CHAPTER 57
“PIP…”
The light sprite lay in Lenore's hands, his breathing faint. Azelf’s hand hovered over, his magic flowing into Pip’s small form.
“He’ll make it,” Azelf said quietly. He looked utterly spent, and his own breaths were ragged. “We still have Auden to deal with… and Fia’s condition. I’m sure there’s plenty of other werewolves in need of help too so I can only heal him so much.”
With Lunantha gone, the battle against the Lucyns turned in their favor. Their allies were bringing down Lucyns as they spoke—offering a brief allowance to the conversation occurring.
“Gwyneth went to protect Fia, so we’ll have to go find them next.
” Varek entered the conversation, hauling an injured Cade over his shoulder.
They all glanced over at Auden. The massive beast remained unconscious, his form unchanged.
Charie was next to him in her human form—tiny in comparison.
She clung tightly to his neck, burying herself deep into the mangled patch of fur.
“What’re we going to do with Auden? If he wakes up, it might be trouble. ”
“… What’re we going to do with Charie?” Lenore asked.
“I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that Charie was Auden’s real fated mate this entire time,” Azelf said.
He rubbed his forehead as he slowly shook his head.
“So that’s why the etheria between Auden and Arisa was taking forever to bloom at their mates’ ceremony.
She must’ve been stealing Charie’s essence to mimic their bond—the entire time. ”
Edmund grunted in agreement. “I barely had time to process it when Lenore told me before we escaped the pack.” His eyes flitted over to Charie. Something like sympathy crossed his gaze. “... A difficult situation.”
“Difficult? If it was me in her position, I would’ve lost it and gone on a rampage!” Varek said. Edmund looked inclined to agree, his jaw tightening. After a heavy sigh, Varek added, “But we still have to figure out what to do with Auden.”
“We’ll let the light mage deal with that,” Edmund muttered. Azelf sighed loudly. Edmund only turned his attention to Cade. “And what about you? Are you able to hold out?”
Cade answered with a groan of pain. He slowly raised one fist up.
“I managed to heal him enough,” Azelf added.
Lenore glanced around at their solemn gazes. She wasn’t sure if Azelf would have enough mana to dispel the curse on Auden. Her eyes flitted around the cage of giant umbral thistles around them. They still had to cure the rest of their pack too.
Clearing her throat, she quietly piped up. “... Maybe, true love’s kiss can work?”
Everyone stared at Lenore as if she had become an eldritch beast herself.
Lenore blushed. Her voice went higher as she hastily tried to explain. “H-haven’t you heard of that cure? It’s written down in so many legends!”
“That’s a real thing?” Azelf sounded doubtful. “I’ve never read that in our folktales.”
“Whoa... you come from such a strange culture, Lenore!” Varek laughed. “But I like that idea.”
Edmund continued to stare at Lenore, absolutely befuddled.
“You haven’t heard of it at all?” Lenore squeaked.
“I’ve never heard of... of a kiss being used to rescue someone. Isn’t that a little insane?”
“It’s not insane! True love is a kind of pure light itself! The moonlight sword, the white raven, and Pip come from the same source too, just in different ways!” Lenore protested. Her cheeks burned hotly as her arms flailed at her sides. “I’m just suggesting a possibility!”
All eyes turned back to Charie. They were close enough for her to hear everything. Her fists bunched his fur tightly.
“I’ll... I’ll do it,” she whispered. Her words trembled as if they teetered on hope and despair. “It’s worth a try.”
“It’s definitely true love if you’re willing to kiss him like that,” Azelf said. He chuckled lightly. “This might be fun.”
“Should we chain him up first?” Varek rubbed his chin. Charie shook her head.
“I want to trust… that this can work on its own.” Charie rose to her feet. Her steps were slow, still unsure, but she kept going.
Azelf trailed behind, like a personal guard in case anything went wrong. Varek lowered Cade to the ground before following suit.
Lenore turned to Edmund, tilting her head as she gave him a quizzical look. “Aren’t you going to follow—” A soft, surprised noise escaped her when Edmund only pulled her closer to him. His hand tightly held her waist, a clinginess in his touch.
“They can deal with it themselves,” he said. He looked down at her, his expression turning serious. “You are not leaving my side again. And I’m not leaving you.”
Cade snorted from where he was, but then remained quiet for his brother’s sake. Edmund’s insistence flustered her, but she didn’t protest.
Lenore held her breath as Charie moved to the front of Auden’s muzzle, her body tiny compared to the slumbering giant beast. Charie lowered herself to the ground.
“Auden…” she quietly began, her hands gingerly touching his lips. She sniffed. “Even if you stay like this, even if you don’t want me, I... I pray that at least the you that we all know and love will come back to us.”
She leaned in, her eyes closing shut. Loose strands of her black hair fell forward. After a brief moment, she pulled back. Everyone waited, tension thick in the air.
Auden shifted. Varek and Azelf crouched, prepared to fight.
For a long moment, nothing else happened.
Then, tiny particles of light formed around Auden.
Charie scooted backwards, lips parted in surprise.
The particles increased as light began to take over his form, and soon the pure brightness completely absorbed him.
Everyone’s gaze tore away—blinding light beaming across the space before it gradually faded.
Charie looked back, eyes wide when no longer a beast lay before her, but a man with short, pale-blonde locks. Slowly, Auden propped his body up slightly on his elbows, his face lowered toward the ground.
“Well, wouldn’t you know,” Azelf said, more entertained than impressed. “It actually worked.”
Lenore looked over at Edmund, beaming triumphantly. He huffed quietly, with a smile on his lips. His eyes said it all. Good work. Warmth spread through Lenore’s chest, and she stood a little taller.
Charie hesitated, then asked. “... Auden?”
Auden’s hands tightened into fists. “Don’t look at me.”
“What...?” The word barely left her. Her gaze turned pained with anguish.
“I can’t bear it.” Auden slowly shifted to sit on his knees, his back facing her. “How can I even ask you to look at me or have anything to do with you after... after everything I put you through?”
“Auden…”
“No,” Auden groaned quietly. “I don’t deserve it right now.”
No one spoke, allowing Charie the chance to speak. She reached out to him, the tips of her fingers gently touching the back of his rumpled poet shirt. He tensed up under her touch.
“You were kind when you took in Arisa—Lunantha, and that’s a good thing,” Charie said.
“I... I could go on and on about how I… didn’t make good choices.
” At this, her eyes flitted to the side, the corners of her brows pinched upward.
“I don’t think I even deserve to look at the werewolves behind me. ”
Auden frowned. “Charie—”
“No. Don’t say anything about that—not now, at least. What I’m trying to say is, everything became a mess, and some things will remain that way for a while.
” Her hand fell to her side. “But while I’m trying to make up for my mistakes, I…
still want to be by your side, as selfish as it is.
I don’t want to keep my distance from you because of how I feel.
That’s what got us here in the first place… wasn’t it?”
Auden turned to look at her, gaze filled with shame. “Can you really overlook the fact that I married the wrong woman?”
“I can,” Charie murmured. She smiled softly.
“If you can overlook what I’ve done, too.
” Something in Auden broke then—any willpower to stay away was gone.
He grabbed her hands, then pulled her into his tight embrace, not caring that they were surrounded by others.
Charie froze before she hugged him back, melting into his touch and burying her face deep into the crook of his arm.
Slowly, Auden stood up, holding Charie close. Varek whooped loudly, while Azelf clapped his hands together lightly, much to the couple’s embarrassment. Auden grinned sheepishly.
“Keep your head up and look forward, Caernith.” Edmund nodded at him. Brightness gleamed in his eyes. “It’s good to have you finally back.”
“Not even a backhanded jab from you, Ed?” Auden’s grin turned amused. “Did I disappoint you that much?”
“No,” Edmund chuckled. “It’s an honor to serve you once more. Consider it my blessing to you.”
“And what would you say as a brother to brother?”
Edmund scoffed lightly, the corner of his lips pulled up. “What’s there to say? I had to keep my eyes averted from the train wreck you were.”
Auden laughed. “Can’t argue with that. But I’ll make it up to you all.
” He shifted into a werewolf, his posture emboldened with renewed vigor that had been lost for so long.
His fur gleamed under the moonlight. He leaned down to nuzzle Charie before he turned serious, taking his place as their Caernith.
“The Lunavie pack will not rest until every Lucyn here is slain. Sharpen your claws against the steel of your strength. Victory will be ours.”
A chorus of exultant howls followed his words. Pip reached out, gently touching Lenore’s thumb. She looked down as Pip squeaked quietly to her, his tiny body still fragile in the midst of recovery. Her eyes turned glossy, and she lifted her hands to offer the light sprite a kiss on his head.
“Good job, you,” she said softly. “I’ll take care of you from here on out.” Pip chirped warmly, then closed his eyes to drift asleep. Hope of a better tomorrow bloomed in Lenore’s chest.
The end of the Lunar Ball was finally upon them.