56 The Dark Room

"Accel, Strike, don't bully poor Ollie!" I scolded, pinching their ears and turning them. "How many times do you both have to tease your brother?"

"Baby, relax." Aaron came into the room and hugged me from the back. "Good morning."

"Good morning, my ass, you both have a lot of work to do today," I deadpanned. He kissed me on the cheek and to my lips, an act I don't want to go against.

What a happy life. My kids are now grown up, my mates are with me always, and everything's okay.

'Help.'

I suddenly found myself in a dark room. I couldn't really tell if I'm in a room or more like I was floating in darkness. Everything around me is pitch black apart from my body.

Was it only a dream?

"Where am I?" I asked, trying to swim through the seemingly eternal void, but was getting nowhere.

'Klyde, help me.'

I flinched in shock after realizing that the voice was from Klint. He sounded hurt, like he was in pain.

"Klint, where are you?" I tried to yell.

A sudden shock of energy waft into me, making me close my eyes. I felt everything spin, like I was being drained into a sink. Spiraling. Twirling. Spinning.

My eyes fluttered open, seeing the familiar marble patio with the marble pillars and aeches. In front of me was a white wolf. His skin was white as snow and his eyes were yellow like the sun.

'Klyde…'

"Klint, where are we?" I tried to ask.

The wolf only stared through me, as if he was peeking right into my soul and devouring me with his gaze.

'Klyde…'

"How can I help you if you don't talk, Klint?" I asked. "Why aren't you talking to me?"

Klint purred and flopped down. He was staring at me from the marble floor with puppy eyes.

The place was from the dreams I previously had, but it somehow felt different. Instead of daytime, it was night. I have my wolf senses, eyes seeing even in the night.

I looked around and realized the grasses were still swaying in one direction. They were swaying to a windless motion, looking stiff yet smooth.

"Where am I?" I asked out loud but didn't receive any answer.

Instead, I could see that Klint was still staring at me. I tried avoiding his gaze, but failed.

I stared back at him, not showing any signs of backing down. That was until I realized that he wasn't looking at me.

He was staring at something right behind me.

I turned and gasped when I saw Howl. His white suit and his shoulder length hair that was slicked back greeted me.

"Hello, Klyde," he said. "I am Howl, the Patron God of Shapeshifters. I am here to deliver a message from the Moon Goddess herself."

"M-Moon Goddess…" I trailed off and gulped. "Should I know her?"

"No," Howl instantly said back. "She's not something you can mess with so easily, Klyde."

"Mess with?" I stepped back, confused as to why should I be avoiding her. "Why? I need help from her."

Howl stepped closer, holding my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "Klyde, you're in danger."

"Danger of what?" I asked. "Howl, tell me why am I in danger? Isn't she my mother?"

"She is but she feels threatened that you will overpower her," Howl sighed. "Sorry for the misunderstanding the other day but she made me do it. She's the most evil person in all worlds and she will do anything to stay on top of the foodchain. Her foodchain."

'He's lying, Klyde.'

'You know he's lying.'

"B-But… I don't understand," I took his hands off and slowly backed away. "Why couldn't you just attack her? Usurp her from her position?"

"You don't understand–"

"Then make me," I cut him off instantly. "Make me understand, Howl. Are you telling the truth?"

"You know I am, Klyde," Howl said, his eyes were convincing but my mind was made up even before he said anything. "I am only a Patron God, she rules over us. Even all our powers combined, we're no match against her wrath."

I kneeled down and picked up Klint's paw. He was big, but not too big that it would become a burden.

'Klyde.'

Another familiar voice spoke inside my head. I stopped to think who it was, knowing it wasn't Klint.

The voice was from a woman. And it was soft and so familiar, yet I feel so angry when I hear it.

Why?

'When I say jump, you jump.'

The voice inside my head spoke. When Howl started to walk forward, a soft drumming inside my ear had started. When I think what it was, it was actually my heartbeat, making me feel anxious. There was something from him that makes me anxious. Something in his aura.

"What's it going to be, Klyde?" Howl asked. "Your wolf even respects me, bowing down in front of his Patron God like a good mutt."

I stopped and stared at him, "What did you call Klint?"

"A mutt," Howl repeated. "Only the strongest can be called with respect, Klyde. And he is not a strong creature. He's a slave to the moon like the rest of those mutts. And your mates, they're–"

My reflexes got the best of me and my fist collided with his jaw in a split second's time. It was so quick that even I couldn't see my movements.

My swift jab in his jaw caused him to stumble back and cup his bleeding nose. "Why you–"

'Jump!'

I spun and carried Klint over the edge of the marble floor. I turned one last time and showed my middle finger to Howl.

"You're the mutt, pathetic ass– yahh!"

I could only scream when Klint moved and jumped, taking me with him. We sunk on the grass, as if there was no grass in there to being with. Just like the previous times he leaped over.

"Klyde!" Howl yelled, but it was no use. Klyde was slowly drifting into a deep slumber. "Klyde, you will regret this!"

'Good work, Klyde.'

The voice spoke once more. I couldn't help myself but bask in the familiar warmth of the voice. It felt as though I was being draped with another kind of warmth.

A motherly one.

Before I knew it, I had realized who the voice was from. It was from the person who was with me for years. That even when she just used me as a guinea pig, I owed her a lot.

It was Olivia.

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Helloooo. I'm still alive. Everything suddenly got hectic. My uni's so evil that they tried to hold our grades until we do a faculty evaluation. But we couldn't do that because we didn't have our uni emails. Everything went sht from there on. I am so sorry. T-T My health is as shitty right now. I have tons of chaps to make up. Thank you all!