Chapter twenty

“What did you say happened?” Alan asked, his eyes leaving Mr. Tyler to settle on his daughter.

Aliyah heaved a deep sigh and licked her lips. “I was sparring with Natasha…”

“Wait, you were what?” Sean interrupted and he glared at Natasha before softening his gaze to look at Aliyah. “You are wounded, how could you do that?”

“Sean?” Alan called and he bowed his head immediately and took a step back. “Continue,” he said to Aliyah.

“We were sparring and then a branch fell on something that looked like spider web and then this thing crawled out of it. It attacked me but it didn’t do enough damage before something, I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Something at the speed of light came over and attacked it. The Nebuzar or something wasn’t a match for this new creature because it killed it in less than two minutes.”

“And you were there all along, watching everything?” An elder asked.

Aliyah nodded. “I was too shock to move. The Nebuzar thing would have killed me if that other creature didn’t show up.”

“This other creature, did you get a good look at it?” Aton asked.

Aliyah shook her head. “It was fast, too fast.” Then she glanced at her father, “faster than any nightwalker I have ever seen.” Nightwalkers are considered pretty fast and something that was faster than them, what could that be?

Alan nodded and glanced at Tyler, “no more camping for now. Something is going on.”

“Nothing is going on,” an elder said. “The kids annoyed the Nebuzar, they destroyed its sleep. Everyone knows Nebuzar are irritated when their sleep is interrupted.”

“When are they not irritated?” another asked.

“I know, but they lose it once their sleep is involved. I would say that the kids should be given a thorough lesson about them so that they would stay off their hibernating ground. Other than that, there is nothing wrong.”

Alan glanced at his daughter. He knew what he was saying, something is going on and it was around his daughter. If he could, he would keep her on watch twenty four seven until he figured out what but none of the elders will buy that and he doesn’t want to act rashly. Luckily, no one was hurt tonight, they really can’t stomach another casualty. Last night’s own has taken a big toll on them. He nodded, “fine then, let them be taught about every single demon out there. The ones they can engage in a fight with and the ones they should run away from.” He glanced at the young wolves, “but here me kids, whenever you see spider webs that looks like a cave, run. Nebuzars hates us and there is no recorded history where a werewolf killed one that was from one hundred years up.”

Aliyah remembered what the nightwalker had said ‘Not even your damned Alpha can kill a hundred years Nebuzar let to talk of a thousand. And you, a mere weak little wolf had dared to challenge it?’ so he was right, they really can’t defeat that thing?

“That would be all. I guess it’s a good thing that that thing showed up, whatever it was, otherwise, I can’t even imagine what would have happened to you all or the casualties it would have brought. I’m pretty sure any more death news would force the High Howlers down here and trust me, we don’t want that.” Alan nodded at Tyler and he led the young wolves away.

“Alright kids, I guess we should all head to our homes, have a good shower and take a good sleep. Let’s put whatever happened tonight behind us and thank the goddess that no one was hurt, not even Aliyah that had to face the creatures,” Mr. Tyler said but no one replied to him. He said goodnight to them and walked off to his home, ready to meet his mate.

The students started whispering and pairing in groups as they dispersed. Sean turned to Aliyah, “walk you home?”

“That won’t be necessary Sean, I’m okay, really,” she answered.

“Why did you lie?” A voice asked and they both turned to see Natasha, Olivia and Jessica charging up to them. “That thing hurt you and yet you said nothing happened.”

“That’s true, we all saw it, even Melanie did,” Olivia concurred.

Sean turned to Aliyah sharply, “you were hurt?”

“I am not hurt, Sean. Christ, if I am, will I be here?” Aliyah replied.

“But that thing, I saw it claw your chest,” Jessica whispered and Natasha and Olivia nodded.

Aliyah rolled her eyes and pulled her new top neckline down just enough to show her cleavage. “See any wound or do I need to get the whole top out?”

“But…how?” Natasha asked. “I saw it hurt you, I saw it slam you on that tree. You shouldn’t even be standing by the impact of that, and yet here you are.”

“And yet here I am,” Aliyah taunted with a smile. “I think you just want me wounded so badly that you are even imagining me hurt.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Listen, I hate you okay but I was really scared of that thing. It’s a good thing you are not hurt though, because I want to be the one to hurt you. And since you claim to be so strong, how about we continue where we left off tomorrow on the training ground?”

“That sounds like a deal,” Aliyah agreed.

“Good,” Natasha nodded and without another word, walked away with her girls.

“You really weren’t hurt were you?” Sean asked when they were alone.

“I’m fine, Sean, really.”

“Do you really have to spar with her tomorrow? You are still hurt.”

Aliyah smiled and looking behind him, she saw Monica waiting by the hall door and she knew she must be glaring at her. She patted Sean on the shoulder and smiled softly, “you don’t need to worry about me too much Sean. We are not kids anymore and I can definitely take care of myself.”

“I know Ali but…” he sighed, “you are my younger sister and…”

“Hey, you are not that older than me.”

“Six months is something. Try getting six months back from the market,” he grinned.

Aliyah rolled her eyes. “Whatever, just…I will be fine, okay?”

Sean nodded. “Fine then, I will believe you tonight.”

“Good, now someone is waiting for you,” she nodded behind him and he turned to see Monica. He smiled at her and turned back to Aliyah, leaning down and kissing her forehead before he turned and jogged towards Monica. She watched as he picked her up and swirl around and her laughter filled the night sky before he ran home while still carrying her. Aliyah watched them and a ting of pain slashed at her heart. All her age mates have found their mates, all except her.

She has passed through three mating seasons and the fourth one is coming up in seven days, make that six as it was already one in the morning. God help her that she won’t sit through this one too. How can she cope? How can she survive without him? They were a lot of mate-less wolves in the park and half of them turned out to be that their mates were killed before they met and some had to watch them die in a fight after they had met and mated.

Is she among the ones that their mates were already dead? Could it be her soul mate is dead or is she without a soul? If not why, why after three long years going to four she still hasn’t seen him? A certain white, almost paled face with tempting midnight blue eyes flashed in her mind and she remembered her wolf’s attraction to him on their first meeting before she knew what he was. Her wolf has never reacted to any man like that and yet she did to him and still did tonight even though he was yelling at her. Could it be? What if he is her mate?

“Hell no, no, no, no, no, no,” she rejected the idea right before it even formed in her mind.

“What are you rejecting?” a voice asked and she looked around to see Catherine approaching her. From the tray of little jars she carried, Aliyah figured she was heading to her room.

“Nothing,” she shook her head.

“Don’t lie to me, Aliyah,” the woman smiled.

“Just something random…”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, but there is something I would like you to tell me,” she cut her short.

Aliyah glanced at the woman, “what?”

“The thing that fought the Nebuzar, you saw it clearly didn’t you?”

“No…I…”

“Aliyah,” Catherine called, “we both know it’s the same creature as last night.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Nothing, absolutely nothing would engage in a fight with a thousand years Nebuzar if it wasn’t trying to protect its own.” She glanced at the mark on her neck which she had carefully covered with her scarf, “and it sees you as its own now.”

“It’s not what you think,” Aliyah shook her head.

“You do know that I am the only own you can trust here now, right?” She asked and sighed when the younger girl didn’t budge. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it yet. In six moons, the blood moon shall rise, I really hope you find your mate but be aware that as long as that thing’s mark is sitting on your neck, it will never allow you to belong to someone else. With what I saw last night and something that killed a thousand years Nebuzar under two minutes like you said, neither you nor your mate would be able to fight it off. So, think about the young soul that you would be sending to an early grave in six days.”

Aliyah felt the fear rise up to her throat like a pile and she remembered his words loud and clear, ‘be aware that you would take your last breath on the night of the blood moon’. What if he did it, what if he kills her that night and also her mate?

“Come, let’s go to your room, we still need to keep this charade of me treating you,” Catherine said and grabbed her hand, leading her towards her room while Aliyah didn’t even know where she was walking as she was lost in thought and fear of a certain midnight blue eyes.