Bless Me

14

Dorian offered his hand. Isolde took it and heaved a sigh. Isolde swallowed roughly, as he took her back to his home. His eyes were burning into her as always. She yearned for her blindfold. The darkness was comforting.

"What is that you yearn for? I wish I could give it you, Isolde. You are always so discontent."

"What I truly yearn for you cannot give to me."

"Tell me what it is. I'll try."

She paused. "What I want...more than anything in the world is to have one normal day. Just one day where I'm not a priestess or a captive or anyone's caretaker. Where I'm free, and happy and have no burdens. Where I know where my family is. Where I can be who I am."

Dorian looked down. "You're right. I can't give that to you right now."

Isolde scoffed. "I know that—"

"But I'm working to create a world where that's possible." He whispered.

Isolde just heaved a sigh. What a beautiful dream it was but it wasn't realistic. It wasn't possible. What he was trying to do—what he said he was trying to do—want something that was possible.

"You don't believe it do you?"

She glanced back at him, and then at his lane. Everything was well groomed. Nice bright grass, everyone seemed content, all the building and houses seemed taken care of. Hee was probably a good alpha.

"What I believe will happen is that you will waste my life blessing your dream and then it will fall apart. Just like my one normal day. It's nice but it's not reality and it never will be."

Dorian stood opposite of her. A soft wind breezes showing the gap between them.

"Have faith in me—"

"Why?" She demanded. "Why should I have faith in you? You say you're going to tear down a system while using it to achieve what you want."

He frowned. "I.."

"In order for me to have one normal day, everything about myself and the world would have to change. In order for the world you want to exist...the world would have to change. I know you're an arrogant alpha...but you don't think you change the world do you?"

Dorian looked down. "Why can't I?"

Isolde scoffed. "How do you plan to tear those systems down?"

He looked up at her. "First I'll ask nicely."

"And then?"

Dorian scoffed. "I'm not the villain here, Isolde. I'm only doing what has to be done but I am a good man. I truly am. Deep down. Don't you think?"

Isolde hugged herself. "I think you believe that. But from where I'm standing you're just like every other alpha."

Dorian frowned deeply. "You'll see, Isolde. I'll save your sisters. I'll find your family. I'll right this world. And I will give you one normal day...to make up for these. And then you'll have to see that I'm doing the right thing."

Isolde just walked up into the building silently. Dorian swallowed roughly, narrowing his eyes. The guilt he felt toward her was heavy, but he had to do it.

He followed after her. Isolde carried herself with such grace and certainty. He wondered if she'd always been like that. That air of divinity. He followed after her racing up the steps.

"Is it so hard to believe that I could be right?" He demanded. "Must you look at me with those eyes?"

She stared down at him, quirking his brow before continuing into the house. "I don't know what you want from me, Dorian."

He scoffed, but said nothing. It was a good question. What did he want? He wanted her to have faith in him. That was worth her blessings tenfold. The knowledge that she believed in him. He understood it was far fetched. But for the amount he was taking from her—everything—at least if she believed...

"I wonder if that Moon Goddess sent me a devil. Pure and holy, above all equal, women of peace and women of power—"

"Do not you dare quote to me the scriptures of my goddess. You who took them before they could learn to read one—" she seethed.

"Women of value, women of valor, of victories, women of virtues. That's what it said isn't. And who is this Priestess—"

She stopped at the top of the stairs, the setting sun flaming the sky behind her.

"We were all of those things—peace, power, value, victor—you took that from us! We are now women of war. I am what I am because of men like you. And let you not ever—Alpha Dorian—ever deign to forget it again."

He stepped forward, reaching out. There went her fury, burning brighter than the sun behind her, the flames singeing his fingertips, and yet he reached froward still.

She lifted her hand. "Don't. I am a Priestess of the fallen now. I am a Priestess of revenge, because you have stolen my peace and will not have you pretending that has all vanished because you have a dream!"

"And how little my life is worth it cannot measure up to your dream—"

"Isolde," he murmured.

"Which has now expanded. It's always expanding. A dream. Wake up! It will never be enough!" She shouted.

Dorian reached out to her, putting his hand on hers. "Isolde. Isolde wait. Come here."

Dorian heaved a sigh. "You are...a manifestation of the Goddess just wrath against Lycans. But so too am I."

He let his eyes shift.

"The sight..." she whispered. "So you do have it?"

He smiled softly. "I am not like them. Even the Goddess knows this. So believe in me."

She frowned. He used other magic. But he also had sight? A dilemma. Could the Goddess have truly blessed him?

Her gaze flicked away, and scoffed. The Goddess huh? Dorian smiled as she walked away her head held high. He chewed on his bottom lip pensively before running up after her.