The Gate of Shadows

The next time I regained consciousness, we were inside the same wooden cabin I last saw. Inside, the smell of oak was the first thing to hit me as noises from arguments erupted. My head was on Fenris's lap, and he held an ice pack to my forehead while he sat on a comfy sofa with grey linens.

The decorations were no different from our living quarters, which always resembled a modern home, although we weren’t anywhere near home. The arguing parties were unaware I was awake, not that they cared since their voices were loud enough to leave my ears ringing, prompting my headache to worsen.

Everything was so blurry that I could barely tell who was in the distance. I saw shapes and colors forming at most, but never into anything too accurate.

"This isn’t what we planned! How does a thing like this even happen?! Where’s Ryker?! Why isn’t he here?!" a silver-haired Lycan, seemingly on the elder side of the spectrum, screamed at another smaller wolf.

"He’s almost here, sir. Some things needed to be taken care of at the capital. Rogue wolves made it there, too." The one getting yelled at responded, trying to appease the angered elder.

"I don’t care. He should be here already! I mean, that abomination made it here! Why not him?!" the elder pointed at me.

I tried to keep my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. However, part of me wanted to break out laughing upon being called that. Even though I saved their lives, I was still an atrocity in their eyes.

Ungrateful.

Enemy.

The whispers arose within me again.

"Don’t call her that. She has a name, Grandpa.” Fenris tried to defend me, knowing I didn’t get there normally.

Instead of getting ground, the older Lycan turned his rage on him, prompting the young Lycan to growl at his superior.

"You! You were supposed to control her!" the elder huffed, pacing.

“Eno—” Ben tried to intercept, but instead of letting his brother take the lead like he usually did. Fenris didn’t back down. He was done hiding.

"She’s a living thing with free will. I can’t control her choices, no matter how irresponsible they are. Just be grateful she saved us instead of scorning us for every unforgivable thing we’ve done to her," Fenris snapped back.

"You’re a disgrace to this family—even if you’re my grandson! Didn’t you see her lose control of her power?! She’s your charge! I bet you she has something to do with this! All witches—" Fenris's grandfather went off the rails, only to be interrupted by Ben.

"Evan, look, Lilith has nothing to do with this. You weren’t here when she saved us from those corpses! We didn’t know what the fuck was happening and still don’t, but if it weren’t for her, most of us would’ve been injured or worse." the older brother huffed, taking his younger brother’s side.

Another Lycan from the group in the room jumped into the fray.

"She killed some of us!" he argued as tensions rose in the room.

"Only the ones who put down were going rabid! If it was anything like what happened the night of the explosions, she did them a favor!" Ben snapped back at him.

Having enough, Shade jumped off my belly and into the fight, knowing full well I was awake, unlike everyone else.

"You mortals seem to be so dumb. Honestly, it makes me wonder how all of you are still alive. It’s a wonder why Lily cares for you idiots. I would’ve let you rot if it were up to me." Shade snickered, jumping onto a table nearby, gathering everyone’s eyes.

“So that you know, I voted to save our little wolf alone; none of you deserve to live.” She huffed, shifting her eyes to the older brother, who tilted his head. “Maybe Ben, too. The rest of you are as good as trash that deserves removal from our space!”

Although tiny, she appeared like a typical cat—unlike the previous form. Amelia, who was also in the room, stood up to her.

"What does a monster like you know about how we feel?!" the eldest sister snarled at her, who didn’t flinch at the hostility.

Instead, my familiar chuckled at her feeble attempt to intimidate her.

"Monster, you say. Maybe I should behave like one and eat that dumb face of yours. Oh, wait, Lily doesn’t want me to!" Shade rolled her eyes, licking her paw.

"Enough, Shade, you aren’t helping." Fenris tried to stop it all before it went out of control.

The last thing we needed was more infighting, although this little cat wanted nothing more than blood. She had to sit there for the longest time, unable to be heard by anyone but me. Sadly, I could feel her get more flared up by his attempt to quiet her.

"No, not enough, little wolf! I’ve been silent, watching all these years, but no longer! You mortals need a good crashing back into this world! Lily has saved you twice now! Do you even know why my fellows didn’t shred into you right as she lost control?!” she snarled, puffing up.

“Do you even know why only the children were left alone back then?! Because she held them back! You miserable lots are alive because she cared enough to keep you breathing!" she snapped.

She wouldn’t stop there, though. No, she had years of pent-up anger that could finally come out unfiltered.

"All of you are pathetic fools. If it were up to me, I would’ve loved to see your heads roll. Maybe then the world might be better off, but no, Lily fights back at every turn! What a fucking ungrateful bunch you morons turned out to be!" She huffed, wanting nothing more than to dig her claws into them.

I knew all she felt was because of me, but I couldn’t help but love her more. She cared for me to the point of wanting to obliterate some of their faces off the face of the planet, but even so, she was mine.

My little Shade.

"Why’s this monster here?!" another Lycan other than Amelia growled.

Ben sighed, picking Shade up from the table before another wolf tried to do something to her, turning this into another bloodshed. It was almost as if he had picked up a plushy. We could hear purrs coming from her when she was in his hands.

He was always her favorite Lycan, other than Fenris.

"She’s her familiar. Be grateful she only looks like a kitten now." Ben informed as she stuck her tongue out at them.

"Which means where Lily goes, I follow dumbass. Be grateful I allow you to be in my presence!" Shade snickered, making Ben pinch her cheek.

“Enough out of you.” He sighed, unrelentingly resulting in her cheeks.

“Okay! Okay! I’m sorry! Mercy!” She giggled, purring.

Her attitude only sent the confronting Lycans over the edge.

"I won’t tolerate this disrespect!" Evan growled, reaching towards where Shade was, which caused her to smirk.

Touch me, I’ll end you, old man. Shade snickered.

The motion prompted Ben to take a few steps back from his grandfather.

"Enough! Touch Shade, and she’ll end you where you stand," I warned, slowly rising before wincing.

My head throbbed in ways I never knew it could. Shade hopped off Ben and onto my lap.

You’re such a little troublemaker.

She always was, but now she had a voice to speak with.

"Lily! I was breaking the ice for you." She announced happily.

I pinched her cheek in response, much like Ben had done.

It's more like building a mountain that I have to climb over now.

But, but Lily! I’m sorry! She purred, pawing my hands.

I sighed, turning towards the elder Lycan, who glared at me.

"You should show manners to that familiar of yours!" Evan tried to defend his kin.

Ignoring him, I reached for my head, which was already pounding, and their argument made it worse. Fenris drew me towards him to assess my condition, which was better since my nose and ears had stopped bleeding.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, trying to figure out who was in the room with me.

Everything was still a blur. However, I knew Fenris's touch even if I lost my eyesight.

"Five hours," Ben informed me, standing by us.

Fenris grabbed a cold cloth and handed it to me. The fabric was refreshing to my skin and cooled anywhere it touched. I placed it on my neck when he touched my forehead to check my temperature.

You’re always caring my darling wolf.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, reaching for my ears to verify them.

He worried about me while all I cared about was how he was safe and in front of me.

"Like I got run over by a pack of Lycans." I joked, trying to lighten the air.

Fenris shook his head, tugging my ear, slightly annoyed at my awful choice of words.

"Oi... You should be grateful; that’s all you feel. Oh, and don’t use any magic. We haven’t found your other inhibitors." He sighed, gazing at the injury on my forehead.

It was the one I got from helping Melody.

I have so much to tell you, but not with the crowd here.

For a moment, I stayed silent, collecting my thoughts through all the whispers invading my mind.

Make him yours!

Mostly, what they kept bombarding me with, I only had the neck inhibitor that was found nearby where I collapsed, which someone fixed the collar while I slept.

"I don’t want them," I announced, turning the room upside down as the atmosphere dropped a couple of degrees.

"What?" basically, everyone in the room muttered.

"I said, I don’t want them. I’ll keep myself in check from now on." I repeated, mainly leaving everyone with their jaws on the floor.

It wasn’t what they wanted to hear, though. Amelia stepped forward, grabbing me by my dress and pulling me to her height.

"That’s impossible. You’ll just go insane, but that seems to have already happened! Do you plan to take us with you, too?!" she snapped at me, her eyes shimmering brightly as her lips trembled.

I grabbed her hands when Fenris tried to stand up, only to fall right back where he was. He was exhausted, like me. If she let me go, I would probably stumble onto the floor. However, I was in no mood to back down.

I was susceptible to her attempts to intimidate me into submission, even though she was Fenris's sister. I was tired of being controlled.

There’ll be no more cages for this bird.