Chapter 4

Estelle roamed the halls of the house aimlessly. She guessed that it had four floors; she had been on the second floor when she woke up and the kitchen and medical room had been on the first. The floor she was on now is the third. The hallways were filled with paintings and art of all kinds, portraits, statue figures and even scrolls written in a language she didn’t understand. 

There are doors after every few decorations. Huge, glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The walls were painted a deep red with gold borders. The dimly lit lights cast off a glow, making the hallway look like it is from a different era. She remembered the corridors of the second floor were designed in a similar manner, with lesser art and it being more bright. 

She read the names on the tag of the doors, of people she didn't know as she walked on - Jamie, Harvey, Chris, Jayden, Gerald, Avril, Elena and so on. Those people must’ve been out as she didn’t pick up any sounds of movement in their rooms as she passed their rooms. 

Right after the thought, the door with the name ‘Harvey’ on it opened and a man who looks like he’s an A-list celebrity stepped out. He has the face of a model and the body of a fighter. But the most surprising feature is his eyes - they were rich gold. As if the angels had plucked a feather from their gold wings and melted them for his eyes. 

The man, Harvey, eyed Estelle curiously, “Who are you?” His voice was so smooth that if he were to sing the phonebook, it would still lull anyone to sleep. 

Estelle blinked. “Uh.. um. Estelle. He- The man, Moore said that I- I could tour the house.” She stumbled over her words, overwhelmed by his attractiveness and a little intimidated by it. Was everyone here crafted by the hands of the Goddess and angels? She was in awe when she first saw Moore and Rennie is a beauty herself too. 

Harvey arched brow as if to say ’Really?’. He was curious as to why he wasn’t notified of the new guest but he figured she must’ve been brought when he was away. He’d just been back the day before. Still, it is seldom to have anyone new here. 

“Moore was the one who brought you in?” He asked.

“Yes.” Estelle said, swallowing the nervousness in her voice. 

That Moore himself brought her brings more questions. “How did you-” Harvey was cut off by a voice from the door that opened a few feet away.

“Oh, cut it out, Harvey. She’s new around here and I was there when Moore came in with her. Stop being so doubtful, will you?” The dark haired lady’s tone is playful as she chided Harvey. She turned to Estelle, “Hi! I’m Miranda. I was the one who changed you after Rennie examined you when you first came.” She smiled and her teeth looked normal. A Were then. She could handle her own species. 

Estelle managed a small smile and murmured a thanks. 

Miranda turned to Harvey, who had rolled his eyes with a smirk on his lips at what she had said. “Why don’t you go report to Moore? I’m sure you haven’t since you got back so late yesterday. And I can see that Estelle here is uncomfortable with your mojo.” The last statement sounded like an inside joke which made Harvey let out a loud chuckle as he walked away from them. 

She turned to Estelle and said, “Harvey is an incubus. That is why he looks so beautiful.” When Estelle’s face remains blank, Miranda frowns in confusion. “You don’t know what an Incubus is?” 

She shook her head. Miranda opened her mouth to voice her disbelief but she remembered what Moore had warned everyone. 

“Incubus or Succubus for females, is a creature that is exceptionally gifted in beauty. The old tales said that they lure people with their beauty and voice then they eat the hearts of those that fall into their trap. Some versions said they feed off energy like lust, love or just the very essence of a person’s life. Or have sex to spawn evil offspring.” She paused at Estelle’s horrified expression. 

“But that’s just what the old tales portrayed their kind as, so far the Incubus and Succubus I’ve encountered are totally normal species. I mean, they don’t do the stuff that the books said. They’re just attractive and the majority of them crave life long relationships.” Miranda spoke quickly to reassure Estelle which seemed to work a little and her expression changed. Estelle wondered about the minority.

Miranda hurriedly changed the topic, “Would you like me to show you around instead?”

***

As Estelle walked beside Miranda, the girl talked about how happy and excited everyone was when they heard that the girl Moore had come running in with is his long awaited mate. 

Estelle kept quiet at first as she listened to Miranda drone on and on about how the pack is so relieved and happy for their Alpha for finally meeting his mate. How he was so patient for years, being alone without any female by his side.

 There were rumors that the Alpha has given up in the hopes of ever having a mate. After listening to this ‘mate’ word and Miranda kept repeating how Estelle is lucky to have Moore as a mate, she asked the question she had always wanted to ask, “Can I ask you a question?” 

“You just did.” A smirk formed on Miranda’s lips. They turned to the left at the end of the corridor.

Estelle blushed. “What’s a mate?” She asked innocently.

Miranda stopped walking and her face went blank. Slowly, a frown wrinkled her forehead. “Are you joking?” 

Staring at Estelle’s face and her tone of voice purely curious, Miranda’s eyes widened and her eyebrow shot up.

“You don’t know what’s a mate?”

Estelle shook her head.

“Damn.” Miranda stared at her in shock, making her a little uncomfortable. Is it such a rarity for someone not to know what mating is? “When he said take it slow cause you weren’t really exposed to our life, I didn’t expect it to be this bad.” Miranda murmured almost to herself.

“Okay, well, I’ll try to summarize it for you.” She bit her lip, thinking before explaining, “Do you know how what lovers are?” 

“Yes.”

“Do you believe in true love?”

“I’ve never really thought about it.. maybe.”

“Okay so, you know how the Goddess was the one who created us right? At first, she created a group of creatures that are well advanced and have slightly more advantage than the regular Weres. The group was made up of six men and they were her best creation. 

They were left to roam the lands freely, to build a life for themselves. But as hundreds of years pass, she notices a difference in each of them. A loneliness, so deep she could feel it.” Estelle listened intently, never hearing the story before made her expression seem like a kid being told a fairytale.

“And so, the Goddess sent three pairs of maidens to take away the loneliness in her beloved sons. From then on, every descendant of the six creatures is fated to be with another, doesn’t matter whose line they’re from, it’s all mixed.” Miranda smiled at Estelle as they entered a room filled with books. 

“Wow.” Estelle whispered, looking around the massive room in awe. Rows upon rows of books were neatly stacked in order on the shelves. Each shelf has a tall ladder that reaches the top, to help people reach the books above. 

Miranda smirked at the look on Estelle’s face, “This is the library. And by the look on your face, I’m pretty sure we’ll catch you here most of the time.” Estelle blushed and Miranda led her to a lounge area. 

“I have a question.” Estelle said as they settled themselves on the plush couch.

“What does a mate do?” She asked.

“You know what lovers are so you know what they do right?” Estelle nodded.

“Well.. a mate is exactly like that or a married couple. Except, the bond between a mate and a standard human relationship is different. While humans can break things off when they feel that they are not compatible anymore, supernatural beings like us cant.”

“Our bonds run deeper than just love. We’re connected through our souls and we were meant to cross paths. When we mate, it is for life and when I say life, I mean it. When a mate dies, the other one slowly follows. It isn’t that when the one you love dies, you commit suicide- no.

 The bond is a very strong thing that it feeds both parties. When one end of the connection is severed, there is nothing left to ‘feed’ the other end which is still living. And when the other end isn’t receiving anything for a long time, it eventually frays and die. Do you get what I’m saying?” 

Estelle shook her head slightly. She tried to grasp the idea but she doesn’t really understand. She gets what the mate part is supposed to be but she doesn’t understand why one dies when their mate is gone. 

“Okay, I’ll try to use something simple; a flower needs water and sunlight to live, without them, it will die. Just like that, your mate needs you like a flower needs water and vice versa. When the flower is deprived of water and sun for too long, it dies. The bond is just like that.” Estelle nodded several times, finally understanding what Miranda meant to say. Still, she doesn't know what she should do with the fact that everyone keeps saying that she and Moore are mates. 

Miranda laid a hand on Estelle’s thigh. She gave her a small smile and said, “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t stress yourself. Everyone is just happy but that doesn’t mean you have to force yourself out of your comfort zone. Just go with it and everything will come naturally.” 

***