Waxing Gibbous

Chapter 11

Storm knew the exact moment when Tegan’s soul fled her body; he couldn’t feel her presence anymore. She had made it to the other side. Pride swelled inside him. She was going to make it. He was absolutely certain of it.

Soren nudged Storm in the side. “How long is this supposed to take?” he asked.

He glanced over at his unexpected companion and then back to the dais. “It’s hard to say. The time varies for every healer. It is up to the spirits when they relinquish her,” Storm told him.

“So we could be here all night? Well isn’t that just great.” The young wolf began toeing the dirt beneath him, muttering complaints under his breath.

“Soren.” He stopped his whining to glance at him coldly, to which Storm paid no mind to.

“Listen, birdbrain, I don’t need to take your shit. I have enough on my plate as it is without you bitching at me. So stuff it,” he growled.

Storm shook his head. “I was just going to give you my thanks. You put your life in danger to save me and you have my gratitude.”

“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Tegan. She needs you. You are pretty much the only one that can help her. Had it not been for her, I would have turned the other cheek.” And the familiar believed him, too.

“Of course,” Storm murmured. There was never going to be any sort of camaraderie between the two. Soren definitely wasn’t any sort of reliable ally. He only did things in his best interest. He was selfish that way. With him, it was best to just let it go and not waste the breath.

The crowd waited patiently in silence, curiously watching on and waiting to see what happened. It felt like hours – it probably was – before Tegan soul settled back in her form. The crowd held its breath, waiting for her to come to. She bolted upright as soon as she returned to her body, blinking rapidly around her.

“Tegan,” Ulrick called to her.

She silently looked up at him with wide, confused eyes. She seemed utterly lost.

“Are you all right?” he asked gently, reaching out to her.

She nodded. “Yeah,” she rasped out in a weak voice.

The wolves milling about began to howl. It started with Ulrick, who raised his face toward the heavens and sent his call cascading over all the land. The others soon followed suit. Even Soren stopped his bellyaching to lend his baying to the eerie rejoicing hymn. Everything on the island stilled as the werewolves celebrated the rise of one of their own.

Minutes ticked by before they were finally done. The forest was silent as if holding its breath, waiting for what was to come next.

“Let us go back to the Den and celebrate,” Ulrick proposed.

He eased Tegan off the slab and escorted her down the stone steps. Storm went to her as soon as she was off the platform. He put his arm around her, seeing that she was having a hard time moving around.

“Tegan,” he whispered. “What’s wrong?”

“Whatever that drug was,” she slurred a little. “Everything is just so vivid, vibrant. It’s like I am connected with every living thing. It’s crazy!”

“Let us get you back to the house.”

“Hold up.” She stopped walking. She lifted her hand and within its grasp that a metal pendant attached to a black cord. It wasn’t just any pendant either. In the center, a white stone shone luminously in the darkness surrounding them. Storm could recognize what it was immediately. The life force within it connected with him, reaching out with energized invisible hands.

It was the missing half of his soul.

“Where did you get that?” His eyes were wide with wonderment.

“My mom gave it to me to give to you. This is your freedom, Storm,” she told him joyfully. “You can finally live a full life. Come down here.”

He bent to her and she slipped the crude piece of jewelry over his head. Tegan was careful not to get it tangled in his hair or feathers.

“You have to keep it on until your soul is fully restored to you. The stone will cease to glow when that happens,” she instructed.

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He could already feel the magickal binds fastening him to the island weaken considerably. After twenty years, he could hardly believe that the curse was being lifted. He was once more free to roam where he pleased. “Thank you, Tegan,” he said in a low, strangled voice.

She leaned in and hugged him, her arms slipping around his middle. “It was the least I could do for you after all you have done for me. I consider it an honor. And when I finally have some kind of cash flow, I’ll take you out on a night in the city. And we can even get you some new threads. You can’t keep wearing the same stuff over and over.”

“Threads? You mean clothing?” he questioned in bewilderment.

She chuckled. “Yep. Now come on, Storm. Let’s head back before something jumps out of the woods at one of us again. We don’t have much luck with these kinds of things,” she joked cheerfully.

“Yes, it is best not to linger behind. Are you sure you are okay though?” She still seemed a bit unsteady. He didn’t know if it was from the drug or travelling to the other side.

“To be honest, I think I’m higher than shit right now. Am I supposed to feel so…extraordinary?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Yes, those are the affects of the drug. It will soon pass though. Once we get back to the Den, we have to look for your mark.”

Tegan suddenly became alive with exited delight. He could feel it batting at him it was so strong. “I have to tell you what happened when I crossed over to the other side. It was amazing! I wish I could have spent more time over there. I got to see my mother and I met my father.”

“I’m happy for you, Tegan,” he said softly.

“It was strangely serene over there. It was all so surreal. But at least my parents are no longer suffering. They seemed very happy to be reunited,” she prattled on.

“So what did you think of your father?” Storm inquired. He had known George briefly. But he had left a good impression with him. He hoped that she had been left holding George in the same regard that he did.

“I didn’t really get much time with him. But in the few moments I spent with him, I realized how much more I have in common with him than my mother,” she said.

“I respected him a great deal. He made me feel very welcome in your family. You share that quality.” They finally made it back to the manse. This time through the woods had been a bit easier. She didn’t stumble around like she had before. Despite her lurching steps when she first came to, she had regained some of her equilibrium and was now quite nimble.

They went inside. Storm followed his witch through the throngs of wolves. All the werewolves seemed to move out of her way when they saw her coming through, bowing and nodding in respect as they shuffled to the side.

“Let’s go find your healer’s marking.” Storm took her into a vacant room and closed the door so no one would intrude on them. “It’s best to do this in private. It could have been placed somewhere you would be very uncomfortable showing others.”

Tegan looked over all the exposed skin first, rolling up her sleeves to check her arms. She moved down to her legs but didn’t recover anything. “Check my back,” she said.

Tegan turn away and lifted up her shirt. The marking rested between her shoulder blades and was about six inches long and five across. It was a tribal working of tight, mazelike red lines in a curved pattern. The lines formed the body of a howling wolf curved into a shape reminiscent of a crescent moon. The muzzle of the animal formed one point and the tail formed the other.

Storm reached out and touched the hot skin of her back where the impression rested. She jumped at the contact. He ran his fingers over the red lines that stood out in stark contrast to her creamy white skin. The mark itself looked and felt like it had been carved into her flesh.

“Is that where is it?” she asked quietly.

“Yes. Does it hurt when I touch it?”

“Not at all. Your hand just feels really cold against it. Almost like ice. What does it look like?”

“Open your mind to me and I’ll be able to project the image to you.”

Once she touched her mind to his, he sent the image. It came through crystal clear as she was looking upon it for herself.

She gasped softly. “That’s incredible. I didn’t expect anything like that. I thought maybe some kind of mole or something. But that is pretty cool.” Once she was done looking, the mental connection was closed.

“Do you mind if I bring Ulrick in so he can see it?” Storm asked. The pack leader would want to see the marking in person. It would ease him to know that she had acquired this.

“No. Go get him. I think he should see it as well,” Tegan agreed.

Storm stepped out into the hallway and searched for Ulrick. He was conversing with a cheerful lot. Once Storm approached, they became quiet.

“Ulrick, Tegan requests a word with you. It is of importance,” Storm said.

“Of course,” Ulrick replied.

Storm led him to the room where Tegan was. She turned and faced the two when they came into the room.

“Hey, Ulrick,” she greeted. “We found the mark. Here. See for yourself.” She turned her back to him and lifted up her shirt.”

“This is amazing,” he said in a shocked voice, reaching out to touch her bare back, tracing the thin red grooves cut in her flesh. “I’ve never seen a marking quite like this. You have been truly blessed Tegan,” Ulrick said excitedly.

“I'm not going to have to whip my shirt off for the rest of the pack to see, am I?” Tegan grumbled, disgruntled at the idea.

The alpha shook his head. “No, you don’t have to do anything like that. I just wanted to see it for complete confirmation. This is just more than what I was expecting.”

Tegan let her shirt settle back down over her torso. “Why?” she asked frowning.

“Like I said, I have never seen anything like it. Usually it is smaller, something simple like a star or some odd design, but this…I take that is was your mother’s handiwork? “

“Yeah, I guess. I met her and my father.”

“You’re mother is even more powerful than I imagined. Even death has not limited her abilities in some areas.” Ulrick gave a noise of disbelief.

“There is more to it than you are telling me, Ulrick. Spill,” she commanded.

“I have heard of a marking like this before. But it is very rare, only thought of as a myth. That is before now. This right here,” he said, motioning toward her back, “is a myth come to life.”

“And that would mean?”

“It means that you will be able to change at will. Your mother had the power to grant this to you. I am almost speechless,” Ulrick said.

“Oh, great,” she muttered acerbically.

“Tegan.” You could hear the pleading in Ulrick’s voice. “This is a great gift she has bestowed you with.”

“I guess.”

“Nothing really has to change. You can still choose when you want to transform, if you want to transform at all,” Storm cut in.

She bit her lip before pushing on. “I have a warning from the spirits,” she said carefully.

His brows shot up and he waited intently for her to speak.

“They told me to beware of the serpent. I thought it would be wise to tell you in case you knew what that meant.”

“Doesn’t ring any bells but I will definitely be looking into it later. I’ll tell you if I find anything. Come. Let us ease the pack’s excitement and let you meet them.”

He took them to the living room because it could easily fit everyone inside. The crowd seemed to descend on her, coming in at all angles. It made Storm a bit nervous, but he squeezed in beside her to help relieve her own unease. Ulrick stood on the opposite side and began introductions.

~*~

After meeting the entire pack, Tegan settled down in a cushioned chair to relax. Or try to, anyway. Storm had gone off with some mumbled excuse about getting something to eat, but Tegan suspected he had a case of ochlophobia.

Every single one of her senses was easily a hundred times more sensitive. She felt like she was walking on air or puffy little clouds. Whatever that stuff was it was awesome! She felt wonderful. She could see how people would come to abuse it. Feeling godlike and powerful had an addicting quality to it. She felt like the sunshine, touching everything with vibrant rays of light, covering all with her essence.

Tegan could hear ever single conversation going on around her, could feel the vibrations of their voices rippling along her skin. She could even smell their emotions – most being excitement – and almost experience them as her own. Even her eyesight was keener. She could pick out auras without using magick to do so. Everything was crystal clear. It was like watching a slow motion video of a hummingbird’s frantic flapping of it wings.

She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on everything, to engage herself in all the ongoing action surrounding her. She could hear people talking about her, about what she did for the young girl, about what they had witnessed this night. A few of them were wondering if the pack could truly recover from the damage it had been dealt over the last few decades. She could hear the pumping of their hearts if she concentrated hard enough, the faster and slower rhythms contrasting with each other. This was not what she had expected at all. Strange as it was, it soothed her.

“I don’t care!” She heard Soren shout in another room, breaking apart her focus. Tegan’s curiosity was piqued and she tuned into what the conversation was about. Everything else became a humming background noise. She kept her eyes closed to hold her attention to what was going on.

“Please, just reconcile with him. Kerr loves you. He never meant to hurt you,” Lyn’s delicate voice rang through the air carrying an edge of exhaustion and worry with it.

“Fuck him! Why the hell did you even come back anyway? Why don’t you crawl back to whatever fucking hole you climbed out of? The ceremony is over. There is no need for you to stay,” Soren yelled loudly. Tegan winced as if he had actually screamed the words in her ear.

“Soren, I –” Kerr began.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Soren shouted.

“He is your brother, Soren. You can’t hate him forever,” Ulrick piped in.

“Well I’m sure as shit going to try,” Soren mutter.

Tegan could tell that he left because she heard his heavy boots clomping their way through the house. Tegan opened her eyes and watched him bolt out of the front door. Lyn came scrambling through the room next. All the other wolves had quieted down, wanting to hear more of the fight.

Lyn wrenched open the door and shouted after her son, but he didn’t come back.

Tegan stood and went over to her. “What happened?”

The older woman shook her head sadly. “He is angry and he stormed off. All these Blackstone men are so goddamned thickheaded,” she muttered, her voice colored in anger.

Something clicked in Tegan’s head. There was something familiar about that name. Where had she heard it before? Tegan put her hand on Lyn’s shoulder to comfort the alpha female, while trying to remember something crucial.

“I couldn’t help but overhearing you guys arguing,” Tegan confessed. “Ulrick wasn’t lying when he said this stuff was powerful.”

Lyn gave a small, sad smile. “They used to get along so well when they were younger. Kerr was his hero. Soren wasn’t always so bitter. He was such a sweet little boy. But after Kerr left…” She shook her head as if trying to dispel some bad memory from coming forth. “We have all lost so much, but I think Soren took it the hardest. Now I don’t know where that boy has run off to. I hope he doesn’t do anything stupid. God knows he is not in the right frame of mind.”

Tegan had a sudden inkling as everything flooded to her at once. “Call it a hunch, but I think I know where he is.”

Lyn looked up at her with her with a questioning expression. “Where?”

“Why don’t you let me go to him, okay?” Tegan offered. “I think that maybe I can talk some sense in him. Or at least try to.”

“Are you sure? I know that you two are not of the best of terms.”

“I’m sure. He isn’t that bad when he doesn’t want to be,” she admitted.

“Thank you, Tegan,” Lyn said sincerely.

“No, prob. Consider it an unofficial duty.” She gave the other female a lopsided grin.

Storm, she then called out to her familiar.

What is it? His voice was alarmed as it trickled into her mind.

I’m going out to find Soren.

Storm sighed mentally obviously not happy with the idea. I don’t want you going out alone. You do remember what happened to me, do you not?

Yeah, I know. Do you want to come with? It will get you out of here, away from the crowd. You could even go and spread your wings a little if you are up to it, she persuaded.

Alright, he said with a little more vigor.

Come meet me at the front door.

Storm arrived a few seconds later. “Do you know where he has gone off to?”

“I think so. Come on.” Tegan led them out of the front door. It was especially cold this night, but Tegan barely felt it. It felt like there was a fire kindling beneath her skin. It wasn’t unpleasant. It was more like the warmth created from drinking a shot of strong whiskey or brandy. She was drenched in the sensation.

They got out to the front lawn where Storm stripped to his bare essentials. He took down one of the feathers. “You go on ahead,” he said. “I’ll take to the sky and follow.”

Tegan nodded. “I can smell his scent in the air. He hasn’t gone too far.” She took off then, following his scent into the forest. As she travelled the semi-recognizable sylvan trail, she knew exactly where the young wolf had gone: to the cemetery.

As she ran, she realized that she was faster and more agile on her feet. She cut through the woods, passing the pond and coming to the big wrought iron gate. It was already cracked open so she slipped inside. Soren was leaning against Delilah Blackstone’s grave marker. He had the now wilted string of daisies in his hands. He didn’t even seem to notice she was there until she was right beside him. He looked up with that ever present scowl.

Okay, you found him. Can we go back now?

Storm, I need to talk to him for a little while. Can you stay on the lookout?

He sighed but it was a very owlish sigh. If you insist.

Tegan squatted beside the glowering werewolf. “You ran out of the house. You looked pretty pissed so I thought I’d follow you. You okay?”

“No, I’m not okay. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone right now,” he said.

“Your mother is worried about you.”

“I don’t give much of a fuck at the moment,” he snapped viciously.

“She’s your mom, Soren. You shouldn’t talk about her like that.”

“Why the hell do you even care? You’ve made it perfectly clear you don’t give a shit about me,” he accused heatedly.

Tegan exhaled, her breath coming out in a puffy white wisp. “I care, Soren – though you don’t make it exactly easy. Not everyone is against you.”

“It sure as fuck seems like it.”

“What did your brother do that was so horrible you don’t even want him anywhere near you?” Tegan asked.

“I don’t want to get into this with you. You have only been here a couple days. You wouldn’t understand jack-shit about the situation,” Soren growled.

She shrugged a shoulder. “Try me. Sometimes an outside perspective is better than the outlook of someone involved.”

“Okay, Dr. Phil,” he muttered.

“Do I look like a middle-aged bald male with a moustache? If that is what you are attracted to, I say you have more problems than my expertise can handle,” she teased.

That got a small snort of a laugh from him and he loosened up a bit.

“Okay, I can tell that you have an extreme dislike for him. So –”

“It’s more than an extreme dislike. I downright hate that asshole,” he said, cutting her off before she could finish.

“As I was saying, we don’t have to talk about him. Tell me who Delilah is to you?” she questioned, motioning to the grave marker.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Jesus Christ! You don’t give up, do you?”

“I want you to open up to me, Soren. I want to help you. But you are not exactly making it very easy for me.”

”She was my kid sister, okay?” he murmured so softly that – even with her heightened hearing – she had trouble ascertaining the words.

“How did she die?”

“Did birdbrain say anything to you about Magda, the bitch from hell?”

Tegan cringed then nodded her head grimly. “Yeah, he told me.”

“Well, with his assistance, she killed her. Lilah got so sick that –” His voice thickened, choking on the anguish he felt. “She was in so much pain that she would lie awake all night screaming in agony…screaming for someone to help her, to ease her pain. But there was nothing anyone could do for her. She could only suffer. And I had to watch her die.”

He sniffed, and Tegan could tell that he was breaking down. Saline assaulted her nose and she could feel the tremors from his body. She didn’t dare look at him because she was so close to tears as it was. One look at Soren – always so strong – in such a state would be her undoing. She forced herself to stay strong for him. He needed to get this out.

“In the end, she…she couldn’t talk. She didn’t remember who any of us were. She just lay there in suffering until she died. She wilted away from a vibrant little girl to absolutely nothing. The last memory I have of her was carrying her out of her deathbed, drenched in sweat and blood. She was leather and bones, a hollow shell of what she once was. A house once filled with laughter and joy was suddenly filled with silence and heartbreak.

“My father was busy plotting vengeance on the ones that had caused this. My mother was so distraught that she stayed in her room for days. I had no one. I had to deal with her death by myself. I just wanted at least some kind of comfort from one of them. It might sound selfish but I didn’t want to be alone with my pain. I just wanted someone to be with me,” he ended on a whisper.

Tegan had been horrified by his tale. How unimaginably awful it must have been for him. “Oh, Soren,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.” Soren trembled beside her. She wasn’t sure if it was from the nipping cold or his overloaded emotions. It was probably the latter.

However hard it was for her to listen to the tale, it had to have been so much more painful for Soren because he had to relive the hell as he told it. She reached out and took his hand in hers, caressing the roughened skin of his knuckles with the pad of her thumb. Feeling like that was not enough contact with him, she scooted closer, pressing tightly into his side.

Soren slide down the cold stone until he could rest his head on her shoulder. She placed a hand to the side of his face. His cheeks were wet from tears and cold from the crisp temperature. She took her other arm and wrapped it around his body. Soren seemed to snuggle into the comfort she offered.

At least she felt like she was getting through to him now. She was surprised and glad that he was opening up to her. She knew that he didn’t share this side of himself with other people often – if at all. Tegan would cherish this moment. Cherish this rare, subdued side of a man that was normally very unlikeable. Hold dear the intimacy that they were sharing and the trust that he put into her, enough so that he told her about his awful past.

“What was your sister like before she became ill?” she dared asking after a few minutes passed.

He smiled at the question. She could feel his lips curve against her shoulder. “Lilah was always getting on my nerves like all little sisters are supposed to. Always taking my things and managing to ruin them. I swear it is something implemented in them at birth. This one time, I had gotten her a paint set for her birthday. And to thank me, she painted a wall in my room with a giant yellow sun and daisies popping up in a bright green field with hearts and bees scattered all over – hardly anything a teenage boy would want in his room. She didn’t know any better and, at the time, I was so mad that she did that. But when she presented me with the mural that she had worked so hard on, I couldn’t find it in my heart to chastise her. Delilah was so proud of what she had done. I just kissed her on her forehead and told her I loved it. To this day, I still have her colorful daisies and bright sun covering my wall."

There was a small pause before he continued.

“I still remember the first time she turned into a wolf. She was the cutest thing – nothing but a dark brown fuzz ball of a pup. I’d play with her in wolf form, teaching her how to wrestle and hunt bugs and mice because she was too small for rabbits and the like. Lilah took being a wolf very seriously. She absorbed everything I told her like a sponge. She was smart and strong. And I know that she would have grown in to an amazing wolf.

“God, Tegan. You don’t know how much I miss her – hearing her voice early in the morning, waking me up so we can start her training. Everyone knew better than to wake me up at some ungodly hour when the sun had barely broke across the horizon…but not her. She didn’t care how grumpy I got with her. She would jump on my bed and pester me until she got her way.”

Tegan smiled, wondering what Soren would have been like back then, when he didn’t carry so much heartache. “She sounds like an amazing little girl. I wish I would have gotten the chance to meet her.”

“She would have liked you. And you would have liked her in return. She had that kind of effect on people. Lilah would have brought a smile to your face on your darkest days.”

Both of them had moved around to get more comfortable and ended up in a different position. They were pretty much laying on the cold, hard ground. His coat balled up behind her head while his head rested in the crook of her arm. She hugged him to her and they shared body heat to keep warm.

“Let’s move back to your brother,” Tegan suggested. “Why do you have all this hatred for him? He is your sibling, too. And from what I seen, he seems to care about you.”

Soren snorted. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He has been gone for three fucking years. He didn’t even bother to show up for his sister’s funeral…didn’t even bother calling. No one heard from him. He just disappeared without a goddamned word. Now, all of a sudden he just blows back into our lives as if nothing happened. Like we should be all open arms welcoming him back. I don’t think so.”

“Did you ever talk to him about why he was gone?”

“I don’t give a fuck anymore,” he spit venomously. “I am done with him. If he couldn’t have come home, he should have called, written…anything! But we got not a goddamned word from him for three years and then he just shows up out of the blue. It is unforgivable.”

“Maybe something happened that prevented him from doing so,” Tegan tried to reason.

“Like what?” he snapped.

“I don’t know. Maybe you should ask him. Have a civil conversation with him, Soren. If you do not get anything out of him, or if his excuse isn’t justifiable, then you can write him off and never speak with him again. But at least hear him out. He is your brother and shares the same blood you do. Give him a chance.”

He huddled into her side, taking ease in her comfort. “What if I can’t do it? What if I can’t face him?”

“Have a little faith in yourself. You are strong, noble – for the most part – and completely pig-headed.”

He chuckled at that.

“You might not get the answers you are looking for, but at least one way or another you will be able to settle things with your brother. I really don’t know what kind of guy he is. All I can say is that you can at least give him a chance.”

They were quiet for a moment. Soren was the first to break the growing silence.

“Tegan?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m going to leave the island.”

“What!” She shifted so she could look at his face. “Why?”

Soren sighed. “I just need time away, to regroup.”

“You’re not running away are you?” Tegan demanded.

“I’m taking a breather is all. I can’t face my brother right now. I-it just hurts too much,” he said.

“How long do you think you are going to be away?” she asked.

“I don’t know, just until I can get my head on straight. I want to try to get rid of some of this anger consuming me. It will make it easier to talk to him if he isn’t gone by then. But for right now, I don’t want to be alone. Can you just stay with me for a while?” he asked, hoping that she would.

She smiled at him warmly. “Yeah, wolf-boy. I’ll stay with you for awhile.”

Soren wrapped his arms around her middle and held her closer as if he were afraid to let her go. She let him take comfort from her, allowing him to have something that he had wanted for such a long time. It was the most peaceful moment shared between them.