Crimson Moon

I watched Tiberius run away, confusion rising up inside of me. Whose voice was that and why haven’t I ever met her before? I turned around to look at the others my face showing off how confused I truly was.

“Who was that and what is Tiberius late for?” I asked them.

They all look towards each other before Reed spoke up, “that was Adelina. Has Tiberius ever told you about her?”

“No, the only time I ever heard anything on her was from Cassie when she said that she was a lot of work.”

A burst of laughter came from Liam causing me to look at him raising my eyebrows.

“Sorry, that is only half of it. Trust me you don’t want to be anywhere around that chick.”

“If we heard her voice then she must be a part of the pack correct?” I questioned them.

Eli was the one to speak up about it. “Yes, but she isn’t like you. She would rather be inside getting all dolled up and pampered than to have fun outside. This is totally fine by us, as you already know about the whole female thing. She is even more important to keep safe because she is royalty not just because she is female. Her grandparents are the King and Queen of Britain. This makes it extra important to keep her safe.”

“If her parents are the King and Queen of Britain then what is she doing here?’ I questioned them further.

Eli responded once more, “Long story short her grandparents still live in Britain, but her mother, the princess, moved over here and fell in love with her now father. Her mother and father still live here with us and since we can hear her thoughts it is evident that she truly does belong with us.

“But what does any of this have to do with Tiberius?” I asked them.

This time it was Caleb who spoke up. “Let’s start to slowly head back and we can explain it on the way ok?”

He had a sad look to his eyes and by looking around at the others they possessed the same sadness. Curiosity started to bubble up inside me. Was this why Tiberius seemed so upset earlier? Did it have something to do with this Adelina girl? Instead of just answering I started to walk back the way we came as they all padded up beside me their heads closer to the ground than they usually are.

Without having to prompt Caleb at all, he started speaking. “Did Tiberius ever tell you he was engaged?”

Hearing what just came out of his mouth made my heart wrench. Why didn’t he ever tell me? I had no idea why I was getting so upset about it, it’s not like I have anything to do with his life. I only just met him, I was being ridiculous. He didn’t owe it to me to tell him anything about his personal life. I tried to collect myself back together before simply responding, “No, he didn’t.”

My voice failing me and coming out as a little squeak. It was Reed whose voice spoke up in my mind. “I’m sorry Calla, you deserve better than that. Tiberius shouldn’t have led you on like that.”

I looked at him and replied back to him in his mind. “What do you mean?” I asked him in return.

“I see the way you look at him. I know you like him, don’t worry I won’t tell him.”

I gave him a questioning look. Was it true? Did I really like Tiberius?

“I only just met him,” I told Reed.

“It doesn’t matter. In our world, you know who you belong with as soon as you find them. For you, that one is Tiberius.”

“Even if any of this was true, it doesn’t matter. Tiberius is engaged, nothing I can do about it.”

Saying this to even Reed hurt my heart. I really needed to get myself together. I was being pathetic.

Speaking out loud and keeping my eyes peeled straight forward I asked them, “Does he love her?”

There was a moment of silence as they all exchanged looks.

“No, that is why he has been so stressed recently.”

“Then why is he engaged to her?” I asked confused as to why he would be with her then.

It was Reed’s voice who spoke next.

“Calla, Tiberius is a prince. It is his duty to do what is right for the pack. He is following orders from his father. Yes, Devlon is a nice man but when it comes to something that can benefit his entire pack, he goes for it even at the cost of one’s happiness. He ordered Tiberius to be with Adelina. He didn’t fight it though, he is too noble to go against the kings wishes.”

“Why is she so important,” I asked my tone being a little sharper than it needed to be.

“She is of royal blood. The union between the two could strengthen the relationship of both our kingdoms causing a bigger alliance. Also, female werewolves are rare especially ones in your own pack. Being that she belongs in our pack and we can hear each other’s thoughts, they will form the rare bond which activates feeling each other’s pain as well. Very few werewolves can experience this and Devlon believes that it will make Tiberius even stronger and a better king in the future.

“Does Adelina love him?”

This made Liam laugh.

“Yeah right, I don’t think that chick can feel anything at all. I swear she is the devil in disguise.”

“Then why would she want to be with Tiberius.”

As I asked this I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, tripping over a tree root. Reed was next to me and caught me from the side supporting my weight.

“Are you ok?” He asked me worry evident in his tone of voice.

My vision was a little blurred by the tears that wanted to seep through. The pain was beginning to hurt me more and more as I came further and further into the realization that Tiberius was indeed engaged. Reed must have seen my eyes for the fact that he waved his tail to the others who sat down. I did the same and put my tail over my front paws and duct my head. Reed began to speak slowly to me and he exhaled.

“To answer your question, Adelina wants to be with him not because she loves him, but because of how strong Tiberius is. She wants to marry him so she can feel special and pretty much have bragging rights about who she married.”

“Is Tiberius really that powerful?” I questioned him.

Reed just looked me directly in the eyes before replying. “You have no idea. Some say he is a wolf of legends. I wouldn’t cross him, not unless there is a death sentence involved.”

When he said this, I knew it was true. Just by the vibe, he gives off you know how strong he is.

“I’m sorry for slowing you down guys, I can’t explain why this is affecting me this bad. I guess I’m just being a baby.”

Reed replied “Nonsense Calla. You are far from a baby. This would tear all of us apart.”

“Why?” I asked him. “I didn’t even know I liked him until now. How would this hurt anyone? It doesn’t even make any sense.”

They all looked at each other once more before I heard Jeremiah mumble, “I don’t think she knows anything guys?”

“What do you mean?” I asked him, but he didn’t reply.

“What does he mean?” I asked the others hoping they would say something.

Finally, it was Eli who decided to speak very slowly and carefully like he was planning all his words before letting them come out.

“Tell me honestly Calla, when Tiberius is around is it the only thing you can focus on? Does he make you happy in ways nobody else can? Does his touch spark fire within your body?” My cheeks began to burn by what he was saying. “There is no need to be embarrassed, all of us wish we could have what you two do.”

My brows furrowed even further. I honestly had no idea what any of these guys were talking about. It was Dante’s voice that spoke up next,

“Guys, I don’t think she has any idea what you are talking about.”

I gave out a small laugh and said “Thank you, someone gets it.”

Reed's voice spoke to me very softly.

“Calla, you may not believe us when we say this. I know that this world is new to you and that you don’t know everything about it. Just please don’t freak out when we say this.”

“Say what,” I said back to him.

Caleb’s voice blurted out before anyone else could speak, “from what we observed, we believe you and Tiberius are fated to be together.”

My heart rate accelerated as I heard those words come from his mouth. I gave out a small laugh before looking at Reed, “Now what really were you going to say?”

He just looked straight back at me. “Calla that was what I was going to say.”

I started to stand up and back slowly away without even realizing it. “That can’t exist. Especially not with us. I only just met him. Fate doesn’t exist, it was just some fairy tale made up by some mother for a good bedtime story.”

I began to ramble on the others just sitting there letting me do so. After a few minutes, Reed slowly walked up to me. “Calla, calm. I know it is a lot to process right now. We need to get you back to your room so you can rest. I know your heart must be broken into millions of pieces. None of us can understand what you are going through. Please just follow us back so we can get you back safely.”

I nodded my head back to him and began to follow the rest safely back. None of us spoke the entire way until Reed brought me to my door before saying “If you need me I’ll be here for you. I really do mean that Calla, I consider you a friend. I know you’re grieving and I know you need time.”

I gave him a small smile “Thank you, Reed.” I then walked into my house and went straight to my bed.

Once I crawled into my bed, all the emotions I was holding in seeped through me striking me with immense pain. It hurt worse than anything I have ever experienced before. I was angry at myself for the feelings I was going through. I couldn’t make any sense of it.

“Calm Calla, you are being ridiculous. It is his life, you only just met him. Plus, he is a prince you could never be with someone like that.”

Tears began to fall from my eyes as I remembered everything Reed said about being fated. How could something like that exist? How could fate really exist? I curled up in a ball and began to weep. It was too much pain and I couldn’t control it. I tried to be silent, but it didn’t work. I wailed as my body rocked back in forth with sobs. A knock sounded from my door.

“Calla?” It was my sister’s voice.

“Please Kat go away. I’m not in the mood.” I barely mustered out.

She didn’t get the hint as she slowly opened the door and walked straight to me. “What’s wrong?” She asked me.

I didn’t say anything because when I opened my mouth to tell her to leave nothing came out but a hiccup. She then did the only thing a kind big sister would do. She took me in her arms and let me weep in her lap as she brushed my hair back with her fingers. This was the last thing I remembered before everything went dark and sleep overcame me.