Chapter 4

"The whole castle wakes up earlier than I thought." Sipping my cup of tea, I eyed the way the servants quietly loads the carriage with my luggage as per my order.

"And what brings you to wake up the same way, Luna Leaxandra?" A voice close from behind startled me. If I were some amateur, I would have choked on my tea and spill everything all over, but the thing is I'm not even close to it.

So I splashed the last drop of liquid the cup has to the person behind me. "That's for startling the Luna, Hyde."

"I apologize." The King's Beta grins and I know for sure the lucky bastard didn't get any drop on him. "And just so you know, the Alpha is well aware of your plan already."

"So?" That's not something I should be surprised of.

"He opposed."

I know that already, that's why I've included some accounted measures for my plan. "I don't think he will after this."

From the porch, I walked towards the center of the garden where all the guards gather upon the Alpha's arrival. Quinn's eyes fell and never left me the whole time until I reached him.

"It is a pleasure to join you in this trip, Alpha. May the moon goddess bless us in this journey." I smiled, followed with a respectful bow.

Though his face remain stoic, his eyes showered interest and caution on my every word and actions as though he's trying to figure me out.

"Unfortunately, your presence is not necessary, Leaxandra."

Ouch, snappy as always.

"That's the opposite of what this letter told me." I showed him the envelope having the Lycan's imperial seal with a pout. "The contents of this invite proves my very right to enter the Lycan's kingdom where the contract renewal is bound to be held."

"The contract renewal will go as planned even without the Queen Luna's presence." Quinn narrowed his eyes as though warning me to back off.

"That's just another way of discriminating me from all this, my lord." I know he'll bite back from this.

"Leaxandra, darling, you are Lumina's Luna. No form of discrimination shall be thrown your way." He came closer to cup my chin up and force me to look him straight in the eye. "But your inclusion from this trip is a risk I cannot take."

"What lousy risk may possibly occur? Besides, my Alpha's with me all along." I returned his gaze as sincere as I can before whispering. "I was expecting quite a lot from this trip, perhaps I'm ready to practice giving birth to your heir."

An hour later and I found myself sitting uncomfortably inside one of the carriages with the Alpha. I did end up tagging along as per my plan, but it never occurred to me it'll be this sickening to share the same carriage with him.

Hell, this is too awkward. I eyed him sideways as he sits on the opposite side of the carriage, quite a distance away from me.

He had that same poker face of his, but his expression seemed relax as he looks out the window. He looks mesmerizing that way, and that mole underneath his right eye is an irreplaceable asset of his beauty.

I can't even believe he actually bought my bribe! Now, I'm beyond bothered whether he's thinking of taking my bribe seriously.

"Alpha." I unconsciously mouth in the middle of staring at him for too long. Before I could take back my word, he catches my gaze.

"What?" His tone sounded annoyed that I could only shake my head in response. Who would want to dare and answer that?

Sighing, Quinn moves from his position closer towards me and what I meant by closer was until our foreheads touched.

"What is it?" He asks more softly this time. And is it just me or this trait of him seemed scary?

I know Quinn was the type who never seemed to have learned how to show his emotions nor adjust his response. Witnessing him like this right now gives me more than just a peculiar feeling.

"I was... I was just thinking how faster we could have arrived in the borders by shifting." I blurt out pure nonsense while he plays with the ornament on my hair.

He didn't answer for a whole minute and all I could hear was the calmness of his breathing and heartbeat as he continues playing with strands of my hair. He's always so calm that his calmness turns contagious.

"I'm afraid that might be impossible." He tells me eventually before a commotion broke just outside the carriage we're in.

"Stay here." Quinn's orders were curt and yet he dared use his Alpha tone against me. He left the curtains in the carriage shunned before walking out.

As soon as the doors clicked shut, I rushed to reach for the handle but my hand froze just inches away from it. "Darn."

He's excluding me again! Going straight for the curtains, I rip them away in hopes of getting a view of the happenings outside.

Much to my demise, the windows does not give me enough sight due to some funny looking smoke that have strangely surrounded the area. In the midst of all of it, the shadows of the wolves and the clashing of swords and claws sounded.

Could it be rogues? I began to panic inside though that's highly impossible since there are no longer any rogues left in Lumina. All wolves deserves a pack and was granted a pack title by the Alpha, no matter how dark a status the pack may have.

It is possible to say they're pursuers from the dark packs. I squint my eyes but as I force myself to look further, my vision began to turn blurry.

The moment my head felt light, my body follows weakly falling down. The happening was so fast it's almost too scary.

In the midst of losing consciousness, I still witnessed the way the carriage doors opened before a man with white long hair and peculiar purple eyes stares at me with a smirk.

"It is beyond the greatest pleasures to lay my humble eyes on you, Luna Leaxandra."

My instincts took over me the moment he took the initiative to step inside, making me bite my tongue and regain consciousness enough to lunge straight at him and straddle him outside on the ground.

"What gives you the right to live and invade my carriage?" I sneered, pressing my dagger on his neck.

Now that I'm this close, I could witness the way his purple eyes fill with dark shades of somewhat magical dusts.

"Woah, chill down, lady." Purple eye chuckles as though finding me something to be fond of. Raising his right hand, he twirls a curl of my hair. "You're cute."

Snarling, I bare my canines at him. "Watch it."

"I figured all ladies like to be called cute."

"Not this lady." I raised my fist and aimed straight for his jaw. Unfortunately, the tip of the dagger sliced down the ground the same moment his weight under me disappears.

Before I could react, a voice whispers close to my ear from behind, "Indeed, you are too beautiful to kill, Leaxandra."

It was a late reaction when I swung my weapon behind, only for my hand to get caught midair.

"Lea!" Quinn's familiar voice cleared my vision amidst the fog. "I told you to stay in the fucking carriage!"

He was shouting by now but I was too busy scanning the shadows behind him in hopes of getting a hint of those purple eyes.

I caught a small glimpse of it but only for a sheer moment before it disappears as though it evaporated along with the mist.

"Purple eyes." I mouth in disbelief. What more is the way he flawlessly disappeared made me question his kind. I've never seen a wolf with purple eyes and that only leads to the fact that he's on the Lycan's side... or that if he was embedded with witchcraft.

But just the thought of anything that gives a hint of being a Lycan ambushing us like this and right inside our very lands pisses me off.

"Luna." Claude wraps my cloak around me while helping me up.

"The guy who opened the carriage doors, he have purple eyes." I tell them in a bitter tone.

"You mean someone got close to you?" It was Hyde's voice that ought to raise this time and so I refused to respond to the likes of him. Like Alpha, like Beta.

"He also said that I'm too beautiful to kill." I was looking Claude straight in the eyes and witnessing the way his expressions turn grim. He then turns towards the Alpha who nods at him.

"We continue South!" Hyde announces and the troops divide.

The Alpha took me with him but inside another carriage this time.

"How come I have not heard of these types of ambushes, Quinn?"

"Because there haven't been any."

"Then can you explain the way they boldly dared attack us like that?!" I feel like bursting somehow. "Us, the Luna and Alpha of Lumina."

"They're rebels, Leaxandra, they're out of Lumina's control the same way we are out of the Lycan's control."

Is that even a good thing or a bad one? His statement alone is enough to raise my worries on the state of my family residing somewhere in the border lands, together with all the rebels there is.

Rebels are close to what considered as rogues, they are either Lycans and Werewolves who refuse to pick any side and therefore, resides in the lands between the borders of the two worlds.

"They rebel for their freedom and oppostion the same way we do." He tells me once we are settled inside. "Now, can you tell me more about the person who got near you?"

"His purple eyes were all I could think of, as they seemed to have been filled with magical dusts." I stare into space while continuing to recall those hypnotizing gaze luring my soul in the dark pit of his irises.

"Leaxandra!" Quinn shakes me hard enough to snap me out of my trance.

Huh?

"Look at me." He orders firmly, holding my face to him. His aqua gaze held me captive this time as his eyes searches mine.

Through the clear waters of his orbs, I was able to see the reflection of mine, but it scared me most when instead of my normal amber eyes, I caught hint of two pairs of glowing scarlet red eyes.

"What... w- why is it..." Before panic takes over my senses, Quinn suddenly pressed his lips on mine for one long painful moment that seemed to mark the beginning of our intimate bond. We aren't even real mates, but the bond and the mark we created on each other's life is enough to trigger the sparks that were once lost in our touches.

I could only gasp in shock as soon as he pulls away. My lips tingles still.

"J- just close your eyes and relax for now."

Before I could say anything, he put his hand over my sights. Even when he holds me close in his arms, he refused to take his hand from covering my eyes.

I was breathing heavily trying to calm my senses while also hearing the rushed beats of his own heart. He buries his nose on my head all the while holding me tightly. This way, the closure in between us allowed me to feel his emotions clearly, and right now, he is so deep in fear.

It's strange witnessing Quinn being like this. The way he holds me and his unstable heartbeat indicates as if he's afraid I might disappear from his hold... for good.