A Werewolf Fantasy
Chapter 23

The sun was making a slow descent in the west when the wounded party finally reached the heart of Denai' Vena, the home of Vak Smallchief and his large clan. The settlement was three times the size of Chief Anamak's home in Quandagh. The Prime Alpha's extended family and immediate subjects who had been left behind rushed out to welcome the injured returnees. "My darling, you are back," said a dark-skinned woman who ran forward to embrace Weruona. "The gods be praised for your safe return," she sighed in relief, holding unto her loved one.

"That is Zorraya," Danshak whispered to Erin. "She is Weruona's wife. She is from a distant country and a family of merchants. My brother fell in love with her at first sight and she chose to stay here with him instead of returning home with her people."

"Oh," said Erin, intrigued. "Is she a werewolf too?"

"She was not originally, but once she knew what we were, she asked to become one of us and on the night of their mating ceremony, my father's mother performed the sacred ritual of transformation and she became a werewolf after she and Weruona were joined as mates."

When the Zorraya stepped away from her mate, Erin recognized her as the younger version of Dame La'Toya Black, the matriarch of the Black clan in Fairbanks.

"I am pleased to finally meet you, Edvana," said Zorraya, coming to join Erin and Danshak where they sat on a wooden bench. "I am Zorraya, Weruona's wife, and I am delighted to welcome you into the Smallchief family." "Thank you," said Erin, warmed by the woman's friendliness.

"Danshak," she greeted her brother-in-law. "It is a relief to see that you are all back in one piece."

"In pieces, more like," said Danshak, with a lopsided smile. "It feels good to be back home."

"Where is Mother?" asked Zorraya. "I have seen the Alpha King and Zanisck, but I do not see Mother. Where is she?"

Erin and Danshak exchanged glances, Vak quietly disappeared into his private hut, Zanisck looked away, and Weruona cleared his throat.

"What is it?" Zorraya asked suspiciously. "Where is she?"

Weruona stepped forward and held her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes, and said, "Mother died on the battlefield." "What?" she gasped. "No!"

"It is true, my love," said Weruona, softly. "She died this morning and has been buried according to the wishes of Father."

Zorraya began to sob uncontrollably. Soon, the news of the Prime Luna's death spread across the village and everyone was thrown into mourning. A noticeable hush descended on the settlement as everyone grieved for the beloved Luna who was no longer with them in the flesh.

However, despite the somber mood in the community, guards and warriors were stationed around the perimeter to be on the lookout in case Nikjin and his army of mindless beasts decided to take advantage of the werewolves' weakness and attack them tonight.

Later that night, Erin and Danshak retired to their private quarters inside the family longhouse. The space had been prepared while Danshak and the rest of his family were away in Quandagh to bring home his bride. The place was sparsely furnished, giving her room to decorate it and fill it up with her things.

"Very cozy," Erin commented when they entered.

"Do you like it?" Danshak asked her.

"It's better than sleeping under a tree," she said and he laughed.

She noticed that Seisa had put what was left of her personal belongings in the corner of the room, and Erin was delighted to see that her dream stone as well as the gifts her father had brought were inside the basket. She picked up the stone and ran her fingers across it.

"What would you do with that?" asked Danshak. "I used to think that the dream stone had some special powers as Mother said, but now I think it is just a myth."

"It isn't," Erin argued. "It does have special powers."

"Not anymore," said Danshak. "The last time it was used for anything significant was on the night of Weruona's mating with Zorraya.

"Since then, it has been nothing but a relic that my mother liked to carry around with her for sentimental reasons before she gave it to you. I wish it had healing powers, maybe Mother would still be alive now if it did."

Erin heard the pain in his voice and her heart went out to him. Olna Raven had been right - she couldn't leave Danshak now. He needed her to comfort him and be his haven as he mourned his mother.

Weruona had Zorraya, Zanisck had his many girlfriends, and Danshak had her. As for the Prime Alpha, nobody can console him. He would carry the pain of losing his mate in his heart for as long as he lived. That thought made Erin feel sorry for her father-in-law.

She walked over to where Danhsak stood looking blankly into space, and she held his face between her palms so that he was now looking into her eyes.

"Come and lie down with me," she whispered.

He nodded and followed her to the bed to lie down. Thanks to all the herbs and ointment applied to their injuries, their wounds were almost healed and no longer as sore as they were in the morning.

They lay down on the bed that was just big enough to contain both of them comfortably and held onto each other without saying anything. Erin rolled onto her side and was spooned from behind by Danshak.

The silence in the room was soothing and punctuated by hushed conversations from nearby rooms, the crackling of fire outside, and the distant sound of a dog barking.

When Erin felt a warm liquid running down her back from her nape where Danshak's face was nestled, she said nothing but pulled his arms around her tighter, rubbing them gently in a gesture of consolation.

She knew it wasn't easy for him to be vulnerable with anyone, including her, but she also knew that he needed an outlet for the pain he held inside.

"I wish I had the chance to show her how much I loved her," he said softly behind her.

"She was always so forgiving, so loving, but I didn't make life easy for her with the way I always opposed her suggestions."

Erin remained silent. She knew this was a moment of healing for him, so she didn't want to interrupt him by saying empty words that might distract him now that he is trying to pour out his pain.

"When Father said he wanted me to marry you, I resisted," he continued speaking. "He was so disappointed by my refusal and called me a selfish son. I was hurt and vowed never to marry you. And then Mother called me aside and told me that she would support me no matter what I decided because my happiness mattered to her more than anything else.

"When she said that, I realized that my marriage to you would mean a lot to her too but she was not going to force me to go through with it because she was more concerned about my feelings than securing an alliance.

You can imagine Father's surprise when I told him I had decided to go on with the marriage ceremony after all. And Mother... her smile of joy was the reward I needed. The day we arrived at Quandagh, she called me aside and assured me that I was doing the right thing. She was proven right when the shaman confirmed that we were fated to be mates, you and I."

He sighed and let his body sag on hers.

"I am going to miss her so much."

"So will I," she said. "Now, close your eyes and sleep. You need to rest."

"Thank you," Danshak whispered, snuggling even closer to her.

Within a few minutes, he was sound asleep, snoring softly behind her. She smiled in the darkness, pleased that she had been able to help me relax after a difficult day. Erin sighed and closed her eyes, but as she began to drift into sleep, she thought she heard a howl in the distance.

Her body became tense, waiting to hear the growls and yapping of Nikjin's wild beasts tearing into the compound, ready to kill everyone. She waited for the sound of chaos and rampage, but she heard nothing besides the sound of loud snoring coming from a nearby room and the crackling of fire outside the longhouse.

She let out a shaky breath and allowed herself to relax. Maybe she had imagined the howl, or maybe it was a dog that howled. She was probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which was understandable judging by what she had witnessed in the last 48 hours.

Erin wondered if this was a good time to sneak the dream stone under her pillow to return her home, but she was afraid of waking Danshak, so she stayed put. Maybe she would use it tomorrow night if she was not huddled in Danhsak's arms like this.

'Yes, tomorrow sounds good,' she thought and then closed her eyes to sleep.