AS ALWAYS, I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!

Picture of Megan Houston (Emma Stone) to the side.

Dedicated to ariasingh for the your amazing support, heartwarming comments and lovely votes. Thank you hon!

A huge shout-out to debbieluvbuks for all your wonderful votes, comments and enthusiasm towards this story. Thank you!

NOTE: THE FIRST PART OF THIS CHAPTER MAY BE CONFUSING. FEEL FREE TO APPROACH ME WITH WHATEVER YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY MY WORK!

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

_____

Suzzanah's POV

"What does this mean?!"

Rino voiced the question that had been in all of our minds. Karina had seen me. She had seen my spirit!

All our heads automatically turned towards Alpha Penson, seeking answers, but for some reason we found him staring at me, with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"It seems our initial observation", Alpha Penson said, "that Suzzanah is the only person who can see spirits...isn't entirely accurate"

"But I don't understand", I said utterly perplexed, "I was there, like right there beside Karina, for so long! I saw Karina almost fall off the balcony, and I even shouted her name, but she didn't see or hear me then"

"Something must have triggered her abilities all of a sudden", Alpha Penson replied thoughtfully, "And it happened at the exact moment that she decided to make you a call", he looked at me, "It's the same as with your abilities. You don't always see the spirits. You only see them on...special occasions. Maybe this was one such occasion for her"

"I don't have any memory of Karina having seen me in spirit form", I told him, "or of me having said anything to Karina when she saw me. I don't even remember seeing her make a call to my cell phone!"

"The last we spoke of the matter of your Spirit teleporting to Canada", Alpha Penson said, "you told us that the very final thing you remembered from your experience, was Terrence Magnifis telling Karina that she would be joining him on a trip to Dublin, am I right?"

My body went stiff and I gulped.

Uh...no...

I nodded nervously, knowing that I couldn't tell them that I had remembered more after I had woken up. Not right now.

If Zuerien found out that Terrence had been the one behind the blank call I had received a few days ago, or that Terrence had mentioned meeting me very soon to Karina, he would definitely lose it!

Then I will be put on a life-long house arrest and everyone else will probably be dead!

"Did you remember anything else after you woke up?" Alpha Penson asked making me jolt in alarm.

I bit my lip, "Nothing...relevant", I replied.

Everyone exchanged glances, "But you did remember something then?" Mr. Talon asked and I nodded.

"I remember Terrence giving Karina her phone back", I said, "But I don't remember seeing her use it to call me"

At least that was true...

Alpha Penson didn't reply immediately, watching me quietly for a few seconds before saying, "I see"

I knew almost immediately that he could tell I was hiding something, but I was grateful that he chose to let it go for now.

"It is possible", Alpha Penson said to me, "that the reason you don't remember anything about the phone call, was because the process of your soul's return to your body had already begun by then"

Most of us wore confused expressions as he continued, "You did say that the castle where you saw Karina, was not the first place you were teleported to in Canada, right?"

I nodded.

"And you also said that when you thought of wanting to see your sister, your surroundings automatically changed and you were suddenly teleported to the castle where Karina was", he added and I nodded once more, "That's right"

"Was the experience of that teleportation- from where you were earlier to where Karina was- disorienting?" he asked.

My eyes widened in recollection, "Very!" I exclaimed, "It was like my surroundings turned into a whirlwind of messy shapes and colors"

"And I imagine it must have been hard to concentrate on anything except the befuddling scenery in such a situation", Alpha Penson said, "If your soul's teleportation had already begun by the time Karina's ability to see spirits finally kicked in, then you were probably too disoriented to notice her calling out to you. It's understandable why you don't remember it."

My shoulders slumped and I sighed, "I wish I did", I replied dejectedly.

"Don't be disappointed Suzzanah", Alpha Penson said softly, "It could also just be a memory lag, and if it is, then you'll surely remember the incident soon enough. But since you don't remember it right now, we need to rely on the information we do have and try to come to a conclusion about this matter"

"John", Zuerien spoke up, "I was thinking...if what you said earlier was true, and Suzzanah can't remember Karina having seen her because her soul's teleportation back into her body had already begun...then do you think...do you think her sudden teleportation could have been caused by..."

Everyone tensed, having immediately grasped what Zuerien was suggesting.

Could it be that my soul's teleportation back into my body had been triggered by...Karina?

Alpha Penson pondered the idea for a moment, "I have to say that we can't completely rule out the possibility", he agreed, "Judging from how desperate Karina had sounded on the voice mail about wanting to speak to Suzzanah at the earliest, it is possible that that very desperation triggered Suzzanah's soul to return to her body in hope of being able to receive Karina's call"

I gaped, that was a possibility?!

"But that would mean that the Luna's teleportations to Canada and back were caused by...Karina!" Cole breathed out, incredulously.

"And if that's true", Marco said wide-eyed, "then the sharing of powers between Prophecy and the Queen was probably also done by Karina!"

Mr. Talon sucked in a breath and added, "So that would make Karina..."

"The Luna of Intercession", we all chorused in unison, our faces displaying a mix of shock and excitement.

"But...But...I thought the Luna of Intercession was the Luna I'm supposed to be the guardian of", Rino said looking baffled, "And if Rina is the Luna of Intercession, then how exactly did I sense her presence here, inside Juno and Bellanna? They never even made contact with her!"

Bellanna?...Oh! Annabelle!

"That's a good point", Cole said, "And the fact that when the Luna Queen's soul was initially teleported, Karina wasn't here with us to enable the transfer of Prophecy's powers to the Queen"

Alpha Penson shook his head, "The idea that the Luna of Intercession needs to be present physically during the transfer of powers from one individual to another, was only an assumption, not a fact", he told us, "If Intercession's powers are so strong that just her thoughts are enough to trigger sharing of powers between two individuals, then it's very much possible that Karina is the Luna of Intercession"

"Wait a minute", Marco said frowning, "How could Karina have had thoughts about allowing the transfer of Prophecy's powers to the Queen? She doesn't even know Prophecy or anything about her Extraordinaire abilities!"

"I seriously doubt that knowing about someone's abilities or powers is essential for Intercession to be able to mediate a transfer of them", Alpha Penson replied, "That's the whole point of what we're planning on doing tonight with Megan. She doesn't know anything about our powers, but if she is Intercession, then the transfer of powers between us could occur automatically, even without her knowledge"

"But John", Zuerien said, "Even if Karina is Intercession, isn't it a little farfetched to assume that Karina's powers, which probably haven't even manifested fully yet, would be strong enough to cause a sharing of powers in another country altogether, even without her knowledge?"

"Of course it is farfetched", Alpha Penson replied with a nod, "It's almost impossible. But they are called Extraordinaire abilities for a reason. If Karina's thoughts and desire to see Suzzanah had been extremely strong at the exact moment that Suzzanah touched Prophecy this morning, then who knows! It could have triggered the transfer of powers and teleportation of souls"

Everyone fell silent, staring at Alpha Penson with wide-eyes. The whole concept he was putting forth was so inconceivable, that I almost couldn't believe it.

"Alright children, I understand that you're all blown by this theory. Please close your mouths now", Alpha Penson said making us all reel in our shock and immediately slam our jaws shut, all of which had fallen to varying lengths.

"But if what you're saying is in fact correct Alpha, then..." Cole's eyes widened as he spoke, "Doesn't that mean that Ms. Megan Houston is not Rino's Luna- the Luna of Intercession, and tonight's dinner plan was all for nothing?"

"Not exactly", Alpha Penson said, "Yes, if this theory is true, then Megan obviously isn't Intercession. But that doesn't necessarily rule her out as a Luna Extraordinaire candidate, or as Rino's Luna"

Rino sucked in a sharp breath and all of our jaws fell open again, "You mean..."

Alpha Penson nodded at Zuerien, "It simply means that Intercession is not Rino's Luna. Heart is"

I gasped, The Luna of Hearts?!

"And now, to answer Rino's earlier question", Alpha Penson said, "If Karina is the Luna of Intercession, the presence you sensed from Annabelle and Juno couldn't have been her's, but it could have been the other Luna's- The Luna of Hearts'!"

"So Vegan is not the Luna of Intercession but the Luna of Hearts?!" Rino asked excitedly.

"Settle down Rino, we don't know that for sure", Alpha Penson said, "In fact we don't even know if Megan is a Luna or not. All we know is that it is possible that your Luna is actually Heart and not Intercession"

"But we came here prepared to pinpoint Intercession!" Zuerien said, "Everything we planned, all our strategies for tonight, they were all directed at identifying Intercession! They'll all be useless for identifying the Heart!"

I grimaced, he was absolutely right! Keeping their Extraordinaire powers surfaced in hopes of having a power transfer occur was something that was only useful in determining who the Luna of Intercession was, not the Luna of Hearts.

In fact, Alpha Penson had told us that he didn't actually have an idea of what the Luna of Hearts' powers could even be. And since Rino was unable to sense her, how would we identify her? Even if Megan was the Luna of Hearts, how would we know?!

Noticing everyone freaking out, Alpha Penson raised his hands, trying to get us to calm down.

"All of you please calm down", he said softly, "Nothing is proven yet. These are all valid theories, and any one can be true. It could be possible that Karina is Intercession and Megan is Heart. It could also be possible that Megan is Intercession and Karina is Heart. And it could be possible that one of them is not a lost Luna at all"

My head started to spin with the amount of information it suddenly had to process, and judging by the pale faces of everyone else, they felt much the same.

"Alright listen", Alpha Penson said, "There is no need for us to drop the plan we made for tonight. Like the Alpha King suggested earlier, the theory of Karina being the Luna of Intercession and her thoughts having triggered all the events that took place this morning, is an extremely bleak possibility"

He crossed his hands over his chest, "For something like that to even have a chance of occurring, all the elements would need to be in complete sync and harmony at the exact same time"

"Elements?" Rino asked, extending his palm, in the center of which was placed a ball of solidified water.

Alpha Penson smiled, "Not these elements Rino", he said, "By elements, I meant the people and powers necessary for a teleportation to occur"

His brow furrowed in concentration as he continued, "For the transfer of powers from Prophecy to Suzzanah to have occurred this morning", he said, "Suzzanah would need to have been thinking of Karina, and Prophecy would need to used her teleportation powers at the exact same moment that Karina thought about wanting to see Suzzanah really badly"

He frowned, "Something like that has less than a one-in-a-million chance of occurring", he told us, "So for now, the chances of Ms. Megan Houston being the Luna of Intercession are still quite high. So all of you just concentrate on what we've already strategized for tonight. The plan is a go, alright?"

He looked at each one of us, and we all nodded in understanding.

"Good", he said, "We'll be starting as soon as we enter the lounge", he looked at Zuerien, "We're counting on you most, Alpha"

Zuerien nodded wordlessly and I took a deep, preparatory breath. Tonight, not only were we possibly going to identify the lost Lunas, but I was also going to witness one of Zuerien's incredible Extraordinaire abilities in action.

Zuerien looked at me and I smiled at him. He gave me a subtle nod before looking at everyone else, "Everybody ready" he said authoritatively and we all nodded.

"Alright", he said and quietly pointed to both his ears with his fingers, before turning to face the lounge's door.

Taking that as our cue, we all fished out the articles we had collected earlier. And as we brought them up to our ears, I silently recollected the sequence of events for tonight.

Let's get started,

Earplugs in!

****

"Megan!" I called out, louder than I had intended to, as we all walked into the lounge.

Megan looked up from where she was seated on the couch, reading a magazine. She wore a calm, cool and collected expression on her face, unlike the uneasy and disturbed one she had had when she had left Luna Prophecy's cottage this morning.

Dressed simply in a white lace T-shirt and blue jeans, with minimal makeup and no jewelry, she still managed to look absolutely gorgeous. Her coppery hair, which fell over her shoulders in waves, shone beautifully under the light, making her look somewhat ethereal.

Behind me, Marco let out a low whistle and Cole jabbed him with his elbow, telling him to cut it out.

Setting the magazine aside, she stood up, "Suzzanah, hi", I barely heard her say in her usual calm manner. She looked at the others and bowed, "Good-evening to all of you"

Everyone replied with their own individualistic greetings, and I exhaled a breath. Most of the men knew how to lip read, which left me, Rino and Mr. Talon the only victims to any questions she could ask us, which we, in our present predicament, would be unable to hear.

"Thank you for joining us", Alpha Penson said, or so I thought.

Megan gave him a tentative smile, "Thank you for..." something, something, I couldn't make out the rest.

"I imagine you must have questions", Zuerien said, and I held my breath in anticipation of what he was going to do next. I needed to ensure I didn't hear what he said, even though I knew exactly what he was going to say.

Megan frowned, her eyes trailing over all of us slowly before she nodded to Zuerien.

"Yes Sir, I do", I faintly heard her reply to him, followed by a few more words that I could not hear at all.

When her lips stopped moving, Zuerien tugged on his wrist watch and we immediately recognized that as the signal to get ready. Everyone tensed in anticipation and I held my breath.

It was time for the next step of our plan, possibly the most important one. And the minute I saw Zuerien's lips part, I immediately looked away, concentrating hard on everything but his words, knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"I assure you", Zuerien told Megan, his body radiating a commanding aura, "Only the truth will be spoken tonight, Ms. Houston"

There it was!

A ginormous wave of pure, untainted power shot out of Zuerien and slammed into all of us. I saw Megan stumble slightly on her feet, her eyes suddenly growing wide and glassy. I knew that his command was taking control over her body, and had it not been for the earplugs preventing us from hearing him, they would have entranced all of us as well.

Such was the strength of his order as the leader of the Extraordinaire Council- the Alpha of Power. And this ability was called,

Absolute Command

The Alpha of Power's command was irrefutable. Once ordered, the persons receiving the order had no choice but to comply to his words. Their brains and bodies would get hypnotized to carry out his demand word by word, even against their will.

Zuerien had just commanded Megan to speak nothing but the truth tonight, and therefore she could not defy him. It was an ability he could only use when his powers were at their zenith, like they were now. But it was also an ability he disliked using and avoided at all times.

This particular power of his was fundamentally based on one's hearing, which meant that by stuffing earplugs in our ears, we had managed to prevent the command from working on us.

Megan nodded quietly to Zuerien's command, and I immediately felt guilty about doing this to her. I hated the idea of forcing the truth out of her, but somehow, everyone was convinced that Megan was smarter than what we gave her credit for. No one wanted to take chances, and it had to be done.

Quickly slipping the earplugs out of my ears and into my clutch, I walked up to her and grinned, "You look beautiful!"

She chuckled softly, "As do you", she replied.

I smiled, "Even though you've probably already met everyone here, why don't I give you a proper introduction", I told her, turning towards the guys.

"You already know Zue-the CEO", I quickly corrected myself, making Zuerien smirk slightly, "and Mr. Penson and Master Cole"

She nodded, not seeming to have noticed my little slip. I gestured towards Mr. Talon, "This is Mr. Talon Gregor", I said and she smiled, "Yes, he showed me to the lounge earlier when I got here", she said.

Mr. Talon smiled back at her and I nodded before gesturing towards Rino, "That over there is Master Rino Perez, a special guest of the CEO's"

"Hi!" Rino spoke loudly and waved his entire arm from side to side, smacking both Cole and Marco on their heads as he waved.

Oh Rino...

"It's nice to see you again!" Rino grinned and Megan tensed, taking a step back.

"Uh...hi", she said awkwardly.

"Please call me Rino", Rino continued shouting, not realizing how loud he was owing to his earplugs, "I'm really sorry about this morning. Del and I didn't mean to freak you out!"

Everyone cringed at his loudness and I motioned for him to keep it down. He obviously didn't get it because he continued yelling, "Oh well, what's past is past right. Besides, it won't have to happen again, hopefully"

I flinched at how he said it, and everyone gave him wide-eyed glares. Megan gave me an alarmed look before eyeing him like he was a ticking time bomb about to explode.

"But in case it does happen again-"

His shouting was muffled by Mr. Talon's handkerchief which he had slapped over Rino's mouth hurriedly, "D-don't mind him Ms. Houston", Mr. Talon said, "He shut down mentally a long time ago"

Megan gave him an uneasy smile, "Is that so..."

Rino laughed into the hanky before saying something like, "You got that right"

"Moving on!" I said quickly gesturing towards Marco, "That is Master Marco Ronaldo, another one of the CEO's esteemed guests and the coordinator of the Annual Games this year"

Marco immediately went into charmer mode and gave her his infamous flirtatious smirk, "Well, hello there, Ms. Megan"

He seemed to have completely forgotten about their unconventional first meeting this morning, the same however could not be said about Megan who immediately cringed at the sight of him.

Marco let out a husky chuckle, "Oh don't worry doll", he said, "I won't embarrass you again by bringing up our memorable first meeting"

Everyone glared at him in unison, But you just did!

Megan frowned, "Generous", she mumbled unimpressed.

"What can I say? I'm a nice guy", Marco told her with a wink and she immediately looked away, apparently having had enough of him.

I sighed, it didn't look like he would be getting on her good side any time soon.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her and she shrugged, "A little"

"Let's all have a seat at the table, shall we?" Cole said, giving her a warm smile.

Megan smiled back and nodded. As we made our way to the table, the men let me and Megan walk ahead, while they removed and discarded their ear plugs.

As Megan tried to pull out her chair, Marco beat her to it, "Allow me", he said and she frowned, "Thank you", she said uneasily and he smirked, "Oh you don't have to, it's my pleasure"

I narrowed my eyes at Marco and he grinned cheekily at me. I had thought that he'd be annoyed all evening because of what Alpha Penson had asked him to do throughout dinner, but the opportunity to flirt with a pretty girl had obviously put him in a better mood.

Despite my silent protests, Zuerien pulled the chair back for me.

It's okay, he mind-linked me, Megan probably already knows what is going on between us

I flushed slightly, knowing he was probably right. Not only had she given me advice to deal with our quarrel yesterday but she had also seen him hug me earlier this morning, right after my soul had returned to my body.

Once I was seated Zuerien walked to his seat, everyone taking up their pre-planned places at the table.

Marco sat on Megan's left, a decision she immediately questioned with a frown. Marco winked at her making her turn away and cross her arms over her chest. Although most women would do anything to have his attention, it only seemed to annoy Megan.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, Rino- the apprentice of the man who had hauled Megan onto his shoulder and forcefully brought her to the cottage- sat opposite to her at the table, grinning from ear to ear, making her shrink back against her seat. I thought I even saw her pale slightly.

Of all the people in the world to be afraid of...

Rino waved both his hands at her and she gulped quickly picking up her napkin and clutching it to her chest nervously.

Megan, from what I knew, was a very reserved person. When I had found out that Del had carried her here upside down, on his shoulder, I couldn't even imagine how horrifying the experience must have been for her.

While I had been appalled on hearing of the matter, Rino didn't think it was that bad. He had promised to be on his best behavior tonight so that she would soon forget that that incident had even happened.

But just in case, everyone had warned him repeatedly to refrain from hugging Megan, as well as saying her name.

To balance out the anxiety Megan was feeling from being so close to Marco and Rino, I sat to her right and Cole sat diagonal to her, opposite to Marco. Zuerien sat opposite to me while Alpha Penson and Mr. Talon took the two ends, facing each other.

The dinner began...with a pin-drop silence.

The minute we sat down, Megan spread the napkin on her lap, picked up the menu-card, swiftly opened it and buried her face in it. Introductions obviously hadn't helped her feel more comfortable around my were-friends and wizard bud.

We all exchanged glances quietly. We had expected Megan to be eager to get her answers, but it looked more like she was planning on spending the rest of her time here hiding behind the menu card.

We all simultaneously glanced at Alpha Penson, who was supposed to initiate the order of events planned for the evening. He nodded at us subtly, before speaking up.

"So Megan", he said, making her lower the menu card and look at him, "Which branch of the Royale Industries do you work at?"

Here we go...

There were several places we needed to ask her about today- California, Dublin, Cambridge, Muscat, Paris, London.

God help us!

"The one in Sydney", Megan replied as I poured myself a glass of water. Diagonal to me, I could see Rino's arm's moving under the table, and I knew he was manipulating a ball of water.

"And how long have you been working for the Royale Industries?" Alpha Penson asked.

She hesitated, "About half a year now", she replied.

"Are you an Australian then, mate?" Marco asked with a lazy smile and an Australian accent.

She shook her head, "I'm American"

"Which part of America?" Cole asked.

"Washington", she replied.

Taking that as an opening, I smiled and said, "I'm from California. Have you ever been there before?"

Alpha Penson smiled, Good job

She shook her head.

"No?" Zuerien asked again and she looked at him.

"No", she replied quietly.

Since she couldn't lie after being ordered by Zuerien to only speak the truth, we knew we could rule out California from the list.

"So how long have you lived in Sydney?" Alpha Penson asked her.

"The same amount of time that I've been working at the Royale Industries", she replied, "Half a year"

"So you only moved there for work?" Mr. Talon asked and she nodded.

According to Luna Prophecy's teleportations, one of the Lunas was in London a month ago, but if Megan has been in Sydney for half a year now then...

"And where were you working before you joined the Royale Industries?" Alpha Penson asked.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, "Ashford Enterprises", she replied and I remembered Ashford Enterprises as being yet another huge multi-million-dollar organization, like the Royale Industries and Magnifis Incorporated.

"But Ashford Enterprises don't have any branches in Washington", Zuerien said.

She nodded, "No they don't. I worked in one of their branches in England", she replied and we all stiffened in our seats.

England!

"ENGLAND?! REALLY!" Rino cried out excitedly, a few drops of water splashing onto his face.

She looked at him bewildered, probably wondering where the water came from. In a quick attempt to distract her, Cole spoke up, "Growing up, I spent a few years in England too", he told her, "It's a beautiful country"

She smiled, her eyes flicking briefly to Rino again, "Yes, it is", she replied.

"By any chance was the branch you were working for in Cambridge?" Cole asked straight out, "That's where I was"

I mentally high-fived Cole, atta-wolf!

She shook her head, "No, not Cambridge"

"Have you ever been to Cambridge?" he pressed further.

She hesitated before shaking her head.

My shoulders immediately slumped, so Cambridge is ruled out as well

"So which branch did you work for?" Zuerien asked.

She turned to him and replied, "The one in London"

"LONDON!" We all cried out in unison and she jumped in alarm, clutching her chest.

"Uh...yes...?" she said looking confused.

"So is that where the rest of your family is right now or did they move to Sydney as well?" Alpha Penson asked quickly and she nodded, "No they're still in London"

"Do you get to visit them often?" I asked and she looked at me before shaking her head, "Not...really"

"When was the last time you visited them in London?" Marco asked and her jaw clenched as she swallowed.

I knew he was asking to know if she had been to London last month.

"I haven't...met them since I started working in Sydney, six months ago", Megan replied quietly, briefly glancing my way.

I wondered if that was like some kind of silent plea for help.

If she hadn't been in London last month, then the Luna whom Prophecy saw there couldn't have been her. As disappointed as I was that that meant London was ruled out as well, I knew we were probably starting to freak her out, so I quickly asked if I could order the food now.

Megan immediately gave me a grateful look and I smiled at her before scanning through the menu-card. I felt guilty about prying information out of her like this. If we weren't so desperate and pressed for time, I would have liked to have done things differently with Megan, to let her take her time in opening up to us and be truthful with her.

But there was also a possibility that she wasn't one of the lost Luna, in which case we needed to ensure that we didn't give away anything that could point to the men in this room being Supernaturals.

As the waiters came in to take our orders, I took the opportunity to glance at the three Extraordinaire Alphas. Alpha Penson was looking through the menu, but I knew there was a lot more going on in that head of his. Knowing him, he was probably wondering what course the conversation should take to yield more promising results, provided there were any such results to arrive at all.

I turned my head to look at my mate. Zuerien was dictating his order to a terrified looking waiter who trembled as he scribbled it down. I wondered why everyone was so afraid of him, and if there was a side to him that made people fear him so much.

A side that I hadn't seen yet...

While I was still watching him, a waitress came up to me and cleared her throat loudly. Surprised, I looked up to find her glaring down at me. Confused, I quickly told her my order, but the entire time I could feel her angry gaze drilling holes through my head.

While I was searching for which dessert I have to order, she pulled the menu from my hands, through me another cold scowl and started to walk away. I was too shocked to even react while both Mr. Talon and Megan gaped angrily at her behavior. But before either of them could say anything, a low threatening growl sounded from opposite me.

I sucked in a sharp breath and all heads at the table shot towards Zuerien, to find him glaring lividly at the waitress who had stopped abruptly in her tracks.

She whipped around, her wide eyes immediately finding my mate's face, and instantly all the color drained from her face.

"She wasn't finished", Zuerien said in a low voice, his tone intimidating and laced with rage.

The waitress gasped and bowed, "I'm sorry Sir", she said and quickly handed me the menu card again.

I took it from her and thanked her before turning to Zuerien, "Thank you Sir", I said and smiled at him, trying to get him to calm down.

Glowering at the waitress for a few more seconds, his gaze met mine before his body relaxed against his chair again. Everyone else at the table threw me tense glances, asking if everything was okay. I quickly shook my head and smiled at them before looking at Megan.

She was staring at Zuerien, a puzzled look on her face and I knew it was because of the growl she had heard earlier.

"Oh, I'm so hungry, my stomach is growling out loud", I told her quickly, clutching my abdomen for emphasis.

She turned and blinked at me in surprise, no doubt wondering how the heck someone's internal organ could be that loud. Regardless, she smiled, "Go ahead and finish your order then"

Nodding I quickly told the waitress which dessert I wanted, and she noted it down, not making eye-contact with me. I knew that Zuerien had probably really scared her because her face was still pale, and her knees were trembling slightly.

Once she was done, she bowed to Zuerien, threw me a brief bitter look and walked away. I blinked, not understanding what I had done to make her dislike me so much. I didn't even know the woman.

It had been like that with Annabelle too, she had disliked me in the beginning for no apparent reason at all, till I found out that it was because I was human.

I felt a strange heaviness bear down on me when I wondered if most werewolves, especially the women, would dislike me for being human. But knowing that it is neither the place nor the time to think of such things, I quickly shook off the feeling and turned to my left to look at the last Alpha Extraordinaire.

Marco was currently flirting openly with the rather cooperative waitress who was jotting down his order. I deadpanned and shook my head, Marco...

Just as I was about to look away, the waitress on the opposite side of the table next to Cole, bent forward, giving Marci a menu for wines. Cole's eyes immediately widened as Marco completely ignored the waiter and continued talking to waitress beside him.

Puzzled, the waiter said, "Sir?" politely, but Marco still didn't even look at him.

Megan scowled discreetly at Marco and I cringed. I knew that, to her, it must have seemed like he was deliberately ignoring the waiter, but in actuality, he couldn't help it.

After all, Marco couldn't see the waiter.

In fact, he couldn't see anything or anyone on the opposite side of the table- not Cole, not Rino, not Zuerien, or any of the waiters or waitresses on that side.

Such was the predicament he was in right now, he was trapped in one of his own mazes, an illusion he created for himself. Right now, before him, Marco could only see a thick brick wall that began somewhere towards the opposite edge of the table, and stretched from one side of the room to another.

Not just that, the entire room, to him was a maze. Although we could see an open expanse, Marco was probably seeing some tastelessly furnished room with brick walls and concrete pillars jutting out in random places.

The only way that Marco could keep his Alpha Extraordinaire powers surfaced throughout the evening, without letting them affect any of us, was to create a maze for himself, allowing him to see random things all over the room.

The idea was that if Megan was the Luna of Intercession, and she accidentally or intentionally caused a sharing of his powers with someone else in this room, then that person too would be caught in his maze and see the disfigured room that he was seeing right now. That way, we'd know immediately that a transfer of powers had taken place!

It made things rather hard for Marco, like right now. Even the waitress he was trying to seduce was starting to look puzzled at why Marco was so blatantly ignoring the poor waiter.

Alpha Penson and Cole exchanged alarmed glances and Cole quickly snatched the wine menu from the waiter. Turning to Marco he called out loudly, "Marco!"

Marco stopped talking to the confused waitress and looked in front of him, his eyes wandering Cole's face, or as he probably saw it, a wall trying to find a pin-point where the voice came from.

"Would you like some wine?" Cole asked loudly bending over the table and extending the menu to Marco.

Although he couldn't see anyone or anything opposite to him, Marco could still hear them if they spoke a little loudly and clearly.

He frowned, probably having heard Cole's voice, before suddenly gasping as he stared at the menu being extended to him. I shuddered at the thought of the image Marco was probably seeing right then.

A random hand, emerging through a brick wall, and holding a menu card out to him.

Yikes!

"O-Oh! Yes! Thank you!" Marco said wide-eyed and quickly grabbed the wine-menu from Cole's hand.

Cole smiled at the deflated looking waiter beside him and the waiter bowed before walking to Rino.

Marco wiped his brow and gave his order to the waitress while Megan just threw glares his way now and then. I smiled, poor Marco was unintentionally being portrayed as quite an arrogant lout to her tonight.

My eyes finally moved to Rino, who was having the waiter bend down and to show him the menu himself, because he presently had his hands full manipulating the water ball under the table.

The waiter was barely keeping up with the order, obviously too distracted and fascinated by Rino's cool elemental abilities. I noticed that all the men took a rather long time to place their orders, courtesy of their enormous, raging Supernatural appetites of course.

And unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who noticed either. Megan was watching Marco with bewildered eyes as his order took up nearly three pages on the waitresses' notepad. The other men had similar orders which made me wonder where all that food would even be placed.

Once we had all placed our orders, the waiters hurried out of the room and the room fell silent again.

So far there had been no signs of anything unnatural happening at all. I looked at my glass of water and silently willed it to rise from the glass, but the clear liquid just stayed put, mocking me through its glassy container.

As discreetly as I could, I tapped on the leg of my chair hard. A sharp pain pricked my finger, but I didn't even put a scratch on the wood.

It was pretty obvious that I had acquired neither Rino's not Zuerien's powers and seeing as I could still see everyone seated opposite to me clearly, I knew I hadn't acquired Marco's powers either.

I wondered if it was indeed possible that Karina, and not Megan, was the Luna of Intercession. But then Megan could also be the Luna of Hearts, and if she was, how would we identify her?

Just as I was about to look at Alpha Penson to see what he would ask Megan next, a voice spoke up and I was surprised when I recognized the voice as Megan's.

"If it's alright", she said softly, "I'd like to know why I was brought to that cottage earlier this morning"

I bit my lip worriedly, my gaze immediately shooting towards Alpha Penson. This was one thing I had not been informed about. Actually, it was something none of us had been informed about.

Alpha Penson had simply said that when the time arrived to answer the question, he would come up with something to tell Megan, and we were all instructed to just "play along".

We had no idea what story, or should I say lie he was about to come up with, to explain the whole situation with Del and Rino hauling Megan to the cottage like a prisoner of war earlier, but I sure hoped it was a reasonable one.

"Oh! Yes, of course", he replied with a nod, his eyes glinting mischievously, "I assure you, by the time you've heard our reasons, you'll understand why you had to be brought to the cottage so...unconventionally"

His gaze met mine, and his mysterious smile widened. I found myself gulping. Somehow, I just knew I wasn't going to like this...

******

"WHAT?!"

Both I and Megan cried out together in shock, while the rest of the men at the table gaped at Alpha Penson in disbelief.

"Wait, wait, wait", Megan said, trying to make sense of what had just been told to her, "Let me get this straight. This morning, when Suzzanah set out to meet the rest of you, she took a shortcut through the woods and got lost"

Alpha Penson smiled brightly and nodded, while I felt a large part of my humble dignity eroding away with each word she said.

"And almost an hour later, she was found unconscious in the woods by some passers-by", Megan continued and Alpha Penson nodded again.

"And finally", Megan's brow twitched in confusion as she added, "when they finally managed to get her to regain consciousness enough to speak...the only thing she kept repeating...was my name?!"

I nearly face planted into the table in embarrassment.

"Exactly", Alpha Penson said and Megan's confusion grew, "B-but why my name?" she asked and turning to me.

Before I could even attempt to formulate a reply, when the sharp sound of glass cracking suddenly flooded the room, making us all jump in our seats in alarm. Immediately, all eyes zeroed in on my mate, who now held in his hand a cracked glass which looked about ready to fall apart at any minute.

Oh no...

He was glaring in irritation at Alpha Penson over his ridiculous story, obviously not realizing how much power he was subconsciously using.

Megan was staring in shock at the cracked glass in his hand, and I knew that at this rate, she would probably know everything about us before we even knew a thing about her.

"Easy Wolfa", Rino told Zuerien, fanning him with his napkin while Zuerien continued to stare daggers at Alpha Penson, as he set his glass down.

"Oh I doubt Suzzanah even knew what she was saying", Alpha Penson replied to Megan's earlier question coolly, "She doesn't even remember having said it, as you can see by her shocked expression"

Everyone turned to me and immediately becoming aware of my jaw hanging open, I snapped it shut.

"But she repeated it multiple times", Alpha Penson told Megan, "so everyone who heard it obviously thought one of the two things. One, that you needed to be informed about her state, or two, that you caused it"

Megan paled and shook her head, "I-I swear, I-I don't have anything to do with this", she said hurriedly.

"Oh, please don't be alarmed Ms. Houston", Alpha Penson said, "We know that now, which is why we wanted to apologize to you for the way you were brought to us. Del and Rino had worried that if you were involved, then you would try to escape them, so they decided to bring you to us by force instead. It really wasn't our intention to inconvenience you"

Megan cringed, "I-Its alright", she said looking rather uncomfortable.

"Later, when the doctor arrived, she assured us that Suzzanah hadn't really been assaulted or knocked out, and that she had probably collapsed due to low blood sugar or dehydration", Alpha Penson continued, "Also she had been running a fever, which could account for why she was a little delirious and kept repeating your name"

"I see", Megan said and I mentally jumped off a cliff.

How could he make up such a story? Now Megan probably thought I was some frail malnourished pervert who had wet dreams about her.

Gaaaahhh! KILL MEEE!

"So now that everything is clear, I hope you can forgive and forget the events from earlier this morning", Alpha Penson said.

Megan smiled, "I think so", she said, "Thank you for explaining everything to me", she looked at me, "The important thing is you're okay"

I smiled at her, still feeling flushed from embarrassment just as the many waiters and waitresses walked in with trays and trolleys of never-ending food.

Megan and I both exchanged wide-eyed looks as enormous portions of food were placed before all the men. Even though I had seen this before, I still couldn't help but be awed by these were-people and their voracious appetites.

And when a waitress had come to serve Megan some meat, Rino had immediately stopped her saying, "No! She's a vegan!"

That had actually even cracked Megan up, and she seemed to grow a little more comfortable with Rino's presence after that.

As everyone began eating, the mood of our conversations lightened. Instead of bombarding poor Megan with questions, we told her a little bit about ourselves too. And even though we still kept our eyes open for anything unnatural that could happen, things did become much more casual.

Cole told her about his time in Cambridge, which I was surprised to know, was actually true. Alpha Penson and Mr. Talon made occasional comments about their work experiences and Rino recited some hilarious times from his school life.

Thankfully, to eat, Rino had actually used his hands and did not just bury his face in his food because his hands were otherwise engaged. I did however wonder what he did with the ball of water while he ate.

By the time I and Megan were almost done with our dinners, Megan seemed to be feeling much more at ease with all of us. She even seemed to be getting used to Rino's loud personality and Marco's constant flirting.

Zuerien hadn't really said much, which was to be expected, but I was happy to see him actively listening in and even contributing to the conversations. When it was my turn, I told Megan a little about Karina and a little about my life after I joined the Royale Industries.

"You mean you've gotten lost in the woods before too?" she asked incredulously.

Everyone chuckled and gave me knowing looks while I covered my embarrassed grin with both my hands, "That time it was because of Mr. Penson's directions too", I said defensively.

"I beg to differ my dear", Alpha Penson said amusedly, "It was because you didn't go straight, like I told you to"

"To go straight, I would have had to smash and crash through a thousand tree trunks!" I told him.

"And even without doing that, you still managed to get injured child", Mr. Talon said.

"You injured yourself?" Megan asked and I nodded, "Then how did you find your way out?" Megan asked me and my eyes immediately met Zuerien, who was sipping on his glass of wine.

I bit back a smile and shrugged, "Apparently, two good Samaritans found me in the woods and took me to the hospital", I said, reciting the story Mr. Talon and Mr. Penson had told me when I had woken up.

"Apparently?" Megan asked and I cringed, "I kind of...fainted that time...too"

Megan gaped at me, "Girl! Seriously?" she said and I nodded laughing.

"I should probably just refrain from going into the woods", I said.

"Oh but that'll be such a waste", Alpha Penson said, "You'll miss out on a lot of adventures. After all, the woods are full of mysterious secrets just waiting to be discovered", he looked at Megan, "Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Houston?" he asked.

Megan smiled and twirled her glass, "I think...some secrets are better left undiscovered", she said softly, "After all, they were probably locked away for a reason"

The room fell silent as the weight of her words hung heavily in the air, invoking all our thoughts.

Megan smiled, "Well that's just my opinion anyway", she added quickly, "I'm not much of an adventurer and discovering secrets is just...not my thing"

"So what do you look for, when you go into the woods?" Zuerien asked, making her head shoot up, her gaze meeting his.

"W-What?" she said and he leaned forward, not repeating his question, knowing that she had heard him the first time.

She hesitated for a bit before replying, "Solitude", she replied, "I like being away from crowds and mindless banter. I like quiet places where I can...think"

"So you're telling me...that you've ventured into these woods before?" Marco asked, pointing towards the thick vegetation outside the window.

She nodded, "Yeah", she said and my eyes immediately widened, "I've taken a walk through the woods almost every day since we've gotten here"

She has been...in the woods?!

"And what have you seen?" Alpha Penson asked her.

"What anyone would see when they walk into a forest", she said, "Rocks, trees, wild foliage, wild flowers, wild-"

"Animals?" Zuerien asked and she stopped abruptly.

My heart rate sped up at his question and Megan looked at him uncertainly.

"You didn't see any wild animals?" he asked and she held his gaze for a second before shaking her head.

"I haven't been that fortunate", she replied and Marco finally relaxed in his chair.

That meant that she hadn't crossed through the territorial shields and had only been wandering the mazes created by him, like the rest of the humans here.

"You seem to have a different definition of fortunate than what most people would, Ms. Houston", Alpha Penson said, "Tell me, do you think it fortunate to have nailed a job in the Royale Industries in Sydney?"

She seemed surprised by the question, "Well yes, of course I did"

"Were you specifically looking to work in the Royale Industries or did you just happen to stumble upon it?" he asked.

Megan shook her head, "I wanted, very badly, to work in the Royale Industries"

"Then why choose a branch so far away from home?" he asked and immediately Megan's body tensed.

Alpha Penson seemed to notice it too as he asked, "There are branches of the Royale Industries in England too"

My brow furrowed, that was a valid question.

Megan shook her head, "I just wanted a change of place", she told him, "Or country, in my case"

"What about France then?" Rino asked, "There is a Royale Industries branch in Paris right?"

Yes! Paris! Way to go Rino!

"Yes but...somehow things just didn't work out in my favor when I tried in Paris", she replied.

"So you've been to Paris then?" Marco asked and she nodded, "Yes"

All of us immediately exchanged glances. Paris was one of the places on the Teleportation manuscript! But unfortunately the date and time to which Prophecy had been teleported was not known to us, so it wasn't the best lead.

Still, it was a start.

"There aren't any Royale Industries branches in the Middle East", Cole said thoughtfully and Zuerien's jaw clenched. Cole almost immediately seemed to regret having brought that up and I wondered why that was.

"Have you worked anywhere in the Middle East before?" I asked Megan, "I lived in Muscat, Oman for a few years when I was younger"

Megan shook her head, "No", she replied, "I've always wanted to visit the countries in the Middle East, even if just for a tour, but it's just never happened"

"What about Ireland?" I found myself asking, "Dublin, where the head office of the Ireland Branch of the Royale Industries is, its only an hour and a half from London via flight"

Everyone looked at me with wide impressed eyes. I too was surprised at how the idea had suddenly occurred to me. Now that Dublin had been brought up, we could ask Megan more about it!

Alpha Penson smiled at me, and I could see his eyes glinting thoughtfully.

Megan smiled, "It's funny that you should bring it up", Megan said, "I've never really been there before, but after the Annual Games, I was planning on asking my higher ups for a possible transfer to Ireland. Sydney is...as you all said, very far from...family"

"If you'd like", Alpha Penson said, "We could have the transfer arranged for you"

Megan's face lit up, "Really?" she asked surprised.

"Well, you are sitting in the company of the highest ranks in the company and the CEO himself", Cole said smiling, "We could arrange it for you, if that's what you really want"

"Thank you!" Megan said, "That's kind of you. But I haven't really made up my mind yet"

"Let us know if you do", Alpha Penson said, "We'll have your transfer arranged in no time"

Megan bowed gratefully before returning to her dessert. She looked really happy, and I felt content too, even though the dinner had almost come to an end and so far, nothing at all out of the ordinary had happened.

And even though we had found some evidence suggesting that she could be one of the Lunas, most of it was against that fact.

Out of all the 8 places on the list, Megan had been to two- Paris and London- but both times didn't really seem to coincide with the times that Luna Prophecy had been teleported to.

And since nothing even remotely unnatural had happened all evening, it was even possible that Megan wasn't Intercession. Suddenly it seemed like we were back at the beginning wondering how the heck the transfer of powers had happened in the first place, and who had caused it.

Could it really have been Karina? I wondered quietly.

As dinner came to an end, Cole, Rino and Marco excused themselves to go to the washroom. All the men had actually managed to finish all the food at the table, in record time.

I was still thinking about Karina when I accidentally dropped my napkin on the ground. I quickly bent under the table to retrieve it, only to find a large round shiny object sitting right next to my napkin.

Frowning, I picked it up and sat up on my chair. When I took a closer look, my eyes widened. The object I held was yet another pearl like crystal bearing a huge resemblance to the crystal Megan had given me- the one Alpha Penson had told me that his daughter had once possessed too.

But this one was much bigger...and it was much more transparent. It almost looked like water...

I gasped realizing what this was. It was the ball of water Rino had been manipulating under the table! He must have dropped it on the ground while eating and not noticed.

My gasp made everyone else look at me.

"Suzzanah, what is it?" Zuerien asked and I shook my head and gulped in panic. But before I could close my palm, Megan eyes found the water ball in my hand.

Her eyes immediately returned to mine, a puzzled look crossing her face.

"What is that it your hand Suzzanah?" Alpha Penson asked.

Biting my lip, I raised my hand over the table and showed Zuerien, Mr. Talon and Alpha Penson the crystal. Their eyes immediately widened, especially Alpha Penson's whose gaze immediately met mine.

Beside me Mr. Talon let out an almost inaudible squeal, "Oh young Master Rino!" he whisper-yelled.

"This one looks bigger than the one from earlier", Megan said, "Weird...it almost looks like water"

That's because it is water!

"How funny that the topic of strange crystals should come up", Alpha Penson said, digging into his pocket and fishing out a small box, "Suzzanah told me that you said that this belonged to her", he told Megan, opening the small box.

Inside, on a velvety cushion sat the very crystal I had given Alpha Penson earlier, the one originally given to me by Megan, who found it on my bed when I had woken up last morning.

Megan immediately tensed, "Uh...yes, well...I thought it did belong to her", she replied.

"Why did you think so?" Alpha Penson asked and she turned her head to briefly look into my eyes. I could tell she was feeling uneasy about answering, but I didn't know why...

"Well...I found it right next to her, both times", Megan replied, "so I just figured..."

I took the crystal from Alpha Penson, rolling it between my index finger and thumb. It felt cool and smooth, and sparkled under the light.

"Is that the only reason why?" I asked Megan, "I mean, you seemed quite convinced that it was mine even when I told you that it wasn't..."

Megan swallowed hard and shrugged, "Is this conversation relevant somehow?" she asked.

"It depends on your reply", Zuerien told her, making her bite her lip nervously.

"Well...I kind of saw it fall from very close to you", she told me, "At first I had thought it could have fallen from an accessory, or a bead from your dress. And well, since you hung on to it after I gave it to you..."

Was that really the only reason why? And what did she mean by she saw it fall from close to me? As far as I knew, I didn't have any such beads on my clothes. Did that mean she was lying? But how could she? She had been ordered by Zuerien to speak only the truth...

While I was still wondering about these things, the door to the lounge suddenly flew open and Delta Del barged in, in all his towering glory.

Megan immediately let out a shocked gasp and clutched my arm in fright. It was obvious that she was terrified of Del. I patted her arm comfortingly but it didn't seem to make her feel any better, as all color drained from her face and she started to shrink against her seat.

"Sirs", Del said bowing to both the Alphas, "I have important news. Lun- I mean, Lady Prophecy is awake"

I sucked in a breath, she's awake!

"And well, she is headed right this way as we speak", Del added.

Zuerien and Alpha Penson immediately exchanged glances before Zuerien turned to Mr. Talon, "Talon, take Suzzanah and leave"

Mr. Talon nodded immediately and stood at my side, and although every part of me wanted to protest, we had already had this discussion before and everyone had decided that it wasn't safe for me to be in the same room as Luna Prophecy in the presence of a possible Luna Extraordinaire candidate.

Reluctantly I stood up and Megan looked at me questioningly, "Sorry, something's come up", I said, "I need to leave immediately, but I'll see you back at the room alright?"

Megan seemed troubled by my sudden departure but nodded anyway, "Alright, see you", she said.

I looked at Zuerien who nodded at me.

Go on sweetheart, he said and I nodded.

Mr. Talon took both Rino's water ball and the crystal from me and slid them into his pocket before quickly nodding to Mr. Penson. The very next minute, I was being ushered out of the room.

He pulled me along so hurriedly that one would think we were late for an urgent flight. We literally flew through the door of the lounge only to crash into someone who was coming in right then.

Managing to support me, Mr. Talon fell to the floor instead, and as did the poor unsuspecting person he had collided with.

Once my orientation returned, I recognized the other person immediately, "Ms. Matree!" I said quickly bending down towards her.

She groaned and sat up, "The heck just happened?" she asked.

"Oh my! Matree, I'm so terribly sorry", Mr. Talon said as he got up, and gave her a hand, "I really wasn't paying attention"

"Mr. Talon? Oh it's alright", Ms. Matree said, "I never expected you to be running though and...oh!"

Her eyes immediately widened at the sight of me, "Ms. Suzzanah! You're up, and alright!"

I smiled, "Yes, and how about you?" I asked, "Are you hurt?"

"Oh no, I'm alright", she said smiling, "Just a few scratches"

"Oh dear me", Mr. Talon fretted, "I feel so bad about this"

"Relax Mr. Talon, I'm fine", she said, "You have a bruise on your forehead though"

"I do?" Mr. Talon said turning to me and I gasped before gently rubbing his bruised spot.

"Oh never mind that child, I'm fine", Mr. Talon said and was about to lead me away from the lounge when Ms. Matree spoke up.

"It's good to see that you're up", she said before bending close to me and whispering, "Say, is the CEO happy about that?"

My eyes widened and so did Mr. Talon's and Matree just threw her head back and laughed, "Look at the two of you!" she said, "Like deer caught in headlights! I guess the rumor that you're the CEO's latest fling is true!"

His...fling?!

My face went red almost instantly, "N-No! Of course it's not!"

"Oh come on!" she said with a wink, "no need to be shy. Quite a few people have noticed that he has an eye on you. You're really lucky you know; I don't remember the last time CEO Royale was ever interested in a woman. No wonder he always keeps you around. You must be really good in bed!"

WHAAAAT??!!

I didn't even get a chance to defend myself because Mr. Talon did it for me, "Well, excuse you, but Suzzanah isn't just some wretched call girl being used by the CEO", he screeched, "If anyone else tells you this, make sure you tell them that it's all bull poop, do you hear me young lady?!"

Completely taken aback by his outburst, Ms. Matree nodded wide-eyed, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that", she apologized.

"Good, now if you'll please excuse us", Mr. Talon said, "We have to be somewhere else. Let's go child"

He quickly led me away, while I was still red-faced from the news Ms. Matree had given us. Did people really think that I was sleeping with Zuerien, and that was the only reason he kept me around? That I was doing him sexual favors to get to the top?

Could that be why that waitress had sneered at me like that?

Once we were considerable distance away from the lounge, Mr. Talon slowed down and looked at me, "Suzzanah?" he said and I turned to look at him. He sighed, "Don't think too much about what Matree said to you", he told me.

I cringed, "But do you really think that they all think that we're sleeping together?" I asked.

"Who cares what they think! Ignore them", he told me, "Honestly, young people nowadays, such things are all they can think about. Besides, if anyone says anything to you about that, it'll only be because they're jealous and don't know that you're his...you know", he said, not mentioning the word mate.

I nodded quietly, knowing that he was probably right. Worrying about this wouldn't do me any good. And yet somehow, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I needed a distraction, and I knew exactly what it could be!

Mr. Talon wiped his glassed before putting them on again and taking a closer look at me, "You look tired", he said definitively, "Let's get you to bed now child"

As he started walking ahead but I quickly grabbed his hand, "Mr. Talon", I said and he blinked at me. I bit my lip before saying, "I need a favor"

****

"OH! BE CAREFUL!" Mr. Talon cried out and I turned around and deadpanned.

"Mr. Talon, calm down!" I said, "It's very hard to injure oneself with one's own arrow, especially when its aimed in the opposite direction!"

Mounting yet another arrow onto my bow, I pulled the string of the bow back, aligned it with the target and fired. The arrow flew through the air and hit the red ring again.

"Darn! I missed again!" I said rubbing my slightly trembling fingers. I was really out of shape.

"Missed?" Mr. Talon said in confusion as he adjusted his glasses to look more clearly at the target, "You didn't miss, you hit the target!"

"My target isn't the whole board, it's the gold ring in the center", I told him, aiming another arrow.

Once I was satisfied with my positioning, I let the arrow loose. It sunk deep and hard into the target, a little closer to the gold ring than before.

Well, at least I was making progress.

"Alright, that's enough for tonight", Mr. Talon said nervously, "Please let's go back now child"

"I need more practice Mr. Talon", I told him and he squealed, "But you could hurt yourself!"

I smiled, "Like I said, it's very hard to hurt yourself with an arrow pointed in the opposite direction from you, especially for someone like me who has practiced archery for 6 years"

"Ohhh but if the Alpha finds out, he'll kill me!"

I shook my head, drawing another arrow, "Zuerien won't do anything to either of us. He owes me this. It was his side of the promise to let me practice and participate in the archery event tomorrow if I took a nap"

"I'm sure he meant practice under his supervision", Mr. Talon said.

I shrugged, "He should have mentioned it then", I told him and Mr. Talon groaned again.

"Don't worry so much Mr. Talon, I'll take care of everything okay?" I said, "Just stand back and relax, or if you like, why don't you go and sit in the VIP lounge?"

"No way! I am not leaving you here alone on this dark deserted field after hours", he said, "You have a rather uncanny ability to get into trouble when one least expects it"

I smiled as I mounted the arrow on the bow and pulled back the string, taking aim. The Game grounds were empty and dark, save for the one light nearby which we had switched on.

The quiet allowed me to concentrate better, but it obviously wasn't very comforting to Mr. Talon. Although impressed by my skill in archery, Mr. Talon had an inbuilt tendency to worry excessively and he had managed to convince himself that, sooner or later, I would end up impaling myself with my own arrow.

Taking a deep breath, I fired the arrow and once again it hit the inner red ring. I tsked in annoyance and scratched my head. What was I doing wrong?

I looked at the very few arrows remaining by my side and frowned, "Mr. Talon", I called out, "Can you please go get me some more arrows and an arrow holder? They should be in the supply cabinet by the VIP lounge"

Mr. Talon hesitated before nodding, "Alright, but while I'm gone, don't go doing anything crazy. Be safe"

I rolled my eyes before nodding, "Yes Sir"

As Mr. Talon quickly rushed to the VIP cabin on the other side of the Game Grounds, I grabbed another arrow, nocking it on the bow before taking aim.

I tried to remember everything my instructor had taught me- from the basics to the tips and tricks at getting perfect precision in aim- as I took this shot.

A cool night breeze blew across the Game Grounds, feeling refreshing against my sweaty and flushed skin. My eyes focused on the target and I re-adjusted my grip on the arrow.

I found my thoughts drifting to what could be taking place at dinner right now, and if Luna Prophecy had recognized Megan to be one of the Lunas, and almost immediately my aim started to falter.

I concentrated harder on the target, trying to keep my fingers from trembling.

Gold ring, I repeated to myself, Hit the gold ring

Sucking in a sharp breath, I released the arrow and it cut through the air before sinking into target right at the edge of the inner red ring.

I was about to cry out in aggravation when I heard clapping from somewhere behind me. Alarmed, I whipped around, but despite searching everywhere, I couldn't see anyone. I tried to pin-point where the sound was coming from, and my eyes stopped somewhere close to the edge of the woods, a few feet behind me.

The clapping continued for a few more seconds before abruptly stopping and I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

"W-who's there?!" I cried out, my eyes searching the dark seams of the woods for the source of the clapping.

"Hello?" I called out again but I got no reply. I gulped before looking towards the far side of the Game Grounds where the VIP cabin was.

Mr. Talon...where are you?

"You have a good form"

I jumped and whipped my head towards the woods when an unfamiliar male voice sounded from within the shadows.

"But your skills are rusty. Looks like you haven't practiced in a long time"

The voice was deep and confident with an air of authority to it. It seemed to belong to an older man, as there was something refined and mature about his manner of talking.

"Wh-who's there?" I asked, "Please come forward, I can't see you at all"

"You don't have to see me", he replied, "In a battlefield, do you think one has the luxury to depend solely on one's sight to take a perfect aim at the enemies?"

What?

I clutched the bow to my chest, feeling a strange uneasiness wash over me. Who was this man? And why was he talking to me about battlefields and...and...

...and enemies...

A deep chuckle sounded making the hair on the nape of my neck stand on end, "Don't look so alarmed", the man said, "Do as I say. Take another arrow"

I frowned, "Who are you? And why don't you come forward?"

"Tsk-tsk-tsk, stop dwelling on trivial details", the man replied, his voice now seeming a little closer than before, "Mount another arrow and take aim"

Puzzled, I reached for another arrow, letting my eyes move to the VIP cabin again, I couldn't see Mr. Talon coming back. Gulping, I pulled the string of the bow back and took aim.

I didn't know who this guy was, or what he wanted with me, but if he wanted to hurt me, surely he would have done so by now...right?

From the corner of my eye, I saw someone emerge from the shadows. My gaze flickered towards the person still shrouded in darkness. I couldn't see his face, but he was quite tall and seemed to be well built. He stood leaning against a large tree, watching me take aim.

"Concentrate", he called out to me, "You're getting distracted by your surroundings. You need to focus only on the target"

Taking his advice, I returned my attention to the target, while wondering if he was by any chance the archery instructor at the Annual Games. I focused on the target, giving it my full attention.

"What is it you are aiming at?" the voice asked me and I licked my lips.

"Gold ring", I replied and he hummed in approval.

"Good", he said, "Steady"

I took a deep breath and steadied my grip on arrow. My fingers started to tremble again and I frowned.

"You're too stiff", the man told me, "There is no flexibility to your form. Relax your shoulders slightly and don't hold onto the nock so tightly"

I nodded and did as I was told. Zuerien had said something similar to me the earlier day. The trembling of my fingers reduced slightly and I felt less stiff than I had before.

"Your aim is slipping"

My eyes widened and I corrected my aim again wondering how this man could tell everything that I was doing wrong when he wasn't even standing next to me.

Could it be...that he...wasn't human?!

"Steady", the voice repeated and I took a deep breath, maintaining aim, while at the same time making sure that my shoulders weren't too stiff and my grip not too tight.

Another gust of wind blew across the night sky, making dirt and leaves rise, blurring my target. Concentrate, I told myself, don't lose aim.

"Ready", the voice said and I felt adrenaline surge through me.

An exhilarating feeling spread across my body, as though I had been doing this for centuries. My body was strong, my mind was calm and my concentration was at a 100%.

"Ready", the voice repeated and I nodded.

I'm ready

"FIRE!"

In a flash, I released the arrow, and it shot out of the bow at a speed so alarming that I nearly didn't see it. And as it cut through the cloud of dust and dirt, I clutched the bow tightly as anticipation flooded my veins.

BAM!

It struck the target hard, sinking deep into the board, its long shaft sticking out straight and perfectly aligned.

I exhaled in awe as I registered the color of the ring.

Gold.

I gasped at the result, feeling waves of excitement wash over me repeatedly. This feeling of freedom and strength and power that archery gave me was one of the things I loved most about it.

As a wide grin took over my face, I quickly turned around to look at the man standing by the tree in the shadows.

"I did it!" I cried out elatedly, only to realize that the man was no longer there.

He was gone.

Puzzled, I looked around me, searching frantically for the man, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I even called out to him, but I received no reply. It was like he had never been there at all.

I stared into the darkness of the woods, feeling confused and uncertain at the events that had just taken place. It couldn't have all been my imagination right? Definitely not! Then...could it be...that I had just seen another ghost?!

That thought immediately made me feel delirious.

Somewhere in the distance, I saw the light of the supply cabinet go off, and I knew that Mr. Talon would be on his way back here.

While still scanning the woods around me, I turned around to pick up the last arrow remaining on the table beside me. When I was sure that the man was indeed gone, I exhaled heavily and lowered my gaze towards the arrow in my hand.

But the minute I looked down, my heart froze in terror, and my blood ran cold as I recognized the creature I saw.

A pitch black shadow was crouched underneath the table, staring right at me.

****

A/N

I've been gone like forever haven't I?

Hey darlings,

Once again, I'm terribly sorry for the late update. Although all of you have been super patient with me, I know some of you are livid about my late updates and I can understand why. 

Unfortunately I can't guarantee faster updates any time soon because life is just going to get more hectic as time goes by, but I promise I won't abandon Unconditionally so please do continue to support this story.

I hope you liked this update. I know its super late but I made sure its really long too, for you. 

And I also know that I have a bad habit of leaving you guys with some terrible cliffhangers, but what can I say, old habits die hard *hides*

So if you enjoyed this update, please do VOTE, COMMENT and SHARE. It would mean a lot to me.

Until next time,

All my love

Angel