EARLY EASTER WISHES TO YOU ALL! Have a blessed day :) ♥

Picture of Luna Prophecy (Virginia Gardner) to the side.

Dedicated to oleeleeo for your amazing comments and votes. They make me SO happy! You're awesome hun, thanks!

A huge shoutout to JyotiSemwal for your amazing support throughout the story. You keep me motivated to write. Thanks hun!

The beautiful cover below was made by yesol- Thanks you!

NOTE: THIS CHAPTER MAY BE CONFUSING, ESPECIALLY IF SOME OF YOU DON'T REMEMBER WHAT WENT ON IN THE EARLIER CHAPTERS. SO IF YOU ARE CONFUSED, COMMENT OR PM ME ABOUT WHAT YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND AND I'LL TRY AND CLEAR IT UP :)

This chapter is unedited so kindly excuse the grammatical errors.

_____

Zuerien's POV

Human, stay calm

Kai's voice immediately sounded in my mind as a dozen and one disturbing thoughts came rushing to my mind.

Everyone in the room had gone deathly silent, and I could sense that they were all just as shocked as me. No one dared to utter a word, no one dared to make a sound. I could tell that all their eyes were boring into me, waiting, waiting...

Before me, Cole's face held a tension I had seen many times over the past several years that he had been my Beta. He was preparing himself for what was to come. He was anticipating my freak out.

They all were.

In a split second, all the terrifying memories of my past, flashed before my eyes and I squeezed them shut, trying to keep them from haunting my mind, as they had done my soul, all this time.

14 years.

One night and One betrayal

That was all it had taken for my entire world to come crashing down. That was all it had taken to destroy my life.

They were responsible, those people I trusted more than life itself.

The Shadows

Anger surged through me at the thought of those sick lowlifes. Rage clouded my mind. There was nothing in this world that I hated more than them, nothing I despised more than their kind.

They betrayed us. They destroyed our trust. They were the reason for all the pain and suffering I had gone through.

They were responsible for it all.

They turned even me into a Shadow, a shadow of my former self.

So why?

Why was my Suzzanah interacting with them? Why was she involved in this? Had they found out about her? Were they trying to get to her? Or did she have something to do with them? What the hell was going on?

Human, calm the hell down! Kai's voice filled my head making the anger that had clouded my mind disperse slightly.

Kai

Trust in her human, you know her better than this, WE know her better than this

His words sunk into me and I felt myself calming down.

Cole said it himself, surely there is a good explanation for this

He was right, I needed to pull myself together. Suzzanah was mine, my mate, my most precious person.

I trusted her. I knew she would not betray me. She would Never.

"Alpha!"

Cole's voice brought me out of my train of thought and I found him gazing at me worriedly. The others had also stood up and were now standing around me wearing tense expressions.

"Alpha, please just hear me out", Cole said and I took a deep breath and nodded much to his relief.

Trust in Suzzanah, I told myself, she would never do anything to hurt you, she would never betray you, she isn't like them.

"On finding out that the call was from the women's staff quarters to their territory and was made by the Luna, we looked into the matter", Cole continued, "The Luna's sister apparently works in Canada"

Her sister? Karina?

My eyes widened in recollection as he continued, "She apparently works in Magnifis Incorporated"

My fists clenched in anger on hearing that name but I forced myself to stay calm.

"She is an interior designer and she was employed by them to design the head office which they are remodeling", Cole told us, "She started working there about two weeks before the Luna joined the Royale Industries"

To anyone else who heard this, it would all sound like a very obvious trap. One sister works here while the other works for their arch enemy. It was so convenient to fish out information about one kind and pass it onto the other.

But the very fact that Suzzanah was human contradicted that possibility heavily. Humans knew nothing about the Supernatural World or beings. Suzzanah only just found out about Werewolves last morning, whereas the call that was made from the staff quarters to Canada was nearly half a month ago.

Back then she didn't even know about us so there was no way that she could be relaying information about us to them. There was no way she was involved with them, there was no way she was betraying us.

Trust in her Zuerien

"Her sister is employed on a project of three months only", Cole told me, "Which means that at the end of three months when she is done with her project, she will no longer have anything to do with them, or so we believe"

Everyone in the room including myself relaxed visibly. So after the span of three months, when Karina was no longer working for them, we could have Suzzanah call her here, away from them. That would solve all the problems.

Somehow Cole's still tense expression told me otherwise.

"There is more, isn't there?" I asked and he winced slightly and nodded.

"As you know", Cole said, "we only started investigating this matter because the first call was made from a landline within the Royale territory to the Magnifis territory"

I nodded. Our human employees didn't know this but all calls which our employees made from around the world either via landline or cell phones were traced. But only the ones made to the Magnifis territories or branches were monitored.

There were many humans employed here at the Royale Industries, some of whom had relatives in and around Canada, some of them even working in the Magnifis Incorporated like Karina. We couldn't possibly expect them to not contact them, so there were no restrictions on them calling their relatives, friends and others using their cell phones.

But this particular call was made from our landline to someone in Magnifis Inc. so it raised heavy suspicion, not only for us, but undoubtedly also for them, because they too monitored the calls made by their employees and associates to our territories.

"The call was made to a specific cell phone number which we found belonged to the Luna's sister, who is also a human like the Luna", Cole continued, "The duration of the call was just a few seconds which was also a little odd. Later that evening, the Luna called her sister using her cell phone and that call duration was longer"

We all listened attentively to his every word as he spoke, "Towards the beginning, in the period that the Luna was injured and confined to the staff quarters, she didn't make any more calls to her sister but only received one from her on the last day of her sick leave. But when that call was traced it wasn't found to be from inside the Magnifis Inc. but an apartment complex which is quite far from there"

That must have been where her sister was lodging during these three months that she was working for them.

"After that they exchanged almost no calls at all, and only communicated through email for the next week or so", he said, "The next call that the Luna made to her sister was on 17th of July, three days ago. It was very brief yet again and after that, the Luna neither made nor received any calls from her sister. Even the mails that the Luna used to send her sister quite frequently earlier, nearly came to a standstill for some reason"

My brow furrowed. As far as I knew, Suzzanah was very close to her sister and yet for some reason, she didn't call her often. Since last evening, Suzzanah had been constantly thinking of her sister and she had always looked worried when she did so.

Even this morning when she told me she was waiting for her sister's call, she had seemed anxious. But she had told me Karina was extremely busy so she couldn't call her instead.

I wonder if something is wrong...

"The next call she received from Canada was last night, a little after our combat event", Cole said, "but for some reason it wasn't made from her sister's cell phone but from a landline in Canada, a payphone"

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances as he continued, "The landline was one located about half a mile away from the closest Magnifis Inc. Branch", he said recollecting every detail he could, "The call was made after the regular Magnifis Inc. work hours meaning Karina should have been back in her apartment room by then"

I leaned forward as he went on.

"We haven't been able to find out who made the call yet- whether it was her sister or someone else- and if it was her sister, then why she didn't just use her cell phone to call like she always did"

"Maybe her cell phone stopped working or something", Rino said, "Or maybe she forgot it or lost it somewhere"

I was about to agree with him when Cole shook his head, "But there is apparently a pay phone quite close to her apartment complex. Why wouldn't she use that one instead of using one that was so far from her lodging and closer to her work place?"

"It is possible that she stayed in late for work", I suggested.

"Yeah, and that she forgot her cell phone back at her apartment so she used a payphone to call the Queen", Marco added.

Cole exhaled heavily, "We thought the same thing, until the very last call that the Luna received from Canada yesterday was traced", he said gravely making all of us tense slightly.

He looked at me, his eyes revealing anxiety, "The last call she received was later last night, a short while before I arrived at the lounge for dinner"

John's eyes widened lightly, "Oh yes, that must have been when she excused herself to take a call right after she walked into the lounge", he said and I nodded looking back Cole.

"That call was also made well after the working hours of Magnifis Inc.", Cole said, his voice coming out tense as he spoke, "but it was made from inside the main branch of their office", all of us sat up straighter, our eyes widening slightly as he added, "And it was made from Karina's cell phone"

Silence befell our company as we all wondered what to make of the information we had just received.

"There is a lot that doesn't add up about the situation", Cole voiced all of our thoughts, "First of all, when Karina called the Luna from a payphone after our combat event, she was actually supposed to be back at her apartment building. So it's possible that it wasn't she who called the Luna but someone else, which, to be very honest is a little disturbing, because the Luna doesn't have any other friends or relatives in Canada"

He leaned forward, "Secondly, if we were to assume, that it was indeed Karina who stayed at work after hours and made the call from the pay phone because she either forgot, lost or broke her cell phone and couldn't use it instead, then why did she travel half a mile away from work to make the call and not just borrow a friend's phone or something?"

Things were really starting to get confusing. What was up with that sister of Suzzanah's? That is...if it was her who was calling.

"And finally", Cole said, "if we were to consider even that and agree that yes, it was Karina who made the call from the pay phone after work hours because she couldn't use her phone, then how it is that the next call that was made the very same night about an hour or so apart, was made from that very cell phone to the Luna's phone?"

It didn't add up at all.

"In all of the above scenarios", Cole said, "The most disturbing fact is, that both or at least one of those calls was definitely not made by her sister. It was either the one made from the pay phone, or the one made from her cell phone later or both"

"Hey, maybe the call from the pay phone was a wrong number or something", Rino pointed out.

"The call lasted a whole of 1 minute and 25 seconds", Cole told him, "I don't know about you but I wouldn't speak to someone whom I don't' even know for a whole minute and a half. And even then, isn't it rather far-fetched that someone from Canada would use a pay phone which was very conveniently less than a mile away from Magnifis Inc. to call our Luna and keep her on line for nearly a minute and a half before the line went dead?"

It was, it was incredibly far-fetched.

"No matter how you think of it, it's not possible to link the last two phone calls that the Luna received yesterday, as having been made by the same person", Cole said gravely, his brow furrowing in concern.

As much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn't. Cole was right.

And it was freaking the hell out of me.

"I didn't tell you all immediately because I didn't want to jump to conclusions", Cole said, "We all know Luna Suzzanah, we've seen the type of person she is. She would never intentionally do anyone wrong, let alone her own mate-", he said looking at me, "-which is why I could never believe that she could be involved in anything underhanded with Magnifis and his people. But it isn't possible to place these events without doubting at least once that something might be up"

Suzzanah...

"The only way to figure out what is, is to ask her", John spoke up, making us all look at him, "I agree with Cole, Suzzanah isn't the type of person who would betray anyone. But seeing as we can't make anything out of this situation based on the limited information we have, the only way out is to gather more information. And the only person who can help us do that is-"

He stopped short and all our eyes immediately went towards the door. I could hear two pairs of hurried footsteps descending the stairs and a second later, a familiar intoxicating Arabian scent drifted towards me, and I knew Suzzanah was coming.

A few seconds later, Suzzanah and Talon rushed into the room through the door, both looking disheveled as they stared at us wide eyed.

"She's back!" Talon exclaimed and all of us immediately straightened up.

Prophecy!

"About time!" Marco cried out and was about to rush towards the door when Talon interjected, "She's asleep now. She was extremely tired and fell asleep immediately after her spirit teleported back here a few minutes ago"

I exhaled heavily while Marco's shoulders slumped, "I see", he said, "I'll go check on that cow, excuse me", he said before walking out of the door and Rino followed him, their eyes falling on Suzzanah briefly before they left.

There was nothing hostile about the looks they gave her. They still held gentleness and I knew that despite everything we had heard, they, just like everyone else in this room, trusted her. Even Cole, especially Cole.

He could have created a big scene about this matter, embarrassed Suzzanah in front of everyone, blown the situation out of proportion, but he chose not to. He chose to stay quiet and not say anything till he was sure about what had happened. And even now, when he still wasn't sure, he was gentle with his Luna, because he trusted her.

"Alpha, just please keep an open mind", he had said, "I'm sure it isn't her fault"

I wanted to believe that more than anything else. Suzzanah was my mate. Mine! I needed to trust her. She wasn't the kind of person who would betray anyone.

Trust in her human

I will Kai

Talon was about to say something else, but I cut him off, "Suzzanah"

She jerked out of her thoughts and looked at me. I could see worry in her eyes and I wondered what had happened.

"Suzzanah, we need to talk to you about something", I told her, "Come here please"

I extended my had towards her and she walked up to me followed by Talon, who looked just as nervous as she did for some reason.

I looked at John and he nodded at me, "Suzzanah, please have a seat"

She looked confused for a minute as her gaze searched all our faces, "What's wrong? What is this about?" I could sense the anxiety in her voice and immediately put an arm around her comfortingly.

"It's nothing to worry about", I told her reassuringly, "We just need to confirm some things with you"

She gulped and nodded before taking a seat. I motioned for Talon to take a seat next to her while I, John and Cole sat opposite to them.

Suzzanah still looked troubled, and I wanted desperately to make her feel better, but right now I wasn't in a position to do so. I could barely stay calm. I needed to know what the hell was going on, because it involved them.

The Shadows

"Suzzanah, first of all, don't worry", John started, "The questions we want to ask you are just to confirm certain things and nothing more alright"

She exchanged glances with Talon and nodded uncertainly, "Okay?"

We looked to Cole who swallowed hard before bending forward, "Luna...this is...about your sister"

Both she and Talon gasped out loud and her face immediately flooded with panic.

"WHAT ABOUT HER?!" she asked frantically, her eyes wide in worry, "Is something wrong with Karina? Did something happen?"

I reached out and put a hand on her knee, "Suzzanah calm down, it's not like that", I told her quickly making her concerned eyes immediately meet mine, "We just want to know some things about Karina and you, that's all"

She let out a huge sigh of relief, slumping against the couch and I immediately knew that something must have been up with her sister. There was no other reason why she would react in such a panicked manner.

"I'm sorry Luna, that came out wrong", Cole apologized, "I didn't mean to worry you"

She shook her head, and gave him a small smile, but her eyes still held worry. From next to her, Talon watched her anxiously.

"Luna, your sister Karina, she is an interior designer right?" he asked her and she nodded, "And where is she doing her current project?"

Her back immediately went stiff and Talon's features morphed in panic. She gulped before replying, "In...C-Canada", she stammered.

"And where is she working right now?"

She cringed and my brow immediately furrowed. Why did she look so troubled? She didn't know anything about them...right?

Her lips parted, but no sound came out of her mouth. I could tell that she was struggling to get the words out and I gently squeezed her knee trying to offer some comfort, even though on the inside, I was barely keeping my anger in check.

I could tell that Kai too was agitated. We couldn't help but be. When the matter concerned those goddamn shadows, we couldn't help but feel this way.

Talon patted her back and gave her a small nod of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, she finally said, "M-Magnifis", my blood boiled in rage, "Incorporated"

Stay calm Son, John's voice filled my head and I forced myself to do so.

"Why do you sound so worried Suzzanah?" John asked softly, his gaze flitting towards Talon as he spoke.

And instead of her, Talon answered, "Alpha", he said, his voice tense and small, "Suzzanah...she knows about them being our enemies"

WHAT?!

"HOW?!" I demanded shocked while John, Rino and Cole also looked between Talon and Suzzanah with wide questioning eyes.

"I-I told her", Talon replied but before I could say anything Suzzanah interjected, "I asked him to tell me!"

"Suzzanah-"

"He didn't tell me anything except that they are-" she gulped before adding, "-that they are your...enemies", she bit out, "But I knew about their existence before that", her eyes zeroed in on mine and she added, "I knew about...the Shadows"

What...

I knew my face reflected the disbelief I was feeling on the inside, but I forced myself to stay calm and hear her out. Kai was clawing at my mental barriers wanting out. He was just as agitated as I was.

She swallowed again, and I could tell that talking about this was hard for her, "I found out last night", she told me making all our eyes go wide in shock, "my sister told me"

"What?!" I cried out, voicing the question all of us had been thinking, "Karina knows about the shadows?!"

She bit her lip, "I don't really know what she knows?" she replied worriedly, "But last night, right after your match with Master Cole, I received a call from her"

So THAT was Karina!

Relief flooded my veins, knowing that the trust I had put in my mate had not gone in vain. She was innocent and trustworthy, my Suzzanah. But at the same time, there were still many questions that needed to be answered. Questions that were wreaking all sorts of havoc inside of me.

I and Cole exchanged glances before looking back at her as she continued, "She told me that she had discovered some people who weren't...who weren't human"

My fists clenched and Kai growled out, she got that right!

They weren't human, far from it! I doubted there was anything human at all about their kind.

"She had sounded worried-", Suzzanah said, her own features creasing in concern, "-and also like she had been in a hurry. She told me that she didn't have enough time to tell me everything but that no matter what...I needed to..."

Her voice trailed away, her features twisting in panic slightly. I reached forward and took her hand in mine making her anxious gaze meet mine, "Needed to what Suzzanah?" I asked, "What did Karina say you needed to do?"

She exhaled a shaky breath before adding gravely, "I needed to...stay away from the Shadows"

My eyes widened slowly as her words sunk in. Her sister was working for Magnifis. She knew about the Shadows and she had told Suzzanah to stay away from them.

Stay away from the Shadows.

Why...why would she tell her to do that?!

There was only one reason that I could think of, and it filled me with dread.

"Why Suzzanah?" I asked her wanting desperately to know anything that could prove my fears wrong, "Why did she tell you that?"

She shook her head, staring at the ground worriedly, "She didn't say. The line wasn't clear either. She had called using a pay phone"

"Why did she call using a pay phone?" John asked.

"I really don't know", she said fisting her hair in aggravation, "I don't understand what is happening with her. Sometime ago when I had called her, she had suddenly told me not to call her on her cell phone anymore because there was something wrong with it and that her calls were getting redirected to some other number"

What?...

"She told me that since I couldn't call her, she'd call me instead, using a friend's phone or a pay phone", Suzzanah continued.

I, Cole and John immediately exchanged glances, while Talon remained in his own train of deep thought. That explained why Karina had called using a pay phone. But it didn't explain the call later that night which was made to Suzzanah's phone from Karina's number.

"Then how come you received a call from her number last night while we were at the lounge?" I asked making her eyes go wide in shock.

"H-how did you kn-"

"We keep surveillance over all the calls made to and from our territory to theirs", I replied, "Its necessary to ensure the safety of our people Suzzanah, to make sure that no one is leaking information about us to them"

Her features twisted in confusion, "But then...you've been spying on me?"

"No Luna, we keep a record of all the calls made between the two territories", Cole told her, "And we only monitor the calls that involve Magnifis Inc. directly"

I knew she wasn't satisfied with that answer but right now, it was very important for me to know about that last call. I had a very bad feeling about it.

"Please Suzzanah", I said making her troubled gaze drift towards me, "Just answer my question for now. How come she called using her phone last night? Did she say it was repaired? Did you ask her about it?"

Suzzanah was quiet for a few seconds before shaking her head, "I don't know why", she replied, "Last night, when I received the call, no body answered from the other side. I couldn't hear a thing. And after a while, the line went dead"

My spirit sank, I was afraid she would say that. My gaze immediately met Cole's and John's tense ones and I knew they were thinking of the same thing I was.

That last call...wasn't made by her sister

A wave of panic washed over me as I realized that my worst fear might have been coming true. That call was made by someone from inside Magnifis Incorporated. And it was a blank call. Whoever it was that had called had done so with a purpose.

And that purpose could quite undoubtedly be...

"Did you tell Karina anything about us werewolves or about being mated to Zuerien?" John asked and she immediately shook her head, relieving a small fraction of my concern.

"No", she replied, "I never mentioned anything about being Luna...but Karina...she knew that the people at the Royale industries weren't human either"

"She knew about werewolves?!" Cole asked shocked.

"I don't know if she knew about werewolves specifically", Suzzanah replied, "All she said was that the people associated with both Royale Industries and Magnifis Incorporated weren't human. I don't know how she found that out"

"I see", John replied thoughtfully.

"Please tell me what is going on?" Suzzanah asked desperately, "Is my sister in danger? Will those people try and hurt her?"

"When did Karina find out about them not being human Suzzanah?" John asked, "Do they know that she knows?"

"No", Suzzanah shook her head, "I don't know when Karina found out, but she said that they didn't know yet that she knows about them"

If Karina had managed to figure out about their secret identities all on her own, then she was definitely an extremely intelligent woman.

That...or they had let her find out far too easily...

"But what if they do find out that she knows?" Suzzanah asked restlessly.

"I don't understand why Karina didn't just leave the place as soon as she found out", Cole stated puzzled.

"I have a feeling she can't", Suzzanah replied, "A few days ago, she told me that she was planning on coming to see me, but yesterday, she said that she wasn't sure anymore if or when she could come. It almost sounded like she wasn't sure she could leave anymore"

Dammit!

"Zuerien", Suzzanah spoke cautiously, "Mr. Talon told me that the werewolves and these shadows are enemies"

Talon's winced while my jaw clenched as a fresh wave of anger and the familiar sting of betrayal surged through me.

"Does that mean that they could hurt my sister for being associated to someone who was on your side, like me?" she asked and I closed my eyes.

Suzzanah was catching on fast. There was a reason why I was so worried about that last blank call, the same reason why I had a terrible feeling about all this.

Suzzanah...

"Zuerien?" she said again making me open my eyes. I looked into her beautiful brown orbs now brimming with anxiety and I cursed myself for not being able to relieve her distress in any way, "Why don't you say anything?" she asked, the apprehension in her voice growing as she spoke.

I looked towards Cole, whose face revealed the worry that I was feeling on the inside. John stayed calm, but the fact that he wasn't saying anything implied that he too found this situation disturbing.

Canada was their territory. Our kind were not allowed onto their soil. And Karina was working for Magnifis Inc. which complicated the situation even further. I couldn't send out people to retrieve Karina without drawing attention to the fact that she knew about them.

But if Karina managed to keep that a secret for a little longer then...

I squeezed Suzzanah's hand, "Suzzanah, Karina said that they don't know about her knowing yet, right?"

Suzzanah nodded shakily.

"Then all she needs to do is keep it that way", I replied, "I'm sure your sister understands this fact too. If she can pull off this act of not knowing till her allotted 3-month period of work passes, then she can get out of there and come here"

"And what if she can't? What if they find out?" she asked, "Will they...will they-"

"We can't be thinking about things like that right now Suzzanah", I told her, "Supernatural beings are extremely good at concealing their identities. Despite that, your sister has managed to figure out their secret which obviously means that she is clever. I'm sure she can make this work"

"But what if they don't let her go even after her allotted project completion deadline, then what?"

"Why do you think they won't let her go Suzzanah?" John asked her.

"Why else would she tell me that she wasn't sure anymore if she could come to see me?" Suzzanah reasoned.

"It could be that she is trying to lay low and not draw attention to herself", John told her, "If she suddenly left town and decided to fly right here, to the enemy territory, it's bound to arouse suspicion"

"Even so, there must be something we can do right?" Suzzanah asked, "Isn't there any way we can find out whether or not she is okay?"

"We have a few acquaintances in Canada", Cole replied, "I can ask them to check on her"

Suzzanah's face immediately lit up, "Please do! I'm going crazy worrying about her"

Cole looked at me for confirmation and I nodded at him. Nodding back, he immediately fished out his phone and got up to go make the necessary calls.

I looked at John who was still deep in thought and I knew that after talking to him, I'd probably have a couple more problems I needed to worry about, because he would have definitely picked them up before any of us.

But for now, there was one thing I needed to do...

Taking Suzzanah's other hand in mine I said, "Suzzanah, after the blank call last night, did you receive any other calls from unknown numbers?"

She shook her head.

"Alright", I said, "But even if you do, make sure you don't answer them"

Her face immediately turned defensive, "But why? They could be from Karina!"

I sighed, "I'm afraid you're going to have to reject them"

"NO!" she cried out, "My sister could be in trouble. How else will she contact me?"

"We'll have our associates in Canada keep an eye on her and keep us up to date about her well-being", I told her standing up.

She too stood up defiantly, "And what if the news isn't good? What if she isn't okay? What then?"

"Suzzanah, stop being negative about this. We need to hope for the best-"

"I can't be appeased by a meagre reasoning like that Zuerien!" Suzzanah cried out, "This is my sister we're talking about!"

I exhaled in exasperation, trying to keep my calm, "What do you want me to do Suzzanah?" I asked her.

"Isn't there any way I can see Karina for myself?" she asked expectantly, "Can't any of the witches and wizards help in some way? Maybe by using their magic to let me communicate with my sister somehow?"

I looked to John, hoping he could provide an answer to her pleas, because I had none. I could think of only one thing right now.

The one thing I feared most and wanted to prevent at all costs.

"I'm sorry Suzzanah, but I'm afraid magic can't help in this matter", John told her instantly making her face fall, "Powerful anti-magic barriers were set up all around our territories as well as theirs, so that neither side could spy on the other, with the help of other Supernaturals"

I could tell that the desperation Suzzanah was feeling was growing but freaking hell, I was not in a position to offer her any respite at the moment. Because doing so would mean compromising on the one thing that was most important to me.

"Isn't there any way?" she asked in a bare whisper.

I exhaled heavily, "Suzzanah, some things are just not in our hands", I told her, "Them and us, we're enemies, just like Talon told you. They aren't allowed on our turf and we aren't allowed on theirs-"

"But I am", she said immediately making mine, Talon's and John's eyes go wide in shock at what she was suggesting, "I'm human", she continued, "So I'm allowed onto their lands right? If I can go and-"

"Out of the question!" I cut her off just as John and Talon too stood up from the couch, "You're not going anywhere"

I turned towards the door but she quickly blocked my path, "Zuerien please!" Suzzanah begged making me feel physically pained at the sight of her distressed face, "Please let me go see her. Just once. I'll be back before you know it"

"Absolutely not Suzzanah!" I growled out, desperately trying to keep Kai at bay.

Just the thought of those things being anywhere near my mate nearly had me shifting into my wolf in rage. I couldn't believe she was actually even suggesting this, "You're not going anywhere near their territory"

"But-"

"The Alpha is right Suzzanah", John added quickly, concern creasing his brow, "It can't be allowed"

"Please!" she pleaded, "You can't really expect me to not care. She's my sister, my own blood!"

"Suzzanah, I can understand that you're afraid for your sister, but I can't allow any contact between you and them", I told her, "It's too dangerous"

"I don't care about the danger-"

"But I DO!"

"This is not about you Zuerien! And it's not about me! It's about Karina!" she cried out, her fists clenching as for the very first time, I saw anger in my mate's eyes, "I can't comply to this. If she calls, I will receive them and if need be, I will go to her aid"

Rage, frustration and desperation built up inside of me, nearly exploding on the inside. I was furious that I couldn't do anything about this damned situation. I was frustrated that Suzzanah refused to see this from my point of view and I was desperate...so goddamn desperate to prevent the one thing, the only thing I feared most right now.

"Suzzanah, you will NOT answer any calls from unknown numbers", I grit out through the last of my self-control, "and you sure as hell will NOT go anywhere near the Canadian border"

"I refuse!"

"GODDAMMIT SUZZANAH!"

The last of my control snapped like a twig and a wave of power and anger burst out of me smashing into the walls and shattering the glass windows into thousands of shards.

"YOU'LL DO AS YOU'RE TOLD AND THAT'S FINAL!"

Suzzanah's body jerked in shock, her eyes going wide as she took an involuntary step back. The walls shook at my outburst and the furniture cracked and quaked under the power that was now radiating off me in waves. Cole, Talon and John watched with alarmed eyes as my and Suzzanah's stare down continued.

I wasn't going to back down. There was no way in hell I was letting Suzzanah anywhere near those bloody scumbags. I was doing this for her. I wasn't wrong. I wasn't wrong!

But it was only when a thin streak of silver shone along the length of Suzzanah's lower eyelids that my all anger went hurtling out the window and my entire world came crashing down around me.

Suzzanah, my Suzzanah, stared up at me with tears brimming in her beautiful eyes. Her face flushed a pale pink and her lips trembled as she took in shaky breaths.

An immense pain ripped through my body, searing through my veins and scorching every part of me. It was like I was being stabbed over and over again through the very same raw and bleeding wound. The sight of her in pain because of me almost made me wish I could really take that punishment as Kai whimpered in agony.

Suzzanah's features contorted in hurt, her eyes never leaving mine. I immediately reached for her but she stumbled away from me, making me feel like my soul was being ripped apart. Without another word she turned and rushed towards the door and I could literally feel my heart being torn to pieces.

In a flash I was at the door, and I grabbed her wrist in panic, "Suzzana-"

She pulled away immediately and turned to face me, tears slipping down her cheeks as she spoke, "I have nothing to say anymore", she whispered, her voice breaking as she spoke, "Please excuse me, Alpha"

Never had words cut so deep into me that I actually felt like I had a spear run through me. Never had I hated the sound of my title as much as I did right then, I hated it so much that I almost wished I never bore it.

As I watched the one woman who had become the very purpose of my existence, walk away with tears in her eyes because of me, I suddenly felt just as lost as I had felt when my entire family had been taken from me 14 years ago.

Because Suzzanah was my path, and without her...

"Alpha, I'll go after her", I heard Talon call just before he ran after Suzzanah.

I stayed transfixed to my spot, wondering what the hell I had been trying to achieve.

At the time, all I had wanted was to prevent my greatest dread from transpiring- the one thing I feared most in this world.

Losing Suzzanah

I had wanted to protect her. I wasn't wrong.

I had wanted to keep her from harm's way. I wasn't wrong.

I had wanted her to never leave me. I wasn't wrong.

I had wanted her to understand...

But had I refused to understand myself...

I had refused to understand what was important to her, because what was important to me had overshadowed her need.

I had refused to understand that unlike me, she had a family, she had Karina, and had I had someone like that, I would have reacted the same way.

I had refused to understand that right then, she had needed comfort more than reason, compassion more than logic.

I had refused to understand that sometimes, it was more important to be kind, than to be right.

I was wrong.

____

"Alpha"

I looked up to find John sitting opposite to me, his gaze soft and understanding.

"It'll be alright son", he told me and his voice held enough sincerity to comfort me in my disturbed state.

I inhaled deeply, feeling a dull ache radiating along my forehead. Kai had been screaming at me to go after Suzzanah, and God knew I wanted to, but I also knew that I needed to give her some space right now, especially because I wasn't planning to change my mind about my decision.

Suzzanah won't have anything to do with those bastards. I won't allow it!

I knew I had come out harsh, much more than I had intended to. But at the time, the only thing I could think of was Suzzanah and her safety.

Everything she had said, about the things that happened with Karina and what Karina had told her, had reinforced my fears double fold.

Stay away from the shadows

Those were the words Karina had told Suzzanah.

Why did she need to stay away from the shadows?

Because if she didn't, they would hurt her.

Why would they hurt her?

Because she was mine.

And what did that indirectly mean?

That they knew...

They knew Suzzanah is my mate!

This was what I had wanted to prevent more than anything else. I had kept Suzzanah's identity a secret because I knew that if I didn't, then word would spread like wild-fire and they would know about her.

And they would come for her. Because she mattered more to me than anyone else in this world. And taking her would destroy me.

No! They wouldn't get anywhere near my Suzzanah. To hell with the fact that they knew about her being my mate! To hell with them all! As long as I had breath in my body, no one would harm a single hair on Suzzanah's head. I would kill anyone who even tried to hurt her.

I would kill them all.

"ZUERIEN!"

John's voice broke me out of my thoughts and I realized that I had nearly shifted. My canines were protruding out of my mouth, my long sharp claws had dug into the couch, ripping right through it. My body felt tight, constricted, as Kai fought to take control.

"Calm down Son", John said, his voice stern, "This is no time to lose control and have a fit of rage. Pull yourself together"

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm Kai down, knowing that John was right. I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me. Right now, there were more important things I needed to worry about.

Cole, Marco and Rino sat around us silently. Cole had just filled Marco and Rino in on all the events that had taken place a short while ago. I had mind-linked Talon just a few minutes ago. He had told me that he was with Suzzanah in her room.

"They know John", I grit out, "They know about Suzzanah being my mate. Whoever called her using Karina's phone last night obviously did so with a purpose. The call was long enough for them to have tracked her location!"

"King, I assure you that they will not get past my shields and mazes", Marco told me, "As long as the Queen remains close to us and the shields they won't be able to get to her"

It was reassuring to hear him say those words, but not reassuring enough to stop me from worrying. Those Shadow people had an uncanny ability to take us by surprise when we least expected them to.

"But I don't understand how they could possibly know!" Marco breathed out, "There are only a handful of people amongst us who know about the Luna Queen. The only way they could have found out was if someone who knew had told them right?"

I, John, Cole, Talon, Marco, Prophecy, Rino, Roma and Del.

That was the list of all the people who knew about Suzzanah being my mate. And also the list of the people I trusted most. Just like Suzzanah, I knew they would never betray me.

"But none of us did", Cole said certainly, "So how did they know?"

"That is assuming they do know", John cut in making all our gazes shoot to him.

"So you don't think they know John?" Rino asked.

"I didn't say that", John replied.

"John, everything Suzzanah told us points towards that fact. Karina telling her to stay away from the shadows and not call on her phone. The blank call last night that she received from Karina's phone. It all points to the fact that they are trying to get to Suzzanah!"

"I don't deny it, that's a highly likely scenario", John told me, "But it's not the only one"

None of us spoke a word and we waited for him to elaborate.

"Alpha", John said, "I agree that what you're proposing makes sense, but it also doesn't add up. How would they have known about her being your mate if none of us told them? Maybe someone else found out too without us knowing, and leaked the information to them?"

All of us tensed and my mind ran through all the possible suspects and for some reason, ended on Megan. For some reason, I just knew there was more to that woman than she let on. This could be it. I was about to voice my opinion when John smiled.

"Before all of you jump to conclusions, let me pose another question to you", he said, "If that person found out, how exactly did he or she relay the information to them without us knowing?"

All of us exchanged glances, knowing that was another question we didn't have an answer to. If any calls, emails, faxes or letters were exchanged between our territories, we would know about it. If anyone travelled from our territory to theirs with the information, we would know about it. If any form of magic was involved, it would be blocked by the anti-magic barriers cast around our respective lands.

So...how?

"You see my point", John spoke up when none of us came up with an answer a few minutes later, "It suddenly seems less likely that they know, doesn't it?"

"But then what about the blank call from last night?" I asked.

"And Karina's warning to the Luna about staying away from the Shadow dudes?" Rino added.

"It does seem like they are trying to get to the Queen", Marco said.

"I agree with you on that one", John replied making all our brows furrow in incomprehension.

"But you said-"

"I said that its unlikely that they know about Suzzanah being the Queen", he replied, "Not that it's unlikely that they are trying to get to her"

"But...if not for the fact that she is the Alpha's mate, why else would they want to get to the Luna?" Cole asked.

"That", John said sitting bending forward intently, "is the right question Cole. Think...other than being the Luna Queen, what else is Suzzanah?"

"A woman?" Cole asked.

"A human" I added.

"A possible Neutral?" Marco thought out loud.

"Karina's sister!" Rino exclaimed.

All of us looked up at him weirdly when John smiled and nodded, "Exactly"

WHAT?!

"Didn't it occur to you that all this could have nothing much to do with Suzzanah except the fact that she is Karina's sister?" John asked, "It could be that this entire thing is about Karina, and not about Suzzanah at all"

"John, what are you trying to say?" I asked.

"I'm saying, that the other possible scenario is that none of this has anything to do with Suzzanah", he replied, "It could be that just like we monitored all of Suzzanah's calls to their territory, they simultaneously monitored Karina's calls to our territory to figure out who she was talking to"

"But then why did Karina warn the Queen to stay away from the shadows?" Marco asked.

"If a human were to find out about the existence of Supernatural creatures, especially creatures she deemed dangerous, don't you think the first thing she would do would be to warn those closest to her to be careful?" John asked, "So I think that the reason behind that blank call yesterday was their attempt to try and find out just how much Karina had told Suzzanah about them", John replied making all our eyes go wide.

"You mean..."

John nodded at me, "I think it's quite likely that they know that Karina knows about their identity", he said.

"That makes sense", Cole said, "If they know that Karina knows about them, then obviously they wouldn't let her leave. Maybe that's why Karina suddenly had to change her plans of coming to meet the Luna"

"That's the most likely of all reasons", John said making us all groan in frustration.

Just how many scenarios has this wolf come up with?

"And what other reasons are there for them to not let Karina leave?" I asked.

John was about to answer when the sound of thundering footsteps running down the stairs reached our ears and all our heads whipped towards the door.

On cue, the door flung open to reveal a severely panting and flushed familiar young blonde woman who had given us one too many heart attacks in the past two years since we discovered her true identity.

Prophecy, the Luna of Time.

We shot out of our chairs, our eyes wide at the sight of the now fully awake and active young Luna.

"Prophecy!" Marco cried out.

"CANADA!" she repeated making all of our faces scrunch up in confusion. She gasped for breath, clutching her chest as she repeated, "Canada. I teleported to Canada"

All the color drained from our faces as the truth behind what she was implying slowly sunk into our minds. My eyes immediately found John's and I knew he was thinking the same thing that I was.

"What other reasons are there for them to not let Karina leave?"

I had a feeling my question had just been answered.

_____

"How the hell is that possible?" Marco shouted.

"Why the hell isn't it?" Prophecy shouted back, "She is the Luna Queen's sister. Of course she can be one of the lost Lunas!"

Much to our shock, for the first time ever, Prophecy had actually seen the face of the woman she needed to see in her teleportation this morning, the woman she thought could be one of the lost Lunas.

But this time around, when she found the woman whom she felt like was the reason for her teleportation there, she hadn't felt the aura of a Luna that she usually felt emanating from the women she met in her teleportations, which probably meant that she hadn't manifested her powers yet.

After we had told Prophecy all about Karina and Suzzanah, she had become quite convinced that the woman she had seen in today's teleportation was Karina.

"It makes perfect sense!" she had said as she had shot off the couch, knocking a vase to the floor in the process, "The reason why I teleported to the Luna Queen yesterday, even though she had already been discovered, was not only because she was the Queen, but also because she was closely related to one of the other lost Lunas! Her Sister Karina!"

It was also in line with her earlier prediction, that the Queen would play an important role in recovery of the two lost Lunas. If one of the Lunas was her sister, then it completely made sense.

"Prophecy, we don't even know if the woman you saw actually was Suzzanah's sister", John told her.

Prophecy immediately cringed and scratched her head, acknowledging that fact. It was true, there was no guarantee that the woman she had seen was indeed Karina, but it was still a possibility, a big one.

"Long brown hair, brown eyes, healthy tan, slim, about my height and all in all one freakishly hot woman!" Prophecy gushed out, "That people, is the description of the woman I saw. Now if someone could please provide me a picture of the Queen's sister, I'd very much like to clear my suspicion"

I immediately mind-linked Talon. He was with Suzzanah but they were no longer in her room. I was relieved to know that she wasn't crying anymore, but it still pained me to think that she did cry, because of me. I asked him to send a picture of Karina to me from Suzzanah's phone for her identification.

A few minutes later, we were all crowding around my phone and gaping in shock at the woman whom we had now established as the same woman Prophecy had seen during her teleportation.

It was Karina!

"You were right", Marco breathed out in awe to Prophecy, "Damn she's hot!"

"YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YAAAAASSS!" Prophecy cried out euphorically as she jumped around the room, "WE FOUND HER AT LONG LAST!"

I didn't know if it was the fact that Prophecy could sometimes be quite slow, or the fact that the joy was clouding her mind so she didn't notice, but none of us shared her excitement.

Why?

Because of the goddamn circumstances we knew Karina was in right now!

As though on cue, Prophecy stopped her rambunctious bouncing session and gasped, inhaling over a liter of air, "OH SHIT!" she cried out, "THE LUNA IS IN CANADA!"

"And that, people, is what you call a late reaction", Marco said exasperatedly, "The hell are we going to do now? That jerk-face Magnifis might be on to her abilities by now! What if he-"

"Calm down Marco, there is no need to assume the worst", John intervened, "They can't know for sure whether or not she is one of the Lunas unless they find out that she is in fact mated to an Alpha, or unless she manifests all the classical powers which a Luna Extraordinaire is supposed to possess"

"Based on what Prophecy said about Karina having no classical aura of a Luna, it probably means that her powers are still very much latent", he continued, "So they can't be sure that she is one of the lost Lunas. And until they are sure, they won't have any reason to hurt Karina"

"But you said it's likely that they already know that Karina knows about them right?" Rino asked, "What if they hurt her because of that?"

An ominous silence befell our company while the disturbing fact hung heavily in the air, almost as thickly as the tension.

Today, Prophecy had teleported in spirit to the past, 3rd July 2015, about half a month ago. Karina had probably not manifested her powers by then.

Since we didn't know whether or not Karina had started showing signs of her powers by now or not, we couldn't know if the Shadow people had picked up on her abilities. Either way, we had to act fast. We needed to retrieve Karina at the earliest.

Before they figured out that she was one of the lost Lunas and...

"We need to get her", Rino said, voicing my thoughts out loud.

"But how King?" Marco asked, "We aren't allowed on their territory"

"But I am!"

Suzzanah's words from earlier resounded in my head making my fists clench. I couldn't let her go. No. Not Suzzanah.

"We might not be allowed into Canada", Prophecy said, a small smile forming on his lips, "but we are allowed into Dublin, Ireland"

Immediately, all our gazes zeroed in on her and she grinned from ear to ear.

"There is one more thing I didn't mention", she said, "I didn't only teleport to Canada today"

"Prophecy, do you mean-"

She nodded vigorously, cutting Marco off, "When I teleported in spirit this morning, I went to the past- Canada, 3rd July 2015. But when I teleported physically, I went to the future- Dublin, 28th July 2015, just over a week from now"

All our eyes went wide at what she was implying.

"And when I was there, I sensed the presence of one of the Lunas, and saw her- albeit from behind-", she whispered quickly, "but I saw her nevertheless! In Jervis street! And who knows? That might just be Karina!" Prophecy said excitedly.

"It will be Karina if we can somehow get her to come to Dublin on that day", John added, his voice revealing excitement.

Ireland was one of the very few countries in the world which had territories that both our Kingdoms shared. We couldn't get Karina to come here, but if we could somehow get her to come to Dublin, we could take advantage of the shared territory and retrieve her!

Suzzanah's words from before rang in my head.

"Please let me go see her", she had begged and I had coldly refused to understand her desperation.

I was wrong.

Suzzanah...

"I'm going to go tell Suzzanah", I told them, a small smile playing on my lips, "that she may just get her wish..."

____

A/N

Hello my darlings,

I updated even though my week was packed with tests, lol, so I'm quite proud of myself. To all those of you who wished me luck for my tests, I'm so so grateful, thank you darlings!

Lately I've been worried that this story may be getting boring, and I'm sorry if it has seemed that way :'( I'll do my best to add lots of excitement in the chapters to come.

This chapter may have been confusing to some of you but please bear with me, things will start to get clearer :)

PM me if you have questions!

If you liked this chapter, PLEASE DO VOTE AND COMMENT! It really motivates me to write, not to mention makes me immensely happy :D

So how is Zuerien going to appease his darling mate? Find out in the next chapter ;)

Next update will be as soon as I can finish writing it (don't know when yet :/ )

Until then,

All my love,

Angel