4 Chapter 4- The nightmare

Lucas frowned slightly as he hesitated to speak freely about what he had in mind.

Dimitri's eyes grew colder as he became aware of his hesitation. "Say whatever is on your mind without fear."

"I'm a bit suspicious about Ruby being Zane's mate, Alpha," Lucas asserted. "Miss Ruby often visits our pack. Zane had never sensed a mate bond with her until a week ago. Besides, he got kidnapped while he was out with Ruby. We found her unconscious in the woods. But Zane was not with her. I'm curious why the kidnapper didn't take her with him."

"Moon Keepers and Blue Moon Pack were enemies for years. These two packs have a history of deadly battles." Dimitri walked up to the window and looked outside with his hands on his back. "Gustav sought to put an end to our animosity and expressed his desire to become our ally. But I could never put my complete faith in him." He sighed in dismay.

Lucas regarded him with a squint as he reflected upon what he had said.

"Today he expressed his desire to marry Ruby to Zane," Dimitri muttered. "Ruby is a lovely young lady. I like her. I'm fine with Zane loving her. The thing is that I don't trust Gustav." He turned to face Lucas. "I want you to find out why Zane has suddenly developed a mate bond with Ruby."

Lucas blinked at him, perplexed. He drew his chin down soon. "I'll try… I mean… I'll find out."

"You are free to leave."

When Lucas came out of the office, he saw Zane waving goodbye to Ruby and her father. He approached him and asked, "Is she not staying further?"

"She will be back in a few days," Zane replied with a smile.

"Hmm…" Lucas nodded, inspecting him from head to toe. "How are you feeling?"

"Refreshing." Zane smirked.

"Glad to hear that. Shall we go to the training ground?" Lucas returned his smirk.

"My body is aching for the workout. Come on."

They dashed to the training ground.

"Who is that new woman?" Zane inquired as he warmed up.

"Which woman?"

"The woman who served the breakfast."

"Oh… She is Valeria's niece."

"Valeria!" Zane regarded him with a squint.

"Our cook. She is not well. So, she sent her niece as a replacement."

"How come I've never noticed her?" Zane wondered in astonishment.

"She has never come to the packhouse before. She takes care of her family's herb store in the market."

"I see."

"She is wolf-less, you know."

Zane froze and stared at him. The word 'wolf-less' rang loudly in his ears. It also reminded him of some unpleasant memories from his childhood. He became irritated all of a sudden and began to knock on the punching bag repeatedly.

Unaware of his change in mood, Lucas continued his workout.

Eleanor went to the herb store after finishing cooking.

"You came back," Cecilia squealed, grabbing her hands. "Did you make friends?"

"I went there to work, not to make friends," Eleanor grumbled, sagging on a chair behind the counter.

She didn't tell her how everyone in the packhouse neglected her. Even the servants didn't pay attention to her. Because she was an orphan without a wolf, the pack treated her as if she were from another planet.

The good part was that Alpha Dimitri talked to her nicely. He even urged her to let him know if she needed anything. This reminiscence instantly lifted the sadness from her heart. Even though the pack ignored her, the Alpha didn't treat her differently. A faint smile crept over her lips as she remembered her conversation with Dimitri.

"Why are you smiling?" Cecilia asked and poked her arm with her slender finger. "Are you thinking of a hot guy? About Zane?"

"What? No…" Eleanor groaned with frustration.

"Oh, come on, Eleanor…" Cecilia tugged on her arm, a grimace on her face. "You can fantasize about a hot guy like Zane. Oh, he is so handsome." Her eyes sparkled as she remembered Zane. "Did you see him?" She asked, sitting on a stool beside her.

"I ran into him, and his mate accused me of being blind. Happy?" Eleanor scowled at her. She became angry when she remembered how Zane let go of her hand. She could still feel the pain in her tailbone.

'Jerk… He could have held my hand,' she muttered in her mind.

"You ran into him!" Cecilia repeated with excitement, her eyes widening.

"Yes. And because he didn't hold my hand, I tumbled off the porch. On top of that, his mate scolded me. All this happened the moment I stepped into the packhouse. I want to stay far away from him. He is a disaster…"

Eleanor stopped talking abruptly. The word 'disaster' reminded her of something frightening she didn't want to think about. She averted her gaze and pretended to arrange the herbs in the small baskets on the counter.

"Don't be sad." Cecilia hugged her laterally, putting her arm around her shoulder. "And don't think of that witch, Ruby's words. She thinks very highly of herself. I've noticed she treats people like trash. She has no qualification to be a Luna. I wish Zane would reject her someday."

"Stop thinking about Zane," Eleanor murmured. "You are turning 18 next month. You should focus on finding your mate."

"What if Zane ends up becoming my mate?" Cecilia squealed with delight. "I have a huge crush on him. I believe he is my mate."

"Ugh…" Eleanor groaned and rolled her eyes. "You are impossible."

Meanwhile, a customer entered the store. Eleanor sprang to her feet and busied herself with attending to the visitor.

Later that evening…

The darkness grew thicker when the night progressed. Everyone was sleeping soundly on a quiet night. But Eleanor was fidgety. She shook her head left and right, her brow drenched in sweat. She murmured something in her dream, her eyes shut tight.

In her nightmare, she saw a burning house. Fire erupted from every hole in the house. It was as if a dragon was exhaling fire. Such a horrific fire... It appeared as if it would burn down anything that came into contact with it.

"Mamma…" A five-year-old girl ran towards the house, calling out for her mother.

"Eleanor…" Valeria yanked her arm and pulled her back. "You cannot go there."

"Mamma is trapped in the house. I have to go save her." Eleanor wriggled.

"No…" Valeria pulled her into her embrace. "We should leave."

"Mamma…" Eleanor shrieked, tears streaming down her cheeks. She desperately wriggled to break free.

"Calm down, Eleanor."

"Get off me…" Eleanor yelled and pushed her back.

Valeria flew backward and landed hard on the ground. She winced and rubbed the back of her head.

Eleanor rushed to the house but came to an abrupt halt when a wicked woman in a black cloak blocked her way. She witnessed this woman attack her parents. She took a step back, apprehensively glancing at her.

"My dear, Eleanor. We finally met."

The woman's sharp voice sent shivers down her spine. Eleanor spun around and fled.

"You can't run away from me," the woman yelled and gripped her dress' collar from behind.

Eleanor tried to run away but couldn't free herself from her grip. In the meantime, she saw a shard of glass on the ground not very far from her. She directed her palm towards the broken glass piece and moved it towards the woman. The glass shard sailed through the air toward the woman.

"Ah…" The woman shrieked and let go of her instantly. But she scratched her back and ripped her dress.

Eleanor dashed over to Valeria. When she looked back, she saw the woman rushing towards her. But the woman came to an abrupt halt and twisted her body left and right. It was as if her legs were glued to the ground.

Eleanor realized her mother had stopped that evil woman. Even though her mother got trapped in the fire, she helped her escape.

"Eleanor…" the woman shouted in a frenzy. "You can't get away from me. I'll track you down and kill you."

Eleanor turned around and ran to Valeria.

"Eleanor, my child." Valeria hoisted her in her arms and ran away.

"Eleanor, you are a curse," the woman continued to yell. "A curse that will only bring disaster. You are responsible for your parents' demise. You will be the cause of your lover's downfall..."