25* Memories and Mistakes

Jarube Nonso watched as the girl purged out fire from within her. He saw the Sultraans screaming in pain as her fire consumed them,tearing through their skins,muscles and bones,burning them to ashes on the spot.

"She is indeed a formidable ally. You have made a great choice Brother."

Nonso heaved a sad sigh at his brother's words.

"I am really sorry for always dragging you into all this,if not for your illness,you should have been..."

Nnanna raised his palm up to silence his younger brother.

"Nonso...I am very content with my life. Life with the lepers and with Mother,is actually better than you think. As long as I live,I will use all in my strength to help you and strengthen this pack!"

Jarube Nonso smiled contentedly.

He could remember how much he looked up to his brother Nna and how much he strived to be a great Jarube like him.

It felt like a dream the day the mantle was passed to him after Nna was cursed by a Weeping Widow whose husband he had accidentally killed in a fit of rage.

Nonso knew that even though he now held the title of the Jarube,there was nothing he could do without his brother by his side.

"The Sultraans surely did not expect that much resistance."

Nna scoffed.

Nonso nodded his head slightly.

"They are really strong and loyal non-living beings. I am sure that they would understand why they had to be sacrificed this way."

He said before adding.

"Do you think that Aira would understand why we put up this test for her? She does not seem like an easygoing person."

Nna puffed out a short breath.

Before wrapping his arms around his body as the weather had become very chilly.

"We would soon be finding out."

They both stood still, looking at the very naked Aira storm towards them,with her leather saddle bag being the only thing covering her fruit.

"That was a very impressive performance. You have..."

Before the words could finish coming out of Nonso's mouth, Aira had whipped a strong,face numbing slap across his face.

"Do you think my life is a joke, you mad bastard with balls of a goat!"

*

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"What have you come to seek in my pack?"

Amusu's voice was loud,clear and poured out threats in waves.

Obinna was bound in shackles as he knelt before the Alpha.

Multiple cuts, bruises and wounds were all over his body.

The Alpha's men had not been merciful.

Obinna knew he could have taken the men out, knowing fully well that they could never match him in strength. But he chose not to react.

They did not know that he was one of the last Oses and with or without his powers,he was a force to be reckoned with.

However,he needed to find his mate. He did not mind being thrown into fire just to find her.

He had already given up his powers__at this point,there was nothing he was not ready to give up for her sake.

"I am Obinna,a warrior wolf from a far away pack and civilization. I have gone across rivers and through forests to seek my mate!"

Amusement covered Amusu's face as he let out loud cackles of laughter. He got up from his seat and walked towards the man with slow and frightening steps.

"You have come all the way here just to find an ordinary woman who can be easily gotten anywhere and at anytime,with a flick of the finger? Ha! Odiegwu"

As Amusu's face came into the light,Obinna's heart sunk into his stomach.

This...this was the devil! This was the mad bastard who killed his father and his mother! This was the demon who had wiped out his family and his pack seventeen red moons ago.

"You...you..."

Shhh...calm down Obinna. Do not react. Be as still as the ocean before the waves.

Meela's voice at the back of Obinna's mind was calming.

He understood that any rash decision he would take now could have the ability to cause more problems than they could handle.

Amusu was too blinded by his pride to notice the turmoil that was going on in Obinna's heart.

Obinna tried so hard to swallow the pain but the images of his mother shielding him from the sight of his dead father kept flashing in his eyes.

He begun to relieve the moments he had fought hard to forget.

His mother's head being torn out of her shoulders as he watched helplessly.

The homes being burnt down to ashes,the screams and the tears of his people,the agony and the pain. They all begun to go through his mind like a storm.

This was the man responsible for his pain! This was the devil!

He let out a painful scream as the images kept flashing before his eyes. The next thing he felt was a soft hand holding him as he blacked out into unconsciousness.

*

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*

"It is fine...it will be alright my friend...shhh....shhhh....do not cry any more..."

Obinna's eyes snapped open as he gasped for air and jumped to his feet in alarm,not recognising the room he was in.

He turned sharply to his right to see a woman with a towel and a frightened look on her face.

"Who...who...who are you!! Did the Alpha send you to kill me now?"

He saw the woman's face.

Fear was etched all over it. He could tell that she had been crying and was in so much sadness.

"I am Ola. I am the Alpha's new mate."

Ola's voice was calm despite the sense of fear that lingered at the back of her mind for this giant man.

Obinna did know why,but his heart reached out to this woman. He felt an aura of motherliness around her. She was someone who had strength. It was not physical strength, but strength of will and loyalty.

"I...I apologise for my outburst. Why...why am I here?"

Ola's face fell at that question.

Just like her,he had become a slave of the palace. The Alpha had decided to keep him here with her as his pets.

She did not know what he would do to him. But judging from his size and strength,she believed that the Alpha may want to indoctrinate him and include him into his army.

"Listen to me...the Alpha has kept you alive for a reason. He is planning an attack...an attack against... against my daughter! He is going to kill her. Please I beg you...if you find her, please spare her!"

"Your daughter?"

Obinna was confused.

This woman clearly was not here on her will. Her room was more like a cell,too small to house two people. She looked torn despite the beauty on her face. She had definitely seen more than her eyes could tell.

"Yes...Aira. She stood up against the Alpha. Oh my poor daughter! She was only a slave but she decided to challenge his authority! I...I..."

Obinna's eyes widened in realisation.

Challenge his authority!!

His mate!!

This may be the mother of his mate. This may be his best lead to finding her.

Aira...her name sounds beautiful. Her name sounds strong.

I believe that she is our mate!

"You are absolutely right about that Meela. She may be our mate."

Ola looked at the warrior in confusion.

"What do you mean by mate?"

With a small sigh, Obinna turned to face her squarely.

"I believe I am your daughter's mate. She is the one I have been searching for all these time!"

Ola's eyes widened in shock.

"What...what do...what do you...."

"Ola...Ola..."

A voice whispered from behind the doors, cutting her off.

Their eyes widened in alarm.

"Wh...who is there?"

Her voice came out in hushed and fearful tones and she got up and stood in front of Obinna in an attempt to 'protect' him with her tiny frame.

"It is I,Cheta! I hear that you have a warrior with you...We might need his help."

*

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"I apologize for my actions."

Aira's words were sharp and straight to the point,with no ounce of regret or repentance written on her face.

If not for Cha-Cha giving her an earful on why slapping a pack leader was a mistake that even a mad person will not dare to make,she was sure she would have given the man another slap.

She smirked to herself as she saw her red handprint on the side of Jarube Nonso's face. It was clear that the man was embarrassed to be carrying around a handprint as he had raised his mask further up to cover up as much as he could.

"Are you saying that Nna is your brother?"

"Elder brother..."

Nonso corrected Cha-Cha's question.

The old lady hummed as she stared at the two of them with a slight look of confusion written across her face.

"I was cursed by a Weeping Widow...I have to remain in this form for the rest of my life."

Nna's voice was steady and calm. It was clear that he had already accepted his fate a long time ago,and had made peace with himself.

"Oh.. that is..."

"I am not going to ask who or what a Weeping Widow is!"

Aira said, cutting off Cha-Cha.

"...but I deserve to know what all this madness of making a truce with me and bringing me all the way here to set me up for a stupid test with some lepers,is all about!"

Nna nodded at Nonso who had been standing. He sat down on the floor of the hut with an expression that could not quite be explained.

"There is so much you do not know and I have not been able to explain to you because of the burial rites."

Aira stayed silent.

How badly she wanted to curse out the dammed rites which never seemed to end but Cha-Cha's warning stare had shut her up.

"Nna has been monitoring you ever since you got out of the Black Silver Pack. Mother,Nonso and I have been trying for years to get out of the control of Alpha Amusu and gain our independence."

Aira's look hardened.

"So... so you felt that I have the ability to take down the Alpha? Just because I had managed to escape from the pack with my life?"

Nna nodded slightly.

"I...I mean...we hoped that you could help us and in turn,you could use our army in anyway you want! We are a border pack. We are strong and tactical."

Aira ran her hands through her messy and tangled locks.

"If you are strong,why then do you need me?"

The question seemed to linger in the air for an awkward moment.

"Because... because you are a wolf of Fire. With you...with you,we are sure to stand!"

Just then,Dinma entered into the hut. Aira's eyes widened in pleasant surprise as she saw her friend back on her feet.

Before she could react, Dinma gave the heart wrenching news.

"Word just arrived from the soldiers...Amusu and his warriors would be coming to Ara to collect Aira by force! They would be here after three sunsets!"