Dark Twin Moon - The Awakening

Chapter 18:

From the start, Luke was offered a prospect he would never forget. Even the tales of the fairy kingdom, with its flower palaces, rose gardens of every hue, and forests full of living trees, couldn't come close to the splendor of this building and garden that he saw before him. Never in a million years could he have hoped to live in a house as beautiful as this.

His feet carried him straight into the incomparable garden without his having to do anything. He stopped right in front of unfamiliar black flowers. Never before has he seen this color on a flower before, nor the flower itself. He got close enough to smell their lovely scent, like honey and dried orange peel.

"The scent of this flower is different for every lycan and werewolf," Kayleb gently explained to the young wolf. "If the legend is to be believed, the elves gave it to us when we fled our homeworld to remind us that not everyone hated us. Their ruler was an exceptional man, apparently, in every way, as are these flowers." Gently, Kayleb cupped one of the blossoms. It moved to the warmth of his hand. Only Kayleb had seen it.

Luke wasn't afraid as the lycan came from his side and knelt before the flowers. As a child, Luke had heard many of these stories. For some reason, his father was sure they must have been true even though there was no way of knowing. But his former Alpha indoctrinated into him that they were just stories, as were lycans. Everything was just an elaborate hoax. He claimed they were all lies made by men to control the stronger werewolves.

But now that Luke was in the presence of someone who resembled one of those mystical people. He was beginning to believe his father's words and over those spewed by his former Alpha – and the rest of his pack – which now seemed nothing more than lies to him.

Now that he was free, he felt differently about Kayleb, as if a morphing veil had been lifted from him. He felt comfortable around him, almost like he was his personal protector. Perhaps he was as extraordinary as the elven ruler he spoke of. At least he was special to him: his savior.

Although Kayleb seems to hate every other werewolf and humans in general - at least, that's how it seemed to Luke, considering he was very aggressive towards them - thankfully, he hadn't felt anything comparable against himself.

"We should go inside. We need to get ready before the moon rises. Although, unfortunately, we won't have a full moon."

"Why?" Luke asked him softly.

"You'll see," Kayleb told him ominously. "But first, I want to show you your new home. I promise you the inside will be less spectacular."

With the bright smile Luke got from the older boy, he was sure Kayleb had told him the truth. But could an elegant house like this become simple from the inside?

Almost simultaneously, they rose from their separate kneeling and squatting positions. Together, they walked to the extensive, elaborate entrance, where the boy's belongings awaited them. This time, Luke got his hands on them before Kayleb could. The lycan didn't stop him, however. He might have looked a little too proud. Luke had no idea why. Before he could start asking questions, the lycan quickly walked on.

Kayleb opened the large front doors, made entirely of dark wood Luke had never seen before. They were decorated with stunning engravings: flowers and animals.

But then his gaze wandered inside the house. The things he had just gotten his hands on fell back onto the floor as he walked in, mouth open. For a moment, he could hear a deep chuckle. But he didn't care. Everything he saw outside was a joke compared to what he found inside the old-looking building. The older boy downplayed it immensely.

The floor was all black marble with white stripes. On the other hand, the pillars were carved from their counterpart: White marble with black streaks. Every one of those pillars was filled with hundreds of engravings. Further up, he saw small figures built into notches.