A/N: Warning: Too much revelation ahead. *wink*

• • •

He watched silently as she stood there at the top of the staircase. Like an angel, her face was radiant, heavenly, so beautiful. A beautiful white dress hugged her slim body, ending just above her knees, and her dark hair was properly fixed up on her head.

For a moment, he was left hypnotized by her beauty. He had always thought of her as an angel in disguise. Up there, she was deity and everyone admired her from afar as if she was a goddess.

She was smiling. He stared at her and it seemed to him a broken heart was hiding behind that broken smile she plastered on her rosy plump lips. And still, she smiled, even as the speaker introduced her to the crowd, declaring her eighteenth birthday.

The grand celebration was taking place at the Kingsley Mansion. Werewolves from neighboring packs had come to see her. Not because she was of any importance per se but because she was human. This fact intrigued their curiosity.

Despite her beauty and innocence that stood out amongst all, she had werewolf blood running through her veins and just that was enough to welcome her to the werewolf world. It was where she belonged, after all, or so what her Grandmother had told.

People cheered and clapped their hands in the most graceful way possible as they watched her walk down the staircase. Each step she took was done with such grace and poise. People were left speechless as they watched her every step.

Anna felt her fast heartbeat throbbing inside her chest as she looked across the crowd. It was consisted of people whom she barely knew. Some of them however revealed familiar faces which she recognized. Although, she couldn't exactly point out their names nor could she even remember if she had ever known their names.

She took long deep breaths to relax herself. The spotlight was upon her. Everyone was watching. A smile was frozen upon her lips as she tried to keep herself together. Although, she felt as if the end of her lips were stitched to be kept wide and smiling.

She kept her hands together just above her belly as she took each heavy step downward. Her white heels didn't help either. She sighed and pursed her lips. Her eyes wandered to every corner of the large room. Once again, she roamed her eyes across different faces, searching for the same brown eyes that had always seemed to set her body on fire, sending her heart melting like an ice cream underneath the sun.

Her search was over no sooner than she liked to. She had reached the end of the staircase and John, her cousin, the Alpha of the Blue Wolf Pack, came walking towards her. They greeted each other in a light hug.

"Welcome to the Blue Wolf Pack, Anna," he said in her ear.

She felt her smile grow wider turning into a grin. They pulled back and he was already stretching out his hand to her. She took it gladly. "Thank you."

The music began in a soft romantic melody. She heard the sound of the piano and violins. The sweet music surrounded her immediately and the atmosphere of the whole large room became light and warm.

John dragged her to the middle of the room - the dance floor. With a respectable distance, people gathered around them with their partners. John held her hand and put the other on his shoulder whilst he placed his other hand on the small of her back.

She heard the music changing and then came a different music, much more romantic than the first. They began to dance then people around them followed after.

Anna looked around, awestruck. Everyone was dancing.

She looked at John and she noticed how he was looking at her - in a strange way. She raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "What?"

He was silent for a moment then sighed. "Look, Anna, I - I haven't been very honest to you," he said.

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The reason why I have forbidden you to leave the land was because - because of Zach."

Silence.

"We had a terrible past," he continued. "Before, we were friends..and there was this war going on. These rogues, lone wolves, were desperate for bloodshed. They wanted destruction among packs. Now, Zach's father, Zachariah, was once a rogue. That was until he met Liana.

"You see, Liana is Zach's mother and she was the Luna of the Black Wolf Pack. They were mates..and the love between them grew instantly like fire burning the forest. Zachariah had loved Liana at first sight. Eventually, they ought to get together despite the circumstances.

"Zachariah betrayed the rogues and joined the Black Wolf Pack. He became the Alpha..but also a traitor to his own family. He fought against his own blood, revealed the plot and hideouts of the rogues. It was because of him why in the end the packs won against the rogues.

"He was a hero but to his own blood he was considered a traitor. Now those bloodthirsty rogues who survived the war desired for vengeance. Months later, the first son was born. Zach was already a grown up boy when the rogues came back.

It was at the falls when everything happened. He was with his father and they came to kill him - the traitor of their own blood. And they were supposed to kill the son, too. But they didn't...My father was there. He smelled the rogues and he sacrificed his own life to save the child - to save him.

"This is why Lola died. It was because of Zach - because of who he is. He had sought for revenge and had killed countless rogues. Now they were coming after him..But he's stronger now more than ever..So they decided to target his weakness instead."

John looked into her eyes and she gasped softly, lips parting in shock.

"Me," she murmured in a whisper.

John nodded. "I can't risk losing you, too, Anna," he said. "I can't risk losing any of my family again."

"But Uncle William - "

"Stepfather."

"Oh."

Everything that Zach had said when they were at the falls, she remembered suddenly.

Sometimes, I just want to forget everything. I want to forget terrible things.

His voice echoed in her head. Everything he had said was because of his father's death. Because of everything that the rogues did.

I'm afraid of losing the ones I love. I'm afraid of losing you.

He did care, she thought. Zach cared about her too much. She couldn't imagine how he must have felt grieving his own father's death. How he must have felt guilty about the death of John's father and about Lola's death.

She trembled slightly. Really, she did.

Certainly, she did lose her mind when her Grandmother died. And now she couldn't help but want to console Zach now for everything he had been through. He had suffered enough. He shouldn't suffer anymore.

Whilst she had stayed in John's pack, she had cried herself to sleep feeling the guilt of her Grandmother's death weighing in her chest. Her heart had ached too much and when Zach had come inside her room that one night, to visit her, almost immediately, her heart was healed by his kisses and the pain she had felt was mended by his words.

How could she ever forgive herself? She should have been the one mending Zach's wounds after everything. She should have been the stitches. She should have been the one consoling him through his sorrow. She should have been there when he was alone.

But she didn't do any of that.

The guilt she felt was weighing in her chest and almost instantly, her heart ached for him. Ached to kiss him - touch him - hold him - pleasure him. She needed him right now. See him and tell him she cares for him, too. That she loves him more than anyone or anything - even chocolate.

"Anna?" a voice called, bringing her out of her misery.

She blinked her eyes and she looked at John in confusion.

"Are you alright?" he was asking.

"Yes," she murmured, breathless for somehow. "Yes...Yes, I am."

Missing him and aching for him at the same time was making her dizzy, she realized.

She touched her forehead with her hands and realized she and John had already stopped dancing. Although, people around them still moved in rhythm like a river going on and on around them.

Before she knew it, John was already dragging her out of the moving people. "Look, I know this is all sudden information," he said. "Maybe you should rest for now."

Rest? Rest then fall asleep?

"No," she said, feeling determined. She took a deep breath and grabbed a glass of wine from a waiter that walked past them. She took a sip tasting the liquid then drunk down the whole glass much to John's surprise.

"Anna, you shouldn't - "

"Don't," she halted him. "I'm eighteen already, remember? I'm a big girl now. You don't have to tell me what to do."

He looked surprised and she had to admit she was surprised, too.

But the man who came behind John surprised her the most.

"Oh, my God, Jake!" she gushed, running to him and throwing her arms around his neck.

She heard his deep chuckle and he hugged her back. She pulled back and smiled widely. He looked beautiful in a suit and she couldn't help but wonder who was the gorgeous woman beside him.

He brought a girl? She mentally slapped herself. She was embarrassed. She was still in Jake's arms and his hands were now touching her bare arms. She gently pulled away from him and blushed.

"Hi," she greeted the pretty girl beside Jake. The lady wore a beautiful emerald dress ending mid thigh. Her hair was auburn like fire and her eyes were blue like the sky upon daylight.

"Oh." Jake took a step beside the girl and wrapped his arm around her waist. "This is Sabrina*," he introduced and Anna noticed the way he said her name.

Sabrina.

Sabrina Elener.

Jake's mate.

Oh, my God.

"Hello," Sabrina greeted her, stretching out a hand.

Anna smiled warmly and shook her hand. "Call me Anna. I'm so glad to meet you."

"Likewise." Sabrina smiled and Anna realized just then how beautiful the woman was when she smiled like that. "Anyway, happy birthday," she added.

"Thank you."

The lights dimmed suddenly. The music began to play a different tune. This time it was slower and heavier. Anna felt the music's melody crawling under her skin. Everyone began dancing again but slower this time.

"May I have this dance?"

Anna turned her head and looked down at Jake's hand. She looked up at him and gazed around noticing that John was already dancing with Sabrina. Having no choice, she accepted Jake's hand and somewhere at the middle of the dance floor they began to dance in a slow rhythm.

"I'm really glad you came, Jake," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say I wouldn't come."

Her brows knitted together in a frown as she looked at him. "But - But that - kiss," she murmured, looking down and blushing.

"The kiss?" he echoed.

"I thought - I thought it meant goodbye."

He tilted her chin upward and it made her eyes look at him. "I hope you didn't think it meant I was leaving," he said. "Because I'm not."

"Then...why did you kiss me?" she asked.

He smirked and simply shrugged. "Because something told me it would be the last time...I guess it meant I'm letting you go...and you weren't even mine."

By the time he had ended his sentence, she wasn't looking at him anymore. She couldn't. Then it took her off guard when she heard his low chuckle. She looked at him and frowned in confusion. This time, he was grinning like a fool.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked.

He didn't say anything. He just grinned then he leaned down. She was about to take a step back thinking he would kiss her again.

But surprisingly, he didn't. She relaxed when she realized this. He just leaned down, not too close, and whispered in her ear, "I guess this time this really is goodbye."

He pulled back and she was flustered. He grinned again and looked behind her. Confused, she turned around and her heart almost dropped on the floor.

Zach.

• • •

A/N: The next chapter will be private. *wink* However, I don't know when I'll be able to update. I have the scene in my head but I haven't written in yet.

Since some of you are having problems with reading private chapters, I hope this note helps:

How to read the private chapter:

1. Remove the book from your library.

2. Follow me.

3. Make sure you are following me.

4. Add the book in your library.

5. Reload your library.

6. Wait for it to upload.

7. After uploaded, the private chapter should be there already and you can read it.

8. Read.

So I don't know yet if the next chapter will be the last chapter of the book but I just wanna say I'm so glad you reached this far.

Thank you so much for reading, voting, commenting, and sharing!

You guys are the best!

I love you.

(づ￣ ³￣)づ♥

Love,

Gabriela