SIX

ARCHER

FOUR HOURS AND two minutes later, they were landing in an airport in New York City. Commander Samuel led Darius to another car, where they both sat at the back.

"Where was Elder Shanon last sighted?" Archer asked.

"She lives in a small house nearby," Sam responded.

Compared to the busy city of New York, Archer's Pack was quieter. Montana was given to the wolves by the government of the United States after the first peace treaty was drafted.

The council of supernatural creatures had an agreement with the human leaders; the humans kept to themselves and the creatures would too.

No one bothered each other. And besides the leaders, the humans had no idea of the existence of the creatures. It was safer that way as humans feared what they did not understand.

Due to fear, the earliest humans tried to wage war against the creatures but were quickly defeated and the survivors agreed to keep the creatures' existence a secret from their offspring.

When he was a lot younger, his mother told him stories of wars, terrors and monsters in the form of people.

Growing up, he came to realise that everyone had a dark part of them and that by will, it could be cultivated in order to become a monster. Kids grow up thinking a monster might be under their beds but in his case, his monster was the darkness he faced every day.

It was around three in the afternoon when they reached the edge of the city.

Archer found it funny that the cold weather made people wrap themselves up like burritos. Although his Pack was cold at the moment, his wolves had their fur to keep them warm.

Suddenly, he wondered how his mate was at the moment. Was she working in the cold or was she snuggling in a warm bed? He hoped it was the latter.

"Alpha, are we going to a hotel first or do we go straight to the Elder?" Sam asked, bringing Archer out of his thoughts about his mate.

"Let the wolves check into the hotel, I will be going to meet her alone," Archer responded, staring out of the window into the snow.

"At least let me come with you, Alpha. I will not rest easy, knowing that you are out there alone," Sam protested.

Not in the mood to argue, Archer nodded and soon after, he and the Commander were separated from the rest of the wolves. It did not take long for them to sniff out the exact location of the Elder. She was staying in a small house in the suburbs.

On reaching the entrance of the house, they found an old woman, who was not frail by any means, knitting what looked like a scarf. As soon as she looked up, Sam bowed.

"Elder," he greeted.

When Archer bowed his greetings, the woman raised an interested brow.

"What has brought the Alpha King all the way from the capital to my humble home?" She asked in a hoarse voice which sounded like she did not use it often.

"Something tells me you are already aware of why I am here today," Archer casually replied.

She chuckled at his remark. "Of course, I do but I am afraid you have come all this way in vain. It has been centuries since I washed my hands off werewolf matters."

"I do not mean to pry but can you tell me what made you leave?" Archer asked curiously.

Elder Shanon sighed with her eyes set in front of her as she stared off into space. When she looked back at Archer and Sam, her eyes were blank and distant.

"Being a Wolf became no longer about nature but power and dominance," that was her simple response.

She then stood up and packed up her things. "Go home, Alpha Archer, I cannot help you."

"Wait!" Archer rushed out as she turned to move back into the house. "What about the contents of the book? Can you at least translate it so I can find the other book myself?"

"Can I translate it?" She asked, sounding like it was outrageous for him to ask that of her. However, her next words stunned him.

"Are you insulting me or are you trying to be funny? Who do you think wrote that book you hold?" Elder Shanon's voice was sarcastic.

"You did," Archer voiced in realization.

"Which is why I am telling you now to go back home. Even if you locate King Anton's book, it would not help you.

"Werewolves have lost touch with their nature, hence, the possibility of you successfully performing the mate binding is zero to nothing," she said with finality in her tone.

Archer could sense nothing but sincerity in her voice. She was not just saying all these to chase him away, she was actually telling the truth.

"My biggest desire since I turned eighteen has always been to find my mate. For her, I can do anything. Please, Elder, give me the instructions and I will do it to the best of my ability," Archer pleaded, bowing his head once again.

This was the humblest Archer had gone in his life and he would go even further if that meant he would find his mate.

Elder Shanon stared at Archer for a few seconds without saying a word, but when she finally blinked, she spoke up again.

"Even if it meant that you might lose your Wolf in the process, will you still do it?"

"What do you mean our Alpha would lose his Wolf?" Sam quickly asked.

"I mean what I said, Commander. Werewolves have lost touch with their nature and have thus weakened the human-to-animal connection.

"No wolf would willingly make that sacrifice for something that might not even work," She concluded then stood, waiting expectantly for his response.

Contrary to what she probably expected, Archer let out a humoured laugh, obviously stunning her.

"I have searched the world for her. Name it, I have gone everywhere you can think. Do you think anything is too much for me to handle?"

Still, Elder Shanon shook her head. "Go home, Alpha. Enjoy the time you have left with your family. This journey you have embarked on has no way forward."

Archer thought for a minute. He had come all this way without a well-thought plan to convince her. This was kind of new to him because usually, it was people trying to convince him.

The more Elder Shanon resisted, the more he became interested in what made her dislike werewolves.

Nothing was heard about what happened to her other than that she left just like that. Still, he had to try once again.