Chapter two

~ANGELINA~

Evening had fast come and the atmosphere was anything but comfortable. A harsh breeze blew, swaying trees and raising debris in the air.

I remained, hunched on the ground, crying. I couldn't believe Luca would treat me that way. Like I was some sort of trash. It was true he'd never liked me too but I had thought his attitude would change as time went on. Obviously, I was wrong. And the fact Luca would see me as the reason for our childlessness just demonstrated how low he thought of me. I didn't know why the moon goddess had decided to punish me this way.

My tears kept pouring. Even when my stomach growled out of hunger, I didn't stop. Then, a stinging sensation hit me.

At first, I resisted the urge to rub my eyes, but the discomfort grew by the minute till I began a fresh set of tear. Not out of emotional pain, but physical.

I stood to leave, but caught sight of a figure several feet away from me. It didn't make sense at first, but soon enough, I realised what it was.

From the long dark hair cascading down. To the woolly cloak around it's broad shoulders. It was someone.

But as soon as that registered in my mind, my heart skipped. Tight on his clasp was a shinning knife. It was not just any knife. It was a silver one.

Alarmed, I rushed towards him. The sting in my eye grew as I got closer and a blinding light glinted from the knife surface.

“Stop!” I yelled, leaping on him to snatch the knife.

He growled out a string of strange words and wouldn't let go of the knife.

“Let go! Are you out of your mind?” I tried tugging the weapon out of him.

Suicide was a big taboo and its consequences were drastic. The offender's corpse was cremated, then sprinkled around a forbidden forest. His family would become an alien to the society. I couldn't understand why this stranger would want to tow down that lane.

“Let go!”

He growled. To my surprise, he loosened his grip on it and I missed my step, falling to the ground.

A sharp sting seared me through my palm. Horrified, I looked down at my hand and spotted an ugly gash. Blood trickled down.

“You cut me,” I whispered in fright.

As soon as he saw the injury, his face paled up. Nothing needed to be said. I'd been cut by a silver knife. That meant doom.

Suddenly, he began looking around as if in search of something. He then took off running deep into the woods, leaving me feeling faint.

I tried getting up, but fell back down. My head spun around and my heartbeat spiked. It was only a matter of time before the poison took over my entire system.

As I shut my eyes in preparation for the inevitable loss of consciousness, a rustling sounded behind me amongst the bushes. Out came the guy, grasping a bunch of leaves.

He crushed before me, took my hand and muttered something I couldn't understand. Based on the frown he wore, I guessed my injury upsetted him.

He cleaned off he blood, then crushed to the leaves within his palm to extract the juice. He dropped some of the liquid into my injured hand and I cried out in pain.

“Zirui, zirui,” he said hastily, his eyes filled with concern.

What language is that, I wondered. My entire focus was on him that I didn't realise when the sting stopped. A lot of questions filled my mind. Who was this guy? What had he been doing a long in the woods and why had he wanted to kill himself?

“You aren't from around here,” I said.

He looked at me, brows furrowed in confusion. He then went back to tending to my hand like I hadn't said anything.

“Can you hear me?”

Still, nothing came from him. At this point, fear began to creep in. I was alone in the middle of nowhere with a guy who acts like all I spoke was gibberish.

Silence descended upon us. The only thing that could be heard was the constant swaying of tree branches and crickets chirping.

Then, all of a sudden, he broke down weeping. He turned away from me, covering his face with his hands.

“Hey.” I drew closer, placing my hand in his back. His cries were gut wrenching. They were the cries of someone in deep emotional distress. I could recognise that sound anywhere, anytime.

My confusion only heightened. I looked out to the bush which surrounded us and wondered if I should do what felt sensible: leaving him and ensuring my safety.

I couldn't. He looked like someone who had a lot to bear. The suicide attempt was a proof.

So, I crouched down to his level and listened to his bitter cries until he went silent, asleep. His deep snores filled the air.

It was possible he'd wake up hungry. With this in mind, I made my way out of the woods to a nearby store. Thankfully, I had some money with me. Enough that could get him a decent meal.

However, when I returned, I met the shock of my life. The guy was nowhere to be found. I searched around, yelled ‘hello’, but got nothing.

That was strange. One minute he'd been, then sleeping and the next he was gone.

I frowned as a possibility dawned on me

Could I my mind be tricking me? Was this as due to the emotional turmoil I was currently in?

Unable to explain what had happened, I shurgged everything off and was set to return home. Something caught my eyes, however. It was a locket lying on the ground—just where the strange guy had been.

Picking it up, I spotted an engraving on it. It was a sentence I couldn't decipher. Curiosity rose within me, but then I smothered it. There was no point pondering about a stranger or the odd things about him.

Throwing the locket into my coat pocket, I headed home.

***

There was something strange about the pack house as I approached the giant gates. People.

A large cluster of people.

Having visitors on a daily basis was nothing new as Luca regularly had meetings with the elders, settled disputes and received an influx of people who were in need of one help or the other.

This, though was different. It was as if an event was being held.

Eager for answers, I quickened my pace, moving past the gates to the compound. All eyes swung to me. Quickly, they turned away.

That’s odd, I thought. Still, I didn't think much of it till a distinct sound met my ears. It came from the central building, which was a place formal events were held.

The sound was known other than cymbals. That only meant one thing…

My blood ran cold and I could feel my feet sinking into the ground.

“Who's having a wedding?” came my frightened voice. I ran to the building and halted abruptly at the entrance.

The hall was lit up like a festival, strings of golden lights twinkling above an elegantly arranged altar. Pack members crowded the space, their murmurs blending with soft piano music.

The hall contained the elders in council, a priest, some dignitaries, and two persons I didn't expect to see holding hands.

My husband and Glenda.