by Natavia
Adika texted me minutes before I came home to tell me that she was coming over for dinner. She and Izra were still on their fall out. Adika walked into the kitchen humming. “Wow, you are happy today. Did you and Izra make up?” I asked her.
“No, we didn’t. I actually met someone else.”
“Come again?” I said to her. She reached out for Akea, and he started crying. “That’s weird. He usually likes when you hold him,” I said looking at her. Goon walked into the kitchen.
“What’s wrong with him?” Goon asked.
“I don’t know. I can’t feel what’s wrong with him yet. It bothers me that I still can’t feel their feelings.” Goon took Akea away from Adika, and then walked back out of the kitchen.
“He is a very protective father. I always wanted a family,” she said.
“It will come; you just have to be patient. Izra would be a good father. I can see him now.”
“Izra is still a young wolf. He can’t get me pregnant any time soon. He hasn’t reached that peek yet.”
“So, he’s shooting blanks?” I asked her.
“Yup, until it’s his time to mate.”
Amadi came into the kitchen. “Izra has reached his peek. That’s why he bit you. When a male wolf has an urge to bite his mate, that means he is marking her to get her pregnant when its time,” Amadi butted in.
“WHAT!” Adika screamed.
“Izra marked you so when his time comes, you will give him pups,” Amadi said.
“I shouldn’t had screwed that bastard,” Adika mumbled. Izra must have pissed Adika off because she always wanted a family. She sounded as if she regretted Izra.
Izra came into the house with his motorcycle gear on and walked past Adika. He took a pitcher of water out of the fridge then guzzled it down.
He sniffed the air. “I guess this is one of your spells, huh? Change your scent so I won’t bother you. I really made you that mad?” Izra asked her.
“Don’t flatter yourself punk,” Adika spat.
“Bitch,” Izra spat, walking out of the kitchen.
I gave Kanye to Amadi so Goon could bathe him while Adika and I chatted.
“Goon bought me a store,” I said, cheerfully.
“Oh really?” she asked, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Why are you acting like a bitch? You been acting weird since you came in. You disrespected Izra, and now you are trying to disrespect me,” I said to her. My beast wanted to attack her. I felt a ball of rage build up inside of me. I could feel my body trying to shift. Lately, I have been having these angry spells. The slightest thing ticked me off. Adika smirked at me. “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just in a funk. Continue on,” she said, waving me off.
“What’s bothering you?” I asked her.
“Nothing, I’m cool.”
“Who is this new man?”
“Oh, nobody. Just someone I screw whenever I want. He is my little secret,” she laughed.
Elle walked into the kitchen reading a piece of paper; he must have just checked the mail.
“What’s that?” I asked Elle.
“A letter from Dayo. He’s left the pack. He feels like you have ruined it, and he wants no part of it. We have been a pack for one hundred-plus years, and we never been apart. We are built in tradition. I don’t know what to do,” Elle said, sadly.
“Well, he was isolated anyway. I barely saw him when I came over, so it was only a matter of time,” Adika said.
“This doesn’t concern you. You are not a part of this pack so don’t speak on it. We have some things to discuss within this pack, so get the fuck out!” Elle roared. I have never seen Elle upset. He was like the uncle of the pack. Adika grabbed her purse then stormed out of the house.
“That was rude,” I said to Elle.
“I don’t give a damn, Kanya. This is a serious matter. You don’t know what it’s like for a wolf to be a loner. There is another pack in this town. If they get wind of Dayo, he is doomed,” Elle said. Goon, Amadi, and Izra came downstairs. They all had a bond; they knew when one out of the pack was upset.
“What’s going on?” Amadi asked Elle. Elle handed Amadi the letter from Dayo.
“He left because of Kanya?” Amadi asked. I started to feel guilty because I broke up something that they had for years. Tears welled up in my eyes. “I didn’t mean to do it,” I said.
“Maybe you should’ve made him more comfortable,” Elle said to me.
“Speak to me, Elle, when I’m in my mate’s presence. You know the rules,” Goon said to Elle.
“I get that she is your mate, but shit wasn’t supposed to be like this. It’s almost like Kanya is a curse. Two pack brothers are now gone,” Elle said to Goon.
“Come on, bro. You can’t blame this shit on Kanya. It was time for Kofi to go back to his world, and it’s not her fault Dayo wanted some wolf dick and couldn’t get it,” Izra said. Before I knew it, Elle was in wolf form attacking Izra, who had immediately shifted. I backed away because when wolves fight, it gets ugly.
Elle’s wolf was bigger than Izra’s because Izra was still a young wolf, but Izra was more of a fighter. Elle’s wolf was gray, brown and white. Elle sank his teeth into Izra’s stomach. Izra let out a howl. They both were rolling around breaking up furniture. Amadi hollered for them to stop. Blood splattered on the wall when Izra bit Elle’s neck. Goon’s wolf started to pull them apart. Everything happened so fast that I didn’t realize Goon had shifted. Somehow all three of them ended up in the living room. Three huge animals were rolling around breaking up everything in sight. Izra accidentally bit Goon. Elle charged into Izra, with Goon still in the middle. All three of them went through the wall, landing in their gym room.
“Do something, Amadi!” I screamed.
Amadi ran down the hall then came back with a whistle. When he blew it, Goon, Elle and Izra immediately shifted back into human form.
I turned my head to ignore looking at Elle and Izra, who were both naked and bloody. Even though I have seen them naked plenty of times, I was forbidden from looking at them.
Goon looked at Amadi with blue eyes. His fangs were hanging out of his mouth. “I hate that damn whistle,” Goon roared. Goon looked like he wanted to attack Amadi.
“It was the only way,” Amadi said.
“Kofi should’ve taken that shit with him,” Izra said. Elle growled at Izra.
“Cut it out! This is our little brother. You had no business attacking him,” Goon said, shoving Elle into the wall.
“Fuck him! He always talks shit, not remembering he can get his little ass kicked! He needs to show respect for all of his brothers, despite what he thinks of them. Even if Dayo likes men, it doesn’t give Izra no damn right to judge him. Dayo has saved Izra from a lot of shit in the past. Perhaps Izra has forgotten about that because all he wants to do is live like a human and speak ridiculous slang,” Elle fussed.
“Oh, shut the fuck up, nigga! That’s your problem, Elle. You are still trying to live isolated from the world. Nigga, this is what we live in; we live in society with humans. Get your mind out of the damn woods and accept that we are going to live like humans,” Izra spat.
“We need to stick together!” Amadi shouted.
“No one fights inside of the house. If you want to rip each other’s throats apart, take it to the woods,” Goon said.
“Shut the fuck up, nigga. You were just ripping Dayo apart a few months ago at the dining room table. My damn orange juice spilled on the floor because of that shit,” Izra said.
I went upstairs to our bedroom. The twins were in their cribs sleeping peacefully while the pack was still arguing, and I heard growling and a few more things breaking. I guess a fight broke out again. It pained me to watch them fight. It made me nervous because when they were in beast mode, they didn’t care about one another.
Moments later, Goon came into our bedroom. He flopped down on the bed, completely naked.
“I had to give Amadi some of my blood. Elle and Izra attac
ked each other again. Amadi tried to pull them apart in human form and got attacked by them. Amadi knows that you cannot pull beasts apart in human form,” Goon said.
“Why did they fight again?”
“Elle broke Izra’s PlayStation,” Goon said.
My mother texted me telling me she wanted to see the babies; she wanted our address. I send them pictures of the twins daily, but truth is I’m afraid to tell them what I am.
The next morning, I got up early to hire some staff for my store. The night before, while everyone was asleep, I surfed the internet all night posting hiring ads on job sites. Three people responded immediately. I was going to meet them at the store. On my way out of the door, Elle, Amadi and Izra were laughing at each other while cleaning up.
“Good-morning, Kanya. I apologize for my rudeness yesterday,” Elle said.
“It’s okay. We all have our moments,” I said, still not believing how well they were getting along.
Pack brothers fight all the time then next day it’s forgotten, Goon said inside of my head.
I can see that, I answered.
I opened up the door to my store. I was excited. I still couldn’t believe Goon did all of this for me. I was walking around getting ideas of how I would decorate my store. A scent of another wolf filled the air, along with sounds of clicking heels.
“Beautiful place,” a voice said, from behind me. When I turned around, Amilia was staring coldly at me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked her.
“I’m here for the same reason you are,” Amilia said to me.
“This is my store, Amilia. Interviews don’t start for another twenty minutes.” When Amilia and I worked at the club together, we were cordial. But when she tried to attack Goon to defend Xavier, it changed my opinion about her. Amilia’s wolf was all white with green-like eyes; her wolf was beautiful.
“The early bird gets the worm,” Amilia said, looking around. “How does it feel to be mated with an Egyptian prince who has access to a lot of worthy things? You really got lucky didn’t you?”
Amilia was pretty. She was of Latina. She reminded me of Jennifer Lopez. She and the new Alpha of Xavier’s pack are mated from what I heard.
“I don’t call it being lucky, Amilia. I call it fate.”
“How are the pups?” Amilia asked me.
“Excuse me if I’m wrong, but last time I checked, you was the one being interviewed. Keep your questions to yourself, Amilia. My life isn’t any of your concern.”
“Just making small talk. I apologize for my behavior towards you. I was doing what a mate was supposed to do. I didn’t love Xavier, but I had to defend him,” she said.
“I can understand. I would kill someone if they tried to harm Goon, but you already know about that,” I said, reminding her of the time I had to attack her.
“Look, Kanya. I really need a job; my pack is going broke. When Xavier died, they closed down the clubs that were our main source of income. I forget how to live like a human. Xavier and I weren’t married. Nothing was left to me, so now the pack is living off money we had saved. There are a lot of us, and the money is going to run out soon,” Amilia said.
“Dash doesn’t know I’m trying to work, but I need a job,” she begged.
“We are from different packs. I have to think about this.”
“Don’t you just hate how they have to make rules for everything? We have to live like their children. They dictate what we can and can’t do. Do you not see that? They control us, Kanya.”
“It’s tradition, Amilia.”
“It’s control! They control us, and we can’t do nothing about it. I bet everything you do has to go through Goon first, and he must approve. It’s called control. All I want to do is have a place for my pups. You two weren’t the only ones who mated during that full moon. I really need a job, and you are my only hope,” Amilia said. I got a piece of paper and wrote down what I had to say to Amilia. I didn’t want Goon to know what I was up to because he can hear my thoughts. While I was writing down when Amilia could start working, I was thinking about what the pups were doing.
She took the paper then hugged me. “I won’t tell Dash. This is between you and I,” she said. After she left, another woman walked in. She was drop-dead gorgeous. Her skin was like dark chocolate, and her cheekbones were strong, giving her a look that meant powerful. When she walked, it looked like her feet didn’t touch the floor. She wore a long wrapped dress with her hair wrapped up. The gold jewelry she had on looked to be worth a lot.
“Can I help you?” I asked her. She looked like royalty. I doubt she needed to work.
“I finally get to meet you,” she said.
“Who are you?” I hoped she wasn’t crazy. I would hate to bite her neck and get blood all over the floors.
“You even think like my son,” she said in a deep, weird accent that sounded like it came from another time.
Did she hear my thoughts? I asked myself.
“I’m Akua’s mother. I wanted to see this investment myself. Akua has always been very thoughtful of those he cares about.” She said, walking around with her long dress dragging along the floor.
I couldn’t speak or look Naobi in her face—her presence was that strong.
“Do not fear me, Kanya. I love you the same way I love my son. You are a part of him. You were chosen for a reason,” she said, walking close to me.
“I don’t know what to say,” I told her.
“I’m on borrowed time. When I cast myself out of the Anubi, I was given only a certain amount of time to get back. We are not allowed here on earth for too long; it weakens us.”
“What’s Anubi?” I asked her.
“It’s the world all of the ancient immortals go to. It’s almost like heaven, except we don’t die to get there. We have to wait years until it’s time for us to go. You and Goon will be there centuries from now,” she said.
The door opened and in walked an ebony woman with long, pretty locks. She was dressed comfortably in a pair of black slacks, heels, and a black blazer with a white and black pinstriped shirt on underneath. Her make-up was done nicely, and she was shapely, about a size twelve. She had a very unique look to her, almost like she belonged in a painting.
“Hi, I’m Jalesa. We were scheduled for ten o’clock. I know I’m early, but early means on time,” she spoke. When I turned around, Naobi was gone. I looked around for her, but there wasn’t a trace of her.
Wow, that was weird, I thought to myself.
We will meet again and soon. Naobi’s voice came into my head scaring me, causing me to jump. “Are you okay?” Jalesa asked me.
“Yes, I’m fine. I set up an area right over there in the corner. We will get to know each other, and then we will take it from there,” I said to her.
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking? When I saw an ad for a jewelry store, I was thinking of an older woman, perhaps one from a different country,” Jalesa said, laughing.
“I’m twenty-three, and my husband got this store for me,” I beamed.
“That’s amazing. You look very happy,” she smiled. Jalesa had a sweet personality, and she was a people person. She would make a wonderful floor assistant. After she and I got to know one another, I hired her on the spot. I still needed to figure out what I could use Amilia for. I didn’t want anyone to see her. Goon wouldn’t be too happy about that since she is from another pack. I needed to hire six more people. I had a long day ahead of me.
Naobi
“You cannot keep going back to that human world. Why are you doing this? Do you know that you can get stuck there for ages?” Ammon asked me.
“Our son might be in danger. I can feel it. I can see the images,” I said.
“Akua is a prince who carries on his father’s legacy. He is a strong wolf! You cannot fight his battles! Let him be the Alpha he is; let him take care of everything on his own. Stay away from earth, Naobi. This is not up for questioning. I’m telling you to not go back. We
can see Akua’s life from here, along with the pups,” Ammon fussed.
“Don’t tell me what to do when it comes to Akua. I’m his mother, and he is and will always be my son. I would sacrifice my soul for him,” I spat. I walked down the stone hall in the temple we lived in and pushed the door open. The sound of Egyptian music played while the immortals feasted.
“My queen, is everything okay?” A voice came from behind me. I turned around and it was Jalesa.
“Yes, everything is fine. Remember what we talked about? No one must know what we are doing. I want you to keep an eye out for those witch sisters. I had an image that one of them had a demon heart, but I cannot detect that from here. Earth weakens my strength. Until I find out how to maintain my strength, you will be my ears and my eyes. I want you to protect those pups, and remember the spells I taught you,” I said to Jalesa.
Jalesa bowed her head down. “Yes, my queen,” she said.
“Now, go on my dear,” I said to her, excusing her. Jalesa went off. She was a human servant. I had taken to her ages ago when I lived on earth. Her family was murdered by Saka. I had saved her before he took her innocent soul. Saka fed off of innocence. Jalesa was a servant until she got old and died. With her blood, I reincarnated her. I made her immortal; she will never get old again. I taught her from a little girl about spells and curses; she was like my daughter.
Before Jalesa, I created Adika and Keora; Saka was taking souls to gain his power. A pure witch and wolf blood baby are what Saka needs to be in human form again. Adika and Keora were created to protect Goon from Saka. I cast a spell that put him away for eternity, but someone awakened him. Saka was a warlock, until he realized how taking souls could make his power stronger. In turn, he turned into an evil demon. The evil demon, Saka, was my father. He wanted my son, and now he wants his grandson, Akea. Akea has witch and wolf blood, a very powerful combination. If my images are true, then that means that Saka will have Akea’s soul, and he will be able to be in human form again.
