CHAPTER 3

The freezing night brought cold white and opaque sheet of snow blanket in every roof you can see in Tilbury. Even the day dawned crisp and clear, Keira could still feel the chilling shivers in her body despite the thick blanket embracing her. She naturally woke up from the pouring sunlight seeping in her room, making that nice warm touch on her cheeks.

“Hmm…” she moaned, hugging herself with another pillow.

But her forehead creased when a sudden flash of last night’s memory dashed in her head. Her confession.

Her eyes abruptly opened wide. What happened? Keira tried to reminisce, whether she finally said it or not. But she instantly let out a sharp exhale when she remembered the distraction that stopped her from confessing. With a frustrated sigh, she ran her fingers through her hair.

“Wait!” she uttered. “How am I –”

“You’re up now?” A familiar voice interrupted Keira’s thought.

Not surprised of the person walking towards her bed, she just gave him a confused look as she tried to act as casual as possible.

“How are you feeling?” Zane’s question added more confusion to Keira. Was he asking her how she felt about not being able to say what she wanted to tell him?

It took her three seconds to gather her thoughts before responding. “I-I’m fine. Why?”

It must be the sunlight bathing Keira in her room with the full access on her open window that made her cheek instantly warmed up. She felt a little shy and awkward, making her avoid eye contact with her best friend while he gave her a really concern gaze.

“Do you remember what happened last night? Did he do something to you? Are you okay?” Zane threw a series of questions to Keira trying to find out what exactly happened after she was taken from the woods.

The lady flashed a baffled and weird look at Zane, not understanding the obvious worry decorating on her best friend’s entire face.

“What are you talking about? Who’s he?” Keira’s brows furrowed.

“The man who took you home,” Zane elaborated as he descended on her bed.

“What do you mean the man who took me home? You walked me to our doorstep.” From a confused look on her eyes, Keira’s face slowly flashed a scared expression.

“I… took you home?” Zane’s voice was soft and questioning.

The newly woken up lady removed the blanket covering half of her body and moved closer to her best friend with the hope that her mind might remember the same thing Zane was remembering at the moment.

“Yes! Why are you talking like someone took me home last night? You’re scaring me, Zane.” she anxiously answered.

Zane subtly pressed his lips, forming a thin line, thinking what happened might’ve shocked his best friend that she couldn’t remember what exactly occurred in the forest. So, to test his theory, he asked further, ignoring the last sentence from his best friend.

“What’s the last thing you remember that happened last night?” he asked.

Keira’s brows frantically furrowed at the sudden question. “We went to see the full moon from the other side of the forest. We were talking,” she paused for a second, feeling a bit awkward once again with her unsuccessful confession, before she continued, “…we heard a strange sound in the woods, we decided to go back, and you just walked me home.”

Smelling the heavy drenched-like scent indelicately mixed with the air he’s breathing, Zane could tell his theory might be true. Keira’s pheromones told him she’s confused, anxious, and scared. So, he decided to brush it off and let her memory be before her strong scent harass his nose.

“Good. Now, I can tell you’re fully awake.” Zane smoothly turned his interrogation into a joke, giving his best friend a teasing pat on her head with his playful grin.

“You son of your gorgeous mother! What the heck, Zane?! You’re so annoying!” Keira frustratingly punched Zane’s arm before pulling her duvet up to hide her blushing face underneath.

Zane let out a soft chuckle at the sight of his irritated best friend. He reached out for her to console her and after a few tagging and whining, Keira came out of her bedding with her now messy hair.

“I’m sorry. I was just teasing you.” the guy genuinely apologized with his sweet smile.

Keira hissed at him but her negative scents were slowly dissipating, a sign she had calmed down. She fixed her hair and brought it into a cluttered bun before facing her annoying best friend again. This time, with the full view of her neck, Zane noticed an odd mark on her. It was almost like a bite.

Zane leaned towards her which made the lady defensively blocked him. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“What’s that?” Zane pointed out as he carefully traces the marks on Keira’s neck.

The lady robotically reached for her neck and ran her fingers on her skin, trying to feel anything strange. But when she couldn’t feel anything weird on her neck, she got out from bed and proceeded to her large vanity mirror to have a look.

Keira’s brows immediately met halfway when she saw a bizarre mark – a trace of something that bit her, to be exact. She looked at Zane from the mirror, who is now standing behind her.

“I don’t remember anything about… this.” she softly spoke, with a bit of concern on her tone.

“Insect bite? Frostbite?” Zane suggested to which Keira firmly shook her head.

“I was wearing two scarves last night and I have my heater on. It also doesn’t hurt at all.” Keira softly murmured.

Zane’s brows quirked. Not wanting to frighten his best friend any further, he just thought of something that would make sense to the lady who isn’t remembering anything about the strange creature.

“Probably just a frostbite. Who knows? As long as it doesn’t hurt, I guess.” Zane commented.

“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt a bit.” Keira slightly tilted her head while looking at her neck and the mark that was almost fading.

After making sure Keira was safe and fine, Zane let go of their bad encounter and just pushed the experience at the back of his head.

-xx-

Moon Valley.

On the other side of the forest is a vast open land gorgeously decorated by nature and more than what meets the eye. Beyond the enticing beauty it offers at first look, deeper in the foothills and far beyond the woods are hidden home for supernaturals. Protected by the undulating mountain of thrusting spires of naked rocks and sporadic trees everywhere, you will be met by a vivid world that’s of partly humans. This place bathes with the moonlight illuminating this realm at night and the glistening rays of sunlight during the day. This world can be a great walk in the park, but you reckon those who don’t belong here must keep out.

The Moon Valley is divided in two territories of werewolves. These territories are led by the two powerful packs – the Moon Stone and the Crescent Luna. Ruled by royal werewolves, each pack boosts with pride of their own marks, packs, and strength.

In the middle of Moon Stone land, a place called Alpha Camp is situated in the heart of the territory where guardians and protectors of the pack train their fighting skills and learn how to control their transformation when a full moon occurs. It is their duty to protect not only the royal leaders of their pack, but also fight when a war breaks out. And more than that, they are also to protect their kinds from rogues who create chaos and ruin the balance they have with humans.

“Come on, Tyr.” Zeev provoked the guy. Big beads of sweat adorning his face and his drenched hair produced even more liquids travelling Zeev’s half-naked body.

Few young trainees pooled around the sparring circle, admiring not only how the two most respected and known werewolves in their pack fight, but also seeing an actual royal mark on Zeev located on his right side rib, which royals barely show to others.

Despite the labored breathing from the sparring, Tyr silently stared at his opponent with an intent gaze. He walked in a circle, facing off Zeev. They continued to square off while Zeev threw test punches again. He would dance in his steps, cocky at that. Tyr reacted slowly, calculating every move from the opponent.

Zeev threw short punches and pulled it back before attacking Tyr with his spinning back kick that hit Tyr’s midsection, hard. The guy recovered, but he could still feel the stinging from the attack. Zeev continued to dance around him and threw more skilled punches and kicks. They looked so great, especially with the growing audience they had. But Tyr swiped them all away, still pending an attack.

Being impatient, Zeev smirked and ran hardly towards Tyr. But it was his awaiting moment. Tyr did a sidestep with an incredible speed, swiped and blocked Zeev’s attack and countered them with a brutal ridgehand technique followed by a knee strike. Zeev plunged hard on the ground, barely able to breathe.

“Woah!” Shouts of admiration applauded Tyr’s win.

With his victorious smirk, he walked towards Zeev and reached out his right hand to help the guy up. But Zeev took this opportunity to pin down Tyr with him on the ground which caught the latter off guard and planked on his back.

They laughed at the course and let their labored breathing be loud as the others scattered back to their own sparring.

“You really don’t let me win every time these kids watch us.” Zeev tapped Tyr’s chest covered with his now sweat drenched shirt.

“You don’t need to win against me. Winning against rogues and newborns should be your top priority.” Tyr playfully punched the other man on his chest before standing up and offering his hand again.

This time, Zeev just sneered at him before grabbing his hand.

“And stop flaunting your print.” Tyr threw Zeev’s shirt at him, aiming for his mark. “Outsiders should not see that, or you’ll be their next prey.”

“I’d say, they come to me, so we won’t have to patrol the entire forest every full moon.” Zeev said his words while putting on his black shirt and brushing off the sweat on his hair using his hand.

Tyr just shook his head on him and jeered. “Come on. We have a reporting to do.”

Zeev surprisingly jumped on Tyr and snaked his arm around the guy’s shoulder, pulling him against his figure as they started walking.

“Tyr of Moon Stone, you’re always so serious. This is why you don’t have any friends in the pack. You’re so intimidating. You don’t have to be cold around your favorite cousin. Huh?” Zeev teasingly messed Tyr’s hair.  

“You’re my only cousin, Zeev.” the guy pointed out.

“Exactly! We just came from our hunt last night and we don’t have to go to the camp for training. We should’ve rested today. Even Marcus isn’t around to train the kids. You know what I’m saying?” Zeev removed his arm around the guy’s shoulder and leisurely tucked them in his training short’s pocket.

“I told you earlier you don’t have to come in the Alpha Camp. You insisted.” Tyr clarified in his stoic voice.

Zeev sharply exhaled. “Anywhere you go, I go. Plus, no one aside from Marcus will go up against you in the sparring circle. Everyone knows you don’t take sparring lightly.”

“How’s the girl from last night?” Tyr purposely diverted the conversation and asked about the encounter they had last night from the hunt.

Zeev rolled his eyes on his cousin for dodging the talk. But he turned serious for the matter.

“She’s fine. She won’t remember anything about what happened in the forest. Don’t worry.”

Tyr softly nodded upon hearing his words. “The mark should be gone by now.”

“Mind bending marks won’t last half a day. So, if she’ll wake up late, she won’t see anything on her neck. How about the guy she’s with?” Zeev asked.

The question put an instant halt on Tyr’s feet and suddenly looked at his cousin with his eyes wide open.

“You didn’t remove his memory. Great!” Zeev teasingly grinned at him and shrugged the fact that the meticulous Tyr forgot to alter a human’s memory who only happened to witness their hunt last night.

“They live in the town. We can find him there next time and you can remove his memory. I don’t think he’s the type to spread what he sees in the forest anyway.” Zeev added as he continued to walk.

“Hmm… Let’s do that.” Try also shrugged off the thought of his little mistake and they proceeded to their headquarters to meet Marcus, one of the old leaders of warriors who was also his personal trainer with Zeev.

Their kinds have lived for centuries undetected by humans. Despite the feud between the royal packs, when it comes to balance of human and werewolves, they stand together in one belief and that is protecting their own while keeping them away from civilization. Even with the newborns caused by rogues, hunting them and neutralizing the venom as earliest stage of change possible has always been part of Tyr’s and Zeev’s training. This is the best they could do to protect humans and their kinds being exposed. They could only do that if they’re of royal marks as normal werewolves do not have such gift in their prints to do so. So, they’re mostly just there to help capture newborns and bring them over to the royal members.

All werewolves have the strength and ability, but not with the moon’s gifts of powers such as mind bending and neutralization coming from their royal marks. That’s why their packs not only protect their royal leaders because of their status, but also for the reason of maintaining the balance of both kinds.

Tyr and Zeev went to the quarter where Marcus and the other older werewolves stay. After reporting what happened on the night of their hunt, Tyr decided to leave out the unexpected encountered they had with humans out of his report. Zeev didn’t mention about it either, trusting his partner of it. The meeting ended with the leaders doing the hunt on the next coming days so trainees can enjoy the holidays with their families, too. Though the snow started pooling on the ground the past few days of nonstop snowing, werewolves could still enjoy the chilling weather with their own warmth.

“Are we hunting a human next?” the guy immediately asked after going out the quarters.

“Do you want to enjoy the holidays?” Tyr smirked at him.

Zeev just gleefully nodded.

“Then, enjoy it before I change my mind.” Tyr quirked his brows and patted the other man on the shoulder before walking away.

“Yes!” Zeev threw his fist in the air knowing there won’t be any hunting happening with Tyr’s language of enjoying the holidays. “Don’t come in my place until the holidays are over, okay?!” he shouted.

Tyr just waved at him without looking back. Despite being four years older than him, Zeev was more laid back and playful than him. Being the only direct cousin to him after the battle that happened between the two packs when he was only a newly born baby, Zeev has always been on his side with the purpose of being his protector.

Just a five-minute walk from the quarter, Tyr went straight home to have a nice shower after their morning sparring. He started living alone when he came of age at eighteen for werewolves. Although his mother was against the idea, he managed to convince her to let him be as long as he lives not too far from them. Tyr isn’t really the one who can oppose his mother, especially his father, so he has been living just ten-minute walk from his parent’s fortress.

Tyr instantly went inside his shower and took of his clothes. He enjoyed the cold rushing water pouring on his warm body, washing away the dirt and sweat from his sparring. While he was rubbing his skin with his hands, he saw his own print from his reflection in the mirror which was hanging on the side of his shower. He unconsciously traced his mark with his fingers. Tyr’s mark is on his upper left back, just right where his shoulder blade is.

Because of the location of his print, Tyr thought the moon must be teasing him. Aside from having a different mark from everyone, a one of its kind at that, he couldn’t see it unless he stands in front of a mirror and look at it from his reflection. He kept on pressing on it and the skin around his mark would turn white from the pressure of his fingers while his mark remains rosewood red. Other werewolves would have been over the moon bearing that colored print under their skin because it only means to be given to royal werewolves. However, for Tyr, having only a half mark printed on him means he must be cursed.

Why? When Tyr was born, the royal family was shocked to see his half mark. Not only that, but a battle also broke out on the day he turned one hundred days old, which caused the death of his seven-year-old sister. It didn’t just stop there. The packs started questioning him as a royal werewolf when it wasn’t even his choice in the first place.

Trains of thoughts made the sound of the shower louder and the pouring water heavy on Tyr’s skin. So, he shook his head and just continued on with his bath before he gets trapped in his thoughts of his identity again that he tries his absolute best to keep out from his head.

After a good soak, Tyr was about to leave for the camp when a knock from his door called for his presence.

When he opened his door, he saw Raven, one of his parents’ errand guys.

“Prince Tyr, Queen Morrigan is asking for you.” the guy politely said with a beam on his face.

It made Tyr heave a sigh. “How many times have I told you to stop calling me prince?”

He meant not to scare the guy off, but his deep voice failed him, making his words sound authoritative without his intention.

“I-I’m sorry, T-Tyr.” the guy standing outside his door stuttered.

Tyr just faintly smiled and softly tapped Raven’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Did my mother say why she wants to see me?”

“Nothing that I have heard. She just said to bring you over.” Raven beamed again.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

And with that, he just locked his door and went to his parent’s home.