Chapter 45: Chapter Forty-Five: His

"Now you look like an Ewok." I teased Nyx. Her face was the only part of her that I could see under the heavy brown wool blanket. When I found her on the stairs earlier, she felt cold to the touch. Her comment about skipping meals worried me even more. I knew from Finn her appetite had decreased the past two days, but he hadn't said she skipped meals completely today. Nyx's weak smile at my joke felt like an invisible fist grinding against my sternum like a mortar and pestle.

Finn leaned over the counter, carefully scooting a bowl, "This, Luna, Is my famous chicken noodle soup."

Slowly, Nyx gripped the bowl and spoon, taking a very shaky slurp of the soup. All three of us watched her with concern as her brows furrowed. Was she going to throw up again? I shifted slightly to get a better look at her face, "Nyx?" suddenly, the spoon clattered against the countertop, and Nyx's head dropped forward. I shoved my hand forward so her head landed in my palm instead of her bowl. "Fuck, Nyx? Are you okay?"

When she didn't respond, panic grasped my chest. I maneuvered my body so I could pull her back against my chest slowly. I listened closely to make sure her heart was still beating, and she was still breathing. After I counted to thirty beats and breaths, I closed my eyes in relief. Hugo was suddenly on Nyx's other side, "Alpha, Neal called the Elders. They will be here soon."

I nodded, pulling Nyx into my arms and walking her back toward the stairs. Finn shifted around the counter, but Hugo grabbed his arm to ensure we weren't followed. Once in my bedroom, I quickly tucked Nyx under the covers. Her breathing was steady now, but it was freezing when I grasped her hand. I stripped off my shirt and carefully pulled the covers back so I could hold her in my arms to add extra heat. I knew I needed to go back and ask the elders my questions, but leaving was getting harder and harder. Nyx turned her face into my chest, and I pulled her closer. I slowly stroked her clothed spine with my palm to add frictional heat. After too little time, I adjusted her to be fully covered and added a blanket before grabbing my shirt and slipping out of the room. The faster I spoke with the Elders, the quicker I could return to Nyx.

Neal stood at the top of the steps with that severe, worried face. We both knew Nyx was going to get worse before she got better, but watching her suffer had put my inner circle of people on edge. He stood fully from his leaning position, "Her heartbeat sounds strong, but her breathing is rough."

I nodded, trying to keep the worry off my face and failing, "Yeah, she is freezing too. The elders and the book they gave me didn't mention anything about being ice cold."

"This is new territory for them too. Most of our kind are not as powerful or suppressed as long." Neal grimly reminded me, "Even the time frame is off. Usually, they saw withdrawal symptoms in the first three days. Luna has been off it for almost two weeks."

I scrubbed my face, fear and doubt clotting my rational thinking. Hugo shuffled up the steps. His face was expressionless, but I could hear the worried strain in his voice, "I'll stand here while Finn finishes cleaning up. He is separating the soup into small containers for Luna when she is ready to eat."

I nodded before heading to my office downstairs. I needed to talk to the elders quickly to return to Nyx's side. Two elders stood by the little alcove hosting a wood-burning fireplace. It sizzled and popped with warmth under the steady hand of one Elder. Both creatures wore dark jeans, black boots, and oversized leather jackets. One had a black hood up, obscuring a direct view of its face. While the other, tending the fire, had long black hair tied in a low ponytail at the base of its neck. If I didn't know better, I would assume they were hardcore motorcycle gang members. Anyone looking closely at either would see their skin was drawn so tight there was no room for moisture. Grandfather once compared them to a cross between a mummy and a zombie. These beings have lived longer than anyone else, their names long forgotten, yet neither looked much older than sixty human years. They didn't turn from the fire to acknowledge Neal or my presence. We both knew it was proper to wait for the elders to start; however, my patience was too thin.

"Thank you for waiting, elders. It is an honor to be in your presence." I felt Neal bow next to me, but I didn't. Regarding heirarchy, I still rule over the elders as king. But they could easily remove me from power if they choose to. Grandfather repeatedly warned me to respect them and they would not interfere. The Elder tending the fire, turned and stared at me with unfocused eyes. Its scraggly beard matched the length and color of its hair.

After what felt like an eternity, it opened its mouth and spoke in an ethereal voice, "Greetings, Alpha King. Your home is most welcoming."

I stood still, waiting for them to give permission. Shifter politics were a headache, but the rules were in place for a reason. The hooded Elder suddenly faced us at a speed I didn't know any creature was capable of. The voice of this creature sounded gravelly like he was garbling rocks, "Alpha King, you smell of something powerfully divine!"

Again, I remained still. The first Elder materialized in front of me, so close I could feel its cold breath on the tip of my nose. It smelled so strongly of decay and sulfur I questioned if I was speaking to corpses. It took a deep inhale two times before its eyes focused solely on mine, "Yes, Alpha King, you reek of Moon energy."

"Yes, It is my mate," I stated. The first Elder instantly returned to the fire while the second one folded his arms, and I caught a glimpse of deep red eyes.

"We did not approve or perform a claim ceremony." One of them said though neither's mouth moved at all.

I suppressed a shudder from how creepy it was. "It's incomplete. One of the reasons I requested this meeting."

The first Elder's eyes became unfocused again, yet its words were sharply sinister, "The girl! She is alive, after all."

The second Elder made a raspy sound, similar to a laugh, but sounded more like bone rattling against metal chains. "The goddess is crafty. She has returned the night to us all. Destiny will never be the same."

I clenched my teeth in frustration. Riddles would get me nowhere at this point. "Yes, I have reunited with Nyx. However, as you know, her divine power was suppressed, and now it is returning. She has been ice cold, tired, nauseous, achy, and barely eats."

The first Elder instantly disappears. I take a panicked step forward, but the second begins to speak, "She is waking up her true self. Strong that little goddess is. My other is watching her now."

I turned toward Neal, willing him to sprint to check on Nyx. I didn't want anything to be near her, especially these creatures. Before he can move, the Elder returns and makes an unnatural sound. As though bricks were cracking against a sandstorm, I realized the Elder was tsking me like I was a small, insolent child. The sound brings pain to my ears and has Neal drop to one knee. "Alpha King! She is divine! Closest to the moon since my rebirth." There is a small sing-song-y ring to its ethereal voice. Almost as if it is excited.

The second Elder growls, "We need 4. One to begin. One to grow. One to light. One to decay."

"Moonstones carried by all, with lunar energy from each." The first's eyes focus on me again, "Alpha King, winning favor long ago has served you well."

I stared at them, completely confused but absorbing each word. I open my mouth to speak, but the second stops me, "Little goddess burns with flame and magma. Soon, the dark mist will set the light long in the past, and destiny will align."

"What does that mean?" Neal hissed next to me. I didn't move my eyes from the Elders. Both turned back toward the fire and in the blink of an eye, the fire, along with both creatures, was gone. Neal and I remained there in the fading warmth, processing the shitshow that just played out in front of us.

"Creepy fuckers." I heard from the doorway, making both of us jump. I turned to see Finn leaning against the door.

Neal and I both let out a frustrated sigh, and Neal replied, "You don't know the half of it. Now I will write down everything they said, then go to bed."

I clapped my hand on his back, "You good?"

Neal's shoulders moved with a deep inhale, "No. Do you think your Alpha command is hard to resist? Try listening to their voices! It was like my ear drums were about to burst."

"They sounded fine to me." I chuckled, knowing my power protected me. I shook Neal's shoulders a few times, then headed up the stairs to hold my sleeping goddess.