Chapter 2

The Moonless Pack is covered by thick cloud of green gas, make it look like nothing but part of the forest itself. It's within the Thousand Mountain, which is hidden from the world of ordinary, and the Moonless Pack occupy one of these mountain.

The thing is, these area is a danger zone for the ordinary people. Only few would dare to travel the area, and this few would forever gone from the world of ordinary!

Dad said they were captive by the Thousand Mountain's guard, and for what happen to them, dad only look at me with knowing gaze. He said, “You will know in the right time.”

“So this is the right time?” I said with the hint of understanding. Just now, I can felt the howl that pierce through the heart of the forest.

And just in an instant, I was caught by one of the guard!

“They never transform,” I remember dad words as I laid my eyes to the looking ordinary yet walked so fast that my eyes only saw the afterimage of a creatures. “But they are powerful within the boundary of the Thousand Mountain!”

Dad been so mysterious upon talking about this strange creatures, his eyes filled with pondering light. But I can only make out a blurt of laugh, and said, “You are exaggerated, dad. In what I'm remembering here, the shifter will to shift to perform the never before seen of might and power!”

“Right,” he said, “that's right.” He look at me as if he also think the same and agreed with me, but unlike me, he seems discover something wIth himself and can only question his sanity if he ever don't believe this matter.

I was laughing for him, and even question if he really that cool or what, or he become less reliable. But now, my face turn into unsighty and I was breathing so hard I almost lost balance.

“This...” my mind spun upon the fastest jump I ever saw in my entire life.

“Who are you?” The question that brought me into my knees. It's so intense, the pressure this guard gives off. And when he landed, the earth-cracking noise can be heard. In an instant, the area around begun to form a crack, except the area this guard landed and the area I'm trembling in my knees.

“I'm... no intruder!” I raise my two hand and despite the shock, I try to visit my memory if dad ever said what I'm suppose to do in this situation. He actually said, but those are the distant memory that I don't recall the entire meaning. But one thing I'm certain, the guard hate intruder, thus the merciless will be expected!

But then... one thing cross my mind and I blink when the uncertainy cross so sudden. “I thought they works in a group,” I murmured. “I wonder if this day is an exception?”

I slowly lifted my head, but just upon the sight of the grandeur of robe, I cease to even dare. Though I kinda make out the face earlier, the afterimage make it possible for my mind to spun. But the eyes that look down on me, I can felt the icily, especially when it thundered upon my ears as he said, with his solid voice, “Prove it!”

That two words felt like curse, and even that meanig behind it is so simple, I can't help but feel like stupid. I shut my eyes, gritted my teeth as I said, “Well, I came...with the good intention!”

“How can you prove without looking at me, woman?” His voice becoming gentle, and I almost thought he's talking to someone else. He added, “I'm talking to you! Raise your head and tell me, will you?”

My mouth halfly open and my heart throbbed like crazy. Just now his voice felt like a music that slowly gives me some unknown power to stand up. This cause my eyes to shrink, and I would never like the idea slowly forming in my mind. Without daring to look up, I form my fist tightly.

“This feeling...” I murmured and felt like some force inside my head slowly appear, and the faint voice make it out like a curse to this situation.

“He's... a mate,” the voice inside my head. I almost couldn't believe it and if I can able to stop my heart from panting so hard, I would have glad to do so.

Mate? This guard? I almost have thought this is just a dream, but even though a dream, this is horrible!

Though this guard is grandeur, he's just a guard!

Having this thought only gives me no reason to raise my head. But the words of dad echoed in my head, “Protect your heart!”

“My heart,” I recall what the needs to protect. “This is a heart I must protect, yet been broke to pieces by the mere ordinary existence. And I barely mold it into shape just to crumble by this mere existence!”

There's a smile that come to mind that forever en-grave in my heart, and even though the smile cause by my departure, I do revise it as the smile of hope...

Hope for my comeback will come with fruition... and to able to achieve the pass to freely come and go one day within this Thousand Mountain!

Without trying to hide the disgust, I said without looking at him, “I may intruder or what, this isn't for you to evaluate. So cuff me or torture me if you can!”

Though I said the word with disgust in voice, my heart is in chaotic. I do think of pleading and even thought so far of negotiating. But that's before I fully certain that he's not just anyone... but a mate!

The guard never said a thing but move forward to reappear just before my eyes. I even thought I heard the shook of the land down below the ground, but for my shock, the crack covered the location where I stood. This cause my heart to felt the unimaginable pain, and unconsciously look at him with strange but disappointment, “You... disappointing as a mate, don't you know that?”

But strangely, his face didn't seem to like how the crack appear, and to cause my heart in terror upon realizing it. He's busy looking around cautiously while his arms at the back, support me from the fall.

But the words already reach his ears before I realize that something is wrong, and his expression totally change into one of a freezingly cold. His voice feel like a stab in my heart when he said, “That's... what I am.”