Corriel clapped his hands, startling the crowd and quieting the people. "Let's continue this conversation in private, shall we?"
The Black Moon tribe's chief smiled, but his eyes were cold as they landed on the tribe members who had been about to spout nonsense, the kind that was better left unsaid. At least, they were wise enough to shut their mouth under his stare.
The White Moon tribe's people also didn't want to pursue the conversation in front of indiscreet ears. They had already said too much in the heat of the moment.
As for Nyell, well, he felt great.
The shocked faces that the White Moon tribe's guys pulled! Priceless! It was worth telling the world who his destined mate was. If only shrewd lights hadn't brightened the elders' eyes, everything would have been perfect. Whatever they were planning didn't bode well for him.
"You're not allowed inside," Nyell spat out, glaring at the elders who had tried to follow suit when they moved to Corriel's hut. "My personal life concerns me, myself, and I. We'll tell you later what's been decided."
"You–"
"There's no you! You've been getting on my nerves these past two weeks. And unless you want me to break your legs and throw you in the jungle, you better do as I say. My patience has grown too thin to deal with your bullshit."
"How dare you!"
"Yeah, yeah, how dare I!" Nyell tugged his tongue out as he slammed the door in Tuppel's face. Then, he turned his attention to the little group crowding Corriel's hut. "So, where were we?"
"…"
Lapis broke the silence with a heavy sigh.
"To be honest, I doubted your words a moment ago, but seeing how you treat your elders the same way Allen treats ours…."
The people by his side solemnly nodded. Nyell and Allen made the perfect pair of bullies.
Their uninvited guests' attitude did a turnabout that left Nyell speechless. There was no aggressivity left. Isa and Corriel were as surprised, not knowing where to put themselves. They had expected a violent storm to come their way, but there weren't even ripples in the air.
How were they supposed to react…?
Noticing the family of three had been struck dumb, Myrven took it upon himself to make small talk.
"That's not the only thing they have in common, trust me," he chuckled. "They're both headstrong, doing whatever they want without a care about what others think."
"You knew, then." Lapis gritted his teeth. "And you pretended to be clueless, taking us for fools! Why, why didn't you tell us?"
"It's complicated."
"It's not," Nyell interjected, not wanting Myrven to take the blame. "He couldn't very well tell you guys that I hate Allen's guts and didn't agree to become his mate."
Lapis' face grew livid.
"But I did agree to follow him to his tribe if he met a certain condition, and he kind of did, so yeah."
"Complicated, right?" Myrven shook his head. "That's why I couldn't bring up the subject. He doesn't want to be his mate."
"But they're destined mates!"
"I know."
Lapis ruffled his hair, seemingly about to pull it off his head. The others also looked at a loss. One moment, they were a joyous bunch; the other, they were depressed. What was wrong with these people?
"But the ceremony has to happen next week!" Lapis cried out. "There's no time for this kid to nurture his feelings and change his mind. He has to become Allen's mate before the ceremony starts!"
"We can't force people to become mates; it won't be beneficial in the long term. In the worst-case scenario, we can always wait until the next two full purple moons."
"And when will that be? In five, ten, twenty years? Will Allen even be alive by then? For crying out loud, the madman jumps headfirst into danger whenever his curiosity is piqued! He won't live long!"
"Well," Myrven sighed, massaging his right temple. "I'm not even sure he'll still be alive by next week."
Lapis tried to repress a growl but without much success. The bad feeling he had since earlier had grown sharper.
"Myrven, where is Allen?"
"I don't know. No one knows."
"What do you mean no one knows?!"
Myrven didn't answer, so Nyell spat out for him, "Because he went on a 'date' with the thing that has been causing the disappearances in our tribe. And the 'date' has been going on for two weeks already."
A string of curses escaped Lapis' mouth.
"Allen left on his own volition, and he didn't vanish like the others," Corriel specified. "If he is as clever as the rumors say, he must have a plan in mind."
"That's even scarier!"
"…"
Was it them, or did the White Moon tribe have trouble dealing with their chief?
.
.
"Are you feeling better?" Corriel asked, handing over a glass of water to Lapis. "You look pale."
Lapis threw a resentful gaze at the Black Moon tribe chief. Why wasn't Allen like him? Considerate and kind?
"I calmed down, but I don't feel that much better." Lapis pursed his lips, peering at Nyell. "Why don't you want to be Allen's mate? You're made for each other."
"That's bullcrap. I refuse to spend my life with this bastard. His personality is too horrible! And I'm warning you; I'd wring his neck the same night we become mates if it ever happens."
"I guess you have a point," Lapis conceded, aware that his chief had a few screws loose and dealing with him wasn't an easy task. He had been his beta for almost a decade and lost quite a bit of weight due to stress. "But now that he has met you, his mate can't be anyone other than you."
"What the heck? Most werewolves don't get to meet their destined mates, so they take someone else as a mate and are very happy. It doesn't necessarily have to be me; just don't force him to mate with a stranger."
"You don't understand!" Lapis took a sip of water, trying not to flare up at the young man.
The stakes for their tribe were too high! But how could they get this across this kid's thick head?
"Although I'd have loved to become his mate," the woman who had mocked Isa, Hersyl, said, "I cannot replace a destined mate. Do you have any idea how important they are to shamans?"
"Why is everyone bringing that up?" Nyell grimaced. "Destined mates are just something the god of fate created for fun, to meddle with werewolves' love life and amuse himself. Nothing more."
"What the hell did you teach your son?!" Hersyl and Lapis chorused, glaring at Corriel.
"Nothing much since he always flies away whenever I try to explain the importance of destined mates to him. He doesn't want to know anything about it, so what can I do?"
"Oh, come on, dad! The chance of meeting your destined mate is supposed to be very low, so why would I bother learning about it in detail? Our family is just 'loved' by the god of fate, and he meddles a little too much with our love life."
"What do you mean?" Hersyl asked.
"What do I mean?" Nyell grinned, selling out his sister. No way would he be the only one chewed out today. "Can you see my sister is head over heels for Layla? Don't you find it weird? As for my mom and dad, they were destined mates. In our family, we all meet our fated partners and at quite a young age."
Lapis and Hersyl looked at each other in disbelief. Yuel, the god of fate, loved Nyell's family. Only time would tell whether that was good news or a bad omen. Gods were fickle beings, but a blessing was a blessing!
"You know," Myrven sighed, "you're digging your grave, Nyell."
"How so?"
"Meeting your destined mate is considered a blessing from up above. So, you just told them that Yuel has blessed your whole family. Do you understand the implication?"
"No?"
"I thought so. A god loves you, which means you can connect to him and his brethren more easily than the common werewolf. Get it, now? You're the perfect candidate for a shaman's mate. You can assist them in ceremonies, especially the ceremony these guys want Allen to participate in next week."
"Ha?"
"You shot yourself in the foot. They won't back out now."
Nyell blinked and glanced at the White Moon tribe's people. The excited gleams in their eyes were like those of a child who had found a treasure.
Oh crap, I'm screwed.