THE ISLAND WOLF - EPISODE 27

Dakar received fifty wipes and countless blows and kicks from his mother’s guards. He didn’t fight back, not because he was afraid of her, having his fingers. She wouldn’t even do that. He just refused to fight back because he respected her. And he knew what he did was stupid. Choosing another woman over your number one woman.

Finally, he was returned back to his Chambers the next morning, shirtless, bloodied and swollen up. As he was trying to patch himself up, Camper sneaked in.
“Hey… Whoah! You look awful, mate,” he said. Dakar ignored him and continued to wipe the surface of his bruises.
“Those must be very painful. What created them? Was the guard wearing a ring?,” Camper asked and bent down to look at Dakar’s face. Red lines were all over his face, coupled with deep slim cuts.
“Get away from me, Camper”, he growled and Camper moved away.
“I hope you’re not angry with me, man. You know I am terrified of your mother. She scares me,” Camper said and sat down opposite Dakar, on a stool.

“She scares everybody”.
“I wonder how Ñiraka is faring. The dungeons are cold and ants trail out at night. Scorpions too”
Dakar looked up at Camper and raised a brow.
“You talk like you have actually spent a night or two there”.
“Well, yes. Two weeks ago, I mistakenly found myself in General Lito’s daughter’s room. I swear it was a mistake”
“What took you to his house in the first place?” Dakar questioned with his eyes on Camper. His friend turned scarlet and looked away. He suddenly began to count the clothes hung in the wardrobe.

“Why did you go there, you womanizer?” Dakar inquired with a very serious tone.
Camper sighed and scratched his head.
“I… I went to see someone else” he mumbled so low.
“I did not hear you”
“What do you mean by that? You’re a wolf, you know what I said”
“Who did you go to see?”
“Her handmaid, Laila. God, have you seen that girl’s backside. She’s the definition of beauty. I sneaked in to see her but I entered the wrong room. And, well, she was in her night dress and she screamed loudly. She began to throw things at me”

Dakar chuckled then said, “If she hadn’t screamed, you’d have wooed her”.
“I have dignity, Dakar. Something you clearly don’t have. Ñiraka always has you wrapped around her fingers”.
“You would do anything to be wrapped around her fingers forever”
“No. I’m not stupid to make it forever. But for a year, yes.”

“You see, you’re without dignity too”, Dakar laughed and got on his feet. He groaned painfully as he stretched his arms and walked to his wardrobe. He pulled out a red robe and put it on.
“Where are you going?”, Camper asked.
“To get some food”, Dakar replied and began to walk to the door. Camper ran up and followed him. They left the room together.

“Hey, about Ñiraka. Can I please just, for one night? Just one night. She’s such a beautiful vessel of honor that deserves another vessel of—” before he could complete his sentence, Dakar had grabbed his neck and lifted him up. His feet lost contact with the marble floor and he began to choke.
“If I see you close to Ñiraka in a place that’s not public, I swear I’ll castrate you and make you my eunuch,” he growled at his red faced friend.
“Sorry… Never—” he coughed and looked pleadingly at Dakar.
“Get out of my sight”, Dakar ordered and released Camper who fell to the floor and laid down panting heavily.

“No wonder, you don’t have any friends but me”, he muttered audibly. Dakar grinned as he walked out on him. He and Camper had always been like that. He was the big one, Camper was slim and not as tall as him. There were many a times when they fought with each other, and teamed up to beat up others. Dakar was manpower, Camper was the masterminder. He knew how to device strategies to fight.

As Dakar was entering into his kitchen, his mother’s guards ran to him.
“What is it?”, he asked after taking a glance at him. He was already bringing out burritos from his fridge to microwave.

“My prince, your mother wants you to have breakfast with her. Right now,” the guard stated.
He sighed and turned to look at the man.
“I was just about to make my own breakfast,”
“I am aware of your culinary skills, my prince. But your mother told me to tell you, that she doesn’t care if you’ve even eaten breakfast already. You must come to her Chambers for breakfast.”

“Tell her, I’m too weak to move. And my mouth is swollen, can’t eat,” Dakar ordered and turned to his fridge again.
“She is listening to our conversation right now,”
He turned abruptly and asked, “What? How’s that possible?”
“I have a recorder here. It was an order,” the guard said and raised a small device that was beeping a red light.
“Witch”, Dakar mumbled and walked out. He entered his room and wore a shirt then walked with the guard to his mother. She was already sitting and eating at her dinner table.
“Did he give you any trouble?”, she asked her guard as they approached. Dakar shot him a deathly look and he shuddered.
“No, Luna. He didn’t,” the guard answered.
“I thought you were listening. Why are you asking?”. Dakar sat adjacent his mother and began to fish pasta into a plate.
“That was just to make you come. I knew you would refuse”.
“Nice plan”.
“Wait, let the maids do that for you. You don’t have to gather them yourself”, she said and signaled for a maid to come arrange the dishes Dakar wanted.

“I have hands, mother”, he stayed and even got on his feet to take a jar of cream that was at the other side of the table. His mother caught sight of a red and swollen spot on his biceps, as he reached forth to take the jar.

“Dakar, I’m sorry for getting you beaten up. I was just angry”, she apologized. Dakar sat down and smiled at his mother.
“Why are you apologizing? You know I can’t hold that against you”.
“I know. But that wasn’t really right”.
He looked at her face again and chuckled.
“You might be a witch on the outside, but you’re quite soft”, he stated and she waved him off.
“I am not a witch, please. We both know who the true witch is”, she clicked her tongue and looked away.
“Mother, what do you have against Ñiraka?”
“I dislike her”.
“Why?”
“Why are you asking me such a question? Don’t tell me you have fallen for her”.
“Mother, she’s my bethrothed. Father wants me to get married to her.”

“And do you want to get married to her?” the Queen asked and narrowed her eyes at Dakar.
“That is not the issue”, he retorted.
“I know you don’t love her. Dakar, I want you to marry someone you love. Someone meant for you,” she said and placed her hand on his.
“I don’t ha,v, utddve a mate, mother. There is no one meant for me. I have to create it”
“I don’t know why the moon goddess forsook you, but you can still find someone else”.

Dakar hissed and got on his feet.
“Mother, it’s easy for you to say because you found your mate at eighteen years of age. You’re almost two hundred years now and you have lived with him ever since. You will not understand the desolation I feel after waiting for fifty years only to be told I will be eternally alone!”, he blurted out. His mother wanted to speak but he walked out angrily. The issue of a mate, whenever brought up angered Dakar.

Werewolves were ruled by the goddess of the moon. She assigned them power and an eternal mate for life. A mate belonged to only one person for life and when mates see each other for the first time, they know immediately. Mates are like two halves that become one. Whatever happens to one mate, affects the other. An example is when the female is in labour, the male feels all the pain too.

So, Dakar realizing he will not have a mate to share companionship and life with, angered him. He accepted Ñiraka because his father wanted her to be his alternative mate. His mother was not in support because she knew something. And immediately Dakar walked out on her, she bowed her head worriedly and muttered, “I can’t let this happen. The prophecy is putting itself in place. Oh, my poor Dakar”.

Dakar heard and turned back immediately.
“What prophecy, mother?” he asked and immediately, his mother froze with shock as she stared at him.