The Beloved Beast

Part 18-The Journey

Ray glanced at the woman beside him. He must stop her from meeting Neil. He knew his cousin. Now that she knew everything, he would have no qualms about killing her. He desperately wanted to get rid of the curse and start a new life with Renee. The she-wolf he was so proud of. The one who had chosen to retreat in fear than fight him, Ray. "Tanya, sweetheart, I beg you to consider your decision again. We can turn the car and just keep going to the city. Meeting Neil is not safe for you," Ray pleaded.

 She gave him a stubborn look. "I understand your concern Ray, but I will not go away without meeting Neil for a last time. I need some answers from him. I will not run away like a coward. I never was one."The car came to a stop on the porch and without waiting for Ray, Tanya climbed out, striding with quick, firm steps towards the house.

 Renee's car was already in the driveway, and she could hear the sound of voices coming from the living room. "We tried our best to stop her, Neil, but Ray prevented us. He shifted and attacked me, "Renee whined in her high, wailing voice. "I am sorry my brother caused this debacle. It is all that woman's fault. She has blinded him to reason. He no longer cares for the welfare of the pack," Tara spat, her tone full of venom. "Ray will pay for this later, but first I have to find her. She knows too much. More than any human has ever known. We can't let her go." As Tanya walked into the room, a hushed silence fell. Clearly, they had not expected her to return. "I am here, Neil," she looked him straight in the eye. She saw the disbelief on his face as he took in her composed manner. "I wish to talk to you. Alone," she told him. "How dare you..." Renee started but Neil silenced her with a wave of a hand. 

With a hand under her elbow, he guided her to their room, shutting the door behind him. Once inside, he stood staring at her with dislike marring his features. "So, you never loved me, did you, Neil?" she whispered. When he did not say a word, she continued, "The love was only ever on my side. You just kept the pretense up. Why did you choose me, Neil? Was it something about me that gave you the idea that I would be an easy conquest? And I was, wasn't I? You so easily fooled me, but you forgot one thing, my dear husband. I haven't had an easy life. I have been through abuse and torture. Nothing scares me now." Tanya stopped to give a heartfelt sigh. Neil's face was shuttered and stony. She inched closer to him, catching his hand and putting it on her neck. "You wish to kill me, don't you? Now is your chance Neil. I am here, not running away. Kill me and be free of the curse."Neil looked at his hand on her throat. His tanned skin contrasted with her milky one. Her skin felt like silk under his fingers. Without volition, his fingers stroked her delicate neck. It would be so easy to snap her neck in two. Why couldn't he do it? His hand trembled, the tremors slowly extending to his legs. He had not expected such a show of courage from a mere human. He had always considered them weaklings. Tanya did not run true to form. She had challenged him to kill her, and he had never backed away from a challenge. Why was he hesitating then? Tanya noted the play of emotions on his face. Flinging his hand away, she faced him, her eyes spewing fire. "You are weak, Neil. You don't have the courage to kill me." With an oath, Neil pushed her away from himself, turned, and walked out of the room.

Neil did not stop until he reached the woods. Once there, he shifted into his wolf form. You are weak. You are weak. Tanya's words kept repeating in his head. However fast he ran, they wouldn't go away. It was a night of massacre. Whoever came in front of him, met with a painful death. His path was littered with bodies, leaving a bloody trail. Yes, he was weak, he accepted at last. He had always preyed on the helpless and the feeble. That was why he had chosen Tanya. A puny human, never knowing that one day he would find himself unable to take her life. It was almost morning, and Neil entered a cave. He could not face going back home yet. He sat on the cold, stone floor, licking his fur clean. Then he lay with his head on his paws, eyes closed, in deep contemplation.

Early that morning Tanya knocked on Ray's door. She had spent the night crying her eyes out. Now she needed his help with the task at hand. Ray opened the door in his brown silken robe. He had been expecting her. "Give me a moment to dress Tanya. Then I will take you back to the city," he offered. "I am not going to the city, Ray." "Then where do you wish to go? This place is no longer safe for you." May I come in?" she asked. He opened the door further, "Of course." She entered his room, a tastefully furnished room in the shades of cream and brown. She sat down on the settee placed opposite to the bed. "I want to go to find the witches," she declared. Ray was stunned. Was she out of her mind?"That's impossible. The witches are our enemies," he tried to dissuade her. "Your enemies, not mine. I don't need anyone to accompany me. Just tell me the way to the coven," she said determinedly. Exasperated, Ray sat down on the bed, running his fingers through his thick hair. This beautiful, childlike woman had turned out to be so stubborn. Pigheaded even. He sighed inwardly. It was part of her charm. "May I ask why you wish to meet the witches? What do you hope to achieve by that?" he inquired. "Before leaving Neil for good, I wish to fulfill my last duty as a Luna. I have to try to find some way to remove the curse." "It is not your duty, my dear girl," Ray stressed. "I consider it to be. If not a Luna's duty, then certainly a wife's. One who loves her husband more than life itself." Pain smote at Ray's heart. He was envious of Neil. The man did not know how fortunate he was. "Wait then, I will come with you," he assured her. He could not let her wander through the forest alone.

Tanya dressed warmly. The castle was high up in the mountains. It would be cold there. She packed a little bit of food and water in a backpack. Ray would be with her in his wolf form. It was necessary to save her from any rogue attacks. She met him on the periphery of the woods. He too was a huge wolf, intimidating and scary. Being the Beta of the pack, he too had trained in the art of warfare. How easy it would have been, had she loved him instead, but she had given her heart to Neil, and he had trampled over it. Strange were the ways of love! The forest was deep and dark. Dappled sunlight fell at some places through the leaves. Her previous experience of the forest had been traumatic. She was a city girl, through and through. Tanya gave a pep talk to herself. She had to see it through. Visit the witches, and plead with them for a cure. She just hoped that they would be ready to listen to her and not turn her into a toad or a gnat.

 Sabine was sitting by the magical pool. A short distance away, her friends Diana and Emma were pouring over a new book of spells that had been delivered recently. She, herself, was jotting down the formula of a potion in her diary. All of a sudden, there were some ripples in the pool. Distracted, she gazed into the clear blue waters, waiting for it to reveal something momentous. What she saw, stunned her. The diary fell from her lifeless fingers onto the grassy bank of the pool, and she ran towards the castle.

 For the umpteenth time, Tanya stumbled on an exposed root on the forest floor. Bird call filled the air and sometimes the howl of an animal could be heard. The overpowering smell of vegetation filled her nostrils. Beside her Ray walked, growling at intervals to warn anyone from crossing their path. Once or twice, he chased a hare, when the animal instinct became too much. They stopped beside a clear river, a slender ribbon of water, traversing the forest. They had been walking for hours and Tanya needed to catch her breath. Tanya took out the t-shirt and shorts Ray had asked her to pack, and he went behind some bushes to change into them. It was good to see him in his human form again. She took out the food and water and they ate in silence. He could have hunted some small animals for food, but he did not like hunting much. "How far is it from here?" she asked him while biting into an apple. "I have to consult the map," he replied, taking out the ancient map from the backpack and spreading it on the ground. Tanya could make neither head nor tail of the hand-drawn map with the names of places scribbled in ink, but Ray obviously knew what he was doing for he poured over it, marking their route with a marker. "It is still a long way, and we may have to go uphill," he pronounced. Tanya's heart sank. She wished the journey to end soon, and to face the witches.