Chapter 4: Unresistable Scent of the Luna

"Your Highness, are you leaving at this hour again?"

Primo halted and clenched his jaw as his irritation resurfaced. He had sensed the presence of the Beta before he even made himself known to his Alpha. And Primo knew he would ask that question whether it cost him his life, one of the many things he liked about him but would never admit. He brought his Beta with him into the mortal world for a reason. 

Still couldn’t help but be infuriated at the prying tone, he spun around to glower at the man with pitch-black hair and eyes. His vision circled briefly, and he quickly kept it to himself. No matter if his Beta could easily tell how weak he had been. Primo narrowed his eyes at the pair of clothes the Beta was wearing and the blanket on his outstretched arm. 

"I got this for you," he offered, but Primo scoffed and finally got the leash out of his neck. He threw it inside the doghouse and sauntered across the garden. The Beta was glad that he did not rip the leash. The scent the Luna left in there was fading now. The Beta at least expected it would stay 'till the morning she's back. Little did he know, the Alpha had desperately inhaled them all already when she left. 

A bit dizzy and weak, Primo staggered a little. He sensed the Beta's attempt to help him before he even moved his arm. Stubbornly, he shrugged his arms away from the Beta’s touch and glared at him. But he had to pause for a breath and close his eyes as his vision circled again. They stayed silent until Primo believed he was fine again. 

But he was never fine.

Never in this world. Never in his world. But especially never in this mortal world.  

He couldn't believe the strength he had lost since he left Agartha. Much more than he had already lost. And he only felt better when his mate was close to him. 

That mortal, weak human, he internally grunted and clenched his jaw. 

"There is a gatekeeper, Your Highness. You cannot walk out from the gates,” the Beta trailed behind him as if Alpha refused to take the blanket and left himself open for the Moon Goddess. He did not expect him to leave the safety of the house again, so he did not think of bringing a pair of clothes for him. Besides, it would be dangerous to have clothes in the doghouse. A blanket should be safe. 

The Beta was grateful that the little kid made sure his Alpha was in a warm place with all those beddings and pillows, and he thought bringing a new blanket with the scent of the Luna would be the least thing he could do for him in this situation. 

"And what do you suggest I do, Gresser? Kill the human, and you discard his body for me?"

Gresser quickly shook his head as he stepped back about two feet from his Alpha, who glared at him with fire. He bowed his head respectfully as he knew his Alpha better than anyone else — for all the good and all the wrong things. 

"The mortals living in this house will look for him, Your Highness. I'm afraid we cannot kill him and risk the mortals finding out of our existence here."

They had been in this world for a week now. Primo, as the ancient Alpha, has been the strongest for centuries. He never believed in the power of mated souls. He never wanted to consider a powerful being like him would ever need someone to stay alive. That, until it was too late. 

Two hundred years ago, his despair in finding his Luna came alive as the other old souls failed to find their mates on time and died either waiting or searching. Like Primo, they did not believe in the sacred power of mated souls and just wanted to have nothing but power and name. There was an ancient tale that the first families in Agartha, the O' Cleirigh, would lose their powers over their mates or heirs when the right time came. 

When — no one could tell. But it was evident the prophecy was coming close as youths of the family died without their mates. For a family line who had lived centuries. Obtaining power after power. Territory after territory. Their hearts had hardened. They wanted greater power, wishing they could be as powerful as the Moon Goddess. 

It was selfish greed for power, passed down to one after another like an heirloom. 

Primitivo was the youngest prince of the O' Cleirigh Family of the Maharlikan Pack, the Ancient First Family in Agartha, and the only one remaining alive from the O' Cleirigh clan. Two decades ago, after his brother, the last of his family, died before his eyes, he began his search for his Luna. 

It was a crisis for his pack and the entire Agartha as he demanded all Houses to meet him on a battlefield. Primo did not want their piece of land, just a right to be able to search around, but because he won every battle, all the territories became a part of his pack legally. 

Gresser was there, fighting alongside his Alpha. He witnessed his feral look as he killed everyone who dared fight him by merely flying through them like a wind. Primo was positive he could see his Luna even if it meant searching the ocean, the House of the Merfolks, although it was foolish to think his Alpha would be mated to anyone living underwater. 

And even if he won against the merworld, everyone doubted Primo could first search the ocean for his Luna without drowning. 

Gresser was there when their Alpha began to lose hope. But as the Alpha, Primo refused to die. He refused to die in such a pitiful state and swore never to have the same fate as everyone in his family did. 

One hundred years ago, the Ancient Alpha followed the Court’s suggestion to hibernate, knowing too well their pack and everything under his authority would perish if he died. The advice came from Wales, the Vampire House, as Primo was able to own half of their territory after the war. 

The entirety of Agartha was in chaos at the thought of Primo dying because it meant almost the whole of Agartha would vanish unless Primo declared the territory free from his name. Everyone knew he did not want to own the entire Agartha. 

It was home to every influential supernatural, and chaos is bound to happen now and then if one House governs over all other supernaturals. But Primo stubbornly refused to free everyone while he succumbed to despair and pain with the thought of death. How pathetic it was to fight all his life and gain the power only for everything he had worked for to vanish in his last breath without a trace. There would be nothing but memories of a great legacy. 

For the past hundred years, Primo had been resting to at least stop himself from slowly dying. That was the only option for his pack to remain existing. 

However, Primo woke up from his long sleep just two weeks ago. He remembered everything like it was just yesterday, and the pain in his soul was as he remembered it. Even getting worse now that he was awake. 

No one could tell what caused him to wake up. Not even the vampires. But Primo was positive it was because of the coming second full moon, also mentioned in the prophecy. 

Thanks to Northumbria, the House to the Royal Humans, and the mortals, Agartha began modernizing their ways of living. The Maharlikan Pack learned of the north's secret gate, and Primo wasted no time. He told the court he would be there to continue his search for his Luna, and only took Gresser with him.

Little did they know they were breaking some kind of rule by stepping inside the mortal world. Not the Mortal House, but the mortal world. 

It differed from their own; both felt some unknown force tugging on their strength. Gresser had to go back to Agartha now and then to at least regain his power, but his Alpha could not do the same because the mortals took him after the accident. 

The Beta continued, "I suggest we don't do anything suspicious. We are not supposed to cross this world."

"My mate is here, Gresser," Primo growled, reminding his Beta of the obvious. "I have no idea how this happened. Why is she here and not in Agartha? Why can she not feel our connection? I'm going to take her with us! She'll bear me an heir before the second full moon, and if her mortal nature does not agree, I'll have to force her. And if these people around her tried to get in between, I'd have to kill them. Every single one of them. One way or another, their corpses will be found, and we must make sure we are back in Agartha before they realize it is our doing."

"She's a mortal, Your Highness. Of this world. Even mortals from our world could not feel the bond unless the shifter is in danger."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Primo snapped, and he ducked his head again. Frustrated, he fisted my hand and punched it against his chest repeatedly. "Look at me. I have never been this vulnerable, Gresser. I've never been this sick," he said firmly, gritting his teeth. Never in his wildest teeth did he imagine those words ever to be connected with him. Then he pointed a hand at the bright moon overhead. "That is not our Moon Goddess! I don't know what kind of moon that is, but it keeps tugging on my power like some gravity. I could feel my soul and wolf ripping inside me every day, but did you see her? That human could not feel my pain. She has the coldest eyes I've seen. Nothing compared to the little girl's soft, bright eyes, who gave me nothing but care and affection. My mate is a cold-hearted being who could not feel the pain of her mate!" 

He was seething. Why the Moon Goddess would give such a mate to him was beyond him. He could claim anyone in his pack as his mate, but he could not risk it with the coming second full moon. He needed a true mate, the one given by their Moon Goddess in Agartha. His mate must bear his heir; before that, he must claim her to be his Luna. Things would have been much easier if this was Agartha. 

Primo stopped in the shade of the nearby tree and took a deep breath to inhale the scent of the guard at the gates. He used to hunt mortals in Agartha as food. He drank from their blood like the vampires did. Their mortal blood gave them strength. 

However, when the Treaty in Northumbria transpired, hunting humans became forbidden. All the supernaturals could only hunt them unless they were out of the safety of Northumbria, and the last human hunters left in Kent were sent home by their Princess twenty years ago while he was asleep. 

"We must not leave our traces here, Your Highness," Gresser calmly reminded him after he took one step forward. He sensed his Alpha's motives. Primo clenched his jaw and glared at him, but the Beta stared at the ground. He seemed more inclined to avoid his gaze more than anything. 

"It's been long since we had a taste of human blood. Don't you think, Gresser?"

Gresser's eyes widened, but his gaze could only reach the bare chest of his Alpha. "Your Highness!"

"This is not Agartha. No Treaty is stopping us. It's even ridiculous to think we have to follow such an agreement to this day."

"It's to keep the balance in our world, Your Highness. All Houses need the mortals to stay alive. Their ways of living are much smarter and easier than ours."

"It's because they have the secret passage to this world in their land." Primo scoffed and sniffed the air again. The scent of his mate was slowly fading in the air, and he couldn't let that happen. "What are you fearing now, Gresser? Humans have seemed to have crowded this world. Maybe we could bring them to Agartha and make an offering to the Moon Goddess to change my fate."

He took another step, but Gresser was determined to stop him from using the gates. However, before he could say a word, the guard on the gate heard their murmurs. With his flashlight on, he stalked closer to the garden. Primo stayed unmoving, not an ounce afraid of being caught. Luckily, Gresser moved into action for him. He pushed the Alpha into the bush and put his hand on his head to keep him hidden. Had the Alpha's body not been too weak, Gresser was aware he would be limp in a blink. 

"This way, Your Highness," he whispered as the guard turned on the corner. Primo staggered behind him. He glared at the wall, knowing he could not jump from that height in such a state. Before he could blink, Gresser held his arm and jumped to the other side of the wall. 

"Great. Now, you're stronger than me and think you can manhandle me?"

Horrified at the accusation, Gresser bowed his head. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I am doing all I can to protect you in this world. You're growing weak, and I know you must stay near the Luna." 

"And you're trying to stop me," he pointed out. Had he not appeared out of nowhere, Primo would have been near his mate by now.  

"The Luna has long left, Your Highness. You're also growing weak with the moonlight here. I thought it was better for you to stay in that house and wait for the Luna to return." He showed him the blanket again. "This has the scent of the Luna, although faint, for she had only touched this material briefly."

Primo glared at the blanket. So that faint scent of her was coming from that. It was hardly even there! "You want me to sniff at that thing the whole night and wish I would not die in this unknown world when I could follow her and stay with her all night?" Still, he was glad. At least now he knew her scent. Unlike years ago when all Houses created rumors, he was born without a mate to punish his family, who refused to be mated. 

"But, Your Highness... last night, you risked some mortals seeing you—"

"Hand me that piece now!" He opened his palm for the blanket, which Gresser immediately handed to him before putting it over his head and covering only past his waist. "You stay here and tell me if someone notices the dog is missing."

"Y-You are the dog, Your Highness."

Primo stopped dead on his track and glared at his Beta over his shoulder.

"I apologize, Your Highness. I... I should let you know if they start looking for you."

"Find me the man who hit me! The reason I ended with that animal shelter and being sold like a dog! I know his scent. If he comes close to me, his life will be over," he muttered his dangerous promise to the wind. 

"You found the Luna because of that accident," Gresser bravely pointed out. 

It was an accident. He was a witness that the man did not mean to hurt him. They were walking on the road near the woods, wandering about in an unfamiliar place, when a speeding car appeared. Gresser's first instinct was to avoid it but the Alpha stood there as if he could stop the car, or the car would stop for him. He flew to the wind and the small cliff on the corner. 

Bewildered, the man stepped out of his car to check the unmoving massive animal on the ground. Gresser witnessed the awe in the man's face when he saw how giant the Alpha's wolf was. He could sense his Alpha was still alive and decided it was best to stay in hiding until the man reluctantly left the place, his hand on his phone to call for help. Gresser knew better than to let other humans see them in that form. 

"M-My mate... She's in there. I smelt her," were Primo's words to his Beta. He pointed a finger at the retreating vehicle. "She's in there. Get her. Now!"

Reluctantly, the Beta obliged, leaving his Alpha on the side of the road. Gresser failed to follow the vehicle because there were too many when they reached the main road. With different sizes and builds. Different colors. Gresser remembered the car and even the man's scent, but he lost him as he stood on the corner of the road, dumbfounded at the sight of this unknown world. 

However, another vehicle was taking him in when he returned to his Alpha. The Alpha was unconscious, and Gresser stayed close to protect his Alpha without showing himself to the mortals. 

"I'm bound to meet my mate here because she's here. I will owe no one in this world," Primo disagreed with his Beta. "Now that I find my mate, I should find that mortal, too. I will not leave this world without punishing him.”

“I doubt he’s from here. His scent is nowhere around the area.”

Primo nodded. "Maybe this world is bigger than we expect. Now, Gresser, unless you want me to pass out before that fake Moon Goddess, you should get back in that house and call me if I must return. I shall go to my Luna."

"You should let me take you there, Your Highness. Coming there on your own and with that luminous glow of the moon—"

Without looking back at his Beta, Primo shifted into his wolf form to the trees and his mate's house. Luckily, he had done this on the first night he arrived in this neighborhood. He had been following her scent for the past nights, and Gresser was trying to stop him by giving him blankets with the Luna's scent to 'relieve' him. Primo was not satisfied with the situation and why — he, the Ancient Alpha — had to endure a faint scent of his Luna, when he could tell her who he was and proceed with the mating process. 

"Oh, d*mn this dog." Her voice rang in his head like an insult to his being. Those were her words before she passed out and while he was trying to introduce himself. All this effort to see her only for her to think his image was nothing but a dream. 

The Alpha was sweating cold bullets by the time he reached the complex. He shifted back into his human form without control and was forced to stagger on his way to the building. Knowing too well it was the moon's doing, he sought refuge in the building. He desperately sniffed in the air to catch the scent of his Luna. Primo stumbled on the ground a few times before the smell became stronger. He was closer. 

He leaned by the wall and sniffed, but his desperation caused him to yearn for more. He stumbled at the door and nearly fell to the ground. On his side, and at the end of the hall, was a glass window; from there, he could see the moon watching him. 

He growled and showed his fangs to it, but he was no threat to anyone in such a state. Feeling the Luna moving from the other side of the wall, Primo began to step back. She must not see him. All he needed was her scent to stay another night, but as she moved closer, the scent became too strong. Primo could no longer resist. 

He stayed by the door as the precious scent overtook his senses.