A Howl In The Night by Lorelei Sutton (best novels for students TXT) 📖

Do I need to say goodbye? 

No. I can’t.

It… will only make things harder.

I whirl around and bend down to drop a gentle kiss on Xavier’s forehead. “Sleep tight, Xavier,” I say, standing up quickly and hugging the crown to my chest. The whispers are pounding, imploring, begging me to make a change. My heart constricts, because I know that I cannot leave an entire species at risk due to any of my own selfish desires. Because in my heart, I cannot truly believe that Shifters are evil and don’t deserve salvation. And who am I to rob them of that?

Please. Come soon.

I start running at a breakneck speed, weaving through the trees without knowing quite where I’m going. Allowing the whispers to guide my thoughts, I keep moving, endlessly, making the decision to accept my fate. Occasionally it seems like a red eye appears to my right, almost as if a trick of the light. It seems as if the Shifters are guiding me towards my own destiny. They always have, I suppose. The tragedy that ended my parents’ lives has propelled me to fight, both against and for the Shifters. 

The castle turrets soon appear to the left of the trees and I automatically steer towards it. Even though I have no idea on how to navigate through the castle, I have no doubt that I will get there. I reach the gates and they eerily begin to open. I don’t even stop to look, my conscience not allowing me to wait.

The door to the castle is similarly left ajar. After a few minutes of going through doors and weaving through darkly lit corridors, I reach a hallway that I recognize. With thick carpet and elaborate door handles, I knew this was the entrance to the core.

Meet your future.

Knowing that it’s too late to go back, I swing the door open to reveal the dark space I had been envisioning since the previous night. The anticipation releases, and I stare around the room blankly, not knowing where to start.

There are no illusions of grandeur. This is it, with the plain, dark room and the eternal darkness below. Is it supposed to end like this?

I walk over to the middle of the ledge, not sure where the edges blurred into the void. The silence is unnerving as I finger the crown in my hands. Should I just throw it over so I don’t risk falling myself? That would probably be the least heroic thing to do. 

Now that I’ve finally decided to be a hero, the question is how this will go down in God’s scrapbook or wherever this will be written down. Should I pose for a minute, or fight the evil dragon who appears out of nowhere? I’m not used to this kind of life.

I almost wish the influence of the whispers were back and as strong as they were, because I could really use their help. 

I start walking to the ledge, when I start to hear footsteps pounding down the hallway. My heart rate accelerates wildly as a figure begins to come into view. I can barely see it, but I would recognize his frenzied breaths everywhere.

I would have probably picked the dragon over this.

Tears unwillingly come to my eyes as the figure runs to me, his hand immediately grabbing my shoulder. “Xavier… didn’t expect to see you here,” I say softly, kicking myself for assuming he wouldn’t be able to follow me.

“What’s going on?” He asks, tightening his grip. “I’m tired of you and Ray not telling me everything. First he acts strange, and then you. What’s so special about this room?”

I begin to break down under his urgent stare. I’m tired of trying to keep things from him, because he deserves to have the truth, even if it hurts. “It’s the prophecy, Xavier. This is all the prophecy. I’m about to fulfill it.” 

He just stares at me wonderingly. “So… this is the red stone?” He motions to the crown. “Is this what you were trying to do yesterday?”

“Yes. Ray is part of the prophecy too, Xavier… everything fits. The fight on the beach, Ray being taken hostage… everything. And all the dreams I had of this world, they were all leading me to this very point.”

“So Ray is the one that we… lost in the group? But we found him again!” He says, trying to figure out the complexity of the situation. His eyes search mine, and his hands reach to finger the crown in my hand. “Whose is this?” Xavier asks softly, “was it just sitting here, or…”

“It’s Ray’s. He isn’t what you think he is. And neither are the enemies that you hate and kill. The Shifters… are souls. Dying, polluted souls.”

“But that makes no sense.” His eyebrows furrow in confusion. “In order for the red stone to be his, that would make him… the red wolf? Who else could be in possession of such an important object?” I just nod at him, and he almost jumps ten feet backwards. “How? I’ve known him for my entire life. And I’m pretty sure Shifters are evil.”

 “He is still Ray. Believe me. He’s just… slightly different. And a lot older than you think he is. But I have to destroy this jewel and crown in order to fulfill the prophecy, and Ray said that it must be thrown into the chasm of eternal darkness that surrounds us. The Shifters aren’t all bad either. You’ve seen the ones hidden within the forest.” 

Xavier surveys our surroundings, his gaze cold and calculating. “So, what happens to us? You throw it in, the red stone is destroyed…”

“Well, the Shifters will be able to move on to judgement. Werewolves will cease to exist as we know it. I’m still not sure what that means.” Xavier’s face crinkles up as I mention the fated words, and his hands leave the crown to wrap around my body.

“Are you saying that you were basically going to leave me forever without giving me a chance to say goodbye? After everything I told you last night?” He asks fervently, his breath impossibly close to my ear. I find myself shaking with the threat of indecision.

“I knew it would… make it harder, Xavier. I knew I couldn’t leave you if I did it. And even now, I just want to stay with you forever. But the human race is hanging in the balance, along with the hope of salvation for the passing souls. It’s… bigger than just us…”

He tightens his arms until I can barely breathe. “I understand,” he whispers softly into my hair, “You wouldn’t be you if you avoided this forever. You have a strong sense of justice and I love that about you.”

I smile and he kisses the top of my head slowly. His hands rub down the sides of my waist, and I revel once more in his warmth. For the last time I guess. “I’m hoping, Xavier… that there may be happiness for the two of us.”

“Oh, I know that this is not truly goodbye. We have each other in our hearts, and will never be alone. I will always have your lovely face to remind me of the peace in my heart.” Xavier leans his head against mine and then releases me, stepping back. I blush, smiling at the weight of his words and the beautiful warmth that comes with it.

“So it’s okay, Xavier? I’m sorry about hiding things from you. I just didn’t want you to know… that I was going to end it.”

“But I always knew, Mona. Don’t forget, I knew you were the chosen one for a very long time. And I can put two and two together. Now, I don’t know what the Shifters have done and exactly what they are, but I do think that you are righteous and will give them whatever identity and salvation they deserve.” He smiles at me for what seems to be the last time, dampened by the inevitability of our futures. “But you need to do it, quickly. I think that some Shifters are coming back, because I’m starting to hear noises.”

It’s true. The whispers are swirling around again, twisting into howls and whimpers. These are not the sounds of begging, weak Shifters but power-hungry monsters. And the sounds seem to be getting closer and closer, accompanied by another pair of footsteps into the darkness of the room. “Mona?” Ray’s unmistakable voice calls out, echoing against the unfathomable walls. As he comes close to where we are, I can make out his face, torn with exhaustion and fear. “Oh, Xavier, I should have known you were here too. Look, you have a few seconds, maybe less. I know you’re here for a reason. Don’t let anything take away from that. You have the power to save, but the window of time is quickly closing upon us all. I’ll try to hold them back, but…”

“Them?” Xavier asks, his voice cracking in the growing intensity of the howling.

“The council members, those who wish to stay in power and keep the status quo. They mean to trap you here. They led you in, and now they are going to suck your emotions and feelings for each other until there’s nothing left. Turns out, Shifters don’t actually keep prisoners in dungeons. Sorry about that little lie, Xavier.”

“Seems like you’ve been keeping a lot hidden from me, Brother,” Xavier says loudly. “Why don’t you show me your true self? There’s no reason to hide anymore.”

The two stare at each other, the rest of the world completely forgotten. The escalating tension starts to fade away as Ray sighs, dropping his shoulders and argumentative stance. He also knows that Xavier deserves the truth.

“You’re right.” Ray starts to morph, his edges twisting and fading, only to reveal seconds later a similar outline with slightly different yet significant facial features. “It’s hard to show my true self, though, when the only thing true to me is my eyes of blood.”

Xavier seems frozen for a second, and then frowns. “It’s true then. Are you a Shifter, or a werewolf?”

“Both, it seems. But I’m pretty sure I need judgement more than anyone else in this world and the next. We’ve all played into Fate’s hands, but our own wills and desires dictate our own identities, and no one can rob us of that if you save us. I’m probably supposed to fight you right now, but I don’t wish to live in such a stagnant world, chained to a role where I have to watch countless souls die to the outside world. I almost forgot about it, though, when I was with you. Thank you, Mona and Xavier, for giving me the opportunity to have a life worth living.” Ray grins widely, his expression tinged with hopeless insanity. “Please don’t hate me too much. I really like you guys, you know. In fact, I’ll take care of these guys for you.” 

Shifters burst in the doors like a dark, stormy cloud, taking over the darkness and plunging it into an even deeper, chaotic madness. I can only watch as Ray starts to morph with the movement of the ever changing cloud, eyes like fire burning into his victims. But the mass of Shifters seems to converge upon him, almost swallowing him at the base of the ledge. “It’s not over! I’m fine, but you need to go now!” We hear the faint yell echoing around the room, spurring us into action.

I race over to the edge of the ledge, or what it appeared to be like, and cautiously looked into the eternal blackness. Xavier holds my arm, as if afraid of my movement. “It’s okay, Xavier. It has to be now,” I whisper.

“But… I love you. I haven’t said it enough yet. And we haven’t grown old together, if you could even call it that. And I haven’t said half of the things that I wanted to say about you, and we haven’t bickered over whose taking the last of the cereal, and…”