided to hold it in till I got to Alistair’s place.

When I got out of the bathroom, I met Alistair standing there, looking like he had been waiting for me to come out.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d have said you were a pervert. You weren’t peeping, were you?” I asked.

He chuckled. “I definitely wasn’t,” He replied.

“Good. So, why are you here?” I asked.

“I wanted to say that I was sorry for what happened six years ago once again, and I also wanted to thank you again for bringing Ian here today. I know you wanted us to spend some time together, and that’s why you left us. I really appreciate what you did, and I’m very much grateful to you for not turning my son against me,” He said.

“You’re welcome. If that’s all, I guess I should start going before the full moon comes out and my son runs into the street, filled with an uncontrollable bloodlust,” I said, and made to take my leave.

He held my hand as I proceeded to leave, stopping me from going any further. I threw him a look that suggested “What now?”

“I just want you to know that I was not even half as happy as I was today over the last six years, and that there was never a day I didn’t think about you. I wonder if it was the same for you,” He said.

There were butterflies in my stomach, and my heart melted, after he made that statement, but I didn’t want to show it, neither did I want to tell him that I had also spent everyday thinking about him during the last six years, despite all he had done to me.

“You made a right choice by growing your beards. They look good on you,” I said, then walked away, saying the truth about his beards, but not admitting the truth he wanted to hear from me.

●●●

The evening was getting colder, and the skies were already darkening upon us. It was almost time for the moon to peep from behind the clouds, and the atmosphere was tensed owing to the fact that it was a full moon that was descending today.

“Is he going to start transforming anytime soon?” I asked, stroking his hair as he laid on my lap, shivering, not from cold, but from struggling with the beast inside him.

“He will start doing that when the full moon is about to show up in the sky,” Alistair replied.

“He has already started exhibiting signs that he wants to change,” I said.

“That’s okay. Let him fight and struggle to not change. It’s a lesson for today. I won’t involve myself or try to chain him up to control him. Right now, he can still control his transformation, and it is when he loses self control due to the full moon that I will take precautions,” Alistair explained.

“So, we’ll just sit here and fold our arms, while our son battles with the beast inside him?” I asked.

“Exactly. We won’t pamper him or spoil him. He must learn how to fight off the warning of the full moon in case the full moon falls when he is in school. He will never be able to control his transformation when the full moon is out if he doesn’t even know how to control just the warning signs,” Alistair said, shedding more light to what was happening.

“But will he be fine?” I asked.

“He’ll definitely be fine. You have nothing to be worried about,” He said.

I continued stroking his hair, but couldn’t understand why he had been muttering some words for over fifteen minutes now. “Do you know what he is saying?” I asked, expressing concern on my face.

“He’s just reciting his mantra,” He explained.

“Mantra? What mantra?” I asked.

“It’s one of the ways young werewolves are taught to control their transformation. You can choose anything you’d want to recite again and again. It doesn’t have to be the same thing as everyone, and it’s helpful to calm your nerves down before you go off exploding,” He said.

“So, all he has to do is to keep reciting it if he is in a situation where he is being provoked, or on the verge of getting angry and transforming into a werewolf?” I inquired.

He nodded in his head, in the affirmative. “Yes, you’re absolutely correct,” Alistair said.

“And what is this mantra, if I may ask?’ I inquired, with my curiosity taking over.

“I have nothing to fear, I have nothing to lose, I have nothing to prove. So, now, who do I choose to be? Then, I’ve told him that he has to choose to be a normal human child,” Alistair told me.

A smile appeared on my face. “That’s really cool, you know,” I said.

“What can I say? I guess I have a cool son, that’s why,” He said.

I chuckled, and was about to say something, when I noticed that Ian had calmed down and was no longer shivering or reciting his mantra. Instead, when I looked at him, I saw him sleeping peacefully on my lap.

“He did it,” I said.

“I knew he would. He is my son, isn’t he?” He asked a question, which obviously didn’t need an answer.

“The full moon is almost out,” I said, looking out the window, as I saw it slowly begun to rise in the sky.

“We should take him to the basement now before the full moon wakes him up,” He said, rising from the couch.

He then came to lift Ian in his arms, and began to take him to the basement, and I followed him closely behind.

“I can’t even remember the last time I picked him up like that,” I said.

“You’re delicate. You don’t have to do that,” He said.

I smiled, without letting him see it, as I walked behind him. Alistair was a good father; that, I could see. If only he had been a better boyfriend, life would have been much better for all of us.

We got to the basement, which was filled with a lot of weird things, ranging from chains to guns and swords.

“Someone will think this place is a torture room,” I said, looking around.

He chuckled. “It’s where I store the weapons for the Crimson moon werewolves pack,” He explained.

“I see. Is it going to be all right for him to see stuff like this at his age?” I inquired.

“This is the only soundproofed room in this apartment. Besides, I’m going to train him to use them as soon as he learns to master his werewolf abilities. He may as well get used to see them now. Don’t worry, he’ll be just fine. He’s a werewolf,” Alistair said, shooting me a reassuring smile.

I heaved a deep sigh, hoping that I was making the right decision.

Ian’s hands and legs were chained to the wall, but he was still asleep. I felt anxious, and wondered if all this was really necessary for my precious little baby. As the moon began to show up, I became even more worried, and a little scared.

Ian’s eyes suddenly opened, as the moon had finally emerged.

“Mum, why am I chained?” He asked, looking all over, in a perplexed state.

What the...? Was it that all I had heard about werewolves were false...or were my eyes deceiving me?

“Mum, why are you doing this to me?” He asked, as tears began to fall from his eyes.

I clicked my tongue, angrily, and made to free my son. Alistair gripped my hand, and pulled me backwards.

“What are you doing? Let me go right this minute. Can’t you see that he is fine?” I asked.

“Don’t be deceived,” He said, maintaining the grip he had on my hand.

“You’re the one who is trying to deceive me. My son is perfectly fine. Maybe he’s different from other werewolves. He’s perfectly okay even during a full moon, and you can see that. Let me go, so that I can set him free,” I said, struggling to wriggle free from his hold.

“Think carefully about what you want to do. You could be releasing a beast, who could kill anyone he stumbles upon, and he might as well kill you, and he would never forgive himself for that,” Alistair said.

I thought carefully like he had said, and while I was still thinking, Ian let out a loud growl, and black hairs started popping out of his body. He grew paws, claws shot out, his eyes became viciously yellow, and fangs shot out from his dozens of teeth. He looked worse than the monsters drawn in books, and I shuddered at the horrific sight, and began to wonder if he was actually my son.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Congratulations. You just witnessed a werewolf's first full moon transformation,” He said, not even bothered by what was going on.

“What’s the logic behind the colour of the eyes?” I asked.

“Yellow is for an innocent beta. Blue is for a beta who has committed numerous offences; it is to warn anyone who sees them to steer clear of them because they wouldn’t mind murdering you in cold blood. Red shows who the Alpha is,” He said, then with a smile, his eyes began to glow like a red flame.

“I see,” I said, trying to occupy myself with other thoughts, so that I didn’t focus on the frightening beast my son had become.

His growl grew even louder, and he looked angry, as he tried to break free from his chains. I could only feel pity for Alistair, who had had to struggle with something this scary alone at such a young age, until he finally met someone who helped him.

About an hour later, Ian broke free from his chains, and a shout came out of my mouth.

“What now? He’s going to kill us, isn’t he?” I asked, with my heart beating so loud, as I held his shirt firmly, even as my life flashed before my eyes.

“Relax,” He said, with a smile.

I was wondering how he managed to remain calm despite what was going on, not until Ian made his way towards us, filled with rage, but got caught up in a net.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

“Not only is the net spelled, it was made with wolfsbane, which would make him weak. He wouldn’t be able to leave,” He explained.

“Why didn’t you do this earlier?” I asked, bopping his arm.

“I wanted to know how strong my son is, is that a crime?” He retorted.

“You should have let me know your plan, at least. You almost gave me a heart attack,” I said, breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry about that,” He said, walking away, much to my surprise.

“Where are you off to?” I asked.

“I’m extremely famished. I’m going to have that coke you got for me with some leftover sausage rolls from the fridge. You’re welcome to join me,” He said.

“What if he succeeds in getting free again?” I asked, looking worried.

“I assure you he’s not going to leave this house on my watch. You can stay here if you want to though till the moon is out of sight, or you can come with me and eat, and probably even sleep for some time. The choice is yours,” He said, with a loud yawn, as he continued to walk away.

I looked up at Ian, and saw that his strength was failing him already, and even his growls were becoming weaker as each second went by. I was exhausted, and I knew it was best if I went along with Alistair, instead of being worried about something that didn’t need to be stressed over.