CHAPTER 35

“Iliana sent word. Tell Raymond and Christie we will not go through with the plan. Let’s cooperate with Iliana.” Damian said to a messenger of the Shadow pack.

“How is she?” Frida asked.

“She is well. So are the others. I still have a bad feeling.”

“Me too. I hope they all come back safely.” Frida said as she left Damian for the healthcare building she worked in.

Damian could not get away with the thought that something bad has happened to them. He wondered if they were aware of Jonah’s death. He also worried about Jack and the child he left behind. “Come back safe.” He prayed underneath his breath.

Walking around the Shadow town, Damian couldn’t help by reminisce. From his childhood to him becoming the alpha of the pack to him being rejected twice by Iliana. He internally felt embarrassed but felt even more proud of what he has become.

Damian felt a ton of responsibility on his shoulders now that Johan is gone. Stuart and Samuel also gone. He had nobody to communicate to except Frida who he recently started to take a liking to. Over the months, Frida has been his company. He hung around the healthcare building from time to time I’m search of Frida. Though he knew he was a disturbance, Frida never complained. After Johan died, Frida sought comfort in Damian’s presence. She swore to her father she would support Damian till the end.

Damian had always felt danger approaching. With Iliana’s text, he felt even more danger coming. The thought of a Silver Creek spy residing in Shadow town. How much information have the retrieved? Most importantly, who? There were no suspects or leads. The Shadow pack wasn’t as large as the Silver Creek, nor was the town. Silver Creek pack had more member and larger town. It baffled Damian how they, the Shadow pack, were victorious in the past. How Johan managed to fight the Silver Creek was an almost impossible thought to Damian.

Damian had no brilliant plan on getting the mole out. His only option was to wait. The mole will be revealed with time, he hoped.

“I’m the target.” He thought to himself as he sat on a bench in front of the Healthcare building. “I’ll have to be more careful around people, but who will I be careful around?”

Frida burst out of the building laughing with her coworkers. She had just finished for that day. She spotted Damian seated on a bench in front of the building. For some reasons she was happy to see him. He was also happy to see her.

“Damian.” She smile as she looked him in the eye.

“Frida, your friends are waiting for you. I wouldn’t want you to keep them waiting.”

Frida’s friends instantly walked away, waving and saying their good byes. “They’re gone now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Damian.” Frida sat on the bench.

“How long have you been here?”

Damian thought for a while. “An hour or two?”

“Damian! You have to stop.” Frida chuckled

“Well I like doing this.” Damian said as he stood up and stretched out his hand. “Let’s go.”

Frida held his hand as they went on their way.

Frida and Damian walking side by side. They had a laugh together as they walked. It was quite the picture. Damian felt good about being around someone and he hoped Frida felt the same way. Damian remembered all the times he has spent with Iliana. It felt like a memory but one left alone in the past. He intended on making new memories with Frida.

As they walked to their destinations, Frida made a stop at the couriers office.

“Here’s the delivery number.” Frida displayed the number from her phone to the office worker. He stood from his chair and scanned the packages around the office. It took a while before he found Frida’s package. A small cardboard box bearing tape to seal it. Damian in his curiosity wondered what it was.

“What’s in it?” He asked Frida as they left the office

“Medicine. We are running out of some types of medicine in the facility so they had me order some of them.”

“I see. It looks like it’s coming from the south—the direction of the Silver Creek.”

“It is.”

“Whenever I think of the Silver Creek, I always feel…scared…that something bad has or will happen. I really hope they are alright. I don’t like the feeling I always get.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. After all, Iliana sent a text after leaving us to worry for months. Damian, they are fine.” Frida was optimistic even though she also had a bad feeling.

Night completely fell and the Shadow town as usual maintained it’s dull lighting. The moon was in it’s crescent glory and the stars were as precious jewels for a treasure chest. Damian, the alpha of the Shadow pack, in his house, stayed in his study room trying to find out more interesting written facts about the Silver Creek pack. He found a character that interested him— Rajesh Taksha Kahkashan. He was curious about this man and felt the need to see this man for himself. He moved on to the next thing of study but still had Rajesh in mind. He changed his area of study to myths that lie in the Silver Creek.

“The eyes of the souls.” He came across a passage that interested him. “The Silver eyes of the tongue, the golden eyes of the mind, and the eyes of the sun and moon—very interesting.” Damian studied these Saud myths and hoped to see them someday even though he knew they were only myths. As he studied, a messenger of his came into the study with a drink for Damian. It was in a glass cup, placed on a tray.

“A drink, sir?”

Damian took the cup out of the tray but didn’t drink it yet. He set it on the table and kept studying. He was too engrossed in what he was studying, he completely forgot his drink. He finished studying and exhaled in excitement. He reached for a book beside the glass cup that had a drink. As he pulled the book, the glass cup was hit and it fell to the ground and shattered.

“Shit.” He exclaimed as the liquid was spilled everywhere.

The cleaner immediately ran to the room with a broom, dustpan and a mop.

“I’m really sorry.” Damian said to the cleaner as he stood from his chair.

“It’s alright, sir.”

Damian did not want to inconvenience the cleaner with his presence so he thought going out for a night stroll while thinking of what has been studied was a good idea.

It was a chilly night. The town was already empty. It wasn’t even close to midnight. Damian wondered how the nights were like in the Silver Creek. His impatience to listen to all the stories they had grew stronger. He had questions to ask them concerning myths as he has studied.

As Damian walked down the empty roads, he caught sight of somebody standing in front of him. The person wore dark clothing and wore a mask that covered every facial features. Damian walked closer to this person. It was a man. As Damian walked closer to this man, the man walked closer; hastily. Damian knew that that would be trouble. He was on guard and ready to fight. As the man dipped his hand in his clothing, Damian instantly transformed and attacked the man. Damian bit his hand, forcing the man to let go of a weapon he had brought out. Damian looked at the weapon and realized that it was a silver dagger. Damien transformed back into his man form.

“Who are y—” Damian seized to speak as he felt an object pierced through him from behind. Damian fell to the ground and the man ran away with his accomplice following along.

Damian on the ground, struggled to pull the object that penetrated. He tried to maintain his breathing. He felt his heart speeding up and suddenly slowing down. He fought hard to stay alive. After a while, Damian stopped moving or breathing.