CELESTINA VILLARAMA’s POV

Sarina was literally someone who I surely wouldn’t get along with that smoothly. From the very first start, I already knew that there was something about her that would ridicule the hell out of my life, and I wasn’t even mistaken. I shouldn’t have gotten myself involved with someone like her, but there’s nothing that I can do about it.

She was the one who approached me first.

“And exactly why would you bother making me Alpha Wong’s mate if you know that?” I asked her with my eyebrows furrowed.

A soft laughter came out from her mouth. It frustrates me how each and every action of her just seemed to be flawless. “If you’re really bound to be mates with him, then, there shouldn’t be any hindrance, right? I can assure you that you’re his mate, mark my words. However, you also have a duty as his mate—”

“I have no interest with this sh*t anymore,” I interrupted her statement and attempted to walk out from where I came, but she stopped me in a split second without even touching me physically.

“You have to prove to me that you’re going to be worthy as Siege Wong’s mate.” Sarina’s words were deemed to be absolute; I had no means for rebuttal. “Until then, I wouldn’t revoke the curse that I have bestowed upon you.” As graceful as she could, Sarina flew away from my vision, leaving me completely clueless.

“What am I supposed to do now?” I whispered to myself like a loser, realizing that I have to go back to the packhouse where my mate resided.

***

As planned, I’m back inside the castle where the same boy greeted me. “Miss Celestina Villarama, you’re back!” he cheerfully said as he ran towards my direction.

“W-woah…”

The boy held both of my hands. He was seriously freezing and it was as if he wasn’t even living. If only I believed in ghosts, I would have assumed that he was one. “Master Kristoffer Wong has been looking for you. You should pay him a visit tomorrow morning. For now, I think you need to rest…” He let go of my hands, leading the way upstairs where my room was.

“What are you?” I asked out of pure curiosity.

“I’m just a simple pup, nothing more than that.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Are you talking about how I knew that you weren’t born from this realm?”

My eyes widened in surprise as I heard what I’ve been meaning to ask. “Yeah.”

We stopped in front of the door of my room as we faced one another. “Time will be the only one that can answer that, Miss Celestina Villarama. I’m not allowed to say anything else to you as it may…” He glanced on his own feet. “...lead to my death,” he continued, then raised his head once more to meet my gaze. “It would also be best for you to shut your mouth regarding where you came from, especially now that you don’t even remember a single thing about your past life before you came here.”

“Are you possibly undergoing the same experience as what’s bound to happen to me?”

He shook his head. “No, Miss Celestina Villarama. We’re all given different purposes and roles to fulfill in the Realm of Xenon. Although, one thing’s for sure…” The boy glanced around the hallway to check whether there was someone eavesdropping before he continued to speak. “You wouldn’t have the chance to meet your family or friends from your original dimension. There’s little to zero chance that you’d actually be granted the opportunity to return to your past life. So as much as possible, just stay put and obey our royalties.”

“Why didn’t you notify me that Celeste has already returned to our premises, little one?” An authoritative tone echoed all throughout the castle.

“M-Master Kristoffer Wong!” The boy flinched, unaware of the beta’s presence. “F-forgive me… I have intended for Miss Celestina Villarama to have a good night’s rest before meeting with you early in the morning,” he explained while rubbing both of his hands in front of his chest as fast as he could.

“Mhm…” Kristoffer hummed, slowly approaching us. “Celeste… Come with me, there’s something that we have to discuss urgently and it could not wait any longer until the sun shines,” he muttered with a tender smile as he gestured to the boy that he must get out of his sight.

‘Run away while you still can, Celestina!’

I held the edge of my head when I heard the same voice bugging me. It’s sending buzzing sounds to my ear, hence, making me unable to perceive whatever it was that the beta was talking about.

“Celeste…”

‘This wolf is dangerous, you mustn't give him your full trust no matter what happens, Celestina. He knows my identity despite the reality that I am still cursed by the moon goddess.’

“Hey, Celeste… Are you still with me?” Kristoffer waved in front of my eyes.

And by the time that I still haven’t given him any sort of response, he immediately closed the distance between our faces.

“W-woah…”

“I knew that you wouldn’t be able to ignore my charm.” He smirked before stepping back. “As I was saying, my brother, Alpha Siege… is he really your mate?”

I winced when I heard his question. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, or he really sounded like he was in pain as he muttered those words out of his own mouth, as if he hesitated a couple times before finally mustering up the courage to ask me.

‘There’s no need for you to answer him truthfully, Celestina.’ I heaved out an exhausting sigh as I seemed to be battling with myself.

“I’m not sure about that, M-Master… Kristoffer?” I stuttered as I called him by his name as I literally felt goosebumps on my whole body when he gazed upon me. “You know how I’ve been rejected by the Alpha. There’s no way that I am his mate if he couldn’t sense me or my wolf,” I added, thinking that the alpha may be right, I must be getting my hopes high just because I have stepped foot on their pack house.

Right after I gave him my reply, his eyes turned blue just like from the first time that I saw him.

Kristoffer caught me off guard when he rushed to my side and locked me with both of his hands pinned on the wall from the opposite sides of my shoulders. “Celestina Villarama, you’re under divine punishment with me for the rest of the week. You would not be able to stay away from me unless I say so,” he firmly said with a straight face.

“D-divine punishment..?!”

CELESTINA VILLARAMA’s POV

There must have been some kind of misunderstanding. There’s no way that I’d actually be under divine punishment by the beta of Crimson Moon Pack himself. If there wasn’t, then in that case, was the proclamation of divine punishment required to be said before the sunrise?

“Master Kristoffer!” I yelled out loud as I covered myself with the blanket of my bed. “Damn this place!”

“What seems to be the trouble, Lady Villarama?” one of the maids approached me.

I quickly shook my head even though she couldn’t see me at all. I didn’t even think that there was someone inside my room since I couldn’t sense anyone else other than myself. “Excuse me…” I called the maid, then she instantly moved over to my direction and patiently waited for what I wanted to say. “Wouldn’t Master Siege be frustrated to see that I am still inside the pack house?”

She held the temple of her head, hesitating what answer she would give me. “Lady Villarama, I’m afraid that I can’t give a proper response to your query. It would be best if you’d talk this out with the alpha himself.”

I heaved out a loud sigh as I attempted to walk out of my room. “What is it?” I muttered when the maid held my wrist to stop me from going out.

She hurriedly removed her grip from my wrist, frightened that she’d be seen by someone else. “Both Master Siege and Master Kristoffer have the same thing in common… You must pay close attention to the color of their eyes. It changes to blue whenever they see, hear, and feel something that they dislike,” she informed me.

I smiled at her as I crossed the threshold, proceeding over to the training facility where I’ve been told to head over directly as soon as I wake up.

“Some random woman who doesn’t own a wolf dared to say that I’m her mate,” uttered by a faint voice that shouted authority.

“You’re late!” Kristoffer yelled before I stepped foot on the red mat.

“Kris… I don’t remember asking you to call her here,” Siege said as he hissed, not even bothering to give me a glance.

Their sensing capabilities really are on a different level. Both of them knew that I was on their range without batting an eye on me. “Master Kristoffer, what did you want to—”

“Shut your filthy mouth.” Siege pressed his palm onto my mouth. The impact was too strong for me to handle, making it completely impossible for me to control my balance. “I can’t sense anything from you other than the desire to take your soul away. You’re actually fortunate enough that you’re still standing inside my territory.” His hand traveled down to my neck, strangling me as if he really had the intent to kill me right here and right now.

Just like what the maid told me earlier, Siege eyes really did change its color to blue. He’s most probably not bluffing about what he’s saying.

I can’t breathe…

As I was about to kick him in between his legs, Kristoffer pulled his brother away from me. I continuously coughed as he was forced to let me go.

“Keep your hands off of Celeste, Siege.”

The way that he said those words weren’t enough to give me the butterflies. It only made me tremble as I fell to the ground with both of my thighs shaking. The tension between them seemed to get worse when Kristoffer stood in front of me with one of his arms extended to protect me from harm.

“What a sight to see that you’re suddenly interested in a stranger, Kris,” he scoffed. “But what can you do against me?”

Kristoffer quickly held my hand and made sure that I wouldn’t be able to escape, forcing me to get up. “Can you run?” he whispered to me and I gave him a simple nod before he returned his attention to his alpha brother. “As of the record, I have never won against you in a duel. Not even once, since you never showed me any mercy as a brother. You only cared about your reputation and what the others would say if they see that you’ve been defeated by someone else… Surely, they wouldn’t want an alpha that can easily be beaten, right?” He seemed to be stalling some time for me to gather up my remaining strength.

As if on cue, Kris let go of me and gave me a gesture to run away. If one of them tried to stop me, I know that I wouldn’t even be able to get out of the training facility safely.

Less than half an hour passed by, I was leaning my back on the wall outside the mansion when Kristoffer popped out of nowhere. “Seriously, what’s your deal, Master Kristoffer?” I could no longer suppress the confusion that I had stored within myself.

He held both of my shoulders as he stared at my eyes directly. “Listen, Celeste… You have to get out of the pack house and as much as possible, you shouldn’t return here unless you’ve been trained to the bones. Siege isn’t an ordinary wolf, he’s the alpha. Even if I’m his brother, I wouldn’t stand a chance against him, which is why I chose to run away rather than initiate a fight back there.” He stepped back as I noticed the slight change in his breathing pattern.

“Why are you doing this for me?”

“I’m not doing this for your sake, Celeste. I’m doing this for the sake of Siege. I don’t want to see him killing any innocent women anymore.”

I repetitively blinked after hearing what he said. “W-what do you mean? Does Master Siege kill any woman that he doesn’t like?”

Kristoffer shook his head twice. “Whether it be men or women, as long as you irritate him, he wouldn’t spare a second to take your life away.” He lent me some sort of map which provided a detailed pathway of the Dark Valley’s Territory. “You can think that I’m protecting you, and being locked up under my protection is your divine punishment.”

CELESTINA VILLARAMA’s POV

I lost count just how long has it been since the last time that I was thrown out of the pack house which I believed would completely accept me, despite having the loss of the presence of my wolf. It’s really devastating how I can hear the voice of Celeste, my wolf, but am still unable to transform myself to its form.

There must be some kind of missing formula.

Before Kristoffer and I parted ways, he gave me a warning that I shouldn’t cross paths with the alpha even though we’re not in his territories. The scene back at the first time that I stumbled upon Siege flashbacked through my mind as I held tightly on the necklace that I wore.

“Does Goddess Sarina have a connection with the alpha of Crimson Moon Pack?” I murmured to myself, knowing that no one other than either one of them would be able to give me an answer. “If we’re really mates, then I guess that I’d soon figure out their relationship.”

My brain received a static shock at some point as I tried to recall the image of my parents. Their faces were kind of blurred and I couldn’t even properly see what their physical appearance was like. It’s like they never existed and I was born without them right from the start.

“Are you alright?” a tiny voice of a boy asked from behind.

Turning around, I saw a kid who seemed to be concerned with me as I was about to pass out. He was wearing a checkered polo shirt. He wore eyeglasses that made him appear like a genius one, adding up the fact that he’s holding onto his books. This kid might have been lost in the woods after going back from his academy or having self-study somewhere.

“Y-yeah, thanks.” If I didn’t hear him speak, I would’ve totally lost my conscience back there. “It’s a miracle how you’re not using honorifics this time. Is it because we’re outside the Crimson Moon Pack’s territories?” I asked him, removing my grip on the necklace.

The boy raised one of his eyebrows to give me a confused look. “What are you talking about? I have no connection with that pack, I live on the opposite side of this country,” he replied.

“Aren’t you the same kid who kept on entertaining me back at the mansion?” I asked again, trying to gain the assurance that I needed. However, I saw that he was about to turn to the other side so I immediately changed the topic. “Can you bring me over to your place? I don’t have a home that I can go back to…” I stretched out my arm to his side and waited for him to take hold of my hand.

Anyone would be hesitant if they would actually trust someone they recently met, but for this guy… He hurriedly curled his pinky finger onto mine without any second thoughts.

***

For some unknown reason, the aura of this boy was glowing red in a manner that wasn’t related with the intention to kill. It was rather pleasant and it’s somehow similar to an aura of a person who emits romantic behaviors with their loved ones.

It would actually be kind of weird if this boy were to have a lovey-dovey feeling towards me, right?

“I can sense how wary you are of me, lady,” he suddenly spoke, which terribly disrupted my inner thoughts. “How can you have doubts while walking beside me, knowing that I have trust in you even though this was our first meeting?” he continued, adding more salt to the open wound of mine.

I let out a soft laughter. “Sorry. We just kind of possess opposite traits — I’m not that fond of strangers.”

Silence lurked our surroundings as we finally entered his pack house.

“Shall I set a schedule of your appointment with the alpha?” he questioned, then placed all of his belongings on top of the closest desk.

I shook my head twice, same with both of my hands. “That’s a bit… overboard. I don’t have anything to offer your pack’s alpha. And besides, I’m just a mere wolf who was thrown away by the Crimson Moon Pack’s almighty alpha; I’m a rogue,” I muttered with a soft voice.

The fact that I’m a rogue still doesn’t sink in. I still can’t believe how fast the days have gone by.

“Your rank doesn’t matter here though,” he whispered to himself before facing me up front. “I’m Ice, the Delta of the Silver Moon Pack… and you seemed to gaze upon me like I was a child who knew nothing of this realm.” He smirked to tease me and to lighten up the mood. He might have noticed that I was getting a bit too emotional based on the recent statement that I said. “If you’re not comfortable with meeting our alpha, then, I’d be the one who’s going to be responsible for taking care of you — from your personal necessities, your desires, and everything else that you might want to pursue and accomplish.”

Ice’s words were the exact opposite of his name. The way that he spoke so dearly to me made me think if he’s an actual adult in disguise of a child’s body.

I played with my fingers as I observed how sincere Ice was. Even in a split second, there wasn’t any sign that he was only doing this to me for simple entertainment. His actions were appealing.

As soon as Ice headed over to the kitchen, a dashing knife flew towards my direction, which was able to land a scratch on my cheek.

“W-what was that for?” I exclaimed out of frustration.

Ice leaned on the fridge with one of his hands holding onto the same knife that scraped my skin. “You… are unbelievably weak,” he responded with his chest up to boast that he was undeniably stronger. “That goes without saying that you’re a woman. All wolves should at least be able to sense that they’re in possible risk of danger, no matter what their gender or age was,” he explained, only to imply that I was unworthy of being recognized as one of their kinds.

“You do know how to provoke me well, seriously…” I argued.

The mansion which used to be lit up with thousands of chandeliers began to get dark all of a sudden.

“I wonder if you could see, hear, and feel my presence in the midst of this dim territory of ours,” Ice spoke, echoing all throughout our spot, making it more difficult for me to detect his exact location.