Array
(
[text] =>
So here we are at the beginning of a new tale! This story is the fourth installment in the WDNB series. The order goes Warning: Do not Bite, Rebirth, Inferno, Aphelion. This story could be read as a stand alone book, but I think you’d get more from the story if you’re up to date on the universe it takes place in.
Just so everyone is aware, this story takes place around the time that Rebirth is happening, meaning that the sun and moon people have been at war for eighteen years, with no end in sight.
While the story will focus primarily on the moon people, there will definitely be some cameos from some of our favorite sun kingdom people! So watch out for those and, most importantly, keep an open mind.
Without further ado, I give to you…. Aphelion
CHAPTER 1:
“Aphelion is a sacred time. It is when the sun people are at their weakest and the moon kind at their strongest. The earth is at its farthest point from the sun. It happens only once a year and-“
“BO-RING!” The laughs erupted throughout the classroom, disrupting Madame Arte’s lecture. I rolled my eyes, turning in my seat to glare down the culprit who was responsible. “Something to say puppy?”
“Just wondering why your mother didn’t eat you at birth.” I said calmly.
“Bite me, Micah.” Noah, resident trouble maker, scoffed.
“That’s it. This is important information on a moment that affects all of lycan kind. Pay attention!” Madame Arte smacked her desk with a ruler, making nearly everyone jump in surprise. “Now, since you seem to find my lecture so boring, why don’t you explain Aphelion to your classmates, Noah? I’m sure we’d all enjoy your unique take.”
“It’s a holiday.” Noah said in his frustrating ‘duh’ tone of voice. He ran his hand through his hair, flexing his muscles like an idiot. “We celebrate it every year.”
“Why?” Madame Arte smacked her desk again.
“I said it was a holiday.” He repeated.
Our teacher shook her head in disapproval. “As the possible future Alpha, i expected more of you.” She turned to me, her smile wide. “Now, Micah, enlighten us with your wondrous knowledge. What is Aphelion?”
“Aphelion is the term used when the Earth’s elliptical orbit takes us to the farthest point from the sun. This distance strengthens all beings under the dominion of Luna, the moon goddess.” I explained, turning to stare at Noah. “It is the only time the alpha position can be passed on. We celebrate it like a holiday to honor all past and future Alphas who have protected us. Every year, my father takes us to the sacred caves and we pay tribute to-“
“BO-RING!” Noah yelled again, making me roll my eyes. “Way to put an audience to sleep.”
“I pity any lycan that ever acknowledges you as an Alpha.” I snickered, watching as he got to his feet in outrage.
“Why don’t I kick your ass again and then we’ll see who pities who.” Noah threatened me, the vein in his neck popping out. I watched in amusement as a friend held him back by the shoulder.
“This is another example of the importance of astronomy on lycans.” I continued to address the class. “The moon festivals that we have four to six times a year, where lycans are able to find their mates, are in celebration of the supermoon. That is when the full moon is closest to the earth. This phenomenon is called a perigee-syzygy and it makes our connection to the goddess Luna very strong. The increase in our spiritual connection to the goddess allows us to sense our mates, communicate with the goddess and, as Noah is so kind to model for us, makes us increasingly short tempered.”
“Enough, both of you.” Madame Arte sighed. “Noah, get control of yourself. For Goddess sakes, you’re next in line for Alpha.”
“Yeah, Micah.” Noah smirked at me. “I guess being the Alpha’s kid and a know it all still wasn’t enough to keep your title.”
Unfortunately for everyone, the upcoming supermoon affected all lycans, myself included. It took only a second for my wolf to growl out a loud ‘fuck you’ before I was launching myself at Noah, ready to claw that smirk from his face.
——————
“Suspension? Really?” My mother, who I called Ama, raged. “A man quick to anger is a man quick to destruction!”
“But Noah-“
“I don’t care what Noah did!” Ama cut me off, throwing her arms in the air. “Goddess, have mercy on me! I raised a savage!”
“I’m sorry Ama.” I tried to calm her down, but she was far from cooling off. My parents weren’t the type to accept misbehavior. They were the Alpha and Luna, rulers of all packs under the moon goddess, and their main job was to set an example for the rest of the pack community.
My mother, Naftali, was a goddess among men. She was tall with tawny ocher skin and eyes the color of almonds. Her hair was long and wavy, hanging in multiple loose braids down her back. She was gorgeous, but there was so much more to my mother. Ama was a warrior. She had single handedly fought off an attack of five dragons and still managed to find time to rush home and be Luna to the strongest pack community in existence. She didn’t mess around when it came to expectations. “You think a sorry is good enough? I swear, Micah, I don’t know what to do with you.”
“Oh yay, is Micah in trouble?” My brother Nico cheered, coming into the dining room to watch me get chewed out. Nico was two years younger than me and almost a whole foot taller than me. His skin color was the same color my mother shared with us both and his eyes were as brown as the mud on a river bank. “What did he do? Did he correct all his teachers again?”
“Your brother,” My mom said, as if she wasn’t of any relation to us, “jumped across the classroom and lashed Noah in the face.”
“Really?” Nico’s interest was piqued. “Your wolf let you?”
“My wolf made me.” I grumbled.
Lycans weren’t like the werewolves you saw in movies that burst into hairy beasts everytime the moon came out. Lycans were much greater than the werewolves of legends. We were able to shift on will and keep control well enough to not become bloodthirsty monsters.
Lycans were beings who contained the souls of wolves within them. It was two creatures sharing one body, with the human side maintaining a majority of the power. The wolf side was simply a pillar of strength and instincts. The wolf kept us alive and connected to one another with a deep bond of loyalty and trust. Our wolves were a reflection of our very souls and a connection to our goddess, often guiding us down paths we would normally ignore.
My wolf, however, was pretty obedient. He rarely acted out or attempted to take control. My wolf was content to follow my direction and be manipulated at my will. “You are eighteen years old, Micah! You should be able to calm your wolf down!”
“I know, Ama. I’m sorry.” i repented, deciding it was best to just apologize until she was calmer.
“I know that… it was a difficult transition, Micah. I know that you had this idea of what your future would be and now it’s been thrown way off track, but that does not mean you can just forget your upbringing. Alpha or not, you must still set an example.” Ama chastised, making my shoulders tense. This was not a subject I liked to talk about. “Perhaps you would benefit from a long talk with Apa.” Apa was what my brother and I called our father, and the suggestion of having any type of conversation with him about my suspension made me protest.
“Ama-” I shut my mouth when she narrowed her eyes at me.
“March to his office, young man.” She turned to Nico. “And you, don’t you have a presentation due tomorrow?”
“Oh, uh.” He stuttered, caught off guard.
“Spend less time goofing off with your brother and focus on your academics.” Ama began to lecture him. I snuck out of the dining room before she could turn her focus onto me again.
I thought about disobeying and just going straight to my room, but I knew my mother would check to make sure I had done as she had asked. If she found out I had ignored her… well no one had ever ignored my mother so it was hard to say what the consequences would be.
It was safer to just suffer through it. I turned the corner, heading for my father’s study. I mentally pictured the huge man, bulging muscles and tree bark colored skin, staring down at me in disappointment. My chest tightened at the thought. There was only one thing worse than a lecture from my mother and it was the silent, disenchanted look my father gave when his expectations weren’t met.
When I finally reached my father’s door, I was rethinking whether or not I should disobey my mother. How bad could Ama react, I told myself. I had almost convinced myself to turn around and bolt when the door swung open, making me freeze. “You.”
I stared into the disgruntled face of Noah, who had fresh bandages covering the scratches around his eyes. “Nice face.” I said instinctively, not waiting for him to insult me first.
“What kind of a man scratches? What, you’re not capable of a punch?” He growled, leaning down to get in my face. He was really close now. I could see the flecks of green in his amber eyes and make out individuals strands of hair that hung in his face. He would be handsome if he weren’t such a pompous ass.
“You’re not capable of defending yourself? You had to have three of your friends pull me off?” I countered, noticing how deep some of my scratches were. “Seems like the scratches will last longer than a bruise anyway.”
“Challenge me again, and it will be a real Alpha battle next time, to the death.” He warned me, pushing me aside so he could exit my father’s office.
“If it isn’t my foolish child.” My father sighed, choosing not to comment on the exchange he had witnessed. “Come in. Close the door behind you.”
“Yes, Apa.” I obeyed, closing the double doors and allowing us some privacy. We stared at each other then, neither one saying anything at first. “I’m sorry.” I finally apologized, looking down.
“You know, Micah, a man quick to anger is a man who is quick to destruction.” My father recited, taking a seat at his desk.
“Yeah… Ama told me.” I informed him, keeping my eyes on the ground.
“Well, i’m sure your mom gave you an earful. Anything else I say would just be repetitive.” My father sighed. “However, know that I am very disappointed. You are a wonderfully bright young man. Do not let Noah provoke you into ignoring your own intelligence.”
“I know Apa.” I felt my shoulders slump even more than they were.
“I know it’s been a lot to get used to… with him-“
“It’s fine, Apa.” I spoke up, looking at him pleadingly. “Can I go to my room to think about what i’ve done?”
“You’re asking to be put on timeout?” my father asked, smiling a bit. “Gosh, you’re such a good boy, Micah. You’re free to go where you like.”
“What about my punishment?” I asked, confused.
“Your mother and I will talk, but i’m going to let this one slide.” My father waved me off. “I was starting to worry… it seemed like since the incident you had completely given up, but i’m glad to see you still have some fight left in you.”
——————-
The incident. That’s what my family chose to call the moment I had my entire future snatched away from me. I guess it was an okay term. It just felt lacking, somehow, to call it an ‘incident’. It wasn’t so much an incident as it had been a terrible, terrible accident.
I had always known that being Alpha wasn’t a guarantee. As my father’s first born, I was first in line for the title; however, it wasn’t that simple. Being born first didn’t mean i would stay in first place. My brother had his chance to try to take the title from me, but had decided against it. Nico had no desire to be anything but supportive of me.
Then there was the other members of the pack community. Once I was ten years old, i was of age to be challenged. That meant that anyone, within fifteen years of my age, could challenge me for the right to become alpha. Thankfully, most twenty five year old men were content with their station and had enough pride not to try to beat the shit out of a child.
Still, there were dozens of challengers. Looking at me, even at ten, you could tell I would never be very big. I was petite with a non threatening presence. There were ten year olds who towered over me, almost twice my size. They thought they could beat me with sheer force alone, but they were wrong.
What I lacked in height and weight, I made up for in quickness and cunning. I had won the fight before the challenger could even touch me. I could pounce with a force that frightened adults, digging my teeth into the back of an opponent’s neck before they could make a step toward me.
I quickly ran out of challengers. You see, the first time a fellow lycan challenges me, it is a fight for submission. Whoever can sink their teeth into the other persons scruff first would be the victor. No one would challenge a second time unless they had a death wish. The second challenge from the same person would mean the lycan refused to acknowledge you as their superior and the fight would have to end in a death, either yours or theirs. Since most of my challengers had lost within the first two minutes, no one wanted to chance a fight to the death.
They accepted me as their future alpha. I was the son of their current alpha and I had proven myself as their strongest warrior, capable of keeping them safe. Aside from the occasional lycan traveling to come fight me for the position as Ultimate Alpha, I lived my life uncontested. I had no fear when it came to my position. I was undefeated. I still would be, if it weren’t for the incident.
The incident, of course, happened the day that Noah challenged me. I had been expecting it since I was ten years old after all. Noah and his father, Neal, had made it very clear that they desired to take my position. I had often heard Neal yelling at Noah after sparring practice, coaching him to be faster with taunts like ‘if the little puppy alpha can do it, you sure as hell can’. I had been waiting, really, for Noah to make a move. I was growing frustrated, at seventeen years old, when he still kept sending me glares. What’s his problem, I had thought, just be a man and come fight me. Seven years had gone by, filled with Noah disrespecting me every chance he got, when he finally seemed to work up the courage.
I wasn’t scared when he approached me almost a year ago. I remember we were at school and I was sitting with Nico outside. We were taking in the fresh air during our lunch break, and Nico was making fun of how small I was, like always.
“Seriously, Micah. I’m concerned.” Nico chuckled as he watched me climb the tree above us. “Your height might be a result of malnutrition… or a serious disease.”
“Maybe it’s the same disease that’s made you so ugly.” I stuck my tongue out at him as I swung from a branch by both of my arms.
“Oh look, it’s he who must not be named and his band of death eaters.” Nico pointed across the field to Noah and his group of friends, walking with purpose toward us. “Are you ready for the fated face off, Mr.Potter?”
I rolled my eyes at him, still hanging from the branch. Once Noah was beneath me, I let go, landing on my feet in front of him. “Hello, Noah. Fancy seeing you here. Come to grumble at me again?”
He pushed me, catching me off guard. I hadn’t expected him to get physical. Noah had been all talk until that moment. I staggered back, a growl forming in my throat. “I Noah, sired by Neal, challenge thee Micah, son of Alpha Collin.”
“You sure about that?” I growled, stepping up to his chest, not the least bit threatened by the fact that i had to crane my neck to look up at him. He made no protest. “Fine, I accept thy challenge Noah, son of Neal.”
“Micah…” Nico was behind me, grabbing my shoulder in an attempt to pull me back. “We’re still at school.”
“Call, Apa.” I ordered, knowing that this fight had waited long enough. It was time to put the insolent Noah in his place. “Have him bring the other elders. We’ll fight here.”
“Perfect.” Noah sneered.
I don’t know how long we stood there, glaring at one another. I had never been that close to him and I found my stomach twisting with anxiety. I knew I was faster than him and much smarter. I had defeated legendary warriors of other packs. I had nothing to fear. My parents were strong, stronger than any other lycans in existence, and I knew that I had that same strength flowing through my veins.
“We hereby call this Challenge to succession. I, Alpha of the Luna Goddess’s most beloved pack, accept the outcome of this battle as law. The first to gain the submission of the other shall henceforth be seen as the heir to my title.” I heard my father give the speech I had heard over and over again. I tuned out his rules, knowing this fight wouldn’t last long enough for them to matter.
I was already psyching up my inner wolf, telling him that Noah would be an easy win. Noah wasn’t nearly as fast as I was, or as strategic. I wouldn’t even need to shift. My wolf and I would dodge his attack, jump on his back, and sink our teeth in before his fist was done swinging. That was what i told my wolf, allowing him to come to the surface of my being, not enough to change into his form but enough to gain his better instincts and senses.
I knew the fight started when Noah took a step away, allowing himself room to shift into his wolf. I watched, amused, as his tanned mountain of flesh turned into a giant Black wolf, the color of his fluffy hair. His amber eyes blinked at me, waiting for me to change as well. I shook my head, motioning him forward with a finger.
I should have known something was wrong. I should have sensed how silent my wolf was. I should have felt it… but I was too cocky, too sure that I would win. When he lunged at me, I tried to bare my fangs, but they wouldn’t leave my gums. I was so confused, I couldn’t even move out of the way as his body crashed into mine. “Micah!” I heard Nico cry, not used to anyone touching me in these battles.
It took me a moment to gather myself, pushing Noah’s wolf off of me and rushing up the tree beside us. I climbed it high enough that his wolf couldn’t reach and tried to get my fangs to lengthen. Come on, i cried internally, what’s happening? My brother was shooting me panicked looks, wondering what i was doing. I closed my eyes, deciding that i would have to shift now if I wanted to be able to bite him.
I jumped from the branch i was perched on, feeling my bones break in a single, excruciating moment before it was gone and I was standing on all fours, facing Noah’s wolf. Go, I urged my wolf, pin him! My wolf wouldn’t move.
Noah charged me and I side stepped him, trying to buy myself more time. In my wolf form, I shared control of my body with my inner wolf. Any move I made had to be condoned by him. If my wolf didn’t want to fight, then I wouldn’t be fighting.
What’s wrong with you, i hissed at my wolf just as I crouched down and dodged one of Noah’s lunges. Inner wolves weren’t capable of speech, but Lycans were capable of communication through other means. Images began to appear in my head, forced in there by my wolf. I kept dodging, shying away from the fight, as I tried to make sense of them all. There were moons and Noah’s wolf and my parents all blurring together in my head. You want Noah to meet our parents, I questioned as Noah chased me. The images changed, beginning to focus on my memories of the moon festivals, where mates rushed to embrace one another, mating right there in the field for everyone to witness. You’re horny, I asked him.
My wolf growled, showing me images of my parents, the day they explained to Nico and I what a mate was. We had been four and five, standing in the sacred caves as my parents showed us a long red ribbon that, when turned on its side, was so thin it couldn’t be seen. They each held one end and walked away from one another, before turning to face us. ‘You see,’ my dad had said, ‘this ribbon represents the bond of a mated pair such as your mother and i. Normally, the ribbon is on its side and pulled so tight it can’t be seen, but under the light of a supermoon, the ribbon becomes clear and mates can find one another.’ My parents flipped the ribbon, making it thick and red. ‘Now, the stronger a wolf is, the easier the connection is to see. Your mother and I found each other on a normal day, no supermoon in sight, when I turned nineteen and she was feeling particularly powerful. It became clear to me first and then, during the super moon festival, your mother saw it too.’
The images changed back to Noah, only they had wrapped him in red ribbon. He was in human form, all nearly seven feet of him, wrapped sensually in scarlet. I froze, barely noticing when my wolf form tripped and was pinned by Noah, his fangs digging into my neck.
No, I cried, NO! I thrashed him off, almost going to jump at him when Nico crashed into my side, signaling that the battle had ended. I had lost. “Micah? Micah, are you alright?”
I shifted back, sitting there completely naked as Noah changed too, looking completely dumbfounded. For a moment I thought he had realized it too, but that was wiped away when he shot me a smug look before rushing toward his friends.
“What happened out there?” Nico asked me, shaking me by the shoulders. “You froze up. What happened?”
I puked, right then and there. My stomach turned and I hunched forward, emptying my guts in the grass. “Are you alright, son?” My father had rushed toward us as soon as he saw Nico steady me by the shoulders.
“He’s sick! That’s why he lost!” Nico cried, not realizing that it was much worse than that. “It can’t count, Apa! He was sick! It’s not his fault he lost! He’s beat guys tougher than Noah!”
“I-it doesn’t matter, Nico.” Apa shook his head. “He accepted the challenge, so it stands. The only way to fix it would be to challenge him again once he feels better.”
“Then he’ll challenge him again, right Micah?” Nico lifted my head, making sure I was still conscious. “You’ll beat him next time. I know it.”
“It’s not so simple.” Apa cut in, explaining to Nico what i already knew. “They already have one challenge between them. The next one would have to be to the death.”
“What?” Nico looked between both of us, confused. “But, Noah challenged him, not the other way around!”
“It doesn’t matter.” Apa repeated. “To accept a challenge is to make a challenge. If Micah decides to fight for the title… he’ll have to kill Noah.”
“Kill him…” I mumbled, catching both of their attention.
“You don’t have to, Micah.” Apa told me. “Whatever you decide, we’ll support you.”
“Noah can’t be alpha!” Nico spoke up. “You know that Micah! He has no idea what he’s doing! You’ve been groomed for it! It’s so much more than winning fights! The pack needs you as an Alpha, not him!”
“Enough, Nico.” Apa helped lift me up from the ground. “Let’s get him home.”
“Kill him…” i mumbled again, listening to the way my wolf whimpered at the thought. Fortunately, i didn’t care. “I’ll kill him.” I was sure of it. I just had to convince my wolf to get on board.
“Are you listening?” Nico clapped in my face, scaring me out of my daydream.
“Huh? No, of course not.” I told him, motioning to the project board he had been practicing with me to present. “It’s not even my homework. Why should I listen?”
“It’s on Mating.” Nico groaned. “I used the analogy dad used when we were kids for how the connection makes itself known and how the strength of a wolf can affect when you realize it. I also have a section on how mates who haven’t actually pledged themselves to one another with the binding ritual can still survive if their mate is killed, which is why warrior lycans tend to not mate until they’ve returned from action for good, in fear that it would kill their partner.”
“Could you be any more specific?” I groaned, looking around his empty bedroom. “Our parents could hear you.”
“They wouldn’t get it, Micah. You’ve kept it from them for a year.” Nico pointed out. “They’ve basically forgotten how weird you acted after the incident. No one would guess that you realized you and Noah were-“
“Shut up!” I snapped, kicking over his presentation board.
“Hey!” He whined, turning to stand it up again.
“I’ve told you, don’t bring it up!” I whined, regretting having ever told him. If Nico weren’t also my best friend, I probably wouldn’t have ever told anyone in my family, in fear that my parents would find out and try to get involved.
“Come on, how long do you plan on keeping this a secret? Until after you kill Noah?” Nico questioned me.
“Longer. Preferably, for the rest of our lives.” I told him.
“They’ll wonder why you never find your mate.”
“They’ll assume they died before we could ever meet.”
“That rarely happens.” Nico countered. “I’ve been thinking… Maybe, maybe challenging Noah again is a bad-“
“No.” I cut him of… coming to stand in front of my brother. I grasped his shoulder, rubbing them soothingly. “Look, Nico, you and I both know that Noah will drive this pack into the ground. Remember when we were little and we promised to one another, we’d make sure that this war ended. We’d lead the moon people into an era of peace. We’d share the earth. We’d be better than the humans. Don’t you remember that? Remember when you promised to be my Beta, my second in command, and help me save our people?”
“I remember.” He sighed.
“You know that Noah won’t change anything. He’ll keep the war going, he’ll let innocent people die simply because that’s what every other alpha has done.” I told him. “It’s up to us to end this, Nico. If we want this war to end, for the two races to be at peace, I have to kill Noah.”
“I know.” Nico nodded, a little more sure of our arrangement. “For the good of the world.”
“For the good of the world.” i agreed, releasing him.
Remember, you’re guaranteed an update that same week if you comment on every paragraph of the most recent chapter! I’ll follow and dedicate the next chapter to you as well! (Reminder: Please make sure the comments are not ‘update please’ or anything along those lines. They must be related to the story to count.)
Anyway, feel free to leave me the feedback I so desperately crave:
-what are your initial impressions of the characters i’ve introduced?
-Do you think Micah is relatable?
-should I keep the story in just Micah’s perspective?
-Is there anything you don’t understand or need clarified?
Thanks so much for reading my darlings <3
Vote, comment, follow, etc. <3
[text_hash] => c2cbb525
)