The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 19

CAULDER

\tl fell back into my bed when we got home. Harper swung her leg over the chair, sitting backwards. She placed her hands on the back of the chair and leaned her head down. I could feel her eyes on me.

\tRemy had been fine on her own. She stayed in the boundaries of the pack, but she spent most of her time standing on the edge of the forest and the town. She had just been staring out into the distance. It felt wrong to watch her like that, especially when nothing happened. I should have just trusted her, instead of following her.

\t"I can feel your frustration from here," Harper said.

\tl glanced over at her, but I didn't move. "We shouldn't have followed her."

\t"We were just looking out for her," Harper said. "She was attacked at the party. You heard her that night. That wasn't normal. I'm surprised your parents don't have a guard on her at all times because of what happened. I'm surprised that this entire pack hasn't been put on high alert. Everyone is just acting like nothing happened."

\t"It's complicated." I rubbed my hands over my face and then stared at the ceiling.

\tHarper stood up and then leaned over me, putting her face inches away from mine. She looked at me with narrowed eyes. "What do you know?"

\tl tried to keep my face calm. "Nothing." I rolled over and sat up so I wasn't so close to Harper. I tried to hide my face, but she just climbed onto my bed and trapped me between her and the wall.

\t"You know something. Don't lie to me." Her face was stern, and she wasn't going to let this go.

\tl knew if I lied to her, she would be upset. We had just had such a great first date, and she even agreed to be my girlfriend. If I started lying to her now and she found out, it would ruin everything. Technically, I only promised not to tell Remy about everything, so it wouldn't exactly be breaking my promise to my mother if I told Harper. I knew it wasn't a good idea to spill the truth, but the words started pouring out of my mouth.

\t"Apparently, Remy is part of some big prophecy that could end up causing mass destruction if it comes true, so that thing that tried to attack her was trying to make the prophecy come true or something like that. I'm still a little confused about that part. Remy can't know the truth about what is going on, because it could make the prophecy happen faster, but my mother put a protection spell on her to keep her hidden, but somehow that didn't stop that thing from replaceing her. The worst part is, my mother made me promise I wouldn't tell Remy any of this, and now I don't know what to do, because Remy and I don't lie to each other, but I've already messed that up."

\tAll of it spilled out of my mouth faster than I had realized. I hadn't planned on telling Harper all of those details, but once I started talking, I couldn't get myself to stop.

\t"Wow," Harper said as she let out a deep breath. "I wasn't expecting that."

\t"I wasn't either. I was just trying to figure out what was happening when I confronted my mother, and she told me all of this. But all of the secrecy stuff doesn't make sense," I admitted. It was hard enough knowing that this prophecy put Remy in danger, but the worst part of it was keeping a secret like that from her. "You can't tell Remy any of this. I made a promise to my mother. I don't think I should have technically told you, but I didn't want to lie to you."

\t"Why does Luna Adira want you to keep this a secret from Remy? Wouldn't it be better for Remy to know the truth so she could protect herself?" Harper asked.

\t"My thoughts exactly," I said. "But I guess it has something to do with making a deal with the Council of Magic in exchange for protection for Remy, and if we break our side of the deal, Remy's protection spell will instantly end." I tugged at my hair as I tried to work out my frustration with everything.

\t"How long have you known about this?" Harper asked.

\tl was worried she was going to be mad at me for not telling her any of this sooner. "Two days now. I know I should have said something but-"

\tHarper threw her arms around me and held me tightly. "That must have been hard handling that on your own and keeping that secret from Remy. I'm sorry you have to deal with this."

\tl let myself relax in Harper's arms. As her scent wrapped around me, my body began automatically relaxing. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her hair. Despite the lake water still lingering in her curls, I could smell the undertone of her strawberry shampoo. I felt better after getting everything off my chest, and it was even easier since Harper didn't seem mad at me. She wasn't criticizing me for not telling Remy right away or not telling her. It felt like she understood the situation I was in, and there was nothing better than feeling accepted instead of judged.

\tHarper pulled away from the hug much too so on, but I wasn't about to ask her to stay like that. "Look, I'm sure both of your parents are doing what's best for Remy. I don't like that we have to keep a secret like this from Remy of all people, but if it's for her own safety, then I guess I can keep this to myself for now. This isn't your fault, and it's not your responsibility, so don't put so much pressure on yourself."

\t"Yeah," I said, knowing I wouldn't be able to take the pressure off. I knew my parents were working on figuring out how to protect Remy, and it wasn't my responsibility. However, Remy was my other half, which made her my responsibility. I would do whatever it took to protect her no matter what, and I was sure she would do the same thing for me.

\tHarper grabbed my face and squished my cheeks. "And when you inevitably take on all of the pressure, at least try to remember that I am here by your side to help."

\tl gave her a soft kiss and smiled into the kiss. "You're the best."

\tShe giggled and flipped her hair. "I know. Just don't forget it."

\tl opened my mouth to make a snarky comment, but the air suddenly chilled and the hair on the back of my neck stood up straight. Before I even knew what was happening, I shifted off the bed so I was standing in front of it and in front of Harper in a protective stance. A figure appeared in the corner of my room. He was an older man, and his magic filled the air. He was stronger than I was, and something about him felt off.

\tl held up my hand, creating a ball of purple electricity. I was prepared to attack if this man made any move towards us.

\tHe looked me up and down and smiled. "Caulder, my, you really have grown. You haven't even fully matured as a sorcerer, but your magic is still pretty incredible. You are definitely a blessed child."

\tMy body was tense as I stared the man down. Clearly, he knew who I was, but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous. I could feel Harper's fear behind me, and I knew if this man even tried to hurt her, I would go into a blind rage.

\t"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Somehow this man had gotten through the pack house's protection, which meant he was a really strong sorcerer, or he had permission to be here. Either way, I wasn't taking a chance.

\t"Of course you don't remember me. You were just a babe when I saw you last, my boy. Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Winslow, and I am one of the elders of the Council of Magic." With a flick of his wrist, the ball of magic disappeared from my hand and appeared in his instead. "I'm here as a friend, not an enemy, so there is no need for magic."

\tSomething still felt off about this guy, so I kept my guard up. "So if you are here as a friend, she can leave?"

\tWinslow glanced behind me. "I didn't realize your girlfriend was here. I hope I didn't interrupt your little teen romance. She can stay or leave. I don't really care."

\t"Harper, go get someone," I linked her. I wanted to glance back at her, but I wasn't about to take my eyes off Winslow for a second.

\tHarper jumped off my bed and didn't hesitate to rush out of my room. I felt less tense knowing she wasn't around this guy, but I was still on edge.

\t"Now that you feel better that your girl is safely away from me, let's get down to business," Winslow said.

\t"I have no business with you." I kept my voice firm and authoritative. I wasn't afraid of this sorcerer.

\tWinslow smirked and chuckled. "You will make a good alpha one day. There is no hesitation in your voice, and it's clear that you have no time for games, so let me get to the point. You may not have business with me, but I have business with you. You see, I'm the one trying to protect your sister from fulfilling a dark prophecy. You know about that already, based on your face. You should really work on your poker face.

\t"Anyway, I'm offering you an opportunity to help me out. We need all of the sorcerers we can get to contain this dark creature and to stop those who are trying to unleash it. You show great potential as a young sorcerer, so I want you to come back to the Council of Magic to work with me in protecting your sister. What do you say?"

\tThe door burst open, and my mother flew into the room, rage boiling in her eyes. "He is not going with you, Winslow. Caulder and Remy are to be kept out of this. That was the deal, wasn't it?"

\tWinslow glanced at my mother as if expecting her heated entrance. "No, the deal was for Remy to stay out of it. Caulder is fair game, and if he can help us contain the creature, then isn't it better for him to help?"

\t"No." Her voice didn't waver, and she moved between Winslow and me. She was smaller than me, but her magic overpowered Winslow's. She was the one to truly fear in the room, especially as her anger fueled her magic.

\t"Adira, I think we should let Caulder decide if he wants to help protect his sister." Winslow made eye contact with me. "What do you say? Do you want to help save Remy and the world?"