"Serenity, how are you feeling about being out of water? Is this the first time in your lifetime?" I was so curious about this. I don't know a whole lot about Serenity and not that she is part of the family, well she already was, but now she seems even more so than ever. Does that make any sense?
Everyone's eyes were on Serenity. She looked around the table with wide eyes, and you could tell she was nervous. She looked down and had a smile on her face with a blush. You could tell that Nina was holding her hand.
"I'm right here." Serenity nodded her head and looked back up at us. She cleared her throat a little bit before talking.
"Umm... It is different..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up. "Sorry, I am trying to find the words to describe this feeling, but I am honestly coming up blank." She looked back at us. "I feel ambivalent?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I am anxious and nervous, but I am also excited and calm. I don't know if that makes any sense at all. It all feels very foreign to me." She looked over to my sister and smiled. "But I also feel like I am right where I belong." Seeing my sister's eyes sparkle was so heartwarming.
"Awe."I let out, and they both looked at me, blushing.
"I have never been out of the water. Being on land is quite different. She looked down at her legs. I can't wait till I get used to these things." She looked back up. "What are these things called again?" I waved my hand at Nina.
"You wanna take this one?" She smiled and looked at her mate.
"Those are called your legs. Then those are called your feet, and the little things sticking out from your feet are called your toes." Serenity looked up in thought again.
"Legs. Toes. feet." She held onto each word like she was feeling each one out. "I like the word toes. I think that is my favorite one so far." She smiled widely at this revelation. My sister matches Serenity's smile.
"You are so cute." Nina leaned over at this point and kissed Serenity's temple. Serenity slightly shrunk into herself, with a blush making its way across her face.
"They are adorable," Noor whispered into my ear. I just nodded my head in agreement. I am so happy for my sister. I couldn't think of a better person for her.
We all finished our food and started to make our way to the room so we could do more research and planning. I would also be translating the final pages and hopefully be able to find something to help us defeat this piece of shit. I sighed a little.
"Why are you sighing?" I stopped and grabbed onto Noor's arm, holding her back as the rest of the group continued their way to the room.
"It's just that..." I trailed off and let out another heavy sigh. "Two things are circling my mind right now. One, what if it doesn't give us a way to defeat this fruitcake? Two, if it does give us a way to defeat him, what if instead of setting all those souls free ...." I gulped. "It destroys them? What if my dad will be gone for good?" A voice made Noor, and I immediately whipped our heads towards it. "Right, dad's alive. You have a lot of explaining to do." Noor and I whipped our heads towards Nina. She had her arms crossed across her chest, with a pissed-off look in her eyes.
"Let's head to the room, and I'll tell you everything." I looked over at Noor, nervous. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
The walk to the room felt treacherous. Every step closer, I could feel anxiety seep further into me and latch its claws into my bones. Showing it wasn't going to go away without a fight. Nina flung the door open, and I gulped. Fuck, I am in for it. Nina is one of the sweetest in our family. Seriously, she has such a motherly aura to her. She is very patient, kind, caring... But, when she is mad... Take cover. I took a deep breath and hesitated in taking a seat.
"Sit your ass down, Lareina." I felt my body drop down into the seat upon command. Even though I am older, I am not about to poke the bear that is my sister. "Well?" I took a deep breath.
"Well, to start off, I am truly sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Nina. With everything going on, I honestly couldn't tell you." She rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Oh, don't give me that bullshit, Lareina. Of course, you could have." I looked at Noor, and she shrugged.
"I would have had to explain everything supernatural which really isn't supposed to be shared. However, you're right; I could have told you." I cleared my throat a bit, trying to find the words.
"How long have you known?" I swallowed harshly. I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came out.
"We've known for a while, Nina. We informed your sister, and at first, she didn't believe us. She was very pissed at my parents and me for a little bit." Noor looked at me and told me with her eyes to keep going. I kind of shook my head. "She is going to want to hear this from you." I sighed and nodded my head.
"As Noor said, I didn't believe them at first. I was actually furious at them. Mainly because of confusion and the reality that our dad just left us made me feel fucked up. Apparently, our dad went to this puppet master and begged him to heal him so he could stay with us. However, being the evil being, he is basically tricked our dad into giving up his soul. Now, dad has become one of his puppets, has no control over what he does, and can kill us. If that is what his master forces him to do." I gritted the last sentence out in disgust.
"I saw how he looked that day. Honestly, it was scarring to witness." She shuddered. Serenity wrapped her arms around my sister and kissed the side of her head. I nodded my head in agreement.
"I hear his voice sometimes call out to me from the shadows." I paled a little at something I remembered. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!" Everyone looked at me, concerned.
"What is it, my love?" I looked at her with what could only be a mortified expression.
"Remember that night Violeta came to sleep with us?" Noor nodded.
"I forgot to mention the nightmare she was having. She said she had it repetitively." I looked up, and everyone was staring at me, not even blinking. Okay, this must be how Serenity felt earlier. I shook my head to make myself get back on the subject. "Well, it was about our dad. Apparently, he told her that we were all being watched and that I was going to die." I looked at Noor, panic rising within me. "Oh my god, Noor. What if they go after them? What if they hurt the rest of my family?" Noor put her hands on either side of my face and made me look deep into her eyes.
"Breathe, my love. Just breathe. Remember, she is surrounded by the strongest pack everywhere. They will protect your family, even more so since Violeta will be their future Luna. I also have plenty of people there as well. The housing surrounding them is filled with loyal supernaturals who are willing to lay their lives on the line for your family. They are honestly safer than we are."I just took deep breaths with Noor. They are protected, Lareina. They are safe. I just kept repeating this to myself like a mantra.
"Okay, so another question... What do you mean by Violeta will be their future luna... And the housing all around them is filled with supernaturals?" I sighed out.
"Noor, it's your turn to answer the questions." I just put my head in my hands and rubbed my temples. Not that I was annoyed with my sister, just that my anxiety was draining me.
"Well, how about we start off with the less complex question. Well, I guess honestly, both questions aren't really complex. Then again, to you, they probably are." Noor shook her head. "Anyway, sorry for my mind running off. The housing estate you live in is filled with supernatural creatures—literally all kinds. The most dominant, however, is a werewolf pack. They take up the most houses. I believe 5 or 6 houses, maybe more." She sighed. "Again, going off on a tangent, I apologize. I don't know how else you want me to answer that... I asked the pack and other supernatural creatures who are loyal to my throne." She stopped and looked at me. "Our throne." She turned back toward my sister. "To live there around you all. I wanted you all to be watched carefully and protected at all times. There are ones that work all around the city and even go to school with your siblings, work the same jobs as them, and some just discreetly follow your family. There are two bodyguards assigned to each family member, and they are around them always. Most are your best friends." My sister perked up at this.
"Sasha and Adam?" Noord nodded in confirmation. "What are they?" Noor looked away in thought.
"Sasha is a vampire from a royal bloodline, so very, very powerful. Adam is a high-level wizard." Nina's jaw dropped. Serenity just softly pushed her mouth closed. Nina looked at Serenity and blushed a little bit.
"Now, to answer your other question. Werewolves have a chain of command, which is the best way to describe it—starting from the bottom to the top: Submissives, Omegas, deltas, betas, and then alphas. Each of them has specific roles and specialties. I don't know if you have read any supernatural books, but the lower-tier wolves aren't mistreated in real life and just used as maids. Submissives actually specialize in art. So they tend to be artists of any sort, really whatever their heart desires. Painters, chefs, etc... Omegas tend to be more nurturing and specialize in becoming doctors, nurses, caretakers, psychologists, etc... Deltas, believe it or not, are really good when it comes to technology and engineering. Betas and Alphas are very dominant creatures. They thrive in business and leadership roles. They are all athletic inclined, and they all can fight very well."
Noor looked at all of us, seeing if we were keeping up. "Does that make any sense?" She was directing the question towards my sister and me. We both nodded. "Awesome. Anyways, Alphas are the ones who lead the entire pack. They oversee everything and are the main protectors of the pack. The Betas are second in command. Beta's may be born as such, but the Alpha ultimately chooses who will be their second in command. The Alpha also appoints one person of each tier to oversee them. Delegation is key. Does that make sense?" Nina raised her hand. "Yes?" Noor signaled for Nina to ask her question.
"Just to make sure I am getting this right. The Alpha is the top dog, no pun of any kind intended. Also, that isn't offensive, is it?" Noor shrugged. "Depends on if you are saying it in a demeaning way." Nina nodded.
"Gotcha. So it's Alpha, then Beta, Delta, Omega, and Submissive. They all specialize in different things. But, they all pull their own weight when it comes to cleaning and cooking." Noor held up her finger to pause my sister.
"They, for the most part, carry their own weight if they live in their own housing. However, they do hire outside help. They pay very well and treat them all very well. They have very nice housing for their families and amazing health benefits. You can continue now, sorry to cut you off." My sister waved her off.
"No, thank you for educating me. So the Alpha is basically the person who runs the pack and oversees the whole pack; the Beta is second in command, helps the Alpha oversee the pack, and oversees all Betas. Then the Alpha also appoints a delta, omega, and submissive to oversee their tier?" Noor nods her head.
"Precisely. Now that you've got that, I can proceed with your sister being Luna. The Luna is the mate of the Alpha. They are equal to the Alpha. They are more of a nurturing role, though. They are the level-headed half of the Alpha, more understanding, and almost like a motherly figure to all." I raise my hand now. Noor lightly chuckles.
"This isn't a classroom. You don't have to raise your hand." I lightly push her shoulder and smile.
"Is the Luna always a female and Alpha a male?" Noor shook her head no.
"Nope. Each role can be either gender, and there can be same-sex couples. Now, your sister is Liam's mate. Liam is the future Alpha, and that makes your sister the future Luna. The Luna is basically like the queen in chess; she is the most protected, and every single pack member has a strong instinctual drive to protect her the most, even over the Alpha. So, your sister." She paused and looked between my sister and me. "Is very well protected, as is your family. So, don't worry." Both my sister and I sighed in relief. I know that gave us a lot of reassurance.
"That was a lot of information. I want to learn everything about all supernatural creatures. Will you teach me more about the fae hierarchy?" She then turned to Serenity. "And the aquatic hierarchy? Sorry if that isn't the right terminology. I don't know what else you would call it." Serenity chuckled at my sister.
"There is a hierarchy within all species of supernaturals. I think we've learned enough for today. We can learn about them later." Serenity stopped, and Noor turned her attention toward me.
"I think it's time for us to focus on translating now. We have honestly spent too much time on other things." I squeezed Noor's hand and made my way over to the other table to focus on translating the last few pages.