To touch moonlight
~
Lycus
~

"You did a headcount?"

"Yes, Alpha. Twice. No werewolf will be getting out tonight, they're all restrained and are in the cellars." Tala reported.

Now we just have to wait for the morning, Lycus thought briefly. It was mandatory, through Lycus's influence, that every werewolf was restrained and under watch until dawn.

There was a time Lycus didn't implement such rules but with each full moon, there was a lesson to be learnt.

Werewolves were slowly becoming a larger group compared to lycans.

Originally, lycans were one pack. A family, some would say, but most shared no family ties, especially to the leaders. They only had the curse in common and soon enough, certain lycans branched off into groups, hungry for authority and control — creating more packs.

Lycus's father allowed this — he encouraged it if it meant more mass power across lands. While the Fenris family took to the dark forest, others took to the mountains, the seas or caves. Some lycans created their pack, and established their bloodline, but would always be bound to the first lycans. The Fenris family.

"I think it's time you go, Tala," Lycus said, not diverting his eyes from the forest and watching the sun sink behind the trees. "We don't want the wolves thinking you're getting special treatment."

Tala laughed. "I'm your Beta, Alpha, of course, I'm getting special treatment."

Indeed, she was.

Lycus didn't bite Tala Avan nearly twenty years ago for no reason. They crossed paths at a bar after Tala got booted to the curb by her parents with only twenty dollars to her name.

Lycus felt pity for her until she got them both kicked out of the bar.

That night onward, a friendship was forged — an alliance.

"Run along Tala, have Gabriel restrain you; he's doing rounds at the moment," Lycus ordered sternly.

Tala lightly shoved him. "See you in the morning, Alpha."

Disappearing, Tala dashed to where all the other werewolves were and Lycus crossed his arms, scanning the forest. The clouds had parted, welcoming the dimming sun and the skies became dusk with dark reds and oranges. 

The full moon would invade the skies and would greet lunacy and madness.

It was the same process, every full moon, werewolves were locked away to maintain control. It was a tiresome cycle, but Lycus couldn't afford any mistakes, every detail set over the years had to be kept in place. He wasn't like his father, encouraging a bloodbath to welcome the wolf and he wasn't like the current Alphas. Lycus valued order and control; maybe a little chaos now and again.

A crack shot from behind him and Lycus didn't bother to look back.

"You aren't missing your pack?" Lycus asked his brother who came to his side.

Gabriel peered his head up to the skies above and clouds parted to unveil the pallid and silver full moon.

"I just got off the phone with my Beta," Gabriel informed him. "Everything is under control."

Lycus laid a sturdy hand onto his brother's shoulder, clasping it sharply. "Let's hope so, brother."

The Fenris brothers were welcomed with earth-shattering howls. Wailing and screeching howls of devastation and disaster reaping across Lycus's territory. His wolves crying for release and to give into what they were. Werewolves.

~

Lycus clasped the doorknob tightly and immediately found himself at a standstill.

His teeth grounded together as he battled with himself. To open the door, to not open the door ... perhaps it would be better to knock.

He knew better to be here, after the words he exchanged with Accalia earlier today. He was on edge, fighting for control and yet, his footsteps led him here.

"Cadence, I'll kick you off this bed if you keep it up."

Her voice welcomed his ears before he could ask for it. Her sweet-sounding and dulcet voice made his eyes glimmer into darkness and his canines elongate.

"Ah, what? I'm joking. It isn't my problem—"

A thump wallowed inside of the room and a scramble ensued.

Lycus released the door latch to leave, knowing this was a mistake.

The sound of a door smacking against a wall cracked loudly and two bodies fell to the floor, spluttering incoherent words to each other.

Lycus turned back with a bemused face, brows shooting up as he observed the two women tackling each other to the ground and making sure only one remained down.

Cadence had the upper hand at the minute, having Accalia beneath her with a forearm stuck under her chin.

"Are you going to tap out?" Cadence grinned and stuck her tongue at her.

Accalia laughed, her laugh soaring through Lycus's senses, planting him on the spot without any intention of moving.

"In your dreams," Accalia wheezed out and jutted her jaw up only to see Lycus standing over her.

"We got company, Cadence," Accalia said, which caused Cadence to shift her gaze and a crack of succession was within reach.

Accalia locked her legs around Cadence and shifted her weight upward, taking her off guard. Accalia landed on her side and to her feet, finally getting out of Cadence's grip.

She didn't stop there, she locked Cadence down with her foot and held her in place.

"Hey!" Cadence growled out and tried to get out of Accalia's confining hold. "That's not fair, you did that on purpose!"

"Rematch?" Accalia called out, staring down at Cadence with a grin.

Cadence flipped her off with narrowing eyes, unimpressed with the turn of events.

Accalia moved away from her, brimming with pride and Cadence got to her feet, looking nothing short of disgruntled.

"That's not fair," Cadence called out.

"You still want a rematch?"

Cadence gestured to the person in front of them. "Not with lover boy here, he hasn't stopped staring at you since I threw you out the door."

Accalia crossed her arms. "You didn't throw me out the door — you're being dramatic."

"Oh, whatever—"

Lycus cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck.

Cadence snickered. "What?"

"I want to talk to my mate," Lycus locked eyes on Accalia. "If that's okay with you?"

"I thought it was best to stay away from each other because of the full moon." Accalia reminded him.

"I know, but —" he trailed off once he realised he no longer had his mate's attention.

Accalia turned to her cousin, all focused on her and the two cousins mirrored each other greatly, a message passing between them.

Annoyance fuelled his insides and if he could lock himself away with his wolves, he would do it in a heartbeat.

Cadence threw her arms in the air with a curled lip. "I don't want to be the third wheel in this shit show, anyway."

"Cadence is angry," Lycus observed and watched Cadence stalk down the hall, disappearing around a corner.

Accalia waved a dismissive hand. "Cadence is rough around the edges, that's all. Why did you want to see me?"

The question hung thick in the hallway and Lycus found himself in a fog he couldn't escape.

The moon was playing with him. Making him empty-headed, and giddy — he never felt more tongue-tied and starved.

"I—er, don't worry about it." Lycus hashed out and stepped back, his face hardening.

"Alright," Accalia exhaled and shook her head in annoyance.

As always, something stopped him in his tracks even though he wanted nothing more to take off. Take off to rid himself of these clinging attachments and disgusting emotions he thought were long gone.

But it was the tether that had bound them together that tugged Lycus forward with just a mere step and he grounded his teeth together to put his damned thoughts into a sentence.

"I heard what you said to Cadence before we met with Vaela, do you think I'm nothing but a beast?" In the depths of his mind, her words were plagued with a blackness so dark he thought he could get lost in it. And for Lycus, getting lost in the darkness wasn't unfamiliar to him. It was easy, gripping and addicting.

Accalia huffed, face drawn in disbelief as she threw her arms in the air. "I don't know what you expect from me, Lycus. You're a lycan and I'm mated to you. A lycan is a beast and that's what you are."

A pit of heavy hollowness plummeted onto him like an avalanche and he wondered if he would ever recover from that blow. He knew he would, there were worse matters than the mouth of an insolent huntress.

What do I want with her? Lycus found himself asking no one, no one to answer and no one to care.

"But—but,"

He didn't even realise his head was hanging low until he snapped it up, searching Accalia's face.

"There's something humane about you, Lycus. I know that. You were human once."

That was enough. Bone-crushingly enough. Accalia didn't need to add anything else. She didn't need to include the fact of how horrible he had been to her ever since they met even though she may want to. It already haunted Lycus, leaving his soul like a ghost town, forsaken and desolate — but he knew he should feel that way.

He should bathe in the guilt and have it plague his heart until he meets his grave. From all the pain he had caused Accalia, his mate, he deserved her hate and anguish.

And yet, she had the guts, the pluck of compassion to refer to him as humane.

Humane. Human. A man.

Not just a beast and not just a lycan.

Perhaps it was the moon fuelling him now more than ever, but he was in front of her, chest rocking with hers and eyes tainted in blackness.

"You hate me, don't you?" Lycus questioned, his voice coming out hoarse and desperate.

Accalia moved uncomfortably but stayed in front of him, her warm skin blazing onto him like engulfing flames and he would gladly get burnt.

"You're presence has become tolerable." Accalia choked out in reluctance.

"And if I let you run, would you go?" He didn't know where these bouts of questions came from. It seemed like it came from thin air but he knew better, they had toyed in the coils of his mind and played with him since he first met her.

"If you didn't come after me, then yes I would. If you did come after me, I still would."

Never had a female surrounded his thought process as much. Not even the slightest, because he couldn't find it in himself to care. Not after Accalia. If she ran, Lycus would always chase after her.

"Before you, I was so certain about things. I never craved a mate, I didn't need one but now you've evaded my existence. It must be the mate bond." He gritted the last words out and shook his head.

"What's with all the questions, Lycus? You're never this talkative." Accalia asked suddenly, face shifting in concern and he almost hated looking at it.

"It must be the full moon," Lycus ushered breathlessly and dragged his hand down his face. "I'll speak to you later. Good night—"

Accalia stalked into her room and slammed the door behind her.

Before he realised, his boots pinned against Accalia's door and he slammed his fist onto the wooden surface. "Open the door, Accalia."

"You said goodnight, Lycus." He could almost taste the bitterness in her tone as she called from the other side of the door.

Grinding his teeth together, Lycus placed his arms by his sides so he wouldn't break the door down. It wouldn't take much, just one swift kick and then the barrier between them would be in shambles.

"You can't just leave like that. I'm not leaving until you open this door," Lycus growled out to her through the wood.

He could hear noises on the other side and he wouldn't be surprised if Accalia was preparing to stab him with whatever weapons she had on her.

"Wait," Accalia grumbled at the door and moments later, it flew open.

Lycus's eyes drank her in. She wore nothing but shorts that reached her upper thighs and a thin singlet that could easily be shed. She crossed her arms, a movement she always did to comfort herself and Lycus almost growled at the sight of her breasts moving with the tide of her arms. Her mane of unruly and thick hair curtained her upper body and gushed down. His eyes met hers.

Fuck, she's beautiful, Lycus thought.

A swelling tightness invaded Lycus's jeans and he thought he would break his jaw right at the minute from how hard he was clenching it. He shot his mate a dark glare and she merely frowned at him. Of course, she wouldn't realise the effect she had over him.

"I've opened the door for you, what do you want?"

"I'm not doing anything right now, is it a crime to want to be around you?" Lycus sneered.

"Well, with an attitude like that—"

"Perfect." He brushed past her and made his way into her room without so much of a clarification he could do so. It was his house, after all.

"—never mind then."

A door closed behind him and he had to control his breathing. Her scent was all that surrounded him. Her sweet and inviting essence overwhelmed his nostrils wickedly.

He blinked, making sure his eyes were the natural amber he was born with and not the pure black that was cursed upon him. Lycus peered around to distract himself, taking in the room and seeing if anything had changed. It hadn't. The lavender-painted walls remained untouched, the room was small and simple with a double bed, a wardrobe and the eminent notion of it being what it was meant for. A guest.

But to Lycus, Accalia wasn't a guest. Her belongings were laid out in the corner of the room, clothes neatly folded and books stacked by the wall.

Lycus stalked over and picked up a book with a dark green cover on it, the spine of it creased.

"Can I read you a story?" Lycus turned back around and saw his mate cocooned in the duvet covers and eyes fluttering open at his words.

He didn't even notice her crawling into the bed but didn't find it in himself to care at the moment. If he was staying up, she might as well be up with him to keep him company.

"If that gets you out of the room, then yes," Accalia mumbled into the blanket and shifted to her side, pulling the blanket over her head.

Lycus came over to the other side of the bed and sprawled along it, the mattress dipping. He knew he was being intrusive and forceful, but he didn't know how else to go about it. He didn't know how to connect with Accalia and spend his time with her.

Accalia's eyes peeked out of the blanket and locked onto Lycus, who flipped the book open and began scanning the page.

"Fairytales?" Lycus questioned, amused.

Accalia frowned. "I bought it at a second-hand store. Start reading or leave."

"Once upon a time," the classical and famed words said.

With each word that spilled from Lycus's lips, the more his tone softened and grew even.

Accalia kept falling in and out of rest as she listened.

Her head swayed, lulling to the side and Lycus inhaled, looking down at the sight that left him alarmed.

Accalia's face nuzzled into the side of him and her eyes closed.

Lycus rubbed at his eyes as he yawned, trying to keep his blurring vision open to continue reading. But it wasn't long after his short success he had lost. Heaviness cast over him, the words he was speaking from the book slurring together and becoming another language.

He closed the book and placed it on the nightstand, flickering the nearby lamp off too.

But Lycus didn't leave, he remained exactly in place, making sure not to move an inch that would disturb his slumbering mate.

Lycus knew better to stay here, how furious Accalia would be with him but as he drifted in and out of rest, he didn't find it in himself to care. This would be as close as he could get to her without completely losing himself to his lycan side.

He wanted to stay like this a little while longer, cling onto it for however long he could and evade the moonlight that crept through the crack of the curtain, gleaming upon him and Accalia in pallid brilliance.

~

The tapping on his foot eased Lycus out of sleep with a stifling groan and he sat up, feeling a weight of settle upon him.

His groggy gaze settled on Gabriel who stood at the end of the bed with widened eyes as if he hadn't slept a wink.

"What is it?" Lycus rasped out and looked down.

Accalia's head rested on him and her arm draped across him, securing him tightly in place.

"You—you didn't hear the wailing?" Gabriel stuttered, strain staining his voice as his eyes bled with something deadly.

"Wailing?"

"I thought it was the howling, wanting to shift, but it wasn't. You best come and see for yourself, Lycus."

Heeding Gabriel's words, Lycus gently manoeuvred Accalia off him and rose to his feet, feeling stiff in the joints and peeved with having to leave his mate.

It was for the best; Accalia didn't have to wake to him being the first thing she saw.

The two lycans slip out of the room and downstairs, their boots creaking against the floorboards.

They were up just as night was fading away when they left the house, mist shrouding the forest and the full moon still brightly wakeful.

Leaves crackled beneath Lycus's boots, a chilling resonance pulsing into his ears as he heard nothing but silence.

The wind bristled against the branches and the moon dimmed, bleeding into the sky and stars fading into little dots.

It became evident where Gabriel was leading Lycus. The cellars where the werewolves were left secured and locked up. A few lycans were ordered to watch and guard the areas, ensuring no one escaped or inflicted pain on themselves and others.

Lycus had three cellars spanning across the territory. Two were currently occupied. They had different uses if ever needed. A scapegoat, locking wolves up, torturing...

But the one they were walking to was in a clearing and once Lycus stepped out of the fringe of the tree line, a furious spike shocked through him like a bullet.

He immediately counted, eyes whipping around madly at the sight.

Twenty-three.

Twenty-three dead bodies of werewolves and lycans lay outside of the stairway from the cellar as if they had escaped. But they hadn't. Corpses splayed across Lycus's lands, the blood enriching the earth's soil as flies and maggots devoured the sight.

A heavy hand clasped Lycus's shoulder, keeping him in place from ripping the world apart with his bare hands. Rage soared through his soul like a comet. Flaring, blazing and torrid.

"They didn't escape, Lycus, something did this to them."

Gabriel's words just reached Lycus's ears before a roar ripped from his throat.