The Midnight Pact

In the dead of night, I lay awake listening to the distant howls of the wolves. They all sing as if they were talking with one another. I look over to see Navi tossing and turning in his sleep. Dreaming again probably. His dreams get more frequent the closer we get to the battle. Its been a few months since my training session with Donae. I usually stay in my own room near the training grounds, but Navi has been getting scared and has asked me to sleep in here with him until the battle.

I look around the little room only able to make out a small desk they had brought over the past months. I sigh and slowly get up to stretch my legs as Navi jumps and wakes.

"Tallia, they're coming," he says getting up and hugging me. He has grown taller since we've been here.

"Who is coming? The bad dragons?" I ask lightly rubbing his back to calm him down.

"No, the wolves of the Dark Forest," he says as he begins to hear the howling.

"Do you know what they want?"

"They want to help but they don't like magik," he looks out a small crack between the door and its frame.

"Navi, calm down. I will make sure they do not harm anyone," I say slowly opening the door.

"They will smell the magik on you."

"I will be okay, Navi. Have faith." I walk out the door and towards the main doors. The howling seems to be getting louder.

"What are you doing out of your room?" A familiar deep voice whispers in my ear. I turn and see Donae smiling at me. His silver eyes never fail to take my breath away.

"Navi says the wolves of the Dark Forest are coming to help," I say as he looks me up and down. That's when I realize I'm still in my riding gear from before I went to sleep.

"Looked to me like you were gonna ride away," he wraps an arm around my shoulders and leads me to the front door. "Plus, you shouldn't be alone walking around at midnight. Too many crazy men in this fort." He gets a serious look on his face that makes me giggle.

"Of course, sir, lead the way then."

He grins and walks outside, but he instantly stops and looks back, "Run." That is all he says before it is no longer Donae standing before me but a black wolf, with those silver eyes.

~~~∆~~~

'Are you okay? Just be careful,' I hear Shadow tell me. I wake up looking at a scared version of Donae and Shadow standing behind him.

"W-where?" I say, no, croak out. It seems my throat is very dry, which means I've been out for awhile.

"I'm sorry," Donae says. "I was scared you'd never wake up. I get so caught up in my human form I almost forgot about my wolf blood."

I look at him and try to ask again, "W-where am?"

He pulls out a waterskin and helps me drink it, "I'm sorry. They tricked me."

"Who did?" I ask looking around. 'Shadow, tell me what the hell is going on.'

'Remember when I said you two could start a war? Well let's just say his parents aren't too happy he has been cuddling you,' Shadow says slowly walking forward to make sure I was okay.

I reach up and pet his snout. "Donae, explain. Fast."

"My parents, well my dad to be more specific. When he senses that I'm close he can make me change form. Only because he's my dad and alpha," he explains.

"So what happened?"

"When I'm in wolf form, the only thoughts I listen to are the alpha's. I have no control over if I do something. As a wolf the only thoughts allowed are those that would please the alpha."

"And your dad, or alpha, decided to have you bring me to wherever this is?"

"Yes," he looks around. I notice a scar on his cheek.

"What happened to your cheek? That wasn't there before. Was it?" I reach up and touch his face.

"Not important right now. You have to get away before they come back."

"I'm not leaving you," I look at my body and realize that I'm covered in cuts and bruises. "Plus if I move it might cause me pain. Look at me."

'Just get on my back and I'll carry you the whole way,' Shadow says nudging my side to try and help me up. 'Please, Tallia, I can't leave you and they'll kill me if they see me.'

'Shadow, I can't leave Donae. He's-'

"Tallia, please go. I can't let them hurt you, and I can't stop them if they try."

"Donae, if they did this to me, I don't want to know what they'll do to you."

'HE'S WHAT? You never finish telling me things,' Shadow sniffs me and nudges my side again.

'I can't leave one of the people I trust the most.'

'What?! You're worried about HIS safety? You're in more danger than any of us!!' Shadow steps back a couple steps.

'Nobody is in danger,' I look at Shadow sternly. 'I can handle this.'

~~~∆~~~

"They're back," Donae says getting up after pleading with me for an hour before realizing I'm not changing my mind. "You know they will try to harm you more and that I am powerless to stop them?"

"I know," I say looking around. 'You better stay well hidden, Shadow.'

'I will. Just be careful,' Shadow says to me. I have no idea where he is but he's far enough away we can no longer see or hear any sign of him.

"I love you, Tallia," Donae says before he is in his wolf form again.

I slowly back myself into a tree and lay against it. Silently putting a protective spell on my body so no more harm can happen to me and pretending to still be knocked out.

I hear a twig snap as what sounds like a group of animals run towards us. I concentrate on keeping heart rate down and keep my eyes closed.

I listen to the sound of heavy breathing coming from a large animal. 'It'll be okay. We won't harm you. Don't be afraid. They know you're awake. You need to open your eyes. Look at me,' a man speaks in my mind.

'Who is this?' I say mentally kicking myself for letting them know I'm awake.

'It's me, Donae. This is my voice. This is me as my wolf. I cannot speak as a wolf. Please open your eyes. The alpha read my thoughts. He knows you're awake.'

I slowly open my eyes and look into Donae's beautiful silver eyes. I lightly put my hand on his snout and smile. I look around and see another medium sized wolf with silver eyes, this one is white; a brown eyed large wolf, black fur; and a lot of smaller wolves with varying shades of gray, black, white, and brown fur, their eyes also varying in color.

The large black wolf shifts to his human form. He is naked. I look away and he says, "I am Domink and you will look at me when I speak to you."

"I will not look upon a naked man," I say continuing to look away.

He sighs heavily, "Son, bring me that satchel." Donae walks to a small pile of bags and packs and pulls out a small satchel and carries it to his father. I hear a rustling of fabric and his father growl when another wolf moves to help him. "Now look at me, woman!"

I look at him, satisfied that he now has his man parts covered. "Thank you. Now will you kindly explain why we are meeting here? I would have been more than happy to meet at the fort." I smile hoping to ease the tension some.

"You have no rights to rush me," he slowly sits cross legged in front of me.

"Says the man who kidnapped me," I tease.

He glares at me, "You're just a petty human. You have no right-"

"I apologize. Please continue," I state.

He looks at Donae then back to me, "Well, I would like to help you to rid the castle of that thing that calls himself Dracome, but as you already know we do not like magik."

"So you want to defeat him without magik? Please explain how you are going to do this. I'm intrigued," I say leaning forward with my hands under my chin.

He sighs and looks up at the sky. "You know as well as I that magik cannot be defeated without stronger magik. That is why I want to talk to you. I know you are the mästare. I did not know this until I heard it in Donae's thoughts. I will make sure my entire pack fights with you, as long as you make sure we are well fed and have a place to stay this winter. The cold weather is coming sooner than usual and we will not be well enough prepared to survive it fully through without help."

I think about this for a moment, "Well, as you probably know from his thoughts, it will be very difficult to keep you away from magick completely but we will try. I also would appreciate you to leave Donae alone. Allow him to choose his path."

He sighs and says, "I shall allow this. He was never my true son anyway." He waves his hand in the air. "We shall seal this in the blood bond. Are you familiar with it?"

"Yes, please begin the ritual," I say holding my hand out to him. He grabs it and begins chanting, cuts both of our palms, and places the cuts together.

"Seal of Blood is complete," he says before taking his clothes off and placing them into the satchel before turning into a wolf and leading the entire pack, except Donae, away.