Opaline didn't eat much. I saw her try though. Every once in a while, throughout the hour, she'd try to take an extra couple of bites, but didn't end up eating one. She was finished within the first fifteen minutes, her plate barely touched. I saw some fruit was gone and a little meat, but other than that, she hardly did anything. She sat watching everyone else eat, occasionally entering a conversation with her family but kept to herself for the most part.
Sometimes, she'd glance at me and stare as if she thought the sight of me was unreal. Her eyes would wander from my profile to my arms and torso, then back up again. She didn't hide her stare, thankfully, but she also didn't ask questions. I would've thought she'd want to know some things about Blue Oasis, but other than the few things she asked earlier, she didn't voice anything. It worried me a little. I knew why she was hesitant to go, but why should it affect any decision she has?
Klyn leaned over and whispered in my ear, "We need to leave in the morning."
I glanced at him in confusion. "Why?"
"Something happened back at the pack. Your father wants you there."
I stared at my food for a moment then looked at Opaline who was taking a sip of water. When I turn to Klyn, he was frowning. "I can't just leave her here after we just met."
He rose a brow. "You know why we can't take her along, Lykaon. First of all, because of Aryn. Second of all she'll slow us down because of how weak she is from starving herself. Third of all because it might not be safe for her there just yet."
I glanced at Opaline and saw her looking at me as well. Her celeste eyes were questioning, judging almost. I looked at my friend. "Did my father say what happened exactly?" He shook his head. I sigh and go to say something to my mate, only to find she's gone.
"My daughter will be right back, Lykaon," Alpha Merle said, noticing my worried expression. "She needed to take care of a few things first before the meal ended."
"What things?" I asked.
He frowned. "That's for her to answer, not me."
"Is she alright?"
"She is fine, but it is her business to tell you. I do not tell my children's secrets."
I look at Klyn to see he's just as confused as I am. "What would she be doing while we're eating?" I ask.
He shakes his head and stands up, casually walking out of the room before disappearing. A few minutes later, I hear him in my head. "She's talking to someone. Comforting, it seems.."
"Who?"
"I believe it is a child, but she is blocking my view."
"Why is Opaline helping a child? Why during a meal as important as this?"
"Lykaon, it is another girl, a little younger than Opal. They almost act like mother and daughter, though she is too old for Opal to have bred her."
"Where are you?"
"The cellars."
"The cellars? You mean the dungeons?"
"Yes."
I excuse myself from the table and walk to where Klyn is, apprehension coiled up tight in my chest. Opaline shouldn't be in the cellars right now. She shouldn't have even left the dining room. "Lykaon?"
I freeze in my tracks and turn around to see Opaline's mother. "Hello Luna."
She raises her brow. "May I ask what you are doing down here?"
"My friend got lost. I was just going to find him," it wasn't exactly a lie…
Luna Selen purses her lips and stares at me before sighing. "Opaline needs to do this, young Alpha."
I didn't question how she figured it out, but instead asked, "Who is she with and why?"
Selen gestures for me to follow her, so I do. "Opal has a soft spot for those who are defenseless, it is her weakness. She has never been able to control it, ever since she was young."
We were headed to a different part of the cellars, and I wondered what we were doing.
"Opaline saw this girl a few years ago in the forest on a different territory, and she was being chased by rogues. Opal wanted to help, needed to help. So, she shifted and charged at the rogues herself, not waiting for anybody's help. At that time, she was very strong and capable of handling herself, considering Jacques used to attack her as much as possible. She killed three of the five rogues on her own. The last two, sadly to say, got the best of her."
"She isn't dead though," I pointed out.
Selen nodded. "No, she is not. Darling girl fought with everything she had. Her wolf couldn't take it anymore and she shifted into her human form." My heart stopped for a moment hearing it. "She grabbed a rock and started pounding it against one rogue's head, finally cracking the skull and killing him. In the mean time, the other readied to attack. When she was on her back panting for breath, he made his move. He shifted, ran up to her, and started beating her. It wasn't just the torso, but the face and head as well. He somehow managed to bust both eardrums, to the point where doctors couldn't do anything without causing further damage."
"Has she been seeing doctors regularly to see if anything has changed?" I ask breathlessly.
"She used to go every other month, now it's down to twice a year." Selen sighed and looked at me. "She lost her hearing saving that child's life, and the only thing she regrets is the shameful looks on her people's faces, but she would do it over again if it meant saving another's life."
"Klyn," I murmured into his mind. He answered right away, softly. "Let her go. She'll come back. I'll explain, but…" even in my head, my voice cracked… "just leave Opaline be."
"You should know, Lykaon, that she's never truly wanted a mate. But losing her hearing made it worse because she considers herself weak and unreliable."
I narrow my eyes. "But she's strong and healthy and beautiful. How could she think that?"
"Because she cannot hunt. She cannot play with other she-wolves. And most of all, she cannot hear danger."
I nodded slowly and let that sink in. Opaline was anything but weak, and losing her hearing must be a large part of her self-esteem issues, because she lost one of her most trusted senses, and in such a traumatic event. I realize she's anxious on how my pack would see her with her disability. "Is there a chance of it ever coming back?" I ask gently.
"No. There isn't. But her wolf can hear everything just fine. Help her trust her wolf, and she will be just fine."
"I know she lip reads, but what else should I be conscious of?"
Selen thought for a moment and smiled. "Vibrations." She put her hand to my throat, touching the tips to where my larynx is. "Let her learn the vibrations of your voice, the rhythm of your steps, and the chorus of your heart."
I nod, not knowing exactly how to respond to that, but accepting it anyways. "She is already a great Luna, Luna Selen. She will make you proud."
"She already has made me proud," she whispers. Opaline's mother looked behind us and sighed, shaking her head. "We better get back to the dinner, they'll send a search party out if we do not show up soon."
"What about Opaline?"
Selen shrugs, as if she left her daughter in the dungeons every night during important gatherings. "She will come at her own time, Lykaon. Don't worry about her."
Nodding again, I follow her back to the dining room where Klyn was waiting for me. He gave me a questioning look, but I shook my head and sat down, finishing my meal. By the end of the second hour, Opaline finally came back and sat down beside me, a smile on her face and light in her eyes. I didn't ask where she might have gone, and she didn't offer the information. I just watched as she ate a few more bites of her food.
When she finished and people were mostly talking softly to one another, she turned to me and clasped my hand in both of hers. I looked at her with raised brows. She says, "I want to show you something!"
I glanced at Klyn, noticing his questioning look as well, but smiled at my mate. "What is it you want to show me?"
She jumped up and pulled me through a pair of double doors, into the kitchen. Opaline made her way to the back where there was a little room separated from the rest of the area, a desk with piles of papers on top, littering the surface area. Opaline ushered me in and shut the door, but didn't lock it. When she turned to me, she tilted her head as if thinking about something. "Are you good at games?"
I crossed my arms and shrugged. "Depends on the game. Why?"
Pursing her lips, she gestured to a couch and sat down. I sat beside her and watched as she looked down at her hands. "I know this might sound childish, but I want to play a game that will test your cunning."
I lifted her chin to look at me, if only so she could understand what I'm saying. "I love games, Opal. And I'm up for anything you throw at me."
Her smile illuminated her face as she brought out a folded piece of paper from one of her pockets. "You can't cheat. You can't ask anyone for help and you have until I become Luna."
"Why until then?"
"Because, it gives you time to make the right decision. And because I want to know exactly who's becoming Alpha, who my mate is." She pauses, glancing at the paper then at me. "I made it up. I was young and loved writing poems and riddles. I wrote one for my mate when I ever met him. Because only he would figure out the answer."
"Has your family tried?" She nods. I nod and look down at the paper in my hands. "I have until you're Luna?"
"No later," she says softly, like she might be rethinking this.
I took one of her hands and smiled at her. "I guess I better get started then, right?"
Opaline beamed and hugged me. When she pulled away, she took a deep inhale of air. "You smell like comfort and safety," she whispers.
I never truly smelled myself before, but I took her word for it. When she looked at me, I took one of her hands again and put it to my larynx. "Can you feel that?" She nods, gently stroking with her fingertips. "Can you remember this? Can you remember the feel of my voice?"
Her blue eyes narrowed slightly and she concentrated a little harder. I repeated my questions so she could feel them over and over again. After about two minutes of letting her concentrate, she finally nods. "I think so."
I smile. "So, when I come back, you'll remember how my voice feels?"
She nods. "It's very deep and rumbly." Opaline giggles before smiling up at me. "I will remember if you learn the answer to that riddle."
I smile again and nod. "I think that's a great start."
It's silence for a moment before she stands and walks away to the desk. I watch as she stares at the computer sitting atop it, something like pain crossing her eyes. Very softly, so I barely hear her, she asks, "Will I still become like your females? Will you still let me?"
I nod. Not understanding her question.
She looks at me with tears in her eyes and I stand and go over. "Opal, what is it?"
Opaline embraces me and takes a deep breath, somewhat relaxing in my hold. "I want to help, that's all."