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CHAPTER 14:
“The Perigee-Syzygy will be starting soon. I need everyone out of my kitchen! Go! Go!” My mom shooed people out of the kitchen and into the clearing behind her house. “Goddess, they act like we don’t do this exact same thing every few months!”
“They’re just nervous, my darling.” My father chided, kissing my mom on her cheek. “Your own son disappeared the day of.”
“Don’t remind me.” My mom groaned, glaring at me. “Do you plan to be helpful this time, Micah?”
“Of course, Ama. That’s why i’m here.” I groaned back.
“Ha! You’re here because you know that if you run, I will catch you.” My mom shoved a large bowl of ground red chalk into my arms. “I expect you to stay the whole time.”
“I really don’t want to watch people have sex in public, Ama!” I whined, knowing she would expect me to stand there like nothing and toss the chalk powder in the air. “Why not make Nico do it?”
“I heard that!” Nico came down the stairs in a thin t-shirt and shorts, having obviously been sleeping until just moments ago. “I’m still a baby! You do it, you stepford wife.”
“Oh, eat me! You’re sixteen! I’d hardly call that a baby!”
“Micah, enough! Leave Nico be.” My mom snapped at me as Nico went up to her to be scent marked. I rolled my eyes and coughed ‘suck up’ under my breath. “Micah! Be nice!”
“I don’t like this alliance I see forming.” I pouted. “I move out and suddenly Nico is the favorite?”
“More like I almost died and Ama is traumatized.” Nico mumbled.
“Nico!” Ama smacked the back of his head before grabbing a bowl of ground chalk off the counter and shoving it into Nico’s arms. I laughed, sticking my tongue out at him in victory. “Honestly, you boys still act like pups! Get out of my kitchen before I bite your ears!”
“It’s Micah, Ama!” Nico cried as we were pushed out of the house and to the outskirts of the field. We sat the bowls at our feet and watched the clearing fill up with half naked men and women.
“Is Ama really traumatized?” I asked, watching as the sun set behind the trees.
“Eh, who knows. She’s made of nails, that woman, but she is a little easier on me lately. Maybe because I got hurt or maybe she just misses you and is focusing it on me. Either way, it’s good for me.” He chuckled, making me laugh as well.
“Well, you’ll be gone soon too. Have you started working on your house?” I asked. It was common practice for most men to start building a future home for their future mate at about sixteen. I had held off, figuring I would either have a male mate bigger than me who would have a house of their own, or I would take my parents home as the future Alpha. Nico, however, didn’t have such options.
“I’m in no rush.” He shrugged, watching the crowded field vibrate with excitement.
“You have Alpha blood, Nico. You’ll probably find your mate on your very first perigee-Syzygy, if not earlier. I found mine a whole year early.” I lectured, continuing even as he groaned in annoyance.
“I don’t want to be lectured by you! Mr. I want my mate! I hate him! Wait I think I like him! Wait, I hate him again!” He mocked me.
“I do not hate him again!” I snapped, looking around to make sure no one was listening in. “I can care for him and still disagree with him.”
“Right, right. ‘You have a problem with making him Alpha, not making him your mate’. You’ve explained already, but honestly it’s still pretty bad to be doing it behind his back. If you care about him so much, shouldn’t you just talk about it openly? Isn’t that what mates do?”
“What do you know about mates? You’re a baby.” I insulted, knowing I was contradicting an earlier statement I had made.
“I know that mates are simple. The bond of a mate can solve any problem.” He recited our parents old lessons, the memories making me feel even shittier.
“You don’t know anything, Nico.” I insisted, looking down into the chalk bowl at my feet. You don’t know what i’m going through, I wanted to add. No one understood. This decision was gut wrenching, difficult, and borderline torturous. I wanted to do the right thing, but it was hard to know what that was. Life was not as black and white as our parents’ lessons. “One day, if you’re as unlucky as I am, you’ll understand.”
“Are you trying to jinx me, big brother?” Nico mused.
“I guess we’ll see in a few years, won’t we?”
“So passive aggressive. Noah beat the living shit out of me and I still pity him a bit.”
“Bite me.”
Nico opened his mouth to retort, but closed it. Instead, he tossed his arm over my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “Well, our bond is an intense one. If you’re cursed, I’m sure it’s latched itself onto me by now. Promise to help me as much as I’ve helped you?”
“I was just kidding, Nico.” I sighed, leaning into him. “You’re gonna be okay.”
“I guess. I have a strange feeling, like a premonition. If it comes true, perhaps I have a future as a fortune teller.”
“One coincidence hardly makes you psychic.” I laughed.
“Not one. Two.” Nico corrected, leaning into my ear. “The first one I had was out on the field that day, when you planned to kill Noah. The strangest feeling overtook me. I just knew.”
“Knew what?”
“You would love him.” He said simply, pecking my cheek. “And I was right.” He released me before I could say anything. “Ama is waving for one of us to go over. I’ll go. Oh, and your mate, whose life I saved, is coming over. Wow, is it just me, or did you luck out in the brother department?”
“Very humble.” I chuckled as he began to walk away.
“Who needs humility when you’re this amazing? Now, pray to the goddess so she can bless me with a gorgeous mate so I can show you how it’s done Mr. Wishy-Washy.” He teased, turning his back and jogging across the clearing to our mother.
A few seconds later Noah was at my side. “Sorry i’m late. I was at the sparring quarters helping Malu.”
“Oh, Malu didn’t kick you out?”
“No! I think, maybe, I’m growing on her.” He laughed. “Maybe she’ll even tolerate me soon.”
“Well, you’re good at that.” I smiled, watching as his face seemed to glow under the bare minimum amount of praise. “I’m very proud of all you’ve done, Noah.” I said honestly, taking his hand in mine. It’s fine, I assured myself. I could want Noah as a mate and not want him as Alpha. Those two things weren’t mutually exclusive. He would make a fine Luna. He was bonding with the pack and he was learning more everyday.
“You two!” I jumped as my mom seemed to appear from thin air. “It’s starting. The first two have found each other already. Start throwing the chalk! And take the shirts off! This is a ceremony, you know? A ratty old t-shirt is hardly dress code appropriate.”
“Oh, but nudity is?” I grumbled under my breath. My mom’s eyes narrowed at me, daring me to sass her again. “Okay, Ama.”
“That’s what I thought.” She said, her voice still a warning. She bent down, grabbing Nico’s discarded bowl from the floor and sighing in exasperation. “That boy! When I find him…” She trailed off, stomping across the yard to the last place she saw him.
Noah and I pulled our shirts off, the cool night air giving me goosebumps. I bent down to pick up the bowl, suppressing an urge to roll my eyes when Noah took it from me. Noah had a habit of treating me like I was delicate, or worse, a woman. I knew it came from a good place. He wanted to take care of me. I appreciated that sentiment. Still, I was fully capable of carrying a bowl.
We approached the edge of the field of bodies. I dug my hand into the bowl, taking a large handful of powder. I watched the direction of the wind against the tree leaves, making sure to toss with the wind and away from myself. Too many times before had I seen someone take a handful of chalk to the face for not being mindful of their surroundings. Once I found a good angle, I opened my hand, letting the wind dust the crowd.
We spent a few minutes in comfortable silence, scattering the dust in the breeze to coat the sweaty bodies. I couldn’t help but feel wistful, knowing that I had squandered my own experience by trying to run away. Everyone here was so happy, bursting with excitement. I wondered how it might have played out if I hadn’t been so set in my thinking.
“Woah!” Noah grabbed me, pulling me toward him as someone in their wolf form barreled past us. “What the hell was that?”
“Oh, it happens sometimes. Our wolves are strong tonight and sometimes they just take over, especially if their human isn’t moving fast enough.” I laughed.
“Well he almost ran into you.” Noah grumbled, glowering in the direction the wolf had gone.
“It’s to be expected. They’re not paying us any attention, after all.” I chuckled, squeezing his arm reassuringly. “One wolf even knocked my father over once. You should have seen that wolf’s face the next day!” I chuckled, stepping out of the way as a woman ran past us as well. “We just have to try to stay out of their way because we might as well be invisible right now.”
Noah continued to frown, opening his mouth to speak when a loud female scream cut through the field. We both jumped, Noah dropping the bowl of remaining chalk to the floor. “Is that also normal?” he asked, pointing to a crowd that had begun to form on the other side of the field.
“It’s a fight! A fight!” I heard someone yell.
“No, no it’s not.” I answered Noah, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the commotion.
“Get off of him! Get off, Nile!” A woman, the same one who had ran past us earlier, screamed at the wolf who was currently standing on top of someone in human form. I pushed my way through the thickening crowd, finally reaching the spectacle. The woman was screaming, tears rushing down her face as the wolf remained still as a stone.
“Hey! This-” I stopped speaking, recognizing a familiar wavy head of hair. “Nico? Nico!” I cried, attempting to run to his aide. Noah refused to release my hand, forcing me to come to an abrupt stop after only a few inches.
“Micah, no! Look-“
I didn’t let Noah finish. Instead, I twisted my arm, using surprise and the momentum of my body to toss Noah over my shoulder and onto his back on the ground. Startled, he released me and I rushed forward, jumping onto the wolf’s back and letting my fangs lengthen. I buried my face in the wolf’s scruff, biting down hard. The wolf yelped, stumbling away from my brother and sinking to the floor in submission. After a second or two, I felt a familiar convulsion signaling he was going to be changing into human form. I released him, rushing to see if Nico was alright.
Nico had propped himself up on his elbows and was shaking his head as if to shake off any dizziness. I knelt at his side, checking him for any wounds. It was hard to tell, his body covered in colorful chalk, obscuring his skin from my vision. “It’s Alpha Colin’s son! Alpha, Someone get the Alpha!” I heard people calling, but my attention was fully focused on Nico, who I was helping sit up all the way. He winced, reaching to touch the side of his neck. When he brought his hand back, a bloody smear covered his fingertips. “Shit.” He mumbled, wiping the blood on his shorts. “Can you help me up, Micah?”
I nodded, jumping to my feet and pulling him up with me. “What happened? Are you okay? Where does it hurt?” I questioned as he stood and then hissed, leaning most of his weight onto me and off of his left leg.
“I-I don’t know. I was tossing the chalk and then- that guy smacked into me hard. And then that girl started screaming.” He began to explain. “I fell weird when he hit me. I think I twisted my ankle.”
“Nico! Nico, are you alright?” My mom cried, breaking through the crowd with ease and rushing toward us. My mom touched his neck, making him hiss in pain. “What happened? Who bit you?”
“They bit you?” I cried, turning his head and taking in the several deep fang marks. I handed Nico to my mom and turned, searching for the culprit. The man was sitting on the floor, face in his hands as the woman cried beside him. “Who bit him? Speak!”
“You bit him?” The woman cried. I watched as the man shamefully lifted his face and my blood ran cold. Nile. Nile from the sparring quarters. Nile who wanted his brothers mate. He was shaking, trembling, staring at the woman in shock and shame.
“I’m sorry, veri. I- I don’t know what came over me. I just- I-“
“He’s my mate.” I turned, locking eyes with a clearly more conscious Nico. “When he smacked into me I- i felt it.”
“Nico… no…” I looked back to the couple on the floor. The woman, veri, had begun to tremble too. She stood to her feet, still sobbing uncontrollably.
“No! No! Why? Just- Just disappear!” She charged forward, shocking everyone around. I was so unprepared for her attack she ran right past me, her claws lengthening as she lifted her hand to slash Nico in the face. Nico, still confused about what was happening, made no move to protect himself.
I spun around, reaching out and grabbing hold of the tips of her hair, yanking her back with all my might. She screamed, shocked to have been stopped. I used this opening to swipe her feet out from underneath her. She landed on the floor with a thud. “Veri! My love!” Nile cried, rushing to her side.
“What the hell is happening?” Nico spoke, looking to me as if he knew I could provide clarification. I opened my mouth, unsure of how to even begin, when I heard the crowd gasp in horror. I followed their eyes back to the couple, who were now embracing and kissing.
My blood ran cold. My vision blurred red as the crowd began to murmur “Alpha Collin’s son was rejected?”, “oh dear, look at the alphas sons face” and “What cruelty, to reject a mate in such a way” and finally “Are the Alpha’s sons cursed?”
I felt my fangs lengthen and my claws extend. My wolf was pushing its way to the surface, growling and snapping for retribution. These people had hurt Nico, our precious little brother. They deserved to be punished. They deserved to be-
Just as I moved to lunge, I felt two strong arms wrap around me, pulling me back against their body. “No, micah. No. You can’t. Not here.” Noah was whispering in my ear. My wolf shivered in disgust, digging my nails into his arms to get him to release me. “Micah, you’re not thinking clearly. Breathe.”
“Noah, help me take Nico to Nadi.” My mother spoke. “I’ll take Micah.”
I switched hands quickly, going from Noah’s tight embrace into my mothers soothing arms. She brushed my hair from my face, staring into my eyes. “That’s enough. Calm. Now.” She ordered, her power as Luna practically forcing my claws and fangs away. “Come, we need to follow them to the hospital.”
“But-“
“Not now. Soon, when Nico is okay, alright?”
“Alright.”
—————-
“Well, I don’t advise him changing into wolf form to heal.” Nadi sighed. “If his wolf were to take over…” She trailed off, the words too terrible to say. Nico, in his wolf form, would be drawn back to Nile and… I couldn’t even think the words. They were too painful. I looked at Nico, who lay on the hospital bed staring straight up at the ceiling.
“Nico?” My mom spoke softly, trying to get his attention. He continued to stare at the tiled ceiling, as if he couldn’t hear. Normally, my mom would raise hell for such disrespect. Now, she looked on the verge of tears.
“Well, I can stitch up some of the deeper cuts in his neck and we can wrap his ankle for now. It looks like a pretty mild sprain. He could heal up naturally in a week.” Nadi continued, addressing my mother.
“Alright.” My mom sighed, still staring at Nico for any sign of movement.
“We found it!” My father announced, entering the room with a file in his hands. Noah followed after him, coming to stand beside me. He reached for my hand, but I pulled away, motioning to Nico who still hadn’t moved. He nodded, understanding, and didn’t reach for me again.
“Well?” My mom asked, taking the file from him.
“They had negotiations over a mate dispute. Von, Nile’s brother, was mate’s with Veri, Nile’s girlfriend. They decided in negotiations that Von would leave the pack, a self imposed exile, so that Nile and Veri could be together. Nile’s parents tell me he had stayed home with Veri when his wolf took over and brought him to the field.” My father explained, turning to Noah and I. “You two were in their negotiation. How did this happen?”
“Von conceded his mate of his own will. Common practice is to allow them to come up with their own agreement. We didn’t interfere because-“
“Didn’t interfere? It’s your brothers mate!” My mother yelled, cutting me off.
“Love, calm. They had no way of knowing. They did what they were supposed to.” My dad sighed, rubbing my mom’s shoulders. “Regardless, Nile’s wolf called out to Nico. Perhaps that’s a good sign. We could send out a number of men to surrounding packs and locate Von. We could bring him back and…” My father trailed off, but we all knew why he stopped speaking. Bringing Back von would not guarantee that Nile and Veri would part. We could try, but there was no guarantee anything would change.
“In their negotiations… Von made Nile promise to stay with Veri… even if his own mate appeared.” I admitted. “It’s possible Nile feels that obligation. He’s made a mess of things and now he can’t-“
“Enough!” Everyone jumped, turning to Nico who was still staring at the ceiling. Nico sighed, closing his eyes before continuing to speak. “Just leave it alone.”
“But, Nico-“
“I mean it! Leave it be!” Nico snapped at me. “What’s meant to be will be. That’s all. So don’t meddle. I don’t want anything done.”
“Nico, what about-” My mom began, but Nico shook his head.
“Get out. Everyone but Micah and Nadi get out.” He waited a few seconds, before finally looking away from the ceiling. He glared at everyone, obviously annoyed. “I said get out! Now!”
Shockingly, my parents obeyed. Noah gave me a questioning look and I nodded, letting him know it was okay to go. “We’ll be in the waiting room then, okay Nico?” My mom spoke, her statement becoming a question. Nico shrugged and turned his eyes back to the ceiling. “Alright. We’ll be waiting to help you home.”
The second we were alone, Nico screamed. Neither Nadi or I jumped. He yelled, loudly, smacking his fists against the bed beneath him. For ten or so seconds, all he did was yell. Then silence washed over him, a weird type of calm taking over his face. He motioned Nadi to begin her work and closed his eyes. He was perfectly calm after that, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm despite Nadi murmuring her touch might hurt him. He didn’t wince as she wrapped his ankle tightly and his breath remained steady as she stuck the needle in his neck.
After a few minutes of silence, As nadi stitched Nico up, he finally spoke again. “Nadi, we need you to reject Noah’s ascension.” He said calmly, still staring at the ceiling.
“Nico!” I cried, looking from him to a shocked Nadi and back. “Now is hardly the time for this.”
“He made a lot of promises to Mick. He’s gonna create an army, go to war, and injure a bunch of wolves in the process.” Nico continued. “That’s against everything you stand for, isn’t it?”
“Well… yes.” She answered, finishing her final stitch before putting her instruments down. “But if Noah were rejected, who would step up?”
“Micah, Obviously. He’s the Alpha’s first born so it would fall onto him again.” Nico answered before I could speak. “And Micah will make a wonderful Alpha.”
“I know.” Nadi agreed, still somewhat stone faced. She turned to me, suddenly curious. “Is this what you want, micah?”
“What?”
“Tell me what to vote. Whatever you say, i’ll respect it.” She explained. “But I want you to say it to me. I want to know it’s what you really want.”
“I-I understand.” I looked at Nico who was staring off into space and then back to Nadi, who was patiently awaiting my answer. I searched myself, wanting to make sure I was certain of myself before I spoke. I took a deep breath before finally answering, “Please vote no for Noah’s ascension, Nadi.”
She smiled, the expression oddly not reaching her eyes. “Alright, Micah. I’ll go pull him aside now.”
I nodded, unsure of how my voice would sound if I spoke. She stood up, patting my head softly as she left the room. When the door closed behind her, Nico turned to look at me. “Don’t look so excited.” He said sarcastically.
“Why would you say it to her like that?” I cried. “What if she tells him?”
“She won’t. She cares about you, micah. You two have a special bond. It’s why manipulation wouldn’t have worked on her. In her eyes, saying no to Noah would be a betrayal… unless you asked her straight out.” he reasoned.
“Still, that was too-“
“Now it’s just Crescent left for tomorrow right? If she says no, we’re golden.” He said, cutting me off. “What do you plan to say to her?”
“Not much. Her and Noah have pretty bad blood between them. He was always in trouble and so he ended up in her office all the time. He’s made her headmaster’s job hard. She knows better than anyone his shortcomings.” I rambled, watching how his face didn’t change at all. “Nico, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Nico-“
“That’s two premonitions now.” Nico said, his face blank. “It bodes well for premonition number three.”
“Number three?”
“Yes.” This time he smiled, but his eyes glossed over. He blinked, the motion pushing the tears from his eyes. “Peace… one day. We’ll have peace.”
————————-
“Noah?” I asked cautiously as he slammed the front door behind him, pressing his head against the wood. “Are you okay?”
“Nadi voted no.” He stated, keeping his forehead against the door. “She told me before we left.”
“I’m sorry, Noah.”
“No… i’m sorry.” he chuckled darkly. “Your brother went through something horrible today. I should be here for you, but… i’m stupidly angry.”
“You can be upset. That’s normal.” I assured him, coming to rub circles against his back. “You don’t have to hold it in for me.”
“No, it’s dumb.” he spun around, wrapping me in his arms and lifting my feet from the ground. “Thank you, Micah.”
“For what?” I asked cautiously.
“For believing in me. As long as I have you… I know it’s okay. Your support means everything to me.” He brought my feet back down to the floor, pulling away to gaze lovingly into my eyes. “Knowing i’m a yes to you is what keeps me going. I love you.”
I blinked, startled as something wet and hot slid down my cheek. Noah rubbed his thumb against my cheek, catching the tear before it could reach my chin. Embarrassed, I hugged him to me, hiding my face. “I-I love you too.”
Surprisingly, I meant it.
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