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"W ho is Nalaila?" Ismena asked Eline as she led her to the clearing of a nice-looking dwelling.

"Someone we should never talk about. Ever." She deadpanned, leading her into the house.

"Woah." From the outside, Eline's dwelling isn't much, but on the inside, "This place is so beautiful..."

Eline smiled, walking deeper into the house, she began removing the weapons strapped to her body, "It's a small space, but I love it. We might not live out in the non-changeling world, but we try to keep up. My parents are dead, but this home will always remind me of them."

Paintings of nature hung on the wall, paintings of animals too. A fireplace dominated one side of the house. Paved tiled floor, fenestral windows, with rose frames that were covered in a fabric soaked in resin and tallow, allowed in light, but kept out drafts.

It doesn't have a modern decoration, but it doesn't make it any less breathtaking. Already, she is having the feeling that she belongs here, no matter how weird the feeling is. Not this house, but in this land.

Strange, but satisfying. She yawned tiredly.

"Come on, I will lead you to your room," Eline said, leading the way.

Ismena followed, still wondering why Wolfariane didn't take her to his home directly. When he stated that she will be in his custody, she'd thought that was what he meant.

"You don't want to live at the big tower, Ismena. Trust me." Eline's voice made her jerk.

A flush spread through her cheeks. She had no idea she'd said that out loud.

"Here's, your room. Get some sleep to regain your strength. It must have been a stressful night, last night." Eline was still wondering why the woman is here, and why the Alpha King came back with a wound to his shoulder.

Why is there an unmated human in their world? Something that has never happened before.

Most especially, no one expects it to be from Wolfariane who hated them more than the rest of them.

And with good reasons too.

Alphose and Degar led the way back to the Alpha King's tower, in quick steps and tensed silence .

The sentinels at the guard scented them before they got closer and opened the gate for the three of them, bowing their heads in greeting to their King.

The King beside Alphose said nothing. His muscles were bunched and tensed, his face a blank slate. But, everyone around can practically feel the tension radiating from him in waves.

Inside the big tower, they walked through the long hallways with large pictures frames hanging on them, to the curved stairway which they climbed to go up to the third part of the big castle.

Their footsteps were soundless as they walked through the tiles of the long hallway, towards the door at the opposite end of it.

As they got closer, they began hearing faint howling that sounded like a wolf in anguish. Snarls and enraged roar. They got to the door, Alphose stepped forward and opened it.

It was dark inside. Degar walked in first, going straight to the sconces, and lit the flaming torch to all of them, which in turn brightened the room all of a sudden.

No, not a room. It looks more like a dungeon-room.

A very big dungeon. Metal rods from floor to ceiling demarcated the room into two.

Behind the metal rods, is a white wolf. It is smaller, like five-foot-four—it was raging and aggressive, howling and throwing itself at the bars of the cell over and over and over again.

Wolfariane stepped into the dungeon-room, his expression cold and blank as he took in the wolf behind the bars. Its fur was bloodied, including its paws.

"Open the door." His voice was hoarse, his eyes never leaving the wolf.

Degar hesitated. They'd just came back from an attack in the non-changeling world, he'd fought and ran all night, and he also took a hit that hasn't even been given a chance to heal. The Alpha King does not need this now. "A-Are you sure?"

He nodded once.

Degar's gaze met Alphose's worried gray eyes.

The mountain lion lieutenant took a deep breath in defeat, and produced the bunch of keys, handing it over to the leopard Alpha.

He took it, walked towards the cell and the sound of locks opening filled the air.

Unlocked, he looked back at the Alpha King.

Wolfariane stepped forward while Degar stepped back. He opened the cell, entered inside, and closed it behind him.

Immediately he entered, he barely got the chance to close the metal bars before the wolf lunged at him.

It bit him.

Scratched him.

Tore at his garment.

The claws took a swipe at his neck, tearing the skin and leaving blood trails on its path.

The Alpha King didn't move or even say a word. He just stood there while the wolf exhausted itself on him. Finally, the wolf started calming down because it was exhausted.

Amber-eyes of the wolf stared at the man and whimpered. As if it just realized that it had attacked, bruised, and wounded him, its small body shivered and it took two steps back.

Seeing the dark haze leave its eyes, the Alpha King's bent down and reached for it, "Nalaila..." Pain filled his eyes, but it wasn't because of the attack .

The wolf whimpered and moved away again, fear in its eyes. When he reached for it again, it attacked again out of fear by throwing itself at him, clawing, and biting at him.

Wolfariane caught it and held it, even as it twisted its body trying to struggle out of his touch. Anguished mewls, whimpers, and snarls leaving its mouth repeatedly.

"Nalaila...please," The Alpha King never begs. Never.

But every single time he is here, he pleads with this wolf. Begging for so many things and nothing, at the same time.

Exhausted, the wolf lost all its strength, which is the only reason why it melted into the Alpha King's arms. It was still trembling, its body a quivering mass.

Wolfariane knows he has to lower it down or it will faint in his arms.

So, he let the wolf down. It laid down on the floor and curled into itself protectively. Those agonizing sounds it made were tearing at his heart.

For every sound that comes out of her mouth, his anger and rage for humans filled him up like bile in his throat, until all that was left is his solidified hatred for them.

He will die first before he claims a mate from that specie.

"I think she is about to go to sleep." Alphose intoned in a low voice from the other side of the bars.

"I think so too. She has exhausted herself. Hopefully, she will sleep for a long time in order to be well-rested and less...feral." Degar let the last word out in a whisper, but still he saw the Alpha King flinch .

Wolfariane watched the wolf close its eyes, its breathing leveled out in sleep. That was when he turned and walked out of the cell. Degar stepped forward, locking up the bars again and setting the chains in place.

The Alpha King strode out of the room first, followed by his sentinels. They walked behind him quietly, warily, knowing that he has entered into that dark black vortex again that can be terrifying and destroying at the same time.

They got to his bedroom, he entered the luxurious room decorated elaboratively in gold, animal-skin furnitures, and expensive porcelains.

Wolfariane lowered himself on the gold king-size chair beside the huge king-size bed. He laid back on it, closed his eyes but they know he isn't sleeping. Lines of tiredness marred his chiseled face.

Alphose cleared his throat, "Should I send for Harhan, Alpha King?" Harhan, the medicine man is one of the best healers Naturiah has.

He was silent for a long time, before his lips moved, "No. Send a message to Flaora instead. Tell her that I request for her presence."

Alphose inclined his head respectfully, even though the Alpha King can't see it, before he turned and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Alphose alone with him.

The silence was deafening.

"I have no idea why she lost control like that." Degar said in a gentle voice.

"I do. She must have figured that I left Naturiah." Wolfariane said simply. She loses control often whenever he's not here because she thinks he is abandoning her. Again.

Massive wave of guilt filled him, clenching his heart to painful degrees .

Nalaila, who can't even bear the touch of anybody... including his. Especially his.

Nalaila, who has been in wolf form for more than eighteen years now. Trapped in the wolf...

Nalaila, his poor little sister. He has given up on ever seeing her again in mortal form.

He closed his eyes, and there she stood in mortal form, right there in the memories that are beginning to fade with time but he is doing everything he can to grab onto so desperately.

Pale hair so blond it was almost golden, her beautiful brown eyes, her beautiful smiles...

"Leave me, Degar. I want to be alone." Alone. Always alone. He is used to it.

"Of course, Alpha King. But what about the ring?"

"We will make plans about it later. Gather the Enforcers for a meeting in the evening. They need to know what is going on." His eyes remained closed as he issued these commands.

"I will do as you wish." He inclined his eyes and faced the door.

"Degar?" His tone was low. Too low.

The quiet tone told Degar how badly he's hurt. How terribly he is loosing blood. How urgently he needs to start healing.

"Yes, Alpha King?" He answered.

"When you are done with your duties, check on the female.

You or Eline can take her around town later, so she can familiarize herself with this place.

But stick to the Werewolf Clan and the Cougar Clan.

" He paused, "Inquire about her illness and meds from her, so you can arrange for getting the new meds she can live on. "

"Of course, as you wish."

"Don't forget to send a message to Cronus, Josiah, and all Changelings out there about the resurfacing of the Wolfhunters." Just the thought of it made his tone hardening. "They need to be careful."

After what happened eighteen years ago, the Wolfhunters had gone into hiding. They'd laid so low, it was almost like they went extinct. Until last night.

Long after Degar left, as his blood dripped from the clawing on his body, hate boiling through his veins at the thought of humans and the pain they have caused him. The pain they caused Nalaila.

But even as he sat there with those open wounds both on his body and in his enraged heart, his head was filled with the thoughts of a particular sassy woman, with a sinful body, a smartass mouth...and the hand of a thieving tom.

The thought only made him scowl harder.