Chapter 2

A Letter From the Stranger

My hands are shaking, started to feel anxious. Accompanied by my ascending heartbeats, the temperature of my body is getting hotter despite the cool breeze coming from the ocean.

Aside from that, my forehead has started producing sweat. Though the job was that simple - to open the bottle and read the letter; however, I don't know why I have these unexplainable feelings.

And the letter goes like this...

"Dear Josh. I heard and felt your pain. Though we haven't shared the same experience, I heard you loud and clear. I'm not gonna pity you but feel inspired instead. That despite the adversaries in life, you still choose to fight. It's called bravery. And found this kinda cool when sending a letter using an empty bottle was already out of trend. How old are you by the way? Are you from the forgotten centuries?" the stranger then put a curve line with both of the tips pointed upward after the last letter as if it formed like a smile.

As I kept reading the letter, someone's voice has been drawn into my feeble imagination. It was sweet, gentle, and nice. The sound of it was music to my ears. A butterfly in my stomach. And a rainbow right after the rain.

So, I couldn't help but smile as well like the emotions being expressed in the letter. It was full of excitement and courage. Below the letter was a name printed and signed on it. And it says, "Nathalie Fisher." End of the letter.

I haven't heard such a name on the island but it was a nice name for a female. Not to mention the paper she used to write the letter was perfumed. Now, I started to imagine how does Nathalie Fisher look like.

When I got the chance to study the letter for a few seconds, I realized that the handwriting was not from my Papa. Not from Mama. Neither is my eight-year-old brother.

Am not sure if it was a perfect time to celebrate but it was undeniable that the letter gives me hope. That someone from those huge islands around us has certainly heard my call.

So, I quickly grabbed a blank piece of paper and jotted down my response. This time, I expressed to Nathalie how grateful I am for hearing me out. Aside from that, I securely indicated the instruction about how to send the letter, especially when sea current matters so that it will not go in the other direction.

As long as the cap was tightly attached to its head, the bottle will not be sunk. After jotting down my hopeful response, I descended downstairs and rushed to the seashore.

Did not even get the chance to see my parents' reaction when they saw me running outside at the speed of light. After throwing the bottle into the ocean, I went back to our home to join my family in having their breakfast.

"I'm guessing someone had a good morning, huh?" Mama breathed out eagerly and greeted me with a platter of food at the table.

I deliberately dragged my smiling gaze to Papa who is seated next to her. And he was currently applying his weird mind-reading. So did I to him.

"So, who's this lucky stranger, huh?" Papa asked.

"It's just a letter, Paps. Nothing else." Could not help but secretly curve the tip of my lips upward as I focused on the food and drinks.

{Nathalie's POV}

"Honey, why aren't you packing your stuff already?" My Luna mum asked me as soon as she stepped foot inside the room.

Today has been marked as the first day of our semestral break. And my Alpha dad invited us to join him in the mansion since mum and I have been gone for months. Perhaps dad misses us already after not seeing each other for the entire four months.

Dad was the most feared and most respected wolf in his packs. Being the Alpha was not an easy job. It was one of the reasons he could not join us in New York City for good. He has his duties and responsibilities to the pack.

And he already planned to authorize me the throne as soon as I turned eighteen which will happen seven days from now by the way. It was the semestral break, so they have all of me prepared before my eighteenth birthday.

"Wait... are you sick or something?" Mum leaped closer to the bed and reached out to my forehead.

"No, I'm not sick, mum. It's just... I'm not in the mood to fly back to Chicago. I just got back from our beach party last night." well, the fact is that part of me wanted to get back to the beach, not to extend the party but to wait for the response. "And besides, wolves won't get sick."

It has been stated from the letter that Josh keeps on writing and sending one to the ocean every single day. Never have I ever met someone as persistent, romantic, and nerd as him at the same time. Though I kinda find it cute and unique.

And I want our conversation to continue despite the level of difficulty. I don't how but I somehow already attached to the one who wrote the letter. It was as if I have known the man for a very long time.

However, I forgot to indicate my digits on the letter so he could just send me an SMS in a matter of seconds instead of waiting under the heat of the sun for the bottle to appear.

"So, what is your plan then? I thought you already misses your dad." She moved out of the bed and started cleaning up the mess in my room.

"I don't know yet, mum. Can I just stay here for a week? Or at least three days to be exact?" I slowly crawled out of the bed to help mum clean all my stuff.

"Was it because of this human suitor? What's his name again? Jasper?" She suddenly chuckled.

Jasper was indeed my human suitor. He was tall, white, and handsome. Aside from that, he was the only son of the city governor. We've been friends since the eleventh grade.

Though he kept on looking after me every time, being friends with him is the least I could give back. And I can't mate a human. I love him but as a friend.

I even entrusted him with my monstrous secret. Good thing he hadn't told anyone about me being a wolf. He was supposed to stay away from me because of that but he didn't.

Instead, he kept accompanying me every time and everywhere I go, including the beach party. And for the record, he was the one who found the bottle floating on the water.

"It's not just about him, mum. I haven't said goodbye to my other friends." I made a ticking sound from my mouth before I added, "and besides, Jasper already booked his ticket to NYC, remember?"

"All right. Fine." Mum eased off. "I'll go ahead first. But take not about three days. Your dad will eventually fly here to pick you up if you'd not appear on your eighteenth birthday."

"Thanks, mum!" I shortly wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheeks.

"Fine... But don't forget to call me. Your nannies are on holiday. It's you alone who will be staying in your condo." Mum let go of my grip and slid to the doorway. "I love you, honey."

"Love you too, mum. Take care on your flight. See you in three days." I smiled at her before the door of my room got closed.

Two hours later, Jasper arrived in my condo unit carrying a large travel bag. He and I decided to stay together back on the beach to extend our beach party.

Unbeknownst to his knowledge, I intentionally booked and wanted to stay at the beach for three days to wait for Joshua's response to my letter. It has been almost twenty-four hours since I sent the bottle back to the ocean.

So, perhaps, if given the chance since I followed his instructions properly, he might have read it already. And if given the chance, he might have sent his response to the ocean.

Another hour later, we eagerly hopped out of Jasper's Lamborghini and marched back to the reservation office to inquire about my reservation.

"This way to your new room, Ms. Fisher." says the Reservation Officer with an ear-to-ear smile on her face. However, her lustrous eyes were locked on Jasper. I could not blame her. Jasper was every woman's dream.

I intentionally booked a room closer to the seashore so as early as before the sunrise, I could wait for the seawater to go high. And I could even see the seashore from the window.

"Thank you," I muttered back.

"And, just so you know, Ms. Nathalie, Mr. Jasper, the beach was temporarily closed at the moment. However, it'll be re-open before the end of the day."

"What?" Could not help but enlarge the balls of my eyes. "But why? I'm here for the beach."

Jasper immediately shrugged off. "It's fine, Nath. We could just roam around first before we head back to the beach. And besides, aren't you tired of swimming? Look at the color of your skin."

Of course. Jasper would agree with the Reservation Officer because he was unaware of my true purpose in coming back to the beach. And I can't tell him just yet.

I don't want him to think I'm the craziest female wolf in the universe, believing of such kind of communication existed

"Our maintenance is cleaning off the seashore. A lot of waste materials are floating in the ocean yesterday. The management has to maintain the cleanliness of the ocean. It's our best asset on the beach." The Reservation Officer then pushed the door of our room and left afterward.

Now, my faith and hope started to disappear, little by little, out of my heart and mind. If they already started the cleanup, they might have found the bottle first before me.

For that same reason, I might have no chance to read about Joshua's response to my letter. But what should I do? The entire part of my wolf believed that I could get something in return today.

But with the Reservation Officer's unexpected announcement, my world just falls apart. It shattered into broken pieces along with my faith and hope of making the impossible possible.

"Is everything all right, Nath?" Jasper set the luggage bags beneath our respective beds. "You were excited earlier but now you're like mourning someone's grave."