A cruel play of fate.

      They stood in front of a hut. Celeste's eyes traveled up and down the length of its white stoned walls. Astonishing. It's the only word that could come to her mind at the sight before her eyes. 

    No, a thought of realization strikes through her brain, that she's yet again starting with her mouth agape. She's fast to shut it before the wolves just a feet ahead of her notice, especially Ayz making a remark on it. 

      Its door has a polished brown wooden surface, a golden coloured noose dangled from the left side of the center of the door. 

    "This is our home." Ayz, to Celeste's surprise, opened his mouth to say something that isn't a joke directed toward her. She meets his gaze, he's calm and steady, not wary as he sounded a moment ago asking Seha if he'd gone mad to let a complete stranger inside their home. 

        Seha had given him a look that lingered for quite a long time as if they were passing messages through their eyes and when they broke the gaze Ayz nodded. Celeste doesn't know what to make of it all. It's all completely strange to her. 

       "You can wash up here and then we'll go to the pack house. It's just a few yards away." He added. 

       "I don't have any of my clothes with me. And why would you want me to wash up here when I can literally go to my home to do that? I go, take a quick bath and find you guys here. Then we go to the pack house." She used the one chance she got when she thought she'd never get a loophole to crawl out of this wolf's den.

        Maybe, just maybe they will think of the possibility and let her go. But for sure, she's not hopeful, not hopeful at all. Because she knows she's not thinking straight, she's just thinking bullshit.  And for all, she knows a pack house could be where they kill off their rivals or prisoners.  

       Ayz let an exaggerated sigh escape from his lips. "There is no such home as you say. If there were, we wouldn't have to take her to the pack leader. We wouldn't have been met in the middle of the forest if you'd had that said home." Ayz toned, the sharpness in his voice returning as his gaze pierces through Celeste. 

        She looked down at her feet, ashamed of continuously getting caught by her lies.

      The sound of metal rustling has her head slowly lifting up with her gaze that finally became ready to leave her feet. She watched as Seha's hand which was raped around the noose push the door to their home open. 

   That's when he realized it was a doorknob. One entirely different from theirs. Even if Seha is the one to open the door, Ayz is the first one to step inside. 

        He unfastened the boots from his foot and placed them neatly on a rack placed on the side of the door. 

      Seha sighs and twists to face Celeste, a hand going inside the pocket of the pants he wore. "Come on in." He says. Celeste nodded, gulping. 

       It feels weird, really weird to step inside. She turns back one last time, gaze wandering on the lawns on either side of the same white stone lane, and the little yellow flowers that scattered over the green grass. 

       She Intakes a deep breath, wanting an anchor to step inside this unknown space. When she turns back, Seha was inside the house, eyes on her. 

      Something flashes through his brown eyes, and even though Celeste doesn't want to mistake it as softness or even kindness, she doesn't really know what could be it if it isn't those two.

      She bites the inside of her cheek and nods before stepping into the cozy home. 

     The inside is more spacious and comfortable than it looks on the outside. There was a fireplace where a wooden chair stood beside it with a quilt draped on it.

     Then to the side was a room and another parallel to it. And at the corner was an open kitchen, its island all made with the same white rock that looked oh so incredible. 

       "Well, you can change in this room right here." Celeste startles from hearing Ayz's voice behind her. She turns to look at him, eyebrows scrunching when she isn't able to find Seha anywhere. 

      "Where's him?" She couldn't help the question that barges out of her mouth before she could hold it down.

     Ayz cocks his head, a mocking smile freeping on his pink lips. "Miss him already? So bad that he already has a man." 

     "Still can try, yea?" She teased, flinging a wink his way. 

     "Could have tried before he got mated. Now, I see no chance." 

      Letting out a sigh dramatically, Celeste says, "Bad for him." 

     "What did you—" Ayz was not able to finish as he was cut off by the door to the room that wasn't offered to Celeste flown open. 

      Seha steps out, a white cloth on his left hand as he walks close toward Celeste. He reaches out the hand which holds the cloth, "Here." he says, watching her. 

       Celeste stared at him with wide eyes, not sure what to do. When he urges her to take it with his eyes, she does. Hands were hesitantly put out with open palms as Seha lowered the material to her palms. 

        Its silk fabric is so smooth that it almost tickles the inside of her hands. And the smell that comes off from it, faded but wonderful.  

         She unfolded the cloth. it flowed down to the floor. A worn, yet very beautiful tunic. It made her wonder where did Seha get women's clothes. It seems that they are the only people who live here. Then where did he get this? 

       "It's my late mother's. I don't know if you're comfortable wearing someone else's clothing. But it is better to go to the pack house in neat clothes." Seha starts, as if he heard her thoughts or did she think out loud? He sounded unsure and very much hesitant. 

       "No, it's fine… and I'm sorry for your loss." She cursed herself for saying it when she didn't even know how long it's been or anything else. The truth is that she just feels sorry for herself for being a loner. For having nothing when she could have everything. 

      It's a cruel joke that fate decided to play on her. 

       Oh, how she wishes she was dead.

     No, it's a lie. She was scared to die. So scared.