Dark Side of the Moon

by Kristy Centeno

Odd. It was all odd. The dream. The explanation behind it. The alpha male’s interest in me. My relationship with Kyran. Everything. Then again, the moment the Rousseaus entered my life everything became odd.

  I wasn’t safe either. Not from the alpha. Not from a potential past that now haunted me. And most definitely not from a possible broken heart. Everything seemed to be going to hell with no route for an escape. I was surrounded by complications that only seemed to get worse as time ticked by.

  Leaving the slight refuge the door had provided, I limped over to the sink, and turned the cold water knob to get it going. I splashed some water on my face, hoping the coldness would help break me out of my troubled thoughts. After patting my face dry with a clean washcloth, I paused to look at my reflection in the mirror above the sink.

  Even though I’d gotten a full eight hours of sleep last night, I both looked and felt exhausted. I’d taken on a lot in the past few weeks, would probably have to withstand a lot more in the weeks to come, but even I had it better than the Rousseaus. Having constantly to protect me, and those I loved, was a major job they took on without complaining. Though I hadn’t asked for their guardianship, they had given it nonetheless. Like it or not, this act of unselfishness did add points in their favor.

  The muffled sound of angry voices in the room I’d just left behind traveled to my ears. By the hushed tone of the conversation, I figured the twins had to be locked in another argument they didn’t want me to listen to.

  I’d had my fair share of confrontational debates between Kyran and Alexis in the past two weeks to last me a lifetime. For me, it was hard to understand how two seemingly identical human beings could tolerate so little of each other. Had they always been this way? Or had this bout of sibling rivalry commenced after Kyran and I bonded?

  With nowhere to go but out the same door, the choice of escaping and not confronting the scenario awaiting me in the other room was taken from me. Though reluctant to face the fuming brothers, I had to put a stop to their constant bickering. I could take no more of it. I had more important things to worry about.

  Exasperated, I unlocked the door, turned the knob, and yanked the door open. Limping, I hurried out of the bathroom and found Kyran’s bedroom door wide open with Alexis’s form half way inside. Kyran blocked his access to the room. Neither looked particularly happy. The moment I reentered the bedroom they stopped arguing and stood stiffly in front of each other.

  Kyran turned to look at me.

  “What are you arguing about now?” I asked in frustration. Their constant quarrelling back and forth was getting more than a little bothersome.

  Neither of them answered and after a few seconds, Alexis averted his gaze from his brother and opted for staring at me instead.

  “Well, don’t you boys rush to answer me both at once.”

  “I...we...I was just reminding Kyran that he...should keep some safe distance between you two,” he said.

  “We weren’t planning on sleeping here together,” I said. “I just want to lie down and Kyran was keeping me company.”

  “It’s not that it bothers me.” Alexis winced, perhaps as he realized he didn’t sound convincing at all. “I mean, Kyran hasn’t been feeling very well lately and we don’t want to...risk...” He stopped when Kyran turned to glare at him.

  “You haven’t been feeling very well? What does Alexis mean by that?” I inched closer, stopping when I could lay a hand on Kyran’s arm without having to lean forward.

  “I’m fine. I keep telling everyone I’m fine, but nobody believes me,” Kyran replied, but even I could see he was trying to convince more than just us.

  I turned to Alexis and asked, “Has something happened?”

  Shifting his weight from foot to the other, Alexis averted his gaze and said, “It’s not my place to say.”

  I really didn’t want to bully the truth out of them, but since they seemed to think that by keeping secrets from me I’d be less inclined to freak out I had no choice but to say, “Fine. If you’re not going to share whatever it is that you two are keeping quiet, then at least have the decency to leave so that I can get some rest.”

  Two pairs of gray eyes turned to look at me in stunned disbelief.

  “Marjorie,” Kyran started. “It’s nothing serious.”

  I folded my arms over my chest. “Right. Don’t worry. I get it. But I’m really tired and I want to lie down for a bit.”

  Turning on my heel, I started for the bed, presenting my back to them. I limped as quickly as I could toward the queen-sized bed, fully intending on lying down and, hopefully, taking a short nap. Unfortunately, in my attempt at putting some distance between the twins and myself, I failed to notice my leg was caught in Kyran’s guitar strap, which was lying flat on the floor in front of the nightstand.

  I stumbled and struggled to hold on to something so I wouldn’t fall.

  On my way to reach for the bed, my knee banged the nightstand forcing a very audible, “Damn it!” out of me. Almost as soon as it hit the wooden piece of furniture, a sharp wave of heat radiated from my knee to my toes, blinding me with pain.

  The bed softened my fall as I landed on it, but my knee was aggravated even further by the abrupt contact with the mattress.

  In moments, both Kyran and Alexis were by my side.

  “Are you in pain?” Alexis asked as he helped me sit up.

  I grabbed ahold of my knee, wincing as heat radiated down my leg. “No! I’m just faking it for your sake. This is your fault!”

  His eyes widened. “Mine? What did I do?”

  Kyran grabbed a chair and placed it in front of me before positioning one of his pillows on top. He then carefully lifted my leg and gently positioned it on the pillow before taking a seat on the bed to my right.

  “Yes! The both of you! If you weren’t constantly arguing over stupid, unimportant things...” I gritted my teeth, willing the needle-like pain to subside.

  “So I’m the bad one?” he asked.

  “It’s in your nature to be annoying, yes.”

  Alexis furrowed his brow as he redirected his gaze to look at Kyran. After about a second or two of glaring, he said, “I could debate that argument all day long, just so you know.”

  Chapter Six

  Kyran flared his nostrils in response to Alexis’s retort, but added nothing to it.

  “Let’s not go there, shall we,” I pleaded.

  “Whatever you say, princess.”

  He reached over to touch my ankle, but I slapped his hand away and immediately regretted it. The rough contact sent a numbing jolt of pain up my arm to my shoulder.

  “Shit!” I shook my hand to relive it of the discomfort.

  “In case you didn’t know, hitting a werewolf is like hitting a wall.” Alexis smirked as I winced and rubbed my hand.

  “Shut up, Alexis.”

  He rolled his eyes at me. The sight nearly forced me into a burst of giggles. It was the first time I’d seen him do it and I had to suppress the urge to laugh. The action was just about the cutest thing I’d ever seen him do.

  “Really, do shut your trap little brother,” Kyran snapped, diffusing the humor in the room.

  Vexed, I scowled at them both. “You guys keep this up and I’m never coming back here.”

  Alexi’s smile and Kyran’s domineering countenance died down immediately.

  “I know this whole...bonding thing is difficult on all of us because of the feelings involved, but we have to put this aside or learn how to deal with it. I can’t have you two arguing every other minute. I’m too tired to deal with it. I have a lot of things to focus on, and your constant bickering isn’t helping.”

  The brothers exchanged quick glances before averting their gazes to the scattered furniture in the room. Neither wanted to meet the other’s gaze afterward.

  “I guess things are a lot tenser around here,” Kyran added.

  Hopefully it wasn’t all because of me. “Why is that?”

  It was stupid of me to expect
and answer, but I wanted them to clarify things for me. They opted for staring off into the distance instead.

  “No matter what happens, you have to get along. If not for each other, then for the rest of your family. All you need is each other. You’re all you have. I can’t deal with you two breathing down each other’s necks on a daily basis, and I can’t imagine it being any easier on Marquis, Simone, Gage, or Josephine. There’s too much going on for all of us to worry about one of you killing the other.”

  “That’s never going to happen,” Kyran muttered, but his tone was less than convincing.

  “Somehow, I doubt that,” I snapped. “Do you think I haven’t noticed how wound up you two are lately? It’s too much. I need it to stop.”

  I couldn’t say who was more stubborn. Whether Kyran or Alexis. Each one refused to meet my gaze and I half expected them to openly apologize to each other or make up. That was wishful thinking on my part.

  Kyran was less likely to give in. He was also less inclined to apologize even if he was wrong.

  Alexis’s gaze finally met mine as he said, “We haven’t made things any easier for you or the rest of the family. I’m sorry, Marjie. I’ll try my best to make up for this.”

  Although Alexis was quick to apologize, Kyran didn’t even make an attempt to. But then, Kyran rarely apologized for anything. Usually because he felt it was useless to apologize for an action he would most likely repeat. Being that Alexis and he had issues when it came to me, they’d probably end up arguing sooner rather than later.

  “I hope so,” I murmured.

  As Alexis moved his hand up to place a lock of lose hair back behind his ear, I caught sight of his unique tattoo, which was identical to the one on Kyran’s hand.

  “Why did you guys get identical tattoos?” I asked.

  “It’s not a tattoo,” Kyran chipped in. “It’s a birthmark.”

  “A birthmark that looks like a tattoo? I mean, it looks like it was put on the skin.”

  “It does, but it’s a seal that brands us as purebreds.”

  “Only purebreds are born with these marks,” Alexis simplified. “It’s one of the many things that make us different from those born of the bite.”

  “Not all marks are the same,” Kyran added. “They might display different shades of grays, blues, purples, and even greens depending on the blood heritance.”

  “Why is the color important?”

  “The darker the colors the older the bloodline.”

  Alexis stretched his arm forward and turned his hand to one side and then the other, managing by that action to display an array of bluish gray colors that seemed to change as the overhead light bulb reached the tattoo. It gave the “mark”, as they put it, a three dimensional look.

  “That’s very interesting.

  “I guess you can say the rumors have some truth to them.” Alexis glanced up and smiled.

  “What rumors?”

  “That werewolves bear the mark of the devil.” Alexis laughed but I didn’t find his comment amusing at all.

  “I don’t think that’s the mark of the devil.”

  “You never know. Marquis has often said that to the scientific community, we don’t exist, and most religions label us as demons. We don’t belong anywhere.”

  “That’s not true. You guys belong right here, with me.” I turned to Kyran and added, “Besides, if I’m really descendant of the Lost Child then I’m neither human nor werewolf. So I don’t really fit in either, do I?”

  For as long as I could remember werewolves had been mythological creatures. A short while ago I found out they’re not only real, but that I might be part werewolf. They could still be part of cryptozoology—unreal—in most people’s eyes, but to me they were a part of my life.

  “I have to agree with Marjorie on this.” Kyran agreeably took my hand in his as he leaned forward to plant a kiss on my forehead.

  My toes curled inward as the effects of that simple gesture forced heat to radiate from my neck down to my feet. It was electrifying and exhilarating.

  And completely inappropriate.

  Upon witnessing not only Kyran’s actions but also my reaction, Alexis picked himself off the floor and said, “I’m off then.” Without waiting for a reply, he started for the door. “I’ll see you later, Marjie.”

  Mortified, I drew back and called out to him. “Alexis—”

  He stopped, hesitating by the door without turning back to look at me.

  “Let him go,” Kyran said.

  Alexis yanked the door open and marched out, slamming it behind him as he left.

  “Trust me, right now he needs some space.”

  Sighing, I turned to look at him. “Why?”

  “It’s complicated...” He stopped when he caught the look of annoyance on my face. “He’s feeling the full effects of being denied.” He reached out to catch a lock of my long hair in between his lean fingers. He tucked it behind my right ear and said, “When a werewolf bonds with a potential mate, but his or hers affections are not returned we call it being denied. Every time we—as in you and I—share in any form of affection, it brings forth a physical pain and sense of helplessness to Alexis. It also...messes with his head a bit.”

  I listened in shocked surprise to Kyran’s explanation, feeling even guiltier over Alexis’s discomfort. His fate was cruel. Our fate was cruel. I bonded with a werewolf that could become a potential hazard for me, and Alexis bonded with a mate who could never return his affections.

  It was a bit much.

  “I’m tired,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “I think a nap will do me some good right about now.” Suddenly, the seriousness of the conversation became too much for me. It was as if a huge boulder rested on my shoulders, pushing me to the ground and willing me to remain there. Only my refusal to be completely overcome by my problems kept me from giving up.

  Unwilling though I was, it was getting harder and harder to deal with everything and keep track of what was important. I just wanted the nightmare to end but it only kept prolonging itself.

  “Let me help you lie down.” Kyran helped me to my feet so that he could pull the covers out.

  A moment later I was lying on my back, holding the covers up to my chin as Kyran silently slipped out of the room. As I was left alone to ponder my thoughts, I couldn’t help but wonder what the upcoming weeks had in store for us all. If the Rousseaus’ suspicions turned out to be true, then our lives could drastically change sooner than expected. My life, especially, would be tossed into a whirlpool of disaster, and my family would most likely suffer the most.

  Though I was still alive and well for now, there were no guarantees that everything would stay that way. The alpha himself, or another power obsessed male, could attempt to goad me into becoming their eternal mate at any moment following capture. And if there were others out there as mean and despicable as Santos had been, I was in for a nasty journey.

  Marquis’s theory worried me. If I was a descendant of this mysterious baby, then what exactly did that make me? Was I even human? Was part of my anatomy different like that of the Rousseaus? Or was I different even from them?

  Suddenly, Dr. Phillips words came back to haunt me. If I had such a rapid capacity for healing, then was it because somewhere, deeply hidden within my molecular cells, hid a form of mutated werewolf DNA?

  I shook my head in denial. It couldn’t be. Though I cared deeply for the Rousseaus, I had no desire to become a werewolf. I enjoyed being human—or as human as I thought I’d been—just fine.

  However much I disagreed with Marquis and his supposed theory, I couldn’t dismiss that something was strange and out of place when it came to me. If in fact werewolves and humans had never been able to procreate, then why did this alpha want me as a mate so badly? He must be aware of all this. If I was really different from normal humans, then he must want something from me after all. But what could that be?

  Even though the Rousseaus hadn’t mentioned it, I was pretty confident the invading
werewolves knew or at least suspected who or what I was and that was the reason they were after me. To achieve what purpose, I still had no clue, but I’d find out sooner rather than later. I was sure about that much.

  As much as I hated not knowing, there was nothing I could do but wait and wonder.

  Besides, the alpha male wasn’t the only thing I had to worry about. There was a set of twins practically enemies now because of me. Two brothers fighting to see which one was meant to be my true mate.

  I sighed and forced my eyelids shut. All that thinking had exhausted me. I couldn’t take anymore. The only thing I desired was sleep, and I hoped that in it I could find release of my reality.

  ***

  Bound by steel chains to large concrete poles measuring ten feet tall, the werewolf flinched as the end of the whip lacerated his back one last time. The pain radiating across his back was excruciating. His hands were bound just above his head, each to a concrete pole that stood at each side of his body. His legs were spread apart and chained in much the same manner.

  After being whipped nearly twenty times, he had lost consciousness only to be awakened by a splash of cold river water. He wasn’t even allowed to enjoy the serenity that came with unconsciousness. His vindictive brother wanted him fully awake and alert as he was being flogged.

  Though Dorian had known all along this would be his fate should he be captured, it still surprised him that his own twin would show no signs of pity toward the man who had shared a womb with him so many years ago.

  For many months, he remained out of the reach of his brother and the Trackers. He’d managed to elude his would-be-captors for weeks, keeping them just barely behind him by hours, even days. But his luck had run out about a week before. One of the Trackers had finally put his intelligence to good use and had set a trap which led to his capture. Dorian had put up a valiant fight. But as strong and powerful as he was, he was still no match for a small army of werewolves, and so he was beaten, tied, and dragged back to the ValKhazar palace to be “interrogated” by his brother.

  There was a desperate urgency for his twin to find out where the Dorian had hidden his newborn son, but he wasn’t willing to speak. If he had to die in order to ensure the survival of his heir, then he was more than willing to pay that price.