Duanne lifted Alora and placed her gently on firm branch, then climbed and sat beside her.
"We've been here thrice this week Bonnie!!" He wrapped an arm around her skinny body, though better than three weeks ago.
"This might be the last cousin." A strained smile surfaced on her face and he scanned her expression in confusion.
"Last time? Do you plan to abscond?"
"No!!" She responded promptly.
"Escape to where? Escape and become a rogue? goddess forbid!!" She bit her lips an effort to hide her anxiety.
"She requested I become her servant and my alpha mate agreed."
She'd been advised to reject Floyd but she couldn't bear to. They used to be good friends until her wolf disappointed her.
Even with the mate bond, he treated her so badly. She thought life would be better after the mine incident, but it was just momentarily.
"Who?" Duane asked.
"His luna!! His second mate!! That fool!!"
"Ssshhh!!" He quickly placed his hand on her mouth lest a passerby heard her, but she pushed it off.
"They should hear, I'm not afraid of her. The last time she came to pour shit on me, I made fury choke her and I enjoyed it!!"
Duanne was bewildered. His faint hearted cousin had suddenly become brave. Superb!!
"You had an encounter with her?"
"Yes, and I'll repeat it if another opportunity knocks!!"
Duanne raised his brows meaningfully. No wonder she would become her servant. It was a punishment for her disrespect.
"See cousin, if she provokes me again, I'll give her a piece of my mind!! Isn't it just punishment? I'll willingly accept it."
After she was made to carry five bags of rocks, no punishment would ever make her panic.
"I love the courage girl!! That's how it should be?" He ruffled her hair playfully.
She leaned on his broad shoulder, relishing the sweet feeling. "Duane, I wish to see my parents."
It'd been more than three years they sent her out of the house and she rarely saw them except during few pack gathering or meetings.
In most cases, it seemed they would hide so she wouldn't see them just like the last solemnization ceremony.
Duanne head suddenly began to pound in tension. Would they agree to see her? The last time she gave it a try, she got battered by her own mother.
"Isn't it a bad idea? Remember the....."
"I remember everything Duanne. I just want to see them even if it's a glimpse."
Phew!! If she refused to budge, he wouldn't force her.
"Alright, when!"
Her eyes squinted in thought. "Tomorrow or next." But he shook his head in disagreement.
"Will the luna allow you leave the palace?"
Despite how brave she'd become, he still had a lingering fear that her days in the royal house would be more turbulent.
"You're right, then today."
He bobbed his head in agreement, jumped down the branch and carefully brought her down.
She dusted her dress and hand in hand they left the wood.
Soon, they were walking through a familiar path and ominous thoughts slithered at the back of her mind.
Her grip on his hand tightened and he rubbed it gently to ease her anxiety.
"It's alright." His words buoyed her up.
Not long, they stood before a house, the place she was born, the place she grew up.
In front of the same house she ran around happily as a child, riding on her parents wolves in excitement.
It was still in front of the same house she rolled on the ground in distress, the day Floyd came to take her away, but the door was shut and no one came out to salvage her shattered soul.
Sudden tears rolled down her cheek as she recalled the past.
Just as she was rolling in the dreadful tunnel of the past, a hand dried up her tears and gripped her waist tightly.
"Sister!!" Her brother, Keith squealed in delight and ran to her, forgetting the warnings of his parents.
In glee, he gave her a big hug. "I missed you sister." And then, he felt a wrenching sadness as he recalled their parents warning.
"Dad said we...."
"I know brother." She interrupted the hurtful reminder about leaving his lips.
"Cousin!" He cheerfully called out to Duanne whose hand still gripped Alora's.
"Are your parents in?"
"Yes, do you want to come in sis?"
Deep lines of uncertainty crept out her delicate face. "Don't worry brother, seeing you is enough." Then she pulled Duanne's hand to leave.
"Hold on, I'm coming." Keith dashed into the house and returned momentarily with a bag hidden under his arm.
"Take this." She received the bag, embraced him once more, then left with Duanne.
Keith waved at them in utmost somberness. "We'll sit together one day sis." And in sadness, he returned to the house.
* * * *
It was the usual scouts training held twice a week with the alpha, beta and gamma in attendance. Close to fifty scouts- in- training wolves stood before the authority waiting for their order.
Floyd gave his beta a nod. "Go!!" The beta commanded and the ground trembled as several wolves galloped towards the wood.
"We have no weak, alpha." His face beamed with smiles as he watched the scouts in- training galloped in full speed.
"Thank you Selene." Floyd mumbled in elation.
"Can I have the list of eligible scouts for the first batch?"
Otto delved into his pant pockets. "Oh! I left it in your chamber, I'll be right back." He hastened to the royal house to fetch the list.
"Well done scouts!!" Floyd bucked them up as they laid low in submission before him.
"With your speed and alertness, no enemy will....."
A strong scent suddenly filled the air and pushed his words down his gut. He sniffed the air repeatedly, so did some of the wolves who were still lying in submission before him.
The scent became stronger and rushed into his system, triggering a pleasant sensation in him.
It was aromatic, enticing and refreshing with an enchanting magic that impelled all to search for its source.
And in that instant, the inebriated scouts ran off, sniffing the air and tracing the flower with such alluring fragrance.
Floyd began to feel a surge of excitement and his heart raced rapidly waking his wolf.
"Mate! Take me to her!" Kylo's amorous voice sparked off a tingling feeling that throbbed his abdomen.
He felt Kylo's restlessness as it raised its head to savour the air highly concentrated with the luscious scent.
"Mate needs us!!"
And in reflex, under the direction of the scent, he gave Kylo full control and it galloped in full swing to the royal house. The closer he got, the more enormous the scent and the more ecstatic Kylo became.
Connecting the mind link, Floyd who had been swallowed by his wolf reached Otto.
"Protect the luna!" But his heart sank when he heard Aztec's sensual growl.
"I'll try alpha." It took him so much effort to reply Floyd.
He was unmated and vulnerable at that point just like every other unmated males who were running in full speed to the royal house.
Suppressing the surge the scent had provoked in him, he galloped to Hera's chamber and shut the self- locking door, then spread itself on the ground, whimpering in discomfort.
"Beta!"
Rolling in misery inside Aztec, he heard Floyd call him but the scent had strapped him with the cord of frailty that he found it difficult to respond.
"Beta please!!" Otto was the only one he could count on to protect his luna. If he failed, his luna would fall into the hands of another wolf before he arrived.
"Done!!" His shaky and agonized voice reached Floyd who could imagine how terrible he must be feeling especially as he was close to the luna's chamber.
"Thank you." Kylo sprinted, but realized his speed was slacking. "Mate!" It puled in perturbation.
"Mate is safe Kylo, speed up." He assured it and felt its accelerated heartbeat ease, but then it was knocked backward in huge magnitude.
"Kylo!! What happened?" He realized they were back in the field where they were earlier with the scouts.
"It knocked me off." Its voice rippled in consternation.
"Mate is waiting Kylo!!" Floyd was tensed, his wolf same. They needed to reach Hera soon. Unmated wolves were wild around an unmarked female in heat, regardless of who it was.
"Kylo!!" In frustration, Floyd raised his hand to hit it but a strong force grasped it. Something was wrong.
He tried to mind-link his beta but unable to reach him as there was an obstruction.
She was his mate, his luna! The scent should hasten them, not draw them back. And with his human strength which he allied with Kylo's, he propelled them faster, knocking off the force.
Aztec scuttered in uneasiness. The scent had become more intoxicating that it pulled him to the door, luckily, it had been locked earlier.
"Hurry up alpha!!" With Kylo's speed, he ought to have arrived. Why was he taking long?
It hit its heavy body on the door to force it open, as it was drowning in the river of lust. "Calm down Aztec, she's luna."
"Satisfaction!" Aztec muttered amidst its struggle to escape the tempting steam flowing out of the chamber.