Five

Elana.

It’s been a month since I ran away from Alpha Alex.

My return wasn’t quite what I expected. My delusional self thought I would get a welcome back party or even someone would care about me.

But reality decided to give me a wake-up call. I didn’t get even one head to turn in concern about my disappearance.

Don’t think I’ll ever forget how I was ‘welcomed’ by my father that day.

“I thought I had finally gotten rid of this curse. Why does the moon goddess choose to punish me this way?” My dad said, addressing my brother.

My brother was the only person who even cared to ask what happened. But I told him I had been kidnapped.

Though my brother and I aren't the best of friends, he’s the only one who genuinely cares about me even if he doesn’t show it.

Right now I’m in my room sprawled on my bed. Thinking about the turnout of events that took place in recent times.

Why hasn’t Alpha Alex sent to look for me yet?

Oh, right…he probably hasn’t noticed I’m gone. I’m not really a special kind.

And here I am, lying on my bed, lonely, friendless, and mateless...everything less.

Maybe I should just change my identity and run away to another pack far, far away where no one knows me.

I got off my bed and walked over to my bathroom to wash my face and see if I could get my mind off negative thoughts for a while.

Maybe I’d try picking up my pen to write again.

I wiped my face with my face towel and left my bathroom. I was moving toward my desk when my eyes caught something outside my window.

The curtains were spread open, so natural sunlight could come in. I reversed my steps and moved closer to the window.

Right beside a tree at the front of my house, there was a figure. A hooded figure in all-black clothing.

They had the body structure of a man, hands in their pockets, and they were looking right at me.

I couldn’t really see the person clearly from my room because the distance was fairly large.

I squinted my eyes to see if I could make anything out of the person’s face.

They pulled something out of the pocket of their hoodie, it was a flower.

A tulip. It was a pink one. Plucking the petals one by one, only one person knows my favorite flower and color.

Maxwell?

“What are you looking at?”

“Aghhhh. Son of a bitch!” I exclaimed as I jumped in shock at my spot. It was Efanell, my brother.

“You scared me, Efanell. How come I didn’t hear you come in?” I asked as I looked at him.

“What were you so focused on?” he asked, making his way over to my window to see for himself.

I turned to look outside again and the figure was gone. “Nothing. Just thought I saw someone,” I replied.

“There’s no one there, Lana,” Efanell said with a chuckle. It always made me feel better when he called me Lana.

But why would Maxwell come to my home and what did he want? But most importantly, was that even Maxwell?

“You seem deep in thought, and you’re seeing things now. Anything you want to talk about?” he asked, sitting on my bed with his elbows resting on his thighs.

“What really happened with the abductors and how’d they let you go so easily?” he asked further.

I didn’t want to talk about it. Mainly because I wasn’t really abducted, I ran away.

“Nothing happened. I ran away to clear my mind and fell into the wrong hands. I figured out a way to escape and here I am,” I said with a shrug.

“Righttt,” Efanell said, obviously not having my explanation. “Anyway, Father sent for you. Don’t worry about him, he’s just mad at you 'cause he misses Mother and you look a lot like her.”

“But isn’t that supposed to make him love me more instead of hating his own daughter?” I asked, confused at the logic behind what he said.

“You see Lana. He does love you but hates the fact that you look a lot and remind him so much of his late wife. And he can’t love you the way he would’ve loved her because that would be a taboo,”

“And so he hates you, Lana. But it’s okay, you'll be fine. We may argue a lot and not be on good terms, but you’re still my sister and I love you,” Efanell said.

It made me sick to my stomach that my dad chose to punish me for something I had no hand in.

But even sicker to think about being loved like his wife.

“Anyway, I shall be on my way now. Don’t forget to answer Dad. He’s in the living room,” Efanell said before shutting my door.

I looked over at my window one last time to see if the figure had come back, but there was no one there.

Taking a deep breath, I slipped on my slippers and went to answer my father’s call.

******

So this man has this much hatred and audacity.

He didn’t have the initiative to ask if I was okay physically or mentally, but instead sent me to the farthest market in the territory to get ingredients to prepare his favorite meal.

What an inconsiderate man.

I was struggling with the bags but was relieved when I could see our house from a close distance.

On approaching the house, I noticed the mailbox indicated there was something in it.

It was probably bent by the wind. Because we haven’t had any mail in ages.

Dropping the bags, I went over to the mailbox and turned the indicator back to normal position.

I was about to leave when I had the sensation to just check to make sure.

I opened the mailbox and right in front of my eyes was a letter. And for me.

Who could’ve sent me this? Were they pushing to make fun of me again?

I put the letter in the ingredients bag, closed the mailbox, and went into the house.

After unpacking and storing everything, I went up to my room to open the letter.

I sat cross-legged on my bed and opened the letter, it read;

To Elana of Crescent Moon pack.

Dear member of Crescent Moon Pack. It is with great caution that I inform you that the Alpha of Silver Moon pack, Alexander Cor, has summoned you to his residence before or by nightfall tomorrow.

Is this a prank? Was this why that person was here?

But no one knew I was at the residence of the Silver Moon pack Alpha.

So he did notice my absence. I continued to read the letter.

It is advised that you temper this information with caution and great importance. As you are permitted to be killed if you fail to abide by command. Good luck, we shall be expecting you.

~ Omega Kristen of Silver Moon pack

“What the heck,” I said out loud.