Chapter 5: CHAPTER FIVE: A SECRET THAT MUST BE KEPT
Rested in his chamber, Lucius had Annora in his hands, patting her gently as a means to stop her from crying. Crescentia watched fearfully because she knew what he was capable of.
"Get me a silver knife" Lucius ordered her in a hushed tone. But Crescentia didn't move.
"It's just a child Lucius" Crescentia stressed.
"Her mother made me look like a fool! She must pay with her life and her child's" Lucius demanded angrily.
"She is a girl. The prophecy said it would be a male child. I beg of you Lucius, let me have the girl... For I cannot give you what you want the most, a son" Crescentia confessed ashamedly to even look at Lucius in the eyes.
"This child will mean nothing to me! She might see you as her mother when she grows up but I want you to make sure that she does not see a fatherly figure in me. She shall respect me, she shall fear me, am I understood!" Lucius declared. Crescentia nodded her head in affirmation and then he handed her the baby. She received her with joy and cradled her to sleep.
"You were not like this when you saved me during the war. You wouldn't hurt your own people" Crescentia said calmly.
"You loved me even though I am a Markarian wolf by birth" Crescentia continued and Lucius got angry. He stood up wanting to hit her then he got control of himself.
"Tove was a Markarian wolf but Crescentia is a Crescent and will forever be one. This is where you belong. The Crescents are your people and you are their beta" Lucius declared.
As Lucius spoke, Crescentia remembered her young days as a Markarian wolf. At that time she was 18 years of age and her younger brother; Emric was 16. They behaved as though they were twins because they were very fond of each other. Wherever Crescentia was, Emric would always be there. The day they got separated was during the Markarian-Crescent war. The Crescent wolves had attacked the Markarian wolves after they heard of the killing of one of their own. They showed no mercy to anyone whether small, pregnant or old. They killed as many Markarians as they could.
At that time, Lucius was a warrior. Some of his companions went after Crescentia's parents. They killed them as Crescentia and Emric watched. They were coming for them and that was when they began running. Emric succeeded in evading them but Crescentia didn't. Before they could get to her, she ran hiding in a corner. Lucius was there and immediately he sensed that she was the enemy, he wanted to kill her but then she begged that he spared her life. After some time, Lucius agreed but in order to completely spare her life, she had to follow him back to the Crescent territory for he had developed a small liking towards her. He admired her bravery to beg a Crescent for her life even though she knew that forgiveness was never an option for them.
Crescentia agreed to follow him and they left after the war. He was just five years older than her. He cleaned her up and dressed her in new clothes. Then he changed her name from Tove to Crescentia. She didn't go out until Lucius decided to challenge the then alpha for his title. When she had come out, no one could scent the Markarian in her. She had fit in perfectly.
Back to the present, Crescentia walked out on Lucius with the baby. She retired to her room and stayed there with her. The baby had awoken from sleep. Crescentia cradled her smiling and making baby noises at her.
"Even though you're not mine and I don't deserve you after what I let Lucius do to your mother, I will love you with all my heart. I will make sure you will always be happy. What shall I call you?... I know, Zephyr?" Crescentia asked and then the baby smiled, giggling.
"Zephyr it is young one" Crescentia declared.
The time for Lyra's delivery had fast approached. It was only Cassian and her that was in the room. He was stranded. He had no idea about what he needed to do to make sure his wife had a safe delivery. Lyra struggled to get the baby out. She sweated profusely and moaned hard.
Meanwhile, Garven had told his trusted friend; Thales about Cassian's secret. He got furious that Cassian fell in love with a Crescent. Garven instructed him to not tell anyone else but he did not listen. Instead, he told Orion about it thinking he would have a higher power ranking but it wasn't so for him. Orion gathered his men and they and himself, all headed to Cassian's home to seize the baby and kill Lyra.
Finally, the baby was out and Cassian and Lyra rejoiced. Lyra wept in tears as she held her baby.
"It's a boy" Lyra declared fraily.
"What shall we name him?" Lyra continued.
"Aberdeen..." Cassian said as he wanted to carry his son but was distracted by the sudden bang on the door. It was Orion and his men. They ordered Cassian to surrender the baby and Lyra and nothing would happen to him, but he refused to give them both up. He told already weakened Lyra to run with the baby. Lyra refused but Cassian insisted and she finally decided to listen to him. She gave him a goodbye kiss and ran with Aberdeen. She was very weak but with Garven's help, she made it to her former home unscathed.
Orion broke into Cassian's home with his men and demanded that Cassian gave up his son and his lover but he refused. He ordered his men to search for them but they didn't find anyone.
"Where are they?!" Orion asked in anger.
"I shall not let you harm my family" Cassian declared.
"They called you an outcast yet you managed a way to gain the people's respect by becoming my loyal beta, yet you chose to defy me by not only making love with the enemy but having an abomination of a child? Seize him!" Orion declared and his men did as told.
"Loving her did not bring any harm to us Orion. She did nothing wrong by falling in love with me and neither did my son" Cassian said as they took him away. Soon, everybody heard of Cassian's betrayal of his people. They mocked him and called him names. His parents were ashamed of him. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for what he had done.
Lyra took Aberdeen to her younger sister; Cersei. Cersei was shocked that Lyra had returned looking all weary. She saw her nephew Lyra's weak hands and quickly carried him from her.
"Sister, what happened?" Cersei asked in shock. She sat Lyra down as she explained what had happened to her younger sister.
"The boy you hold in your hands is Aberdeen, my son. His father is Cassian, born of both a Markarian and an Arcturus wolf, making my son a member of all three packs. His father sacrificed his freedom for us to live. But do not tell him any of these... Orion... Orion might be looking for him. Just give him a name, any name. Explain the truth to him whenever you think it's the right time to. Take care of my son please" Lyra begged Cersei panting.
"Klay and his men will be coming to look for newborn male babies... The baby's not safe here" Cersei declared.
"Hide him when they come, don't let them take my baby, don't let them take my son...don't let them...take my...son" Lyra begged as she breathed heavily and gave up the ghost. Cersei wept bitterly. She took her sister's dead body outside and covered it with clothes and then set it on fire. While Lyra's body burnt, Cersei sighted Klay and his men, she quickly went back inside and hid Aberdeen. When they came to her home, they saw that she lived alone plus she looked quite young and then they questioned her no further. When they left, Cersei brought out Aberdeen from his hiding place and cradled him as he slept.
"Oh little one, your mother has left me with this responsibility that I fear I may not accomplish. But I promise you that I shall not fail her. Now, what shall we call you? You are a secret that must be kept, so I'll call you... Rune, yes Rune" Cersei declared smiling.
Klay reported to Lucius, telling him that he and his men had done the last rounding up of pregnant women and killing of male children. He assured Lucius that the prophecy will never come to pass after all they had done. Klay's words put a huge smile on Lucius's face. He went to Idryssa's cell to gloat about his victory.
"You claimed that a mere boy would bring an end to my reign. You claimed that I and my companions would be destroyed. I ought to kill you for blasphemy. But I have decided to let you live to see many more years of my victory and you languished in here" Lucius jeered.
"Aberdeen can't be dead" Idryssa claimed.
"He is!" Lucius declared.
"You're lying" Idryssa claimed in fear.
"Watch and see fortune teller...watch and see" Lucius said as he walked out on Idryssa.
When he left, Idryssa sat down legs crossed meditating. She did this for a while and then opened her eyes abruptly.
"Aberdeen is alive" she declared with all hope as she quickly went to scribble her words on the walls of her cell.
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