Julian POV

We left early for Leo's pack without letting him know that we were on our way. We should have informed him of our intending visit but we didn't want to give off any vibe that we were coming to investigate him. Alpha Leo was my brother but we had been enemies for as long as I could remember. I always thought of him as a selfish and greedy person who didn't care about others. He was the reason why I was not a part of our father's pack but I was grateful to him for that since I would have been under his governorship now if I had remained at the pack due to the will my father had written down before his death.

But, just because I left the pack though didn't mean that I didn't want to claim my father's throne as the first child and this could very well be the chance I needed. To hear that he was messing with the spirit codes was more than enough for me to ruin him and claim my father's throne once and for all. Only a crazy person would dare to mess with the spirit code.

Before we left the pack, we had devised a plan. Holden was to investigate while I distracted my dear brother for a while. I already told Holden that I wanted to know what was going on in that pack of his. It was clear something strange was going on in there, the mysterious crates being moved to another kingdom. Everything going on was uncertain but I was sure Leonard's pack was involved. When we got to the borders of my brother's pack house, our cars were stopped by the patrol guards for inspections. Holden and my guards became tense and were ready to attack if anyone made the wrong move,

“Do you have permission to enter?” A blond guard asked me.

“Do I need permission to enter my brother's pack?” I rose to my full height to question him.

He realized his error quickly and bowed in apology.

“I am sorry alpha Julian, I will tell alpha Leo that you are here.” He said as he kept bowing.

“Very well,” I replied and signaled to my guards to stand back as they let us through the gates.

We drove past the gates towards the structure of buildings Leonard had erected. My brother was standing right in front of one of the buildings, looking formidable with whom I guessed was his beta. I got out of my car and headed to meet him for formality sake when all I would like to do was punch the smug out of his face.

“Ah, alpha Julian, it's nice to see you here." He greeted me.

“Alpha Leo, nice to see you too,” I said in response.

“Come, let us head into my office and talk.” He suggested.

I told the guards to hang back while Holden and I followed him to his study.

“So what brings you to my territory, brother? I never expected to see you here again.” Leo said to me with a smug smile on his face when we got to his office. Ugh! That look.

“Well, we are still brothers, so I came to see how you are doing. I will be staying for a day or two.” I told him

"Very well then, I will tell the luna to make provisions for you." He stated.

I had been about to look around the office but his statement stopped me. I was shocked beyond words. Did he get a mate? Since when? Alpha Leo found himself a mate? Is she even real?

“Thank you,” I told him, masking my surprise well.

He sent his beta to call the Luna to get to the study immediately and we waited patiently as she took her sweet time. My wolf was beginning to stir inside me, he was trying to tell me something. I breathed in to control myself. I could feel the presence of someone at the door even without turning.

Enticing. My wolf muttered to me and I could suddenly feel the delicious scent of whoever was at the door. I breathed in greedily once more. I wanted to wrap myself around this intoxicating scent forever. My chest felt hot and a burning desire coursed through me, making my wolf bounce around in my head. He barked, tail wagging feverishly as he stared down the door with an overwhelming sense of urgency. My finger itched to open the door and see the one who is causing such a reaction from me. The closer the scent got, the faster my heart pounded.

Finally, the door opened and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen came into the room.

Her presence filled the room with so much light. A gush of her scent hit me straight in the face.

“You asked for me?” She asked in a tone that sounded like a melody to me.

I felt a shiver run through me from the soft yet sharp polite tone of her voice. My wolf whined in my head. I too was losing my sense of reasoning like my wolf was. All I wanted to do was wrap my hands around her slender body and claim her.

Wait! Mine? My mate was Leo's Luna?! How? That couldn't be remotely possible even for a second. I kept asking myself.

“Please prepare a place for Alpha Julian and his guests,” Leonard said, gesturing to me.

She turned to look at me...

Surprising brown eyes pierced into my blue own with no intention of letting go. The scent that had me going off the rails since I stepped foot into the study. My wolf was going crazy, his gaze narrowed in on her like the predator he was and the rest of the people were pushed to the back of my mind as I continued to stare at her. She demanded my attention without even asking for it, my eyes trailed the rest of her. The creamy skin hidden under the dress she was wearing screamed at me to tear it off her. The tease of seeing how smooth her skin was in that dress woke up so many desires in me. I wanted to mess up her hair so I could watch her come undone. To run my hands through her luscious hair and watch it fan out while she was under me.

“How would she look under me?” I asked my wolf and groaned internally as I realized that my thoughts were going haywire. I looked back at her face and saw the soft brown eyes that were paired with long lashes still staring at me which held me captivated. Her soft parted lips did wonders to the most reactive parts of my body as my arousal hit.

Of course, I knew claiming her was going to cause another war between our clans but I couldn't stand the thought that my real mate belonged to my dickhead brother. She was going to be mine one way or the other. My hands tightened into fists, I couldn't help but sit there and look stupid. I was already losing common sense when it came to her but I couldn't waste any more time, especially not with my brother.

We concluded for the day and I headed to the room prepared by her. I later found out that her name was Olivia. It was as pretty as the woman who bore it. I told Holden that I needed to talk to him in my room privately and he agreed to come up with me. I paced up and down the room we were in, looking for the perfect chance to say something about my plan to him. Deciding that I couldn't say it in any way except being direct, I spoke up.

“I am going to kidnap Olivia” I pronounced. Holden fell off his chair in shock.

“Shhhh, you can't blurt out things like that. At least not while people can hear.” He cautioned. I was both surprised and chastised by him.

“You are not going to ask me why?” I asked him.

“Oh, please Alpha, it was a good thing Alpha Leo didn't notice the gooey eyes you were making at his mate.” He teased.

“Shut up,” I told him without heat.

“So what is the plan?” He asked me.

“I don't know, I was hoping you would direct me,” I told.

After he made a plan with me to stay for a day and watch her activities, Holden left while I battled with my wolf.

Go to our mate. Go to our mate now. We need to claim our mate fast. He chanted in my head.

“I know. Very soon, we will be with her. Very soon.” I assured him. He seemed to be okay with that for now.

~~~

We had been at my brother's place for a few days and I had learned that my brother's Luna pretty much kept to herself as she was mostly indoors reading a book or sleeping. It was either she was avoiding me or she didn't know that she had found her mate. I wonder what she was doing when she chose Leo to be her mate. A knock sounded on my door and Holden let himself in.

“Alpha, can I talk to you?” He asked.

“Mindlink,” I told him and he nodded, showing that he understood why.

“I found a way we can make it work.” He said into my head.

“Make what work?” I asked him, confused.

“The kidnap.” He answered.

“Oh right, what about it?” I asked him, point-blank.

“It's safe to say that Luna is not an outdoor type. So why don't we just take her from inside?” He suggested.

“How do you suggest we do that?” I asked him.

“So, in the middle of the day, Leo is out and his guards are always at the borders, so we can kidnap her, dress her as one of your guards. No one would suspect a thing till after we've gone far away.” He explained the plan to me.

I made a show of thinking it through, meanwhile, I was already sold on the idea. There was no other way we could pull this off without alerting the guards and causing a war between clans except doing it so much quieter. Then, the chances of getting caught would be zero. Since we are leaving for the SilverCrest tomorrow, that would be the best time to kidnap her without anyone knowing or suspecting anything.

Olivia POV.

I flipped through the pages of my book as I tried to grasp what the book was talking about but I failed. My mind was stuck on the man I had seen a day earlier in Leo's study, the blue-eyed man that had made me shiver with just a look. I had to control myself back then because I knew how territorial Leo could get. But seeing the way the man had looked at me had made me feel powerful and hopeful for a better chance at life. It has always been from hell to a hotter hell for me. Never-ending suffering all through my life but it was going to be over soon. He was leaving today and I hadn't even gotten a chance to talk to him to take me with him since I was scared Alpha Leo might see us.

There went my chance at being free from Alpha Leo out the window.

I suddenly wanted to go for a walk, the book was not helping and neither was me sitting around. I wrote a note for Leo telling him I went for a walk so he wouldn't worry and I headed out into the woods where there was peace. I would be able to think properly about what to do there. Squealing tires ripped me away from my thoughts, I tried to ignore the car but it got closer to me. I increased my pace a little. The faster I walked, the more the car tried to come closer. I was almost convinced it was Leo trying to keep an eye on me till I remembered that he had no idea where I went or what I was up to. Soon the car was right beside me and I began to run, looking for ways to escape. I heard a door slam shut which told me they were on foot now. I ran even faster.

“Who thought it was a good idea to go for a walk?” I asked myself as I ran.

“An idiot, that's who.” Someone behind me said.

I had only taken a few more steps before I felt hands drag me back to the car. Before I could scream, a hand covered my mouth preventing any sound from coming out. I tried so hard to fight back but it was futile. I resisted the person as much as I could before they threw me into the van. It was so dark inside the van I couldn't see anything and that made me scared that this was going to be the end of my life and suffering. I didn't want to die but just wanted to live a good life. Since fate wanted to decide otherwise, I don't mind falling into the pure bliss of darkness reaching out to me.

~~~

Back at the packhouse, Alpha Leo and Alpha Julian were chatting one last time before Julian set off to leave for his packhouse. Alpha Julian sat there with Holden knowing the plan was being taken care of and they were just stalling Alpha Leo for some time to accomplish their mission. When Niahm's mind-linked him that they were done, Julian got up.

"Well, I will be taking my leave now," Julian said to Leo with a smile.

"Alright brother, till the next time," Leo said with a snicker.

They shook hands and parted ways as Julian climbed into his car with his beta and guards and they zoomed away. Julian had a big smile on his face because he knew he had succeeded in both missions and he was pretty damn proud of himself.

Before the spirit codes formed, there were seven tribes who lived happily in their territories.

Crescent moon.

This tribe was the most reputable because of the large number of people in the tribe. They wore white garments everywhere they went and they were feared by all and nobody could come close to them in terms of number, and with numbers came strength and for this reason, they were held in high regard.

The Crescent moon tribe were always at the forefront whenever it came to music, Music was inculcated into their living and they loved it because they believed it helped them live healthy and elevated moods, they all loved it because they knew it lessened stress and symptoms of depression. Every family knew how to sing and they had a ceremony called will yank where they could showcase their talent.

During the moon goddess worship, they would sing beautifully and channel the goddess in the most ethereal way possible.

Red blood.

The Red blood Tribe were made mostly of warriors, they were brutal with an average number of fighters that could die for their leaders. This tribe lived mostly on the hills and did not believe in wearing garments, they said they did not want to betray their ancestors and for that reason, they walked around close to being naked. Married women had a unique way of distinguishing themselves from young ladies and that was covering their boobs. They planted their crops and hunted in the mountains for that was their territory.

Far north were the Red Candles, they had numerous scholars from this tribe, and they had the highest number of scholars; Their strength came in knowledge and for this reason, every family in this clan made it incumbent upon themselves to learn and teach their werewolves everything that was needed to be known about the laws of this world. Fathers boasted about how much they had learned about this world amidst their pairs, girls always held a special affinity for the most brilliant boys. But the Red candles had a major problem And that was how to transform their Knowledge into wealth. They could talk but rarely took action.

Nethertheless, in the whole town, they were also respected and whenever there was a problem that needed to be handled critically, the red candles were usually called upon.

Fislow Ward was known commonly for their blue garments, they walked with elegance and Pride even though the women in this tribe were the most powerful, they were seen mostly on the farm trying to meet ends means and they further went ahead to harvest and sell their crops. The women struggled to make money while the men sat down and did nothing during the day waiting patiently for the night. When the long-awaited night finally approaches they will collect some of the gold coins made by their women, to take their favorite drink which is the Kotas. The men of the fellow tribe had a very beautiful belief about the Kotas drink, they said the one father away from their house was always the sweetest and for this reason, they traveled a few kilometers to enjoy themselves, in every bar, a man in a blue garment could be found.

The Dark Knight consisted of mostly Assassins, they lived and survived on the water.

The Dark Knights built their houses on water and made a fascinating living on the water. Whenever a baby reached the age of ten, he/she would be thrown into the water. This tribe believed they were acquitting the baby with the water who would be his best friend, they could also fight on land but nobody dared to come close to them on water. The Dark Knight was very un-materialistic and lived mostly on basic things and made a beautiful living.

The Night bliss was the wealthiest of all the Seven tribes, they had magnificent buildings with mind-blowing architecture. They were very good Merchants, The Night Bliss did business both day and night, did not care about the weather nor Season, they were always traveling with their Caravan; trying so hard to be the wealthiest in their community, with money came pride and respect and every individual in this tribe needed to have immerse money to be respected. Their Women tried to keep up with the men and for this reason, they were also seen as very expensive to keep but they were beautiful so nobody cared about the money and only their tribe could take in a woman from the Night Bliss. The Alpha of the Night Bliss was a huge handsome Alpha named Killian, his urge for power was something that could not be ignored, he tried so hard to be better than the other Alphas.

He had asked for help on how to lead the seven tribes altogether and he was told he had to find 'the special one'

And who was this special one?

He had no idea but his witch gave him a name. Alexander Firdaus.

He had asked where he could find him and he was told, The solar tribe.

The weakest amongst the seven.

The Solar tribe lived in a remote area, where trees shielded them from the sun, irrespective of their setbacks they were happy, Children could be seen jumping from one place to another, they knew they were the smallest but in their hearts, they were the happiest, they always had fun in the night, they would light a fire and sit round it. The older men will tell tales about their ancestors, folklore or maybe about things they had encountered In the past and how they bravely navigated through it. Some of them were lies, others had elements of truth in them either way, they were joyous of all the tribes.

The Solar tribe would talk about the benefits of Folktales, they would say it played an important role in their clan. Because stories reflect their group's cultural identity, preserving the stories of Werewolves would help preserve an entire culture. Storytelling affirmed pride and identity in a culture. In this amazing town of theirs, stories were created by and for the tribes telling them. Different groups in their town had different rituals or ceremonies for storytelling, which created a sense of belonging to a cultural group. To outsiders hearing a clan stories, it provided an insight into the community's beliefs, views, and customs. For people within the community, it allows them to encompass their group's uniqueness. They showed the werewolves' desires and fears of a group, such as love, marriage, and death.

The Solar tribe would always say, Folklores are also seen as a tool for education and entertainment. They provided a way for children to understand the material and social environment. Every story had a moral to teach people, such as goodwill prevails over evil.

For entertainment, stories were set in fantastic worlds. Even though folktales were for entertainment, they brought a sense of belonging and pride to their communities. The Solar Tribe had an amazing culture that treated women equally to men, they showed everyone was equal and everyone deserved to be respected, Their women were also blessed with long and curly hairs that always touched their backs.

Killian thought about the tribe and laughed. To him, all those things they prided themselves in was hopeless. He wondered why the so-called special person would be in a tribe as lowly as Solar.

But when he thought about the advantage he would have if he found the special person.

His heart raced with excitement.

With that, he vowed to find the special person.

***

Alexander Firadus, a wolf born into the weakest tribe out of the seven, was not content with his life because he could not do the things he wanted to and honestly, he did not know what he wanted to do.

He just existed, not lived.

But how could he live? He did not recognize who he was or how he wanted to live.

It didn’t help that he was born under the Solar tribe. According to the tribal markings, Solar Tribe was considered lesser and they were often used as slaves or servants due to their incapability to match with the other wolf tribes.

Alexander knew he was different from the very first day he was born. Even the skies declared his presence on the day he was born.

The skies had shone with a dust of blue called Exarela, an occurrence which one could only see once in his lifetime, or never and wasn't sure he liked being different.

He had extraordinary strength and poise. He could do what average werewolves couldn't, and his capabilities surpassed that of vampires and witches.

He became both feared and respected in his tribe, but Alexander had a little problem. His memory was becoming more fuzzy as days passed.

He didn’t exactly know when it began, or how it came to be, but he knew it was a problem that had to be fixed.

He couldn't keep sitting around, hoping the moon goddess would take pity on him and cure his memory problem.

Deciding on a long hike through the icy mountains, with his traveling gear on his back, Alex set out for the solution to this increasingly annoying memory failure. He spent several nights in the thick woods, eating the food he’d carried with him, until it ran out. On the sixth day, Alvin stayed under a large tree with so many branches which stretched out as far as the eye could see. The roots of the tree branches in several directions, and served as a resting place.

Even his surroundings were thick with fog, and Alex couldn’t see a damn thing. But, he heard the snap of a tree branch a short distance away, and it sent the chirping birds parking from their nest on the top of another tree. Alex’s ears perked up immediately, and he reached for the gun nestled beside his lean legs. He couldn’t risk changing to a werewolf when he had no idea what was out there. Gun on steady, he navigated through as much of the ice as he could, some of it covering the front of his high boots, and soaking his skin, but he didn’t mind. His wolf instinct snapped at him, urging him forward, further into the thick fog. Alex mistakenly stepped on a fallen tree branch, and it crunched under his weight, the only sound in the stark quiet of the morning.

“Who’s there?” Alexander dared to call, darting behind a sturdy bark. His breathing was soft and uneven, and Alex could feel his heart beating faster with each passing minute. Cocking the rifle he was holding, he listened for any out-of-place sound—an indication that he wasn’t the only one here in these woods. Everywhere was still as it had been when Alex woke up under the tree. But when Alexander turned back to where his things had been, they were no longer there. Whoever took them must have known the area pretty damn well, and Alex didn’t discover any foul play. Foot tracks had been properly covered. Letting out a low growl, he tried to fight his wolf form from kicking in. The hairs on his arm were standing at attention, and his eyeballs grew wide.

He couldn’t hold it any longer. Alexander allowed himself to transform, gritting when the pain tore through his skin like a knife wound. It wasn’t usually this painful, and Alex had to battle with his wolf. In the end though, he won, but he was so weak his body collapsed on the floor, and his vision faded into darkness.

When Alexander woke up, a few hours later, he saw that he was in a strange place. An old cabin from the looks of it. There were several holes in the walls which had been boarded up, probably from the outside. A small table, a wooden chair, and shelf overflowing with dusty books, were the only thing Alexander could see. That was apart from the bamboo bed he was lying on, still in the same outfit from the previous day.

Alexander couldn’t remember what had happened, or how he ended up in this enclosed space, the last he could recall was holding a gun. And bam! Here he was. Alexander rolled over to the side of the tiny bed, and a sharp pain pierced his skull. It felt like he’d been asleep for days, and Alexander didn’t want to even think about it. He was on a mission to find the cause, and solution to his memory loss, that was what he needed to focus on right now. Alex pushed through his lethargy, and with each step he took to the room door, he kept on thinking if he’d been doing the right thing, heading out in the woods. It wasn’t because he was afraid of being ganged up and beaten by other big bad wolves who envied the amount of power he had, on the contrary, he was only scared of dying, with his body left for the vultures to feed on.

Alex pushed through his lethargy, and with each step he took to the room door, he kept on thinking if he’d been doing the right thing, heading out in the woods. It wasn’t because he was afraid of being ganged up and beaten by the other big bad wolves who envied the amount of power he had, on the contrary, he was only scared of dying, with his body left for the vultures to feed on.

The thought was beyond horrifying, and Alex had to remind himself that he was powerful, an alpha male. Although he’d been born under the Solar tribe, who were written off as nothing more than slaves, Alexander knew his story was just beginning. Once, Alex tried the lock on the door, and he was a bit surprised when it didn’t budge, as if he had expected it to. Well, he was going to have to break the lock then. He stepped back a little, feeling starved off air, and slammed the door with his closed fist. The door gave way, nothing but a small mass of wood now that he looked at it. Why was he here? And who’d locked him up in the first place?

Alexander found out all the answers when he stepped through the front screen door. There on the wraparound porch was a small picnic basket, which contained some food, and a brown envelope underneath. Alex ate the food, devouring it like he hadn’t eaten in months, and as he stuffed his face full, he stared at the large expanse of trees, which disappeared into the far river. The place looked like a rat maze. But the icy wind shook the tree leaves, and peltered the low grass. It finally dawned on Alex that whoever had brought him here had meant for him to find something–something that was contained in the brown envelope. He wiped food crumbs from the corner of his mouth, and tore open the envelope. But, only a small note fell out. Don’t bother. You won’t find anything. Go home to your tribe.

Go home to your tribe? Alex nearly laughed at that. Where was home when his memory disappeared after twenty four hours? Where was home when he could literally wake up one day, in the middle of nowhere? Where was home when he couldn’t even remember? Alex had come all the way to find out everything, and someone was telling him to go to his tribe? No, he wasn’t going to. And Alexander balled the note up in his fingers, and threw it away.

Alex spread out the map he’d gotten from the cabin on the blanketed snow, and tried to make out where he was exactly. He was surrounded by more and more trees in the forest, and to his left was a big stream, with different sizes of rocks and stones, which kept the tide afloat. Circling his location on the map, Alex began tracing the path that led to, and away. As he traced, he kept circling, and soon the map was full of markings. Still, he couldn’t make out anything concrete. Alex decided to go for a quick swim to clear his head, and he played around in the water, thinking back to the time he’d been with his gun. When he’d gotten up from that bed, the gun wasn’t by his side, and Alex had tried not to freak out.

Someone had taken it, and whoever the person was had to be the same person that was telling him not to bother, that he wouldn’t find anything. What was the need in continuing? But Alex really wanted to get rid of his forgetful memory. Was that too much to ask? Getting out of the cold stream, Alex was supposed to feel cold, but he didn’t because his werewolf abilities had warmed the water up some. He hurriedly wore his clothes, bumping the map in his coat pocket. And so, Alexander Firadus continued to sojourn in a land he knew not.

Throughout the time he crossed through high mountains, and sloppy valleys, he survived on barely much food, apart from the few berries he plucked from trees, and water from clear streams. But, he needed answers, and to him, that was a small price he needed to pay. Weeks slowly rolled by, with Firadus having no idea of time, and he soon began to survive on the meat he could hustle from changing into his wolf at night. He was always on guard in case of attacks too. But there was this day, Firadus had let his guard down. And he awoke to two silver gray wolves, trying to rip his body apart. His senses went on instant alert, and he immediately changed to his wolf form, and hunkered down in front of them.

The wolves charged at him with their angry teeth, and fierce green eyes. Alex Firadus tried to dodge their bites as best as he could, keeping one pissed woof at bay, while he dealt with the other. He had no idea where they were from, but he figured someone had sent them. Or news of his disappearance had reached their ears. Alex hadn’t told anyone he was going to travel, and worse still, for that lengthy period of time. If these wolves should kill him now, nobody would care. His people saw him as a slave, and maybe that was all he was ever going to be—a slave, who was both feared, and respected for the power he had.

Alex pinned one wolf with his sharp claws, and threw the other wolf off his back. The wolf hit the sack, but was back again, scratching and scraping with his paws. Enraged, Alexander bit hard on the neck, and wounded, it cried out for his own tribe to hear. The other wolf lay in the pool of its own blood. Seeing that more wolves would be swarming the area any minute now, Alex decided to take off. It would be bad if they find out who he was. But, wherever he ran to, it was as if there was a wolf hiding in one dark corner, and waiting for when he was at his weakest—which was waking up the next day with no recollections of the past—this wasn’t about finding answers any longer. This was about survival.

One day, sitting on boulders of rock, overlooking a large body of water, Alex thought about all the things he’d had to do to get to this point. The dangers he’s had to face. The constant fear, and terror of having his memory slip away. He couldn’t keep living like this. He couldn’t keep looking over his shoulders for any big bad, thinking ‘what was the next thing?’ He had to go home, to his tribe, to his homeland. He wasn’t done searching for answers, not by a long shot, but at least, it wouldn’t be like he was a fugitive.

***

"Esther?" Alpha Killian fingers caressed the witch's pale skin, "Help me out, won't you?"

Esther was a tall slender woman with high cheekbones and a perfect side profile, her eyes were gray that if she stared at someone who didn't know her, they would think she was blind. But she wasn't. She could see through physical structures, the spiritual realm, the past, the future.

"I don't know, the future Is uncertain. I hate uncertainty so I don't want to help you."

Alpha Killian smiled and looked at her with a grin. "Come on, don't you trust me?"

"I only trust what I can see. I don't see how manipulating that boy can do you any good."

Alpha Killian placed a hand on the witch's shoulder and she looked over her shoulder, her gray eyes turning pitch white.

Alpha Killian was surprised by this and he let out a scream and backed up against the wall.

Esther let out a chuckle and smirked at him, "What a scaredy-cat!" She laughed. "YOU CAN'T FACE ME YET, you want a killing machine." She grumbled under her breath before taking a step toward him and kicking him.

Alpha Killian let out a cry and looked at Esther who did not show any form of emotion.

"Well, I'm not going to turn him into a killing machine." He grumbled, "It's just.. He has powers unlike any I've ever seen. Even more than that of the gods, I presume."

"Don't cross the line, Alpha. The man you so desperately want to control won't precede the gods. As long as you pretend he doesn't exist. Manipulating a man who doesn't have memory is the same as bringing disaster upon yourself and your kinsmen.

"That's why I want you to give him a memory."

"What kind of memory?"

Alpha Killian smiled, "I heard your family betrayed you so you killed them all. In the history books, you're the worst type of creature. You're not fully a witch either. You defy spiritual laws and have both sides—"

"—Shut up," Esther interrupted and Alpha Killian smiled once he realized that he'd pushed her buttons, now she would have no choice but to do exactly what he wanted."

"Your vampirical traits are not dormant, Esther. No matter how much you conceal it, you can't hide under the guise of being a witch forever. In the history books, you're the most horrific vampire who has no emotions and killed her family. Because of this, your people hate you for ruining the vampire's reputation so you did something to yourself and made yourself like this.. A vampire with witchy traits. However, if you give the boy the memory of your family betraying you and you massacring them.. He would be the most feared monster in the history of the supernatural."

Esther smirked, "I don't think you're doing this because you want to clean up my reputation."

"No," Alpha Killian replied straightforwardly. "I'm doing this because I want to be the most feared among the seven tribes. Then I'll lead all of them! With my very own personal killing machine."

"You're silencing them," Esther stated the obvious. "Because you want to rule them."

"Do I?" He chuckled darkly.

"I'll do it." Esther said.

However, it wasn't because Alpha Killian wanted her to.

"Then, I'll bring you to him."

***

Two bulky men walked into the room, pulling along with them an unconscious man. Esther who was sitting on a table, with a tea cup in hand glanced at the man who was dumped at the corner of the room.

She recognised him.

The special one whose name would be pronounced in history for decades to come.

She placed the tea cup on the table and stood on her feet. It was time to work.

She closed her eyes and created a barrier around the room. She used mind control to have him seated in a cross-legged position.

She also sat in front of him and placed both of their palms together.

It didn't take long for her to read his entire life story but she just couldn't seem to understand why he couldn't hold memories. His life was fairly decent compared to many she'd seen.

Maybe his soul couldn't comprehend body language cues. He was loved by many of the people who entered his lives but many of them didn't vocalize it. So he might have felt alone.

It still wasn't enough reason for him to lose memory that easily.

She tried to dig into the reason, but she couldn't and that scared her. What was he?!

That didn't matter for now.

She'd struck a deal with Killian.

With that, she went to the darkest memories of hers.

Her family had sent her to go out with a family friend so that she could collect some incense to give her father to help him sleep well. She naively followed the man and she didn't suspect her family friend until they were in front of a cliff with nowhere to run.

"Just how stupid are you, to trust me this much?"

The man laughed evilly and revealed the hand he hid behind his back which contained a knife.

Younger Esther was in shock and didn't react on time so the sharp knife was thrust into her chest. She let out a gasp and the man laughed, showing his teeth.

This was the family friend she trusted the most and wouldn't suspect for anything in the world because.. She had a crush on him.

"Why?" She questioned, staring into his eyes that now changed from being gentle to being monstrous.

"You really think the people you call parents are your real family?!"

Her eyes widened and the man laughed at the surprised look on her face.

"They nurtured you this long, just to use your blood to pray for their family ancestors."

With that, she was thrown out of the cliff.

The witch transferred the memories to him. But in his mind's eye, he would only see himself being hurt by the people he was close to in his tribe.

Then she guided an illusive feeling into his heart. Vengeance.

Alexander opened his eyes and this time they were pitch black.

Alpha Killian who had been watching behind the door smiled. Here was the chance he had been waiting for.