The Big Event

Malik's POV:

She's kidding, right? Five days for 300 hundred guests. How is this woman so positive all the time. Just throws this at me and runs, knowing there's no way I can be around 300 people. I just can't do it and she never even gave me a chance to say so. I got up out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans and a white tee-shirt. I shook my head some and ran my hand through my hair trying to get the remaining leaves out. I'm glad she didn't ask again how they got there; I really don't have a good enough story for that. I turned my head as there was a knock on the door. Seeing Ash peeking his head in I motioned for him to come in. "Happy Birthday little brother," he said as he knuckled my head. "I just want you to know that I'm going to the school library and I'm going to spend today researching what happened last night. I'll try to get some kind of answers before tonight. Tonight is when you should be shifting and I want to find out what's coming." I don't know what I'd do without Ash, he opened me up to many different things but he never pushed me to do anything I wasn't ready for. Looking at the seriousness in his eyes, I can tell that this is something he's now invested in and I was so grateful not to have to do this alone. "Thanks, Ash, I really appreciate it. Do you, - do you think you could be with me tonight. You know in case this happens again? I just don't know what I should do." I said with my head hung. Ash patted my back and said, "Of course, I planned on it anyway." Ash smirked, "Even if I had to stalk after you out there tonight like a thief in the night." As he laughed, I laughed and that felt good. Ash turned to leave and I was left alone yet again with my thoughts. Thoughts of the event and preparations, thoughts of all those people, thoughts of shifting again. I sat down at my desk and started to work on the ball.

Ash's POV:

I pulled out every book I could find going back hundreds of years on lycanthropy. I needed to find a reason why a wolf's eyes would change color like that and why Malik's shift was so difficult. Something bad happened, it was like there was an outside force not allowing his wolf to surface and why was he trying to shift early. Nothing added up and the more I thought about the event the more confused I was getting. I pushed the book in front of me away and slammed my head on the table. I had to start fresh, clear away everything I was looking at, and start over. I needed to be strategic about it though, where should I start first and then make my way forward. Thinking back to what I knew about my brother, I started making a list of specific mannerisms he had. We found him in the woods, alone, set in a bush on the day he was born. He was disfigured but it was almost healed, so it wasn't as if someone had just slashed his face. His eye was grey and foggy but it didn't look like it was cut. He was reserved growing up but that's to be expected as an outsider who was self-conscious of how he looked. Also being that he was put into the life of a servant who was abused by the Alpha, one wouldn't assume he'd be the life of the party. It wasn't until recently that things changed, recently being yesterday so really, I don't know what the hell I'm looking for. Then as if the book itself smacked me in the face I saw it. "The history of Hybrids" I whispered to myself grabbing the book and sitting back down. As I started to page through, I recalled what I had learned in medical school. Hybrids weren't very common, especially since wolves were blessed with mates. The moon goddess very rarely did that and she had to have a good reason if she did. There were only a handful of inter-species mates throughout hundreds of years, so finding any pertinent information was deemed to be a challenge. There were short stories about werewolves and humans becoming mates and witches and humans but that's all I could find for the most part. I came across a couple that was on vampires but they had been driven out of our land long ago and resided overseas, living quietly for centuries now. Could Malik be the product of an inter-species relationship? Could he be a hybrid? But of what, that was my question. I continued to read for hours when my eyes landed on "The shades of wolf eyes". History said that only the strongest of wolves could transform the color of their eyes to reflect their mood. This wasn't news to me; our Alpha could change his golden eyes to pitch black when he was mad and bright blue if he were happy. As I skimmed over the section my eyes read over something that had my breath hitch. I began to quietly read aloud "Throughout history, the only wolf known to have Red eyes is the bloodline of the highest royalty. Red signifies strength and power but being the color of blood, it commands submission and fear of those around them. The eyes aren't only used to control, but more for intimidation towards the enemy." There was just no way, he couldn't be royalty. No Alpha would ever shun their heir like this. If a child born to an Alpha was born and then went missing, each territory would hear about it. There would be search parties and I'm more than sure that there would have been multiple meetings with each pack to form a recovery plan for the child. No, if he were of a royal bloodline, his aura would be strong and commanding all the time. It was strong last night during his shift but that has been known to happen before, the wolf subconsciously emits the aura to ward off predators while defenseless if they know they're alone. I closed the book and started to place them all back where I took them from and shook my head. I was even more confused now than I was before I started this. I really wasn't able to find much on his condition or why it would happen. Even with everything I read on past difficult shifts, nothing had what I saw last night. Most common were too painful, took longer than expected, or couldn't shift back afterward. My frustration was growing not being able to find any answers and nightfall was soon approaching. I needed to get to Malik quickly, maybe we could prepare for tonight and make it more comfortable for him.

Ash had left the library, stopped at home to grab some supplies, and headed to Malik's room. It was just turning to dusk and everyone was heading home for the night. As Ash walked to the packhouse, he continued to rack his brain for anything he may have learned in the past that could help him today. The cool breeze and gentle chirp of the crickets helped calm his anxiety about the situation. Ash entered the packhouse and was greeted by Alpha Atticus "Good evening doctor, I take it you're here for your brothers' birthday. It makes me happy that he's come this far and I'm very excited to see the man he is about to become. The torment he lived at the hands of Kavik can never be taken back, but I hope his time in my pack has been much easier. I'm glad you all are here." He said as he held on to Ash's shoulder. "Thank you Alpha, we are blessed to have you as our leader. It's refreshing seeing our pack flourish and grow. I know Malik is very grateful for all you've done for him throughout his life. He has always spoken of you with respect, even in his dark days. I thank you for trying all those times to help him. I know that boy is stubborn and he doesn't see himself as worthy but I pray his transition will wake him up and give him the strength to see he is one of us." Ash spoke as he nodded to the Alpha. The sitting room still had a large group of people hanging around talking about their day so Ash tried to slip by quickly so he wasn't detained any longer. Strolling through the kitchen Ash found Freya plating up the last pieces of cake and putting them on a tray. "Hey Mom, you're looking as beautiful as ever," Ash said as he kissed her forehead and went to dip his finger into the frosting. Freya smacked his hand quickly "Don't you dare put your dirty finger in there. Come, let us bring this to the birthday boy. We'll sing loud enough they hear us upstairs!" Ash laughed and thought how fun it was going to be to embarrass him. Just as they turned the corner out of the kitchen Ash stopped, Freya cocked her head, glancing at him "What's wrong?" she asked. Before she got an answer Ash was sprinting down the hall towards Malik's room. "Wait for me" she shouted as she tried running without dropping the tray in her hand. Ash got to Malik's door and slammed it open only to find Malik curled up in the corner breathing heavily while rocking back and forth. He threw what he brought on the bed and slid down to his knees in front of Malik. Grabbing him by his face, Ash pulled his head up, making Malik look at him. He could see the swirl of red in his eyes, the sweat beading down his forehead, and the hair starting to sprout from his skin. "Malik, what's wrong. Is it just like last night again? What do you feel?" Ash whispered as he started wiping the sweat from Malik's face. Freya burst through the door panting and trying to catch her breath "What. Is. Going. On?" she breathed out but when she caught a glimpse of Malik and Ash on the floor she gasped and threw the tray to the bed. Sitting next to Ash she looked at Malik, "My son, you are preparing to shift. You cannot fight this or you will feel nothing but pain." Malik was trying to calm his breathing but everything started getting fuzzy. "Mom, you need to move. We need to bring him to the woods now, I'll fill you in on the way. Please grab what's on the bed" Ash quickly said as he lifted Malik into his arms and ran out the door. Freya did as Ash asked and soon followed as fast as her feet could take her. "Ash, you need to tell me everything right now" Freya demanded as they burst out the packhouse door and towards the woods. Ash started to recount what happened the day before making sure to not miss a single detail. Malik listened to him until his hearing started to fade away again.

Malik's POV:

I could only hear muffled sounds now. The pain of Ash running with me was becoming unbearable and I just wanted it to stop. I tried to tell him to stop but I couldn't speak, I could barely move. My body was on fire and the pressure in my head felt as if it would slit down the middle. I tried to apply pressure to temples thinking that would help but it did nothing.

Malik, I TOLD you to not fight it. I need you to let go and let me do this. We NEED to shift tonight or not only will I suffer, but you will as well.

"Ares I can't. I can't do anything, I'm not in control. I don't know what's going on or how to stop it. WHAT DO I DO" I yelled in my head.

Let your mind go blank and I will do the rest. There's a wall blocking me from fully surfacing, I don't know what it is but I'm going to break through it. When you fight it, I can't, so you need to let go and let me get past this. LET GO

"Aghhhhhhhhhhhh" I howled and Ash dropped me. When my body hit the ground, I could already feel my back starting to try and re-align. The pain was far worse than last night and I didn't want to do this again. Ares said to let go so I need to try to do that. Let go. Just let go and think about nothing. I could feel the panic coming from Ash and Freya as they moved around me softly speaking. Ash had put down a blanket and rolled me onto it and helped to take my shift off. I could feel Freya wiping the sweat off my back as I knelt on my hands and knees squeezing my eyes shut as hard as I could. I could hear Freya's shaky voice "Ash, what is happening to him. This isn't normal. The aura around him is so strong, that I'm using all my energy just to stay this close. I have to get the Alpha" I don't know where I got the energy, well it wasn't even me; I wasn't in control but the throaty growl I gave directed towards her was enough to even scare me. "NOOOOOO. You will not get anyone." I could feel Freya halt and stare at me with wide eyes. At the next moment, that intense bolt of pain shot through me, I snapped my head up and snarled. My eyes shot open and I could hear Freya gasp again loudly "OH MY WORD" as Ash tightly grabbed me as he did last night.

"Ares, I'm not stopping anything, I'm trying to let you take over but I can't. My body won't let me. What do I do? You have to tell me." I stuttered between breaths. "Ares, answer me."

Nothing, it's like he was gone. My body started to calm down again, my breathing evening out and the exhaustion sweeping over me. Ash stroked my hair as my head lay on his knee "I'm so sorry Malik, I read for hours today and wasn't able to find anything similar to this. I'm sorry I failed you today but I won't stop. We will fight this together." Ash softly spoke. Freya knelt down to me as well and rest her palm on my cheek "Oh my poor boy, I think it has something to do with this scar. It must have been something powerful to stop a male wolf from shifting. Malik, Hunny, have you met your wolf yet?" she asked. I nodded my head "His name is Ares but all he could tell me was to let go. That something was blocking him from surfacing and that he was going to break through and it would hurt. I did that though, I let go tonight, I thought I gave him control and nothing. My body isn't mine when this happens, it's like I can't control any of it." I said as I started to cry. I tried to sit up and wipe the tears from my face but Ash stopped me. "I'll carry you again. You're exhausted. Except this time Malik, you have 2 choices. My house or Mom's house. No more packhouse until we know you're safe." He said it in such a commanding tone that I knew it was a matter of fact, I had no other option. "Mom's house" I whimpered, "I don't want Anna to see me." Ash nodded, stood up, and situated me in his arms. Freya quickly packed up what they brought and we headed toward her house.

Freya was on an emotional rollercoaster as they walked through town towards her house. She was going from the excitement of having Malik at home to nervousness and confusion as to what was happening and what he was. Ash had told her everything that happened the night before and everything he had read in the library. Freya agreed that there was no way a royal child would have gone missing for 18 years with no one searching for them. She wasn't sure of what was restricting him from shifting but she was almost certain it had something to do with the scar on his face. Freya was able to get ahead of Ash some so she could open the door and turn the lights on for him, not that they needed lights but it helped. Once Ash stepped in, Freya closed and locked the door quickly while going through and pulling all the curtains shut. No need for prying eyes into her home. Ash walked upstairs and into the spare bedroom, gently placing Malik on the bed and covering him up. Closing the door behind him, Ash went back downstairs to the kitchen. Walking in Freya immediately asked "Do you think this will happen every night until he finally shifts? If so, I think we'll need to re-enforce the basement so the neighbors can't hear as much" Ash sat at the table thinking to himself and nodded his head, "That's a good idea Mom, I'm not sure what to think but it was unsuccessful two nights in a row. I'm guessing it will continue to go on. Freya had made some hot tea, handing Ash a cup, and placing one on the table for her, she sat down. They both sat in silence, pondering their options when Freya spoke, "I know a warlock, I will send word for him. He's old, he may know something of this, maybe even how to help him. I'll do so in the morning. For now, you go home to Anna, get some rest. It warms my heart so much seeing how you're willing to help him. Come to the packhouse tomorrow and find us in the kitchen." Ash ran his hands down his face knowing that he wouldn't get any rest until he found some answers. "He's my brother, no matter what, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for him. Even if he wanted to live in that little room until he died, I will never stop trying to help him" he said as he stood up and bent down towards Freya. He kissed her head gently, "And I love you too Mom. Take your own advice and get some rest also. If it's anything like yesterday, he will be fine until nightfall." He said and walked out the door. Freya sat at her table for hours longer trying to decide what she could do and where she could go. As exhaustion crept over her, she went to her bedroom and sunk into her bed. As she closed her eyes she thought "First thing tomorrow, I send for Draven and hope that he can help me. He owes me a favor and I intend to ask for it now."

The days went by and Malik suffered the same painful, unsuccessful shift every night. He was losing hope fast and Freya was starting to get very worried about it. Tomorrow was the catering event and there were still so many things to get ready but she was teetering on the edge of telling Malik he needed to stay home. What if they weren't back home in time for nightfall, what would she do with him? Malik raced into the kitchen and scared Freya enough she screamed. "Goddess Malik, you scared me half to death" Malik smiled and ran over to her "Sorry Mom, but look, do you like this as the buffet set up for tomorrow? How about these for the place settings, do you like that color?" He spoke while showing her the detailed pictures he put together of the design. While Freya slowed her breathing, she stared at Malik, sadness in her eyes "Son, I absolutely love all that you have done but do you think it would be safer for you to stay home tomorrow?" She could tell he was taken back by her suggestion but he understood her intentions. He couldn't go through that in front of humans nor did he want to. He didn't know if he'd get another chance like this though so he swiftly responded "No Mother, I need to go with. I can't miss this. You want me to get out of my shell and I'm trying. Maybe a change of scenery will do me good, maybe it will help me." Freya smiled "Well then who am I to get in the way of that. Now come, let us make sure everything is put in the correct crates and put into the truck." They both headed to the storeroom to finish the inventory count for tomorrow so they could start loading the trucks. Malik wouldn't show it but inside he was more than excited to see the human faction and the presidential mansion. After the nights he's had to go through, even the thought of people staring and laughing, no longer bothered him. He wasn't going to let anything get to him tomorrow, he would do his job and take in everything around him. Hours later once they ensured that everything necessary was packed and ready, all the food was prepped or cooked and put in the refrigerator, they both headed home to enjoy a meal before preparing to aid Malik through the night. Each night was the same thing but Malik started handling it a little better. Much like his entire childhood, Malik was good at hiding his pain, especially when he was being beaten. This was no different, it was like being beat by an invincible force, one that he couldn't see what the next move would be. He couldn't predict what and when the pain would strike, but he adapted to it as he did with everything else. The night moved forward as they always did, Malik pushed through with no more success at shifting than any other time. Once exhaustion took over, Freya tucked him into bed, silently pleading with the moon goddess to take his pain away, to help him before she headed to bed herself.