Chapter 36: The Blessed And The Cursed


    Night hade around again too soon. Aurora rested her head to the wood of the front door. Her


    hands ferreted inside her pocket for the keys of the house. With two heavy bags in her hands and a


    sudden downpour had made her return bothersome. The water from the skies saturated her dress


    heavily which added to the weight she was already carrying. The exhaustion forced her to relieve all


    the load to the ground at one instant. She sighed deeply and clutched her stomach to take in more air


    and energize herself.


    When she turned around to put the things on its ces she gasped in horror and surprise.


    Sitting at a corner of the dark room was a man who was drenchedpletely. Water dripped from his


    fabric to the ground. His head was bowed while his knees were bent as he hugged them. For a


    moment all was silent, then the lightening boomed and the witch froze in her spot. shes of light


    sparkled the dark room on and off.


    Aurora looked at the glowing metal and assessed that her friend was in distress. She lit up the room


    with candles and quickly made her way to him. Keeping her hand on one of his knees she enquired


    "What''s wrong Can?"


    The lightening resonated a loud sound as the roof boomed with heavy water drops. "You tell me what''s


    wrong.." The voice was low and sounded upset.


    Can was not raising his head which made Aurora tensed "Are you sad about something? Your


    worrying me! Talk to me please..."


    What followed was a pregnant pause before the voice spoke again "I am feeling betrayed."


    "Betrayed by who?"


    "You." He whispered as he slowly raised his head. The droplets of water had wet his facepletely


    while beads of rain were shining on his already glowing skin.


    Aurora was staggered for a moment when he saw an expressionless Can staring at her intently "W-


    What d-do you mean m-me?"


    Can exhaled a steady breath before he spoke "My father told me years ago that I cant be loved. That


    I have to live my life alone forever. I believed every word he said. I expressed my loneliness, my sorrow


    with you. When everyone including me believed that I was not blessed with a mate, you thought


    otherwise. You were of the opinion that there was someone somewhere made just for me. The other


    half of my soul. Why..?" He whispered thest part as he kept his gaze affixed as if searching for


    answers.


    "Why what?"


    "Why were you so adamant Aurora? Why were you so against every of my rtionships? You were


    never happy with any of the girls I fell in love with cause you were assured that my mate would show


    up some day or the other. How were you so sure?"


    The confident stature of thedy was faltering as the questions asked were surprising her in an odd


    way "What has happened to you Cally? Why all these questions?"


    "A funny incident ured today." Can''s breath quivered as white fog appeared from his mouth due to


    the cold shivers "A she-wolf came to me and said that she was my mate.."


    "That cant be.." Aurora whispered in surprise.


    Can slightly tilted his head as his eyes narrowed "She said that she was waiting for me for years and


    that she has finally found me. I believe you were right Aurora. I have finally found the one.."


    "She''s lying!" Aurora was quick to retort.


    Can continued as if he never heard the healer "She says the signs are there and I believe her. She


    wants me to join her pack. I have decided to go with her and leave this pack forever. So I guess this is


    goodbye for now Aurora."


    Auroras emotions pped as consternation took over her. She visibly panicked as Can looked


    confident and sure about this mating. She knew how stubborn the male was. Without even thinking


    about anything she warned him "Listen Cally, Its a trap. The she wolf is definitely lying. How can she be


    your mate when Einar...."


    The voice in her throat got stuck as she realised what she just said. Her lips trembled and her


    demeanor changed as she was trying to figure out a believable excuse to get out of this mess. She


    looked at Can to open her mouth but what she saw made her unable to react out of fear.


    Fat tears were rolling down Can''s cheeks as his eyes looked in usation towards her only friend in


    the pack. He looked angry, he looked pissed and most importantly he looked hurt. He slowly stood on


    his feet and took two steps forward "How long have you known?"


    Aurora knew she was busted. She had envisaged the scenario in her head but she was not ready now.


    For once she looked scared of the man "Cally please listen to me." she pleaded.


    "HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN..?"


    Aurora took in a sharp intake of breath as she registered the anger radiating through Can. She


    breathed deeply to calm herself as she fumbled "Lo..Long e..e..enough."


    Can gritted his teeth and fisted his hand. His eyes were fuming with rage "You are the only friend I


    have in the entire pack. Why would you do that to me!? Do you know how many sleepless nights I have


    encountered? Did you know how I felt whenever there was a mating ceremony in the pack? I was even


    jealous of my own parents cause they had each other while I was deprived of any hope!"


    Can ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Tear drops flew continuously as he red at the


    witch in inculpation "I confided my feelings in you. I shared the deepest and the darkest truths about my


    life and what did you do in return? YOU HID THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF MY LIFE! The very


    essence of any wolfs being." He scrunched his nose and sniffled, unable to hold back his maim, unable


    to contain his dread. "To think of it; I hardly care what Einar did to me cause I''m more upset for what


    you put me through. Your betrayal hurts me more than Einar''s rejection! Einar means nothing to me but


    you were supposed to be my friend! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME..!?"


    As Can uttered those words the cauldron and metal sses on the table shivered. They danced in a


    uniform way until they moved their trajectory and fell down on the floor with a nk. Aurora was deeply


    terrified. She had to find a way to make her friend cid, more even-tempered "Please calm yourself


    and listen to me once Cally. I wanted to tell you everything but i had my reasons..."


    "I DON''T BELIEVE YOUR CRAP!" Can angrily interjected "You made me suffer for more than five


    years of my life." He menacingly stepped forward with each sentence. The candles flickered as the


    objects from the shelf were falling one by one to the ground.


    "Please calm yourself cally. Your metal is glowing.."


    "DO HELL WITH THIS METAL.." The voice boomed in the entire house as Aurora gasped and jumped


    in her ce with fear. "I TRUSTED YOU...! I BELIEVED YOU AND YOU BETRAYED ME..!" Can


    scowled as his eyes were red from all the crying and all the anger he held up within him.


    Can closed the distance between them and held Aurora''s shivering arms with his hands. "WHY....!"


    He screamed from the top of his voice to demand answers from thedy.


    In that moment the tables were jumping over the floor. Parts of ceiling were falling down in chunks. The


    candles stirred with a tremendous fiery glow as the inmmables nearby caught fire. The ground was


    moving as winds picked up speed and thunders extended its warning. The terrible rumble from the sky


    and the floor shook Aurora like anything. However Can was deadpan and unaltered as he stood his


    ground braving the fury of the storm.


    Aurora shielded both herself and the man with her magic as the once steady house was falling down in


    pieces. Natures fury had such strength that the house could not endure its wrath and fell down


    witnessed the destruction of Aurora''s house. A part of him was content that it happened in the first


    ce while he also felt apologetic for Aurora.


    The witch broke the shield and made a makeshift dais for Can to sit. She waited for the man to calm


    down. After series of anxious breaths she asked hesitatingly "Are you feeling better now?"


    Can nodded without looking at her as thedy continued "You have been a very good friend of mine


    since years. Your heart knows that I would never be disloyal to you. I have always looked after your


    well being and safety and If I hid things from you, there has to be a reason for it. Please think about it.."


    And Can did think about it. When he was serene and tranquil he recalled the moments when Aurora


    helped him the most. Shielding him from any harm while taking on people for him. She was there for


    him in his hardest of times. In a pack which always made him feel unwanted it was Aurora who


    weed him with open arms. If she hid something from him than there must be a reason for it and


    certainly she deserved a benefit of doubt.


    "Are you willing to give me a chance to exin myself." Thedy asked with hopeful eyes as she


    offered some water to her friend.


    Can raised his chin in affirmation.


    "Alright. Where should I start?" asked the witch.


    "Start from the beginning. I want to know everything.."


    Aurora sighed as she sat across Can "Justus was the first wolf of his generation to have found his


    mate. Mary and Justus were just perfect for each other. Mary was the best tracker in the entire pack


    while there was no one better than Justus when it came to a fight. Imagine how high expectations


    people had from them for their offspring would be a rarebination of talents."


    Can knew about his mother being a tracker as also he knew that his father had a legacy of warrior


    spirit in him, he was blessed with skills. He looked intently at Aurora as the witch continued "They tried


    to have a baby in the first few years of their mating. Though it was unfruitful they were not dejected for


    they thought the time was yet toe, that the moon was making them wait to gift them something


    special. But soon their patience was waning and their hopes were diminishing..." she paused with a


    sigh "Every other wolf in the pack was sessful in finding their mate. Not just that, many of them


    were blessed with a child in the first year of their mating. Even after years of hope and endurance;


    Mary was still barren."


    "My parents would have been so upset." Can said dejectedly.


    "Yes they were.. In the meantime Luna Zelda and the Alpha were devastated for Zelda was unable to


    carry a child till the long term. The entire pack needed an heir and time was running out for them. Other


    packs were vying for an opportunity to tap on the vulnerability of the pack. The pack needed a future


    leader without whom its integrity would have been in peril."


    Aurora stood from her ce as she faced the gleaming moon "Both Zelda and Mary were almost going


    through the same predicament. One was unable to keep a life breathing in her while the other was


    unable to bear a child altogether. A council was set up to discuss the matter."


    "What solution did they came up with?"


    "It was decided to get the help of an external entity to know the reason of the shorings. The beta


    female Catherine had a grandmother; a seer. A very powerful one might I tell you. Both the couple


    approached her to receive her blessings. The olddy looked into her magical orb and summoned the


    power of the ancient spirits. She professed that Luna Zelda would soon bear a child who would be the


    most powerful wolf in the entire world. That the child would be either a conqueror or destroyer of the


    world."


    When Can heard the words he wasn''t surprised. He had first-hand witnessed the annihtion


    capabilty of the beasts. Aurora turned her back to Can as she sighed "Pride swelled in both the alpha


    mates as they were happy that they would soon be parents to a powerful child but they missed the


    important part of the telling.. Einar could be the destroyer of the world! That if unchecked his powers


    would create havoc for every living being on the. They were so overjoyed that they forgot to ask


    the seer about the control to Einar''s power. A possible solution to keep him sane."


    Can could see Einar as the epitome of power. He was ruthless in his fights while he showed no


    mercy to anyone who stood before him, not even Can himself. However as far as he knew, Einar was


    never a troubled child. He was headstrong but he never rebelled against his father. "Did alpha Ragnar


    find out a way to keep Einar in check?" Can asked with curious eyes.


    Aurora shook her head as she turned again "He never looked into the matter seriously. He thought that


    he had everything under control." She chuckled "But his reality came crashing down when you were


    attacked by the dragon. A young boy aged thirteen was powerful enough to summon the mighty demon


    out of nowhere. That had never happened before! The alpha was afraid; afraid of his own son. He then


    remembered the words of the seer and went on to seek her advice but it was toote. The seer had


    already left for thend of the spirits."


    Back when they were thirteen, Einar did became the centre of unnecessary attention. He was the first


    in generations to summon his demon spirit before the coronation. However Can was more interested


    to know the seer''s verdict for him "What did the seer told my parents?"


    Aurora pursed her lips and spoke after some time "The olddy closed her eyes and called the


    powerful spirits once again. This time though her demeanour had changed, she visibly shivered and


    the orb parted with the wooden tform where it was kept. After a few anxious moments she screamed


    and the orb broke into pieces mid air. Everyone around was shocked, including your parents.


    Something like that had never happened before! It was thest prophecies she had made." she took a


    pregnant pause "This was were the rumours started."


    "What rumours?" He scowled.


    "That you were cursed!" Aurora almost whispered in pity "The olddy told your parents that their child


    would not be ordinary."


    "And..."


    "And nothing else.." Can narrowed his brows and jerked his neck back in surprise. How could


    anyone make anything out of ''Not Ordinary''.


    "Her cryptic words were believed to be a warning. That the barren Mary was going to bring a bad omen


    to life, an evil to the pack. The news spread like wildfire everywhere."


    "I cant believe this..." Can whispered in confoundment. He could not believe his ears. Just the two


    words from the seer decided the entire future for him. How insane was that! Moreover the interpretation


    could have gone either way but of course the people had to see him as a curse rather than something


    else.


    "After two years from that incident, Zelda was over the moon for she was pregnant again. After two


    months from Zelda''s pregnancy reveal it was known that Mary was bearing a child as well. While the


    news of the future alpha was celebrated all over the pack, a child bearing Mary was not taken well by


    the people. They wanted Mary to kill the life in her and save the pack from the abomination."


    Can''s eyes were wide as saucers. He was shocked to know that people wanted him dead even


    before he was born. However he was more concerned about his mother. One could not begin to


    was finally blessed. To ask her to kill her child was like to make her live a life without a soul.


    "What did my father say to that?" he asked as a tear escaped his eye while he choked.


    "Your father was burdened with his responsibilities just like the Alpha. For them, the people came first


    before their own families. The wolves believed that you were a bringer of bad omen to the pack and


    that you should be eliminated at the source when the time was right. When everyone stood against the


    poordy it was Luna Zelda who came for Mary''s rescue."


    Can''s mouthy hung open as he bowed his head in shame. Though unwillingly, his father was ready


    to sacrifice him! A pang of hatred and anger surged in the man. However the thoughts of his mother


    subsided his new emotions.


    Aurora asked Can if he wanted to stop. Although his heart was shed by the betrayal from his


    beloved people, he was adamant to go through with it. He sniffled and nodded sternly as Aurora


    continued "Zelda boldly held Mary''s hand and announced to the entire pack that if Mary''s child be


    sacrificed; she would kill herself..!"


    The respect for the former Luna grew manifolds for Can for what she did for him. To stand up against


    your own mate, against your own people required courage and strength. She saved his life, she saved


    his mother. She was a true Luna!


    "The crowd was humbled. They grudgingly bowed down to the demand of their Luna."


    Can took an audible breath "What happened next?"


    "To prevent your mother from any threats, Zelda decided to keep Mary by her side always. It wasn''t as


    if attempts were not made to harm Mary but she was always saved by the alpha family. At the time of


    birth though, the luna was the one who needed saving."


    "Why?"


    Aurora sat infront of Can and sighed "Everything was going well. The Luna was taken to the


    chambers and being prepared for the birth. All of a sudden her condition deteriorated. Her pulse was


    weakening and her breaths were slow. She cried for help as blood made its way between her legs. She


    nearly died when without a warning her body rose and hovered in the air as she screamed from her


    lungs. She was surrounded by a ck and red mist. She wasn''t responding to any medications while


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    her own body was aching with the screams. It was as if she was calling someone.."


    Aurora paused and looked at a stoic Can "When Mary heard the screams, she reached the


    chambers in no time and just like a miracle the Luna was calm, lying on her bed again. The birthing


    was sessful as she gave birth to a beautiful and healthy boy."


    "Einar." Can stated as a matter of fact.


    Aurora nodded "We were about to celebrate the news of a new arrival when Mary felt the pain. It


    seemed impossible to be but the signs were there. She was ready to give birth just after seven months


    of being pregnant! She was taken to another room where she gave birth to a sweet little boy but no one


    was happy."


    "Why?"


    "The infant was born blind! A cursed child."


    Can gasped in shock. If what Aurora said was true then it meant that he was born blind! But how was


    that even possible? There was no cure for such abnormalities. Then how the hell was he able to see?


    "But I can see..!" He strongly reasoned.


    "You were not able to see when you were born.." Aurora smiled as she raised a brow. "On the other


    hand, Zelda''s child refused to cry or even open his eyes. It waspletely strange. The once happy


    environment had now turned into an anxious and sorrowful backdrop."


    "Then when did he opened his eyes?"


    "When you were near.." Can knitted his brows. "The two new born were kept side by side to each


    other. Judging by your proximity the Alpha child smiled and turned sideways to open his eyes and look


    at you. The first person Einar ever saw in his life was you..!"


    The glint in Aurora''s eyes as she said thest part was disturbing Can. Sure the moment must have


    been heartfelt for her but he wasn''t interested to know the details about Einar. He wanted to know the


    truth about himself. "I still don''t get it why you are telling me all the irrelevant things."


    "Everything is connected Cally. You will get it when you know the rest of the story."


    All of a sudden Can became pensive. His thoughts drifted to the sufferings and exile his parents had


    to face just because they wanted to have a child. Was he really worth the trouble? His parents had to


    face abasement since he was born. They must''ve been heartbroken to know that there child was born


    with an abnormality. Their dreams of a perfect child must have been shattered..!


    "Were my parents happy to have me?" Can asked in a low hesitating voice. As if negation would


    broke him from within.


    Auroraforted Can by putting her hand on his shoulder "They didn''t care even if you were born


    with three legs and two heads." sheughed "They were happy that you were born, that you were the


    reason they could call themselves ''parents''. They even contemted to leave the pack had it not been


    for luna Zelda. However they were constantly worried about you. There was something very odd about


    you."


    "Odd as in..."


    "You never cried as a child. Not even when you were born! Neither did youughed. You didn''t speak a


    word until you were five. You intently stared at people for no reason and only responded when you


    were in the mood and not when others expected. There were times when you did not eat for days and


    had sleepless nights on a stretch."


    Can was dumbfounded by this new information, certainly he did not remember any of it. His curiosity


    piqued as he thought about Einar. If they were really connected than was it possible that Einar shared


    the same traits as him "And Einar? How was he as a child?"


    "He was the apple of his parents eyes. Everyone loved him. He was pampered from the get go. On his


    first birthday, invitations were thrown to every pack in the world; even the kings presence was


    requested. He was quick to learn things and had lots of friends from the beginning. Most importantly he


    exalted power from a very young age. Everyone wanted to be close to him."


    A pang of anger and jealousy hit Can as he heard this "Why was I treated differently?"


    "People were scared of you. The odd behaviour you showed only cemented the doubts of the pack that


    you were indeed cursed.. You never behaved like any child of your age or how kids usually behave.


    This was the reason no parents allowed their children to y with you. It was only Zelda who let Einar


    be friends with you."


    Can''s heart constricted. It was sheer stupidity to misconceive the statement made by the old hag.


    How was it that no one validated the sayings of the women. Why did no one had the courage toe


    forward and cross the notion? A sheer stupidity ransacked his happiness, his childhood, his entire


    future. As experienced by Can in the human vige, people with abnormalities werepletely


    harmless to others. They were dependent on other people for gods sake! Then how on earth could they


    even be a threat to anybody!? This all could have been avoided if someone had just used their brains!


    "Wasn''t there anyone who gave a thought that maybe there was a reason why I was the way I was? I


    mean I know many kids in the human vige who are different from their peers but still they are


    epted."


    "Indeed. Lady Odile was also of the same opinion. However she could not possiblye out with any


    usible exnation to you being different neither any solution to make you normal."


    Can huffed in frustration "Did you believed it too?"


    "Initially yes." She gave an apologetic look to her friend "However elder Odulf reasoned the viability of


    this assumption. He always used to say that there is a reason for something to happen. We


    coborated in secret and started studying your behaviour. Noticing every minute details of your day to


    day life."


    "You were spying a toddler! What possibly can you get out of observing me as a kid?"


    Aurora smirked "We discovered a lot about you." She blinked her eye at an astonished Can "Elder


    Odulf concluded that you were not cursed but rather the pack was blessed to have you. You were one


    of a kind. You did something that blew our mind...!"


    *********