Dedicated to -aishu- for your wonderful comments and votes! I adore the nickname you gave me. Wish you all the very best for your exam! I'm rooting for you ^-^

A huge shoutout to stalkingouutacontrol for the eagerness as well as the patience you have demonstrated. I'm proud of you soldier, good work ;p Thanks very much for the support hun!

This chapter is unedited so please excuse the grammatical errors.

___

Zuerien's POV *on popular demand ;) *

Walking out of Suzzanah's room, I couldn't help but smile to myself and also be surprised at how easily the expression came to me. A few weeks ago I wouldn't even in my wildest dreams have thought that there would come a time when I'd actually have to struggle to keep the smile off my face, much as I found myself doing whenever I was around Suzzanah.

So why struggle at all? Just smile why don't you?

I sighed on hearing the deeper huskier replica of my own voice sound inside my head, the voice that belonged to my other half.

Kai

Am I wrong human? Surely you like to smile just as much as the other guy, then why don't you?

You know better than anyone it isn't as easy at that...

I do human...and I'm not asking you to go around looking like an advertisement for toothpaste either. But when it comes naturally, I wish you wouldn't keep it off your face.

Kai...

After all, they say that man is the only animal that can smile. As inaccurate as that may be, you could at least redeem it a little bit by making use of your muscles of facial expression.

I scowled

I didn't mean those muscles

Please be quiet Kai. Whatever happened to the pensive quiet wolf who only spoke words of wisdom?

I believe John is with Talon as we speak

I shook my head in exasperation but my lips quirked upwards slightly.

See, that wasn't so hard. A little more and it'll actually pass for a decent enough smile instead of resembling facial palsy.

KAI!

We're here!

I stopped in my tracks and looked up at the woods before me, thick and vast, stretching out like a blanket over the undergrowth. The clouds were still thick in the blue-grey evening sky, casting dark shadows over the trees ahead. There was no human around me, so I overturned the bolt in the fence and pushed the little door open before replacing it and walking into the forest.

The minute I stepped onto the undergrowth, I felt the presence of Marco's maze all around me, but I stayed unaffected by it, just as any other wolf would. The maze was meant only for humans and other Supernaturals who were forbidden from entering the secluded lands.

Nearly 15 meters into the woods, I saw a thin golden line glowing in the undergrowth before me- the territorial shield line, beyond which were the secluded lands exclusive to my kind. The golden glow was a boundary line visible only to wolves. Beyond this line no being other than those permitted by the shield could enter the forest.

Without hesitation I stepped over the line and crossed into the secluded lands. If anyone who was not a wolf was watching me walk over the territorial shield line, to them it would appear as though I was just walking deeper into the forest till a row of trees blocked me from their view, when in reality, there may be no trees there at all, and they would still see them.

The maze worked like an elaborate illusion on everyone who was not a wolf or human accepted by the Royale Pack. Whenever an outsider trespassed into the woods by mistake or intentionally, they would get sucked into the maze. Once within the maze, they would be led in circles around the same patch of land till they were deposited back to their starting point while they would be under the impression that they had trekked across the entire forest. Such was the power of the maze created by the Alpha of Mazes.

"King!"

Speak of the devil

"Marco"

Marco walked up to me just as we heard some chattering coming from behind me and I turned to see some human employees in the distance making their way over the cobblestone path toward the Game Grounds. They were a group of four- two males, two females. The females eyed the forest with wide eyes and shuddered.

"The woods are so creepy, especially at night. I just hope I can sleep alright and not dream of wild animals coming to eat me", one female said, which due to our heightened senses both I and Marco could hear even from a distance.

"I know right?!" the other female agreed, "Even though they assured us that it was safe I can't shake the feeling that there may be animals in the forest that could attack us at any time!"

"Nah! There are no wild animals here", one guy said shaking his head, "At most there'll be squirrels and maybe monkeys. But definitely nothing dangerous"

As he said this, the guy turned his head and looked right at us, but I knew he couldn't see us. No, on the contrary his eyes even though looking at the exact spot where we were standing were still seeing only trees, shrubs and rocks. Nothing that happened within the secluded lands was visible or audible to the outside world.

The guy trailed his eyes over us, not seeing us at all, before grinning at the girl. The guy next to him yawned.

"What kind of forest has no wild animals? Such a waste!" he drawled out, "Where's the fun in being in the woods if there ain't no danger lurking around? I say we go deeper into the forest, explore! Find out whether those legends about beasts lurking in the woods are true or just made up gibberish"

One of the girls shivered, "NO! I don't want to go anywhere near those trees. Who knows what disgusting creepy crawlers are lurking there", she screeched and the guy rolled his eyes.

"Don't be such a baby", he said before looking around, then quickly hoisting himself over the fence.

"Jerry! Stop that! Going into the woods is forbidden", the other guy said grabbing onto his shoulder while this Jerry character just shrugged him off and continued walking cautiously into the woods.

Marco snorted next to me and I leaned against a tree to watch the sequence of events unfold. The guy named Jerry walked slowly, his eyes darting all over the place. He stopped on reaching some five feet into the woods and raised his foot jumping over god knows what.

"He is seeing a puddle of water there", Marco clarified and I continued to watch the boy jump over a few other 'puddles' which were in fact not there at all.

It was because Marco had cast a maze here that Jerry could see these imaginary non-existent things, just like his other friends who continued to watch him with bewildered eyes. Jerry walked in circles around what I presumed his eyes saw as trees which in reality, were not quite that many, before coming to an abrupt halt about six meters in front of us.

"What is it man?" the other guy called, "You okay?"

Jerry scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, but there is this huge boulder here, I can't get around it"

There wasn't even a pebble, let alone a boulder.

"And there is water everywhere too!"

There was no water whatsoever.

"I don't know how deep it is or if there is a ditch here. I guess I'll have to come back after it dries", still looking puzzled Jerry turned and started walking back towards the fence and Marco's smirk widened as he breathed out, "Fool"

"Why is there so much water here? Did it rain?" Jerry asked while the others answered him with shrugs and maybes before they were off toward the game grounds again.

"What happens if he tries to climb the 'boulder' he saw?" I asked Marco and he grinned, "He'll find a path that circles around here and appears to go deeper into the forest while in reality it leads right back to the cobblestone pathway over there"

"And if he gets off this 'path' and wanders to where he saw the 'water' then?"

"He'll slosh around in that imaginary puddle till it'll lead him straight to that part of the forest and back to the cobblestone pathway", Marco laughed, "Every single maze leads back to the cobblestone pathway. The people within the maze may feel like they've been walking for ages but they'll in fact be walking only around this 15 meter stretch of the woods before invariably reaching the cobblestone pathway again"

I snorted before regarding Marco as he looked around the woods, probably making sure the Mazes he had cast were intact. The 'Mazes' or large scale illusions which he cast were meant for the eyes of all those who were outsiders and not welcome into our world of wolves.

The woods were home to all the wolves in my pack as well as those belonging to other packs. In order to safe guard our identity from the outside world, powerful mazes were cast over the woods around every single pack by none other than the Alpha of Mazes.

The Alpha of Mazes was much like a wizard, but far more powerful and in addition also possessed a strong Alpha wolf. Throughout history, the Alpha of Mazes was born into an Alpha bloodline having strong connections with witches and wizards. The Ronaldo family was one such Alpha bloodline. Marco's Aunt, who was also Prophecy's mother, was a quite a powerful witch.

A maze cast by the Alpha of Mazes, was permanent- unless the Alpha of Mazes chose to destroy it- and ever changing. Those caught within the illusion of the maze would never see the same scenery twice, which was why the mazes were impossible to get break out of.

The mazes were otherwise called territorial shields and they had protected the secret of the existence of werewolves for centuries now. The stronger the Alpha of Mazes was the more potent and complex the maze would be.

"I see you've done your job well", I told Marco and he grinned from ear to ear, "Of course King. No one except those I permit can cross over into the secluded lands. Well...no one but the Ms. Winters of course. She can apparently cross over whether I permit it or not, the Luna Queen"

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of Suzzanah and Kai growled in approval at the title Luna Queen.

"So it seems", I whispered and he sighed.

"It's kind of embarrassing that she crosses over so easily, even if she is a Neutral", he said and I pushed myself off the tree I was leaning on.

"We haven't ascertained that she is, yet", I told him as we began walking deeper into the woods.

"But there really is no way she could cross over if she was not a Neutral, right King" he stated more than asked.

I didn't reply but I knew he was right. My mate was the very first Neutral being. I didn't know whether to feel happy and proud that she possessed the ability to be part of my world without any barriers or to feel worried about the implications of her crossing into my world and witnessing things humans could only ever imagine in their wildest dreams.

I didn't want Suzzanah to accidentally stumble upon a wolf transforming. I didn't want her innocent kind soul to be traumatized at the sound of breaking bones and rearranging body parts. I didn't want my precious mate to be afraid of my world.

Afraid of me...

Once deeper into the forest, both I and Marco shifted into our wolves. The minute I let Kai take over, my already heightened senses seemed to triple in magnitude. My vision improved so remarkably that I could see the tiny dew drops twinkling on the leaves of a branch some twenty five feet off the ground. My hearing tripled so much that I could hear the ruffling of leaves several yards away from us and the whispers of patrol wolves on the other side of the forest. The scent of the soil, the dried leaves, the flower beds, and various others assaulted my senses and Kai inhaled deeply filling my body with the fresh air.

I turned to find Marco's shaggy light blonde wolf looking at me expectantly. His size was much smaller than Kai's but still significantly larger than the other werewolves. He lowered his head in front of Kai as a sign of submission before waiting for orders. A short second later Kai nodded his head and both of us took off into the forest.

We ran swiftly through the woods, like a gust of wind rushing thought the trees. We checked every nook and cranny of the woods, our heightened vision missing nothing in its path. Marco's wolf did well to keep up with Kai's impressive speed, although Kai wasn't running his fastest. Marco's wolf checked every part of the territorial shields, analyzing and reanalyzing the mazes for any holes or breaches.

I on the other hand checked for intruders, one kind in particular. My eyes ran over every single shadow that fell around us, missing not even those made by falling leaves or broken twigs. We ran throughout the woods surrounding the resort taking extra time to examine the woods around the Game Grounds. On our path we ran across the orphanage and I made a mental note to visit the children in the morning.

I'm sure Suzzanah would like to meet the children too...

When we were nearly done with our patrol my eyes caught sight of something fly across a branch and my paws came to an abrupt halt. Behind me Marco's wolf also stopped running before his gaze followed mine to where my eyes were transfixed.

There on a high branch of the large fir tree beside us, sat a raven as black as the dark night sky. It was large and solitary, its round eyes looked down at us with unmasked curiosity. My gaze fell momentarily to the branch on which it was perched, and there was undoubtedly a shadow cast over it.

But is it the shadow of the leaves or that of the bird...

Not wasting any time I willed my inner element to surface and in a flash the bird's feather caught fire. The bird emanated a shrill pained caw and it took off flapping its wings desperately. The minute I saw this reaction, I willed the flame to die away and watched as the bird flew into the darkening night sky, still screeching in pain.

It was the only raven here, Marco mind-linked me, and it caught fire! So I guess it's safe to say that everything is secure, right King?

Kai lowered his head in affirmation but before we took off again, our eyes found one black feather lying on the grass on the ground, its shadow not quite as dark but present nonetheless. Looking up at the branch on which the raven had perched, then at the darkening sky above us and finally at the feather's shadow where our gaze lingered for a while, Kai started running again, Marco's wolf trailing behind.

Everything is secure...for now...

****

Once we got back from our run, Marco and I went to our individual rooms to freshen up before the evening events. I passed by Suzzanah's room and found my footsteps halt involuntarily outside her cottage. I had left her only fifteen minutes ago and yet my eyes hungered to see her again. I longed to hold her in my arms again and bury my face in her neck. Even the thought of her soft body pressed into mine was enough to drive me crazy.

The urge to mark her as mine returned with a vengeance and I took deep breaths to compose myself. The thought of the very prominent hickey I had left on the milky skin of her neck helped calm my mind. I hoped she would remember to wear the Arabian perfume I had bought for her. It would help mask my scent that would surely linger around the hickey even if she bathed. No one must know that she is mine, not until I deem it safe.

And not until I tell her everything about the werewolf kind first...

I heard footsteps approach me from behind and I turned to find Suzzanah's roommate coming towards the cottage. When she saw me she bowed her head respectfully.

"Good evening Sir", she said and I nodded at her.

She was a small person with red hair and freckled skin. She didn't seem like much of a talker from what I had seen, which was in fact very little, but she did however seem like a level headed person.

And although she appeared impassive and nonchalant, there was something about her that made her stand out and when she lifted her head, I realized it was her eyes, or more so the look in them. Where most grown men were terrified to meet my gaze, she did so unwaveringly.

Her eyes were strong and unafraid. And as they looked up at me, a look of deep concentration crossed her features for a short second within which her eyes seemed to suddenly become distant before returning to normal as her face turned expressionless again. And for some reason it disturbed me. I frowned.

"Is something the matter?"

She shook her head, "Not at all", she said in a calm even tone.

"You are Ms. Winters' roommate yes?" I asked

"I am"

"What is your name?"

"I'm Megan Houston Sir", she told me.

Megan Houston...doesn't sound familiar

"Where are you from?" I prodded. Call it instinct but something about this girl was off, I could tell.

"From Sydney", she told me bluntly and I realized she would not voluntarily give me any details. My eyes fell to the door of room number 8 again.

"I hope you are comfortable here", I told her and she nodded.

"Yes, thank you, I am"

"And your roommate?"

She hesitated for a split second before answering, "I guess she is too. I haven't spoken with her or spent time with her enough to tell otherwise", she furrowed her eyebrows before asking, "Pardon me sir but do you know what happened to her this afternoon?"

"I don't know much", I lied, "I was told she passed out"

"From exertion?"

"I suppose so"

She was quiet but something told me she wasn't convinced by my answer.

"Why?" I asked her and she inhaled deeply.

"No reason", she replied, "I should get going. It was nice meeting you"

She bowed again before making her way towards the room. It had been a very blunt but normal conversation and I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to that human girl than she let on.

Something wasn't quite right and even though that something didn't necessarily seem bad I wasn't sure if I felt comfortable with that girl being my Suzzanah's roommate. The urge to see Suzzanah tripled in intensity and I found myself struggling to stay where I was.

Megan stopped at the door and turned around to look at me. Her face held uncertainty and before I could wonder why that was she called out, "Did you want to speak to Suzzanah Sir?" she asked and I cursed myself for not having walked off. I couldn't let people become suspicious about my feeling towards her. Despite that thought I found myself yearning to catch but a glimpse of my mate.

"Is she in?" I asked her and she looked into the room.

"She's in the bath I think", she called back.

My eyes widened as the thought of Suzzanah in the bath shot electric desire through my veins. I nodded and quickly walked off without waiting to make further conversation. I knew if I stayed there even a second longer I would soon find myself ripping off that blasted bathroom door.

I rushed to my room slamming the door behind me. Images of my beautiful mate filled my head. The time when I had seen her outside the hospital with that humongous slit in her skirt exposing the creamy skin of her thighs, the time when I had seen her in the female staff quarters in that flimsy bathrobe and nearly marked her, the time when she had yet again managed to tear her skirt in my office and had worn her skirt the wrong way to keep me from seeing the slit, but I had seen it anyway, and it had been dangerously close to that pretty little derriere of hers.

Then there was this morning when I found her all sweaty and disheveled in the forest. She had looked so beautiful standing there in her white sundress and the thin cardigan nearly slipping off her shoulders. And when her lips met mine I knew that she would be my end, because there was no way that my thirst for her could ever be sated.

Everything about her was so gentle and soft. Her cheeks, her lips, her hair, her body, just the thought of them had me burning with the urge to mark her right now and it didn't help that Kai, who usually helped me think straight was pressing just as eagerly for me to claim her as ours. I needed to calm the hell down or I might end up doing just that.

Taking deep breaths, I pulled off my shirt and walked to the bathroom. After taking a cold shower I dressed in jeans and a wife beater. Hopefully this evening's events would help release some of my pent up frustration. And besides, she'll be there, my Suzzanah. She'll be watching. That idea alone got me completely fired up.

I'll win. I'll win for you!

With a smirk, I turned to close my closet door when my eyes fell on a dark sweater. Prophecy had stitched one for each of us Council members last Christmas and she had made sure Marco's was a bright pink, much to his annoyance. I picked it up and cringed at the clumsy handiwork. But she had worked hard on it, so we had all accepted. She had even stitched cardigans for the other two Lunas and for my mate as well, vowing to present the cardigans to them when she had the chance to meet them.

'When' and not 'if'

It's a good thing, Kai said, Suzzanah needs a new cardigan, seeing as you had her lose the one she was wearing this morning!

I frowned, Somehow I doubt Prophecy's hand stitched cardigan will be something Suzzanah will be able to wear outside.

I still don't understand why you humans insist on wearing strange colorful coverings over your bodies. Is it because you get bored of your normal coverings and want to try new colors? Or is it because you lack enough fur to conceal yourselves without the coverings?

This was a topic that Kai brought up very often. Even though my wolf was normally quiet and wise, there were some things his animal mind could not comprehend. My mouth twitched and I fought a smile of amusement.

What did I tell you human? If you feel to need to smile, you should smile. Especially because Suzzanah seems to like your smile. And now answer my question. I must receive enlightenment on this matter.

This time I did smile and then shook my head, Kai, humans don't appreciate having that much 'fur' on their bodies, especially not woman. They go through a lot of trouble to have whatever hair they do have pulled out of their skin. It's part of the female beautification process or something.

Does our mate also have to go through such pain?

Judging by how smooth the skin of her arms and legs is...Yeah, I think so...

But if they pull off all their hair to look beautiful, why do they cover their skin afterward with the colorful covering? Why not just flaunt it?

My eyes went wide and I choked on air, not just because that statement was completely uncalled for but also because it drove my imagination crazy in regard to my mate, and I didn't want to have another cold shower just yet.

The human society has certain norms Kai, and prancing around nude would be considered a violation of them. Its highly inappropriate and most people do not appreciate it!

Nonsense! Haven't you seen the females giggle and squeal when you walk out without a shirt! They appreciate it just fine.

They wouldn't feel quite the same if my jeans came off as well!

How would you know? You've never done it before.

A vein popped out on my forehead as I struggled to keep my irritation at bay. I couldn't believe I was actually working so hard to teach an animal the importance of clothing. This enlightenment of his better be around the corner!

Kai...humans require clothing. Just as it would be extremely crude to see a wolf in underwear, it would be much cruder to see a human without it! Now I'm done talking about this matter.

But I don't understand-

Do you want other males to see Suzzanah in a manner only you and I should ever be allowed to see?!

Kai's enlightenment came at the speed of light.

In that case, what are you waiting for? Do what you ought to do for our human mate, Kai said and my eye brows furrowed slightly before they fell on the clothes in my closet and then on my phone. Realizing that at least one good thing had come from that God awful conversation I just had with my embarrassingly inquisitive wolf, I grabbed it off my bedside table and made a call.

Okay...

*****

It was nearly time for the evening events to start and I was itching to get my workout. The Game Grounds were teeming with people from across the world. Loud chattering, laughing, hooting and clapping fell on my ears as I made my way to where Cole and John were already seated in a special area reserved only for us. Whomever I passed bowed to me respectfully but I was too busy looking for someone else to acknowledge them.

As my eyes skimmed over the huge masses I felt irritation claw at my insides.

Where is she?

I tried to detect her scent but the smell of food and flowers was too thick in the air for me to find it.

Dammit!

"Alpha"

I looked ahead to find John and Cole addressing me with a bow. I nodded at them.

"Looking for the Luna I presume?" John said with amusement in his voice.

"Have you seen her?"

He smiled and motioned his head towards the stands opposite to where we were seated. My eyes trailed over the many many people seated there till they landed on the object of my undeterred adoration.

Suzzanah...

My gaze immediately softened on finding her in the crowd. She was seated next to Megan her roommate and Annabelle, one of our pack warriors. I felt a strange joy well up inside of me at the sight of her. She was gazing off into space silently, lost in thought. She was wearing jeans for a change and had also left her hair down as I had told her to. That made me smile.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Cole asked shocked.

I furrowed my eyebrows, "What?" I asked him wondering what the heck he was saying.

"Alpha...you were smiling!" he said grinning from ear to ear making my eyes widen.

"The Luna's doing no doubt?" John stated more than asked.

Keeping a straight face I looked away and swallowed, running a hand through my hair.

"Where's Marco?" I asked changing the topic.

"He's by the podium. He has to give the opening speech for the evening games after all"

"Don't tell me we need to suffer through one of those again", I said scowling as I took a seat.

"It wouldn't be half bad if he didn't keep winking at the women after every blasted line", Cole said taking a sip of his juice, "He's lucky Prophecy isn't here already or she would give him a piece of her mind"

"Where are they?" I asked Cole but before he could answer Talon came scampering up to us.

"Oh, gah-good evening sirs", he said bowing deeply before panting for breath, "Hah, uh...the lah-... the lah-... the hah", he huffed and puffed making Cole offer him a glass of water which he refused politely, "The lah-lady Luna and the yah-young master Perez are quite close", he gasped, "Supposedly the young master took a wrong turn and they went off to the other side of town, so it took them a while to get back on track"

The three of us exchanged weary glances.

Rino...

"Prophecy must have given him quite the earful", John said and Talon hesitated.

"Apparently, the lady Luna isn't...awake..." he said uncertainly making the three of us exchange glances yet again, knowing ones.

"How much longer before they reach?" I asked.

"About 20 minutes", Talon said nervously and I nodded.

"T-there is another matter", he said squirming uncomfortably before looking at Cole, "Delta Del wants to talk to you Beta Cole"

Cole frowned before nodding and taking his leave and Talon scurried after him. Marco had begun giving his speech and all the women were falling off their seats squealing and cheering. John chuckled at something Marco said but I wasn't paying attention. My eyes were transfixed on a certain young brunette sitting in the stands still looking lost. I frowned.

What was she thinking about?

Suzzanah looked dazed as she sat very still amidst a very animated crowd. It looked like she hadn't moved at all since I saw her a few minutes ago. Her face was still blank and her eyes were still staring at nothing in particular. It was like she was here but not here at all, and it was worrying the heck out of me.

"Is something wrong Alpha?" John asked me making me tear my gaze away from Suzzanah to find him staring at me questioningly.

"Uh, no", I told him returning my gaze to Suzzanah and thankfully he didn't get a chance to prod as his phone started to ring and he picked it up.

Suzzanah was now sitting huddled up, her arms wrapped around herself. My eyebrows furrowed in concern as she rocked herself back and forth. She seemed to be breathing heavily. Even from the distance she was at, I could clearly see the worry etched into her features. Every two seconds she would look around herself nervously before slumping further in her seat. She looked scared.

What's wrong with her? Kai's worried voice sounded inside of my head, is she alright?

I didn't know, but every fiber of my being was screaming at me to go find out what was troubling her and put an end to it. I didn't want her to be afraid of anything while I was still alive.

"Bring me those photographs as well", John said in the background, "I want a picture of every blue-green eyed male who has stepped foot onto the Royale territory in the past month, regardless of whether or not he works in the Royale Industries, even the rogues"

I suddenly remembered the pictures John had shown Suzzanah in the car this morning and my head shot towards him again just as he ended the call. He put his phone in his pocket before looking up at me.

"Now you're asking for pictures of rogues John?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yes, seeing as none of the employees working here who have blue-green eyes matched the description of the person she saw", he replied.

"Working here? Really?" I asked, "Four of them were-"

"-Dead", John completed and I frowned, "but before they died, they did work here did they not?"

"But you showing her pictures of dead people could only mean..." John didn't try to correct my assumption and my frown deepened, "John, you can't possibly think that she is seeing...ghosts!" I exclaimed and he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"I'm afraid, when you've lived as long as I have Alpha, nothing seems like too farfetched an idea"

"Ghosts, John?" I asked skeptically and he looked up at me.

"I'm not at all insinuating that that is the only possible explanation either. But with the Luna, we can't rule out anything, not even...ghosts"

"John, I know that you see and understand things very differently and to a much greater extent than most others do. But encouraging an idea as ludicrous as the sighting of a ghost just because it fits the description okay isn't exactly considered wise"

John smiled, his eyes twinkling thoughtfully, "A man with striking blue-green eyes, whose identity doesn't seem to match with any of the individuals present here. A man who after seeing her, very suddenly disappeared into thin air. A man who called her Luna, even though he isn't supposed to know that she is. A man who no one except that very Luna had been able to see. A ghost doesn't just fit the description okay Alpha, it fits perfectly! So perfectly, that it's actually disturbing."

My eyes widened at John's words as a look of unease washed over John's normally calm and composed features. But before I could say anything I heard Cole's voice calling out to me.

"Alpha! We're up next", he said rushing up to me.

Keeping a straight face regardless of my inner turmoil, I nodded getting up from my seat, "What was it Delta Del wanted?"

Cole hesitated, "Uh...it can wait till after you're done with your event"

I narrowed my eyes at him but didn't question him before telling him to go on ahead. Once he had left I took a deep breath and looked down at John.

"John", he looked up at me, his eyes still clouded with deep thought, "I don't deny the fact that everything you said seems accurate but I can't encourage with irrational ideas like this, especially because if Suzzanah ever finds out about the possibility of something like this, it'll terrify her, and I don't want that, ever"

John exhaled heavily nodding understandingly and I continued, "I suggest we stick with the theory about the hologram. It is a far more logical explanation. The same can't be said about ghosts!"

He smiled and shook his head, "As much as I would like to agree with you, Alpha, I don't think we of all people have the right to vouch for the superiority of logic in decision making", his eyes glinted as he spoke his next words, "because logically...you and I aren't supposed to exist either"

*****

Suzzanah's POV

Ghosts...

I shuddered and breathed out shakily as that thought haunted the very depths of my being.

They think I'm seeing ghosts!...

The minute Annabelle had told me that Evan Stanlings had died it was like time had stopped moving for me. Even though after that minute, we had walked through a large gate, over a thick asphalt pathway, beside numerous food stands, up the a wide flight of stairs and through an endless galaxy of people to where we sat now, it was like I was still standing outside that gate by the fence, my body transfixed upon the cobblestone pathway just as my thoughts were transfixed upon that one word.

Ghosts...

Now that I thought about it, the idea of that man having been a ghost fit the scenario rather perfectly. The blue aura around him, the lifelessness in his eyes, the ethereal feel he always radiated, Oh my God! Had he actually been a ghost?!

My heart rate sped up as fear and panic started to cloud my senses. Chills ran down my spine at the thought of the blue-green eyed man and all of a sudden my dream started to replay before my eyes.

"Beware Lunaaa"

"Beware of him, for he isn't what he seems to be"

"Beware of him for he comes to you with a clean slate but a black heart"

"Beware of him Lunaaa, beware of him who comes with bloodied hands"

"Beware Lunaaa"

The guy had come to me in my dream! He had warned me about some man who was dangerous, a man I needed to be cautious of, but who was that man?

My mind ran over a list of all the men I had met since I got here: Mr. Talon, Alpha Penson, Alpha Marco, Master Cole, Alpha Zuerien...

NO!

It couldn't be one of them, it couldn't be! My heart refused to believe it. They were all supernatural, shape-shifting wolf men and I knew next to nothing about them, but still, my heart wouldn't let me believe that they were the ones he had been talking about.

It just doesn't feel right!

But if not them, then who? Someone I hadn't met yet? Someone else whom I had already met before I even came here? Who was that blue-green eyed man talking about? And why of all people did he tell this to me?!

Was that why I kept hearing his voice call out to me? Was it because he had been trying to warn me all this time? So did that mean he really was...really was a ghost?!!

A cold sweat formed all over my body and my breath came out ragged. I didn't know what to think anymore, everything was so unclear, so confusing-

...so terrifying...

I wrapped my arms around my body in an attempt to conserve some body heat. The blue-green eyed man's eerie whispers still echoed inside my head, chilling me to the bone. His warning words etched themselves into my mind and I found myself struggling to determine whether I should disregard them as nothing but the products of a disturbing dream or brace myself for the brunt of their reality. And if it was the latter, then I realized that I would have to accept yet another terrifying truth.

I am in fact seeing ghosts!

My throat felt extremely dry as yet again I found myself at the brink of a nervous breakdown. I shrunk further in my seat, trying to shield myself from all the frightening realities that this supernatural world was throwing my way. But what terrified me most was that the worst was yet to come.

After all, right now I was living the life of an unsuspecting human. The paranormal realms didn't know of my insight yet. I wasn't a threat, not right now I wasn't. I still belonged in the supernatural world as one of the clueless and harmless humans who came and went and disturbed it not in the slightest. But what would happen when they realized that I knew...

Surely a world that is already so cruel to a girl that belongs in it, would be even crueler when it realized that she doesn't...

*****

A/N

Hello my dear readers,

Updated a day earlier than promised ^-^ hope you guys are happy.

This chapter deals with some theory which is important to properly understand the coexistence of the human and werewolf worlds. Hopefully you understood what I had wished to convey about the Mazes, and how they work. If not feel free to PM me about it and I will answer your questions as best as I can.

I hope all my readers who celebrate thanksgiving had a blessed day!

Thank you all for helping 'Unconditionally' reach 200K reads and 10K votes. I'm so very grateful for your support. You guys are the BEST!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please please vote and comment to let me know what you think :)

Next update - Sunday. Until next time,

All my love

Angel