赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Another two years passed without seeing him.

Irina only heard about Roman through the whispered conversations among the other wolves. He had leaned harder into his dark impulses since the day that she had sent him away. On more than one occasion, Holden had used him to gather information from those unwilling to share on their own.

There was nothing she could do to stop this or even get word to Roman that she wanted to see him.

Her lake, where she found solace and quiet, no longer provided her with the graceful hum in the air. In recent months it had become something else.

A dissonance that reached down into her soul and touched it with an icy hand.

Every time she listened to the sound, it disturbed her. It left her with a strange itch in her mind, like something was trying to get inside.

But she didn’t stop coming to the lake.

This was the place they had met, where they had laughed. This was where she had known her son.

Irina still hoped with every passing day that she would see him again. That she would arrive one morning and feel him watching her.

One of these hopeful mornings, Irina limped out to the lake.

Gorn had taken to beating her regularly. But this time, he had almost broken her leg. He was angered that as often as he took her body, she had never once been able to produce an heir for him. It didn’t matter that the doctor had told him he was infertile. He refused to believe it.

That doctor had been given early retirement and was replaced by another. One that was more willing to experiment on ‘treatments’ for Irina, who was clearly the problem.

As she had lay in a pool of her own blood, Gorn stood over her and reminded her that he had no interest in useless things.

She knew her time was limited. So, she prayed even harder that she might see her son again before her time was over.

But no one was listening.

Irina was not like the Lunas in Winter or Summer.

They held power.

They were strong women, forces of nature. But Irina… she wasn’t even blessed by the Goddess.

Gorn had made an oath to the Goddess years before he met Irina. One that he had broken. He lost his powers, his control over his wolves. And without an Alpha, there is no Luna.

But while Gorn could manipulate his people into believing he was still Alpha, using drugs and experiments in mind control, Irina could only follow along on his arm and pretend to be a genuine Luna.

As she limped closer to the water, she looked around. Her need to see Roman was beginning to grow more desperate.

She sat down. Closing her eyes and trying to focus on the quiet around her.

But there was no quiet. The sound was already here, and around it, she heard more. Tiny heartbeats racing faster and faster. Squeals and chirps, all carrying the same feeling with them. They were afraid. The forest was afraid.

Irina stood up and looked around. Wondering what it was that could frighten so many at once.

She listened. The sound was still there, though the minute had passed.

She tried to follow the hum for the first time since she had begun to hear it all those years ago. To find the source of the sound.

It led her further into the trees and away from the city. Deep in the forest, the sound was getting stronger. She felt it like an ache in her bones.

She could go no further. The injury to her leg held her back. But she knew there was something here. Something… powerful.

When Irina returned, she told Gorn about what she felt. Not out of loyalty or a wish to please him. But because she knew he would find it useful.

***

Irina was surprised when Alpha Cain arrived.

She had met him on several occasions. He was a likable man. Kind, reasonable, and genuinely cared for others. A set of qualities that she didn’t have much experience with.

Cain listened to her as they went to work searching for the power source. He asked her questions and took the time to listen to her answers.

He took her seriously when she knew something that he didn’t. He adjusted his mindset rather than punish her for hers.

Gorn didn’t like how well they got along.

Irina was only allowed to participate in their conversations and view the results of the study for the first week. Then Gorn made sure she was anywhere else.

Another week passed before she was summoned to the room where Cain had laid out his research.

He was excited to see her. He immediately started sharing his ideas and his questions with her.

Irina looked around the room. It appeared they were alone.

“Is Gorn not here?” she asked.

Cain chuckled, spreading out another map.

“Gorn says he had no interest in anything except results.”

“That sounds right,” she said with a wry smile. But then she grew concerned. “Does he know I am here?”

Cain stopped what he was doing, then looked up with a smile.

“I told him if his concern was results, he should have kept you involved from the start.”

Irina smiled and looked away shyly, barely catching the Cheshire grin between the closing doors.

***

Though Gorn made her nights hell, Cain kept her loneliness and longing for her son at bay with his kindness and friendship. They worked well together as they searched the forest for the power source.

Irina had not told him or Gorn about the sound that had first led her to the power. But as they widened their search, it became louder in her ears. Until one day, it was almost deafening.

She pushed ahead of Cain, moving through the trees until the sound grew so loud it was painful, and suddenly stopped.

She took a deep breath as the sound of the forest settled over her. Her eyes fell on a beautiful flower, one she recognized immediately. A lily of the valley. Cain caught up to her and gasped.

They both look at the entrance to the cave in awe.

She had never seen so many lilies before. They were everywhere. The cave was dark, and the entrance was not large, only big enough for two or three at most to walk through. But the lilies continued to grow inside.

Over the next couple of weeks, they moved further into the cave. It was a surprisingly deep system. The further they went, the more she could hear the sound.

It was becoming clear again, the dark feeling she had felt before was fading, and the peaceful hum was settling back into her soul. She longed to find the source of this sound. Somehow, she knew that only this could bring the peace she craved.

But Gorn was tired of waiting.

He told Cain that there was no point in continuing to search. If the power was so far into the cave system, it would not provide anything to Spring.

Irina pushed Cain to keep fighting to continue the search.

Ultimately, Cain went home to spend time with his family while Gorn considered their wishes.

In reality, Cain had told Gorn that it was Irina who insisted on continuing to go further down into the cave, and Gorn was convinced she only wanted more time with Cain.

He beat her so severely that Cain had already been home for almost two weeks when she woke again.