Dinner was served as usual, in buffet style. Selena is now a friendly pack member and the buffet dinner has been the main contributor to it. She hasn’t been announced as Luna of Mount Manuka yet and only the leader’s pack knows about it, yet the pack has developed a deep connection with her in a considerably short period. Their natural protective instinct towards their Luna has impressed Zaden many times. Some neighbors tend to bring her homemade ice cream, in favor of her sweet tooth. Especially the kids tend to gravitate towards her, although she claims she is ‘not good with kids’.
Selena and Makeala had gone down to dinner first, considering the boy’s beauty nap. Once Zaden joined the buffet, the first thing that his eyes searched for was Selena. He spotted her at the usual rocky corner, next to a bonfire. The sparks from the bonfire resembled stars and her smile radiated like the moonshine, creating a coherent scene of the full moon night sky, even though the eclipse is approaching fast. A smile bloomed unconsciously on his lips, something that only she can do to him–Selena’s witchcraft.
The 3 musketeers went over to the buffet table and started picking up their food, placing them on their own plates. At the end of the buffet, where desserts had been arranged nicely, Zaden spotted cups of chocolate ice cream. Selena would have surely taken one but why not?. He reached for it but before that, his eye landed on the next dessert, a pineapple upside-down cake. His smile dropped and a frown replaced it. Selena has a sweet tooth. Could that mean she likes cakes too? It is placed right next to ice cream, so she probably would have taken a slice anyway. Zaden placed his plate on the table in a hurry and ran to Selena. Just as expected, she did take a slice of the cake but she haven’t touched it.
Zaden stood opposite to her, rubbing his lips in tension causing Selena to frown at him
“What is wrong with you?” Makeala asked. Sitka and Orion also had approached them now, not in panic like Zaden thou.
“Hmm… can you… pls not eat that?” he pointed at the plate
“My dinner?” Selena puzzled
“No… the cake” he pointed sheepishly again.
“Why not? If you want, there is plenty over there” Selena pointed sarcastically. She purposefully cut a piece of the cake and put it in her mouth before Zaden could react, just to challenge him. She thought he is just concerned about her eating too much sugar, as he always does.
He dropped to kneel in front of her in a reflex and smashed his mouth to hers, entering her mouth and taking in all the cake, as much as possible, not forgetting to suck her lips clean as well. The cake tastes extra sweet that he might have sucked more than necessary, making the leader’s pack a little uncomfortable. Most of the villagers saw this and had started gossiping, mumbling their predictions. He finally let go when he was sure there is nothing left. Selena glared at him in dismay, breathing slightly heavy.
“You shouldn’t eat pineapples…” Zaden said, earning a gasp from Makeala as she covered her mouth with her palms. She seemed to understand something that the others don’t.
“Why not? Is she allergic or something?” Orion asked in concern and Zaden rolled his eye coldly. He looked straight into Selena’s eye
“I… have hidden something from you” he started confessing
“Oh god, no Zaden. Your secrets scare the fuck out of me!!!” she stood up
“Exactly why I didn’t tell you. One–I wasn’t 100% sure of it myself. Two–I don’t want to scare you off. The thing is… you and I… we…” his confession was cut off by a burst of mind-links. Even Selena heard it, so it must have been directed to the whole pack.
Filled with terror and chaos, from at least 15 wolves, firing different pitches in their head. After immense effort, they finally pulled a string of word–Ozrain Samrat. Zaden inhaled sharp and forgot to exhale. His mind is on a rampage. The same goes for the rest of them, they stood frozen with wide eyes, calculating their next step; that they have rehearsed a million times and still, they went blank. The villagers had started scattering away from the buffet, heading to shelter. Once serene surrounding has now turned into a chaotic mess. Zaden snapped out and turned around, grabbed Selena’s wrist, and dragged her into the house. All the other 3 followed. In the communal room, they were terrified. The air was noticeably chilly than usual.
“Did I hear it right?” Makeala almost teared up
“It can’t be,” Sitka said. Selena is standing between Orion and Zaden, both have her covered. One of her hands was fisting Orion’s sleeve and another wrapped around Zaden’s waist.
She blinked a few times, exhaling and inhaling to calm herself down which is supposed to come naturally to her. If this is how it should end, then be it but she wouldn’t allow innocent villagers to take the hit.
“Zaden, time for you to act as alpha. Get the villager to safety. What is your protocol in this situation?” Zaden felt like he was shaken awake, pulled from a dark pit to light. He swallowed his saliva.
‘All ladies and kids are to retrieve to school cave immediately, I repeat NOW. All warriors, get yourself ready.’
‘Dad, we are under attack by Ozrain Samrat, take a stand’
Zaden exerted a series of mind-links, sending out commands. The next minute, they heard a loud bang from downstairs. Selena’s breath started shaking, heavily. The composure she worked so hard to keep intact is now shattered to pieces. The last time she was this terrified was probably during her mother, Daisy’s death. She turned to Zaden and gave him a kiss
“Zaden, I don’t want to go. I don’t want to be a Samrat” her voice faded to a tremble as she fisted Zaden’s shirt and tears started flowing out
“Listen, no one is taking you away, ok?” Zaden’s eye widened and his breath was irregular. He held her face and placed a trail of kisses on her cheeks and forehead. Both of them uttered the words related to staying but their kisses signaled their fear of parting. Maybe somewhere deep, they knew it’s unavoidable.
Right at that second, the communal room door banged open. A sweaty, panting Xavier stood in front of them
“Ozrain is here for her!!!” he shouted and ran to Zaden. Zaden pushed Selena behind his body, hiding her completely. Orion, Makeala, Sitka, and Xavier stood by his side, forming a personal fort for Selena. Selena held Zaden’s shirt at the back in a fist, trembling and sweating profusely. At that moment, her whole life flashed in front of her eyes– her friends, her father and brother, her university and the Wilf Life Research center, her first kiss with Zaden, her first sex with the man she love, and the day she stepped foot on Mountain Manuka in the name of hiking expedition. She closed tight her eyelids as a drop of tear rolled down, never letting any of her memories to abandon her.
A cluster of footsteps thuds incoherently towards the communal room. Zaden was infuriating, he was ready to kill, to rip apart anyone in front of them. His anger radiated to the whole leader’s pack as they also took an attack stance. But, they were disarmed when the first person coming through that door was his own father, Draven Black. A series of familiar faces followed him, Draven’s own leader’s pack and his brother, Zeus– all the special placement for the elderly village.
As they stepped aside, a tall, well-built figure, in blue jeans and a khaki thin button-up shirt. His sleeves were folded up to his elbow curves, flashing his bulging veins trailing down a bulky watch. Light grey eyes with a black rim that reminds of a certain someone hiding behind Zaden, the only difference is that his eye is deadly sharp and calm while Selena’s is soft and innocent. A moon mark under his ears. Whitebeard, mustache, and Whitehair, give out a hint of his age but the body built contradicts the popular belief. The strong, powerful presence he brought to the room leaves no space for doubts. He is Ozrain Samrat. Another 2 sidekicks followed behind him as they stood a few meters away from Zaden.
Ozrain sighed out as he thrust his hands into his pocket, clearly brimming with boredom and carelessness.
“Where is she?” a low, gravelly voice came from him. Zaden stared coldly at him with no answer. Ozrain huffed out a smirk.
“Alpha Zaden, I’m here for the so-called, my bloodline when I’m certain she is dead a few years ago. So, please, move. Let’s not waste time” the utter dominance in his tone, almost made Zaden step aside.
“She is not going anywhere” Zaden spat out those words
“Oh, I’m not taking her away, not at all. I just need to see her, digest the rumors, that’s all” Ozrain was in fact speaking with full honesty, calm, and composed.
“Son, don’t be silly. You are risking the whole pack for a girl. Move!!!” Draven said, clearly disappointed with his son
“She is not just a girl, she is my mate” Zaden still with the same fury.
Draven and his pack stiffened. They have just framed their own Luna and are at risk of losing her.
‘ No wonder why an air of clarity and strength has been sweeping through Mount Manuka lately. The Alpha found his other half!!!’ Zeus thought to himself.
Still, they are battling between whose side to take. The whole room remained silent for a minute. A row of little soft fingers grabbed Zaden’s arm from behind. Ozrain’s eye focused on it as he started softening. Those fingers recall him of a certain someone. A pair of terrified light grey eyes slowly peeped from behind the bulging arm. Those silver striped black hair, familiar to his daughter. Ozrain’s eye widened as his whole body loosened. The pair of grey eyes are now looking up at her mate. Zaden looked over his shoulder but didn’t react or give any signals.
“It can’t be…” Ozrain said, earning Selena’s attention again. She slipped back into her hiding spot. Ozrain bends down slightly, holding his knees by his hands.
“Come on… I don’t eat little girls…” a flash of images came gushing to his mind. He used to say the same words to his daughter and she would jump like a tiger, hugging him by his neck to bite his cheeks. Selena looked up at Zaden, her only grip at this moment.
There is no need for Ozrain to ask, he just needs to exert his alpha tone and Zaden would let her go, but Ozrain didn’t do that. It earned a little trust, a little hope that maybe he is sincere about not taking her away. He stretched his arm back, over her head, wrapping around Selena across her shoulder, revealing her full figure while she was still intact to him.
Ozrain’s eyes widened even more as he straightened his back as if watching a magician unveil his secrets. A spitting image of the past, an image that he never thought he would see again. Selena looked up at Zaden one more time, revealing her birthmark to Ozrain.
“Amethyst…” a whisper came from his lips. Ozrain froze at his position, not believing his own eyes. Grandpa Kai slowly walked in from behind, placing his hand on Ozrain’s shoulder and he turned to look at him
“Kairo!!! Amethyst…”Ozrain pointed at Selena and Grandpa Kai smiled as he signaled Selena to come. Zaden hesitated but he also trusted Grandpa Kai and let go of Selena, pushing her slightly with his palm on her back.
Selena paced slowly, fiddling her finger and looking over her shoulders every now and then. It reminded Ozrain how his daughter would pucker her lips curved down as drops of tears rolled down her chubby cheeks. It would break his heart, and still does. Selena stood in front of Ozrain and Grandpa Kai with a still trembling breath.
“My dear Moon Goddess, what have you done? She is a reincarnation of Amethyst…” Ozrain like a spellbound boy, drawn back to 200 years ago as he kept looking and looking at Selena, mesmerized.