Zera returned from putting Zion to bed as she had promised to and found Aaron seated quietly in bed, facing the other side and deep in thought. She didn’t step away from the door, and neither did she let him know she was watching him. She stayed that way for a while. Whatever he thought about had left him so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice her presence.
After a few minutes of silence, she stepped further into the room. “What are you thinking about?”
He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at her, his eyes flickering. “You’re here.”
“For a while now,” she answered before asking again, “What are you thinking about?”
“The last crimson moon is a week away, hun,” he told her, stretching his arms out to her, and she moved into it.
They had first thought the accident and being a sage would ruin the ritual, but Ivan had embarked on a search for answers. He found out that it didn’t ruin the ritual and instead reduced the amount of risk that would be involved for her.
It seemed fate had played its cards this time in their favour. The crimson moon, which was six weeks after the lunar eclipse, drew closer, and everything was in place.
At least that’s what she thought until last week, and though they navigated through it, it got harder with each passing day.
“I don’t know how to feel, and I just received words that more than half of the pack members have deserted the pack estate in the last week.”
It was getting worse than expected. She thought to herself.
“They believe safety isn’t close, and I can’t blame them. Theo had proved that they weren’t safe in their territory, and they had decided to seek safety elsewhere. Nowhere is safe, though.”
Despite Zera’s return, her presence was kept secret from everyone who wasn’t her family. Even Diya had heard nothing from her in weeks, but somehow, Alpha Theo found out. He began issuing death threats to the Dominio pack, as well as terrorising other members of the pack at their places of work and school.
Last week, they received news that about three other packs had joined forces with Alpha Theo to take out the Dominio pack. The rebellion pack increased with every passing day while they decreased.
He rose to his feet, holding her hands in his. “I didn’t think you would need it, but you have to train. We have a week, and it should be enough with practice and dedication.”
“You said I have no weaknesses.” She reminded him of the same words he used a week ago when he told her who she was.
He released her hands and placed his hands on her shoulders. “None that we know of, but the rebellion pack would stop at nothing to destroy this ritual, and they will come for you. I will protect you with everything I have, but you need to be strong.”
He looked terrified, but not for himself. “Fine, who will train me then?”
“Me,” he answered.
“No,” she refused.
His hands dropped from her shoulders. “No?”
“If I need to train and control my power in such a short time, then I need someone who will train me without holding back.”
His brow furrowed. “Do you have anyone in mind?”
“Yes, Daniel.”
“No” was the single word that left his mouth, and he stepped away from her.
She couldn’t believe her ears. “No? You suggested I train.”
“Yes, I said train, not get yourself killed.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.” She denied.
“Daniel might be a nice guy, but he’s also a hunter. His first goal is to kill, and he will if he gets the chance.”
“Then I’ll make sure he doesn’t get the chance.”
Ivan, who had kept a close watch on Daniel’s activities, among other things, in the last week, pushed the boundaries and teleported Daniel from the south into the pack estate at Zera’s request. He, just like Aaron, believed it was madness to make him train Zera, but he couldn’t object to it. He told them the remaining pack members would leave when they discovered a hunter had been brought into the pack estate, and so Zera told him to tell no one else.
Then, she asked him to place a barrier around the estate that would prevent Daniel from crossing certain territories.
As expected, Daniel was furious when he realized where he was and who had brought him there, and his anger was murderous.
“Why am I here?” he shouted, turning around in the open field of the Dominio Pack estate territory.
“You’re in the pack estate.” She said this, stepping into the field.
He turned to face her. “Do you know what I was doing before I was zapped here?”
“You were training. Ivan told me,” she said.
His anger flared at her response. “Has he been watching me?”
Zera didn’t lie or try to deny it.
Ivan had told her he had been watching Daniel since coming for her a week ago. He told her he wanted to look out for the Dominio pack, but she figured he might have done that because he cared about him more than he let on.
“Yes, he has a soft spot for you and wanted to keep an eye on you. Ivan is caring like that, and that’s why he brought you here, so you can train with me.”
“Why would I want to be here and train with you? And why would you want that?” he demanded, seeing how serious she looked.
“Because I need you, and I will be honest with you.”
“Why me?”
“Because you’re the only one who will train me without holding back. If you know anything about a werewolf pack, then you know that it needs members to even be considered a pack. Aaron’s pack is losing its members with each passing day, and the lesser we become, the more vulnerable we will be.”
“Why should I help you?” he demanded. “I was trained to hunt and kill your kind, not help them.”
“I know that, but helping us brings you one step closer to what you want the most. Nicole.”
His teeth clenched at her words. “What do you know about Nicole?”
“I know she had a hand in Tia’s death, and I know she had a hand in the accident that brought me to this point. I also know she has sided with the rebellion pack, a sworn enemy of the Dominio pack. Helping me would mean helping the pack, and that would bring Nicole to you in the end.”
“Why should I trust you now?”
“I would never lie to you.”
“You brought me without my sword and dagger!” he told her, still furious. “For all I know, this could be a trap!”
“They are all here,” Ivan answered and moved away to reveal him behind her. He stepped up towards them, holding Daniel’s sword and dagger in his hands. At his sight, Daniel’s hands balled into a fist, and his teeth clenched.
“You have no right to touch those.” He stormed forward and yanked them out of Ivan’s grip. He pulled his sword out of its sheath and pointed it at Ivan, who just stared at him.
“You’ve been watching me?”
Ivan glanced at her, and Daniel snapped. “You look at me when I’m talking to you! Why have you been watching me?”
“Because just like Zera, you’re the last of your kind.”
“That’s not true. Pedro is a hunter,” he argued.
Pedro was the hunter who trained him and taught him all he knew. He never told her his name, but from the look on his face, she could tell.
“He was,” Ivan corrected Daniel, and Daniel’s face paled. “Hunters are being hunted and going extinct all over the planet. You’re the very last of them. Those who we are up against will kill him just like they did your mother and Zera’s sister. If you’re angry, that’s good. Use that anger and train her to control her powers. And when the rebellion pack attacks, we will be ready enough to defend ourselves and to put up a fight.”
“Which do you consider necessary at this moment?” Zera spoke, and his eyes flew to her. “Your hunter’s code, or getting vengeance for your mother?”