The Gate of Shadows

Staring at what appeared to be a hungry wolf, I couldn’t help but avoid Liam’s gaze.

I… have to say something, but—

"I-I..." I started, yet the words refused to form.

If you know about us, then… Surely you must know about…

Liam shrugged, scuffling my hair. "Don’t worry. I would never do anything to hurt you or Fen. You’ve both been through enough."

Don’t you blame me for what happened to your family and friends?

"Fenris told you?" I questioned, glancing towards the floor, unable to face him anymore.

How would you look at me? With Scorn? Anger?

I didn’t want to know.

"No, they let me keep my memories. I’m supposed to be Fenris's right hand when he becomes the alpha. So, I know everything." Liam answered, leaving little doubt behind his words.

"I see. Liam, I’m..." Before I could finish, Liam suddenly tugged me towards a lounge in a nearby solitary area.

No one was there, and we were away from prying eyes and ears.

Grabbing onto my cheeks, he tugged me to face him. "Oi, sweetheart, don’t be. It wasn’t your fault. Honestly, I don’t know all the details of what happened to you, but I know enough to know that no child... No child or adult deserves what you’ve been through.”

Huh?

His words couldn’t be true.

“I like to put myself in people's shoes before I judge. Honestly, I would’ve destroyed this bloody world if I were you. Yet you resisted the urge to.” He simpered, gazing at me with an affection of sorts.

I could only stare at him with my eyes wide open.

“I didn’t know how to say this to you. So, I avoided it. But... After hearing, you say you were sorry for being born. I want you to know I’m thankful for everything you did and for saving so many with—" he stopped when tears trailed down my cheeks.

Ben and Fenris said something like me before, but I never thought someone else would say that. I couldn’t even find it in me to hide the tears, even though my bracelets were supposed to keep me from feeling negative emotions.

Yet I...

"Hey, I... don’t cry. Fuck, Fen will murder me if you look like that." Liam sighed, gazing towards the side.

I was bawling my eyes out, unable to control it.

"I can’t help it." I sobbed.

Before I knew it, I was in his arms, gripping my tiny body against his. Gripping onto his shirt, I cried on him.

"Geez, Lilith, I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through. I’m also sorry it took me this long to say anything." His voice shook.

The emotions surging through me were so different from the usual sorrow.

Yes… this is so different.

It was like I felt a weight being lifted from my shoulders. Shade purred, rubbing onto Liam’s cheek, much to my surprise.  Yet another Lycan was opening my closed heart to the world. Unable to stop, I cried for a while on him.

Liam tried his best to comfort me with little success. However, when the phone rang, he became alarmed when he saw the name of the person calling. My beloved wolf was checking on why we were taking so long.

It prompted Liam to gesture to be quieter gently, trying to devise an excuse. He quickly flinched at the tone Fenris used against him, though. I couldn’t hear what he said, but the brown wolf was sweating bullets.

"The pieces of bread are being made!" he lied, biting his lip soon after.

Luckily, my wolf bought his excuse. After hanging up, Liam appeared to be in a crisis, eyes twitching.

"There better be fresh bread, or I’m fucking dead!" He mumbled, glancing towards the door to the lounge we were in.

Seeing him flustered made me giggle, prompting his amber eyes to fall on me. There, a soft smile rose on his lips. After waiting a couple more minutes to calm me, he led me out of the room we hid in.

Finally arriving at the shop, Liam begged the owner for fresh bread even though he was closing. While we waited, he bought me a pack of ice to place on my eyes. It was to quell the swelling that rose from my crying.

I created some chatter to calm the apparent jitters the call had left him.

"So, when did you meet Melody?" I asked, trying to be friendly.

My question caused the wolf to freeze before shaking his head. His mind probably was still on Fenris, which could explain why he appeared to be a fish out of water.

"What? Oh... I met her about seven years ago. Her baking attracted me to her shop. I’ll have you know that sweets are my guilty pleasure.” He found his voice, smiling.

Ah… You’re fond of that memory, aren’t you?

“When I first saw her, she worked with her grandmother at their shop. They brought out the biggest and most beautiful cake I’ve ever seen." Liam recounted, shifting his orbs towards me.

There had to be more, but I wouldn’t pry myself into his cherished memory.

"Was she here for..." I trailed off, not wanting to finish, fearing the answer he would give.

"No, they came after. However, the explosions destroyed part of their bakery. Mel's grandmother was in there. Sadly, she didn’t make it." Liam stopped, biting his lip.

Oh…

"Ah... Did she suffer?" I continued to query, not knowing if it was too much.

Social interactions weren’t my thing, but I felt comfortable with him.

"I don’t know. When I found Melody, she was holding her grandmother's body in her arms. That was when she jumped in between me and the blades." He informed me, shrugging.

Melody was fearless.

Can I be like her?

"Ah... So, you weren’t in the bakery when it started?" I continued.

He shook his head. "No, I was back at Cerberus. I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast in my life. Even though my senses were a mess, I had to make it there. There was no way I’d leave Melody alone in that mess."

So, even Liam can act rationally.

Standing up from the bench we sat on, he grabbed a lollipop from the counter.

"She seems like a lovely girl." I smiled.

He turned towards me, responding with the same yet brighter smile.

Wait… You…

"Hah... Melody’s something special." Liam chuckled.

His expression was so gentle when he thought of her.

I wish Fenris would look the same for me.

Aches in my chest began to arise, making me clasp onto my dress.

"Oh, she is?" I mumbled.

"Oh, shut up." He shot back, cheeks rosy.

Damn… I…

My gaze shot downward to the tiles on the floor.

I crossed a line I shouldn’t have.

"Sorry," I whispered.

His words showed no anger, but I didn’t expect that reaction.

"No... I didn’t... Arg... Melody can’t shift into her beast ever since she was born." Liam blurted, trying to change the subject.

I glanced at him again, noticing how red his cheeks had gotten.

Oh? I didn’t mess it up.

"I see," I mumbled, trying not to pry further.

The last thing I wanted was for him to hate me for being too nosey.

"Yeah, no doctor can figure out why, and they labeled her a runt because of it." He continued.

A runt was a Lycan who couldn’t shift into its wolf form. Essentially, they were cut off from their other self, dulling their senses compared to a functional wolf. That could’ve explained why Melody stayed calm despite all the explosions.

Much like my subrace, her condition was looked down upon.

To not be able to shift means one is cripple as a Lycan.

"That’s harsh," I whispered, not liking that Melody was going through something like me.

Unlike me, she killed no one, making everything that headed her way undeserving.  

Liam nodded, "Yeah, it doesn’t bother or stop her from being reckless. She keeps smiling, no matter what anyone says. Even when she hurts..." he trailed off, sitting next to me once again.

It didn’t take an empath to know the brown wolf was worried sick about her. From how he carefully grabbed the box to the frown on his lips, it screamed all I needed to know.

When I first saw Melody... The black aura radiated from her. Could it have caused her shift problems rather than a defect?

"Did she ever see a witch?" I asked, turning to face him.

A witch/warlock could’ve told her if she was cursed. Well, if they wanted to help Melody. But…

Lycans and witchcraft users didn’t like each other. They could quickly identify any medical reasons that caused a Lycan to be a runt with testing.

Something isn’t, right?

"Yeah, she has been to every type of doctor," he answered.

His words caused me to shake my head, narrowing my eyes.

Figures they wouldn’t help each other.

I had seen cursed items in Ryker's office the few times Fenris had to take me to talk to that elf. They had the same aura, although most of them had some cracks, unlike hers.

There were no weak points in her curse. Just how…

"I see... Will you believe me if I tell you?" I mumbled.

His glance met mine, "On?" he tilted his head.

I pointed towards my eyes. "What I see.”.

His brows lifted, and his eyes widened, biting his lip. For a moment, he studied me, yet I didn’t tug away from facing him.

A soft smile rose on his lips, "And what did you see?"

"She’s cursed." I declared, glancing towards the baker who had come out of his kitchen.

He had come out to grab a couple of ingredients before going back in. It somewhat startled me.

"What?" Liam mumbled.

His words caused me to gaze back at him.

"Melody has a black aura radiating from her. I’m no expert, and I’ve only seen that once in Ryker's office. There’s a cursed item that reminds me of her in there. It may be what’s keeping her from shifting.” I informed, shifting my glance to my hands. “But it has no cracks. So, I don’t…"

"What are you talking about? Cracks?" Liam continued to try to keep up with me.

Magic wasn’t something Lycans knew much about. Even if they were trained in Latin to know witchcraft spells, they knew nothing about what made them tick.

A soft hum left my lips; shaking my head, "My bond with the... You know, it allows me to see special things. Usually, in magical spells, I can see cracks or weak points within; if I concentrate, I can dispel them. Curses aren’t any different."

It triggered him suddenly to grab onto my hand. His eyes were full of life, almost sparkling.  

"Then, can you help her?" Liam asked, tightening his grip on me.

Help? I… No, I can’t!

It would be better for him to find a more stable witch to help Melody.

"I don’t trust myself enough even to try. Especially for a spell strong enough to have no cracks. I could end up hurting her instead." I tugged away from him, planting my eyes on the floor.

I had no confidence in my ability to help her or anyone else. If it were an object perhaps, but a person I… Shivers ran down my spine just with the simple thought of it.

"Ah... I see. I won’t push you to do something you aren’t comfortable doing. Well, thank you for letting me know." Liam sighed. “I don’t understand why the others said it wasn’t a curse.”

The baker finally came out of his kitchen, hands full of goodies.

"Sorry... we can be resentful," I whispered low enough for him to hear.

Standing up, we paid for our items and left the shop. On the way back to the room, Liam took a few steps ahead of me, turned towards me, and smiled.

"Lilith... You put yourself down too much. I think you’ll be a witch that witches will bow to one day." He assured me.

My heart lifted momentarily before I shook my head, crashing back into reality.

That’s impossible.

I like him. Shade commented, causing me to giggle.

The people I was around shone a light on places I thought would never reach. Perhaps there was more to this world than Fenris and Ben.

"Liam, I think that would be a pleasant dream." I smiled back at him.

A hopeful dream indeed.