1. The New and The Old

Dedicated to Dreamzangel21. Love you more every day my darling!

The absolutely gorgeous cover above ⤴ was made by alicesingh31. You're incredible honey! Love you loads!

DO NOT COPY MY WORK!

This chapter is unedited so please excuse the grammatical errors.

BOOK TWO FINALLY BEGINS HERE.

READY?

ENJOY!

____

Suzzanah's POV

"He's going to mess up"

I bit back a smile, unable to disagree with Marco as he, I, Zuerien and Rino walked out of the airport. The weather outside was extremely pleasant, with the local time being 8:15 am, the morning sun shining warmly in the clear blue sky and a pleasant breeze blowing across the streets. I almost just wanted to stop for a minute and feel the wind on my face, it was very refreshing.

The area outside the airport was thankfully not very crowded and the airport itself was a beautiful structure inside and out. I was eagerly looking forward to our stay here in Dublin, but even more than that, to the outcome of our stay here.

Karina and Megan...

The two long lost Lunas of the Werewolf Kingdom.

As we walked, I took deep breaths, inhaling as much fresh air as I could. After having slept for nearly 9 hours on the flight, I felt wide awake and ready for anything! There was much to be done and much danger involved in it, but just the fact that we were no longer helpless to our situation was something I was grateful for.

Megan was still missing and my sister was still being held captive by the enemy, but at least we knew where they were and we had a chance to retrieve them both.

There is still hope...and that is enough

"Dommy...Dom...Dom...Dommy..."

I smiled again, my eyes shooting towards Rino who was busy chanting and re-chanting the name he had just been told, at least a dozen times, by us all, so that he could remember it right, or at least try to.

"He's definitely going to mess up", Zuerien said sighing heavily, and I chuckled shrugging. I didn't really doubt that.

"Was it...Domingo?" Rino asked and the rest of us shook our heads helplessly.

"Dominic!" Marco exclaimed in aggravation, rubbing his aching forehead, "Its Dominic!"

"Oh right!" Rino's face lit up, "Dominic! Dominic Ashtray!"

"ASHFORD", we all corrected in unison and his eyes widened.

"Wha-! Really?!" he exclaimed surprised and Marco and Zuerien exchanged weary looks.

He is SO going to mess up...

Alpha Dominic Ashford was the Alpha of Pack Ashford, the only Werewolf pack in Ireland and one of the strongest and largest packs in all the world. He was here to receive us at the Airport today and his pack was very kindly hosting our stay here in Dublin.

From what I knew we would not be staying with his pack members as such, but in a hotel which had been chosen for us by Alpha Ashford. It was once again for safety reasons, and also to ensure that our stay in Dublin would not disrupt the daily activities of the Ashford Pack or cause suspicion to rise amongst the Shadow People in Dublin.

After all, Dublin was shared territory, meaning it was one of the very few places in the world where Werewolves and Shadow People lived together, in close proximity, breathing the same air and everything!

At the thought of a place inhabited by two powerful supernatural races who hated everything about each other, my mind had first formulated the image of a desolate, destroyed city lying in ruins, but Dublin, on the contrary was very much intact and thriving wonderfully.

As we made our way towards where Alpha Ashford and his subordinates were supposedly waiting for us, I couldn't help but sneak glances at the people around us, or to be more precise, at their Shadows.

Chills ran down my spine at just the sheer thought of one of those shadows suddenly detaching from their casters' bodies and slithering away, across the streets.

Marco had said that Dublin, as well as all the other Shared Territories in the world, had thousands of mazes cast everywhere to keep the Shadow People and Werewolves from interacting or better put, tearing each others heads off. Those mazes were also the reason why Marco had had a killer headache since the minute we had landed in the city.

I wasn't really sure how exactly these mazes managed to keep the Werewolves and Shadow people from crossing into each other's territories without making the obvious barrier seem odd to the humans in the city, but eh, I guessed some things just had to be prioritized over others.

"Dominant!"

"Domi-nic!"

I was snapped out of my thoughts once again by Rino and Marco's voices.

"How hard is it to remember one name?!" Marco groaned.

Rino grinned, "Hey, at least I got the 'Domi' part right"

"I don't think he'll appreciate a complete stranger referring to him as 'Domi'", Marco told him.

"We won't be strangers for very much longer though", Rino added matter-of-factly.

"Rino, why don't you do us all a favor and just not say the man's name at all", Zuerien suggested quite seriously.

Rino cocked his head to side, "But if I don't say his name, how will I address him?"

"Don't address him!"

"But I want to talk to him!"

"Call him Alph- oh wait, he can't remember the word Alpha either", Marco said pressing his palm against his face and shaking his head.

"Must you remind me?" Zuerien asked irritably and a giggle escaped my lips.

Of course not. As long as Rino was around, he would never let Zuerien forget that he would, for all eternity, be-

"Wolfa"

Zuerien bit back a groan while I and Marco exchanged amused glances.

"Can you not be quiet even for one minute Rino?" Zuerien asked and Rino shrugged.

"I've never really timed myself so I can't say", he replied honestly, "Anyway Wolfa, you've met this Domi-guy before right?"

So he's Domi-guy now?

"Yes I have", Zuerien replied, "And so has Marco"

"What's he like?" Rino asked and I looked up at Zuerien expectantly. I too had been wanting to ask him that actually.

Marco and Zuerien exchanged thoughtful glances before they replied in unison.

"Quiet"

"Aw come on! At least answer my question", Rino pleaded and Zuerien and Marco squeezed their eyes shut in exasperation.

"No fool, we mean that Alpha Dominic is quiet!" Marco clarified before wincing and rubbing his temple again.

"Oh!"

"Even quieter than you?" I asked Zuerien.

Zuerien's lips quirked upwards slightly, "You'll see", he said softly.

"Whoa!" Rino said, "Quieter than the Wolfa! Is he mute?"

At this I really did laugh out loud, especially given how seriously he asked that question.

"Not quite", Marco replied, "But its not that hard to mistake him for being so"

"Wow", Rino said, "Well since I get along so well with the Wolfa, I shouldn't have much trouble doing so with this guy too!"

Zuerien's eyes went wide in disbelief and he was about to retort when Rino once again beat him to it, "I'll do my best to get on Domiford's good side!"

"Dominic!" Zuerien growled out in annoyance, "And if you keep messing his name up like this, the only thing you'll be getting on is his nerves!"

"As though ours aren't enough", Marco replied.

"So apart from knowing that he's quiet, is there anything else we should know about him?" I asked, "Anything important"

"As a matter of fact, yes", Zuerien replied and my eyebrows rose expectantly, "You see, Alpha Dominic is-"

"Over there! I see him", Marco completed and all our heads simultaneously whipped in the direction that Marco was looking in.

Almost immediately I spotted 3 extremely tall, well-built men standing in attention about 10 yards away from us. All three of them, I noticed, were dressed quite casually probably to not attract unnecessary attention, but that didn't keep a few of the passers-by from throwing them interested glances, especially the women.

Yet I noticed that as we walked, most people kept their gazes down, almost respectfully, never looking directly at us, which made me get the feeling they knew that Zuerien was the Alpha King. And that in turn meant that most people around us right now were Werewolves!

So I probably don't have to worry about Supernatural shadows sneaking up on us here after all...

As we got closer to the three men waiting for us, Zuerien put an arm around my waist and I instantly felt the mark on my neck tingle sensuously. The mark still hurt from time to time but it was a bearable pain, and it was a constant reminder of the unbreakable bond that had been established between me and my mate.

And even when I couldn't really feel it or wasn't touching it, just the presence of Zuerien's mark on my neck made me feel not only immensely safe and protected but also stronger in some inexplicable way.

But most of all, it was an everlasting reminder of my love for Zuerien, and it would never fade away.

Leaning into his touch, I took the opportunity to study the men we were walking towards. My eyes zeroed in on the man standing in front of the other two who was, without a doubt, Alpha Dominic Ashford.

All three men were handsome, especially the supposed Alpha. Like Zuerien, he too had thick brown hair and was exceptionally tall, perhaps the same height as Zuerien. But while Zuerien was broad and quite blatantly muscular, Alpha Ashford was slimmer, leaner, muscular but with a more athletic built, unlike Zuerien's warrior like physique.

He had a slight boyish streak to his otherwise manly face making him look a little younger than Zuerien, but then again, you could never really tell with these supernatural people.

As we approached him, his face remained impassive, his stance refined and aura authoritative. When we were about a few feet away, he bowed his head and the two men behind him followed his lead, bowing also.

We came to a halt in front of them and the three men rose to stand straight once more. I was instantly taken aback by the color of Alpha Ashford's striking grey eyes. They weren't cold or stormy, but did hold an element of mystery to them.

These werewolves all have such nice eyes!

"Alpha Ashford", Zuerien said, his strong, deep voice immediately making my heart flutter involuntarily.

Control yourself Anna!

Alpha Ashford nodded, not smiling but not looking displeased either.

"Alpha Zuerien"

Despite his youthful appearance, there was nothing boyish about his voice. It was a deep and rich one, just a tad bit thinner than Zuerien's, but a strong one nonetheless.

He said nothing more, but simply watched Zuerien, as though waiting for his orders. Zuerien turned to look at Marco.

"You've already met Alpha Ronaldo", he said.

Marco smiled confidently despite the obvious discomfort his aching head was causing him, "Good to see you again, Ashford"

Alpha Ashford nodded in reply, but still said nothing. His demeanor, despite being reserved, was not in any way harsh or cold, and somehow it was obvious that his lack of response was not born from disrespect or hostility, but simply from his taciturn character.

I wondered if it was my turn to introduce myself yet when I felt Rino's excitement rolling off him in waves, and smiled. By all means, he could go first.

I looked at Rino to find him smiling all too brightly at Alpha Ashford, so brightly that one would think he was in love with the guy. But then again, this was Rino we were talking about. Everyone who had met Rino would have received that look from him at least once in their lifetime.

As Alpha Ashford turned his gaze to the excited young wizard, both Zuerien and Marco gave Rino warning looks. I could literally hear them silently barking at him in unison,

Don't say it...don't say it...!

"Hiya!" Rino said happily when the Alpha's gaze finally met his, and extended his hand towards him.

Alpha Ashford's expression did not change from the impassive one he had worn since I first saw him, but I didn't miss how his gaze lingered on Rino, almost deliberately, for a few seconds before he nodded at him too, taking his extended hand.

The minute their palms clasped Rino's glee suddenly transformed into utter disbelief and he let out a loud alarmed cry.

"OH MY GOD!"

Everyone, except for Alpha Ashford and Zuerien, were taken aback by Rino's bellow and for a second my thoughts went wild.

Don't tell me! His mate?!?!

"I can't believe it!" Rino shouted, the shock in his face almost immediately changing into ecstasy and before any of us even saw it coming, Rino lunged at the man and crushed him in one of his legendary bear hugs.

"RINO!" Marco shouted gobsmacked and for the first time that day, Alpha Ashford's expression changed from nonchalant to thunderstruck.

Rino thumped the guy's back passionately and vigorously as though he were reuniting with a long lost brother, "Oh wow! This is awesome! I couldn't ever imagine I'd meet one of you here!" he exclaimed.

The air around us instantly became heavy as we waited for the Alpha to react. Alpha Ashford's eyes were wide in horror and his hands were frozen on either side of our mad wizard friend. The poor guy was apparently so shocked by Rino's gesture that for a few seconds he was rendered motionless.

Alpha Ashford's two subordinates were just as flabbergasted as the rest of us, having gone rigid mid-motion not knowing whether to help their Alpha or let it go, because it was quite obvious that Rino's gesture was quite...uh...'friendly'.

I expected at least Zuerien to pull Rino off the poor fellow but surprising enough my mate remained unmoving, his eyes darting vigorously between the two embracing males with an amused and knowing look flashing in their warm brown depths.

I too wanted to help but my mind could only think of two possible scenarios right now, both of which kept me from interfering in the situation.

One, He's Rino's mate, OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!

And two, He's Rino's Luna?! What the heck? But how?!

The only person who moved to make an effort to separate the public display of Rino's affection was Marco, but he too was a second too late, because before he could pull Rino away, Alpha Ashford himself clamped his hands on the excited wizard's shoulders and pried him off himself with a grunt of effort.

Rino grinned up at the man joyously, "This is so cool!" he cried out, "I'm really honored to meet you! Best day in Dublin ever!"

Its your only day in Dublin ever Rino...

Alpha Ashford's brow furrowed in discomfort, his hands never letting go of his grip on Rino's shoulders, as though attempting to ensure that he wouldn't be hug-attacked again.

Rino too kept his hands on the guy's shoulders making them look like they'd begin an awkward waltz in the middle of the pathway any minute now.

He grinned, "Its so nice to meet you-"

WAIT! DON'T SAY IT-!

"Domino!"

Marco, I and Zuerien all face-palmed simultaneously while the two men behind Alpha Ashford barely contained their laughter.

Alpha Ashford's jaw clenched, "Dominic", he finally said and his voice although still strong was now undeniably laced with discomfort.

Rino's ability to make even the strongest of warriors uneasy was really incredible. Like some sort of secret weapon!

"Oh! That's right! Sorry", Rino's grin widened, "I'm Rino!"

Alpha Ashford hummed in acknowledgment, slowly releasing his shoulders but all the while eyeing Rino as though he were a mad dog about ready to lick him.

Oh the irony!

Rino's head whipped towards Zuerien, "Do you see this?!" he cried out excitedly and I cringed.

I don't think the man appreciates being referred to as 'this' Rino.

"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier Wolfa?!"

The Ashford pack members once again looked flabbergasted at Rino's little made-up title for Zuerien, and I thought I almost, almost saw Alpha Ashford smile.

I would have appreciated the little emotion more but I was too busy contemplating other things. Important things.

Is he Rino's mate or not?! Is he secretly a Luna or not?! Should I ship them or not?!

Zuerien sighed in response to Rino's question before looking back at Alpha Ashford who had instantly re-adapted his old, impassive persona, probably having established by now that for Rino, all this intimacy was normal.

"I don't know if, after that, you even want a formal introduction with him but", Zuerien looked at Rino, "This is Rino Perez of the renowned Perez family, a Water Elemental Wizard"

Rino grinned widely while Alpha Ashford's eyes widened ever so slightly as he now looked at Rino with renewed interest.

"Rino Perez", he murmured softly and Rino bobbed his head.

"That's me!"

Somehow the connection between these two, if any, didn't seem very romantic anymore, not that it had been particularly amorous even before this.

"Now that that's out of the way, there is someone very important that I would like you to meet", Zuerien said and my head whipped towards him.

But wait! What was all that about?! Is he his mate or not?!

"Priorities, heart", Zuerien said softly, looking thoroughly amused at my confused disposition.

Priorities? I do know my priorities! And wait, did he just read my mind again?

I didn't have any time to ask him when Alpha Ashford suddenly turned to face me, his grey eyes locking onto mine. I didn't know exactly what kind of connection Rino felt with the man, but all I could feel was a powerful aura intermixed with a strange essence that I had never felt before.

One that was strangely similar to Zuerien's, and yet, very different.

Tightening his grip around my waist Zuerien said, "This is Luna Suzzanah Winters, my soulmate and Luna Queen of all Werewolves"

Alpha Ashford and his subordinates immediately bowed and I jerked in surprise before doing an awkward half-bow myself, "Uh....hello"

The three men rose and Alpha Ashford stepped forward, "Its a pleasure to finally meet you, Luna Queen", he said, his grey eyes suddenly looking a tad bit warmer.

I smiled, "Likewise, its very nice to meet you all", I said, "Thank you for hosting our stay here"

The three men exchanged amused glances before looking back at me, "You don't have to thank us Luna", the blonde haired man standing on the right of Alpha Ashford said, "Its our utmost honor to have you all here". The third man, another brunet with tan skin nodded in agreement.

"This is Darren, my Beta", Alpha Ashford told us motioning to the blonde haired man, "And this is Neil, my Delta", he motioned to the brunet, "In the unlikely event that you are unable to contact me, feel free to contact these two and they will do whatever they can to help you"

Zuerien nodded, "Alright"

"Please come this way", Darren said, guiding us to where the cars were parked.

"I want to ride with Dominash", Rino said.

"Dominic", everyone corrected in unison.

"I don't think he wants to ride with you, Rino", Marco told him.

"I can convince him. I have so much I want to talk to him about!" Rino chirped happily.

Maybe they are mates but the mate bond works a little differently for wizards and wolves!

"No, you're not riding with him", Zuerien told Rino, "And no, they are not mates", he added, looking at me.

My eyes widened as the rest of the men turned to look at me shocked.

"You thought he was Rino's mate?!" Marco cried out and my face shot red.

"W-well..."

Everyone except Zuerien and Alpha Ashford burst out laughing, "Oh wow! Imagine that!" Darren said, "Wouldn't that have been interesting!"

Alpha Ashford gave his subordinates sharp looks and the two of them immediately swallowed the rest of their laughter and cleared their throats while Marco and Rino continued laughing.

I was so embarrassed I couldn't look Alpha Ashford in the eye. Great! Now I'm definitely not going to be in Alpha Ashford's good books.

Turning my head, I glared up at Zuerien, Why did you tell them?!

Zuerien smirked, his eyes twinkling with mirth, I didn't tell them anything. I was simply clearing your doubts

I narrowed my eyes at him, You could have just mind-linked me!

This seemed like the more enjoyable option

You're a jerk! I'm not riding with you!

Too bad but you don't have a choice, heart

I-

"Alpha, Luna, please have a seat", Darren said motioning to the first car and I stared at the open door, wondering if there was any way I could get out of this situation.

Zuerien squeezed my waist before bending to whisper in my ear, "Get in heart, or I'll have to pick you up and-"

I was in the car faster than one could say 'mate', and I heard Zuerien's soft chuckle fill my mind.

Infuriating were-homo sapien!

I slid to the window seat and Zuerien sat next to me. Delta Neil took the wheel while Alpha Ashford sat next to him. Outside I could hear Rino saying something about wanting to ride with us but Marco managed to stuff him into the other car which was to be driven by Beta Darren.

I wish I could have ridden with Rino!

As I looked out of the window at the airport, I couldn't help but feel a pang in my chest.

She's so close and yet so far...

As the car began to move, my eyes stayed glued to the airport, my gaze wandering over all the glass panes hoping to catch even just a glimpse of my sister, even though I knew it was in vain. I hadn't been able to contact my sister via mind-link after that one time either, and I wondered if that had just been a fluke.

Either way until Alpha Penson and the others arrived and we figured out a plan on how to go about this whole rescue mission, I needed to contain my emotions, stay calm and be strong.

I was now in a world that consisted of both the new and the old, and all I could do was be strong, and hope for the best.

Karina...

A large arm slid around me and I was gently pulled into a hard, familiar torso. Despite being annoyed with him, I sighed and rested my head against Zuerien's chest, the sound of his heart beat instantly soothing my anxiety.

"She'll be okay, heart", Zuerien told me softly, "And we'll get to her very soon. I promise"

I nodded, his words far more reassuring to me than my own. Then realizing that we were in a car with two more people who could probably see us through the rear-view mirror, I quickly straightened up, sitting as appropriately as I could while my mate tried to pull me onto his lap.

Not now!

"S-So how far is the hotel from the airport?" I asked trying to make conversation, hoping it would distract the other two men from my mate's obvious efforts towards achieving intimacy in unacceptable places, in case they had noticed.

"About half an hour to 45 minutes given the traffic, Luna", Neil replied. He had a rather hoarse voice which was a tad bit intimidating. And although not as quiet as Alpha Ashford, Delta Neil also seemed to fall into the 'reserved' category, with Beta Darren being the most talkative of the lot. I was pretty sure he would be getting along famously with Rino in the other car.

I wonder if Darren and Rino are making Marco's headache worse right now...

I also wondered if any of three men from the Ashford pack had mates whom I could befriend. Being the only woman in a male-dominant atmosphere was getting a little bit suffocating and I could definitely do with some female company, especially because I couldn't count solely on Luna Prophecy to provide it, seeing she was infamous for disappearing at all the right or wrong times.

Darren has a mate, Zuerien's voice filled my head, making me look up at him, But you probably wont get to meet her. And Ashford is not mated, especially not to Rino

I cringed and slapped Zuerien's chest lightly at his amused statement, You really didn't have to say it out loud! I'm so embarrassed! I said sulkily, Besides anyone could have made that mistake. Rino was so excited to see the guy that I thought-

If Rino does have a soulmate out there then they will be the first to recognize him and not the other way around

I blinked in thought, he had said if Rino does have a soulmate...did that mean-

Zuerien nodded, All Supernaturals don't have predestined soulmates, Suzzanah, he told me, Normally witches and wizards don't have soulmates unless they are mated to a species that does.

My eyes widened at the revelation.

Its the same with humans, he went on, Not all humans have soulmates. You have one because you're mated to me, a Werewolf, and all werewolves have predestined soulmates. Similarly Prophecy will definitely have a soulmate, not because she is a witch but because she is a Luna, and so she is undeniably mated to an Alpha Werewolf. Same goes for the other two lost Lunas

So...generally witches and wizards don't have predestined soulmates?

Zuerien shook his head, No they don't. And if Rino does have a soulmate, that soulmate would probably recognize him before he could do so. Especially because its Rino we're talking about. He acts like every other person around the corner is his soulmate!

I smiled and he added, And well there are very few species in the world that actually do have predestined mates and Werewolves are one of them.

Which other species have predestined soulmates, I asked.

Vampires do, he replied, And so do dragon-shifters and the mer-people. Demons do have soulmates but for some reason the number of demons who actually find them is very small.

By now I was openly gaping at Zuerien in shock. Of Vampires I knew, but Dragons, Mer-people and Demons actually existed too?! Wow, we humans really had been living under a rock!

Will I ever get to meet all these species? I asked Zuerien.

Maybe, Zuerien replied, You may get to meet demons but I'm not sure about the other two, the Mer-people because they live very deep in the ocean and rarely come to the surface or shore, and Vampires... he frowned, Let's just say that even though Werewolves and Vampires have called a truce, we aren't exactly the best of friends either. Vampires are...disturbing.

I didn't doubt that. I wasn't exactly dying to meet human-sized mosquitoes either. But then again I probably shouldn't judge. Maybe one day I'd meet them and really like them! Life was full of surprises after all and like Alpha Penson often said,

Expect the Unexpected!

Speaking of mates a thought suddenly popped in my mind, one that, for some reason, left me feeling disturbed.

I wonder...if the Shadow People have predestined soulmates...

Almost instantly, Zuerien's grip around my waist tightened and I knew he had read my mind. I looked up at him to find that his eyes had hardened and his jaw was clenched.

No, he replied, his voice dark and rough in my mind, No they don't. Those bastards don't even have souls for them to be blessed with soulmates

My heart constricted at his words, and I placed a hand on his chest to calm him down. So the Shadow People didn't have soulmates, and my sister was most probably the Luna of Hearts which meant she was mated to an Alpha Werewolf somewhere in the world.

But why did I get the feeling that that fact wouldn't sit very well with...that man...

Terrence Magnifis

The minute his name flashed in my mind, I quickly shook it away. I didn't want to think about him right now. Especially not when Zuerien was here, and reading my mind with ease.

Speaking of which!

"Hey!" I said, "How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my head"

Zuerien's earlier stiff disposition immediately slackened and he smirked, And what if I refuse?

"This here is private property", I said, tapping my forehead, "And what you're doing is called invasion of privacy"

His smirk widened and he sharply pulled me into his chest again making me gasp in surprise, This here is my mate. Mine. And everything about her belongs to me. That includes her pretty little head and I'll enter it all I want because I like being in there

His eyes flashed with a heated hunger as he added darkly, I like being in you

My breath caught and tingles exploded around my mark as my face turned beet-red in a split second, "Zuerien! You perv-"

A loud throat-clearing made me stop mid-syllable and my already hot face almost turned molten. I had totally forgotten about mind-linking and started speaking out loud!

Both my hands came up to cover my mouth as I stared in wide-eyed horror at my thoroughly amused and smug looking mate. He'd noticed that I'd stopped mind-linking! He was enjoying this!

Curse you man-animal-mate!

Gathering whatever was left of my dignity, I quickly turned away from Zuerien to look out the windshield. My eyes suddenly zeroed in on a airplane soaring high up in the sky above us and my thoughts instantly drifted to my friends who were currently in such a flight this very instant.

Cole, Alpha Penson, General Reginald and Luna Prophecy had boarded their flight to Dublin a couple of hours after ours had taken off. Luna Prophecy had woken up about an hour after we had left but we were yet to know where her soul had been teleported to this time.

I wonder if it was to the past, present or future...

Although the four of us had landed in Dublin and even managed to make it out of the airport unscathed, there was a lingering uneasiness churning in my gut. And I knew that until the rest of our company landed here safely, that feeling would not go away.

I didn't know why but I felt like as long as they were airborne, things were still...risky. We had opted on taking different flights to try and ensure some degree of stealth, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it hadn't really been the best option, and all I wanted to hear now was news of them having arrived safe and sound.

All of a sudden, while still in deep thought, my vision abruptly blurred and everything in my sight went hazy as though I were looking out of a rain-drenched window.

A familiar powerful feeling washed over me and I felt my body passing through an invisible force and I instantly knew what was happening. But before I could even react, the feeling had passed and I found myself blinking wildly at a crystal clear world once more.

My goodness...

"Was that..."

My voice came out in a gasp-like whisper and beside me Zuerien nodded.

"We just passed through some very powerful mazes", Zuerien told me, confirming my suspicion, "And we're bound to cross a few more very soon"

I blinked a few more times and rubbed my eyes, "Gosh, that was intense", I said.

I looked up to find Alpha Ashford looking at me through the rear-view mirror, his brow creased ever so slightly in thought.

"You mean you can feel the mazes Luna?" Delta Neil asked sounding surprised.

I nodded, "Yes", I replied.

Delta Neil and Alpha Ashford exchanged quick glances but said nothing more. I looked at Zuerien questioningly but he shook his head, indicating that it was nothing to worry about.

Humans can't normally do that, Zuerien told me, So knowing that you can, comes as a surprise, regardless of the fact that you're mated to the Alpha King

Well...I'm not exactly your typical human though am I?

Zuerien's lips quirked upwards, a thoughtful look crossing his warm brown eyes, No. No you're not

Before I could say anything else, I felt us pass through yet another powerful maze and my head spun at the intensity of its strength.

Ai yai yai...

I squeezed my eyes shut, an involuntary groan escaping my lips when we passed through yet another maze. As yet another wave of magic-like power washed over me, I pressed my palm across my forehead. I was starting to get a little dizzy.

Immediately I was pulled onto my mate's lap and he gently buried my face in his chest, tucking my head under his chin. His other hand went around my waist holding me firmly against his strong frame.

Almost instantly, I felt a little better but I still kept my eyes closed. Zuerien stroked my hair gently and pressed his lips to my forehead.

It'll pass soon, heart, he told me gently.

I nodded against his chest, How come the mazes don't affect you as much as they do me? I asked.

We're used to it, he replied, After several years of having experienced the feeling of traversing mazes thousands of times, our bodies and minds have grown accustomed to it. Yours will too soon enough.

So its just a matter of getting used to?

I felt him nod against the top of my head, Yes, for everyone except the Alpha of Mazes.

I opened my eyes and raised my head to look up at Zuerien as he continued, Being either the creator, sustainer, or both, of the mazes, Marco feels the intensity of them more strongly than anyone else. His mind and body are tuned to automatically assess, repair, reconstruct and perfect a maze the minute he senses one, which is why having so many mazes all in one place is taking a toll on his mind and giving him a killer headache.

Is he going to be alright? I asked worriedly and Zuerien nodded.

Don't worry, he'll be fine, he reassured, Marco may be a wuss but he isn't gonna die of a headache

I gave Zuerien a blank look before shaking my head and resting my head against his chest once more and closing my eyes again. A few seconds later we passed through another set of mazes and I swallowed hard, feeling a little bit nauseous. This process went on and on and on with more mazes sprouting up every few minutes during our journey.

It was obvious that Werewolves in Dublin took security very seriously. Even if the mazes made them uncomfortable, I was pretty sure they would never take them down. Never, as long as the Shadow People still lived and breathed.

I concentrated on trying to get used to the feeling, but the more mazes we passed through and the more I thought about them, the more I couldn't help but notice that this whole maze-based security thing was far too heavily one-sided.

My brows knit together as my thoughts drifted to disturbing possibilities. All these mazes were cast by the Alpha of Mazes, which meant that he could manipulate them to his will. He could strengthen them, weaken them, remodel them or even break them if he wanted to.

But the Alpha of Mazes was a werewolf, and I was absolutely certain that the Shadow People would not rely solely on mazes created by an enemy to ensure their own security.

I was aware that the mazes created by the Alpha of Mazes were meant to keep the Shadow People from entering Werewolf territory while simultaneously keeping Werewolves from entering Shadower territory.

But if the Alpha of Mazes ever did decide to tweak his mazes such that they secretly allowed Werewolves access into Shadower territory, there was no way the Shadow People would know unless they caught the said trespassing werewolves red-handed in their territory.

And I would bet anything that the Shadow people would never allow themselves to be vulnerable to Werewolves, if they could help it.

So that meant...

My heart started beating faster and my forehead beaded with perspiration as one final conclusion made its way into my mind to haunt my thoughts.

The Shadow People most likely had their own secret security measures established all over the city- ones they could mold to their liking and ones which ensured that their enemies would not trespass into their territory.

And should a day come when our defenses grew even slightly weaker than theirs, they would slip into our world and we have no way whatsoever of finding them.

****

A/N

Welcome!

Thank you so much for being a part of this journey called 'Shadowed Hearts'.

How do you like it so far?

I know its short, but this is just the beginning after all.

FRANCISCO LACHOWSKI as ALPHA DOMINIC ASHFORD. Kindly do not tell me to change the official cast. You are free to imagine the characters as whoever you like :)

I have a lot of exciting plans and ideas for Book 2 but the hardest part is always penning them down to as close to perfection as little ol' me can manage, and sadly, it takes me ages to get there.

Also, as some of you know already know, I have recently got a job and now is probably the busiest I have ever been in my life so updates may be slow, but I'll do my best to give you guys chapters as often as I can.

If you enjoyed today's update, please do VOTE, COMMENT and SHARE! It would mean the world to me.

And also, thank you guys so much for helping get 'Shadowed Hearts' to #31 on Werewolf and 3K reads in just a week! You guys are the best!

Until next time,

All my love,

Angel