Dark Twin Moon - The Awakening

Chapter 20:

It went way better than Kayleb could have imagined. At first, he feared they would be a little 'extra' like they were with him, but no. They treated him differently, more compassionately. It warmed Kayleb's cold heart.

Even when he came to this city completely broken, he had everything to protect himself. But Luke didn't have any of that confidence, authority, or sinister looks. He was a little, frail boy who had been abused and hadn't grown an inch over the years, or so it seemed, which didn't surprise Kayleb. He learned early on from his mentor that forcing a lycan or werewolf into a role other than the one predetermined by fate during their developmental years would have severe consequences for their physical condition and mental performance.

For a long time, Kayleb couldn't think about anything other than the miserable life his soon-to-be first pack member had before he found him. Until darkness began to grip the world, Kayleb knew he would soon welcome Luke into his pack as the first wolf beneath him, and he would finally get his first taste of being an Alpha.

He apologized to his circle of friends when he told them they had to leave soon. Just as he did that, his nervousness and worry that Luke might not survive what they had to do got the better of him. After all, it wouldn't be the first time someone didn't make it.

However, Kayleb had to put that fear aside before anyone saw it, especially Luke. So before anyone could see or smell anything that betrayed his fear, he stepped into the hallway with shaking hands. As he gazed at the busts, which looked so much like him, he again had the strange feeling of being watched, as if those eyes were following him. Ignoring those feelings, he mentally prepared to chase away anyone attracted to the noises he was about to make that were impossible to hide.

With one gentle movement, he rotated one of the busts one hundred and eighty degrees to the right, then another in a different direction. After that, he had to do the same with two more. The turning of any of those gears could be heard deep in the house, but as soon as he punched in the right combination, it became unbearably loud.

It only lasted a minute. Maybe a little longer. He'd never given the mechanism a second thought, so he didn't know how long it really took. He only guessed.

One of the indentations was pulled back along with one of the busts. The only face Kayleb couldn't recognize because it was one of his oldest ancestors. How anyone could make a bust of someone long dead that no one less than a hundred thousand years old had ever seen was strange. He always thought, what a miracle that was. But he didn't question it further. Stranger things had happened.

As the pedestal was pulled back along with the bust, deeper into the house, another was pulled out from the side: one with a large stone goblet on top. The chalice was closed with a lid. The lycan reached out one of its claws on his right hand and ran it down his other arm to his wrist. There, he made a small incision. Due to a magical mechanism, it would be impossible for anyone but him and his blood relatives to open it.

A drop of blood, perfectly placed in the center of the chalice lid, surrounded by many ornaments, sufficed: it slowly opened like a flower.

The moment the top decoration - which turned out to be part of the chalice but also separate - fully opened, so did the lid. The stone petals appeared to grow larger as the calyx opened fully. They got stuck on the sides, which only added to the appearance of a flower. The little bud on top of the lid served as a knot. But when it opened, it looked like a flower, only it opened sideways.

Kayleb was so fascinated by what he saw that he only realized he had made a mistake when something painfully impacted his lower body near his lower abs. He stepped back quickly, just in time for the petals to expand and harden into a solid rock once fully extended. If Kayleb hadn't moved, there was no doubt in his mind that he would have been badly injured.