0004.

Nathan's POV.

......Six years later…

I stared out the window as the car sped along the highway, my mind lost in thought. My head of guards, Gideon, was driving, and I could feel his gaze on me at intervals. We were heading to the Lycan clan at the invitation of the Lycan king. As the overall ruler of the werewolf clan, I couldn't turn down his summon, especially since they were hosting their lantern festival and needed my suggestions for the preparations.

As we sped along, I caught sight of a lady stepping out of a car. For a moment, my heart skipped a beat. She looked so much like Lunaria, my Lunaria. I felt a jolt of pain in my chest, but I quickly tore my gaze away as our car sped past. She wasn't Lunaria.

Lunaria has been missing for six years, and despite all my efforts to find her, I haven't been able to. Not even the best private investigators could find her, making me wonder if something terrible had happened to her.

But anytime thoughts of her safety arose in my head, I quickly shoved them back. My Lunaria was alive; I could feel it in my gut. And I only hoped that one day, I would finally see her again and explain what transpired that night in my study. Somewhere inside of me, I knew her disappearance might be connected to what she saw that night.

“Alpha, are you okay?” Gideon asked, giving me a concerned look from the rearview mirror.

I didn't respond to his question. Instead, I asked, “How long until we arrive at our destination.”

“Ten minutes, Alpha,” Gideon replied.

I nodded and looked back out the window, willing myself not to think about Lunaria.

We soon arrived at the Lycan king's home, and it seemed like the guards had been awaiting our arrival because the imposing metallic gate was thrown open immediately.

Gideon pulled up into the spacious compound that ran into an expanse of land with numerous buildings in it. We alighted, and two guards approached us. They bowed their heads in respect, and one of them spoke up.

“You're welcome, Alpha Nathan. The king awaits,” he announced.

I nodded, gesturing for them to lead the way. As we walked, I noticed we were heading towards the backyard instead of the house entrance.

Curiosity piqued, I asked, “Why are we going to the backyard and not the house?”

“The king will be meeting with you in his garden, Alpha. It's situated at the back of the house,” the guard explained.

I nodded, and walked on, as the guard let us through the beautifully tended lawn, and I could tell that the king was a lover of nature judging from the number of flowers surrounding us.

We arrived at the garden, and there, sitting majestically on a throne-like chair, was the lycan king. A vacant chair sat beside him, and his face broke out in a wide grin on seeing me.

“Aha, Nathan, Alpha of Dark wood's pack!” he exclaimed, his voice booming, a testament to how much power he wielded. “It's an honor to have you after so many years.”

I approached him, bowing my head in respect. “The honor is mine, Your Majesty.”

“Please, sit,” he said, gesturing to the vacant chair. “Let's talk.”

A young man who I suspected to be his squire, stepped forward. “Shall I get you both a drink, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, Anderson,” the king responded. “And bring a table to place it on.”

The young man nodded and left to carry out the order. The king turned to the other guards and Gideon. “You may leave us. We will speak in private.”

They nodded and went off.

The lycan king turned to me when they were all out of earshot. “Now, we can begin.”

Hours later, the king and I walked back towards the front of the house. We had finished discussing the preparations for the forthcoming lantern festival, and it was time for me to head home.

“Thank you for coming, Alpha Nathan,” the King says in gratitude. “I hope you won't miss the event.”

I chucked. “Not at all, your majesty."

Just then, the king's phone rang, and he took it out of his robe's pocket, he glanced at the screen and looked up at me. “Please, go on. You don't have to wait for me. I have to take this, and it will take long.”

I nodded and bid him farewell before walking out to the front of the house. Gideon was waiting for me when I emerged.

“Can we leave now, Alpha?” he asked, falling into step beside me.

“Yes, my business with the king is done,” I replied, walking ahead of him to the car. The guards waved goodbye as we drove out.

On the way, we drove past a supermarket and I ordered Gideon to reverse. “I need to pick up some toiletries,” I explained.

Gideon obeyed, pulling into the supermarket's parking lot. We alighted, and walked in, Gideon covering me like a shadow. He was always like that whenever we were out in a public place, with numerous people.

In the men's section, I was trying to pick out my favorite shaving cream when a small boy of about five years approached me. “Mister, can you help me find my mama?” the boy asked, looking up at me with big, worried eyes that held unshed tears.

I was touched by his plea and just as I was about to beckon Gideon, a voice sounded behind us. “Liam, there you are.?"

I froze, shivers running down my spine. By the moon goddess, why does that voice sound familiar? To satisfy my curiosity, I swirled around and almost lost balance at the sight of the woman before me.

Lunaria! I screamed in my head in disbelief. My head became swamped with different thoughts. Was this truly her? After six years, has the moon goddess finally decided to smile at me by leading my Lunaria back to me?

“Thank you for being kind to my son, Mister," her voice sounded, jolting me back to reality.

My eyes narrowed. “Mister?” Why was she acting as if she didn't know me? I peered at her face intently, but it didn't hold any recognition.

What was happening? I tried to speak, but I couldn't get the words out. Before I could force a word out, a man appeared, looking worried. But relief appeared on his face when he saw Lunaria and the little boy.

“Liam, quit making us worried by always losing your way,” the man scolded, scooping up the boy in his arms.

“I'm sorry, Uncle,” the boy replied, hugging the man.

And then the man turned to look at me, his eyes bearing suspicion, before leading Lunaria away.

All this while, I stood rooted to spot, too dumbfounded to do anything. My eyes were just fixed on Lunaria's retreating.

“Are you alright, Alpha?” Gideon asked, tapping my shoulders.

I blinked, regaining myself. And then it struck me; I just let Lunaria go. Quickly, I dashed off for the supermarket's entrance, muttering “Lunaria.” But it was too late, a car was pulling out of the Supermarket into the street, and I could see Lunaria in it.

************

Days later, I arrived at the lantern ceremony with Sarah by my side. The incident in the study five years ago had made me vow to stay away from her after finding out she drunk me with wolfsbane wine and took advantage of me but she came pleading. She claimed she didn't know what she was doing, and she was drunk too. I believed her because that was the only probable reason that would make her act the way she did.

If not under the influence of alcohol, why else would she want to seduce her best friend's man? And so I forgave her. Besides through the years, she had proven to be a good friend and had even helped me in my search for Lunaria. The both of us found the evidence of her being innocent of murdering my father. She had been a great support and help.

My reason for bringing her along to the party was because each Alpha was expected to come with a companion, be it their mate, mistress, or a female friend. Aside from Lunaria, Sarah was the next female closest to me.

“This place is spectacular,” Sarah said, dragging me out of my thoughts. We were seated in the front, around a table apportioned to me as Alpha. It was the same for every Alpha present in the hall.

“Yes, it is,” I concurred. Sarah was not exaggerating; the hall was expensively and beautifully decorated. The soft glow of lanterns illuminated the hall, giving it a warm aura.

Just then, the Lycan king ascended the podium, a smile on his face. He cleared his throat, and the hall fell silent. “Welcome esteemed guests to the lantern ceremony, an ancient aged tradition of our clan. I am honored to see so many familiar faces…"

That was all I heard, as I got lost in thought. My mind trailed to my brief encounter with Lunaria at the supermarket. Since that day, I have never stopped thinking of her. I wondered if it was truly her, or her doppelgänger. I even went back to the supermarket to see if I could run into her again, but I never did.

“Look, Nathan, the king is going to introduce his heiress,” Sarah said, tapping me back into reality.

I frowned? Heiress? I didn't realize the Lycan king had a child. I was just about to tell Sarah that she misheard, that the king didn't have a child, when I was interrupted by the king's words.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you all, the future of the clan, my daughter, the heiress!”

At these words, the curtain behind the king parted, and a woman stepped forward, looking ethereal. She was in a white off–Shoulder body - hugging gown that had a slit up to her thigh and her hair was packed in an updo style.

I felt my throat go dry, and my eyes widened like saucers as the woman turned out to be no other person but Lunaria. “My Lunaria.” “How is this possible?”