Chapter 6
Txälina
Okay, so there are some things I left out at the start of the story. I've been trying to avoid them for some reason. There's more I should have spoken about my mother's death. I didn't because I was afraid, I still am.
But after my encounter with Anäsang at the temple, I feel like a coward for keeping relevant information from you, so here's my story.
I was ten when my mother went into labor. The midwives did everything in their power to bring the cubs out, but now it was in the hands of Säli, whether my mother and the cubs survived or not.
Like a miracle, she delivered, though it was just one. My mother's eyes widened when they told her she had given birth to a boy.
"No! No! No!" she screamed.
I was happy that I had a baby brother, because Kaluen had been cold to me. But my mother looked sad, and I couldn't tell why. There are Werewolf warriors outside our house, and I thought they were guarding us. But I was wrong, because the moment they walked inside, annoyance marked every line of their faces. Their noses flared with irritation.
"It's a boy."
"Hand over the cub!" one of the warriors ordered.
I turned to my mother.
She screamed, leaping to her feet.
"No, you took the first one. I won't let you take him!"
The midwives tried to soothe my mother in our native tongue, but when the warriors took her son, she ran to the kitchen, even with all the strength she had already exhausted from pushing the cub out. She came back moments later with a knife and hurled it at the warriors. The first warrior, who was almost at the door, didn't expect a knife to embed itself in one of their men.
My eyes burned with tears. I didn't understand why they would want to separate my brother from his mother. I didn't understand why they separated the males from the females.
Then my eyes widened. My mother hadn't thrown a knife. No, it was a dagger.
An ash dagger, known to kill any werewolf.
His expression hardened as he dragged his eyes up and down.
Before I knew what was happening, the warrior had his hand wrapped around my mother's neck, pinning her against the wall.
My mother screamed as the warrior sank the dagger into her chest.
My eyes met hers, and fresh tears blurred my vision.
I screamed, a voice so loud and feral, it didn't feel like mine.
It felt ancient and shook every part of me.
"Get away from my mother!" I screamed. "You're not going to hurt her!"
The warrior's eyes widened, and he staggered backward, surprise lined on his face.
"You killed her," I said"Now...y now, you're going to use that dagger and kill yourself."
The warrior struggled to pull the dagger down, but his hand betrayed him.
His right hand was hauling the dagger to his chest, until it sank in, and he staggered, his back hitting the wall.
The warriors growled as he slipped down the wall, and his last words were, "You have the voice."
I rushed to my mother. Every inch of her body felt as if thousands of shards of glass were embedded in her skin.
The midwives hurried to me. In a whisper as my mother's eyes fluttered closed, she said. "You must hide what happened tonight. Never let them know about the voice."
I didn't understand what they meant.
My mother died that night, and my brother died a few days later from a fever.
…..
Still, I had that voice in my head every single day, but only during the full moon. The voice in my head belonged to a woman with tall, pale skin, though I could only ever see her back. I should be afraid of her. Afraid that something is wrong with me. But eleven years later, I'm not afraid. I've come to realize that the women of Säli once shared that voice.
The voice was a gift from Säli when she created us in Anäsang's womb. She made us stronger than the men, and in all seven packs in Ngäerawa realm, we were her favorite. With the voice, we could command any man to do what we wanted. But that was before. That was in the olden days. Because now, in Säli, the voice has been ripped from us through a dark ritual.
Here's why I don't talk about that night: it makes me vulnerable. I feel angry that I didn't know about the voice sooner, that I couldn't help my mother before she was killed.
I hate that I can't do anything for myself. Because even now, as Mätxin stood behind me, trailing his fingers down my neck, I could only squeeze my eyes shut. I hate him. I hate my brother for smiling as Mätxin touched me. I hate all the males in my pack. Fuck them all.
"Come on now, have you forgotten the discussion earlier?" Kaluen asked with a smile. "You don't lay a hand on her unless she's yours."
Mätxin stepped away, a smile curling on his face. Just like every Säli male, I hated that he was beautiful, smooth, tanned skin and long silk hair braided with silver thread.
They've been talking, and like a fool, I've been listening. Watching. Hoping that things don't go as planned. But I'm wrong. Mätxin and Kaluen have already planned what will happen on the full moon, which is just a few nights from now.
I wasn't surprised to see the excitement in Kaluen's eyes during their conversation. My brother has been planning how to become an Alpha for months. And with Beta Mätxin offering him a position close to Alpha? He took the opportunity with a full heart.
I slowly poured wine into their glasses, and it didn't take long for both men to become immersed in their conversation.
"Really?" Mätxin asked, taking a sip from his wine. "Then we need to make it look like his whore killed him. The last thing we want is the King suspecting us."
"The King won't suspect anything," Kaluen replied confidently. "He knows the bitches are not as strong as they once were."
"They've been weak for ages. The voice was the only thing that made them worth fearful," Mätxin said, amusement in his tone as he turned to me.
"And let's not forget Alpha Wyränkla. He's a threat too."
"Aye," Mätxin replied, taking another sip from his wine. "He's proven himself powerful, purposely instilling fear in us. But I'll show him true power when I take the position from him."
"The pack will be ours soon," Kaluen grinned.
"Mine," Mätxin said, pulling me closer. "Just like this little bitch."
Kaluen's eyes shifted from amusement to slight annoyance as he studied Mätxin. Not because Mätxin's arms was around me but because the pack would be Mätxin's after the coup.
"Of course," Kaluen said, drinking from his goblet to hide his expression.
Even with the Beta position, Kaluen is not satisfied. He's greedy for more.