24. Heart-to-Soul

HAPPY SUNDAY! AND SORRY FOR THE UNBELIEVABLY LONG WAIT!

ALSO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED ON THE FICTION AWARDS FOR UNCONDITIONALLY! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!

Dedicated to GeethanjaliB for being such a supportive and wonderful reader. Thanks sweetie!

A huge shoutout to Dreamzangel21 for being my partner in crime lol. Love you forever!

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IMPORTANT: ALL THEORIES REGARDING PEOPLE'S SOULS, POWERS, TITLES, SUPERNATURAL GENETICS, WEREWOLF HISTORY ETC. MENTIONED IN MY BOOKS ARE OF MY OWN CREATION. DO NOT USE THEM IN YOUR OWN BOOKS!

This chapter is unedited so please excuse the grammatical errors. Enjoy!

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RECAP of the significant events that happened in the last 2-3 chapters. You can SKIP THIS if you remember what happened in the last few chapters.

On the 26th of July which in the book was 'yesterday':

Suzzanah, Rino and John went to the library, had the whole discussion about the Alpha of Power and him not having found his mate, the Book of Ages, a little history about the first King and Queen, about the Beast and the ancestor of the Luna of Intercession etc.

Zuerien, Cole, Reginald and Yolanda come to know about the cloaked woman by the Shadow Border who suddenly appeared and disappeared

Suzzanah runs into that girl by the convenience store who suddenly disappears

Marco and Megan meet in the woods

Everyone decides to let Megan take her time to come to them and also assume that Megan's friend is a rogue witch

And they also come to a conclusion that the cloaked woman who was at the Border and the woman who ran into Suzzanah by the convenience store are the same person

On the 27th of July which in the book is 'today':

Suzzanah dreams about herself drowning and dying

Marco, Lord Heinrich, Ashford and Beta Darren all head into the woods to take care of rogues who are causing some problems and to fortify all the barriers and mazes within the woods

General Reginald and Yolanda go to Jervis Street to take of preparations there for 'the big day'.

Cole and his team are posted at the BorderGuard HQ. Zuerien, Suzzanah, Penson and Rino go there to look over the final preparations of when they are scheduled to see Karina there on the 28th, and also find a spot for Suzzanah where she will be visible to Karina

Suzzanah speaks to Cole and finds out that he was thoughtful because of his mate. And Cole shares some things about his mate with Suzzanah.

Zuerien and Suzzanah have a discussion about Cole and his mate

Zuerien meets Librarian Gale, then leaves to go find that Beast who attacked Suzzanah

Suzzanah, Rino and Penson go over loads of theory about what species this 'Beast' really belongs to and they also learn a little bit about Sorcerers

They discover that Megan's friend may actually be a Human Sorcerer and not a Rogue witch

And finally Penson comes to conclusion that it is possible that the cloaked figure who was spotted at the Shadow Border, the girl Suzzanah met at the convenience store and Megan's friend may all be the same person.

Wow, that was a long Recap. Hope it helped! If you guys still have things you can't remember please do go back and re-read the chapters. Now onto the New one! Enjoy!

*****

Suzzanah's POV

"Wait, wait, wait. So you really think the girl who was spotted at the Shadow Border, the girl Anna met last night and the Vegan's friend could all be the same girl?!" Rino asked.

"If they are all Human Sorcerers, then yes, I do think it is possible for all of them to be the same person", Alpha Penson replied, "They're both women, both apparently human and also Sorcerers, and both know how to use teleportation spells"

"And both wore cloaks", Rino added.

"Another point that I found out from the Head of the BorderGuard this morning was about the place where the cloaked woman was spotted on the Shadow Border", Alpha Penson added, "According to rumor, she was seen a total of three times that day, twice in random places within the city about which we have no details, and once by the Border only a short distance away from the Woods. And very conveniently, the part of the Woods she was close to is the very same part of the Woods where Megan's friend's cottage is set up"

Rino and I gasped in surprise as he added, "And the chances of two women in dark cloaks, who are apparently human but can somehow still teleport, being found within the same area of the Woods is quite slim, would you not agree?"

They were slim. Really slim.

"I didn't mention this point to you earlier because I didn't know that Megan's friend was a Sorceress", he told us, "But Megan's friend being a Human Sorceress really does answer most of our questions regarding how they could have met too. It explains how Megan got to be friends with her, seeing as she went to a human school, both in England and in Mauritius. It also explains why she can afford to house Megan in her cottage without having to worry about being answerable to authorities like the League of Magic"

"I have a question though", Rino said, "Technically the woods are Human-Restricted areas right, so how is the Vegan's friend able to live there?"

"That's a good question", Alpha Penson said thoughtfully, "And one to which I'm not sure I have the answer to yet, but I'm guessing she may be using some kind of magical items to fake the embodiment of a Supernatural"

"Is that possible?" I asked, "Marco once said that his mazes read the properties of a person's soul so they shouldn't allow her to pass through, should they?"

"No they shouldn't. But Marco's mazes only make up half of Dublin's Restricted Area security", Alpha Penson said, "The other half is comprised by magical barriers cast by powerful members of the League of Magic. And I believe those particular barriers are directed at recognizing a person's aura and not their soul as such. So anyone who gives off an authentic Supernatural aura will be able to pass through. I'm not sure if there is any magical instrument powerful enough to give off an overall Supernatural aura to a person though", he added thoughtfully.

If there was then it seems Megan's friend was apparently in possession of it. Who knew where she was obtaining these things from!

"But if the two women are the same then what could Megan's friend have been doing in the Shadow Side?" I asked confused.

"She couldn't be involved with the Shadow People, could she?" Rino asked frowning.

"I highly doubt it", Alpha Penson replied, "If her friend is human, then its quite natural for her to cross the Border anytime she wishes to, because no human is restricted by our Territorial Borders. Her presence on the Shadow Side alone cannot be considered suspicious. Besides, I don't think Megan would willingly choose to stay with a person who is involved in any way with the Supernaturals, especially werewolves, witches or Shadowers"

"Also, from what I have gathered, the cloaked woman's sudden appearance and disappearance at the Border have caused more of an uproar amongst the Shadow People than anyone else", he added, "If she really was working for the Shadow People, I don't think that would have happened"

That was true. Hopefully he was right and we didn't have to worry about Megan's comrade being in cahoots with the enemy.

"So then why would she have suddenly appeared so close to the Border?" I wondered out loud, "If I were in her place I think I would have preferred to maintain a low profile and not attract any attention to myself"

"Its very unfortunate that we don't have any camera footage of what happened", Alpha Penson said, "I would have liked to have a look at what exactly happened, with my own eyes. Anyway, according to BorderGuard, the woman disappeared just seconds after she appeared, and she apparently did so in a rush. So it is possible that her sudden appearance at the Border may have been some kind of a mistake on the girl's part. Perhaps she used a faulty spell and teleported to the wrong spot"

"Wow, if that true then it must have been a real shocker for her!" Rino said, "No wonder she was so afraid when she met Anna by the convenience store. She must have been really shaken up by the incident"

"Maybe", I said, "But you know, it's still a little hard for me to believe that the strong woman who had cornered me in her cottage and used a spell to effectively teleport me away without panicking or showing fear was the same helpless young girl who was trembling and crying in the rain when I found her last night"

"I suppose there is still a small chance that the woman you met last night may not be Megan's friend, or the woman who appeared by the Shadow Border", Alpha Penson said, "But at this point, the facts do point at them being the same. Besides which, fear can be crippling sometimes"

"That is true", I said, recollecting how terrified the girl I met last night had been, "But man! If they all do turn out to be the same person, it will blow my mind. Should we tell Zuerien and the others this news?" I asked.

Alpha Penson nodded, "I think that would be better", he said, "I'll go into the Restricted Area and mindlink, just in case, but if Gale does show up again and asks you to go with him-"

"I won't, don't worry", I assured.

"But I'm curious, why did you defend him so much earlier?" Alpha Penson asked and I smiled shrugging.

"I know you and Zuerien have your doubts about him, and I can understand where you're coming from, but somehow I really don't get a bad-guy vibe from him", I replied thoughtfully, "I can't quite explain it but...whenever I see him in trouble, my heart goes out to him a little. Makes me want to stand up for him, and I do so unknowingly"

I wonder why...

I looked at Alpha Penson guiltily, "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to defend his actions and disrupt your plan of interrogating him", I said, "I know you were only questioning him to clear some very valid suspicions. I should have known better than to butt in. I apologize"

"You have no reason to apologize dear-one", Alpha Penson replied, "One should never have to apologize for doing something their conscience tells them is the right thing to do. I am still not completely convinced that he is trustworthy, but your faith in him is somewhat reassuring. Maybe the lad isn't all bad after all. Anyway, I'll go ahead and mindlink this information to Alpha Zuerien and the others right away. You stay here Suzzanah. Karina's mental block may hinder your ability to mindlink the others. If anyone has any questions for you, I'll convey them to you when I come back"

I nodded and he got up and quickly left the table to go back to the Restricted Area. It was a shame I couldn't sit in on the mindlink. Now I understood how Rino must always feel. I looked at him to find him thinking about something deeply.

"What's up bud?" I asked.

He rocked his chair back and forth, "I was thinking about Breeze. He's an interesting guy"

"Uh...you mean Gale?"

"Oh! Yeah, yeah Gale", he said, biting his tongue at his mistake, "I actually agree with you Anna. I also don't get the 'scheming' or 'evil' vibes from him either. But I still have to side with John and the Wolfa too though. He doesn't seem to be totally normal, and that kind of makes me want to put on my bodyguard shoes and hide you from him"

I wonder why I'm the only one who doesn't feel the need to doubt Gale...

I smiled, "I appreciate that Rino", I said, "And don't worry. I know what you mean. I also think Gale is strange"

"Yeah, just like his name", Rino said and I frowned.

My brow furrowed, "Gale isn't such a strange name is it?" I asked, "And besides it has four letters. You normally remember four lettered names, don't you Rino?"

Rino grinned, "I do, most of the times. But it isn't like a hard and fast rule that my brain follows religiously. Sometimes some names just don't stick, and Gust-"

"Gale", I corrected smiling.

"Right. Gale, is one of them", he said, "I don't know why but all I can remember about the name is that its a form of air"

No wonder he calls him anything that could possibly be a synonym of air.

"Is it crazy that I don't think the name Gale suits him?" he asked me, "It should be something more...pretty. Like Dmitri"

I burst out laughing, "Why Dmitri though?" I asked.

"Its a cool name, isn't it? Sounds kind of...dainty"

"You may be unintentionally insulting some of the Dmitris in the world right now, bud", I said, sniggering.

"If not Dmitri then maybe...Duke. To honor the English gentleman in him. Or Darcy. Darcy is a nice name, for both genders", he said.

"Bud, you're killing me here", I said between laughs.

"I was also wondering why he calls Neil differently", Rino said as I quieted my laughter.

"That's right, he calls him O'Neil doesn't he?" I said, almost surprised that Rino actually remembered there something being 'wrong' with a name, "Maybe we should ask Neil about that"

"Where is Neil though?" Rino said, looking around, "I haven't seen him all morning since he left to speak to the warriors in the woods behind the library"

"I hope everything is okay", I said.

"I'm sure it is", he assured and I smiled, nodding.

"Hey, why not try and mindlink Karina again?" I said and he nodded.

"Here goes nothing", he said and closed his eyes, probably trying to concentrate on mindlinking.

I waited eagerly, almost anxiously, for something to happen, but a few seconds later he sighed heavily and opened his eyes.

"Nada", he said and my shoulders slumped in disappointment.

I wonder why she has such a strong mental block up. Was something wrong on her side? Was she okay?

"Hey, don't get stressed out about this Anna", Rino said quickly, "I'm sure it will work sooner or later. Here, I'll try again"

He tried a couple more times, but in the end, it didn't work. I was wondering if I should give it a go when my mind suddenly blanked and someone mindlinked me instead.

Heart, you alright?

I smiled instantly on hearing his voice, Yes, I am, I replied, mouthing 'Wolfa' to Rino who grinned back at me, How are you? How is your search going? I asked him.

I'm fine but so far we don't have any leads, he replied, That beast did a good job at covering his trail. But don't worry, we'll find him soon enough

Something deep inside of me lurched anxiously when he said that. And I found that a part of me was actually hoping he didn't. I was afraid of what might happen if he did.

Zuerien...if you find him, please don't do anything reckless like attack him all alone or anything okay, I said, my worry seeping into my voice.

I'm sure my strength alone will be enough to defeat that bloody wuss of a Beast, he replied and my anxiety heightened.

But still, please don't act rashly, I pleaded, We shouldn't underestimate him. He has been alive for thousands of years you know

Then he must be old and worn out by now

Zuerien!

Okay heart, don't worry. I'll be fine, he assured confidently, You just take care of yourself. Don't overwork yourself!

I won't, I replied.

John told me about Megan's friend being a Sorceress, he said, It all seems to tie in together. Only problem is that since we've given Megan our word to not go after her, we can't approach her for information on this friend of hers to confirm if this really is true

But technically Marco only promised to protect Megan, and not her friend too. So if we find Megan's friend anywhere outside the protective Maze Marco has put up around her cottage, we have the right to hold her for an interrogation, because as a human, she is already trespassing by being in the Woods, he said, And before you start worrying, we won't be harsh or anything. Unless of course, she acts in a way that forces us to be

I trust your judgement, I told him, I know you'll only do the right thing in the end. But please keep a cool mind when you speak to her

We have to find her first, he replied, Besides which, all of us have our hands full at the moment. These rogue wolves are being a pain in the ass today

Anxiety bubbled up inside me, Rogues?

Yeah, they keep appearing out of nowhere, he replied irritably, But only in very small numbers. Marco and Ashford are dealing with most of them as we speak

Are they okay? I asked worriedly.

Yes they are. Perfectly alright. Don't worry, he said.

Please be careful Zuerien, I pleaded.

I will, Heart. But just make sure you don't go anywhere outside alone, he said, And don't go into the woods.

I know Zuerien. I won't

Also, we deal with rogues every other day. Its not anything major like that day at the orphanage. So don't let yourself get worked up about this issue about rogues Suzzanah. Okay?

Okay... I replied uncertainly.

That's my girl, he said affectionately, I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing then. Speak soon, Heart

Take care, bye Zuerien

We cut off mindlink and looked at Rino.

"Is something wrong?" he asked and I told him everything I had spoken to Zuerien about.

"Oh so its the rogues again, huh?" Rino said, "Don't worry Anna. Rogues won't be a problem for Wolfa, Cole and Miso. And I think Greyford is pretty strong too. They'll be fine"

I was guessing the last two names he had said were Marco and Ashford.

"Rogues aren't all bad you know", he told me, "Most of them are outlaws and criminals who have committed heinous offenses and crimes for which they are banished from their packs, but there are others that are regular wolves who have left their packs and are wandering around looking for a new ones, or wolves who don't want to be part of a pack. Those kind of rogues are fine. Its the ones that have gone dark that are the scary ones"

"Gone dark?" I asked confused and he nodded.

"Its the laymen term used to address rogues that have lost their sanity", he told me, "I've lived around werewolves nearly all my life so I know a couple things about them. For werewolves both their wolf sides and human sides are equally important because they balance each other out. But some violent, power-hungry werewolves end up giving in completely to their animalistic side and go wild. Their human side gets severely subdued to the point that even in their human form, their wolves always stay in control. Basically its like they lose their human thinking altogether. That's when a werewolf is said to have gone dark"

I listened on anxiously as he continued.

"Once they lose their human restraint, there is nothing left to balance out their animalistic tendencies and they become a lot like regular wild animals, only far more dangerous because they've pretty much lost their sanity. Like rabid dogs", he told me, "They don't care about right or wrong, or maybe they can't tell the difference between them anymore. All they know is what their carnal instincts tell them. Hunt. Kill. Eat. And that's what they do. Such rogues are the really dangerous ones"

"I had no idea", I said, processing everything he had told me.

"No idea about what?"

We turned to find Alpha Penson walking up to us.

"I was just telling Anna about the rogues gone dark", Rino replied, "The Wolfa mindlinked Anna just now and said that they've been encountering a few problems with rogues today"

"Yes, so they told me", Alpha Penson replied, "But most of the rogues they're coming across are strays. They're still hostile but they haven't lost their sanity. In any case everyone is holding up fine, so there is no need to worry"

I hoped he was right.

"How did the mindlink go?" I asked.

"I've informed everyone about the possibility of Megan's friend being the same woman from the other two instances", he replied, "And of course they all have their own doubts and speculations on the matter. It will remain an assumption till proved true. As of now everyone is busy with their own different tasks so no one has the time to go in search of Megan's friend. But they're still keeping their eyes open for any suspicious figures"

"I see", I said, "Did you mindlink Cole about this too?" I asked and he nodded, "Did he say anything?" I asked.

He frowned at my question, "Nothing particularly striking", he replied, "Why?"

I shook my head, "No reason", I replied quickly and he narrowed his eyes at me slightly, probably not believing me, but thankfully let it go.

Looks like despite getting the new info Cole is still convinced that the girl I met last night wasn't his mate, I thought to myself, Well, if he is so sure then I guess I don't need to worry either

"But if the two women really do turn out to be the same person, meaning Megan's friend, then it will be pretty cool huh", Rino said, "Like 'Its a small world after all'", he sang making me smile.

It sure is.

A pretty small world.

Filled with people we think we don't know, but turns out we actually do.

"Do you believe in reincarnation...?"

The words I had heard in my dream from last evening suddenly echoed in my mind, taking me by surprise.

"Is something the matter, Suzzanah?" Alpha Penson asked, "You look unsettled"

"I just remembered the dream I had yesterday at the library, the one about the woman with the long red hair, singing under a tree", I said, recollecting my dream, "And I do remember that the aura of the girl I met by the convenience store yesterday was very similar to that woman's"

"Oh yeah, you told us that the red-haired woman's aura had felt familiar to you somehow, even though you had never met her. And that there was something magical and ancient about her", Rino said and I nodded.

"Most of your dreams seem to consist of women who existed in the past, versions of your soul from your previous lives", Alpha Penson said.

"Yes but this woman's aura didn't really feel like that of Emily's or the First Queen's", I replied, "I don't think it was the aura of my own soul"

"So you think it may have been someone else you knew from a past life?" Rino asked.

We looked at Alpha Penson for answers yet again.

"You said she had long red-hair and wore a dark garment yes?" he asked and I nodded. He hummed thoughtfully, "Well, since you said she had something ancient about her aura, let's assume she had existed several hundred years ago. And way back in the past, the only people who had red hair were magic-wielders. Witches and Wizards to be precise. Back then if you saw a red-head you could almost take it for granted that he or she is a magic wielder"

"Oh! If that's the case then it explains why the woman seemed to have a magical aura", I said and he nodded.

"She may have been a witch", he said, "Do you remember any of the words from the song she was singing?"

I shook my head, "No. She was singing in a language I didn't know", I replied.

But it was a beautiful song though...

"I see", Alpha Penson nodded, "Seeing as Witches and Werewolves have been closely related for thousands of years now there are a considerable number of red haired women in werewolf history. It may be hard to try and find the one we are looking for, especially since you did not see her face"

I nodded.

"But if you felt that the aura of the girl you met last night and that of the woman in your dream were similar, then it could mean that the girl is a reincarnation of the woman from your dream", Alpha Penson added, "Not that knowing she is a reincarnation of the woman would be of any help to us, seeing as we don't know who the red-haired woman was to start with"

"So...the aura of a person stays the same in every life?" I asked.

"Not the same, but it remains similar. Their physical aura can change depending on whatever species they may belong to, but their soul's aura remains more or less the same", he replied.

"Hmm"

"Anyway, since its not a matter we can dig deeper into at this point, let's leave it at that", Alpha Penson said, "If she really is Megan's friend then I'm sure that you will have an opportunity to see her again, hopefully in the near future. And maybe meeting her in person could give us some clues, you never know"

"Maybe...", I said, "Also, apart from seeing and hearing the red-haired woman, I heard two other voices in my dream. And they were both male voices"

"Male voices?" Rino said, "Well that's a first. It's usually always the females that haunt Anna. Except for that one blue-green dude"

I smiled helplessly at the way he had worded it.

"So what did those two men say?" Alpha Penson asked and I thought back to my dream. I couldn't remember the exact words or anything but I could remember the gist of it all.

And also, a few sentences which I had heard once, even before hearing them in my dream.

"Do you believe in reincarnation...?"

My eyes immediately shot to Rino as those lines came to my mind.

"Do you think...that if you and I were ever reincarnated...then we'd meet again...?"

"The first one was a voice that I didn't know", I said, "But I felt like I should know it, as is the case with most of the auras I feel. The voice asked me if I believed in reincarnation, and that if he and I were ever reincarnated, he asked if we would still be friends. And...he called me Luna"

Rino stared at me intrigued while Alpha Penson's brow furrowed in thought.

"If the man in your dream really was talking to you, then I'm guessing he may be someone who was a friend of yours in one of your past lives", Alpha Penson said, "Which one of your past lives is a question we may not be able to answer though. At least not at this point"

"I actually heard that voice once before, and not in a dream", I said, taking them both by surprise. I looked at Rino again, "Yesterday, when Alpha Penson had gone into the restricted area for a bit and it was just you and me here, I suddenly heard those very same words resound in my mind briefly. For a second, I almost thought you had said them, but you hadn't"

"Oh?" Rino blinked surprised.

Alpha Penson's gaze flitted between me and Rino, eyes still deeply thoughtful, "I see. And what about the other voice you heard?" he asked me.

"The other voice was another one I had never heard before", I replied, "It was youthful and boyish voice, but the words spoken by the man were wise and seemed to hold a deep and heavy meaning. I can't remember exactly what he said but it was something along these lines"

Thinking deeply to remember his words I said, "He said that...what the mind forgets, the heart often remembers. It remembers the important bonds even if the rest of the world may forget. And no one knows why it remembers..."

"But you know what?...That's okay..."

"That's okay..."

.

.

.

"For-"

"No one knows why but...that's okay", I said as his final words resounded in my mind, bringing with them a warm feeling of nostalgia which I couldn't explain.

I looked back at Alpha Penson, "And after that he seemed like he was going to say something else but I woke up before I could hear it", I replied.

Alpha Penson and Rino looked at each other before looking back at me.

"That's...pretty awesome", Rino breathed out, "Even though I don't have a clue what the boy was talking about, I would love to meet him and ask him more!"

"He said the heart remembers...but I don't know whose heart he was talking about", I said, "Whether it was all hearts in general, or just the heart of one person in particular. And what important bonds could he have been referring to?"

And again, we both looked to Alpha Penson for further explanation. Without Alpha Penson to guide us, we really would be like a flock of lost sheep wandering the streets, completely clueless as to where to go.

"You do have the most interesting dreams, Suzzanah", Alpha Penson said, regarding me with a contemplative eye, "I wonder why you always dream these things and not any of the rest of us"

"Doesn't Prophecy dream about such things too?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yes, but not quite as often as you do", he replied, "Her dreams and visions seem to be more future oriented, whereas yours are more past-centered"

He sat back in his seat, stroking his chin pensively, "Since your dreams so far have all been important, I'm quite sure this one is too, especially the words you heard spoken", he told me, "And if they are important, then they're bound to be recorded in the Book of Ages. If you can perhaps recollect the exact words you heard in your dream Suzzanah, I could ask the Overseer to look them up in the Book"

Both I and Rino looked at him baffled, "But how can we expect the Overseer to find these exact words in a Book that records every single important event that has ever happened in history?" I asked.

Alpha Penson smiled, "Don't worry about that. He was made the Elite Overseer for a reason", Alpha Penson replied, "You see, the Elite Overseer is a Werewolf Wizard"

"A Wizard?!" Rino and I exclaimed shocked and he nodded.

"His magic isn't as strong as Elder Abe's but it is very precise", he told us, "But he has a few tricks up his sleeve which he often uses when he goes through the Book of Ages. They help him search up things with more ease, provided that he knows the exact words that he is looking for in the Book"

"But didn't you say the Book of Ages is written in some archaic language and not English?" I asked, "How is he going to find the sentences that we tell him in English?"

"By translating them of course", he replied, "It may take a while and some trial and error to translate them accurately enough, but I'm sure he'll manage"

"Wow, being Overseer is no joke huh?" I said and Rino nodded.

"So do you think you can recall the exact words that were spoken in your dream?"

"I can remember what the first man spoke", I said, "But I'm not sure about the second. And I'm not sure if I can tell everything with a 100% word-to-word accuracy either"

"However closely you can them remember is fine", he said, taking a notepad to write it down on.

I told him the exact words that I remembered having heard.

Do you believe in reincarnation?

And if we met, do you think we'd still be friends?

Do you, Luna?

Alpha Penson wrote down what I had said and inspected it, "This is quite a detailed account Suzzanah"

"I have a feeling he said more but I can't remember", I replied, "As for the second man, the only thing I can remember clearly is him saying-"

What the mind forgets, the heart often remembers

It remembers the important bonds

And no one knows why

But you know what? That's okay

I struggled to try and recollect the words with as much precision as I could. It really was funny how I couldn't remember even what I ate for breakfast this morning, but somehow what I heard in a random dream was still pretty well etched into my memory.

But of course, I was grateful for that fact.

"Right!" Alpha Penson said, taking his notepad and standing up, "I'm going to mindlink the Elite Overseer about this"

"The Elite Overseer is probably cursing us right now at how much work we keep producing for him", I said and Alpha Penson chuckled.

"Not at all. On the contrary, he is happy to help", he replied, "I haven't heard him sound so enthusiastic about anything for a long time. While I speak to him, why don't you both go take a break"

We nodded and decided to go take a quick bathroom break. We were accompanied by one male and one female guard who were thankfully dressed casually to appear like a part of our friends circle.

I hadn't seen Neil since morning and I had noticed that since he wasn't around, he had made sure to assign more guards around us than when he was sitting with us. When I asked our female guard about him, she told me that he was out in the woods behind the library. Apparently someone had spotted a stray rogue a short distance away from the library and Neil and his men were currently securing the area.

The thought of rogues immediately produced an unsettling feeling in my gut. The last time when rogues attacked the orphanage, it was a rather disturbing incident which I wouldn't want to see a repeat of anytime soon, or ever, if that was possible. Especially not right now because I knew that everyone would put their lives on the line to protect me, while I wouldn't be able or allowed to do anything.

It didn't sit well with me to have other people get hurt trying to protect me, while I was placed safely within the walls of a secure stronghold. But I knew that if I went out into the battlefield I would be more of a hindrance than a help.

Maybe if I become stronger, those around me won't be as burdened to protect me

But of course I knew that, as a human, there was a limit to how strong I could become. Perhaps it would never be enough to beat a Supernatural, but something was better than nothing.

Right now I was pretty weak. I could help from a distance maybe, using a bow and arrow, but when it came to close range combat, I was completely helpless. As so far, most of the dangerous situations I had found myself in were all close-range threats, and I couldn't always have a bow and arrow handy.

I knew that if I suggested learning one-on-one combat to Zuerien, he would immediately object to anything that could get me injured. And even if he somehow agreed, he would probably end up threatening and terrorizing all of my instructors to ensure that they didn't hurt me.

There was only one person I could ask for help who would not be as intimidated by my mate as the others, and that was General Reginald. He had been the one who had helped me refine my rusty archery skills to perfection. So he was probably the best person to ask to teach me fighting too.

I wonder if he'll agree to teach me...

I knew that if he agreed, his training would be grueling, but when I saw how hard the others around me were working to protect me, it made me want to return that dedication. I was willing to work as hard as necessary to get stronger, especially if it meant I could ease some of the worry Zuerien had about me getting injured or hurt.

Because if I grow stronger, I'll be better able to take care of myself in dangerous situations

And maybe...I won't worry Zuerien as much as I do now

So I resolved to ask General Reginald to teach me combat skills once we got back to the States. Once we were done, Rino and I made our way to the Hall of Fiction. Alpha Penson was already seated at the table, going through one of the Books he had brought back earlier from the Restricted Area.

"You're done mindlinking him already?" I asked Alpha Penson as we took our seats.

He nodded, "I gave him all the details and he said he'd get right to searching for the reference in the Book", he replied, "He is still working on finding more instances and occurrences from the past where that Beast may be mentioned in the Book of Ages"

"He has a tough job", I said, "But still not as tough as you though Alpha Penson", I added making him look at me surprised, "Let me guess, you also understand the archaic language in which the Book of Ages is written, don't you?" I asked and he bit back a smile, confirming my suspicion.

"But...How?!" Rino and I asked baffled and he shrugged.

"I told you, I liked to dabble in a lot of different things as a youth", he replied, "And learning different languages was one of them"

"You're really cool Alpha Penson", I said awestruck, "Sometimes I can't believe you're even real"

He smiled, "I am very much real, dear one", he replied, "But unfortunately, so is this Beast, so I think we should get back to looking through different types of demons"

"But we already went through the dog and fox demons and they didn't seem to match the description of the one we're looking for", Rino said, picking up one of the Books in front of him.

"Yes but I'm sure we'll find others that do", Alpha Penson replied, before showing us a page that he had opened from one of the new books he had brought from the Restricted Area, "What about these?" he asked and I read the title.

Hellhounds

Just the name made a goosebumps rise on my skin.

"Hellhounds?" Rino said surprised, "I thought Hellhounds aren't real"

"That is what is believed", Alpha Penson replied, "There have never been any definitive sightings of Hellhounds but there are a few ancient folktales about them"

He read from the page he had opened, Hellhounds are demon dogs of ancient Supernatural folklore, often referred to as the 'Harbingers of death'. They were believed to be guardians of the gates of the afterlife, and were thought to roam graveyards and battlefields, hunting for lost souls. They were also believed to possess certain fire based abilities. It was thought that hearing a Hellhound howl may be an omen or sometimes even the cause of a person's death"

"Creepy", I said, shuddering, while Rino listened on wide-eyed.

"To this day, it is unclear whether such creatures actually exist", Alpha Penson read, "No authentic sightings of the creature have ever been documented and not much is known about them. They are therefore labelled as Supernatural Myths"

He turned the page and showed us a picture of what the creature was supposed to look like.

The picture depicted a small, pitch black dog which was facing away but had its head turned to look towards the reader. And there was nothing particularly striking about the creature except for its two terrifying red eyes which were gleaming in the dark, their color standing out even more fiercely against its obsidian fur.

"This picture is giving me the heebie-jeebies", I said and Alpha Penson turned the book back to himself.

"Did the Beast you saw look anything like that dog?" Alpha Penson asked and I shook my head.

"No", I said, "For starters it was much larger than the dog in this picture. And as far as I remember, he didn't have red eyes either"

"I see", Alpha Penson said, looking down at the book.

"If only we could find the type of demon we are looking for then at least we will have solved the mystery of this beast's identity", Rino said, rocking his chair back and forth, "But least we've figured out everything else to some extent"

Alpha Penson smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry to disappoint you Rino, but I'm afraid that isn't true", he said, "In fact, this is just the beginning. Even if we managed to find the demon we're looking for, we'd still be far from having figured this Beast out completely"

"Huh? Why?" Rino asked confused.

"Because this Beast didn't have just two auras", Alpha Penson said, "According to Alpha Zuerien, the demonic and werewolf auras were just the two most prominent ones. But the Beast actually had a couple more auras too, which appeared and disappeared within seconds"

"What?!" Rino cried out in alarm, "More auras?!"

"Wait, are you talking about the magical aura which was surrounding him?" I asked Alpha Penson, "I thought we already established that that magical aura around him wasn't his own but someone else's"

"Yes, the magical aura around him was someone else's" Alpha Penson agreed, "But I wasn't talking about that. That beast actually had more auras to his own person, in addition to the demonic and werewolf auras"

"No way!" I exclaimed horrified, "You mean he has more than two species' traits? Just how much of a freak of nature is he?!"

Alpha Penson nodded, "Indeed. Even if he has both demonic and werewolf traits in equal amounts, there is no way that this Beast could be so much of an anomaly that he has perfectly equal quantities of several other Supernatural traits in addition to those two, and also be able to manifest them all", he said.

"So how then? How does such a beast exist?" I asked aggravated and immediately Rino and Alpha Penson motioned for me to calm down.

"Its okay Anna, don't stress yourself out about this", Rino said hurriedly.

"That's right Suzzanah. We need to take one step at a time", Alpha Penson agreed, "So for now let's stick to finding the demon that most resembles werewolves. We're making good progress. Don't let yourself get worked up about this. We'll figure things out eventually"

"Here, have some water", Rino said handing me a glass of cool water.

I took the glass from him, looking between the two men before sighing and drinking the water. I knew they were worried that if I stressed myself out then it would affect my soul and I felt bad for worrying them. They were right. Getting worked up about this wouldn't do any good.

Finishing it's contents, I placed the glass on the table and smiled at them, "Sorry about that", I said, "I'm okay now, I promise. I won't stress over this matter so don't worry"

Both men visibly relaxed and I felt guilt rise up inside me. They were asking me not to worry, but they were constantly worrying about my well-being because of the state of my soul. I really needed to consciously try and keep cool. I didn't want them to have to fret over my health any more than they already were.

Alpha Penson smiled back, "Well then, now that that's settled, if we want to continue looking for demons that resemble werewolves, we'll need some more books from the shelves in the Restricted part of the library", he said, "I don't think the ones we have here will be enough"

Rino and I stared at the mountain of books in front of us before exchanging weary glances. More books?! Exactly where were we even going to keep them?

"Also, we'll have to start looking at more ancient demons too", Alpha Penson added, turning pages of the book he was holding in his hands, "If this Beast really is as ancient as we think he is, then there is a possibility that his demon half is a demon we haven't really heard of in the present times. In fact..."

His eyes scanned the contents of the page he had opened before he looked at the two of us again, "I'm starting to think that we should begin searching through Extinct demons"

"Extinct?!" Rino and I exclaimed surprised.

Alpha Penson nodded, "When I spoke to Alpha Zuerien, he said that although the Beast had a very vivid demonic aura, it was still an aura which he was unfamiliar with. Now that could be because Alpha Zuerien hasn't met that many demons in his lifetime, but if this beast really has existed from the time of our First King and Queen then there is a possibility that he may belong to a species of demons who have gone extinct"

He looked at me and added, "That could also be the reason why you felt like he was a very ancient being, and why we're having such a hard time trying to find any details about him. Most of the demons that I know of in this present age don't live nearly as long as this Beast has been alive, but certain archaic breeds of demons may have had that attribute"

"But by asking us to search amongst Extinct species, are you suggesting that this demon may be the last of its kind?" I asked.

Alpha Penson looked at me, his face calm yet something grave about his demeanor, "I'm afraid so, Suzzanah", he replied, "In all of my 400 years, I've never heard of a creature quite like this Beast. And not just me, even the Elite Overseer who is much older than I has neither heard nor read about such a being"

"A creature as ancient and diverse as him should be famous!" he remarked, "If the world knew of his existence then surely everyone would be talking about him. But no one is, and as far as I know, no one ever has either, which makes me think that he has managed to conceal his identity from the world for thousands of years"

He frowned thoughtfully as he said, "I can't confidently say that he is the last of his kind in the world since I haven't seen the creature with my own eyes, but at this point, it is a possibility we can no longer afford to ignore"

Fear trickled into my veins once more, making chills run down my spine. A part of me had been hoping that if we've figured out just what exactly this beast was, I wouldn't be that afraid of him anymore. But it seemed that the more we learnt about him, the more the thought of him filled me with terror.

If he really was the last of his kind then just how powerful of a demon was he to have survived when the rest of his breed had passed away. It was literally like coming face to face with a dinosaur in the present age and day.

And the question that terrified me most was...why exactly was such an ancient and powerful beast after me? Why did he hate me so much that he had consistently been disposing off every single one of my predecessors whom he could get his hands on?

Just what exactly is his history with my soul?

I felt a hand over my head and I turned to find Alpha Penson looking down at me tenderly.

"Its alright Suzzanah. There is no need to be afraid", he said gently.

"That's right Anna", Rino added, squeezing my hand, "We won't let anything happen to you. So don't you worry about a thing"

Alpha Penson nodded, "No matter how ancient or strong this Beast may be, we won't let him hurt you"

But what if they hurt you?

I forced a smile, grateful for all their love and support, but in reality, I wasn't just afraid for myself. I was terrified that in his quest to try and kill me, that Beast may end up coming for my friends too. I was afraid for everyone who had pledged to protect me. My friends, my family, my mate.

Zuerien...

I was scared that something bad may happen to them in the process of protecting me. It was also the reason why deep down, a part of me didn't want Zuerien and the others to go looking for that Beast. And even now, a small part of me didn't want Zuerien to find him.

It wasn't that I didn't believe in Zuerien's strength, but it was the very vivid memory of how terrified I had been when I had seen Kai chase after that Beast, following it deeper into the woods.

And disappearing out of my sight.

I held back a shudder as I recollected that memory. The fear I had felt in that moment had been more intense than anything else I had ever felt. Like if I let my mate chase after that beast and disappear from my sight, then I'd never see him again.

Like a premonition that something terrible was about to happen.

Don't go...

I still remembered the sound of Emily's desperate plea which had sounded in my head in that moment.

Don't go after him Micheal...please don't. Don't leave. Please. Please!

She had begged her mate to not go after that Beast, just like I had begged my own mate not to. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shrug off the memory of that incident.

And then there was the matter of the dream I had this morning. The one about me dying. They were all such ominous signs that I couldn't help but feel afraid.

I looked at Alpha Penson, desperate to want to share my dream with him. I didn't think I could bear to hold in all this anxiety on my own. Alpha Penson read the look in my eyes immediately, without me even needing to say anything. He understood that I wanted to talk to him alone, so the very next second he looked at Rino.

"Rino, would you mind going to find these books about Demons from the Restricted Grounds for me?" Alpha Penson asked, giving Rino a piece of paper in which he had made a short list, "You can take Neil with you. He returned from the woods just a short while ago and is in the next aisle. He'll know where they are"

"Oh! Sure, but...", Rino looked at me worriedly and Alpha Penson smiled.

"Don't worry. I know Zuerien told you to not let Suzzanah out of your sight but I'm here so you don't have to be concerned", he told him, "Besides, other warrior wolves from Neil's team are all close by. She'll be fine"

Rino looked back at me and I nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Okay then. Be right back!" Rino said before running to the next aisle and appearing with Neil in tow seconds later, "I need a hand. Come on Neil!" he said dragging a confused Neil along with him into the Restricted Grounds before Neil even had a chance to question him about it.

Once they were gone, Alpha Penson then looked at me, "Now then, why don't you tell me what's really bothering you, dear one", he said softly and I gulped, worriedly.

"Alpha Penson...I didn't dream about the women in the Mirrors this morning", I said and he nodded.

"Yes I guessed as much, seeing as you didn't mention anything about it to us", Alpha Penson replied, "It's alright though, Suzzanah. You don't have to push yourself to try and dream about it. Its okay even if you don't"

"Its not that", I said, feeling dread wash over me, "I actually...had a different dream this time. And it...was pretty disturbing"

A frown marred his face immediately as he bent closer to me, "Tell me everything", he said gently and I nodded.

As vague as it had been, I told him everything I could remember about the dream. As I did, it was like the dream replayed before my eyes once more- the cold water surrounding me, my dark hair fluttering around my face, the silver streak gleaming dimly and the pink dress stained with blood which was oozing out of the hole in my chest.

I told him everything in as much detail as I could, and I watched as his frown slowly turned to mild shock and by the time I was done, a somber look had settled into his features.

"I've had nightmares before but this one was particularly frightening", I told him as he listened quietly, "I can't seem to shake it off. And the most terrifying thing about it..was that it didn't feel like a dream at all. It all felt so real"

Alpha Penson's face darkened and I suddenly wondered if I had said something wrong.

"Alpha?" I asked softly, "Are you alright?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking into my eyes again. I immediately saw the look of deep sorrow in their dark depths and worry welled up within me.

"Alpha Penson? What's the matter," I asked concernedly, and he swallowed hard.

Reaching out, he took my hand in both of his and patted it gently, "Suzzanah. Please don't worry. You'll be alright", he told me, but his voice seemed heavy and melancholy, "I don't think that dream was about you"

"Huh?" I said confused before realization hit me like a bucket of cold water.

"I believe the dream you had was about Emily", he told me quietly, and I felt my heart clench painfully inside of me, "That was how she died. She had a hole punched through her chest and she fell off a cliff into the river. We never found her body"

Excruciating pain flooded my body and I clenched my teeth, holding back a whimper as I tightened my grip around his hands.

Oh Alpha Penson...

I suddenly remembered the vision I had had when I had been running from that Beast in the woods. When I had momentarily transformed into Emily, I had been wearing a pink dress stained with blood, just like in my dream from this morning.

So it really was her...

"I think...what you dreamt may have been her last moments", he said and I was astounded at how strong he was, to be able to speak about something so painful so calmly.

"Alpha Penson...I'm so so sorry", I breathed out heartbroken, and he shook his head.

"Don't be, Suzzanah", he said, "If anything, we should be grateful that the dream was about the past, and not the future"

Gratefulness was the last thing I was feeling at the moment. The thought of dying had been frightening, but knowing the truth, that it was actually Emily who had died such a gruesome, painful death was far more agonizing.

And yet...her smile is always so peaceful...

An image of her standing in the woods in her white dress, and smiling beautifully flashed in my mind and I closed my eyes.

Emily...

Why did it seem like every time we learnt more about my dreams, we also opened up Alpha Penson's old wounds. He had seemed like the best person to tell my dream, and yet, now I wished I hadn't told him. I wished I didn't have to see him hold back the pain every time something like this was brought to the forefront.

He forced a smile, trying to show me that he was okay, "You will be alright, Suzzanah", he told me, and the conviction in his words, despite his grief, amazed me, "You will not die like all the other innocent women before you did, including my daughter who died in my place. It will not happen with you. I promise you, we will protect you with our lives"

I shook my head, "No. That's not what I want", I told him softly, "I don't want you to protect me if it is at the cost of your own lives. What good would my life be without you all anyway?"

He exhaled softly, lowering his gaze and I bent my head to look into his eyes, "Alpha", I said softly making him look back at me.

I placed my other hand over his and said, "Emily is alright"

His eyes flicked with surprise and I held his hands tighter in mine, "I mean it. She is", I told him honestly, "I've met her. I assure you, she looks happy. Your daughter is alright"

A slow smile stretched across his face, and this time, it was genuine.

"I know", he said, raising one hand to pat my cheek, "I see her in you all the time"

My heart warmed at his words as I smiled back at him. He took a deep breath before sitting up straight again.

"I'm alright, dear one", he assured me, and I was relieved when I sensed that he was being honest, "You always make me feel better"

"And you me", I replied and he tilted his head to the side.

"So why don't you look alright?" he asked and I looked down at my lap.

"I just...I know you all keep telling me to not be afraid of that Beast but...I can't help it", I told him quietly, "If he's managed to survive for so many thousands of years...he must be crazy strong! What if...what if he can't be defeated? What if he is invincible?"

Alpha Penson shook his head, "No being on this Earth is invincible, dear one", he told me gently, "Even immortal beings like vampires, who don't die of old age, are not invincible. There are two things in this world that no one, no matter how powerful they may be, are completely immune. And those two things are defeat and death"

I didn't know what to say. In all honesty, what I wanted was not for that Beast to die. It was for him to leave us all alone. But the more I thought about how things had played out all through history, the more I became aware of the painful realization that perhaps the only way he would ever leave us, or rather, me alone for good, was if one of us finally died forever.

"What you said is true. But its true not only for the Beast but also for all of you. For you, and Rino and Cole and Marco and everyone else!"

"You're worried he may come after us?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, "And even more so when you say things like 'We will protect you with our lives'", I stated anxiously, "I wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to one of you while trying to protect me. I'm afraid for you all, and for Zuerien who is searching for that beast right now. What if...what if he finds him and they fight and...Zuerien loses?"

Even saying those words made my heart hurt.

Alpha Penson shook his head, "I think you're underestimating Alpha Zuerien's power, Suzzanah", he told me, "Alpha Zuerien is strong. Stronger than you might believe"

"But he isn't invincible either though, right?" I said anxiously.

"No he isn't", Alpha Penson replied, "But as long as you are safe, so will he be. After all, you are his Heart"

I stared at him surprised, uncertain about how to respond.

"Do you know why Alpha Zuerien calls you Heart, Suzzanah?" Alpha Penson asked me.

"Can you feel it? That's my heart beating for you. Because that's what you are to me"

The words Zuerien had spoken to me the day he had first called me his heart, resounded in my mind, warming the depths of my soul.

"I think...he chose that endearment to tell me that he cares for me and that I'm precious to him", I replied.

Alpha Penson smiled, "It is all those things, but there may also be a deeper meaning behind it", he told me.

I tilted my head to the side inquisitively as he raised his eyes to the ceiling in thought.

"Did you know Suzzanah, all Supernaturals have some or the other weaknesses", he said, "As I've told you once before, Silver is one of the weaknesses shared by a lot of Supernaturals, including us werewolves"

I nodded, "Yes, you told me it takes a long time for werewolves to heal from wounds inflicted by Silver", a memory flashed in my mind and I added, "Actually, I think I've seen what an injury from a silver object looks like"

"Oh?" he said surprised, "When?"

"It was that day when we all visited the restaurant Satiété before the Annual Games started and there was a sudden rogue attack", I recollected, "My roommate Annabelle sustained a pretty bad injury that day and I vaguely remember her saying something about silver"

"By Annabelle you mean Warrior Black?"

I nodded, "Yes. Annabelle Black"

A loud thud sounded from next to us and both our heads whipped to the side to find Neil staring at me shocked, his face ashen. He had just dropped a large and heavy book on the floor.

"Neil? Is something wrong?" I asked, when the look of deep concern on his face didn't fade.

He shook his head, but it was the most uncertain motion I had ever seen him make, "I-I just came to ask Alpha Penson about a Book he's written down on the list here", he said, his voice sounding strained.

"What is it Neil?" Alpha Penson asked as Neil walked up to us and he told Alpha Penson about a certain book he couldn't make out.

Once Alpha Penson had cleared the doubt he had, I asked, "Is everything alright in the woods Neil? You were away for a while"

"Huh? O-Oh yes Luna. A few stray rogues were spotted but we've taken care of the matter now", he replied.

"That's good", I replied.

Neil didn't reply, and even though he seemed to have nothing more to say on the matter, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he continued to stare at me, looking desperate to say something, but just when I was about to ask him what was wrong, he quickly bowed, then turned and walked away.

"You mentioned Warrior Black was injured with silver Suzzanah", Alpha Penson said, getting right back to the topic while I was still staring after Neil confused. I could faintly feel his worry flowing through me.

"Huh? Oh yes. She was I think", I replied to Alpha Penson, snapping out of my thoughts about Neil, "But she healed pretty quickly actually. Her injury was completely gone the very next day"

Immediately, a wave of relief flooded through me and I turned to look towards the Restricted grounds just in time to catch Neil walking away, heaving a sigh.

"It was, was it?" Alpha Penson asked, recapturing my attention, "Perhaps the injury was not so bad then"

"Oh no, it was awful!" I said, "Three gashes to her calf. They were pretty deep too. I would know, I helped patch it up for her"

"Oh?" Alpha Penson's eyebrows rose, surprise flashing in his eyes, "And the injury was gone the next day?"

"Yeah", I said, "I remember thinking that Annabelle must be crazy strong if her injury healed so fast"

Alpha Penson didn't reply, but just continued to look at me with deep, thoughtful eyes.

I blinked, "What is it?" I asked and his eyes narrowed slightly, but then he shook his head.

"Its nothing", he said, "But getting back to why I started to telling you this in the first place, every Supernatural has one or the other weakness. Werewolves are susceptible to silver. Supernatural shadows, as you know, are susceptible to light, and similarly every Supernatural being has one or the other weakness. But do you know what is one weakness that is common to every single Supernatural in the world?"

I shook my head.

"The Heart"

"Huh?" I looked at him wide-eyed, "The heart?"

"That's right", he said, "There are Supernaturals who can live through almost anything. A lot of Supernatural species even survive if you shoot them in the head because their brain cells can regenerate and heal. But no Supernatural can survive a blow to the heart. If you destroy their heart, they will die, regardless of how strong they may be"

I stared at him shocked, "Wait...S-So you mean...Zuerien calls me Heart to signify that I'm his greatest weakness?!" I asked confused.

Alpha Penson chuckled and shook his head, "No Suzzanah. The heart may be a Supernatural being's greatest weakness, but it also their greatest strength", he told me, "Because no matter how terrible a Supernatural's injuries may be, if their heart is still healthy and beating, they will always have a chance of survival. Because with every beat of the heart, the pain fades, our wounds heal and we receive new strength"

I looked at him amazed and he smiled affectionately, "So as long as the Heart is alright, we Supernaturals always have hope", he told me, "And that's what you are to Alpha Zuerien. His hope-"

"You are our hope..."

"-and his reason to go on"

"You are the reason behind our very existence..."

I sat there awestruck as he concluded, "And that, I believe, is the meaning behind why Alpha Zuerien calls you his Heart. Because as long as you are alright, he will be too"

"You are..."

"So you see, you don't have to worry about Alpha Zuerien", he told me warmly, "His heart is here, safe and well. So nothing and no one will be able to defeat him"

"You truly are our heart"

Alpha Penson's words left me utterly speechless as I stared at him, my eyes wide and lips parted in awe. I remembered vividly, the time Zuerien had first called me his Heart, that day in the woods when I had confessed to him that I knew that he was a werewolf.

Following that day, he had called me that many times. But I had never realized the true meaning behind his words. And then...last night...I remembered how he had pressed my hand to his forehead, and then placed it over his chest before kissing it. And he had said...

"You truly are...our heart. In every sense"

In every sense.

I couldn't believe it. So that's what he had meant. An immense rush of profound warmth and unfathomable love welled up inside me and the next thing I knew, my eyes turned misty and tears were spilling out of them and running down my cheeks.

Alpha Penson's eyes widened in surprise, and so did mine at the realization that I was crying. I quickly went to wipe away my tears but more brimmed in my eyes. I didn't know why but I couldn't keep myself from crying. I couldn't stop the tears. I was just so overwhelmed by the sentiment that it made my emotions overflow.

Zuerien...

All this time I couldn't help but feel bad that he couldn't tell me that he loved me. But in his own way, he had been telling me everyday. Every time he called me his Heart, he had been telling me that I was the most important person in the world to him.

And that he loved me, even if he couldn't say the words.

Zuerien...

I buried my face in my hands, feeling happy and sad and a little flustered that I couldn't stop crying. I suddenly wanted to see Zuerien again. I wanted to hug him and kiss him and tell him over and over,

Zuerien...I love you so much...

"There, there, dear-one. Its alright", he said, caressing my hair, "Please don't cry"

"I d-didn't know", I whispered between soft sobs.

"Of course you didn't know. But that's okay, now you do and that's what is important", he told me, making me look up from my hands.

He smiled tenderly at me, "You are Alpha Zuerien's Heart, Suzzanah. As long as you live, he will too. The healthier you are, the happier he'll be. And yes, being his Heart means that you are his biggest weakness, but you are also his greatest strength", he told me, "And as long as you are strong, so will he be"

I smiled gratefully at Alpha Penson and he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently dabbed it at my eyes. He then handed it to me and I took it from him, wiping my tears.

When I was done, he patted my head, "Believe in him dear-one", he told me, "Your mate has lived through some extremely hard times in his life. So I assure you, he will not die at the hands of that Beast. His Heart is stronger than that"

"Alpha Penson, thank you", I said, giving him a side-hug.

He hugged back, "You're welcome, my child", he said and my heart warmed at the endearment, "And I'm sorry if I upset you by saying that we'll give up our lives to protect you"

"You better not!", I said, frowning, "You may not know this but I'm a very clingy person. I won't let any of you go, even if you want to"

He chuckled softly making me smile too before pulling away.

"Are you alright?" he asked me and I nodded.

"I am", I told him with a reassuring smile.

I felt much lighter after having spoken to him. Now my fears and anxiety had faded significantly, I could think clearly again.

"So, the heart is every Supernatural being's vulnerability?" I asked and he nodded.

"It is their weakest and strongest point", he told me, "It's isn't easy to stop or destroy a Supernatural's heart, and as long as it beats, the Supernatural will live no matter how bad their injuries. But the minute it stops beating, its all over. Supernaturals can even survive injuries to their brains because their brain cells regenerate, but if their heart stops or if it is injured, it is next to impossible to recover from it"

"Why is that? Do the heart cells not regenerate?" I asked.

"They do, but they do so much slower than the rest of our bodies", he replied, "But the main reason why it is the most important part to a Supernatural's existence is because the Heart is the physical equivalent of the origin of one's soul"

When I gave him a thoroughly muddled look, he explained, "A person's soul flows throughout their body like the blood in their veins", he told me, "But just like the blood is pumped out to the body from the heart, the soul is pumped out to the body from a point in our soul-axis called the origin. This point - the origin - is where our souls are considered to be most concentrated and where they are strongest"

I nodded, listening intently.

"This point is not something that is visible to the naked eye", he continued, "But it is believed that the origin of one's soul is located in the same spot as a person's anatomical heart, and the beating of one's heart is considered to always be in sync with the pulsing of one's soul's origin, which causes the soul to be distributed to the rest of the body"

"Wow", I exclaimed, awed, "So the heart of a person is something like the home of their soul", I said and he nodded.

"That's a very good likening", he said, "And when this home is destroyed, the soul doesn't have a place to belong to anymore and so it leaves the body. A person's heart and soul are interdependent. One cannot continue to function without the other. Also, even if the heart is healthy, if it doesn't beat then it has a direct impact on the soul's origin which also stops pulsing. And if the origin doesn't pulse then the rest of the body doesn't receive the soul, without which the body is as good as dead"

"Oh..."

"One of the only people who is relatively resistant to this natural phenomenon is the Luna of Time- in our case, Prophecy", he added, making my eyes widen, "For most people, their souls can only leave the bodies once the hearts have stopped beating. But as the Luna of Time, Prophecy's soul leaves her body at random occasions and sometimes even for long periods. So her body, or rather her heart is wired in such a way that it can withstand longer periods of time without her soul. It continues beating even when her soul in not in her body"

"That is what happened to your heart too when your spirit was teleported to Toronto that day during the Games", he told me, "Your heart continued beating even though your soul was not in your body. But because your heart is not designed to withstand long periods without your soul, there was a much higher chance of you- uh, well..."

He cut himself off, suddenly not able to continue and I knew why.

"A much higher chance of me...dying?" I asked and he nodded silently, "So...why didn't I?" I asked curiously, "I mean, seeing as my heart isn't cut out for surviving without my soul"

"You didn't die because your soul leaving your body was mediated by Intercession's powers", he replied, "It was her powers which provided a connection between your soul and your heart, even when they were far apart. And it was also her powers which enabled your soul's safe return to your body"

He suddenly smiled reminiscently, "I remember Alpha Zuerien was about ready to lose his mind and turn the entire world into a blazing furnace that day", he said, making my eyebrows rise in alarm, "And everyone was even more terrified because it was Alpha Kai, and not Alpha Zuerien, who was in control. But I can understand why he was so worried. Prophecy's heart is the only one that has the ability to function without her soul. But even her heart cannot function forever without it, which is why her soul always returns to her body before her heart gets too fatigued"

I nodded in understanding, "That's neat! You learn something new everyday!" I said.

"That's the beauty of life", Alpha Penson said.

"Say, since you brought up Kai, I was wondering, why is everyone so afraid of Kai?" I asked, genuinely curious to know the answer, "The way I see it, Kai actually represents the more laid-back, jovial and playful side of Zuerien. He's sassy and funny and well quite shameless too at times, I have to admit, but on the whole he's like a big ball of sunshine- like Rino!"

Alpha Penson almost choked on his water when I said that, "Pardon? Like Rino?" he said looking wide eyed, "My dear Suzzanah, where on Earth did you get that impression? Rino and Alpha Kai are literally day and night!"

"What are you talking about, no they're not!" I argued, "Kai can be just as naive and happy-go-lucky. He even loves to be hugged!"

"By you, I presume", he said and I felt my cheeks warm. Alpha Penson smiled and added, "Because I can assure you he doesn't like to be hugged by any of us"

"Okay, maybe not being hugged, but he enjoys chatting with people!"

Alpha Penson looked more shocked with every passing second, "Alpha Kai enjoys chatting?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Frankly because I am. I could probably count on the fingers of one hand how many times anyone has actually had a conversation consisting of more than 3 sentences with Alpha Kai", he told me, "Alpha Kai is several times quieter than Alpha Zuerien. I reckon he may even be quieter than Alpha Ashford"

"That would be pushing it", I said and he nodded.

"Perhaps a little", he agreed, "But I am being honest though. Alpha Kai is one of the quietest persons I have ever known in my entire life"

I thought about what he had just said. Even though my conversations with Kai were always lively and pretty hilarious, I didn't really have conversations with him very often. When he talked, Kai could be quite chatty, but the number of times he actually spoke up in a day was still quite small. He actually seemed to do a lot more listening than he did speaking on a day to day basis.

"Well...I guess what you said could be true after all", I admitted, "I guess Kai is quieter than Zuerien, but when he talks, he talks a lot"

"I honestly wouldn't know", he told me, "Alpha Kai doesn't talk to me much. I think the only person apart from you whom he actually interacts with is Cole"

"Oh, so he talks to Cole?"

"Yes, I believe Alpha Kai is quite fond of Cole"

Awww, that made me smile.

"Okay, so Kai doesn't talk to a lot of people, but Zuerien doesn't either", I said, "And yet I can't help but feel like everyone is more afraid of Kai than they are of Zuerien"

"That's true"

"But why though?" I asked confused, "I've been thinking about this since last night. When Kai took over Zuerien's body in the Meeting hall yesterday, everyone immediately looked terrified, and when they spoke to him, I felt like they were being extra cautious like they were walking on eggshells or something"

Alpha Penson smiled, "You've been observing us quite keenly haven't you?" he said.

"I couldn't help but notice", I replied, "But I didn't understand why. I mean I can see why people would be afraid of Zuerien. He can be pretty scary when he's angry. But why Kai? As far as I know, Kai doesn't really ever lose control. Actually, I don't think I've ever even seen Kai get mad before. Zuerien yes, but Kai...I don't think so"

"Well then, consider yourself very lucky Suzzanah", he said, "Trust me, you don't want to see Alpha Kai get mad"

"You mean you've seen him angry then?"

"Oh yes", Alpha Penson said, his eyebrows rising as though in awe of the memory, "You were right, Alpha Kai doesn't lose control easily. But when he does..."

He didn't complete his sentence, shaking his head as though he didn't even want to imagine such a situation. And for me, his reaction came as a huge surprise. Alpha Penson was not someone who was easily intimidated, by anyone. And yet, when it came to Kai, he seemed wary.

As someone who had received nothing but surplus affection and undying devotion from Kai, I found it hard to believe that he could actually be an object of fear for anyone. But I was also aware that there was still a lot I didn't know about Zuerien and Kai.

Everyone got mad once in a while. So of course it was perfectly natural if Kai did too sometimes. But from what I'd seen and heard, it seemed that Kai's anger was something far more fearsome than anything I could have anticipated.

An angry Kai...

When I thought about it, what came to my mind was the same image of an angry Zuerien. And angry Zuerien I could handle, because underneath all the anger, he had the kind and merciful heart. But seeing as I had established that Kai was just a more intense version of Zuerien, perhaps his anger would be slightly...fierier.

"Suzzanah?"

I snapped out of my thoughts to look back at Alpha Penson. He looked at me concerned, "I'm sorry, did I scare you by telling you all this?" he asked.

I shook my head, "Of course not", I replied, "I'm happy to hear more about my mate, whatever the input may be. And I've seen Zuerien's anger so I was trying to imagine what Kai's anger may be like"

Alpha Penson's eyes narrowed slightly, in thought at my words.

"But regardless, I'm not afraid of Zuerien or Kai", I told him honestly, "I know they would never hurt anyone without reason. Because one thing I have learnt about the kind of King my mate is, is that he is a just one. After all, he had the rectitude to give those people who locked me up in that wardrobe a second chance"

"He may only have done that because you asked him to", Alpha Penson replied, "I know I only did so for that reason"

I smiled, "Even so, the very fact that he heeded my words and was willing to allow me to make the final decision of what happens to them, seeing I was the one who they had committed a crime against, is a confirmation that he is a virtuous man", I said, "I'm glad he didn't let his anger completely blind him. I don't remember much of what happened after he came to rescue me that day, but by the look on his face, I had been afraid that he may kill them"

Alpha Penson looked away, "Perhaps he should have", he said making my eyes widen in alarm.

"Alpha Penson!" I exclaimed shocked and he shrugged indifferently.

I had never seen him act this nonchalant about punishing someone before. Normally he was always the voice of reason, trying to calm all the other guys who just wanted to break the offenders' faces.

"I've lived many years and seen many different kinds of people", Alpha Penson said, "So I always strive to try and understand the motives behind a person's actions before judging them, no matter how rash the actions may be. But I will never have any sympathy for people who can justify hurting someone they know nothing about, with as little reason behind it as a mere misconception. Especially not when the person they hurt is you, Suzzanah"

He did have a point. I know that those guys did repent for what they did, but it may only have been because they found out that I was Zuerien's soulmate. Had I not been, I wonder if they would have been sorry.

Regardless, I did not regret forgiving them. That was the first step to moving on from that horrific experience. But if they ever made such a mistake again, I wouldn't plead their cases. I really hoped that they would change their ways and not treat humans as badly as they did me and Megan, ever again.

Megan...

The thought of Megan immediately made me long to see her. It had been her Shadow that had untied me when I was still locked up in that dingy wardrobe. She had helped me when I needed help the most and I would never forget it. And if she chose to join us, I would stand by her every step of the way, even if someone opposed her status because she was half-Shadower.

I hope you come to see me Megan...

Something suddenly occurred to me and I gasped, "Alpha Penson!" I exclaimed, "I just realized that Marco told Megan that if she wanted to speak to me she could come meet me in my room at the Hotel. But I'm here now. How will we know if she comes to the hotel?" I asked worriedly.

"Oh not to worry", he said, "Marco put up a special maze around the Hotel just for her. If she passes through it, he will immediately know and he'll inform us"

"But what if she is just passing through there and not really coming to see me?" I asked.

"Megan is a smart girl. I don't think she'd make the mistake of coming so close to the Hotel we're staying at if it isn't with the intention of seeing you", he replied.

"But it'll take a while to get from here to the Hotel though", I stated.

"Its alright. Marco said that the minute he senses Megan pass through that maze, he will inform us and ask Lord Heinrich to teleport us there", he said, "So please don't worry"

At that, I felt a little more relieved. I really hoped that she would come see me soon. I was looking forward to speaking with her again. It was while I was thinking of her that something suddenly occurred to me.

"Alpha Penson...you said that all Supernaturals, other than Generic Shapeshifters, can have only 2 physical forms right?" I asked and he nodded, "So does that mean the Shadow People are also Generic Shapeshifters? Because you said that in their Shadow forms they can shift into any creature they want to right?"

Alpha Penson looked at me impressed, "That's a good observation, Suzzanah", he told me, "The Shadow People aren't exactly Generic Shapeshifters but they are a kind of variant of the classic species because they can only shape-shift into grey-black shadowy impressions of creatures, unlike the classical Generic Shapeshifters who can impersonate anyone with perfect likeness, color, texture and everything. But the downside is Generic Shapeshifters can only shift into other living things, and not non-living objects like chairs or tables, whereas a Supernatural Shadow can shift into pretty much anything"

"Oh..."

I had seen Terrence Magnifis' shadow transform into a thick black plank to save Karina from falling from the balcony that day. It seemed that Shape-shifting was quite a useful skill to possess, especially to hide or camouflage oneself.

The Shadow People must be good spies then...

I quickly shook away that thought, not wanting to overthink into all the scary possibilities it may bring with it. Soon Rino and Neil returned with a the new set of books. It had actually taken them quite a while to find them, but they had been successful. We thanked Neil for his help and then got back to work, searching for demons that resembled the Beast we had seen.

Alpha Penson had also asked for Books about ancient Werewolf history, seeing as the creature we were dealing with had existed back in the period of the first King and Queen. He said that there may be references of other demons in history which could be helpful to us. But because there were no books apart from the 'Book of Ages' which documented that era, we would have to make do with the history we did have.

So while Rino and I went through books about demons, Alpha Penson went through ancient history. We studied tons of demons, with me reading the details to Rino out loud and him looking through several books and finding pictures of the demons I was reading about, hoping that one of them would match the Beast I had seen, even though that Beast had actually looked exactly like a werewolf to me.

It took a lot of searching to find demons that looked like wolves, and after we had gone through as many of the live demon species that matched our criteria as we could, we decided that we needed to switch to the extinct ones.

As we did, we received another 20 photographs of blue or green eyed men from Mr. Talon, but yet again, none of them matched the man I had seen. I almost wished the man would appear before me just one more time so I could get a better look at him again, but alas, he never did appear when I wanted him to.

After that, we got back to work, searching through extinct species. I didn't know if it was just me, but the further we went back into history, the more terrifying the demons became. We couldn't find many extinct dog demons, but even the ones we did find were far from looking like the Beast that I saw.

It seemed like we were doing a lot of things but unfortunately, we weren't getting any results. And it was around 1:45 pm by the time I and Rino were so exhausted from devouring books about Canine Demons, that we started to look like canines to each other.

"If you were a dog, you could be a Golden Retriever", I told him and he grinned.

"And you could be...maybe a Yorkshire Terrier?" he said and my face lit up.

"Aww, I like that!" I exclaimed and opposite to us, Alpha Penson broke into a chuckle.

"When you've researched canines so deeply that you start to compare yourselves to them is when you know you should take a lunch break", Alpha Penson said making me and Rino heave sighs of relief.

"Thank God! A break!" I said, stretching, "I feel as rigid as a wooden plank right now. I really could use a walk"

"Me too!" Rino said excitedly as we stood up, "Come on John, let's go"

Alpha Penson nodded and closed the Book he was reading, but just as he stood up, his eyes glazed over. Someone was mindlinking him. Rino and I waited, wondering who it may be, but then Alpha Penson paused the mindlink and looked at us.

"You both go on ahead", he told us, "Neil and the others will escort you to the restaurant. I have some business to attend to via mindlink but I'll join you shortly"

"Are you sure?" I asked and he nodded, "Okay then"

Rino and I went on ahead while Alpha Penson got back to his mindlink. We found Neil and we made our way out of the Hall of Fiction discussing what options we had for lunch.

As we stepped outside the library, a gust of cool wind hit my body. It wasn't raining outside, but the weather was still quite cloudy and it was cold outside, a film of thin fog surrounding the library and the woods around.

We waited on the pavement outside the library while one of our bodyguards went to get the car. Neil was called by one of the warrior wolves close to the woods so he took his leave to go have a brief word with them. Something about some werewolves not responding to mindlink.

I looked around at the thick woods that surrounded the library. Shrouded in translucent mist, the woods looked even more mysterious and enchanting.

And apart from the sound that our little company was making, it was quiet outside. Really quiet. No sound of birds or crickets or even the wind. I wondered if this was what it was like in the woods all the time.

And somewhere deep within the depths of those woods, a group of werewolves were fervently searching for a dark, dangerous beast that had been hunting my soul for years.

Just as quickly as that thought came to my mind, I pushed it away. Just for a little while, I wanted to not think about that Beast. My mind drifted to thoughts of my mate and my friends who were currently in the woods, busy with their own missions for the day. And those thoughts eventually took me to Cole.

“She was my mate”

It was still a little hard for me to believe how casually Cole had broken the news to me. As though it wasn’t a big deal at all and just passing news. And had I not known any better, I too would have thought that his nonchalant demeanor was born from the idea of not wanting his mate. But…I did know better.

Cole had told me his reasons, albeit briefly, but whatever he had said had been enough, and had given me a solid idea of why he wasn’t in a rush to tear the place down to find his mate.

It wasn’t because he didn’t want or didn’t love his mate. On the contrary, he perhaps…loved her too much.

And his words from earlier still rung crystal clear in my mind, the depth of feeling in them weighing down on me heavily.

“Its…for her own good”

I remembered the look in his eyes as he had said those words to me. It was a look I was enormously familiar with. I had seen it, once in Marco’s eyes, and many times in Zuerien’s.

The look of unconditional affection for their mates.

I had never before had the opportunity to really sit down and talk to Cole, to get to know more about the man who was my mate’s right hand. But today, the few minutes I had spent with him, and the few words he had said to me had spoken volumes about the Cole’s character and the kind of person he really was.

I always knew that he was loyal and selfless, but today I had seen the true extent of those two qualities in him, and it had left me both at a loss of words and almost at the verge of tears. I could understand perfectly now, why Cole was the one person Zuerien and Kai trusted with their life.

Beta Cole Knightly truly was a knight in every sense- strong, noble and loyal to the bitter end.

So loyal…

Cole’s reasons for not wanting to find his mate right now were too concrete to be shaken and too unconditional to be questioned. I may not have agreed with them completely but in the end this was his mate, and his decision to make, not mine. And I had decided to respect that decision, which was why I had asked Zuerien too to let him be. It was also why I was hesitant to bring up the matter of the woman I had run into possibly being Cole’s mate again.

Cole seemed certain that the woman by the convenience store wasn't his mate, and I truly believed that he would know best. I trusted his judgement and really wanted to let the matter go. But something about what he told me kept pricking at my mind.

"I picked up a scent around you last night that took me by surprise. It wasn't yours but...it was familiar"

"That wasn't the first time I picked up that scent around you. The first time was when we went to get Rino away from the Northern Wall. Amidst the chaos, I remember very briefly picking up a striking scent around you which wasn't yours"

When we went to the Northern Wall...

He had said the faint aura around me had been unfamiliar to him but the scent it came with reminded him of his mate. But what scent could it have been? And why was it around me alone and not anyone else?

Alpha Penson had once told me that auras, and more rarely scents could be transferred from one person to another by making some form of contact with them. So what had I made contact with that nobody else had made contact with, and that made me acquire a scent similar to that of Cole's mate?

While I was thinking, Rino said, "Its such a shame we haven't found a demon that matches that Beast yet. I sure could use a little boost of positive news. Like news of Megan and her friend coming to visit you for instance"

Megan's friend!

My head shot towards Rino and I looked at him wide-eyed. That's right! That day when we went to rescue Rino from near the Northern wall was the same day I had snuck into Megan's friend's cottage and been caught by her! And she had used a teleportation spell to get me out of there!

The scent of her and her home must have been what lingered around me, and maybe because the magic she used was not her own but that of the crystal studded in her staff, Cole wasn't able to recognize its aura. Because it wasn't her own aura.

And if the girl I met last night was Megan's friend then it totally makes sense that Cole picked up her scent around me last night! And that means...

Megan's friend may actually be Cole's mate after all! Cole just hasn't realized it because, just like me, he may have forgotten to take into equation the fact that I met Megan's friend that day in the forest before we went to the Northern wall.

My eyes were wide as I put together the possibilities, my heart racing in excitement.

Rino looked at me questioningly, "Anna, are you alright?" he asked and I grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Rino, oh my god! I have to mindlink Cole!" I exclaimed.

"Cole?" he asked confused and I nodded before turning away from him and quickly concentrating on mindlinking Cole.

I knew that Karina's mental block may hinder the mindlink but I had to tell him this news immediately.

Please work!

I closed my eyes in order to concentrate better and was about to mindlink him when, yet again, I was beaten to it as I felt someone mindlinking me instead. The familiar feeling of my mind blanking out came first, followed by someone's voice.

..na...

....nnaa...

I frowned, trying harder to hear what the voice was saying. It was a soft call, and it seemed to be coming from very faraway, sounding in my head like a whispered echo.

I wondered if this disturbance in mindlink was also happening because I didn't have a part of my soul. Putting my hands over my ears to block out outside noises, I began to walk towards a bench nearby, concentrating solely on the mindlink.

Who is it? I asked as loudly as I could, but I didn't get a reply.

I called out again, but I still didn't get a reply. I wondered if the mind-link had been cut off and was about to open my eyes when the soft voice sounded again in my head.

...naa...

It sounded closer now, and although I still couldn't even tell if the voice belonged to a male or a female, something about the call was vaguely familiar. And I didn't know why but for some reason, it was making me anxious.

Wh-who is it? I asked again, I can't hear you properly...

...it...me...naa......naaa!

My heart rate spiked, my breath hitching involuntarily as, suddenly, all my blood began rushing to my head. I heard Rino suck in a sharp breath as my body was abruptly bombarded with alternate hot and cold flushes one after the other, and out of nowhere, a wave of dizziness washed over me, making me stumble on my feet.

What's happening?!

My eyes shot open in alarm and I gasped on seeing that the fog around us had now grown so thick that I could hardly see a thing. I was completely enveloped in a white mist which was so condensed that I could no longer even see the massive library behind me.

Panic washed over me as I reached out towards where Rino had been standing just now, but my hand touched nothing but air. I couldn't even feel the concrete under my feet anymore. I felt like I was standing on air.

"RINO?!" I cried out, looking around frantically but I got no response.

Oh no. Please no.

"NEIL! RINOOO!" I shouted louder, and this time I heard a reply.

"Annaaa!"

It was Rino's voice but for some reason it sounded like it was coming from very faraway.

"RINO!" I screamed, feeling fear wash over me.

I don't want to disappear again! Please!

As I prayed desperately that I wouldn't be teleported somewhere again, the fog suddenly began to clear and I thought I saw a flash of Rino's clothes in the distance.

"Annaa!" I heard his voice call out and it sounded closer this time.

Relieved, I began running towards it when my mind blanked yet again in mindlink.

.....NA!

I stopped abruptly in my tracks when the voice from earlier sounded in my head once more, but this time even though the words weren't clear, the voice was crystal clear.

And it nearly made my heart stop in shock.

...NNA!

It sounded again loudly, and this time, without wasting even so much as a second, I found myself calling back.

KARINAA!

A wave of unfamiliar power suddenly surged through me, and just for a second, I felt like Karina was standing right behind me. My body whirled around in shock, eyes searching frantically through the thick fog. There was no one there, but I could almost feel Karina's presence nearby.

What's happening?!

KARINA! I called out again, as I walked through the fog, not knowing which way to go or even which way I was going, Karina, can you hear me?!

I didn't hear a reply and desperation washed over me as I took another step towards where I had felt her presence, calling out her name.

Karina, can you hear me?! KARIN-!

My foot suddenly landed onto a solid surface, something soft and uneven scratching the bottoms of my legs. My gaze jerked downwards and I frowned in confusion when I saw that I was now standing on a patch of thick grass.

There was no grass on the pavement outside the library.

I raised my gaze to see that the fog around me was starting to clear, but when I took in my surroundings, profound dread washed over me once more. Because I found that, yet again, I stood in a place surrounded on all sides by rows of tall trees, shrubs and vegetation, just like I had been when Prophecy had teleported me from my hotel room the other day.

My breath hitched as I realized that, for the second time, I was now lost in the vast woods of Dublin. And it was quite clear that, once more, I was here all alone.

It was déjà vu all over again.

What on earth happened this time?

Had I been teleported again? Had it been Prophecy's doing? But I didn't sense any magic around me, or was it because my soul was lacking that I couldn't sense it.

In any case, one thing was clear. I was in trouble again.

That brief mindlink I had established with Karina a few seconds ago had been cut off now, and I couldn't understand why I had felt like she had been really close when I had been cutting through the fog. I couldn't see her anywhere around here.

The mist still hadn't cleared up completely so my surroundings were still hazy, but this time I knew I didn't have the energy to deal with any trouble alone. So I decided to mindlink the only person I knew I could mindlink without any interference.

Zuerien.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on mindlinking my mate, dreading his response. He was going to lose his mind, especially because he had specifically warned me about this.

"Don't go anywhere outside unaccompanied, especially not into the woods"

But what could I do? It wasn't like I did this on purpose! Oh why couldn't I have been teleported to some well-inhabited place within the city? Why did it have to be the woods?

Praying that Zuerien wouldn't go bat-shit crazy, I mindlinked him.

Zuerien

Heart?

His voice responded immediately and I felt a wave of relief wash over.

Thank goodness. Zuerien-

My thoughts abruptly shattered and the words I had been meaning to tell Zuerien got cut off when I suddenly felt a dark presence, and then heard a low, threatening growl sound from behind me.

And my blood ran cold.

No...

Heart? Suzzanah?!

Zuerien's cries turned steadily more frantic, but I couldn't bring myself to reply as I slowly turned around, terror seeping into my veins. And when my eyes zeroed in on the unkempt, feral looking brown wolf standing less than 2 meters away from me, I nearly collapsed onto the undergrowth in shock.

Please no...

I couldn't believe this was really happening to me.

Suzzanah! Zuerien cried out panicked, What's going on?! HEART!

Zuerien...I breathed out petrified, as the wolf's predatory eyes flashed with dark insanity.

Rogue.

****

Random Question of the Day: Would you prefer to have a soulmate, or not have one? And if the former, which Supernatural Species (or human if that's what you prefer) would you like to be mated to?

IMPORTANT: ALL THEORIES REGARDING PEOPLE'S SOUL TO HEART CONNECTIONS, POWERS, TITLES, SUPERNATURAL GENETICS, WEREWOLF HISTORY ETC. MENTIONED IN MY BOOKS ARE OF MY OWN CREATION. DO NOT USE THEM IN YOUR OWN BOOKS!

A/N

Hey guys,

Sorry about having been MIA for so long. I've put up a note as to what's been going on with me on my Message Board, so you can read it there if you want to.

Also, thank you for all the love and encouragement on the last chapter. And thank you also for having been so patient with me! I really appreciate it.

I'm quite proud of how this chapter ended lolol. Do you want to kill me right now?

Well I most certainly do naht want to die, so let's quickly get onto:

PACK TALKS

1. Suzzanah's dream about the red-haired woman was quite mysterious. Who do you think the red-haired woman and the two men whose voices Suzzanah heard in that dream were?

2. Penson suspects that the Beast who is after Suzzanah may be the last of his kind. So what exactly is his kind? And when will he make a second appearance?

3. Suzzanah had a little heart-to-heart with Papa wolf Penson today. And her 'drowning' dream turned out to be about Emily. Was the news relieving or sorrowful?

4. Neil sure was acting strange today. Neil, O'Neil! What is your deal? (lol that rhymed) Theories?

5. And how many of you were touched by Zuerien's reason for calling Suzzanah his heart?

Also, Kai is something isn't he? Even Penson is intimidated by him.

6. Megan's friend may be Cole's mate after all! Aiyah! Thoughts?

7. Karina mindlinked Suzzanah! YES! But what was all that thick white fog about?!

8. And finally, Rogues 'gone dark' sure are scary. So, what will happen to Suzzanah now that she has been teleported in front of one?

Things are going to get pretty crazy from now, so buckle up.

And enjoy the ride!

Did you like this chapter?

If you did, please do VOTE, COMMENT, SHARE and FOLLOW!

Until next time,

All my love,

May