Chapter 73

~Alistair~

Garrett and I were on our way to see Aunt Salome, who had informed us that she had something urgent to say to us. Years ago, we had forgiven each other after I had helped the pack defeat the Mystic moon pack, and had helped to drive them out of our territory.

After that, I had been tried once again and I was found innocent of the accusations which speculated that I had joined forces with werewolf hunters to kill my parents, due to greed and a great ambition for power. They had apologised to me sincerely, and honoured me with the role to teach youngsters how to control their powers, as they felt no other person could teach it better than myself.

Due to the fact that I was already losing my mind and my therapist recommended that I kept myself busy, I had accepted the position with glee and enthusiasm, and so far, it had been a joyful ride, as the young wolves all loved me and did all I asked of them.

I had been acknowledged as the Alpha of Crimson moon pack, but I had made sure that my aunt led the pack members, since I had my own business to run while pretending to be like every other normal human being. There was no serious decision that could be taken without my presence and consent, and it would have all seemed perfect, but I still felt that there was a void in my heart, which could never be filled as long as Eliana detested me.

“Eyes on the road, Alistair,” Garrett said.

“I can see clearly,” I fired back at him, as I continued to drive straight.

“Well, not exactly. What were you thinking about?” He asked.

“How does my thoughts concern you?” I retorted, shooting him a glare, before returning my full attention back to the road, before I got both of us into an accident.

“For you to be thinking about something else instead of giving full concentration to the road, it means something must be bothering you,” He said.

“Well, Aunt Salome called and said we needed to come as soon as possible, because there is an urgent matter on the table that needs to be addressed. How could I not be bothered? What if it is a life or death situation?” I fired at him.

“I’m sure it’s not going to be that bad. You seem to be forgetting that your aunt is dramatic. Hell, she should be named a drama queen. She’s probably just making a mountain out of a mole hill,” Garrett said.

“What if she’s not overreacting this time around? Have you forgotten what that Banshee we found in the woods said to us?” I inquired, trying to remind him of the Banshee's prediction.

“Last I checked, you didn’t believe what she said,” He said.

“What can I say, Garrett? A few weeks have gone by, and I could have changed my mind within the past weeks. After all, change is constant,” I said to him, as we came to a junction, and I took the left turn, heading for the meeting room, which was by the side of the road. At first glance, it seemed like an old house, which no one had the money to renovate, but what the human beings didn’t know was the fact that we used that place to have our secret meetings and discussions.

“Whatever. I know for a fact that it is neither your aunt’s urgent call or the Banshee’s prediction that is bothering you. What exactly is going on with you? Spill,” He said, urging me on.

“Maybe I’m just saddened by the fact that I missed my appointment with my therapist, after paying a sum of money for just one hour of her time,” I said.

He chuckled. “You can’t be worried because you spent money. Although you’ve become frugal with spending over the last couple of years, you’re still very wealthy...even wealthier than before, because you now save more and hardly spend. Money is not your problem, and there’s more to what is disturbing you than money,” He said.

A half-smile appeared on my face. “True. You know me so well, G, and it’s scary. Well, you should have probably guessed by now that Eliana is the reason I was thinking. I’m sure you already know that, and you just wanted me to say so by myself,” I accused.

He looked quite surprised. “I actually didn’t know that Eliana could be the reason you’ve been thinking so much. I was actually thinking that your uncle, Donaldson, had started getting on your nerves because of your failure to release the new smoothie products, which is as a result of your continuous rejection of the advertisement team's proposal,” He explained.

“Oh. I didn’t know that you thought that way. Why would you think I’d give a damn about that? Uncle Donaldson has always been a pain in my ass, since the very first day I stepped my feet into the Dukes mansion. I’m used to his troubles and threats, and I can confidently tell you that he’s a toothless dog, who is all bark and no bite,” I told him, without mincing words.

He laughed out loud. “That was harsh. He deserves it anyway,” Garrett said, being on my side as usual.

“Exactly. I don’t think Eliana will ever forgive me for what I did to her, and she has made it clear to me that she only came back to Los Angeles because of our son,” I told him.

“Really? If she did say that, then, it means you may have her back in your life. If she wants you to become close to your son, it can also be an opportunity for you guys to reignite the spark you once shared,” Garrett said.

I heaved a deep sigh, contemplating on whether to tell him the truth or not. In the end, I decided to just open up to him. “Garrett, the thing is that my son triggered his werewolf abilities at a young age, just like me, his father,” I explained.

“What?” He asked, obviously shocked.

“Yeah. Apparently, someone had an accident and was almost dying, when he saved her life unknowingly. That’s how he triggered the rest of his werewolf abilities, and Eliana only came back to get me to train him on how to control his transformation, and use his abilities properly,” I explained to him.

“Wow. Like father, like son. I had no idea that he had triggered his werewolf powers. No wonder,” He said.

“No wonder what?” I inquired.

“No wonder the cat didn’t like him. Carrie told me that Eliana finally showed up to see her yesterday at the clinic, but the kitten she had been treating looked frightened and kept on shooing your son, Ian, to leave him alone,” He explained.

I chuckled.

“She was wondering why cats don’t like Ian, you, and myself. I hate the fact that she doesn’t know the most important part of me,” Garrett said.

I sighed. “How are you sure that she won’t freak out and leave once she finds out that you’re a werewolf? Maybe the reason your relationship has lasted this long is because you’ve not been totally honest with her. It will be a shame if you revealed to her now about who you truly are, and lose her trust in the process,” I said.

He nodded his head, showing he understood. “Yeah. When you mentioned your son triggered his werewolf abilities, I began to imagine what would happen if we finally have a child, who triggers his or her werewolf abilities. What would she do then? It will be even worse than what she is going to do now,” He explained.

I thought about it for a moment, then I began to see reasons with him. “You should probably tell her now. If she finds out after twenty years of being together, she would never trust you or forgive you, especially when she is confronted with taking care of a werewolf child, when she had never even expected such. It’s better if she knows what she’s getting into, and I guess you should let her know who you truly her in order for her to choose whether she’ll stay with you or not. If you truly love her, you should let her make her own decision,” I said.

He nodded his head, agreeing with all what I had said. “You’re right, Alistair. As for your therapist, I don’t think you should keep seeing her. You finally spoke like a reasonable person after so long, and I guess your senses are finally back. Looks like Eliana’s presence did the trick,” He said.

I chuckled. “You’re crazy,” I told him.

“I know, but isn’t that why you love me?” He questioned, as I pulled over at the house, where we had our meetings.

“You wish,” I told him, unfastening my seatbelt.

We stepped down from the car, and while we were walking inside, I sensed someone watching me, which caused me to stop right in my tracks, and turn around, in order to find out who it was that was watching me closely.

When I looked around, I didn’t see anyone in sight.

“What is it? Who are you looking for?” Garrett asked, also looking around like he knew what I was searching for.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought I felt someone’s eyes were on me,” I said.

“You’ve started feeling things that aren’t real. Guess you’re going nuts again. Looks like I had spoken too soon; you do need a therapist after all,” He said, and began to run off, laughing out loud.

“I’m going to crack your head wide open once I lay my hands on you,” I vowed, as I ran after him, laughing as well, while trying to keep my necktie steady at the same time.

“Imagine two adults running around like kids, even when they are putting on suits. Isn’t it a sad sight to behold?” Aunt Salome asked in a rhetorical manner, as soon as we stepped into the large hall, where everyone was already seated present, which meant that they had been waiting for us.

I cleared my throat, and greeted her in a low tone, as I composed myself and went to take a seat, while Garrett also comported himself and took a seat beside me.

“On their behalf, I apologise that this meeting isn’t starting at the set time because Garrett and our Alpha, Alistair, decided to come in late. I’m going to go straight to the point,” Aunt Salome said.

I cleared my throat once again, and decided to pay my full attention to what she had to say.

“I will go straight to the point. Katherine, our loyal and devoted witch stumbled upon a vision. Danger is lurking around, and there is going to be war between ourselves and the ones who have sworn to get rid of all supernatural creatures. I wasn’t sure at first, but when I remembered my nephew had said a Banshee had told him something similar to the vision Katherine saw, I knew for a fact that the danger coming isn’t something that can be avoided,” Aunt Salome revealed.

I exchanged looks with Garrett.

“We have to be on guard, and make sure we prepare ourselves for the inevitable. They will stop at nothing to make sure they get rid of us, but we won’t relent or give in to them. We will fight them with the last drop of our blood, and even if we die while fighting, we will know that we tried our best at least,” She said, with a look of determination in her eyes.

“Yes!” Everyone in the room chorused, supporting her statement.

“We are not mistakes, neither were we cursed. We are werewolves, and it is not a crime to be one. We don’t deserve to die, or to let our kids who haven’t even witnessed their transformation yet to die. If not for ourselves, let’s fight for our kids. We must be ready whenever they decide to show up, and we must do all that it takes to win this fight for our sake and for the future of our children,” She said, in a firm tone.

“Yes!” Everyone roared out loud again, fully supporting her mission.

“Alpha Alistair, is there any other thing you’d like to add?” Aunt Salome asked.

I stood up, and walked to stand beside her, in front of the elders and warriors. “You know why we are called the Crimson moon pack? Crimson signifies the colour of blood, and if anyone tries to get rid of us or our brothers and sisters in other Packs, their blood is going to be spilled,” I said, firmly, agreeing with my aunt.

Everyone burst into a round of applause, as cheers filled the hall.

“You all may not know this, but I have a son, and he is six years old. Like me, his father, he has triggered his werewolf abilities, and I have promised to bring him to meet his people. If we let these hunters kill us all, my son will never get to meet his people or understand his powers, just like the rest of your children. So, I am pleading with everyone who is present today and is a true member of the Crimson moon pack to fight for the sake of their kids, so that together with my own son, they can become leaders of this great Pack someday. Without our guidance and direction, they’ll never understand their full potential, and so, we must spill blood, but none of us must have our blood spilled. We will fight to live, and to be there for our children. Thank you,” I said.

A smile appeared on Aunt Salome’s face, as everyone kept on cheering me on, and clapping hard because of what I had said. I already told her about Ian, and she couldn’t wait to see him.

Irrespective of who they were, we were going to make sure no one wiped away the werewolf race from the earth. We deserved to be here, and for the sake of my son who was eager to meet his people just as he was eager to resume school, I was going to make sure his true home wasn’t ruined, and to ensure people like him didn’t go extinct from the earth.