A Werewolf Fantasy
Chapter 45

Two days after that harrowing experience, Erin was sitting alone in the women's hut when Rowana came running in with a tear-stained face and was completely hysterical.

"I am in trouble!" she said to Erin. "My life is over!"

"Calm down, Rowana. Tell me, what is it?"

Rowana looked about wildly as if to make sure that they were indeed alone before she leaned toward Erin and whispered, "I am with child."

Erin gasped. She knew the implication of this development and she understood why the other woman was beside herself with fear. "Are you certain?"

"Yes. My bleeding has not come for the past three months and this is the fourth month now."

"Well, there could be other explanations for that," said Erin, hopefully.

"No, Edvana. It is only a matter of time before it becomes public knowledge. Look at me," she said and stood up so that Erin could see her stomach. Her lower belly was slightly protruded, a clear indication that her pregnancy was well into the second trimester already.

"Oh," said Erin with a sinking heart.

"What am I going to do now?" Rowana cried.

Erin scratched her head. This was a very terrifying development. Nikjin must never know about Rowana's condition or else the poor woman would be dead in a matter of minutes. "Perhaps you should send word to him that you are unwell and cannot be in his presence until you recover," Erin suggested.

"He would send Zokman to me for healing," said Rowana. "If Zokman sees me, I am as good as dead."

"Well, we'll tell them that it is your monthly bleeding."

"I cannot bleed forever, can I? What happens afterward when my bleeding supposedly stops?"

"You are going ahead of yourself, Rowana. Let us offer this excuse first and worry about the remaining days later."

Hopefully, in the next few days when the Alpha King defeats Nikjin, Rowana would no longer have to worry about her life and the survival of her unborn baby.

The only way that would be possible was if things turned out the way she hoped that they would - that is if Vak kills Nikjin and Zokman and restores sanity to their clans.

Mizzah walked in just then and found Rowana still in tears. "What is it Rowana? Has something happened?"

Rowana was caught by surprise and quickly wiped the tears off her face. "Nothing is wrong," she said, unable to meet Mizzah's eyes.

"Then why are you crying?" Mizzah asked.

"She is having pains in her stomach," said Erin. "It is that time of the month again."

"Oh," said Mizzah. "I was beginning to wonder why you have not gone to the bleeding hut for some time now."

Rowana and Erin exchanged glances but said nothing.

"Go on, then. I shall bring you some herbal drink to relieve your pains," said Mizzah, going to the other end of the room to pick up an earthen bowl. "Oh, before I forget, Edvana, Zokman is asking to see you." "Is he?" said Erin with a bite. "Where is he?"

"Where else? His hut, of course. I saw him on his way there and he called out to me to tell you to come and see him."

"What for?" Rowana asked.

"I have no idea," said Erin.

"I am going to advise you to keep your wits about you whenever you are with that man," said Mizzah, wisely.

"I do not know what you think that you might gain by making friends with him. He is an evil man and you will do well to stay away from him."

"You are right," Erin agreed. "I think he is up to no good but I do not know what exactly he is planning to do."

"Just stay out of it," said Mizzah. "The only person Zokman is loyal to in this world is Lord Nikjin and nobody else. Always remember that, no matter what he tells you."

There was something familiar about Mizzah's warning. It sounded similar to what Rowana had said about Cheyenne who pretended to be plotting with her against Nikjin but in the end, it turned out that the woman had been doing that to score brownie points with Nikjin all along.

Could that be what Zokman was doing too? Had he been lying about his intentions to double-cross his friend? Was he doing that to see how far she would go to try to frustrate Nikjin's attempts at becoming the next Alpha King? That made sense because she refused to believe that a human actually thought that it was possible for him to defeat a werewolf and become the Alpha King. Either that or Zokman was seriously demented and would need the help of a psychiatrist to set his head right.

"Let me go and fetch the herbs for you, Rowana," said Mizzah. "I will return quickly, I promise."

"Thank you," said Rowana with a sad smile as she watched the younger woman leave. "She is such a kind soul. I do not want to lie to her."

"Listen to me, Ro. The fewer the people who know about this, the better for you," said Erin. "Let this secret remain between you and me for now, that way, Lord Nikjin is less likely to replace out about it." "I trust Mizzah. She would never give me away," Rowana protested.

"And I trusted Cheyenne too but she nearly got the two of us killed, remember? Nobody needs to know about this yet. If you want your baby and you to survive this, then you will keep your mouth tightly shut." Rowana looked scared. "So, what do I do with the herbs when she returns with them? And I have to go to the bleeding hut too. What if there are other women there? How do I explain why I am not bleeding?" Erin sighed. She felt sorry for women of this era who have to sit together inside the same hut and shed their menstrual flow into designated holes in the ground.

It was a messy business and too intrusive for her liking. Who even came up with that method of shedding period blood?

"Well, you should remain here then and tell her that the blood is not coming out yet. As for the herbal drink, just pretend to drink and toss it away when she is not looking. Do not drink it or else it might harm your baby. You do want to have the baby, do you not?"

Rowana nodded. "Yes, I want my child to live."

"Good. So, do as I say and I will come back to stay with you once I return from Zokman's place."

She found Zokman in front of his hut this time around, eating an apple. When he saw her, his eyes widened briefly in surprise before he quickly adjusted his expression to seem nonchalant.

"You seem surprised to see me," she said. "Did you not send for me?"

"I was hoping that one of the Alphas had killed you last night," he said dryly. "It turns out that I may have underestimated you too. I am impressed."

"What do you want?" Erin asked coldly.

"Oh, come on, Luna. Why are you acting as if I am your enemy? We are allies, remember?"

"The only ally you have is your friend and master, Nikjin. Now, tell me, what do you want from me this time?"

"Well, how did it go with Vak last night?"

"I did what you asked. I dropped the food and ran for my life."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Does that mean that you did not even attempt to speak with him before you left?"

"You told me not, did you not?"

"Hmm..." he mused, unconvinced by her claims. "Well, I have studied the weather closely and I can now confirm that the full moon night will be in two days." Erin's breath ceased. "In two days?"

"Yes. And I need you to do one more thing for me before the hour of reckoning comes."

"What do you want from me again?"

"I will give you a potion to put into Nikjin's meal tonight," said Zokman darkly.

"What? Have you lost your mind? I thought you were the one that wanted to kill him? Why are you trying to get me to do your dirty job for you?"

"Kill him? Oh, no. That is not what I want you to do," he laughed. "The potion is to weaken his strength."

"But I thought - "

"Do not be stupid! Do you think I stand a chance of defeating him at full strength?"

"If you cannot defeat Nikjin, how then do you intend to kill the Alpha King?"

"Let me worry about that. Now, come here. Let me show you what to do."

He stood up and tossed his half-eaten apple into the bush before entering his hut. Erin followed him in and was once again jarred by the sight of his ugly hut.

Zokman picked up a small wrapped pouch and offered it to her. "You have to be discreet when applying this potion to his food. Make sure that the other women do not catch you while you are at it otherwise, they will tell Nikjin and you will be dead before sunrise."

Erin swallowed hard in fear but did not accept the potion. "Why don't you do it yourself? You have a reputation for being very crafty around here."

"Yes, I am crafty but I am not stupid. Now, take it!"

"No!"

"Well, then. That means you are ready to say goodbye to another Alpha in your family," Zokman threatened.

"I will send my beasts to kill your brother-in-law and then give his wife to Nikjin to be his sex slave. How do you like that?"

Erin gasped. "Why are you so evil?"

"The world is evil and it is cruel to nice people. Now, take this potion and put two pinches into everything that Nikjin will eat tonight."

She reluctantly accepted the potion from him. "What if someone else eats with him?"

Zokman shrugged. "If the person is a werewolf, they will be weakened too, but if they are human, they will fall into a deep sleep that will last for days."

Neither option was appealing and Erin was worried about anyone else getting hurt by this thing.

"Remember, you must add it to his food before it gets to him," he said. "There is no way you can attempt to put it when the food has already reached his lair. He will most certainly catch you."

"I hope this officially ends my business with you," she said, hating that she was at this lunatic's mercy.

"Our alliance ends when I say it has ended," he said smugly.

"I have nothing to lose but you on the other hand... your entire family's existence is hanging in the balance and you would be foolish not to remain on my good side until the full moon night. Now, go. I will send for you again when I need you."

"You need to stop doing that because the women are becoming suspicious," Erin informed him.

"Of what?"

"Of my newfound friendship with you. They think you might be up to something and you are probably trying to use me against your friend."

"And since when did they become that smart? Are you sure you have not said anything to them?"

"I haven't, and they are not as stupid as you think."

"Fine. I will come to you when I need you again," he said and waved dismissively at her to leave.

She turned to leave but then her eyes caught sight of a small jute bag on a shelf with some dewy powder inside. It was the same substance that he had given to her to open the forest cell portal with.

"What are you looking at?" he asked. "Go now before Nikjin starts to look for you. And remember to keep the potion hidden until you need to use it."

"Yes," she said and walked out of his hut.

Seeing that bag of powder had given her an idea that she hadn't initially thought possible. Now that she knew for certain that Zokman's tasks for her were designed to get her into trouble with Nikjin, she was going to do her best to outsmart him each time.

And then she would try to keep her head above water long enough to see the night of the full moon because she may have just found the key to unlocking a new level of surprise for the allies.

Erin knew that if she played her cards right, she would finally succeed in avenging Olna Raven, Danshak, and every werewolf who has died needlessly in this war.

She could be the one to tip the scales in favor of Vak Smallchief and help him retain his position as the Prime Alpha of werewolves.