After that touching moment, everyone went to work to bring the plan to fruition. Lilith and Vera prepared the spell and potion, and the Iris needed to lower my resistance to magic. Fenris, Caden, Aiden, and I practiced sharing our essences, which was foreign to me.
I had done it once, in desperation, when that shadow demon was attacking Rem, but to do it on command like these wolves seemed almost impossible. No matter how much Fenris tried to explain it, my essence was too much for them to channel.
However, they could path theirs into mine without much issue. It was peculiar how the moon affected us differently, which made me feel like a monster, in a sense. I could melt away anything in my path, something these three wolves couldn't do.
The endless energy and raw power within me made it challenging to spar with them. Most of the time, if I slipped, one of them would end up injured. Luckily, we were fast healers, and at most, they seemed annoyed with themselves when I got them. It was the first time I had ever tried to keep my abilities in check, in fear of harming them past the point of no return.
This was unusual for me, as I had always wanted to harm others with it, but that wasn't the case anymore. There was no bond keeping me in check as I had to do it instead. Even with the occasional slips and aches, the twin boys enjoyed trying to beat me.
Unfortunately, they never could get me down. This meant I was spending less time by Rem's side, but I still slept every night beside her, wishing she'd wake up on her own. They probably took me out because of how gloomy I looked, having to wait for the preparations to end, but dosing a Lycan with poison was tricky, and Lilith didn't want any slips.
"You're going to go crazy if you stay in this room!" Caden huffed, tugging me out for the first time.
The only ones who gave me a bit of trouble were Fenris, Shade, and Ruzgard, especially the familiars when I didn't play dirty. Usually, whenever I was away from Rem, Amelia, Ben, or anyone else who was free would stay with her. There wasn't a moment when my little Luma was alone, which made me feel okay even though I wasn't with her.
It took Lilith an entire month to develop poison for the spell. During that time, I grew closer to the twins, who, much like Rem, insisted they were my age.
I swear, I think this whole family has some screws loose.
Surprisingly, I wasn't the first test dummy for Lilith's trials. Fenris's brother, Ben, volunteered for the experiment.
"Well, if anything goes wrong, I won't go on a crazy world-ending rampage. Plus, I trust you, Lilith." He assured the troubled witch, unsure if even to attempt it.
His vampire girlfriend wasn't happy when she heard about his random sickness, which lasted anywhere from a day to two. She only came once into the manor to visit Rem, which allowed me to learn her name: Tania.
She was rarely in Lyari because she constantly traveled between nations for Cerberus's work. I couldn't understand this well because I dreaded being away from Rem for just a few hours.
I can't imagine what it is to be away from your lover for months.
Yet it wasn't my place to judge their relationship, especially when Ben ensured I'd be acceptable by the end of this spell. When my turn came, I tried the poison to see how effective it would be.
It was less effective for me but enough for Vera to have fun with me. The aftereffects were like having a horrible hangover for two days, but other than that, I was okay. After I had recovered, we would start, yet the day before, even though I still felt sick, I went to Caden for a favor.
"Hey, can you take me into town?" I asked, still feeling a bit queasy.
Are you sure you feel well enough to go? Shouldn't you rest?" He raised his eyebrows at me as I shook my head.
"I'm not as delicate as you, pup," I smirked.
Although I was far from stellar, I had something I wanted to accomplish.
"Oi," Caden growled as I went to move, only to lose my balance, prompting him to help me catch myself. "Nope! You can't go! Bed rest for you!"
"No—" I tried to argue, only for his twin to interject.
"You're going to hurt yourself before tomorrow." Aiden crossed his arms from the side.
"If I'm meeting her tomorrow, I need to look my best, don't I?" I rolled my eyes, finding my footing.
"Hm… What do you want to do?" Caden asked.
"Haircut," I replied plainly.
"Wait! Dad's really good at it! I think he'll be home soon." Aiden informed, walking out as his brother sat me on their bed.
Come to think of it, I'm not sure how I made it here. Uh… Can the world stop spinning?
"What?" I mumbled with a delay, prompting Caden to chuckle.
"Yeah, he used to do it for Mom when she had it short." He informed as I tilted my head.
Before I knew it, Fenris stood by the doorway, and I watched him come in with Aiden and Lilith. She had hair supplies in her hands, leaving me unsure of what was about to happen.
"You really don't seem good today. Are you sure we shouldn't postpone it for one more day?" Lily frowned upon seeing the missing color in my skin.
"No, more delays. I'll be fine with some more sleep." I reassured her as Shade jumped onto the bed next to me.
"Aiden told me you want to get your hair cut?" Fenris asked as his wife placed the tools on a table nearby.
"Yeah, I don't want any more misunderstandings when I see Rem again," I answered, standing up from the bed as he tapped on the wooden chair near the tools.
"I see. Well, sit here; I'll see what I can do for you." He said as I slowly made my way to the chair before taking a seat where he wanted me to.
"Just make sure it's short enough that I don't have to tie anything to it." I voiced, feeling a wave of nausea that was quickly quelled by closing my eyes.
"Would you like to donate your hair? It's so silky." Lilith suggested.
I shrugged, "Uh… Sure? It's not as if I'm going to use it."
"Hmmm, this is going to make some witches happy." She mumbled under her breath.
My eyes fluttered open, and I focused on her.
What the fuck are they going to do with my hair?
"Wait, what?" I breathed, feeling unsettled by her comment as Fenris grabbed onto my braid before undoing it.
"Is it just a misunderstanding? Or something else?" He asked, picking up the scissors and comb.
"Huh? Well… With this, I'll bid farewell to my past and welcome my future with Rem." I felt my cheeks burn.
It should have been an easy answer, yet to put it into words filled my stomach with butterflies.
In a few hours… I'll… finally see you.
"Good enough." He chuckled, freeing me from the final chain that had bound me to my past.
The following day, everything began as Ben carried Rem towards the stadium. We didn't know what would happen when she woke up or if she would wake up, but we had nothing to lose. If something went wrong, I would be a hindrance in my state, yet it didn't mean I couldn't fight.
When it was time for me to lie next to her, I felt the jitters fill me as Lilith gave me the potion, which had been explicitly made for me.
"Make sure to hold her hand the entire time." She repeated for the hundredth time.
She had been lecturing me about what to do for the past week, and by now, I had it all memorized.
"I have you to ensure that, don't I?" I tried to lighten up the mood.
She frowned, shaking her head. "Alijah, you know what I mean! Try to find her and hold on to her. If not, it can become challenging for both of you to reconnect with the world of the living."
I sighed, "Yeah, you've already lectured me twenty times." I know. Trust me, I'll come back with her."
Vera handed me an amulet they had created to alert them once I had Rem secured. At that moment, the other blood moon Lycans would attempt to overwhelm me to destroy her little cage.
"Here, this will glow when—" She began.
I scowled, knowing what she was going to say.
"Yes, it'll notify you. Okay, let's do this." I mumbled, wanting everything to move faster.
I grabbed onto Rem's hand and chugged the nasty potion down. Instantly, I felt off as a familiar sensation crept up my body, leaving my world spinning. Lily spoke about something I couldn't understand, as my hearing was also muffled.
Suddenly, I lost myself in the darkness before I was yanked towards my destination.
"Oi, Wolf!" A voice I wished to hear called out, shaking me by my shoulders.
Underneath me, the ground felt hot and unstable. My eyes flew open to see Rem with a frown on her lips. Instinctively, I grasped her cheeks, pressing my forehead against hers. Nothing else mattered, just that I could feel her warmth as my ears rang with her voice.
Ah… I'm here! I'm never letting you go again!
It had been almost two months since we last spoken to each other.
"Rem!"