OFFER

“YOUR name is Hevian?” Una thought the name rang a bell. Her eyes widened when she realized who he was. “The son of the Alpha King!” Una bowed down. “I don’t deserve to look straight into your face, Prince Hevian.”

“Una… that’s a nice name. It’s not a crime to look at me.” Hevian checked the three shifters tending to Nivo’s wounds. “Hunters are not allowed to cross the Qalin Forest. My apologies for causing this mess.”

Una slowly raised her head. “I just want my father to return home safely.”

Hevian nodded. “I’ll be back here after the hunt, Una. And as repayment for this incident, I will give you company to roam the Midnight District as we celebrate the Moon Festival.”

Una’s jaw dropped. The son of the Alpha King would make this effort for a lowly servant like her? It sounded wonderful, but she doubted if it would truly happen.

Una cleared her throat. “That won’t be necessary.” She declined because she thought it was too much. After all, she was no special. Why would a royalty waste his time on her?

“As you wish.” Hevian lightly smiled.

When Nivo’s wound had partially healed, the three shifters assisted him in regaining balance in his feet. But Nivo knelt before Hevian.

“Thank you for saving my daughter and me. We shall serve your family from now on.”

“I’ll think about that.” Hevian took a deep breath and glared at his three companions. “We’ll leave. And if anybody does this to you again, look for me in the Midnight Fortress.”

“Yes, Prince!” Nivo arched his body to the point of his forehead, almost touching Hevian’s boots.

The royal shifters left. Una came to Nivo, gently grabbed his arm, and helped him stand. “Are you all right?”

“Better now. Let’s drop by the river, Una. Your mother can’t see us bathing in blood.”

“I understand.” She picked up the basket again. Thankfully, the food was still intact.

Una paused to look in the direction where the royals disappeared. She now owed a life debt to Hevian.

Una never thought she’d one day encounter the heir of the Sabre Pack, who would soon inherit his father’s throne.

“What about you? Are you hurt?” Nivo asked her daughter when he noticed Una was staring blankly at the thick bushes.

“No, father. Let’s go! Other royal brats might find us here again. We are just lucky the prince is nearby.”

“You’re right.”

They cleaned up at a small stream. And to ease the tension of their near-death experience, Una offered the food to Nivo.

“You should eat these, Father.”

“Good idea! Come, eat with me.”

They sat on the riverbank and tried to enjoy the food. Neither of them talked about the bloody incident earlier. However, Nivo couldn’t hold himself to mention Hevian’s offer.

“You should come to the Midnight District and witness the festival, Una. You haven’t been out of the Qalin Forest since birth. You are of age now, and with Hevian around, you’d be safe.”

“I would love to. But it’s too dangerous. The Nacht Territory is huge, and I’m too weak to be out there. Had I been strong, I would have traveled the continent. It’s my dream to explore Erganiv.” Her eyes became dreamy when she mentioned the Faerie Realm. Erganiv had four domains, and Gwiazda was one of them. All their territories were invisible to the mortal world due to the barrier surrounding the realm.

“You’re still young, and you can train. With that incident earlier, I blame myself for being overprotective of you. Instead of hiding you away, I should’ve trained you, Una.”

“It’s unfair to blame yourself. You know my archery skills are getting better, Father. I am only eighteen, and I can live for the next two hundred years if I’m lucky!”

“Of course, you can live even for five hundred years if you are careful. That’s the usual life span of a Lycan because we aged very slowly.”

Una crinkled her nose. “Compared to the faeries who could live for thousands of years, our life span is nothing.”

Nivo laughed after chewing a slice of marble potato. “But compared to the mortals, we live five times their lifetime. It’s just a matter of perspective.”

She pouted her lips. “Do you think the prince would really spend time with me? I am just a lowly Omega. Or perhaps he wants me to be his slave?”

Nivo took a deep sigh. “I hope you get to choose into which family you were born. Your mother and I descended from ordinary Lycans. You could be one of the Lunas if you were royalty.”

Una felt her father’s pain. “I never regretted that you were my parents. So what if our blood was made to be servants? I love you and mother so much. My dream is for us to travel to Erganiv safely. Is that too much to ask?”

“Always dream big, Una. You came to us a little late for our age. Your mother and I are both over a hundred years old. I was so elated when I found out your mother was pregnant. Yerie blessed us with a charming daughter.” Nivo referred to the creator of all things and the most powerful being in the Heavenly Realm.

Una giggled. “Of course, I look after mother.”

Immortals had a hard time conceiving. It was not long since the war happened against the Empire, and every female faced the dilemma of reproducing. Una was thankful that she was born after Erganiv was magically created. Everything was peaceful, and a perfect time to build a family.

They heartily laughed and forgot the horrible incident for a while. Una watched her father finish his food, and they ensured there were no traces of blood when they decided to return home.

IN THE midst of the Ryk Forest, all the participants of the Equinox Hunt gathered for the awarding. Each animal they hunted corresponded to a point. The bigger the beast, the higher the score.

The Equinox Hunt was participated by everyone who wanted to have fun hunting. Mostly the Lycans and Gwiazdan faeries. There were some from neighboring domains who joined for the first time.

Hevian saw a group of faeries with distinctive silver hair. He was sure they were Alsacheris. His father might have invited them to assist in healing the injured since there were a few who didn’t have a regeneration ability.

The full moon in the sky was perfect for the occasion. Howls could be heard in the forest, mixed with the sounds of drums.

Fang, the newly appointed Alpha King, was seated on the silver chair on the stage, and standing beside him was Traxan, his Beta.

Two other male lycans were seated on each side of Fang—the Alpha of the Hebris and Iltis Pack, Verson and Rewin.

On the ground, the hunters were waiting, eager to know who scored the highest. At the same time, Hevian was near the stage. And behind him was the infamous black wolf army.

“Hunter from the Hebris Pack will surely emerge as the champion. Oh, should I say… it’s me?” one lycan said beside Hevian. He was Eshlu, Verson’s heir.

Hevian remained silent. He didn’t want to engage in conversation with Eshlu because it might end up in another argument that would displease Fang. Besides, Hevian would have taken the hunt seriously if only he hadn’t been distracted in Qalin Forest. He knew his ability and flaunting it wouldn’t change a thing.

He remembered the female omega. Until now, Hevian refused to accept that something weird had happened to him the moment he laid his eyes on her. There was a tug inside his chest, urging him to protect her.

Una… Hevian shook his head.

This can’t be!

He was distracted when Eshlu taunted him again. “Will your father accept that his son lost again? I heard you are always punished for being weak. I pity you.”

Hevian only shrugged. He focused on his father, who stood up for a speech.

“The Equinox Hunt is the first event of our Moon Festival. I welcome everyone under the illumination of the full moon to celebrate!” Fang was so delighted to see a large number of shapeshifters gathered around.

General Balek came to Fang and handed him a scroll.

“I now have the winner!” Fang opened the scroll, and his brow raised slightly upon reading it. “The champion for the first half of Equinox Hunt is none other than….” there was anticipation in every face present at the event. “Eshlu of Hebris Pack!”

Eshlu and his pack danced in synchronization under the moon while they proudly spoke their battle chants. Eshlu was so pleased as he was awarded a rare medallion forged in Argia–the Capital City of Erganiv.

Hevian’s jaw tightened. He had already visualized how his father would scold him after this. He emerged as the second with only five points behind.

After the awarding, several female shifters from each wolf packs entertained everyone by dancing. The Ryk Forest was so alive and full of laughter. But Hevian wasn’t so happy. He had been upset not because he came in second but because his chest was so heavy. And the face of that female Omega kept crossing his mind.

His eyes widened when he heard in his mind the familiar voice of that female.

“Help!”

Hevian hardly shook his head because he must be imagining things.

But it came again, loud and clear.

“Help me!”