The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 32

REMY

\t"Deep breaths, girl," Ginger said again.

\t"I am taking deep breaths," I muttered.

\tGinger was trying to teach me different magic skills, but I hadn't succeeded with a single new skill yet. I couldn't shift or create a magic attack. All I could do was create a small light, which was pointless. The frustration was slowly creeping in, and I was starting to wonder what the point of magic training was for me. I wasn't blessed like Caulder. I couldn't control magic like he could, and I hadn't made progress in months.

\t"Maybe we should take a break," Ginger suggested. "Your frustration isn't going to get you anywhere."

\tl grabbed my water and took a sip of it before plopping onto the nearest bench. "I just don't get it. Why can I control barely any magic?"

\tGinger sat next to me. "Not all sorcerers can control magic at the same rate. Magic comes from your emotions and your breathing, so if you learn how to control those, your magic will come more naturally."

\tl took a deep breath before turning my head and raising my eyebrows. "I've practiced my breathing for hours on end. I'm pretty sure I can breathe better than Caulder, but I can barely do anything with magic. Maybe I just wasn't born with the same magic as him. Maybe I'll never be able to do more than be a nightlight, so what's the point of wasting my time practicing magic?"

\tGinger flicked my forehead. "I don't want to ever hear you say that again. You got that, girl?"

\t"Ow," I complained, rubbing my forehead.

\t Ginger stood up and put her hands on her hips. She was shorter than me, and her body had been betrayed by time, but as she stood there pointing at me with her shaking finger, she had never looked more fierce and powerful. " Your mother didn't even know she had magic until she was almost twenty-one. Did that stop her from becoming one of the most powerful sorcerers out there?"

\tl opened my mouth to answer, but Ginger just continued. She didn't want a real answer from me. "You, child, are stronger than most people in this pack. Just because your magic hasn't come to you yet, doesn't mean it won't. Sorcerers get a surge of power on their twenty-first birthday. If you still can't do basic magic at that point, then you can give up. But until then, I want you to practice all of the emotions and feelings that come with using magic until they are second nature to you. That way, when your magic finally awakens, you will be just as strong, if not stronger, than those around you. Got that?"

\tl felt a small flicker in my core, as if there was a fire inside trying to ignite but couldn't quite spark. It was there and ready, lying dormant for the right moment. Ginger's trust in me reminded me that there were people around me rooting for me. Even if I felt unseen most of the time, it didn't mean I actually was.

\tl threw my arms around Ginger and squeezed her tightly. "Thank you."

\tGinger brushed me off and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, no need to get sentimental, girl. Just don't ever give up because things aren't working out the way you want them to initially. If it doesn't work the first time, then try again and again."

\t- \tCAULDER

\t"Once a year, there is an alpha meeting where all alphas are invited to attend," my father explained. He had been going over various alpha duties for the past half hour. Most of them I was familiar with from watching him, but he was giving more details. We got together once a week for direct mentoring. My father wanted me to be as ready as possible for when it was time to take over the pack.

\t"Yeah, you've mentioned them before." My father took the occasional trip away from the pack, and the alpha meeting was never one he missed.

\t"Did you know that your Grandpa Reyland and myself were the ones who actually established that meeting?" my father asked.

\t"Wait, really? I just thought that it had been around for forever, like the Lycan Ball." The Lycan ball happened once a year to give all of the single werewolves of age to meet up to see if they could replace their mate. It was a tradition to attend, since there was at least a fifty percent chance of replaceing a mate within your own pack, possibly less depending on the size of the pack. It helped keep the werewolf population going.

\t"No. The leaders of wolf packs used to only get together if a pack had requested it or if there was a situation that required other wolf packs' attention. However, after our pack was threatened by the Council of Magic, we decided we needed a better way to communicate and prepare for any attacks coming from those outside of our realm, in case something like that ever happened again." He sat back in his chair and took the opportunity to stretch.

\tMy father was an incredible alpha, and the more I learned from him, the more intimidated I felt. It seemed like he was born for the role of a leader, and I wasn't sure how I would ever be able to live up to the legacy he was building.

\t"That's incredible. How do you do it? How can you handle this pack and take the time to focus on other werewolves?" I needed to know his secret if I would ever live up to him.

\tMy father chuckled. His face was filled with laugh lines around his eyes, which showed his age, but it also showed the joy he had in his heart. "Magic." He twisted his hand in front of his face, but then he only laughed more. He had no magic in his body, and he knew it too.

\t"Seriously, Dad. How did you know what to do to be a good alpha?" My chest deflated as I thought about it. I did the required training each week, but it didn't feel like enough. Being an alpha seemed to take more than skills on a battlefield or skills in an office. It seemed to take a special heart to handle the stress and to care about everyone, and I wasn't sure if I would ever have the heart for it.

\tHe stroked the stubble on his face and leaned back in his chair. The dad jokes seemed to have left his mind, and his face softened. "Part of it was watching other alphas in action. I never had official alpha training, since my own father passed away when I was too young to learn about the roles of an alpha. The other part was making sure those around me were trustworthy, and then I actually listened to their advice, even when I didn't like it. The last thing was following my heart. I didn't always know what the right thing to do was. I still don't know if the decisions I'm making I'll come to regret, but I do what I feel is right in the moment."

\t"Like with Remy?" I winced as the words came out of my mouth. I didn't mean to say it, but it had been a question on my mind. Part of me understood why my parents made the decision they had to take the deal with the Council of Magic, but it also felt wrong. \t"Like with Remy," my father repeated, his voice growing monotone in the process.

\t"It's not fair for her to be kept in the dark like this." It was time I started standing up for Remy. She was going to kill herself from lack of sleep or getting herself into trouble by searching for the answer already at her fingertips. I had promised to look after Remy, and I planned on doing just that in whatever way I could.

\tMy father pulled his lips tight. "I agree with you. It's not fair to her, but the life she was born into wasn't fair to her. If you have any better suggestions, I would love to hear them, and that isn't sarcasm. I tried to think of a better solution, but I haven't been able to." \t"Fight," I said with resolve. "We are a strong pack. We have strong allies. If we prepare, we can fight anyone who comes after her. We can tell her the truth, and if anyone comes after her because of it, we will fight them and protect her."

\tHe stood up and moved from behind his desk. He peeked out the window of his office and looked out into the town where the sky was darkening. "It's not that simple. If we bring the fight to us, we can't guarantee everyone's safety, and it's not just Remy we have to protect. It's the entire pack. It's Harper. If someone discovers who Remy is-and they will one day-then they might harm anyone to get to her. As long as she stays hidden, we can put off the inevitable for a little longer."

\tl opened my mouth to argue, but I found myself shutting it just as quickly. I didn't have any good reason to argue against him. As it stood, I wasn't strong enough to fight to protect Remy, but if I trained harder, if I learned how to use my magic even better, I would be ready for a fight. I could stop anyone from harming Remy and the rest of the pack.

\t-

\tl collapsed on my bed, exhausted from all of my training from the day. The amount of responsibilities the alpha had or had to worry about delegating still continued to astound me. On top of that, I was struggling with focusing on the rest of the training after the conversation about telling Remy the truth. It was still eating away at me, because I knew what I had to do, but most people wouldn't be happy with the decision.

\tMy door flew open, and I knew it was Harper without looking because her scent hit me first. She ran over to me and jumped on my bed, landing right on me. I groaned from the sudden impact, and she just giggled at the reaction. She pressed her hands into my chest as she leaned in to kiss me. My hands automatically went to her hair, running my fingers through her soft curls.

\tHarper pulled away much too soon and rolled off of me. She sat deeper on my bed with her back against the wall and pulled her knees into her chest. I forced my body to move, feeling all of the aches from my earlier training. \t"How did everything go?" Harper asked.

\t"I'm just glad it's over, and I can relax with you for a bit." I shifted so I was sitting next to her and put my arm around her.

\tHarper leaned her head against my shoulder. "Me too. Are you still planning on following Remy tonight?"

\tl hummed in response. "Yes. I have to make sure she's not getting herself into trouble."

\t"I want to come with you." Harper's voice was quiet, but there was a soft resolve in the way she spoke. She cared about Remy, too, and I was sure seeing Remy go through all of this was hard on her. But I couldn't risk her safety. \t"Until I know where Remy is going or what she's up to, I can't expose you like that." If I lost Harper, I would never forgive myself.

\t"If it's that dangerous, should you be going alone?" She tightened her fingers into a ball. I could tell there was more she wanted to say, but she was holding back.

\t"I have to." I took her hands into mine and straightened them out. I knew the smartest decision would be to tell my parents what Remy was up to, but I knew Remy would never forgive me. Whoever she was meeting up with made her smile, so I decided the risk wasn't enough to tell my parents for now.