Chapter Twenty-Seven – Noose
Theodore moved as if he were caught in a trance. The barren landscape didn't confuse him, as it seemed to be confusing his companions. His feet knew the ground beneath them, and his lungs filled with the air that reminded him of the times past.
He was home. On a different plane of existence, it might have sounded absurd to mistake these lands, bereft of any vegetation or signs of life, for the snow-covered hills where his pack had used to dwell. But his bones knew, his muscles, and his heart; down to the last fiber of his being, he knew.
He was, indeed, home, after struggling so hard to forget it so he could live. Who was he kidding? Every moment of his life spent among strangers had been dedicated to preparing for a fight he believed imminent.
But things hadn't happened the way he'd envisioned they would. Instead of an enemy, an unlikely ally sought him out. And then he'd learned about Cassandra the witch and memories trapped inside his brain had chosen to surface. They were few and incomplete, but they were his and were true.
"Theo?" Jack called for him in a hesitant voice. "Are we going somewhere? Because it feels like we're just… walking. Not that I have anything against walking. It's healthy and all."
Theodore stopped so his companions could catch up with him. "These are my pack's lands. I can feel it."
Jack continued to throw curious looks around. There was no need for any additional explanations. It was difficult for someone else to feel the same thing, as they had never lived here. How could he explain the idea of his home to a stranger?
Although he had a tough time considering Jack and Vince strangers now. Especially given the intimacy that had developed between them on their way here.
"What about that wisdom tree? Do you see it anywhere?" Jack asked.
"No, but I don't have to," Theodore replied. "I am home now. We are safe here, and the more time we spend here the more easily we can untangle this quest. The enemy will not hesitate to seek me out; I am sure of it. And I will be ready."
If an obscure plan to lure him here had presented itself through the means of Jack's cards, his enemies should've taken more time to consider how bad an idea it was to face an alpha on his own sacred grounds.
He was at his most powerful here.
"Read your cards for us, Jack," he said, inhaling the sweet air of home once more.
***
Jack watched Theo out of the corner of one eye while laying his cards down. The alpha had been in a great mood ever since they had crossed the veil, and he couldn't help thinking that something was terribly off. Maybe his trust issues were to blame.
"Psst, Vee," he whispered.
Because Theo wandered further and further away, gripped by that weird energy that made him seem so unlike his usual restrained self, Jack hopes that he could gossip with Vee for a bit.
"What do you think about all of this?" he added, once the valiant guardian – he really liked the sound of that – leaned closer and stared at the cards, too. "Theo thinks he's home, but isn't he, I dunno, a bit weird?"
"I expect something wicked is going to happen," Vee replied. "Though I do believe that Theodore needs this feeling. He must be feeling it now for the first time in a while. Years or more."
"Yeah, I get that. But what if he's in danger?"
"Are you forgetting I'm your guardian? Both his and yours?"
"Okay, okay, but Theo's enemies, I mean ours, can be really shitty and powerful."
"Shitty and powerful. I'll keep that in mind," Vince teased him playfully.
"Come on," Jack moaned. "You know I'm right. It can't be this easy. My fretful mind says otherwise. Hey, where's Theo?"
Vince stretched out his arm and pointed at the large white wolf distancing himself from them even more.
"Ah, great. I bet he wants to hunt again," Jack said. "Vee, just go after him. What if he goes too far, and we end up losing him?"
"Don't be a mother hen now," Vince said. "Theodore isn't going to be so easy to defeat, and my guardian instincts tell me that we're not in danger yet."
"As you say. But do you see this?" Jack knew that he had to disclose that secret at least to Vee. He pointed at the painted card showing the noose around the wolf's neck. "The more time we spend here, the tighter it gets."
Vince examined the card carefully. "And that hasn't been here before, has it?"
Jack nodded and looked down. "Look, whatever's going on…" How could he let go of that most horrible secret? How could he put doubt in Vee's mind, as well as his own? If they both believed that Theo could just turn murderous on them, cursed as he was, the poor soul, that could only mean that they might have to treat him as the enemy, and Jack knew that he had to be smarter than to think of something like that.
There was one surefire way to make their bond grow stronger. But could he be so brave as to suggest it? Why couldn't his cards be normal for a change and show him what he had to do?
"We must tell Theodore. Even if he doesn't sense any danger at the moment, it doesn't mean that things cannot change for the worse. We cannot trust our instincts, not here, and not until we defeat whatever we need to defeat," Vince said.
"I have to be brave," Jack muttered under his breath.
"Yes, we all have to be brave. I want to bring Theodore back here, but I can't leave you alone. Do you still need to read the cards or do you already have everything you need to know?"
He did, but not everything he needed to figure out. That was a different story. Just as he considered what to say next, he noticed Theodore coming back, still in his wolf shape. Only once he was near, he turned into the handsome man he usually was.
Only that, unlike other times when he returned to his human self dressed as he had been before, now he was completely naked.
"Wow," Jack barely managed to choke out, while taking in the glorious sight in front of his eyes.
Vince chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aren't you a little cold, Theodore?"
"Why would I be cold?" the alpha snapped in his usual annoyed tone.
It looked like he had no clue he was in the buff. So Jack needed to do something to correct the situation. He gestured at Theodore's pride and glory. "I can totally see your balls, alpha."
Only then did Theodore looked down, straight at his own cock, which, much to Jack's surprise, hardened visibly.
"Um, Vee, a little help here," he whispered. "Why is Theo getting hard out of the blue?"
"Not out of the blue," the alpha in question said. "I know the truth now."
"What's that?" Jack asked cautiously.
"You two truly belong to me. That is no lie."
"Ah," Jack added. "Or should I say 'wow'?"
***
When Jack had complained about sensing something off about the new way in which Theodore acted, Vince hadn't thought much about it at first, but now this free of inhibitions version of the alpha of Whiteflame puzzled him.
Could it all be because Theodore gained strength from these barren lands, most likely imbued with the history of his people? He definitely looked comfortable in his own skin, and his usual arrogance was no longer overbearing.
"We must all be naked," Theodore said. "There is no place for shame here."
"Oh, wow." Jack squirmed in his place and proceeded to grab his cards before the alpha could see them.
Vince could understand, up to a point, that Jack didn't want Theodore to worry about what fate had planned for him, but, at the same time, he believed that their alpha had to know the truth.
"Jack," he commanded, "tell Theodore about what you saw in the cards."
The clairvoyant gave him a look like he couldn't believe the betrayal. Vince only nodded shortly at him.
"Oh, well," Jack said, pursing his lips. "The cards show that the noose around your neck is tightening."
He said it quickly, so Vince didn't know for sure whether Theodore had heard all that.
"Danger does not scare me," the alpha said, coming closer.
Jack was still sitting on his ass, so he looked up and stared at the large cock looming over his head. His jaw went slack, and Vince knew he'd feel the same if he were in his place. That was one drool-worthy cock, as he well knew.
"I think I'll keep my clothes on, thank you," Jack said out loud.
"I didn't ask you to do anything," Theodore said.
"You were going to," Jack shot back. "And Vee won't get naked, either."
"As you wish," Theodore said with a shrug. "There is energy in this place. I can feel it. I'm absorbing it through my skin."
"Now that's interesting, isn't it, Vee?" Jack pleaded for help with his eyes, but Vince had to admit that it was entertaining to see Theodore as a wild and free spirit, while Jack was choosing to protect his modesty.
Wild and free. No, true and free. Those were the words they had read in the stone. Theodore was closer now to being free than ever before, even if the lack of clothes made the situation a bit awkward.
And it was awkward… only because he and Jack were still clothed.
"Jack," he said, "I really think our alpha has a point. We need to absorb the energy of this place through our skin, as well."
"Are you sure? It's not night, and we don't have candles and stuff. I don't think it's going to be terribly romantic," Jack argued.
"I know. But this is important," Vince insisted. "Come on, let's undress." To show that he meant what he said, he began taking off his jacket.
His alpha's hungry eyes were fixed on him. He couldn't say that he didn't feel slightly puzzled by the naked attraction he could read in the usually cold eyes. But he'd made his decision already.
The rustling of clothes let him know that Jack was following his example and was also getting naked.
***
The guardian had a good head on his shoulders. Here, beyond the veil, other rules governed their lives. They didn't need clothing; on the contrary, they needed to become their true selves, and any obstacles between them and this ancient world had to be removed.
"Funny," Jack commented, "I don't feel cold at all."
Theodore moved closer to him and took his hand. "You have no reason to feel cold. You have the heart of a wolf now."
Jack gave him a look full of tenderness. But, of course, he needed to open his mouth. "Do you mean I have your heart? Are you giving it to me? Theo, you're way too nice. And cute. I accept it."
Theodore growled once to make the field mouse pay attention. The look in those innocent eyes told him that he couldn't expect too much from someone without one bit of guile in his bones. Jack said whatever he believed, most of the time.
He let his eyes travel between the guardian and the clairvoyant. His unlikely companions and mates. How had he been so reluctant to accept them until now?
"You two belong to me," he said in a voice he wanted to sound commanding but ended up sounding hopeful.
The needs of his body should've surprised him but they didn't. He knew the whole truth now; he understood it. It was before his eyes, and the only thing that remained to do was to reach out and make it his.
Make them his.
A soft hiss drew his attention to the right. What could it be?
"A snake!" Jack exclaimed, jumping straight into Vince's arms, who caught him without thinking.
What snake? Theodore couldn't see anything, although he'd heard the hissing sound loud and clear.
"Where is it?" he asked.
Both Jack and Vince craned their necks to look at the ground, but there was no sign of any creepy crawler.
"I didn't imagine it," Jack said defensively.
"I don't think you did," Theodore replied.
"Now what?" Vince asked, still holding Jack.
He had come back determined to seal their togetherness with the bonding ritual. But that snake hiss had invaded his thoughts, rattling them for no reason. Now, he believed there was something else at play, something wrong and wicked.
Out of the blue, he felt ridiculous. Why was he standing naked before his companions, and why had he asked them to undress, as well? Even if they had been intimate before, this lack of decorum and basic manners seemed beyond him.
He only had to think it, it seemed, and that was all it took. The sensation of fabric scraping his skin as it materialized around his body wasn't even that surprising.
"Oh, great, you got us all excited for nothing," Jack reproached him, although his voice seemed more relieved than judgmental.
"You two can dress," he said, turning around and feeling out of place.
"Theodore, wait!"
The guardian was jogging after him, but he didn't want to slow down.
***
"What was that all about?" Vince asked the moment he reached Theodore. "One moment, you are so free that you surprised us, and the next, you reverted to--"
"To being a rational and sensible human being? Because I am also human, guardian," Theodore said through his teeth.
"Alpha," Vince said in a tone that brooked no contradiction, "whatever is happening to you and with you is a matter of concern for both Jack and me. Do not keep secrets, please."
Theodore halted abruptly. He wished he knew what to say. He stared the guardian in the eye as he struggled to find his words. "I know I am back home. But things are holding me back. You two are my mates, but you seem to be… remote from me. I feel you and I don't. Can you make sense of that? If you can, explain it to me."
The guardian, as expected, had a deep frown on his face. "We don't have hearts of wolves, Theodore. You know it, and we know it. You might be at odds with yourself, because while your human part agrees with us, the wolf inside you can't recognize us as your pack."
"My pack is here," Theodore said forcefully.
He surprised even himself with the cutting edge in his voice.
Vince's eyes filled with sadness. "As you see. We aren't your pack, are we?"
Theodore hung his head low. Was there such a thing as an honest answer? "No," he said, that single word coming out as a pained whisper.
"Are Jack's cards lying then?" Vince asked.
He shook his head. He didn't know. "If there will be a battle for these lands, you'll be in danger unnecessarily," he said out loud what his inner thoughts dictated.
"How strange," Vince commented, crossing his arms. He had remained naked since he didn't have the same capacity to summon clothes to cover himself.
A sting of familiarity crossed Theodore's chest as he looked at the guardian. "What is so strange?"
"It's like someone else is telling you what you should think," Vince replied.
"Watch your mouth, guardian," Theodore growled. "No one tells me what to think."
"What about that noose, Theodore?" Vince leaned in closer. Theodore could feel his warm breath on his face. "Can you feel it?"
He touched his neck. There was nothing there. Jack's cards made no sense. He and the guardian had only been tools used to bring him here, nothing else.
"I believe you two should go back."
"Back where? I'm the one who created the bridge between worlds that brought all of us here," Vince said. "You wouldn't be here, in what you consider your lands, your world, if it weren't for me. And Jack. His cards aren't lying."
"I appreciate it. If I ever return to the human world, I will seek out both of you and reward you handsomely."
"As if we'd want your money," Vince said, his voice bitter and low. "Theodore, you need to snap out of it. Whatever is going on, this isn't a good look on you. You're not yourself."
He couldn't say when he turned into his wolf. But the following moment, he snapped his jaws in front of Vince's face, making even the strong human flinch. "Don't you dare tell me who I am, feeble human. Be gone. You are not welcome here. Go before I tear your belly wide open."
Fury surged inside him; it did him good. He felt stronger with each word he said.
"Now," he growled, waiting for the guardian to back down.
But Vince stared at him unwaveringly, his bravery unsuited for his weak human body. Theodore's eyes filled with crimson red. He raised one front paw and slashed Vince's chest with his claws, making the human guardian stagger and stare at him like he couldn't believe what had just happened.
Theodore turned away and broke into a run. He needed to go to meet his destiny. His pack was close, and he could feel them. The guardian and the clairvoyant weren't part of it.
TBC