Chapter 0004

"Garden duty," She bit out tiredly and gave me one of them. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I told the chief maid that it was your birthday today to attract lesser work but I sort of forgot-"

I chuckled and she stopped talking, with a surprised look on her face. Had she expected me to be mad? Riya didn't know me much and hell, it was just this morning that she started talking so much but, she didn't seem that bad of a person.

"You're laughing," She said, in more of a questioning tone than a statement.

I nodded and started walking outside. "It's not your fault. They hate me. She would have done that for another maid but not me," My eyes squinted as we walked under the sun. She walked quietly beside me, not saying anything after that, and I wondered if I was sounding compelling again.

The grass was soft and I didn't like stepping on them, they were someone's duty.

My ears perked up as I picked up a lot of grunts and blows from in front of us. When we got there, we passed without heads down as usual. The women too were strong and Luna Anna made sure of that, that was I loved her and loved the lack even though it was messed up for me in so many ways.

My heart thumped faster as a familiar scent I liked so much wafted through my nose. Chocolate and Cinnamon. It was like someone had lit a candle, or sprayed a perfume. I loved it and it made my mouth water.

I ignored it and continued digging the grass till something tingled inside of me. The scent grew stronger and stronger, almost tearing my head to pieces. I wanted to run towards it and have a big drag of it so that my body would become calm, but I couldn't look away from the dry leaves I was raking.

"Garfield!" Someone called across the field, his aura radiating everywhere. I looked up and my heart got stuck in my throat if that was even possible.

Iziah.

He was bare-chested and his abs were defined. His curly hair was cut short to his neck, but his curls were almost like mine, wet and fucking attractive. When had he cut it? I wondered.

I wanted to run to him and it made me confused. A voice in me was talking in whispers but I couldn't understand the words till I closed my eyes and listened deeply, and when I did, the whispers were gone, I sighed loudly and suddenly a calm voice in my head, almost like mine bit out.

"Mine."

I almost choked.

My wolf just spoke to me for the first time, and what it could say was that Iziah was mine. I tried thinking otherwise but all my energy was pointing to him.

"Ashley," I heard a whisper and it brought me back to the garden and I took in clean breaths as her hands were on my shoulders.

"Yes?" I said between puffs and she rubbed my back as I bent down all of a sudden.

"You-you were radiating just now. And you plus Iziah was just too much. He was looking at you but then he walked out."

I nodded at her words, also deciding to take a break, "I need a break too, I'll be back soon. I need to see the Luna," I told her and she nodded, agreeing immediately.

I stood up and walked the other way, instead of going the way we took, I didn't want to see him again. He must have felt it, but he didn't do anything. He must not want me as a mate.

Luna Anna joked about us being together before in our presence about a year ago and he had walked out of the room fuming and by her laughter, she didn't give a fuck. Did she know already?

I ran upstairs, ready to tell her everything, ready to tell her about my wolf and everything else. The guards were nowhere to be found and it made me worried, so I walked to her chamber doors and knocked.

I looked to the end of the hall and saw a shadow figure, and my legs moved. Without thinking, I followed it and went to the end of the hall, gasping when I saw the guards sleeping. They were snoring like there was no tomorrow and it made me worried.

I ran back, with my legs moving faster than my shadow, and opened the door with a bang.

"Luna!"

"No, no, please no. Luna, no!" I shouted as I knelt beside her.

My brain shut down at the sight and I held her bleeding body, she seemed to be unhurt and there were silver pills in her hands. But they looked planted. "Somebody help!"

Tears were leaving my eyes and I felt like I was blinded. Luna Anna was the closest thing I had to a mother, and I had just lost her. Iziah also was an orphan now. And I cried and cried, for me, for my Luna, for my mate, and the pack.