Movement No. 37
Tempest
Yasmeena and I revealed the truth. In an exclusive tell-all interview with a reporter from Haeresis Times, we confessed how our engagement was a ruse to help foster community between our two species.
We also shared details of my father’s downfall, in hopes the transparency will lead to new trust in Pack Escalus.
I want the people to trust in me.
It’s been a few weeks since we signed the treaty. I moved out of my little tent in camp and back into the den, where I was welcomed with the most joy and excitement I’ve ever seen.
The pack had always felt a little clinical, and I internalized that.
I told myself things felt off because I was being left out, unwanted.
I never realized the bad apple spoiling the whole bunch was our Alpha himself.
It’s fucked up, but I’m relieved he’s dead and gone.
Pack Escalus deserves better than what he was willing to provide and determined to pursue.
I’ve spent the last week ironing out the details of how my pack will follow and honor the treaty, and now it’s time to celebrate.
Pack Escalus was invited to a celebratory gala in honor of the peace treaty, and as Stephano and I head through the familiar large metal gates, my heart beats a nervous rhythm.
I love my people and I can feel in my bones that I made the right decision going home, but I miss the carnies. The long talks with Taryn by the river, the joy that radiates off of Raph every time he walks in a room. I miss Absinthe’s energy, and Nico’s hugs.
But mostly, I miss Yasmeena. I crave the way our bodies fit so perfectly together, and the rich jasmine scent of her perfume.
As Stephano and I walk toward the main tent, my body itches, giddy with anticipation.
Nico stands in the entryway, next to Una and Po, and greets us with a grin. He’s dressed in puffy denim shorts with black and white striped socks and a matching denim hat, and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
“Aunt Tempest!” he screams once he spots me, and comes running at full speed. He nearly knocks me to the ground, but I pick him up, spinning and giving him a tight squeeze.
“I missed you,” I say, and he kisses my cheek.
“I missed you more. Also sorry, am I supposed to call you Alpha now?” he asks.
I shake my head, a giggle bursting from my lips. “No, bubs. You don’t ever need to call me that. I’ll always be your aunt.”
Placing him down, Nico escorts Stephano and me inside.
Nothing could have prepared me for the way they decorated the big top.
It’s completely different than I’ve ever seen it.
The tent’s ceiling still soars overhead, but there are chandeliers hung from the rafters, dripping with sparkling crystals and colorful pearls.
The walls are covered in a deep red brocade silk, and I wish I could say the color didn’t remind me of my father’s heart as it beat in my hand, but it does.
We reach our table, where a few other members of Pack Escalus are already seated, and I look around.
There are a few tables with members of Pack Forres, and two more with Pack Caliban.
Another table boasts Claudia, Kayoda, and some of the felion, while another is full of carnies—but I don’t see Yasmeena or Taryn.
Turning around to look behind us, I finally spot the rest, including Taryn’s tank. The Devil’s Masquerade are all there, talking and eating hors d'oeuvres, and it feels like I hallucinated everything. The engagement, the battle, none of it feels real anymore.
From this distance, they all look like strangers.
“You should go say hello,” Stephano says, gesturing.
I nod, swallowing my pride, and cross towards their table.
Taryn is the first to notice me. “Tempest! You wore my dress,” she says, excitement blooming with every word.
I received a mysterious package a few days ago, and to my surprise, when I opened it, there was a long, teal jacquard gown that Taryn had woven for me inside. I decided to wear it tonight, and seeing her reaction, I’m so glad I did.
“It’s gorgeous,” I say, twirling for her. “Thank you.”
“This makes me so happy!” she exclaims.
We catch up a little, and I tell her about all the new developments happening with Pack Escalus. She shares some new ideas they have brewing for Hel’s Carnival, and my cheeks hurt from smiling.
Lilian grabs my arm, interrupting once our conversation starts to taper off. “Hey, how are you doing?”
“I’m great,” I say, because it’s mostly the truth.
I freed myself and my pack from my abusive father, and helped Yasmeena bring peace between the felion and lupion, and that’s great. I am proud and relieved, but I also feel a sense of hollowness that I can’t seem to shake.
“I’m so glad,” she says, one hand on her belly, and I wince.
“How is Baelor doing?” I’m not sure what she knows, so I tread lightly, hoping the question doesn’t bother her. Last I checked, he was still in the hospital.
“He’s doing good. He’s actually no longer considered critical condition, and he’s set to be released tomorrow,” she says, smiling. “I’m ready for him to be home.”
She doesn’t know anything.
“That’s great,” I say, feigning happiness.
My eyes finally meet Yasmeena’s golden stare. I was avoiding looking at her, for fear that once I did, I wouldn’t be able to stop. It was a valid fear. I drink her in. She’s sitting, but I can see the form-fitting shape of her strapless dress, and the way it shows off her chest and shoulders.
She stands, and I think she’s going to come over to me, when another felion grabs her by the arm and escorts her away. My heart falls to the pit of my stomach.
There’s a ringing sound, and Raph stands. “That’s my cue.”
In decorating the big top, they set up tables around a dance floor, and placed a small platform at one edge of the tent. Raph moves towards it and I head back to my seat, deciding I’ll torture myself by talking to Yasmeena later.
“Good evening friends and foes,” he begins.
“Tonight, we celebrate the peace treaty between the felion and lupion on the continent of Haeresis. Please honor and welcome King Luc Morningstar as he congratulates Representative Yasmeena Al-Khalifa, Alpha Tempest Lupine, Alpha Duncan Porter, and Alpha Ferdinand Meyer on this tremendous achievement.”
Everyone stands, preparing to bend a knee for Luc, but the moment never arrives. We all look around the room, but he doesn’t seem to be present.
After a moment, Raph clears his throat. “My apologies, my brother must be handling an urgent issue,” Raph states and smiles, before going on to give a heartfelt speech himself.
I half-listen to him describe the hard work we put into the treaty, but it’s difficult to focus on his words as my eyes and heart remain fixated on Yasmeena. I trace her in my mind, wanting to commit her image into memory.
When Raph finishes, everyone stands in ovation, excited applause resonating through the space. Soft, slow music begins to play, and something inside me snaps.
Returning to the den and taking on the mantle of Alpha has shown me that I can survive without Yasmeena.
I can, but I don’t want to.
Walking over to Yasmeena’s table, I extend a hand. “Will you dance with me?”
She smiles, her cheeks flushing, but she places her fingers in mine and I lead her onto the dance floor. My hand slides to the small of her back, and I pull her in close, pressing her against me. Taking her other hand, I lead her through slow, romantic steps.
“What’s your favorite color?” she asks, and the question throws me off balance.
“What?”
“We were engaged and I never even learned your favorite color,” she says as if it’s a crime. “Mine is pink. What’s yours?”
“Whatever color your underwear are,” I retort.
Yasmeena laughs and leans in close. “That’s strange, because I’m not wearing any,” she whispers.
Heat curls low in my stomach, and it feels like nothing’s changed between us.
I put distance between us and twirl Yasmeena for a moment before pulling her back into me.
“Is being Alpha the best thing that’s ever happened to you?” she asks through giggles. She seems genuinely giddy, happy to be in my arms, and it’s killing me.
Now that I allow myself to feel emotion, it’s hard not to cry as I hold her close for what might be the last time. “No,” I say honestly, and my voice breaks.
As if the music stops, Yasmeena’s feet come to a sudden halt. “What?”
“No, nuisance,” I say, shaking my head. “The best thing that ever happened to me was you.”
I can’t do this. I can’t be here and dance with her, watching her smile and enjoy the night, because if I do, I’m not sure I’ll be able to let go again. I need her like I need oxygen. I’m fucking drowning, unable to reach the surface when I’m not with her.
I realize now I don’t know if I ever knew real love before her, because this is all-consuming.
I wanted to be friends—Hel, I asked for all the leaders to meet a few times a year, just so I could see her—but I don’t think I can do it.
Seeing Yasmeena is like seeing a mirage.
I’m so thirsty and desperate, but it’s not real. She’s not here, she’s not mine.
Letting go of Yasmeena, I rush out of the tent. Stephano stands to follow me, but I watch Zuri stop him. As I step out into the open air, I bump into Luc.
“My apologies, my infernal king,” I say, and curtsy, my dress preventing me from taking a knee. When I look up, he nods. There are dark circles below his eyes, a small splatter of blood on his lapel, and he continues walking without saying another word.
I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with whatever that was.
I find my legs taking me down a familiar dirt-lined path until I end up outside our tent—Yasmeena’s tent. It’s not the smartest place to escape to, but it’s the only place I know.
“Tempest,” I hear her shout from a few hundred steps away. “Tempest.”
She’s inching closer, and I hold my breath. Part of me hopes she walks right past, and part of me desperately needs to see her again before I leave.
Yasmeena enters the tent and my heart stalls. “Tempest, what are we doing?”
“I’m sorry,” I say, leaning against her dresser, scratching the back of my head. “I shouldn’t have come tonight and I definitely shouldn’t have asked you to dance.”
She steps closer, and I can practically feel her breath against me. “Why? Why couldn’t we spend one last night pretending this was real?”
A million thoughts cross my mind. Because I used to have nightmares about my abuse, but now all my dreams revolve around you. Because I would give everything up if it meant we could be together, but even then I’m not sure that would be enough.
“Because it was always real to me,” I finally say out loud for the first time, and it’s like a weight was lifted off my chest.
A soft gasp leaves her lips, tears swelling in her eyes. “That doesn’t make any sense. You said it yourself, you hated me in the beginning.”
I nod. “I might have hated you, but you were still mine to protect. You have always been mine.”
It’s not how I dreamt of doing this one day—nowhere close—but I realize I have to. It feels right. Honestly, it’s now or never. We’re both messed up and a little broken, so maybe this is exactly how it should happen.
My mind takes me back to what Taryn said.
Take a leap of faith.