“Luna Lumina, he-” Ragon begins, his voice slow and gentle to deliver the bad news and I cut him off, my palm raised facing him.
“Not another word!” I command harshly as he startles and bows. “Has Giovanni returned?” I question and Ragon quickly nods.
“Take me to him.” Tearing the drip off my flesh I walk head held high as Ragon leads me to him.
The healer stands in our path. “You need to rest and I need to treat your mark.” She says as I tilt my head at the scrawny old female. Who does she think she is to order me around? Give them a little authority and they think they are above you. I try to walk around her and she blocks my path again.
Bending down to her level so she can meet my eyes I lean towards her as she leans back with a gulp. “Block my path again and I will end you. Do you understand me?” I smile. She nods and Ragon allows a chuckle to leave his lips.
“Luna will come visit after meeting Alpha Giovanni. Giver her some time, Guaritrice.” He says.
Not wishing to stay another second in the damn clinic, I stride along the hallway quickly. Ragon rushes forward and opens the main door of the clinic. My eyes find just another regular day playing out in front of me.
Females chattering in groups, pups playing around, warriors training. As soon as their eyes find me everything comes to a stop and they all rush towards me leaving all aside. Some stare at me with a soft smile, eyes filled with joy others with tears.
Immediately after every wolf is near me, the pack bows deep in unison. This was their thank you for protecting their pack with my life and my male’s. For being there when their Alpha had to leave whilst having a dying mate. I feel all of their feelings as though they were mine.
Pups bring me flowers and I kneel taking each one, ruffling their hair as they giggle and run back to their family. Then the females come standing around me in a circle enveloping me in their warmth.
The oldest comes to me first, she places her palms over my cheeks and brings me down to place her forehead over mine. I startle, my eyes widening. “We heard this is how you welcome someone as your own at your pack.” She says softly.
I watch quietly stunned by their actions. “It must have been so hard to remain strong but you did it for us. For a pack that wasn’t yours to care for. You and your male have provided and fought for us. So we shall do the same for you.” She says, her eyes gentle. My eyes blur with tears and my lips wobble to her words.
“Siamo tuoi come tu sei nostro. Siamo uno e diamo il benvenuto nelle nostre anime.” She screams loudly as the other females follow her in unison. “This is how we welcome a wolf as ours.” She says.
After that, every female placed her forehead over mine whispering the same words to me mixing both our traditions. I sob uncontrollably allowing each of them to comfort me in their ways. They had made me one of them.
After a while, as things settle Giovanni finally comes from the shadows of a tree to greet me as the males do not take part in this tradition. “Luna.” He bows as I smile.
“How have you been?” I ask him and he chuckles.
“I should be asking that to you, no?” He questions. “I have a gift for you.” He says and I frown in confusion.
“A gift?” I ask him and he nods a smirk playing across his lips.
“It is what you requested. They are locked under, would you like to play?” He asks me and my eyes light up. For the first time excitement floods in my system.
“Take me to them.” I say and with a curt nod, he guides me to a private location as we head down dark steep stairs, where the only light was coming from the fire torches attached along the way. The howling of wolves and the clanking of chains booms across the walls and I find delight in the sounds. It thrills me from inside.
“I shall leave you to it.” Giovanni says dropping the keys in my palm and goes to stand far behind leaning on a wall hands folded across his chest, watching quietly.
I turn around to face the three rogues growling inside the three separate silver cages. “Hello there.” I say to them softly as if I am comforting them. Easing their fears.
One of the rogues’ snarls and bombards straight into rods of the cage. The silver burns her flesh but she pays no heed to it. She takes my attention as she attacked first out of the three. I can smell her fear but I cannot see it for she hides well. Kneeling on the ground I look deep into her eyes.
“Are you scared? Don’t be. I am not here to harm you.” I say, my tone gentle. Just watch you die, I think to myself. The other two males snarl and growl fangs out to tear into flesh whilst looking from me to her. They are nervous and they are trying to distract me, to grab my attention from her to them.
I see. She’s important to their pack. She will be my first then, I want them to suffer. I want her blood. “You three are the last left of the shit I need to clean up. I have been waiting patiently. Isn’t it respectful to always give back what you are given?” I question.
I distract her with my talk and with no hesitation I plunge the hidden knife swiftly straight into her stomach through the silver rods and twist tearing open her stomach as she screams in pain, blood and pooling down coloring the floor with red along with sliced pieces of flesh.
She shouldn’t have come too close to me for I shall take it as an opportunity. She underestimated me for she thought I would fight her first, that’s where she was wrong. I only came for one reason… a direct kill.
“The knife I used was the one you specifically made to eliminate my male. How does it feel to die from something you forged?” I ask. She begins to crawl and stumble backward as I finally open her cage.
The other two whimper feeling her pain whilst one looks away from the revolting sight. The flesh of her stomach is torn open and a gaping hole lies with the open sight of her intestines. Funny, she cannot even put pressure on her wound now.
I straddle her and she begins to fight me with every ounce of energy she’s got and I laugh loudly. Her hands hold onto my wrists trying to throw the knife away from my grasp. Does she not see her death lies in the palm of my hands, I don’t need the knife.