The Gate of Shadows

A soft smile rose on my wolf’s lips, trailing his fingers down my cheek.

"Liam... I’ll need you to clear your schedule for the next few weeks," Fenris ordered, not turning his gaze away from me.

Upon hearing his alpha's command, the brown wolf nodded. "Already cleared Fen,” he confirmed.

"Good. Melody... if I can’t convince Ryker to let me stay with Lilith during the festival. Can you do it for me?" My wolf turned to her slightly.

“Of course!” She grinned, wagging her tail.

His question left me hollow, though.

Are you leaving me during the festival? I won’t have you by my side for that entire week if that happens.

If that was what he meant, I couldn’t expect everything to go as planned. My time was running out.

Upon hearing her confirmation, he smiled at her, making her cheeks rosy. She quickly turned to Liam, whose eyes twitched because of her reaction towards Fenris. Perhaps he wished she would react similarly to him, but she always did.

"Great.” Fenris turned to me.

“Lily... You can’t leave this room for the time being." He informed, cupping my cheek on his palm.

Not only would he have to leave me as soon as the festival began, but I would also have to be stuck in this room.

This isn’t good at all.

Everything was getting complicated in ways I hadn’t expected.

"Fenris, I..." I wanted to complain but couldn’t pull any words together.

How can I make things more difficult for you? Bear it...

"We can’t trust anyone here in Cerberus. I hope you understand, Lily." Fenris added.

I nodded, not happy about it, but I wouldn’t go against his wishes. All he was trying to do was protect me. However, I would be separated from him once the festival began, which bothered me the most. The timing for everything seemed off.

Everything is too perfect and convenient to be accurate. Why are they isolating you from me?

It didn’t make me confident that the festival would go as everyone hoped. There were only a few things I could try to do before it began. Grabbing onto Fenris's shirt, I drew him towards me when he went to get up.

"Wait, I’ll be a good girl... but in one condition." I started, causing him to get flushed cheeks because of how he fell onto me.

Melody went to grab Liam and headed for the door, fearing it was about to get too embarrassing to stay in the room.

"W-what’s t-that?" Fenris stuttered.

All I wanted was for him to...

"I’ll need one of those tablets. If I can’t go to the library, it’ll just have to come to me." I suggested, smiling innocently.

It caused Fenris to sigh in disappointment, thinking I would say something else. Liam and Melody appeared to relax, too.

"Hah... Okay. I’ll call Ben to buy you one. He’ll bring it to you after he finishes in town." My wolf chuckled nervously.

Cute, I can… No, focus!

"Ben’s in town?" I asked, curious.

"Yeah, he went to deal with the news company. Hopefully, they’ll rescind the publication. Either way, it’s out now, so we must be extra vigilant." Fenris answered.

I nodded, letting him go.

Extra vigilant, huh?

Even if Stella hadn’t seen the article yet, it would only be a matter of time before she did. Most of Cerberus thought she was dead, along with the other Moira sisters, yet I knew in my heart that she was still out there.

Tania took it upon herself to travel, following any leads that might have led her to them.  Though, I knew she was moving chess pieces from the shadows.

Ah… it’s been years since I thought of you so much.

That day was longer than any day should have been, and waiting for Ben to return was the worst. At least I had Fenris, Melody, and Liam with me the entire time. With them in the room, it almost felt like a typical day.

Melody tried to distract me with idle chatter while Fenris and Liam searched on their phones for fresh developments. Thankfully, Ben arrived before dusk, shifting the atmosphere to change again in the room.

The older brother had dark circles under his eyes, as if years of life had been shaved off him within hours. Even though he was tired, he always tried to hide his fatigue behind his smile.

Why do the people I care about have to suffer?

All the while, I was helpless in doing anything to help them.

“Hey, Lilith, don’t look so worried. Everything will be okay.” Ben assured me, handing me the bag with my new tablet.

A soft sigh left me before Fenris scuffled my hair, exiting the room with Ben and Liam. I couldn’t be a part of whatever they were about to talk about. Even though it annoyed me intensely, I stayed put, turning my sights on the new device in front of my eyes.

Technology has never been my thing, so I have never asked for a phone or anything like it. But… I regret it now. How do I use this?

Taking it out of the package was easy enough, but turning it on was unknown to me, much to Melody's amusement and my embarrassment. Sitting beside me on Fenris's bed, she helped me set up the machine, teaching me how to open browsers and search for things.

It amazed me how much information was at one's fingertips with one of these things. I didn’t know how long the boys would be outside. However, I took the chance to ask Melody about what she knew about the festival.

"Hey... do you know anything about the upcoming moon festival?" I asked, shifting my gaze onto her.

"Oh, I know little about it. The pack is keeping me out of it." She answered plainly.

"Oh... I see." I focused again on the tablet, trying to hide how her words had left me.

However, she caught on to my change in demeanor and sighed.

"I only know that Fenris is supposed to gain this mystical power from the moon, which will also pass to his future offspring." She relented.

A rush of happiness pulsed through me.

A step closer. Finally...

"Is it the red moon?" I asked, trying to clarify what she was saying.

"Yes, that one." She affirmed, leaving me with a sense of satisfaction within.

I knew she wouldn’t say much, but at least she knew more details than I did.

Fenris is going to gain new power from the blood moon, which will be passed down to his future generations.

I could see why his parents chose the 'perfect' bride for him.

You have so much on your shoulders.

"Thank you." I smiled at Melody, grateful she allowed me in.

She sighed, shaking her head, "If you want to know more, why not ask Fenris?"

Oh no…

This wolf was getting suspicious of me, and she was right. I should’ve asked him, even though...

"I don’t think he’ll answer truthfully," I mumbled, gazing away from her.

She nudged me by the side, bringing my glance back onto her.

"You won’t know if you don’t try." Melody encouraged, knowing she had left me wanting more than she could give.

After that minor exchange, she taught me how to use the tablet before excusing herself as she was too overdue to return to the shop. With my newfound information, I tried to navigate the tablet's abundance of data.

Shade hopped on my lap to see for herself, too.

Who knew technology would be one of the most extraordinary beasts I'd ever fought to tame?