The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 18: What Is Your Question? ()

"How much further?" Kaileen whined through the pack mind link and Zariah rolled her eyes.

They had been running through the woods for two days straight, only stopping to hunt for brief meals,

Even after two full days had passed by, they did not seem any closer to breaking out of the woods but the woods only grew denser the further in they went.

"If the map sent in by the scouts is accurate, the first werewolf pack on the way is the Dawn Fang Pack."

"The territory of the Dawn Fang Pack is seven days from our crimson barrier but at our pace, we should arrive in five days maximum." Allen reported.

"Why exactly are we in such a hurry then?" Kaileen asked as she slowed down her pace.

"Perhaps because we have to arrive the Royal Lycan Pack in time for the Alpha King’s coronation?" Darren asked in an obvious tone.

"No... she’s right, what’s the rush? Coronation? What has it got to do with us? We stop here for the night." Zariah ordered to the surprise of the company.

The company came to a halt at Zariah’s orders.

"Then you rest first, I will hunt some game." Darren thought to Zariah while the rest of the company went ahead to change forms and dress in privacy.

Zariah hummed in response as she slowly got off Darren’s back and headed to the closest tree, taking a seat.

Zariah leaned against the three, her eyes fluttering closed as she drifted off to a restless sleep where she was haunted by memories of a certain blue eyed man.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"How are you so beautiful? No one has the rights to be." He said as his hands stroked Zariah’s hair.

Zariah’s lips stretched into a smile as she gazed up at him, those beautiful blue eyes stared right back down at her, gleaming with love and adoration.

"Your smile...Gods you are beautiful." He said again, seemingly overwhelmed by Zariah’s bright smile.

"Beauty is fleeting Caid, it is nothing too special." Zariah replied in an amused tone, shaking her head slightly at his look of awe.

"Not beyond the barrier beloved, here it is the norm, however out there? A great beauty may cause the downfall of packs, kingdoms even species, it is a blessing and a curse all in one." He replied, trailing a thumb slowly over Zariah’s bottom lip.

He leaned down and stole a quick kiss and Zariah broke into laughter, her melodious voice like the tingling of bells echoed across the wide field.

"I have never thought of it like that, every Crimson wolf would be able collapse a kingdom then and together, perhaps we can bring down the whole world simply by just looking too good." Zariah teased.

He tossed his head back and laughed heartily, Zariah thought in her heart that she was not the only one who could bring down nations, for in her eyes, he was too beautiful to put into words.

And he was all the more precious, not because he was beautiful but because he was hers, hers to love, hers to honor and cherish for all eternity.

"The crimson wolves are truly blessed by the creator, with the visage of angels and powers of gods, with unity and oneness of mind, with non greater nor smaller amongst your ranks."

"And unyielding trust and love for one another. the creator truly is partial to those he favors." He murmured in a bitter-sweet tone.

His eyes darkened, not with desire as it often did but with pain, the one thing Zariah never wished to see on him and Zariah knew he once again had been saddened by memories of his painful past.

"The creator favors everyone Caid and those seemingly more favored are in exchange ladden with great responsibilities. Now I for one believe you are highly favored,"

"I mean look...he brought us together, regardless of the odds and now, I can give you all that you never had." Zariah said to him, a loving smile on her lips.

"Zari..." He murmured in a hoarse tone, his eyes shinning with unshed tears.

"I may not be able to give you the world Caedmon Grey, but I will give you my world... and I promise you, my world is everything beautiful and loving and filled with all the happiness you rightly deserve."

"You are home now Drùha (beloved) , never forget it." Zariah said to him.

Reaching a hand up, Zariah pulled him down to her, melding their lips in a slow, passionate kiss and all the love and adoration her words could never describe she poured into this kiss.

And as he kissed her back, his passion matching hers, Zariah knew nothing in the world could compare to this moment.

Zariah pulled away, collapsing back down to the grass, gasping for breath and he chuckled, gazing down at her for a short while longer before he lay beside her.

There they lay side by side, in the green fields of the Alpha domain, gazing up at the sky and the vast array of color display at sun down.

Hours passed by and soon darkness had blanketed the sky, still they lay there, gazing up at the twinkling stars.

And when the night had reached it’s peak, and passion came alight, they made love fast and heated, they made love slow and sweet, right under the enchanting rays of the moonlight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zariah’s eyes snapped open as her right hand shot up to grasp her aching heart, that spot where the silver sword pierced through pulsed painfully and Zariah gasped audibly

She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly multiple times till the pain slowly faded away, along with the memories of those blue eyes filled with false promises and a love that was all along a lie.

"How are you feeling?" Nile’s voice reached Zariah as Zariah felt his presence approach her, lowering himself to sit beside her.

"Not much different." Zariah replied in a low tone.

Nile chuckled quietly at Zariah’s straight response.

"Indeed... in the end, the world is the same everywhere, regardless of which side of the barrier one is." Nile murmured.

"Is it truly?" Zariah asked quietly, her eyes fluttering open as she tilted her head up, gazing up at the brightly glowing moon.

"What do you think?" Nile replied with a question of his own.

"The world is the same, the world itself never changes...only the people change and when they change, they change the world along with them." Zariah replied with a quiet sigh.

"There are only two certainties in life Zari... change and death. As long as one is living, change is inevitable, neither you nor I can escape it."

"You are different from what you were yesterday and come tomorrow, you shall be different yet still."

"The transition is intangible, it lies in the most minute and inconsistent experiences but truly, these changes are what defines us." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Alas we all must change, we can only hope that tomorrow finds us a better version of ourselves than we were yesterday... "

"So Zari, change is not to be loathed, but afterwards, one must ask, who am I now?" Nile said, turning a meaningful gaze to Zariah.

"If there are words you wish to say to me, you may just say it directly Nile." Zariah replied blankly.

Nile chuckled quietly, turning his gaze back to stare on ahead.

"Are there words you seek to hear from me, Alpha?" Nile asked in a relaxed tone.

Zariah shrugged casually, but did not speak further, she knew Nile’s question did not truly require an answer.

"If one seeks to find answers, one must first know just what your question is. What questions burden you Alpha Moonstone? Find them and perhaps you will be a step closer to your answers." Nile said, rising to his feet.

"Are these your words...or the Creator’s?" Zariah asked in a blank tone.

Nile paused, passing a glance over his shoulder, his eyes glowed dimly as they always did when he scried.

"What do you think?" Nile asked in a deep tone.

"I did not seek a divination, spirit guide." Zariah said with a sigh.

"Answers are not given when you seek them Alpha Moonstone, only when you need them." Nile replied with a smile before he headed away.

"Answers? What I heard were more questions, What is it you have in mind that you speak to me now?"

" You ask for my questions? Do you not already know them best? Do you not already know that I will never ask anything of you?"

"I lived as you wanted, I fulfilled my oath to you, we all did...we protected this dirty, ungrateful world of yours."

"And then there came a time when we needed protection, a time when I needed you... and you were not there for me, no one was. You let me fall to ruin and even a thousand rebirths cannot ease this pain."

"I do not fault you, I do not dare to. I made the choices and so the lot was mine to bear, my fate was my burden alone and so I will choose my path this time, alone. Leave me be, that is all I ask." Zariah thought.

Zariah tilted her head up to the moon, her heart heavy with pain and confusion.