Squatting

down beside the hole, she tries pulling the cage. It seems to have

been built for a long time, seeing as the irons are rusty and crusty

around the edges.

Sitting

on the brick floor, Heaven kicks the cage. It falls off after a few

kicks, and she quickly passes through it to the other side of the

fence.

Heaven

faces a dilemma with two paths before her eyes.

One

is the wide pathway of sand and pebbles on which she stands. Starting

from the main gate, it stretches out almost endlessly in front of

her, flanked by two shallow hills.

The

shallow hill at the right of the wide pathway carries a narrow track,

which is the other path. Adding up the direction of the path and the

position of Kaicha’s window, Heaven concludes that the track leads

to the pack houses.

Knowing

that the wide path leads to an asphalt highway, Heaven decides to use

the track on the hill instead.

From

what she knows, the highway stops being accessible to humans at a

certain point, which means she would have no aid. Plus, it’s pretty

far to travel on foot, so it’s useless going with it, especially

since it’s quite exposed—when the Alpha finds out she’s gone,

the first place he would start searching is the highway, as he would

think she would be heading directly to the human world.

Heaven

decides to do the opposite of that. If she blends in with the pack,

she could find a way to get a horse, even if she has to steal it.

Then she’ll travel through the bushes until she gets to the

boundary between the wolf kingdom and the human world.

Her

only problem is that it’s been fourteen years since she last

navigated the wolf kingdom. The last time she was in such situation,

she could quickly find her way out. But now it’s different. Plus,

she’s not familiar with this part of the kingdom, so it would be a

bit hard. But she’ll try.

When

she reaches the pack houses, she finds the people clustered on the

street, all moving toward a particular direction.

Heaven

tries to push her way through against the human forces, making for

the opposite direction. But, somehow, the bodies take her as well.

Her strength against theirs isn’t enough.

Although

chaotic, Heaven picks up the people’s words.

“An

important person is on his way way back. Everyone has to be on their

best behavior.”

“Finally,

our savior is back; he can save us from the Alpha’s rage.”

Heaven

doesn’t know who is so powerful to be able to save the people from

the Alpha’s rage or whatever, but her curiosity gets the best of

her.

Instead

of going against the crowd, she follows them, pushing her way forward

until she finally gets to the front, where she stops before a huge

building that seems to belong to the Alpha.

The

crowd is gathered in front of the building, all looking into a big

hall with wide open doors.

But,

due to the able-bodied men guarding the entrance, no one can enter.

On

a raised platform far across the hall, there’s Ziason seated in a

big black sofa, his black hair pulled into a style that reveals his

forehead.

Seeing

him in that chair, Heaven senses an uncomfortable aura around

him—that mystic, dark vibe that always clung to him, only it was

faint before. Now it’s stronger, and he looks scarier; feels more

terrifying.

Two

men, whose backs are turned to her, bow to the alpha.

The

one by his right is dressed in a velvety wine-colored suit, while the

one by his left looks rough around the edges, his whole attire made

of black and brown leather.

The

shrieks and whispers continue in the background, especially from the

women.

“They’re

here! The alpha’s brothers are back! The pack’s ambassador and

the pack’s delight are here. Moon’s Wrath’s powerful trinity

are finally together!”

“Oh

my gosh, they’re so handsome!”

“Gosh,

they look so strong!”

“Moon’s

Wrath’s delight is the strongest warrior in the pack. I want to

marry him!”

“I

want the pack’s ambassador so bad. His calmness is too hot!”

Slowly,

the people’s murmurs begin to fade in Heaven’s mind. What gets

louder is the pounding of her heart as her heartbeat picks up a

faster pace.

As

her knees weaken and threaten to give out, Heaven

starts gasping for breath, and she doesn’t know why.

Why

is her heart malfunctioning? Why can’t she even breathe? She would

say it’s due to her fear of Ziason. But even when he stood right in

front of her, her heart didn’t beat so fast and loud to this

extent.

Or

is it some sort of anxiety attack?

Would

that also explain why she’s now feeling dizzy, or why the world

around her is blurring as much as clangor takes over the noises of

the people?

Would

it also explain why everything about the alpha and his brothers are

growing vivid to her senses?

That’s

weird, right?

She’s

not supposed to be seeing the brothers clearer now, their image

zooming in front of her eyes to the point she even notices the tiny

pores on their skin.

Despite

the huge space between she and Ziason’s, Heaven notes how red his

irises are, and she sees the gray strands speckled here and there in

the long, black hair of the rough-looking brother.

Their

scents mingle together—woody, earthy smells that are strong enough

to make her swoon—driving her crazy due to the fact that she can’t

decipher which belongs to who.

This

feeling is new to Heaven, as she has never smelt or seen things so

clearly before. And it’s stranger to think her elevated senses are

only focused on the three brothers.

‘Mate,’

she hears in her head. It’s her voice, but she knows it’s not her

speaking. It’s not her demons either.

‘Mate,’

the voice comes again. This time, Heaven has the urge to step

forward. Something about the men reaches to pull her, and she takes a

step.

‘Mate,’

she hears again. Then she tries taking another step forward, but her

dizziness gets the better of her. Darkness gradually close in until

Heaven sees nothing but shadows swirling in front of her eyes.

"Report

your standings, brothers," Ziason says to his brothers after they

were done bowing.

Zechariah

goes first. "There are no sign of an attack yet, but I left my men

on the borders. They'll keep watch."

Ziason

nods at Zechariah before looking at Zeedar, who starts talking. "The

company is fine. Technology in the human world is vastly spreading,

and electricity is highly needed, so sales are doing well. However,

there is another matter I want to discuss."

"Do

say."

"As

you may have already known, the alpha of Tribalan pack is a mystery,

but he used his Beta to relay his conditions for a peace treaty to

me."

Ziason

remain silent for a very long time, his expression tightening into a

deep frown. "Peace treaty? Conditions? Since when did we start

discussing a peace treaty, ambassador?"

"I

acted alone, Alpha. This war needs to stop no matter how you deny it.

The condition isn't difficult. They just want the old acre of land

uncle gifted father."

Ziason

reclines in the sofa and crosses his legs-his left leg over the

right. "And you think-"

He suddenly stops talking when a harsh unpleasant sound hits his

nostrils.

Scrunching

his nose, he doesn't need to search where the smell came from, as

he could already see the perpetrator.

Zechariah.

The

man quietly unwraps a bubble gum and tosses it into his mouth,

looking up to find Ziason glaring at him.

He

enjoys the glare, and he smirks while chewing the gum, fully aware of

what he's doing.

Ziason

thought a full year in the border between Moon's Wrath pack and

Tribalan pack would change the man. But he was wrong. His youngest

brother is still very much interested in annoying him using his

despise for garlic.

However,

before he could order Zechariah to throw away the gum, another smell

overshadows the stink of garlic. A more pleasant smell. A mixture of

peony and lemon.

Something

pulls his attention to the hall's entrance. Not only him. Zeedar

and Zechariah perceived the scent too.

As

they're prompted to turn toward the door, they feel something rise

within them, like a subtle heat at the start of a rising sun.

However,

they see nothing special at the entrance. Even as the crowd jeers the

moment they turn back, it's all uninteresting.

Slowly,

the scent begins to fade, but the magnetic feeling doesn't.

Something still captivates them. Only, this time it doesn't feel

close.

"Peace

from an enemy's mouth is a piece of shit. Do you think giving back

the land will solve everything, ambassador?" Ziason asks, snatching

his brothers' attention from the door as he rises up and steps down

the stairs of his raised platform.

"I

think it will serve as the best framework for peace, my lord,"

Zeedar replies with confidence.

Now

pausing in front of the latter, Ziason huffs a smile, maintaining eye

contact with Zeedar, who doesn't relent. "And what do you say,

Zechariah?" he asks the last brother without breaking his eye

contact with the ambassador.

"I

don't mind which prevails," Zechariah mumbles, "but I prefer to

be in a battle scene."

"Do

you hear that, brother?" Ziason asks Zeedar. And, without waiting

for a response, he continues. "You went behind my back without

finding out what I want. What I want is war. What I want is power.

With you as my adviser and Zechariah as my warrior, I will dominate

packs. I will grow stronger and overtake even the Alpha King. Until

there is terror on every single minds at the mention of my name, I

will not rest. I ask again: do you hear that, brother?"

"What's

the use of being your adviser if you don't take my advice,"

Zeedar simply says before walking away, using the back door to leave

the hall.

Due

to growing up with an abusive father and a manipulative mother,

Zeedar has not always been uncomfortable staying in the wolf kingdom.

He prefers the human world. And in times when it's necessary for

him to stay in the wolf kingdom, he prefers to roam about.

Like

now.

Sitting

under a shade in the pack street, he can't help staring up at his

old home from time to time.

The

tower's length is domineering to the point one can see it from

afar. And it always looks dark, like a shadow threatening to swallow

every piece of light around its environment. It gives Zeedar chills,

and it carries heavy memories that he wishes he can forget.

However,

despite the unsettling feeling lingering within him, there's also

something else, and that's what makes him stare at the tower every

time.

As

he can't hold the curiosity any longer, he proceeds toward the

building.

The

more he closes in on it, the more a certain feeling of familiarity

grows strong, trailed by the sensation from earlier; that subtle heat

at the start of a rising sun feeling.

So

as not to roughen his suit by jumping over the fence of the tower,

Zeedar results to using the combination lock on the main gate and the

main door.

Inside

the tower, the air feels thick with bad memories. Even though the

hall is now empty, Zeedar can still tell every item that was in it,

as well as their positions. And he recalls running up and down those

staircases in terror, sometimes falling and cutting his skin.

Despite

all these memories, the air soon starts growing lighter. More

pleasant and perfumed. And the same peony and lemon scent he

perceived at the pack hall starts clouding his senses again.

Zeedar's

stiffness locks when a loud bang echoes from the next hall, followed

by the noisy clatter of wooden planks. He becomes alert on instinct,

but settles down when he perceives Zechariah's artificial perfume.

The

faint sound of clinking metals introduces the man as he walks in

through the next hall's entrance, dusting his elbows.

On

sighting Zeedar, he mumbles. "Jeez. Why did brother lock every

bloody window?"

Without

responding, Zeedar jerks a brow up at the thought of Zechariah

breaking a window. The pack's delight only approved of actions that

would not incur Ziason's wrath. But here he is going against his

rule book a few hours after landing in the pack.

"Brother

reformed that into a gym. Wasn't it father's meeting hall?"

Zechariah asks as he points back at the hall he came out from.

On

reaching Zeedar, he stands akimbo, still loudly popping the garlic

gum. "You've not been here since we packed out after father's

death. Why come back now?"

Zeedar's

eyes move from Zechariah to the stairs. "I sensed something."

Zechariah

huffs. "Why not just say you sensed a mating bond? You of all

people should know how it feels."

Zeedar

didn't want to admit that to himself. But now that Zechariah has

mentioned it, he'll have to accept it.

"I

sensed her at the pack hall, and I still sense her here. Do you think

she's here?" Zechariah asks, but Zeedar doesn't respond. His

eyes are still on the stairs. "What I don't understand, though,

is the probability of finding our mates at the same time. Did the

moon goddess approve of our brotherhood so much that she gave us our

mates at the same time?" Zechariah blows the bubble gum and is

about to pop it before Zeedar suddenly moves toward the stairs.

The

pack's delight follows behind his brother. On getting to the first

stair landing, the exit door bursts open to usher Ziason in.

"Brother!"

Zechariah squeals, leaping down the stairs to Ziason. "Why did you

not say you gym at trauma-abode?"

The

latter glares at Zechariah as the stench of garlic hit him again. His

next actions come without much thought-grabbing Zechariah's jaws,

forcing his index into the latter's mouth, and growling. "Swallow

it. Now."

Zechariah

quickly does as told, while Ziason lets go of him with force. He

smirks, satisfied to have rattled his brother.

Zeedar

makes to continue going up the stairs, but Ziason's voice stops

him. "Where are you going, Zeedar?"

"I

sensed something."

"Sensed

what?"

"A

mate," Zechariah chips in with a brief cackle.

The

sides of Ziason's lips stretch into a stiff smile. "Are you mated

to a ghost, brother? Because there's nothing up there," he lies.

"But

I sensed it too. Even at the pack hall," Zechariah voices out. "She

smelt like lemon and uh... what's that flower again... the one with

silky petals."

Ziason's

brows crease into frown, and a bit of confusion. He knows the flower

Zechariah is trying to point out, and he recognizes the scent he just

mentioned. Even that gently throbbing feeling of wanting to be close

to a certain person, he has felt it. At the pack hall. In the human

world. Even right now in this tower. He has been experiencing them

for a while now. And it started when he met Heaven.

He

knew she was his mate from then.

But

his brothers confessing to have felt the same way, and now following

some kind of mating bond to the tower, does it mean something?

As

there are currently three females in the tower, and his mate is

Heaven, could it be that his brothers' mates are Kaicha and Lakri,

the maid?

But

what's the possibility of he and his brothers being mated at the

same time? And how could it be that the three women have the same

scents? What exactly is this nature of coincidence?

"There's

nothing here?" Ziason still lies. "This is now merely a lone

tower where I visit for solitude."

Zeedar

slowly comes down from the stairs. "Aside the mate matter, are you

hiding something, brother?"

"What

could our brother possibly hide?" Zechariah butts in, noticing the

tension growing between the two. "Come on. Aren't you hungry?

Let's go eat," he says while linking arms with Zeedar and tugging

the man out of the tower.

When

the boys disappear, Ziason makes for Heaven's room to see her

sleeping.

He

also goes to Kaicha's room, where he finds Lakri feeding Kaicha

lunch.

"Has

the dance tutor been in her room since?" he asks Lakri.

"Yes,"

the maid says.

Ziason

proceeds downstairs.

>>>>>>>>

Lakri's

subtle attempt at setting Heaven's dinner wakes Heaven up from her

sleep. And she's more than grateful for that. At least she doesn't

have to endure the terrors of experiencing the day her parents died

over again.

However,

she realizes something when she notices the cherry wood of the

four-post bed's roof-she's supposed to be out of the tower by

now. She still shouldn't be here.

Heaven

slowly sits up, watching as Lakri enters the bathroom. Coming out of

the mosquito net, she sits on the edge of the bed. And after

scrutinizing the material Lakri wrapped around the injury on her

palm, she stares at the bedside stool, where Lakri set the food.

"Do

eat," Lakri says while coming out of the bathroom with an old pail.

"I asked my brother, who is a carpenter, to repair the window you

damaged. Thankfully, he finished before the Alpha returned. As for

the cage you removed from the fence, that hole belonged to the huge

dog of the late Alpha. The dog is now dead, by the way, so I don't

think Alpha Ziason would put any attention there. Also, good of me to

have found you at the pack hall on time, or else who knew what would

have happened to you, to me, to my family?"

Although

Lakri said her words calmly, Heaven can sense a hint of anger and

sarcasm.

"Why

did you bring me back here?" she asks instead, skipping the meaning

in Lakri's last sentence. "I already had my chance of escaping,

but you ruined it."

"You

think?" Lakri huffs. "First of all, let's pray the Alpha didn't

see you. Even if he did, let's pray he lets it slide this once. Do

you know I was not supposed to be aware of you and Kaicha? Your

presence in the pack is a huge secret, so is the child. The alpha

went to certain lengths to make sure I can't talk about it."

"What

lengths? Abducting your family?"

"Yes,

but you don't seem to care about that."

Heaven

was going to say something. Even she doesn't know what. But her

lips hang open for a while before she finally speaks. "For how long

has that been? I mean, since he held your family captive?"

Lakri

sighs, dropping the pail and taking a few steps toward Heaven. "So

far, three years... I think. A few other maid have died with their

families after going against the alpha's orders, even if it's

trivial stuff like letting the child out of the tower."

"So

you mean to say my actions put you and your family in danger?"

"I

told you before; many people have a loose knot around their necks

that could either remain loose or tighten depending on your actions."

Heaven

lets out a huge breath as her once tense shoulders fall. She couldn't

see the full picture of all that was happening due to her own fear,

but it seems things are way bigger than just her.

"I'm

sorry," she mumbles, her head dropping. "Its just... I've never

got to worry about anyone else aside myself. So I only see myself."

"Now

that you're here, you need to forsake that habit," Lakri

lectures. "To survive this place, you need people around you,

Heaven."

Heaven

looks up at the girl, raising her brows. "We're on a name basis

now?"

"Obviously,"

Lakri's monolid eyes widen into the shape of a half moon as she

puts emphasis on her next words, "since you've risked my life and

my family's, and I've gone lengths to save you."

Heaven

huffs a smile, which soon fades as she sighs. "It's just

frustrating. I've been away from the wolf kingdom for a long time.

I'm not used to it. I'm a wolf, but I can't even tell much

about anything. And it's so annoying that I have to live under

Ziason's claws."

"Let

him not catch you calling him by his name, Heaven. You need to be

extra careful. Moon Wrath's pack was always known for the

generosity of its Alpha until Alpha Ziason took over. His cruelty

spread fast and wide. Even the Alpha king is rumored to fear him.

Those male corpses you see being carried out every night, they're

that of male sluts who pleasures the Alpha. But he ends up killing

them for unknown reasons."

Heaven

ponders on why would he kill those men every night if there's no

valid reason? Is there any cause to be that ruthless unless it has to

do with something really confidential-something Ziason doesn't

want to get out? For example, his curse. After all, it's one of the

reasons he's threatening to kill her.

"If

the Alpha threatened to kill you, he actually will even though you

escape," Lakri warns. "He will find you and make sure you suffer,

especially since he hates women. He could do anything to harm you out

of anger."

Heaven

could have asked why Ziason hates women, but she isn't concerned

about that right now. Instead, it scares her the more.

Goosebumps

rise on her skin, prompting her to hug herself as she rubs her arms

to quell the unsettling feeling building in her stomach.