Watch The Dark

"Auntie Lumina, why don't you like Alpha Frasier and Talon? Mommy doesn't like them either because Talon always wants to talk to me. But he is nice to me. Maybe Talon can be my soulmate," Tana had once said. She was only eight at the time. So stupid and naive.

"There are things you don't yet understand, darling. But you must understand that Alpha Frasier and Talon are not good wolves. And the moon goddess has someone much, much better to be your soulmate. And maybe you can have your own pup, like Marie over here," Lumina said, gesturing to the pup who was in her lap.

Tana had stuck her tongue out at that.

"No way! Pups are gross! I don't want any!" She squealed. Lumina had laughed with her then. A real laugh. A genuine laugh.

Tana never realized how much she would miss it.

***

Tana had left Icarus with Bea and Mika. Declan had insisted on taking her somewhere the next day, though he never specified where. Sincere, Blake, and Jade were going to be introduced to Icarus in that time. Bea suggested it might be better for Tana not to be around so that Sincere would have more of an open mind.

It hurt to hear, but Tana understood.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked, for at least the fourth time since they got in the car. It felt like they had been driving for hours, though Declan informed her that it had only been twenty minutes.

"For the last time, you'll find out when we get there," he said. She rolled her eyes and let out a huff.

"Are you going to cut me up and leave me in the woods now? No one would find me for days," she commented. He chuckled slightly at that and shook his head.

"You've got an interesting imagination. On that note, we're here," he said as they pulled onto a dirt road that looked like it was in the middle of nowhere. There were copious amounts of pine trees but nothing else special seemed to be around.

It was only when they started walking through the forest that Tana began to see where they were really going. She had been there before, when she was young.

It was a massive, crystal clear pond with a tiny waterfall on top. There was a break in the trees just over the pond so that the sun could shine directly into the water, illuminating the stones below the pond.

"Aurora's Pool," Tana said. Declan seemed surprised that she knew this but nodded.

"My mother took me and my siblings here all the time. It's right in the middle of South Bay, Dark Wolves, and the Cedar Wood territory. It's kind of a neutral area; anyone can come here from any pack and there's guaranteed peace," he said.

"My dad took me and Tuk and Alec here a lot. It was the one thing he always did with us. Every month. I always looked forward to it because I didn't get much time with my dad since he was always on patrol," Tana said. "Alec always jumped from the waterfall and tried to get Tuk to do it, but Tuk was too scared," she added.

Declan smiled. But, as they sat down at the edge of the water and dipped their feet in, he seemed to grow more solemn.

"I don't know how to apologize for lying to you. I should have been honest, but I just kept it from you. So, whatever you want to ask, ask me. I'm not keeping anything from you anymore," he said. The way he looked at her, with pure guilt and regret, softened the walls she had put up around him. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to give him another chance.

"Did you mark Elena and other girls?" She asked. Declan tensed slightly and took in a deep breath.

"Elena was the only one I tried to mark. I slept with other girls, but Elena was the most frequent. It was when I was around 19 or 20 that I tried to mark her. I was pissed off at my dad for telling me I would never find my mate and I wanted to prove him wrong by...I don't know, forcing a mate bond on someone? I was young and stupid and have apologized to Elena countless times for it. She forgave me right away but hasn't been too happy since I broke up with her," he explained. Tana took a moment to process and nodded slowly. It wasn't anything sinister. It was him being a young male. That was all.

She felt incredibly stupid for getting so upset.

"Why did you leave me? After the battle? You looked like you wanted to get away from me as fast as possible," she said. He turned away at that point, kicking his feet slightly in the water as tiny fish flitted by.

"I smelled your pregnancy. I knew it the moment I picked your unconscious up. But then when you threw up...I don't know. I think that some part of me completely freaked out. The thought of being a father terrified me. So I ran off to try and find Fang. I wanted to keep our baby safe. I realize now that it was incredibly stupid of me," he said. Tana bummed quietly.

"I think you beat yourself up too much."

"You ran away for two years and had a child without telling me. What else was I supposed to do?" He snapped lightly. Tana winced, but didn't respond. She deserved that.

"I'm sorry. For leaving. And not telling you about Icarus," she said. He nodded, and the two of them were quiet for a few minutes. Just listening to the quiet roar of the small waterfall and the light swishing of their feet in the water.

"Why Icarus? The name, I mean. It ain't very common," Declan asked. She smiled a bit at that. She was surprised it took him so long to ask.

"Lumina was pregnant with a boy two years after having Marie. She always told me she wanted to name him Icarus; after her father. She lost the baby because she had been giving a lot of her food to Marie and eventually was just so malnourished that she couldn’t support a baby as well. I remember her being so sad about it because she was so excited to have a son. It felt right to name my baby for her,” she replied. “I guess that’s another thing I should apologize for; not letting you help choose a name,” she said.

“You can make it up to me when we have more pups,” Declan said cheekily. Tana rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side playfully.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You’re stunning.”

She blushed and turned away to focus on the water.

“There’s no need to flatter me. I think we have more important things to do than make up. Fang has a bounty on Icarus’s head,” Tana said. Declan groaned at that.

“Always the eternal optimist, aren’t you? Come on. I have guards and warriors that have eyes on Sincere and Icarus at all times. If all we ever do is plan for war, where is the time for fun?” He asked. Tana rolled her eyes.

“After the war, obviously,” she huffed.

“Come on,” he said, lowering his voice as he leaned closer to her so that their noses were practically touching. “Run with me.”

“However beautiful you think I am, I should tell you that my wolf has lost her beauty,” Tana whispered. Her wolf whined indignantly in the back of her head.

“I’ve only seen your wolf briefly, but my wolf is completely and utterly enamoured by her already,” he whispered back. She grinned at the cheesy comment.

“Well, then let’s run, Alpha.”