/ ABBY /
There was complete darkness before my consciousness came back. I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted with a blinding light. It took me a second to realize the light came with a loud sound, unfamiliar to my ears. Then suddenly, when my vision cleared, I saw that the light came from something big with wheels moving towards my direction, its sound blaring as if a warning.
Panic rushed to my blood as I quickly moved to the side to let it pass.
“GET OFF THE ROAD, YOU WHORE!” shouted the man who was driving the big thing with wheels.
I was lost. My mind was in complete chaos. Nothing around me registered familiar. Absolutely nothing at all. I couldn’t remember anything - I didn’t know who I was, where I came from, and how did I get here.
Suddenly, another thing with wheels, a little smaller than the first one, stopped in front of me, its bright light shining upon my face. I squinted and tried to focus when two older people, a couple perhaps, got out of the thing with wheels and walked towards me.
“Are you alright, sweet heart? Do you need help?” the woman asked, looking at me with worry.
I was shivering from the cold. It was dark when I looked around and I realized I was at lying at the side of what seemed to be a road.
“She looks completely fazed, Honey. We should take her to the car,” the woman said again, talking to the man.
“Don’t be stupid, we don’t even know who she is!” the man answered.
“But Honey, look at her! She needs our help!”
“This is absurd, Melinda! If we don’t keep moving, the storm will catch us and we’ll be stranded.”
“But if we leave her here in this weather, she’ll die!”
The man groaned in frustration. “Alright, get her inside.”
“Thank you.”
The woman helped me on my feet. She took me inside the thing with wheels which I learned was a car. She made me sit down at the back seat and wrapped a blanket around my shivering body. And the car started off. I sat there, looking so confused, unable to process what was going on.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” the woman asked, looking back at me from the front seat.
My name….. I didn’t know my name. So instead of answering, I shook my head and cried.
‘’What’s wrong, sweetie? Did someone hurt you? What happened? Why are you in the road alone in this storm?”
Still, I didn’t know how to answer that.
“Stop asking her questions, Melinda. She’s traumatized. Must be a rape victim,” the man snapped as he continued driving.
“We should take her to the police, Alejandro.”
“We have no time to spare. Don’t you see? There’s nothing in this road but barren fields and snow. We’ve been driving for hours but we haven’t found a house in sight. Don’t you get it? Well, I think she was dumped on this road from a car. We’ll bring her to the authorities once we get to the city.”
“Okay,” the woman said sadly, and the rest of the journey was followed with silence.
They didn’t, however brought me to the authorities. They had better ideas. We drove to a town and parked in front of a house.
“This will be your new home, dear,” the old woman told me, and later did I know I would be calling her ‘mom’.
“You’re home now, Abby,” she repeated and embraced me like how a mother embraced a child.
***
FOUR YEARS LATER
/Zhask’s POV/
I followed a man in the streets whom I suspected as one of the rogues who were behind the kidnapping of my mate. It had been four long years but we I still couldn’t find the people who were behind the attack at the Hunting Ceremony. But I was able to trace one of them yesterday because someone who were there at the ceremony was able to recognize his face. And this was the man we were following.
One of my trusted guard, Lylion, was behind me, keeping me safe all the time since I just sneaked out of the palace in disguise. The scent of the man who was no longer in our sight led me to a narrow corner and into a narrow empty alley.
“He’s no longer here, Your Highness,” Lylion informed me but I interrupted him.
“He’s hiding here, I can smell his scent,” I replied. It was midnight and the moon was shining brilliantly in the sky which meant I could feel my werewolf strength resurfacing once again.
The scent became heavier, I knew the rogue was near, probably watching us in the dark.
Lylion, even though his claws were out, still raised his sword for my safety and kept watched of the surroundings.
“Your Highness, I hope you know that there’s a lot of rogues in this part of the city,” he said, watching in full alert.
“I know, but I’m not scared. I’m so close to finding my beloved Greya. I can’t give up now,” I replied.
It’s true, what I said. I’ve been looking for her for the past four years, refusing to find another mate because I love her more than anything in the world. The Council gave me five years to find a mate since my father died, because they agreed in the rule that I wouldn’t be able to ascend the throne and become the next Alpha King if I still didn’t have a mate.
Suddenly, I heard noises. I looked back and Lylion raised his sword, ready in case an enemy charged at us.
The scent got heavier and the next thing I knew, a big black wolf charged at me with its sharp claws. I got pinned to the ground but Lylion was able to pierce its hand with his sword.
“Die, you scumbag!” Lylion shouted but the wolf was bigger than him and with its paw, he was sent into the air, his back landing against the wall.
It made me mad, so I shifted into my wolf form as well. The Rogue was still bigger than me, but he lacked strength. I had the perfect training in my pack so I was able to push his heavy body from me, and now we’re on our four feet, growling and facing each other.
He charged at me, I charged at him too. I sharpened my claws and scratched his back. He was able to scratch mine too but his was bigger damage. He growled again, his eyes looking so devious, ready to charge at me again. But before he could do it, Lylion, in his wolf form too, jumped at him and bit his neck. I joined the fight and together, we bit and scratched the Rogue until his fur was covered in blood.
When he could no longer fight back, Lylion and I shifted back to our own human forms, and the Rogue had no choice but to do the same. But he was too weak to move now, he was just lying on the ground, covered in wounds.
I took Lylion’s sword who had fallen at the ground and pointed it at him. “Tell me where she is!” I demanded, feeling the rage in my heart again. “Now!”
But, despite his wounded body, the Rogue still managed to smile deviously at me.
“You think this is funny, huh? Tell me where you took her or I’ll end your life right here!” I told him, anger filled my whole body.
“You will never be able to find her,” he said, still grinning.
I was about to struck him with my sword but Lylion stopped me.
“Your Highness,...” he said while holding my hand. “Don’t.”
“H-he’s not saying anything,” I replied. I didn’t realized I was crying now.
“We need him. Let’s take him to the palace and interrogate him. Answers will come if we try too hard, but for now, we must go. This place will be swarming with Rogues soon enough.”
Despite my strong desire to kill him right there, I agreed with Lylion. We picked up the Rogue’s body, he was too weak to fight, and we carried him to our small carriage I stole from my uncle’s property. We went back to the palace and ask the healers to heal and bind the Rogue so he wouldn’t escape.
It was almost dawn and I didn’t feel the need to sleep anymore. In my chambers, I looked up at the portrait of me and my mate Greya on the wall, and felt a sudden sadness in my heart. It was desperation even more. The portrait was of us, when we were mated. We were so in love and happy and I missed her even more.
“I’ll see you soon, my love.” I whispered at her in the portrait, feeling some sense of hope in my bones that I would be able to find her again.
The sun came up and it was time to fulfil my duty again. I showed my face to The Council in the throne room where we gathered to discuss the issues and concerns of the kingdom. The Council was made up of pack leaders or Alphas and Lunas from the most prestigious packs in the Kingdom, elders, seers, and any other important people. The throne was always empty for the past four years but the seats next to it on either side were occupied by Beta Caden, my cousin and second in line to the throne, and Omega Leo, my uncle and third in line to the throne. The Sentinels stood watched at either side of the throne between the seats of Beta Caden and Omega Leo. I, however, had to sit among the other pack leaders facing the high seats because as they said, I had no titles yet, because I was mateless. Everyone in the Council had mates except me.
“Prince Zhask,” Beta Caden said. That’s what they all called me for now. A prince without a mate. “Are you aware that you are running out of time?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m very much aware, thank you for reminding me for the million times,” I replied at him sarcastically. He always wanted the throne and he despised me for being the heir.
“The Kingdom is struggling,” he continued. “More Rogues are committing crimes everywhere. They should be banished but they refused to do so. But what this Kingdom really needs is a competent Alpha King who will tame those rogues or send them away.”
“As if I didn’t know that,” I said, mocking him.
“ENOUGH!” one of the sentinels spoke. Since the position of the Alpha King was empty for now, all commands start from them, the Sentinels that my father had trusted. They had full authority of the council and of the kingdom. Their voices were always followed and their decisions respected.
“Beta Caden, your time is yet to come. Zhask had one year left to find a mate.”
“If he should just find a mate anywhere else, then all problems will be solved,” Beta Caden retorted.
“Finding a mate is a sacred tradition. You don’t just get mated to someone you don’t even love!” I objected.
“Your mate is dead, but you still can’t accept that!”
“What did you say?!” That was all it took for me to charge at him with my sharpened claws. “MY MATE IS NOT DEAD!”
A lot of commotion happened for this day’s throne room discussion which I started, and they had no choice but to kick me out of there.
I was angry and infuriated. “CURSE YOU ALL, YOU STUPID SHIT!” I was shouting outside then suddenly, one of the Healers came to me.
“Your Highness, someone wants to see you,” he said.
I followed him to the room where we kept the Rogue from last night. He was bind to a chair and an older man in a blue robe stood in front of him.
But when the man turned around, I recognized his face. He was the Seer of the Blue Moon Pack, the pack where my mate belonged. It wasn’t often to find him here.
“Your Highness,” he said, bowing in courtesy. “I came here to tell you that I solved the puzzle. I know where Luna Greya is.”
My heart started beating so fast. I knew that he had been looking for her too as instructed by her father, the Alpha of their pack.
“W-where?” I asked, almost couldn’t find my voice.
“She’s in the Mortal Realm.”
/ ZHASK /The words rung in my ear.“W-what?” I asked the Seer again, making sure I heard him right.“Luna Greya is in the Mortal Realm, living among the ordinary humans,” the Seer answered.“But h-how?” I asked again. It was hard to believe how my mate ended up there. The Mortal Realm was a completely different world separated from ours. It existed in another dimension and we couldn’t care more about it because we have nothing to do with that world. We were powerless there.“I studied the tracks she had left at the Hunting Ceremony before the Rogues kidnapped her,” the Seer went on. “There’s an element that only magic can explain. I’m certain that a powerful Seer was involved. But I managed to track her down.”“But wait… why? Why would they do that?” I had asked myself that question for the past four years.Why? Why it had to be Greya? What did they want with her? And for four years, I still didn’t have an answer. But I have a guess instead.Sitting among the Council after my father’
/ ABBY /I struggled to get back on my feet as the mysterious man tried to lay his hands all over my body. He was going to rape me, I was so sure of it. This was definitely the end of me.“Ahhhhhhhh!” I kept screaming and pushing him back.But he was too strong. “Greya, Greya…please…. I’m not going to hurt you. We don’t have much time. We need to go now.”I absolutely had no idea what he was talking about. “Let me go!” I kept shouting. I summoned the last amount of my strength to push him from me and then I stood up and started running.“My love, wait!” he yelled.I looked back and realized he was chasing after me. This was a huge mistake. I shouldn’t have gone for a walk in these woods. I should have stayed in my room.I ran in full speed, jumping over fallen logs and wading through thick bushes. I lost the track and just decided to run in any direction as long as it’s away from him. But he was too fast and it didn’t take him long to catch up with me.“Greya, can you please stop runn
/ ZHASK /“No, your name is Greya. And you’re a werewolf,” I told her with my serious face but what came out of her mouth was a sarcastic laugh.“So what about you? A vampire?” she said and then burst out laughing again.“No, vampires live farther north. We have no business with them.”“So you’re a werewolf too?”“Yes but not here. In this world, we’re mere mortals.”She laughed again, the same laugh I remembered when I used to tell her jokes. I miss that laugh. I miss her so much.“Look here, mister werewolf, I don’t know what your game is, whether you escape from a mental facility or high on drugs, but because I saw something weird last night and also because you have almost the same tattoo as mine, I won’t report you to the police. But I need to get you back to where you came from…”“My tattoo?” I asked, cutting her off.“Yes. Apparently, we could be related.”“It’s my pack’s symbol,” I told her while looking at the mark of the moon on my chest. “You have one too. It’s your pack’s
CHAPTER 5/ ZHASK /My head hurt so bad it felt like it was going to explode. I could feel Greya trying to wake me up but I really needed to close my eyes for a while because the world seemed to be swirling around me.“Fenrer… are you there?”I called out to him but he was wailing in pain. He was suffering too.“Fenrer, what’s happening?”He didn’t answer though. His wails continued, as if he was in desperate need of help. But I had no idea what was going on. It felt like his voice were getting distant, as if he was moving far away. Then suddenly, I could no longer hear him. There was nothing at all.“Fenrer, answer me! I’m losing you!”But there was still no answer. Nothing. I could not feel his connection nor his bond. And I began to worry.“No! Fenrer! Come back! Where are you?”Still no answer. And for the first time in my life, I felt so alone. I was so used of hearing his voice in my head, his nags and his annoying opinions, but now that I could no longer hear him, it felt like
CHAPTER 5/ ABBY /The room that my friend, Shade, lent me was a small one, but this would be enough for one person. Besides, the view was spectacular.I opened the closet in the bedroom and found some extra clothes so I took some out and looked for my wolfie friend. I found him standing by the window, watering an almost dead cactus on a nearby shelf.“Hey wolfie, wear these on. We’re going to go shopping,” I told him and threw him the clothes. I called him wolfie because I kind of forget what his name was.He caught the clothes with one hand and was about to strip off his clothes in that area but I stopped him.“There’s a bathroom right at the corner. Please get change over there,” I said.“I can do it right here,” he answered, not really getting my point.“Oh come on! You can’t just get naked in front of me anytime you want!”“Why not? You’ve seen all of me before,” he answered as if it was no big deal.I felt my cheeks blushing.“What do you mean?” I asked, even though deep inside
CHAPTER 7/ ABBY /I looked at Wolfie as if I had seen a ghost."Hello, my love," he greeted me with a bow.Genebeth beamed with laughter and started teasing me. She looked at him from head to toe."So you finally got yourself a hottie boyfriend huh?" She said, smiling widely at me."He's not my boyfriend," I told her straight away."Oh it's okay to be shy about it. What's your name, by the way?" "I am Zhask Magesblood Zaffiro. Pleasure to meet you," he said in a very respectable manner and extended a hand. "Cool name," Genebeth said, shaking his hand before whispering in my ear, "Where did you find this guy?"I wanted to tell her I found him in the woods but I'm sure she wouldn't even believe me anyway. "Let's talk," I told Wolfie and dragged him further along the hallway. "How did you find me?" I asked him, feeling furious. "I followed your scent.""I told you to wait there!""I can't. I won't."I felt so stressed out, so I wiped my forehead with my hands even though I knew the
CHAPTER 8/ ABBY /Wolfie, or should I call him by his name now since I already remembered it?Okay, Zhask took the phrase 'look after me' to a whole new level when he punched that guy who tried to make a move on me. The guy had a deep cut on his face and they had to take him out to the hospital because he was bleeding too much. The security guards kicked us both out and I tried so hard to apologize to everyone for making such a scene. I was just glad we didn't have to pay for the damage we had done.When we were out, I gave Zhask a scolding in the parking lot. "You can't just hurt anyone like that!" I yelled at him, pacing back and forth while trying to calm myself down."So would you rather let me watch while he's trying to sleep with you?" He answered, still feeling furious. I could tell how disgusted he was, how angry, how the calmness and the warmth I had seen hours ago vanished from his face."It's a club! People are always trying to sleep with anyone! What did you expect?"
/ ZHASK /Abby left me at the parking lot outside the club and told me not to follow her. I realized she needed a moment for herself after that intense fight. She had raised her voice at me and was on the verge of panic. I was used to that side of her. The Greya I knew would always argue with me. In fact, the first time we met we were arguing and at that moment, we both never expected we were each other's mates. Greya was loud and reckless, a fighter with a free spirit who didn't need my protection. She was stronger than me and sometimes, I always thought she was the one who was protecting me all those times after we mated. And this is probably why I fell so hard for her because I lost my mum when I was young, I didn't know what a mother's warmth was. But when I had Greya, she gave me that kind of warmth that made me feel safe and at peace Anyway, I watched Abby cross the street. I waited until she was safe in a cab before I headed to the apartment myself. I had gotten used to this t