312K reads on Shadowed Hearts! WOOHOOO! Thanks guys!

And the Most loved character of the Unconditionally Series according to our poll in the last chapter is *drumroll*: RINOOO!

But I had no idea so many of you loved Suzzanah and Cole so much too *pleasantly surprised*. Let's see if your opinions remain the same even at the end of this book.

WARNING: LOOONG CHAPTER AHEAD! I hope you don't get too bored *prays*

Dedicated to moon_flower14 for you constant and ever-encouraging support. It means so much to me. Thank you doll!

A huge shoutout to samstyles96 for having motivated and supported my work for so long. I really appreciate it. Thank you!

The absolutely spectacular cover above was made by minni_sweety. You're amazing sweetheart. Thank you!

PLEASE DO NOT COPY MY WORK!

This chapter is unedited so please excuse the grammatical errors. Enjoy!

____

Suzzanah's POV

As we walked out of the meeting room and back towards the lobby, my frown deepened as I wondered what in the world the Elder might have meant.

"Perhaps...I will have figured out why you, young lady, seem almost familiar"

Seem familiar? Familiar how? I was very sure I had never met him before. His aura didn't seem familiar either like that of the horrid black beast in the woods yesterday had been.

"How fortunate that Elder Abé had the insight and benevolence to put that magic shield on Suzzanah without us even asking about it", Alpha Penson was saying, "All I asked him to do was cover up the silver streak in her hair with magic and I thought I'd ask him about the magic-proofing shield afterwards, but he did so before of his own accord"

My eyes went wide, "What?" I cried out as I quickly grabbed at my hair searching for the silver lock, "You asked him to cover up my silver streak?"

"I did", Alpha Penson replied, "Because that happens to be the main feature everyone is using to identify the Luna Queen right now, saying that the Alpha King has a Queen who bears a silver streak in her hair similar to his golden one. Of course they don't know that your silver streak is an inherent trait much like the Alpha's golden one. They may just think its something you did artificially to match with the King"

"Why would I willingly do something so petty?" I asked, still searching my hair. Sure enough, the streak wasn't there.

Alpha Penson smiled, "Regardless of what they thought was the source of the streak, it was still a major identification factor. One that our enemies could also use to identify you so its best to keep it concealed.

I shrugged, "I suppose", I said, leaving my hair alone.

It was a shame I had to cover up the silver streak, just when it had started to grow on me. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

I then narrowed my eyes at Alpha Penson.

"Also, Alpha Penson", I said, "If you know something the rest of us don't, now would be a good time to spill the beans"

Alpha Penson smiled his usual, calm and exasperatingly knowing smile.

"What do you mean, dear one?" he asked innocently and all four of us immediately surrounded him, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Don't play innocent John", Marco said, "Tell us what you know about what the old man said just before teleporting, because honestly, I don't think any of us can handle dealing with any more mysteries right now, except you that is"

Alpha Penson shrugged, "Well, he said Suzzanah seemed familiar to him", he looked at me, "But you've never met the man, nor has he ever met you, for that matter, so it probably means that whatever familiarity he felt towards you doesn't have all that much to do with your looks?"

"Oh you think so?" Zuerien said irritably, "Even though he spent the last 15 or so minutes eyeballing her as though she were a museum piece he was writing a paper on?"

Alpha Penson chuckled, "Come now, he did that to the rest of us too", he replied, "Besides, when Elder Abé looks at you, he sees far more than your outer appearance. His eyes focus essentially on the nature and properties of your life-force, or soul, as some people call it. And if he finds it interesting, as he did with all of you, he stares longer"

Ah...!

"And you think that when he said I looked familiar, he meant it had something to do with my life-force?" I asked uncertainly and Alpha Penson nodded.

"Yes", he replied, "And I think that's wonderful. Because if he finds some properties of your soul familiar, it means that he might have come across something similar before. And if he can figure out the what's, where's and how's of the matter, it would finally give us some sort of a lead on why, dear one, you are so...unique"

My heart fluttered at the thought. So that meant we finally had a chance to find out who or what I actually was! That was encouraging.

Encouraging and a little...unnerving...

Alpha Penson looked at me for a few seconds before asking carefully and gently,

"Do you...remember your parents, Suzzanah?"

Everyone immediately seemed to tense around me and I could tell they were worried it would upset me to talk about this topic. But I had actually been expecting this topic to come up. It was inevitable. After all, if we needed to make progress on the matter of my identity, we needed to talk about it.

Especially because it seemed that the truth behind the mysteries shrouding my real identity may play an important role in determining our futures, as well as the future of the Werewolf Kingdom. I needed to start thinking harder about my past.

No matter how hard it was for me...

In reply to Alpha Penson's question, I shook my head, "I have no memory of my parents at all", I replied, "I was maybe one and a half- two years old when they passed away. I don't even remember what they looked like."

Everyone looked shocked at my revelation, their faces paling at my statement before their expressions turned somber, eyes darkening with sorrow. Zuerien's fingers dug into my hip and I could faintly feel his and the others' emotions of pain and concern as they flowed through me.

"Hey, come on. Don't make those depressed faces. I didn't tell you guys that to make you sad", I said quickly, smiling and waving my hand at the matter, "Its okay! I was a little kid. I don't remember, and well, Karina doesn't really remember them either, even though she was a little older than four around that time. She has very hazy memories of our early childhood, a few of my mother - of her being a brunette like the both of us, and having a nice smile...but her memories were always very faint. And well, neither of us remember our father at all, so I'm afraid I can't help when it comes to that aspect of my identity"

Alpha Penson nodded quietly, not saying anything else but I could tell that they were all itching to ask more on the matter. Yet, none of them did, probably because they just didn't know if or how they should.

And also because they knew Zuerien would kill them if they said anything to upset me.

But in truth, I knew they wouldn't. I had spent enough time with all of them to know that they would never intentionally say or do anything to hurt me or my feelings. Still, when it came to matters like this- matters that we couldn't talk about without evoking painful memories- I think even Zuerien understood that no matter how nicely they put it, I was bound to remember a thing or two that were unpleasant. And he didn't want that to happen.

I could understand that. For the longest time, I had been so curious as to find out what had really happened that night...

The night that his family was killed.

All I knew was that the Shadow People had a hand in it, and that Zuerien was the only Royale who survived that night.

Like how I and Karina had survived...that winter...

The minute that thought flashed in my mind, I involuntarily evaded it, not wanting to think about it. It was like a reflex. I did it every time my mind returned to that particular train of thought. That exclusive part of my past had been a taboo for me. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to remember.

But if you want to find out who you really are...you know you'll have to start thinking about it...

You'll have to...remember...

"AH! ICECREAM!"

I was brought out of my thoughts by Cole's sudden cry.

"Look! Right here, its the Melted-Dreams Ice-cream parlor", Cole said pointing at a store coming up on our right side, "I hear they have some of the best ice-cream in town"

I turned to find him giving Marco a sharp nudge. Marco first scowled and shook his head at him, but when he saw me looking at them, he quickly nodded.

"T-that's right! Why don't we try some before we leave?" Marco added uncomfortably, probably not liking how obvious the whole charade was.

But regardless the both of them stared at me expectantly, waiting for my answer.

I blinked, "U-Um...sure", I replied, "Why not?"

"GREAT!" Cole said and quickly ushered our company towards the ice cream parlor.

Beside me, Alpha Penson watched on amusedly while Zuerien sighed, shaking his head making me smile. This was Cole's inexperienced attempt at trying to subtly change the topic and keep me from drowning in my depressing memories. And even though it was blatantly obvious, I really appreciated it.

I was glad I could put off thinking about my past, even if it was just for a little while longer...

"What flavor will you have?" Cole asked enthusiastically and Marco scowled at him.

"Can you stop acting like Rino", he whisper-yelled at him, although I could still hear him, "Seriously man, I'm embarrassed here! Remind me to give you lessons on how to properly and smoothly distract a woman, without making it so damn obvious! How will you get the ladies to fall for you if you go around acting like a halfwit glutton?"

Cole cringed, "I'm not really trying to get any ladies to fall for me", he remarked matter-of-factly as we walked into the ice-cream parlor much to the shopkeeper's delight and horror.

He looked like he was about to pass out at the sight of Zuerien walking into his store.

Marco ts-ked, "That is the worst thing a young eligible bachelor wolf like you could say Cole!" he said, "Do you know how many hearts you're breaking?"

Cole shrugged as Marco sighed, "Such a waste!" he said, "Oh well, I'll just have all the ladies to myself then"

"Why don't we go ahead and order the ice-cream before the man behind the counter passes away from shock", Alpha Penson suggested quietly, leading Cole and Marco ahead.

I smiled before looking up at Zuerien to find him already looking down at me, brown eyes keen and observant.

I cocked my head to the side, "What?" I asked expectantly. He stared at me for a second longer before he shook his head.

"Its nothing", he said softly, patting the top of my head, "Come"

We walked up to the others who had already chosen their flavors, with Marco saying something about Cole's choice of vanilla being too mainstream. Zuerien led me to the counter where the shopkeeper was shivering violently as he bowed deeply before peeking up at Zuerien fearfully.

I smiled at the poor man before scanning the variety of delicious looking flavors. And immediately, several distant memories of my childhood came rushing back to me, replaying in my mind.

As a child, there had been so many occasions when I had wanted ice-cream but didn't have any money to buy it. So many times I had watched all the lucky kids at school buying and sharing ice-cream with their parents and friends. And somehow, the feeling of loneliness had always been far more overpowering than that of envy.

But when Karina got a part-time job, the first thing she bought after receiving her first pay-check was a huge tub of ice-cream just for the two of us. And we ate it together under the shade of a large umbrella on a warm summer day as we chatted about everything under the sun.

It was...one of my most cherished memories.

And it made me miss her.

So so much.

Karina...

Please...please be okay...

I felt Zuerien's hand gently press against my lower back and I quickly snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at him, "What are you getting?" I asked.

"I'm not very fond of ice-cream", he replied.

"Not even Kai?"

"Kai actually dislikes it more than me", Zuerien said and my eyebrows rose in surprise, "Oh?"

Its cold and mushy and gives you headaches when you eat it too fast, Kai informed me and I chuckled.

You're not supposed to eat it that fast Kai, I said.

But if you don't eat it fast it melts, drips everywhere, creates a mess and makes you look like a moron, Kai said and I giggled.

He had a point.

Even now, I remembered clearly, the sound of Karina's laughter as it filled the air every time I very conveniently spilled dark-colored ice-cream onto my pale, pastel shirts.

Karina...

But its okay if you make a mess while eating it though, Heart, Kai suddenly added huskily, We'll be happy to...lick you clean

I gasped in shock as my head whipped towards him, face turning redder than the raspberry ice-cream I had been staring at, making everyone around me turn to look at me wide-eyed.

Oh god! This wolf!

Zuerien's lips curled into a subtle yet undeniably evil smile as he cleared his throat making me snap out of my shock and close my gaping mouth, quickly composing myself again.

"What flavor would you like, Suzzanah?" Zuerien asked, bending closer to me and I gave him a mock glare, my heart still thundering inside my chest.

"I'm surprised you asked. I thought it was obvious", I said making him look at me inquisitively.

I gazed into the depths of his familiar warm brown eyes and smiled,

"Chocolate"

*****

The ice-cream, as expected, was heavenly, and after considerable contemplation over what flavor to buy for Rino, we all finally settled for the Ice-cream Sundae. Rino apparently liked everything, so hopefully he would like the Sundae.

Zuerien had asked the Beta-female Laura to have my Gem Ignis studded bracelet brought down for me and I was now wearing it on my wrist again, its warm energy making me feel uncannily safe, as it had done before.

On our way back, we took a different route than the one Cole & I had taken to get to the Meeting Hall, and I found that we also exited the building through a different set of doors this time, which led to what looked like an alternate entrance into the hotel.

But instead of heading out, Zuerien led us down a side corridor and into yet another large room which looked similar to the meeting hall we had just come out of. Inside, General Reginald, Alpha Ashford, Beta Darren and Delta Neil were waiting for us.

"How did the meeting go?" General Reginald asked.

"Alright", Zuerien replied, "Have you finished choosing the members for our search parties"

General Reginald nodded.

"All the preparations are done Alpha", Beta Darren informed us, "As ordered by General Reginald, we have singled out our best warrior and tracker wolves for the search parties"

"Have the Elite Wizards decided which parties they will be travelling with?" Cole asked.

"Yes", General Reginald replied before looking at Marco, "Lady Yolanda will be with me and Zuerien"

Marco immediately sighed in relief, "Oh thank God" he breathed out and I smiled, feeling a little relieved myself.

The only person Lady Yolanda seemed a tad bit afraid of was Zuerien so this was probably a good placement. I didn't know if Zuerien was happy about it, but he didn't oppose the decision, probably for Marco's sake.

"As already discussed earlier, half of us will be going in search of Megan and the other half will be going after this beast you encountered yesterday", the General said, "Marco you, Elder Abé and Master Heinrich will be leading the first party which is going in search of Megan, and Alpha Zuerien will be leading the second party. Amongst your groups, you can go ahead and sub-divide to make smaller parties. That way you can cover larger areas in shorter time"

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Alpha Ashford, Beta Darren, you're with Alpha Marco", General Reginald said and they nodded.

"Beta Cole, you're with me and Alpha Zuerien", he added, "Delta Neil will be staying behind as part of the Queen's protection.

I looked at Delta Neil and smiled. He gave me a brusque bow, his face expressionless.

"And most importantly, Alpha Zuerien's search party will also be scouting the borders out once more today", General Reginald added making me gasp.

"What? You're going back to the Walls again today?!" I asked distressed, "But you'll be injured again!"

"Don't worry Suzzanah, we're not going to go all the way", General Reginald told me, "We'll only go across the first wall and make sure things on the other side of the Second wall are alright after yesterday's incident"

"Elder Abé agreed to accompany us there when we go to check the status of the Northern Border in the woods", Zuerien told him, "We'll go there first then, after which he can go back to the search party in search of Megan"

"Okay", General Reginald agreed, "And after that, half our party will scout along the city borders. We need to assess every nook and cranny of the borders to ensure that when the time comes, there won't be anything that will prevent Karina from being able to cross over"

My heart immediately leapt at the sound of her name.

"Karina!" I exclaimed and General Reginald nodded.

"You didn't think we'd forgotten about her, did you Luna?" he asked.

I cringed, not knowing what to say. I hadn't told anyone till now how distressed I had been feeling about Karina, because they already had so many other things to worry about. But a part of my mind was perpetually thinking about Karina and wondering if she was okay.

Yesterday's events had taken a real toll on my body and I couldn't help but worry that something similar may have happened to Karina too, seeing as she too was so close to the wall.

And not to forget, the day after tomorrow was...

But I hadn't told anyone how worried I was knowing that they already had too many things on their mind.

Zuerien put a hand on top of my head, "Of course we know you're worried about Karina, Heart", he said gently, "And we promise you, we haven't forgotten about her. We just didn't tell you of our plans regarding her yesterday because you were already too exhausted from yesterday's events"

"Rest assured, she is as much of a priority for us as Megan is", General Reginald told me.

"Thank you", I replied gratefully and he nodded.

Alpha Ashford and his Beta and Delta then left to have a word with the search parties. General Reginald then turned to Zuerien and Cole.

"As we discussed last night, part of our group will be incharge of patrolling the border today", he said, "We're going to try and collect as much information from the BorderGuard as well as the border patrol wolves about Karina as well as Terrence. We'll give them Karina's details and ask if any sightings of such a woman have been made across the border, with or without Terrence. If they don't then we'll tell them to keep an eye out for her from now on. But if they have seen her, we need to try and get information from them about Karina's probable current whereabouts. Once we know where she is, it'll be easier for us to decide on the next plan of action"

"Also, like I already told you, when I was teleported to the border yesterday, I overheard the Shadow Guards speaking about 'their Lord' coming to check the general state of affairs in Dublin and I'm very sure that he'll visit the borders too", the General continued, "When he does is when we need to be most vigilant. If we can't find Karina herself, we need to trace Terrence's whereabouts. Its most likely that he is keeping her at the same place that he is staying at"

Zuerien and Cole nodded while I kept my heart from trying to burst out of my chest every time Terrence and Karina's names were mentioned together or in quick succession.

I was also worried about Zuerien. Surely the topic of Terrence Magnifis was far more vexing for him than anyone else here.

"But its also likely that wherever he is staying at is much further away from the border though", Cole thought out loud, "How will we get Karina close enough to the border so that we can reach her?"

"That's where we'll need help from the Luna Queen and Rino", General Reginald said making my eyebrows rise in surprise.

"The both of you have been able to mindlink her before, haven't you?" he said, "If you can mindlink her again and let her know of our intentions somehow, things will be much easier"

"Yes well that is also much easier said than done, Reginald", Alpha Penson said immediately, "Especially given Suzzanah's weakened condition"

"I'm not trying to put pressure on her", the General defended, "I'm just stating facts. If not her, then Rino. But I'm afraid this is a very important part of the plan. If we go in and try to rescue Karina without her knowing anything about us coming for her, she could think of us as just another insane supernatural race after her life, like the Shadow people are"

"That's true though", Cole said, "Especially because from what Suzzanah has told us about her interactions with her sister, I didn't get the impression that Karina was very fond of Supernaturals, be it the Shadow people or us werewolves"

I cringed, he was right. Every time I had spoken to Karina after the both of us had discovered the existence of Supernaturals, all she had told me was that I needed to stay away from them because they were dangerous.

I still remembered the day Rino had accidentally ended up mindlinking Karina out of the blue, and I had suddenly been able to join in too. I remembered clearly what Karina had said to me just before our mindlink had broken off abruptly that day.

"Anna, CEO Zuerien Royale is the leader of that other clan I told you about! The clan that is an enemy of the Shadow People! You need to stay the hell away from him! He's not human! And also, he is-"

And also he is...? What had she been about to say?

She hadn't been able to finish her sentence. Our mindlink to her had been cut off suddenly and ever since then neither I nor Rino had been able to mindlink her again, even though we had both tried countless times to do so.

"I'll try harder", I replied to General Reginald, "Even though its never worked after that one time during the Games, I'll still try as hard as possible to reestablish mindlink with my sister. I know its important, and I'll do my best, I promise"

General Reginald smiled, "Please do, but try not exert yourself beyond what you can handle"

I nodded.

"I'll teach Rino whatever he needs to know about mindlinking today", Alpha Penson said, "And first we'll make him practice with Suzzanah, seeing as he can mindlink her too. If he manages to do it, we'll try and get him to mindlink Karina and Prophecy. If we weren't on such risky terms with Megan right now, I would have liked to get him to try and mindlink her too"

"You think that there is a possibility that Rino can mindlink Prophecy and Megan as well?" Marco asked looking just as surprised as the rest of us.

"Yes I do believe there is a possibility, even though its very slight", Alpha Penson replied.

"But why only the women though? Why not try with us men too?" Cole asked.

"Because I don't think it'll work with Alphas", Alpha Penson replied, "I think its a Luna thing"

"Luna-thing?" All of us repeated, except Alpha Ashford, whom I had nearly forgotten was still here.

"We already know that Rino is the pre-destined Guardian and protector of one of the Lunas Extraordinaire", Alpha Penson said, "But even though it seems nearly certain that his Luna is Karina, he has had instances when he has reacted to objects or energies of other Lunas too. Like how he can feel his Luna's presence through those crystals which apparently have something to do with Megan"

He was right. Megan was the first person who ever gave me one of those crystals. And the second time those crystals appeared was right after her supernatural shadow helped me out when I had been tied up and locked in that wardrobe.

I shuddered at the thought of that incident and quickly shook it away. This was not the time for me to be indulging in or reliving such memories. But it did seem like Megan left those crystals around me for some specific purpose. And if Rino felt a strong connection to those crystals, it could mean that he was in some way connected to Megan too.

"Also, Rino has mindlinked Suzzanah as well, who happens to be the Luna Queen", Alpha Penson continued, "And let's not forget Prophecy. Even though Rino hasn't ever felt his Luna's presence around Prophecy, there is no denying the fact that those two have spent a lot of time together growing up. Out of all of us, I think the persons Rino has spent most time with are Alpha Zuerien and Prophecy. They even went to the same magic school together, and Rino was there the day Prophecy first manifested her powers as the Luna of Time"

By the time Alpha Penson had mentioned all those things, all our faces held knowing expressions.

"So you think Rino may be the predestined guardian of not just one but all the High Lunas?" Zuerien asked.

"No I wouldn't be so bold as make such a determined statement", Alpha Penson replied, "Rino is the predestined guardian of only one of the Lunas, but I feel like he has some kind of unseen bond with the others too. A bond that although not predestined, seems to somehow run in his blood"

"Think about it", he said thoughtfully, "Rino was destined to be a protector. He has protected Prophecy throughout her life, he has protected Suzzanah ever since he met her and he has uncanny connections with Megan and Karina too which may allow him to protect them in the future. But I think we might as well try and push our luck and see how far these connections can get him as of now"

Marco whistled, "Well isn't that a nice power to have. I wish I had such connections with the ladies too"

Everyone immediately gave Marco blank looks before we all exchanged glances, thinking about what Alpha Penson has said and letting all the information sink.

"If you can manage to get Suzzanah or Rino to mindlink Karina then we'll be able to proceed with much more ease", General Reginald said to Alpha Penson, "We just need to know certain key points. Try and find out from her where she is, provided she knows that. Regardless we'll do our best to try and trace her whereabouts at the border today anyway. Other than that, find out whatever she can tell you about the security around her. Also remember to ask her how long they will be staying in Dublin so we know how much time we have. In return, you need to let her know that we're coming to rescue her and we'll do so while she is still in Dublin"

Alpha Penson nodded, "If we manage to establish mindlink with her, we'll be sure to convey as many of these points to her as possible"

"But in case you don't have any time at all, just let her know about the day after tomorrow and that will be enough, for now at least", General Reginald added and the air in the room immediately turned thick.

Palpable tension filled the air and I gulped, trying not the let the anxiety get to me. I had been trying not to fret about the day, but then suddenly it was the day after tomorrow, and now I couldn't help but feel tense. Excited and tense. But mostly tense.

The day after tomorrow...

"Suzzanah", General Reginald said looking at me seriously, "Just so you know, even though the day after tomorrow is the day, we may not be able to rescue her on that very day. Unlike with Megan, Karina's rescue mission needs us to consider a lot of factors in addition to her distrust of Supernaturals. We need to ensure that the event of her disappearance from within the Shadow Territory does not immediately point to our involvement in the matter. If fact, the ideal situation would be if the Shadowers didn't even realize that we were the ones who had taken her, and thought of the event as her escaping and running away of her own accord."

"W-what?" I said surprised.

"If the Shadow people find out that we are involved directly in the matter, things may get dirty", Cole said, his expression grave, "Because for one reason or another, Terrence seems to have taken an interest in Karina. If he finds out we took her, the Shadow people may retaliate...violently"

"Which is why its best they don't find out", General Reginald said, "We can use the fact that Karina doesn't want to be with those people to our advantage here. And because she has tried to run away from them before, if they don't know of our involvement, they are most likely to consider that her disappearance equals her running away"

"But either way, the first place they'll suspect she would have gone will be into our territory", Marco said.

"True, but if they think she did it of her own will, and don't directly suspect us then they won't have any obvious reason to strike back", the General replied.

"They will try to get her back though", Alpha Penson said, making our gazes immediately shoot to him, "I'm sure they will, especially seeing as Karina has started to manifest some of her powers, as she told Suzzanah and Rino when she mindlinked them that day"

"I can do these really weird things that...that humans aren't supposed to be able to do!"

My heart rate spiked as I remembered what Karina had told me that day.

"You know how when I was younger, I could just fix things instantaneously by shaking them?! It still works! And it works on more than just fixing things. I feel like I have some weird power inside of me that just wants to break out"

She had told me some strange powers had started showing up, and I hadn't had the time to ask her what kind of powers they were or the extent to which she could use them.

But most importantly, I hadn't gotten a chance to ask her if the Shadow people knew about her abilities. Because if they did know, it would be all the more reason why they'd want to keep her with them. Especially if they found out that she was one of our lost Lunas.

"I don't think the Shadow People know that she is the Luna of Hearts yet", General Reginald said, "If they did, they wouldn't have kept it a secret. They'd make sure we knew that they possessed something that was precious to us and our kingdom"

"True, but just because they don't know that she may be Luna of Hearts, doesn't mean her powers won't still interest them", Alpha Penson replied, "We don't know what kind of abilities the Heart possesses, but I'm quite certain they're extraordinarily powerful. I don't see why any clan would want to lose someone with such powers"

"Besides, they already know that Karina has a sister in werewolf territory", Marco said, "If they find out that sister happens to be the Luna Queen, not just the chosen Queen but the King's actual soulmate, not only will they hang onto Karina tighter, they'll definitely try and come after the Queen too"

Fiery anger immediately seared through my veins and all our eyes zeroed in on Zuerien who was suddenly radiating enormous amounts of terrifying power. His eyes were hard, features dark, barely masking his contained anger underneath.

Everyone immediately tensed and Cole quickly cleared his throat.

"We need to ensure that no matter what, they don't find out that Karina's sister is the Queen", he said and although I knew he was right, a part of me couldn't help but wonder why.

Why were they always so paranoid about the Shadow people coming after me? Why did they think that the they would try and take me?

I understood the whole enmity between the two clans. I understood that they were worried about the Shadowers taking their Queen away, but seeing as the two clans had, at least for the time being, managed to make some kind of peace between each other- one that kept them from openly waging war against one another- why were the werewolves so worried?

Wouldn't kidnapping the Luna Queen be considered a huge offence in the Elite Council of Overseers which governed all Supernaturals?

And even if the Shadow people didn't care about the council, taking the Queen would essentially be no different than waging a war against the werewolves. I knew the Shadow People were strong, but so were the werewolves and the Shadow People knew that. They were outnumbered by the werewolves too, so why would they still take me?

Was it to kill me? Was it so that they could get some kind of twisted satisfaction out of the Werewolf Kingdom's grief?

But even so was that satisfaction enough of a prize that they'd be willing to face any consequences it would bring. Were they prepared for the kind of retaliation they would call upon themselves if they killed me?

Alternatively, they could possibly want me so that they could use me as a hostage. As a bargaining tool to get something they wanted. But that's where the main question lay.

What did they want?

What did they want from us?

Was it land? Territory? Was it the throne? The power to rule over the werewolves?

Or was it something completely different. Something I didn't know about.

Yet...

"And more importantly", Cole continued, "We must ensure that they don't find out that she is the King's actual soulmate. All Supernaturals must know by now that the Alpha King has named his Queen, but only the werewolves know for certain that she is his soulmate and not just his chosen Queen"

There it was again, that talk about the 'chosen Queen'. What did they mean by that?

"Most of the other Supernaturals are still unsure of the fact that she is his real mate and perhaps its best to keep it that way for a short while longer", Cole said and everyone nodded, with the exception of yours truly.

"I've been meaning to ask for like forever", I said quickly, "But what in the world do you guys mean when you say the King's chosen mate and soulmate. What's the difference?"

At first everyone looked surprised at my question before they all looked at Zuerien to answer the question and I followed their gazes, doing the same.

Zuerien's eyes met mine, chocolate brown eyes swirling with shades of obsidian.

"In the grave event that the King's soulmate...passes away", Zuerien told me, his voice soft as he spoke, "Or that the King never finds his soulmate who can be crowned the rightful Luna Queen, every Alpha King is given the right to choose a Queen of his liking upon his coronation"

He paused for a second, which was enough time for his pain to seep into my blood making worry well up inside of me.

"And upon my coronation, because I was not just the Alpha King but also the Alpha of Power, I had no choice but to opt for that particular alternative", Zuerien told me, his grip around me tightening.

"What?" I asked confused, "I don't understand. Why?"

"Because I didn't believe I would ever find my soulmate", he replied making my chest ache at the sound of his burdened words, "I didn't think I had one. And the Kingdom needed a Queen, so I gave the verdict that I would choose a Queen of my liking when I felt that the time was right. That, or if I didn't find one by the time I turned 25, the High Council would choose a suitable candidate instead, and if I approved, she would be crowned the Luna Queen"

"Oh..." I said quietly, before forcing a smile, "W-well, the ladies must have had a field day then huh? Seeing as everyone now stood a chance to be Queen?"

My joke wasn't well received, and everyone suddenly looked like I had punched them in the guts.

"W-what?" I asked concerned.

"Well, in the werewolf kingdom, things don't quite work like that", Cole told me, "Everyone has predestined mates, and although there are wolves who want to defy destiny and choose a partner of their liking, most werewolves love and cherish their mates. So yes there were women who were ecstatic at the thought of having a chance with the King, but for the most part everyone was just deeply saddened that their King didn't have a soulmate and that the Kingdom wouldn't have a true Queen"

"And well, one thing you must know by now about werewolves Suzzanah", Alpha Penson said, "is that they believe very strongly in fate and destiny. That even if an Alpha's partner comes from a weak background, if she is his soulmate, then she was destined to be by his side. To be a Luna, and is therefore perfect for the position"

"And that is the reason why a lot of werewolves were prejudiced about the person who would get chosen to be the future Queen", he said, "Most of them believed that no one would ever truly deserve the position except the King's true soulmate. But because the King didn't have one, they didn't have a choice but to accept whoever was chosen"

He smiled at me, "That is also why, the minute all the werewolves found out that you weren't just his chosen Queen but also his true soulmate, they were both shocked and absolutely exhilarated", he said.

It is also probably the reason why those werewolves attacked you and locked you up in that wardrobe during the Games, Alpha Penson mindlinked me, his voice somber and eyes regretful, Because they didn't think you, a human at that, were good enough to take their true Luna Queen's place. They knew they'd have to serve a rightfully chosen Queen at some point in time, but they didn't want it to be someone they thought their King was just with for a short while.

And...it was also why, when they found out that you were really his true soulmate, they regretted what they had done so very profoundly.

My lips parted in shock at his revelation as I remembered the things those people had said when they beat me and shoved me into that wardrobe.

"I don't care even if Alpha Royale is infatuated with her for now. I will never serve anyone but the one woman rightfully chosen as Luna!"

So that's why...

Alpha Penson cut-off mindlink, "Remember Suzzanah", he said gently, "You are one of our most treasured Luna Queens"

Everyone smiled at me, eyes tender and adoring, making my heart swell with warmth inside of me. I felt Zuerien's affection and pride flowing through my veins as he caressed my head lovingly.

"Thank you...", was all I was able to breathe out, too overwhelmed to say anything else. There were too many emotions bombarding my mind right now, but on the whole, I felt immensely grateful.

Karina...I've finally found my home.

A place you would approve of, I'm sure.

And people you would love, just as much as I do.

"I'm really thankful to have been born your Luna", I said wholeheartedly, "And I'm sure Megan and Karina will feel the same way"

Everyone exchanged hopeful looks.

"We hope so too", General Reginald said, "And that before we leave Dublin, we'll have both the Luna of Intercession and Hearts back with us"

We all nodded in agreement. If all went well, we would have both our lost Lunas back before we left Dublin. My heart warmed at the thought of us all being together again, and reuniting with my sister after so long.

"Alright, then. Shall we get going?" Cole asked and the men nodded.

"As discussed, John and Rino will be remaining with Luna Suzzanah", General Reginald said, looking at Alpha Penson with a raised eyebrow, "I have to say I am curious as to what you said you have planned for them"

Alpha Penson smiled halfheartedly, "Its nothing that would be of any interest to you, I'm sure, General"

The General's brow twitched in irritation and I cringed uncomfortably. Their distaste of each other was a little too blatantly obvious at times.

But honestly, I too, was very curious as to what Alpha Penson had planned for us. I had wanted to ask him earlier but forgot about it as I had gotten too sucked into thinking about what Elder Abé had said.

Noticing me watching him expectantly, Alpha Penson gave me a little smile.

"I'll tell you as soon as Rino gets here", he said and I nodded.

"Speaking of Rino, where in the world is he?" I asked, "Oh no! His ice cream must have melted!"

I worried looked into the ice-cream bag I had but found the ice-cream perfectly frosty. Well, would you look at that!

"Its non-melting ice-cream Queen", Marco told me, "It only melts once its in your mouth. Foods in the our realms are often enhanced magically for the sake of us Supernaturals"

"That's incredible!" I said, very impressed by the melt-proof ice-cream.

God knew I would have saved myself loads of embarrassment revolving around melting ice-cream had I gotten my hands on something like this sooner in life.

But wait I thought Kai said he doesn't like ice-cream because it melts and drips everywhere, I mindlinked Zuerien.

Werewolves tend to produce a lot of body heat, Zuerien replied, And its further amplified in our case because we're Fire Elementals. So even this so called melt- proof ice cream melts in our hands

We're too hot for this world, Kai added proudly and I mentally face-palmed.

Kai...

"And well, Rino must be on his way downstairs as we speak", Cole said as we broke off mindlink, "Lets wait for him outside"

"Yeah", I said and we all headed out of the meeting room.

We walked out of the alternative doorway I had seen earlier. Outside, three to four large vehicles were parked by the pavement, with smartly dressed chauffeurs standing in attention by the car doors. There were already several people outside, and I guessed these were the people General Reginald had chosen from among the members of the Ashford Pack for today's Search Parties. They were all standing in small groups engaged in deep conversation, but the minute they saw Zuerien, all of them quieted down and bowed deeply.

"King, Queen", they greeted in such perfect unison that it almost sounded like a symphony.

"Rise", Zuerien replied with the same powerful dominance that always left me a little breathless.

Zuerien and the others then went up to their respective groups to give them the final orders before they departed. I noticed that the League's Wizards were already with the search parties.

Zuerien had already spoken to the Overseer about Mr. Talon coming to look through the Book of Royals, and the Overseer had agreed to help him in whatever way possible to find that blue-green eyed ghost's true identity. And he had also said that he would keep in touch with both Zuerien and Alpha Penson via mindlink about the matter.

I could see Elder Abé conversing with Marco, alongside a tall, skeptical looking dark haired man whom I presumed was Master Heinrich Gonzales, the third member of the League of Magic. Alpha Penson had said he had impeccable tracking skills. I hoped they would be able to find Megan.

In the meantime, I and Alpha Penson went over to the sitting area and sat down. A group of seven large and well-built warriors led by Delta Neil stood around the two of us protectively while still giving us some space, as we waited for Rino.

He was on his way back from Prophecy's room now, after having unintentionally driven Lady Yolanda out of there, or so I heard. Perhaps there was someone else in our group other than Zuerien who Lady Yolanda was wary of after all, I thought amusedly.

From where I sat, I could see Lady Yolanda talking to a troubled looking Beta Darren and an aloof Alpha Ashford. Apparently the two of them had accompanied her to Prophecy's room earlier. I was well aware that Lady Yolanda found the lack of proper responses to her offensive, so I couldn't help but wonder if Alpha Ashford was secretly getting on her nerves. By the looks of it, he didn't seem to care either way.

Prophecy hadn't woken up yet, for which a lot of us were secretly thankful, seeing as the mother and daughter weren't on the best of terms. Alpha Penson had instructed the Beta female Laura to let him know immediately in case she woke up, because there were many important issues he wanted to discuss with her, especially regarding her recent teleportations.

But I had the feeling that if she did wake up, she'd want to join one of the search parties and not stay back with us. And seeing as Lady Yolanda was going in search of the beast, I was quite sure Prophecy would opt to hunt for Megan instead.

Hunt...

I cringed at how the word had come to me so naturally. In all honesty, the way things looked right now, it did feel more like a hunt than a search. As we had walked to the sitting area, I had overheard the talks between the groups. I had heard them strategizing about how to surround Megan, and how to corner her in a way that she didn't have any chance to escape.

I knew they weren't planning on harming her in any way, but I also couldn't deny that the way in which they were trying to retrieve her seemed more like a plan to capture a dangerous animal than one to bring home a most beloved Luna.

And given the kind of mindset Megan was probably in right now, I didn't think such an approach would help her see us in the kind of positive light we needed her to.

I wish there was another way...

"Something bothering you, dear one?"

I turned to Alpha Penson who was watching me with an inquisitive look in his wise eyes. I sighed heavily, feeling sad.

"I don't know..." I said quietly and Alpha Penson leaned forward attentively, waiting for me to continue.

"You know Alpha Penson, last night I was thinking", I said, "Isn't what we're trying to do to Megan...the same as what the Shadow People have done to my sister? Capturing her against her will and keeping her in a place where she doesn't want to be. When that thought came to mind, I started having my doubts about our plan to bring Megan. I started to wonder if we're really doing the right thing..."

Alpha Penson remained quiet, hearing me out attentively.

"But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it really wasn't the same", I went on, "Because unlike how it is with my sister, Megan is actually precious to us. We won't keep her locked up, away from her friends or family against her will. We'll only try and protect her while she goes about whatever it is she wants to do"

"But what really reassured me of our actions being justifiable was the reason Megan had given me for her hiding. For her running away", I said, recollecting her words, "Its not that she doesn't want to be around us, its that she thinks she can't. She hates her powers, but that's probably because she doesn't know how to use them yet. I feel like what she needs isn't isolation, it's support. It's encouragement and appreciation. And I know we can give it to her. I know...that when we find her, we'll do everything in our power to make her happy while also keeping her safe"

"So then...what's the problem?" Alpha Penson asked me and I looked at where the search parties had gathered.

"I just...I feel like even though we're doing what's right, we're not being kind about it", I said thoughtfully, my heart feeling heavy, "I just wish there was another way we could get her to join us. A more willing way. One that didn't involve sending warriors to hunt her down and corner her. Especially because I know Megan. She isn't the kind of person who would defend herself by intentionally attacking or hurting anyone. She's...she's scared. I just wish we could do this in a more considerate way"

Alpha Penson thought about what I had said, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

"What do you think, Suzzanah?" he asked softly, "How would you rather go about this?"

His perfectly worded question immediately sparked the train of thought that had been itching to ignite in in my mind. I looked back at him to find him smiling at me, his dark orbs glinting knowingly. I held his gaze, letting my eyes convey my thoughts to him. And by the subtle change of expression on his face, I knew he approved.

"Hey John! Anna!" Rino came running up to us, "Sorry to keep you waiting"

"Rino!" we both said smiling.

"Profussy's seems to be doing alright", Rino said, "She looked like she was in deep sleep but at the same time, she also looked like she would shoot out of bed any minute so I just kept extending my time with her by one minute at a time and before I knew it, it was late. Time really does fly sometimes"

Yeah...it sure does...

"I'm glad Prophecy's doing alright", I said, "And Rino, here. For you"

I showed him the ice-cream and his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"FOR ME?!" he exclaimed joyously, "Oh thank you Anna!" he said and without warning, engulfed me in a tight bear hug.

Almost immediately a wave of fiery jealousy and annoyance tore through me and my eyes instantly shot towards Zuerien to find him glaring violently at Rino from the distance while everyone around him looked as pale as terrified ghosts.

Its okay! Its okay Zuerien! I quickly mindlinked, Take a deep breath please

I'm going to kill him if he doesn't let you go in the next half second!

My eyes widened in alarm and I hurriedly pulled away from Rino and handed him his ice cream which he accepted with a wide grin.

I turned to Zuerien.

There, happy? I said with a smile and I heard him huff as he turned back to the group, looking satisfied.

I giggled to myself. He just acted all tough, but on the inside I knew he was a big softie, my Alpha wolf. I then turned back to Rino. He had settled down next to Alpha Penson happily, smiling to himself as he admired and twirled the ice-cream cup in his hands, admiring the colorful dessert from all sides.

I shook my head, smiling affectionately at him. The more I looked at him, the more familiar Rino seemed to become. The more precious he looked to my mind's eye.

In fact, when I thought about it, it strangely seemed that way with everyone here suddenly.

Alpha Penson, Cole, Marco, Rino, Prophecy, General Reginald and of course Mr. Talon. The more time I spent with them, even as the seconds ticked by now, the more they all seemed to grow on me in an almost ancient sense.

Their presences felt more and more familiar, which was understandable seeing as I had spent so much time with them by now, but it wasn't just that. It seemed deeper than what the naked eye could see. It felt older than the time that flowed now.

It all seemed undeniably...nostalgic.

Almost like...

Like it had felt with that beast in the woods yesterday.

Like déjà vu!

What?!

Just as suddenly as that thought occurred to me, it also dispersed from my mind, like a feel of one's breath on my skin, so fleeting that I almost didn't catch it at all.

Almost.

What...was that...?

"Suzzanah?"

I snapped out of my thoughts to find both Rino and Alpha Penson looking at me questioningly.

"Is something wrong, Suzzanah?" Alpha Penson asked and I blinked, almost feeling like I was awakening from a daze of sorts.

"N-no I...I'm fine", I replied in breathy voice, "I just suddenly...felt like..."

"Felt like?" Rino asked, tilting his head to the side.

I looked at them for a second longer.

"I felt like...I knew you guys", I said quietly making both of their brows furrow.

I took a deep breath before adding, "Like I knew you guys...for much longer than I actually do"

Rino grinned at my statement cheerfully, but Alpha Penson continued to watch me, almost as though deliberating something mysterious in that infinitely astute mind of his. But just as I was about to ask him about it, he closed his eyes and smiled.

Almost as if to himself.

"Well..." he said quietly, "Maybe you do"

"What?" I asked confused.

"You're an ancient soul, dear one", he told me softy, "Some things are bound to seem...familiar to you"

Did he mean this had something to do with me being the reincarnation of the Luna Ethereal?

When I continued to stare at him expectantly, he shook his head.

"Its nothing", he replied reflectively, "Nothing to worry about, I'm sure"

I frowned, "Alpha Penson!"

"One step at a time, my Queen", he said meaningfully, making me lean back into my seat.

'We'll talk about this later', was what he meant and I sighed.

Why are you so stingy when it came to giving us answers? I asked him and he smiled amusedly.

I'm not stingy, I'm careful, he replied, I can't afford to mislead you

But you can guide me though, I replied.

Oh I would, he said, dark eyes glinting mysteriously, But you don't seem to need a guide at all. In fact, you're the one guiding us, dear one

My eyes widened, What?

"Hey hey hey! Don't do that! No mind-telephoning allowed!" Rino suddenly said, waving his spoon in the air between me and Alpha Penson, snapping us out of our mindlink.

"Rino", I said looking back at him.

"What were you guys talking about? I want to know too!" Rino said and I narrowed my eyes at Alpha Penson.

"I would tell you if I knew, bud", I replied, "But somebody's being a bad parent and keeping secrets again"

Alpha Penson chuckled, "I'm not, trust me", he replied, raising his hands in surrender, "I only know what you tell me, dear one"

"And I apparently don't know that either", Rino added matter-of-factly making me smile at him helplessly.

"Honestly, neither do I", I replied, and even though our entire conversation made no sense to anyone except Alpha Penson, I felt a sense of comfort just knowing that he knew.

One step at a time, he had said. Oh well, if the Alpha of Wisdom said so, it was probably the best thing to do.

So then, on to the matter at hand.

Turning my gaze back to Rino, I leaned closer to him, "Hey bud, I meant to ask. Do you still have those crystals you had been carrying around all this time?" I asked him, "You know, the ones that radiate your Luna's aura"

"Oh yeah! I have them right here", he said putting a spoonful of ice-cream into his mouth before he dug into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a chain, "Ta-daa!" he exclaimed, showing me the thin chain that had the crystals hanging off of it like beads. There were 8 in total including the one Megan had given me.

"John told me I should hang onto them and had the guys who made that bracelet of yours craft this too, to make it easier to carry around", he told me, "The crystals come off the chain quite easily too, just like lockets. I was going to wear it around my neck but for some reason Wolfa and the others told me not to"

I and Alpha Penson gave each other blank looks.

Well of course they did.

"Would you like to wear it Anna?" he asked as I inspected the lovely chain, rolling the glittering crystals between my fingers.

I shook my head, "Thank you, but please keep it with you", I replied, knowing that the crystals had sentimental value to Rino. They made him feel closer to his Luna, and also helped him stay in tune with her presence.

His usually brown eyes were perpetually blue-rimmed nowadays, because he kept the crystals with him at all times, and their aura made his eyes glow blue.

"Here", I said, handing him back the chain, "But if I may, I'd like to keep just one crystal"

"Sure!" Rino said and I took one crystal off the chain and tucked it into my pocket securely.

"Enjoy your ice-cream Rino", I said as he now tried to force feed it to Alpha Penson, "I'll be right back"

"W-where to dear one?" Alpha Penson asked, in the middle of trying to dodge the ice-cream spoon.

"Just to have a word with Marco", I told him and hurried over to where Marco was.

A team of wolves immediately followed me and I sighed, feeling awkward. Having bodyguards was almost unsettling in a way.

Where to? Zuerien asked and I smiled.

You perpetually have an eye on me, don't you? I asked amusedly.

Both eyes and my entire mind, he corrected me and I bit back a laugh.

To speak to Marco, I replied.

Anything I need to worry about? he asked.

I smiled, No

Alright then, he said, And watch out for the pebble in front of you

I gave him a blank look, Really Steroid?

Really Heart, he replied, Because only you could go and snub your toe on it and give me a heart attack

You seem to have a weak heart, my King, I joked.

In the distance, I saw him smile.

No, he said gently, his spellbinding gaze never leaving mine, My heart is strongest part of my being

His words warmed my soul right down to its core and I felt love bubbling up inside of me once more.

Go on, he said and I nodded at him, my eyes brimming with unfathomable adoration as I watched him.

He nodded back at me before turning back to his group members. Marco was already waiting for me as I approached him.

"Ah! I'm getting so much attention from the Queen today. I'm feeling lucky", he said, putting a hand over his heart as he grinned at me, " So what's up?"

I looked back at my bodyguards, "May I have a word with Alpha Marco alone please?" I said and they immediately bowed and gave us space. As did the others around us and Marco immediately turned serious.

"Queen, are you alright?" he asked concernedly and I nodded.

"I'm okay, but I needed to speak with you", I said and he nodded, waiting expectantly for me to go on.

Megan...I hope you'll understand...

I took a deep breath and then looked him in the eye.

"Marco, I need a favor"

*****

As I walked back to Alpha Penson and Rino, I silently hoped that we would find Megan as soon as possible. Now that I had spoken to Marco, I was feeling a little bit lighter and I was ready to hear what Alpha Penson had planned for us today. But I was surprised to find him and Rino standing by one of the large vehicles parked by the side of the pavement.

"Are we going somewhere?" I asked surprised and Alpha Penson nodded.

We're heading out, Zuerien suddenly mindlinked us all and we turned to look at where he stood.

We wish you luck, Alpha, Alpha Penson replied.

Be safe! I added, All of you!

We should be the one telling you that, Zuerien replied.

True, Marco added.

We'll come and get you at the end of the day, Cole said, I hope you have a productive one, John, Lu-Suzzanah.

Oh we will, I'm sure, Alpha Penson said making me narrow my eyes at him.

What was he planning?!

John, I'm leaving her to you and Rino, but mostly to you, Zuerien said, I don't want a scratch on her

You have my word for it, Alpha, Alpha Penson replied firmly.

I then felt more than saw Zuerien's eyes zero in on mine and my heart fluttered instantly.

Please be okay today, my Suzzanah, he said softly, almost desperately via private mindlink and I smiled lovingly at him as I nodded.

I will, my love, I replied and his affection immediately flooded my veins.

He held my gaze for a second longer before returning to the collective mindlink.

We're off then, he announced and I and Alpha Penson nodded.

Delta Neil and the other warrior wolves with us bowed to him and he and the others set out towards the surrounding woods where I assumed they would shift. Hopefully when they come to get us from wherever we were going, they would do so either in their wolf forms or as humans with the bare minimum of coverings on.

"What's going on? Why is everyone just randomly spacing out and bowing and nodding at nothing?" Rino asked looking utterly confused as he inspected the air around us wide-eyed, "Are you guys brain-calling without me again?"

I and Alpha Penson exchanged apologetic looks.

"Sorry Rino", we said together and he sighed, scratching his head.

"I wish I could brain-ring too", he said longingly.

I wished that too. But then...sometimes he could. He could mindlink me and...

He could mindlink Karina.

Karina...

The thought of my sister immediately made my carefully contained emotions of anxiety, worry and fear resurface with a vengeance and I quickly tried to compose myself. Many times since that mind-boggling incident by the final wall yesterday that had cost me a fragment of my soul, I had thought about Karina and nearly lost myself to bout of panic. Questions about her bombarded my mind left and right.

Why was Karina so close to the final wall?

What had happened to her?

Why had I felt that losing a part of my soul and sending it across the wall would help her somehow?

And most important of all...

Was Karina okay?

And the only reason I could remain calm right now was because a part of me knew the answer to the last question.

Karina...was okay. Maybe not perfect. Maybe not as healthy as she could get. But she was...okay. How did I know? I just...did. Somehow, I couldn't explain it, but I just did.

And it was...reassuring.

Also, after hearing the plans Zuerien and the others had to try and retrieve Karina, I felt a little more positive that things would be okay.

Closing my eyes, I counted down the days. It was the 26th of July today.

The day after tomorrow...

Please hang in there Karina...

"So, where are we going?" I asked, forcing myself to think about the matter at hand.

Alpha Penson opened the car door for us, "To do some much needed research", he replied.

"Research?" Both I and Rino asked surprised as we climbed into the car.

"That's right", Alpha Penson nodded, "We're going to try and solve some mysteries using the resources we already have"

Rino and I exchanged confused looks.

"So...where are we going again?" I asked a second time and Alpha Penson smiled.

"We're going to the library"

*****

"So there's a Central library in Ireland too?" I asked amazed as we got out of the car.

The ride to the library had been a considerably long one, because Delta Neil had been making sure to not take any routes that passed close to the border, and also a rather uncomfortable one - for me at least- seeing as we travelled as an intimidating fleet of giant black SUVs, tearing down the cement roads like we freakin owned the place.

So much for maintaining a low profile!

"Yes it does", Alpha Penson replied to my question, "Its not the Central library though. The Central library is the one back in the States. Its the oldest dated library in Werewolf history and has a more extensive range of material as compared to the one here, but nevertheless the Dublin House of Wood is one of the most celebrated libraries in the world. It offers content on a very large variety of subjects, both Natural and Supernatural, which we are going to be making thorough use of today"

I nodded, "But is this library exclusive to Supernaturals too?" I asked.

"No, not all of it at least, am I right Delta Neil?" Alpha Penson asked.

Delta Neil nodded, "The humans are free to come and explore the Open grounds of the library which contains documents concerning their world as well as very superficial and fictional parts of our world", he told us, "But they of course, cannot enter the Restricted grounds of the library. Those are accessible only to us Supernaturals and contain all the authentic manuscripts of our realms"

"Oh..."

I stared at Delta Neil as he walked ahead of us. This was the maximum I had ever heard him speak. As I observed him, I noticed that he too was a large man of few words, much like his Alpha Dominic Ashford, but even though they were alike, they seemed to have their fundamental differences.

I didn't know why but I got a feeling that unlike Alpha Ashford, who remained quiet because he didn't want to or feel the need to contribute to the conversation, Delta Neil seemed to do so because of different reasons. Reasons I didn't know.

Out of the three high wolves of the Ashford Pack, Delta Neil was the one I had seen least of, but whenever he was around, I couldn't help but feel like there was an aura of melancholia all around him.

Something about him was just so...sad. And it was very evident, as though it were a more recent occurrence.

As though it were a fresh wound.

My eyes involuntarily shot to his neck where his gruesome scar peeked out ever so slightly from underneath the collar of his shirt. Then, suddenly feeling like I was staring at something really personal, I immediately averted my gaze.

Whatever had happened with him wasn't any of my business, nor was it my place to pry or snoop. I just hoped his wounds, wherever they may be, would heal soon.

The Dublin library was more impressive than a lot of industrial buildings I had seen in my lifetime. Like most of the Supernatural dominant establishments I had been to, this place too was surrounded on all sides by thick green forestation as far as the eye could see. The air around here was fresh and peaceful and I instantly felt calmer being here, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The entrance to the library was so luxurious and impressive that I was instantly starstruck. Two large trees bent over each other, crisscrossing and forming an elegant natural arch over the entry gate that read 'House of Wood', carved into the wood in bold, sophisticated calligraphy.

Wooden doors then opened into a ginormous and lavish hall which was the ground floor of the library itself. With wooden floorboards, wooden tables, wooden chairs, wooden bookshelves, wooden ladders, wooden sculptures and lots and lots of wood-derived paper, this place sported more wood than I had even seen in- well, the woods!

I mentally gawked saucer-eyed and flabbergasted at how faithful this place was to its name and supposed theme. This was certainly an impressive way to drive the point home.

Even the scent of this place was woodsy! And as we walked in, I inhaled deeply, savoring it. It reminded me of Zuerien.

"Whoaaa!" Rino said, looking around, "This place is neat!"

"It is, isn't it?" Alpha Penson said smiling appreciatively, "And I think they've expanded since the last time I was here"

So basically this gigantic place got even bigger?!

"There must be hundreds of books in here", I said looking around wide-eyed.

"Thousands actually", Alpha Penson said making me look at him thunderstruck.

Thousands?! Just how and where did he expect us to begin this 'research' of ours then? And when did he expect us to finish it?!

One step at a time Suzzanah, I reminded myself as Delta Neil led us to the librarian's desk.

Earlier, when we were about to enter the library, our army of body guards had surrounded us, making it impossible to even see where we were headed. Alpha Penson had said that Zuerien had specifically ordered for the heavy protection and I wasn't really opposed to it, but I knew that we'd attract a lot of unnecessary attention if we walked into a public library looking like the mafia.

"I don't think we need this much protection inside the library Delta Neil", I had stated uncomfortably, a few minutes before we entered the library, "Maybe its best for all these men to go about the library and act natural instead of forming a human shield around us, huh?"

I had said it uncertainly and with complete trust that he wouldn't give in, so I was pleasantly shocked when he bowed curtly and said, "As you wish, my Queen", and gave out my 'orders' to the other guards who also bowed and dispersed immediately.

Now, only Delta Neil remained by our side as I, Alpha Penson and Rino made our way to the librarian's station, while the rest of the men had spread out across the library, keeping an eye on us from a distance and freaking random people out occasionally as they peeked at us through gaps in the bookshelves.

I mentally shook my head, sighing heavily. It honestly was a miracle Supernaturals had managed to keep their identity secret from the humans for so many centuries.

As we reached the librarian's desk, we found it to be vacant and apparently we needed one of librarians to take us to the wing where they kept all the books belonging to the Supernatural Realms.

Leaving us by the desk, Delta Neil quickly made his way towards one of the many many aisles of books to find the duty librarian. I took that opportunity to admire the general splendor of the library. It was as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside.

At many places throughout the ginormous hall, there were elegant and comfortable seating arrangements made for people to sit down and read to their hearts content. There was also a cozy little set-up where they offered refreshments and beverages which was very convenient in case someone craved coffee or cookies and cakes while reading.

Although I personally loved reading, I hadn't been to all that many public libraries in my life. Smiling to myself, I took a deep breath, relishing the feeling of now being in a library so spectacular. It felt good!

"So..." I said, turning to Alpha Penson, "What exactly are we going to be researching today?"

"Pretty much everything", Alpha Penson replied, "Everything relevant to us, that is. That includes going through books on werewolves, soulmates, mindlinking, the werewolf council, wizardry, magic, Supernatural history, different kinds of Supernaturals and their abilities, and of course, whatever little we can find about..the Shadow people"

"All that in one day?!" I asked stupefied.

"Oh not just in one day", Alpha Penson replied, "We'll be coming back here tomorrow too, Suzzanah"

I nodded, looking forward to knowing more about everything and hopefully, finally getting some answers.

I didn't know if Alpha Penson heard, but my heart rate had immediately spiked at the mention of the Shadow People. I had thought I knew enough about them from what Mr. Talon had told me at the Annual Games, but that was mostly about their past and how they evolved. And today, while we had been conversing in the meeting hall this morning, I realized that I actually, didn't know anything about the present Shadower Clan at all. Nothing except that they were...

Enemies

"We'll be studying a lot of different things today while trying to correlate them with what's happening in our lives right now", Alpha Penson told me, "There will be lots of information so try not to let it intimidate you. Ask me questions whenever you don't understand things and I'll explain them to you as best as I can"

And probably end up leaving us even more confused too, I thought.

"So we'll all be reading today?" Rino asked once he had finished admiring and even imitating some of the lovely wooden sculptures around us.

"Suzzanah and I will be reading", Alpha Penson replied, "And you're welcome to read too, if you want to Rino. But if not, you'll be listening to us and your input will be important so be sure to pay attention, okay?"

Rino grinned, "Right!" he said.

"Also, we'll be working on your mindlinking skills today Rino", Alpha Penson added, immediately making Rino's eyes light up.

"REALLY? YAAAS!" he cried out and we quickly shushed him when others around us turned to silently glare at us.

"Yes", Alpha Penson said softly, "You'll be practicing hard"

"Aye Aye Captain John!" Rino said excitedly, "I can't wait! I've always loved the concept of mindlinking"

"I'm glad you're enthusiastic about it", Alpha Penson said, "Suzzanah, you'll be helping him out initially and when it comes to finally mindlinking Karina, you'll be working together to try and reach her"

I and Rino grinned at each before nodding, "Okay"

"Oh, and there comes Delta Neil", Alpha Penson said and we all turned to look his way.

He walked up to us, while conversing with a young, short brown haired boy wearing thick glasses and using a walking stick. And the first thought that came to my mind when I saw him was, 'I wonder what kind of Supernatural he is'.

"Mr. Penson, this is Gale. One of the duty librarians of the West Wing of the library and an acquaintance of mine", Delta Neil told us, "Apparently the duty librarian of the East Wing where we need to go is off duty so he's filling in for him too, today"

And he's a human, he told us through mindlink making my eyes widen.

Whoa! Finally a human like myself! They had started to seem like something of a rarity.

But wait, weren't we supposed to head to the 'restricted grounds' of the library which were only accessible to the Supernaturals? How would a human lead us there?

"Delighted to make your acquaintance!" Gale, the librarian said enthusiastically as he bowed to us. He spoke with a thick English accent which was pleasant to the ear.

"Hello Gale", Alpha Penson said with a cordial smile.

Gale grinned, his face shining with glee for some reason.

Delta Neil was about to say something but the glowing boy beat him to it, adding vivaciously, "Please allow me to take this opportunity to make known to you that I thoroughly approve of, and appreciate the interest you and your kin are showing the literary world, Mr. Penson! I am truly ecstatic at your being here!"

Immediately all three of us were taken aback. Okay...this boy may be a little too vibrant. And what was up with his way of talking. Now, I wasn't a very good judge of Englishmen but somehow, to me, it almost seemed like this boy spoke a little like then olden day gentlemen did back in the Georgian Era.

Was I just imagining it?

"Uh, thank you Gale", Alpha Penson said, looking amused, "I'm happy to be here. These are my companions, Master Rino Perez-"

He gestured to Rino who grinned and waved at Gale. He actually seemed to like that this boy seemed a little...eccentric.

"Hi there!" he said and Gale nodded at him with a bright smile.

"Its a pleasure, Master Perez!" he replied happily.

"And Ms. Suzzanah Winters", Alpha Penson said gesturing to me and I quickly smiled.

"Hello", I said and Gale turned to look at me with the same smile only to be stunned into silence, his eyes going wide as he stared at me.

Immediately all of us exchanged looks, with all three men looking over me to see if something was off about my appearance. When they found nothing at all, they looked back at the librarian who was still staring at me, looking almost...starstruck.

Alpha Penson's eyes widened almost immediately in something resembling recognition while Rino and Delta Neil stared between me and Gale, the former enquiringly and the latter suspiciously.

"Umm...?" I fidgeted awkwardly, not knowing what to do while the human lad continued to make googly-eyes at me.

I could feel a lot of sudden onset admiration and adoration radiating off of him too, for some reason.

"I...I uh, I...", Gale fumbled on his words, still looking dazed as he stared at me, dumbfounded.

A second later Delta Neil landed a sharp slap behind the boy's head making him cry out in pain and snap out of his trance.

"Owowowowow! O'Neil!" Gale exclaimed shocked as he finally tore his gaze away from me to look at Delta Neil.

"What the hell are you doing gawking at my Lu-lady like that?!" Delta Neil growled out glaring at the boy who immediately gasped and shook his head.

"O-Oh! I beg your pardon!" he said, quickly turning back to me and bowing, "I'm so sorry miss"

"Huh? Oh! Hey don't worry about it", I said, waving my palm in the air, "Nice to meet you Gale"

"I'm honored!" he cried out eagerly making my eyes go wide while Alpha Penson turned his head to the side and bit back an obvious laugh.

"Y-Yeah", I said stupidly, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh! I'll go get the keys you'll need at once!" Gale said before hurrying to the librarian's desk.

He pulled out a thick bunch of keys from the drawer and then began entering in some data into a ledger next to him.

"What was with that intense stare down?" Rino asked me as, "Do you know that Gale guy Anna?"

I shook my head, "No...? At least, I don't think so"

"Well, I think he likes you", Rino stated matter-of-factly making my eyes go wide while Delta Neil's jaw dropped in horror.

Rinooo!

I laughed, "What? No. Don't be silly bud", I said, but for some reason Delta Neil still looked uneasy.

I apologize for that, my Queen, Delta Neil suddenly mindlinked me worriedly.

Huh? What do you mean? What are you apologizing for?

Well because-

"To the East Wing, am I right?" Gale asked, interrupting our mindlink.

"Yes", Alpha Penson and Delta Neil replied together.

"Alright. Please come this way", Gale said, smiling at us, his gaze shooting back to me before he turned away to lead us.

"Is it okay for you to leave your post here?" Delta Neil asked.

"Oh yes! My partner should be here any minute to cover my absence", Gale replied, "And of course, I cannot have honored guests of the Young Master Ashford go unescorted. As it is, I have tarried you needlessly. Please allow me to act as your cicerone"

Cicerone? I asked.

A guide, of sorts, Alpha Penson replied.

"This way, if you'll please", Gale said leading the way, tapping his wooden walking stick- which he had for some reason even though his legs looked fine- and we followed.

He led us through the library, down a long aisle flanked on either side by towering bookshelves. This was the History section and I wondered how many ages it would take for someone to finish all these.

We turned a corner at the end of the aisle which led to a set of large wooden doors. Behind the doors was a long wide corridor which seemed to be leading into another building. On either side of the corridor was open space revealing cleanly mowed lawns and pretty flowerbeds.

Once we reached the building we turned one more corner till we finally reached yet another ginormous wooden door on top of which was written 'Hall of Fiction' in a beautiful script.

Gale briefly struggled with the door till he managed to finally push the heavy thing open just before Rino and Delta Neil went to give him a hand. Inside was yet another humongous hall filled with bookshelves and thousands of books, hallowed ground to all the fiction lovers out there, which included me!

Excitedly I stepped into the room but the minute I did, I felt a very obvious yet brief, weightless feeling and I immediately realized that we had just crossed a maze.

Wait, did that mean we had just entered the restricted grounds of the library?

My eyes shot to Gale who had walked in with us. He looked absolutely fine, and it seemed like he hadn't noticed anything off.

"We're here!" he said, turning to face us, "The House of Wood boasts of possessing some of the most exquisite Fictional material in the country! I hope that you will find its collection very agreeable!"

"Thank you!" Alpha Penson said, "We'll go ahead and begin our reading then"

"Yes of course! Here are the Keys to the Section you requested", Gale said, handing us a set of keys, "And if there is anything you need, please feel free to demand it of me. I'd be exultant to be of aid"

"Thank you!" Alpha Penson replied while I and Rino looked at each other wondering what exultant meant.

When I looked back at Gale, he was staring at me again, but the minute our eyes met, he immediately reverted his gaze, looking down at the ground.

"Alright then! I shall be over there, by the librarian's station if you require my services. Enjoy your reading Sirs, miss"

With that Gale turned and strode to his wooden haven in the distance, his walking stick tapping the ground hurriedly, as he walked.

Delta Neil sighed, "That boy has always been a strange one", he said.

"How so?" Alpha Penson asked as we began walking through the hall which was thankfully not that crowed, perhaps because it was a weekday and most people were at work.

"Well for starters he talks like an olden day English aristocrat born into the wrong era", Delta Neil replied, "I have no idea why he does it. Lots of people make fun of him because of it, but he says he likes it and doesn't pay heed to their comments"

"Well you have to appreciate the lad for that though", Alpha Penson said and I nodded, "I agree!"

"Me too!" Rino added, "I liked Gale. He was...pretty"

I giggled at his choice of words. I had to admit, Rino was right. Gale was in fact quite the lovely lad. Small framed, not very overtly manly in any sense, but he had a strange kind of charm which made him oddly appealing. I believe there was an apt term for boys like him in Japanese.

Bishounen, was it? A beautiful boy.

"He also has a very powerful obsession with everything Supernatural", Delta Neil said, "I think he's read almost every fictional Supernatural book in this library"

"Whoa!" both I and Rino exclaimed impressed.

"For the convenience of us Supernaturals, normally a Supernatural is incharge of this part of the library", Delta Neil said, "But she's on leave today so Gale is filling in for her"

"I see. Hey, by the way, we're in a maze right now, aren't we?" I asked.

"That's right", Alpha Penson said, "I'm happy you noticed Suzzanah. Half of this room is a maze while the other half is accessible to humans"

"So...does that mean Gale and the other humans can't see us in the part of the hall that we're going to?" I asked.

"They can't while we are in the restricted part of the library", Alpha Penson said, "But all the seating areas are outside the restricted grounds and if we bring a book from the restricted Supernatural part of the library out into open grounds where its accessible to humans, then to us, it displays its true content but when humans see it, it looks like any other regular supernatural fiction to them"

"Cool!" Rino said and I nodded.

"But of course the maze lies only within the library", Alpha Penson said, "Once taken out of the library, the books will display their true content to everyone, including humans, which is why I prefer not to take the books out of the library"

"Hmm", I hummed in understanding.

"Ah! Here it is!" Alpha Penson said and I looked up to see only the most enormous aisle of bookshelves I had seen yet, filled to the brim and nearly overflowing with countless number of books.

"Are you serious?" I asked, suddenly feeling a little terrified and Alpha Penson nodded.

"I think everything we need lies somewhere within these shelves", he said.

"That's...comforting", I replied, eyeing the ocean of books warily.

"Seek Suzzanah!" Alpha Penson said, "All answers can be found by searching! You know what they say, 'Seek and you shall Find'!"

"Great! Maybe if we start seeking now, we'll find what we're looking for by the next month", I said and he chuckled.

"Don't worry. This time, just leave the finding business to me", he told me, "Now come along"

Sure enough with Alpha Penson with us, it didn't take us long to find nearly all the books he said we probably needed, which by the way, were way over thirty.

In them, there were two Supernatural Encyclopedias, a few books on Werewolf history, a few on mate-bonds, pack-bonds and other different kinds of bonds within the Supernatural world. Then there were a couple of books on the know-hows of mindlinking, some about extinct Supernaturals, a few on Magic and Spells and also books about the Werewolf High Council and the Elite Council of Overseers.

These were the ones that I could remember, and I was pretty sure there were more in the bundles we had chosen. How Alpha Penson planned to get us to read thirty amazingly thick books in one day, I had no clue.

But knowing him, he can probably do it.

Once we had carried all those books to the sitting area closest to our aisle, we settled down onto our chairs, spreading the plethora of books onto the large table in front of us. Delta Neil sat a little distance away from us, keeping watch.

"Ugh, I'm tired from just carrying these books here", I said and Alpha Penson smiled at me from across the table.

"Oh? In that case, why not start with some light reading for you then Suzzanah?" he said flipping through the pages of one book before finding what he was looking for, "Here. Read this"

"What's this?" I asked, taking the heavy book from him.

"Its a compilation of the general strengths and weaknesses of most supernaturals", he replied, "I thought its best you start from the basics"

"But...this book has over a thousand pages!" I exclaimed in horror.

"That's okay. You don't need to read all the thousand and odd pages. Just read about Werewolves, the Wizardry clan and the Shadow People", Alpha Penson told me and I nodded.

"Right!" I said, slapping my cheeks as I readied myself to begin reading. I didn't know why but I was oddly excited.

"If you don't understand something just ask me, alright Suzzanah?" Alpha Penson said and I nodded.

He then chose a book about mindlinking and began teaching Rino who had chosen to sit Indian-style with both his legs crossed on his chair and rocked it back and forth quietly while he took his lesson.

I smiled at the unusual duo before I began reading the page Alpha Penson had already opened for me.

'General & Traditional Strengths of Supernaturals'

Okay then, lets begin!

Honestly I hadn't expected today's extensive reading venture to be easy, but I hadn't expected it to be this hard either. I started out very enthusiastically, but it seemed that the 'General' strengths of most Supernaturals were far more numerous than all the strengths of human geniuses.

Super-strength, Super-speed, Heightened vision, Heightened Smell, Heightened hearing, Enhanced touch, Super-healing, Elevated Intelligence, Elevated Immunity, Amplified stamina, Extended lifespan, Accurate premonition, Improved reflexes, Super-agility, Aura-recognition, Supernatural differentiation, Magic perception, Escalated metabolism, Temperature Resistance.

The list just went on and on and on.

I was pretty sure I even read something about Heightened-Fertility being one of their strengths too!

But with these many enhanced abilities, it was no wonder Supernaturals were so insanely powerful. And to think these were only the General Strengths. Each Supernatural Species had its own Specific strengths too in addition to this overtly lengthy list!

I read about as many of the abilities as I could in detail. Each ability mentioned several subcategories underneath it and also gave examples of which Supernaturals ranked strongest when it came to each strength.

Like when it came to Super-Strength- Werewolves, Dragons and Demons topped the list.

Whereas when it came to Super-speed- Vampires and the Fae took the cake.

The book was quite interesting, but also very detailed and soon my head started to ache from all the information I was shoving into it. About an hour after I had started my reading, I felt too saturated to read on and decided to take a little break.

Setting the book aside, I looked to find Rino grinning at Alpha Penson about something while the Alpha read to him from the book, smiling himself. Their mindlink class seemed to be going well and it didn't look like either of them was up for a break so I turned to Delta Neil next to find him also reading a book of his choice.

From where I sat, I could clearly see the title of the book, and frankly, it took me by surprise.

'SOULMATES'

I blinked a couple of times before my eyes darted between the Delta and the book in his hands. Well, well, well! Who knew Delta Neil who acted all cold and indifferent was actually into the concept of soulmates.

I smiled, it was actually really sweet. Werewolves, in my opinion, were rather blessed to have predestined soulmates. Sure there were people out there who preferred to have a choice in the matter rather than letting destiny do the choosing for them, and honestly that was okay too, but I didn't know if I could say it was okay to do so at the expense of one's soulmate.

Or was I just being biased because my soulmate was so wonderful? There were also mates like Annabelle's who apparently weren't that great, but then again I didn't know the guy personally so who was I to judge?

On one hand there were those who rejected their soulmates for one or the other reason, and on the other there were those who desperately wanted soulmates, but believed they didn't have them.

Like Zuerien...

I had always wanted to ask Zuerien why he thought he wouldn't have a soulmate. As far as I knew, all werewolves had soulmates. Right? Or were there exceptions?

Seek and you shall find

Keeping that in mind, I began searching through the abundance of books before me till I found another copy of the book Delta Neil was reading. Scanning through the index I found the chapter about Werewolf mate-bonds and turned to it.

I skimmed through the contents of the introduction and recognition process. Apparently werewolves could first identify their mates through their scent, but for confirmation, they needed to make eye-contact with them.

My mind immediately threw pictures of my first meeting with Zuerien before my eyes, and my heart warmed in recollection. That really had been a magical moment!

The book went on to explain that upon identification of one's mate, the werewolf then needed to confirm his or her approval or disapproval of their mate by accepting or rejecting them respectively.

And it said, the latter is NOT ADVISED.

Smiling at the statement and more of my own memories, I read on. The process of accepting or rejecting ones mate was done by saying the statement out loud in the presence of one other person, preferably one's mate, but it could be somebody else too.

When I thought back on it, I didn't really know when, how and in front of whom Zuerien had accepted me as his mate. To me it seemed like he went from really not wanting me to slowly becoming just a little bit obsessed with me. Not that I was complaining or anything.

I went through a few more pages till I finally arrived where I had initially wanted to. Having found what I was looking for, I read intently.

It is said that when a werewolf's mate is born into the world, the werewolf will briefly feel their mate bond awakening.

The said feeling is experienced more powerfully by werewolves who have already completed their first shift into their wolf, than those who have not.

But all Werewolves, regardless of their gender, age, sexuality, race, hierarchy, soul diversity, heritage and other factors are born with soulmates. It does not necessarily mean that they are born on the same day as their soulmates, but that sometime during the course of their lifespan, while they are still alive, their mates will also be born and the two will exist in the same time-period simultaneously in such a manner that there will be definite opportunities for them to encounter and recognize each other.

Although there are evidences of scenarios where werewolves have not found their soulmates in their lifetimes, the occurrences are extremely rare and there is positive confirmation that the said happenings took place not because the wolf did not have a soulmate at all, but rather that he or she failed to recognize his or her soulmate when they came across them.

My eyebrows rose at that statement. So there were wolves who had difficulty recognizing their mates even after they had met then?

(For more information on wolves and their inability to recognize their mates, kindly turn to page 311)

As a dictum, every werewolf soul is born incomplete and can only be made entirely whole upon mating with their soulmate.

I felt my cheeks flush.

Without completion of the mating process, even if the werewolf has found his or her mate, he or she will continue to experience a hollowness and be unable to achieve their full potential until they have consummated their mate-bond.

Note: The aforementioned consummation has nothing to do with whether or not the female conceives.

Ai yai yai

Quickly brushing through the rest of the paragraphs, I arrived at the end of the topic.

And thus it is believed with favorable corroboration that in all of Werewolf history, there has never been a Werewolf who was born without a soulmate.

Then why? Why did Zuerien think he wouldn't have a soulmate? Not just think, why was he so sure that he wouldn't have one? So certain that he opted to choose a Queen because he was convinced there wasn't a predestined one. And not just him, why were everybody else absolutely certain of the fact that he didn't have a mate too? I just didn't understand.

Sighing, I was about to close the book when I realized that there was more to the passage and my eyes fell to the lines right at the bottom of the page under a heading called 'Unsolved Mysteries'.

He is the only singular Werewolf documented in all of time, who has never found his soulmate till date, despite having been reincarnated multiple times.

My heart rate spiked as I read those lines, Reincarnated?!

There is no certain evidence that the said werewolf does not have a mate at all, because there have been definite instances when the werewolf in question has felt the awakening of his mate bond.

But due to undetermined and incomprehensible reasons, which may or may not have something to do with the properties of his particularly unique soul, he has not found his soulmate from the beginning of time.

At that point in time, I felt like I couldn't read fast enough to get to the end. And when I finally did, my eyes shot up to read the title under which all this information was mentioned, and for a second I felt like my entire being had frozen is shock.

Werewolf Alpha Extraordinaire:

Alpha of Power

*****

Random Question of the Day:  Whose backstory are you most excited for?

A/N

Hey guys!

Sorry for the late update! I was travelling. It wasn't a vacation lol, it was for work, but I also got see my grandparents so YAY!

Questions,

Who the heck is Suzzanah? She needs to seek a little more.

What is the 'day after tomorrow'? Maybe a little rereading will help ;)

What is it the Shadow People really after? Maybe we should ask them.

And well, anyone feeling bad for 'Alpha of Power'? I know I am.

Oooh, the chapters are gonna get interesting from here on so get ready. I know I've been saying that for well forever, but this time I mean it. Hopefully. Oh God *prays again*

I'm so sorry if this chapter bored you! I hope you'll stay tuned for more!

If you liked this chapter please, please do VOTE, COMMENT and SHARE!

Until next time,

All my love,

May

P.S. Its a miracle so many of you put up with my useless banter in these A/Ns! Thank you guys!