Salana felt as though she was floating on a cloud. She couldn't remember where she was or even who she was. She could only recall a face. A delicate, kind, and handsome face with smiling amber eyes. She felt as if she needed to remember something, but she was being pulled into the comfort of the cloud. The more she struggled, the more she sank into it, like quicksand. Still, she struggled, on the cusp of remembrance.
"What was it?" She asked herself, "And who was that?"
She felt as though if she struggled just a bit more, she'd have the answer, but her mind kept pulling her back from it. It felt like a huge vortex was in front of her. She realized that if she pursued it, she'd be sucked in and may never come out. Never mind, let's just lie on this cloud for now. She closed her eyes and sank back into its warm embrace.
At the house, Daneigha, Hector, and Ariana finally breathed collective sighs of relief. They had watched her struggling to avoid falling into a deeper sleep and held her hands so she wouldn't hurt herself as she struggled. Fortunately, she lost the struggle and was finally resting peacefully. They sat back, tired as they could finally take a breather.
"Daneigha, how do you want to do this? How do you want this handled? " Hector questioned.
"I honestly have no idea what we should do. How exactly we should pursue this. You should know, he left on a mission from the local Mana Association. The only people who knew what his mission was would be the people who assigned it. We haven't offended anyone. Well except…." She trailed off.
"Yes," Ariana said tiredly, "Except for that so-and-so Alpha who set his eyes on Salana."
Daneigha's eyes widened. She quickly said, "I'm not blaming her, not at all. Don't misunderstand me. She wasn't at fault at all. She did what any of us would do and politely rejected him. Generally speaking, no one would go against the Moon Goddess by seeking to break up a pair of fated mates. Who knew he'd be so relentless and cruel? If he had actually cared anything about her, he wouldn't have put her in this position in the first place. "
"We know you're not blaming her. It's just that we won't be able to easily get justice for him. Clearly, a lot of the people in the Mana Association are allies of Moon Lake or simply paid off. I just don't-"
Ding! Dong!
They looked at each other, surprised. Hector went downstairs to open the door. They couldn't hear exactly what the other person said as they were canceling the vibrations of their voice, but they could hear Hector.
"What? When? "
"This can't be real. Who would buy such a convenient excuse? "
"It only happened yesterday. We will refuse anyway. "
"I don't care. They can't force it. "
"Goodbye. Thanks for letting us know. "
When he came back, his face was pale, his breathing heavy, and his eyes were full of anger.
"What happened?" They asked almost simultaneously.
"The Clan Alpha is dead. The second elder has taken over as his son is "too young"."
What? He died just like that?
"Wait a minute!" Ariana jumped up, angry. "The second elder? The same bastard who suggested before that Salana forget her mate and give herself to that bastard so our Moon Circle Clan would have ties to the biggest clan? That same bastard? How is that possible? What about the Alpha's brother? "
"Also dead: What a coincidence, right? He wants to come here to "speak" to us tomorrow. "
Daneigha's face darkened. Her son had just died, and after killing him, he couldn't even give them a chance to grieve? Then the Alpha who had always supported Salana died, just like that? Same with his brother? No? All this conspiracy and murder for a woman who didn't even want you?
"We aren't accepting visitors. During the state of mourning, which lasts for 14 days, no one is allowed to interfere with the bereaved unless they want to suffer His Majesty's wrath, and we aren't taking visitors, " Daneigha finally replied.
"I'll put up the sign, quoting the law," Hector said as he got up. He wasn't about to give the bastards a chance to come before time. It's common sense that it's much easier to invite the Devil in than to get him out afterward.
The 14-day law was implemented by the Solar King, Kaden, after a family lost their pillar of strength and were robbed, pillaged, and then killed. He had been outraged at the surrounding clans' heartlessness, especially since investigations proved that the clan had never antagonized any other clan and had mostly kept to themselves. Their only fault was obtaining a Jade Dew stone as big as a boulder that a member had stumbled across. Jade Dew Stones were rare stones formed entirely from mana. It could be used as a power source, to hasten a mage's cultivation or to evolve a werewolf's bloodline. Finding one that big should have been a fortuitous encounter that could have enhanced the entire pack's power, but instead turned into a calamity for them.
After the results of the investigation, all those personally involved were imprisoned, the leaders beheaded, and this law was established. King Kaden was only eighteen years old at the time. He also established that fortunes could not change hands without the correct protocols being in place and being signed off by both parties on a special type of contractual document. If the person was being coerced, the deal would not go through. This was to protect smaller clans from being pressured after obtaining a treasure.
While there were still cases where it happened, for most, it served as a deterrent that protected the common folk.
This very same law would now protect them.