I'm Dying Mate (Iona Blackfield) novel Chapter 21

(21) The Temple and the Arkaline Family

IONA

+25 Points

Earlier, time was too fast and not still at all but now while Sarah pull my arm and I was powerless compared to her strength, time was too slow. I couldn’t get away no matter how hard I try. Her hold was firm, and it only hurts me when I do try.

“Drake! Damiano!” I shout but there were so many growls and fighting that I doubt they heard me. I didn’t even see Drake shift or Damiano’s form at all.

I do see Aunt Fiona. She’s known as the feral daughter of one of the strongest Alphas in the werewolf word. She’s known to have silver fur that shines in the light and gleams at night. I spot her pinning three wolves below her and one in her mouth. Blood staining her fur, but she looks unbeatable. A dark wolf jumps over her to tackle a wolf attempting to lunge at her and I knew it was Uncle Raven

“Aunt Fiona!” I call to which she hears. I see her ear twitch to my direction and she snaps her gaze to me. I see her eyes widen and her ears at attention then she let out the loudest snarl

in the house.

Everyone was looking at me, but it was too late. Sarah pushes me inside the van before I see Aunt Fiona’s beautiful wolf runs to me. I notice how her spine moved like water as she tries

to reach for me. behind her, I see Damiano in his Lycan form. He is running on both his legs

and he doesn’t look like a wolf at all.

I understood then and there why he didn’t want me to see him in that form, but I think he was beautiful. The van door closes, and I feel a prick on my neck. Everything is numb after that. I didn’t know what happened, but I think I was paralyzed.

“it’s okay” A voice says, I move my eyes to the direction of the voice. He moves me so that I was laying on my back while I see the car was moving.

There was a man on the driver’s seat and a man beside me, the man beside me has curly brown hair that curled to his scalp, his blue eyes was warm and kind, and his freckles littered over his face. He smiles kindly at me and with pity.

“I’m sorry this has to happen to you” he puts me in a better position and pats my thigh “I know you can’t talk but I’ll be your caretaker/witness. I’ll be with you throughout your stay in the temple. My name is Dyson from the Arkaline family”

Arkaline? That sounds really familiar it’s as if I read that family somewhere before, but I can’t

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place where. The library? Of course, it’s where I read but what were they again? All I

I

remember about them is that they were feared and killed close to extinction by the vampires. Often, their pack members were the one in the front of the lines with other normal wolves. I can’t remember what’s so different from them. It’s on the tip of my tongue but I couldn’t place it.

He is quiet during the ride and soon we stop, and he carries me on his shoulder. I hang limply and swayed through every movement. I still couldn’t move nor feel my body, but I can move my eyes. I hear doors open and more people. He climbs over the stairs as I was able to see

the floor while he moved.

It wasn’t long before he places me in a room that was simple, bare and small. He gently places me in a proper position for my sake. I see him moving to the only window of the room to set aside the gray curtains. There was a lot of neutral and monotone colors in the room. There was a simple dresser on the foot of the bed and one door that led to the outside and another glass door that leads to a shower.

Slowly, he looks at me with a small smile and pats my forehead. He proceeds to take my pulse and even rolls out an ECG machine from the outside. “I’m going to make sure you’re okay. Don’t worry I’m a nurse”

He latches me on to the machine and even inserts a dextrose on the back of my hand. He secures it with clear medical tape and sets it gently to my side. I can see he is good at his job at how he moves and cared for me. He’s not a bad guy, he doesn’t look like one. He looks too devoted to be anything but nice.

He is taller than me but shorter than what average werewolves usually are. I watch him until finally he is done writing things on his chart and sits on the only available surface he can sit

“So, I’m Dyson Arkaline as I have told you. The paralysis would wear off soon and you’ll be able to move and talk but know that it’s really useless to run away since this is the Temple, this is where the Elders reside, and you are to stay here until your trial and the judgement is placed.”

He pats my hand but it’s not like I can react or feel it. He takes a napkin and rubs something off my face. I realized from the moisture on the napkin that it was my saliva. I feel mortified.

“don’t worry, I counted on it and it’s normal. It was a strong medicine, it can’t be helped.”

Soon, I can twitch my fingers. Dyson helps by massaging my hands, so I can feel even better. He points on the bruise Sarah caused “We just have to wait for that to fade on its own. We don’t have the facilities or medicine to drain that”

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While we waited for whatever the strong medicine was to wear off, Damiano’s face flash over my eyes. The hurt and desperation on his face when he tried to run after me. he truly looks like the traditional werewolf in old horror movies. His face a mix between wolf and man with his canines out and jaw elongated. He doesn’t look that bad to me, he is just the same attractive man but hairier. I also noticed his sharp nails that looks like silver.

“Can you feel this?” he flicks my arm and I flinch. “That answers that then”

My tongue still feels hard and dead in my mouth, but I was able to groggily wipe my own saliva. He helps me sit up and gives me a glass of water. I could feel it on my lips it was my tongue that is going rogue.

“It’s okay” he chuckles “You’re fine, don’t rush it”

“I…what am…….doing…here?” I fiddled with my tongue, but I manage to say it even though I bit it once or twice, but it was fine.

“You’re arrested until we prove your innocent”

“Foer…what?”

“You’ve been accused of meeting with a highborn pureblood vampire who is leading a rebellion against the peace we have against each other.”

I furrow my brows. I don’t think Trace would do that, but then again all I knew was that he was dead for five years. I only knew he was alive a few days ago. “With..in…a gray… territ… ory?”

“Even if it’s a gray territory, he is the cause of a lot of strife right now” Dyson answers kindly.

I purse my lips, I didn’t want to incriminate myself by telling him anymore than I should. I touch my face and it takes a minute before I feel my hands. I sigh while leaning on the headboard. I wait until I could feel my tongue again before I talked

“Arkaline…I know what your family did, but I don’t remember why your family was…”

“Hunted?” he asks, his brows quirking with a small smile on his face.

“I’m sorry for asking. I was just curious” I feel the sweat on my body before I felt it with my hand. How long has it been since I gone for a checkup or took any medicine for my condition? I relied too much on the healing qualities of having a mate that I forgot that I am close to nothing without them

My hands feel clammy and my muscles weren’t doing well on their own without trembling. I lay back relaxing as much as I can. My heart is gutted while I miss my two overbearing mates.

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“It’s fine” Dyson answers a few minutes later. “My family has a habit of sacrificing their wolves for abilities”

I gasp “Isn’t that close to murder?”

He shrugs “I guess, we’re still werewolves and we still have inhuman capabilities but without shifting. But during the war, it’s what we needed, and my family and pack sacrificed themselves for the species. Vampires have done worst but at least we did it from our own will.”

I stare at him, trying to figure out myself if he sacrificed his own wolf. Then I wondered what made them so special that they’re the only ones that are able to do that? He seems to read my mind because he chuckles and shakes his head.

“I have sacrificed mine and I can read minds” he taps his temple and I blush. “As for the other question, we’re not special but more cursed. We realize that we have the ability to talk to Fate or the Moon Goddess and we can ask for things with a price”

“Yo-you can read minds?” I say, reeling.

He nods “it’s a good skill to have, it proves to be a taxing skill to keep though. Some people’s thoughts are just louder than the others.”

“You can talk to the Moon Goddess” I stated with a gasp.

This was the woman all children of the night worshipped. They practically kissed the land the moonlight touched because of him. werewolves and elves relying on her for everything. I know I’ve mentioned her for a few times, but I couldn’t believe there was an actual proof to

her existence

“Yes, she’s real. Kinder than anything and merciful but to be totally honest I think she’s too nice for her own good. she’s beautiful too, she has eyes that are the color of the moon and hair the color of the night sky. Her pins and hair ornaments are the stars”

“That sounds like an old children story.” I say

“But it’s the truth. It’s Fate that is crueler than her. He is known to manipulate a lot of things and he specifically likes manipulating anything that relates to the Moon Goddess”

“I don’t understand, though. Don’t you feel empty without your wolf?”

He shrugs “I guess, I am but at least we still have mates.”

“you still have mates, that’s good”

“Yeah”

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“Who is your alpha?”

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He shakes his head “No Alpha, there are only two left from the Arkaline pack. That’s me and my cousin who was driving the van when we picked you up”

“What does he do?” I ask, my curiosity is going to kill me one day and I have accepted that.

“he has the ability to push things beyond its capabilities like a car that can only run a certain speen, he can push it without breaking the engine.”

“Can he push people?”

He nods “He hasn’t tested it on other people, but he has a habit of doing it to himself. He keeps pushing his brain, so he can be this smart dude that can pull any girl from the bar”

I snicker “that’s one way to use your abilities”

He smiles “He’s a good guy though.”

“Wait, I’m a criminal. Why are you telling me these as if we’ve been friends for years?”

He shrugs “usually, whenever I take care of prisoners, so they don’t die until the judgement. They have these thoughts that are just…horrible. But you’re different, you’re actually really nice to the core. You’ve did nothing but think of other people rather than yourself.”

I blush, “Um, thanks but I think you already know that I did what they’re accusing me”

“That’s true but I don’t think it’s a hundred percent true. I don’t think you’re capable of helping a rebellion against your own mate’s kind. Not to mention all of your uncles are werewolves. You don’t look like the type”

། guess so” I look away while looking around the room. Suddenly missing a lot of people even though I have just been gone for a few hours. “what would happen now?”

He sighs then gives me a kind smile “You’ll wait for the trial to finish and then comes the judgement. Don’t worry as bad as it sounds, the Elders are kind and just”

“Really?”

He nods “They have rules and they set those rules for a reason. Breaking them has punishments because there are repercussions to your decision. They enact truthfully and just. We don’t believe in ‘innocent until proven guilty’ but we rely more on truth and to what actually happened rather than giving people a chance on getting away, we’re not human.”

“How long till my trial then?”

“Last I heard, there would be a meeting with the Anchor first before a trial. I don’t think you’re

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allowed to witness the trial that is about you because this involves the Elder’s favorite students which are your uncles and their most trusted members your mates. Let’s just say you are filled with very powerful people, lona”

“I never seen my family in that way”

He laughs “Of course, you haven’t, I don’t think you have fully comprehended the gravity of your situation. Your uncles are strong on their own with the packs they are mated to but together, they are close to unstoppable. Then there are your mates, one is an Alpha of one of the oldest packs in Europe but lucky you he moved here. I heard he planned on attacking one of your uncle’s pack territory but now I see why. Then there’s the Lycan, the fucking prince of Lycans.-”

“Damiano is a prince?!”

He guffaws “No, but he might as well be. Lycans are rare and they are related to the first wolf and the Moon Goddess. The elders wanted to make Damiano’s line into a monarchy, but they ⚫ would rather not do that. Lycan’s are stronger and faster, they also know how important their privacy is. It’s the reason why only some werewolves believe that Lycan’s exist till now. Some only thinks that they’re legends. Hell! I only realized they’re real until I read your mind and saw your mate in his shifted form. He is one scary dude, mind you”

“He isn’t really scary. He is a good man though there are some traditions that are questionable but he’s okay”

“Well, I know this is way too early but lona Blackfield, you are the most pleasant criminal I have ever talked to” he lightly pats my shoulder “I like you”

I smile “Thanks, I guess”

There was a knock on the door and it showed a mean looking guard. I know that he is a guard because he is wearing the same black uniform as the wolves that attacked Uncle Fredo’s pack house. He looks at me then at Dyson.

“The Elders request your presence” he gruffly says. He doesn’t look at me in the eye but I could feel his judgement through it.

“Okay, I’ll be there soon” Dyson says

The guard made a single nod before leaving

“Well, the Elders are calling. I have to go but I will be back with your food for dinner. Don’t do anything stupid”

I look around the bare room. There was no TV or electric sockets. I don’t even have my phone

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on me. I don’t think anyone could do anything in here.

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Dyson laughs while shaking his head “You’ll be surprised. Now, I have got to go or that man. would drag me to them and I don’t want a spectacle. I’ll see you later, Ansi”

Ansi? I thought. I see Dyson’s body tense, but he seems quick to get out of the room before I could press him about the name. Who was Ansi? But judging from his tense posture and the regret in his eyes, I feel she was important and that he sees her in me in some way or somehow.

It was late in the evening when he came back just as promised. He came with a tray of food and he helps me eat it. I might have restored the feeling of my body but due to me being mateless at the moment, I was slowly weakening.

But more accurately, I was back to dying. I don’t know how long this trial and judgement thing would last but I know I’m not going to last a few months if this continues. Dyson reads my mind and he agrees

“I think I would have to request the Elder’s to let your mates visit.”

“Is that allowed?”

“No, but you’re a special case. You need to be alive during the process and until the end, so we have to do something or you’d die sooner than later.”

questi

I nod while chewing. I waited until we finished before I asked him the question that bugged me since he left. “Who is Ansi?”

He flinches, and he looks like as if I slapped him. he gives me a wry smile while taking the tray away to the corner of the room. “She’s my little sister”