05

I laughed. It was a laugh of despair because I no longer knew how I had gotten into that mess. All that moment seemed like a weird dream and I would soon wake up in the cold accommodation in the middle of the field, with more dust to hit the covers and having a day of pure heat in the tight rooms of college. That didn't seem real.

"I can't explain myself in ten seconds," I replied with a frown.

"You wasted five of your time saying that, take good care of your next words."

"My name is Stella and I'm an astronomer," I decided to introduce myself, to at least win more than ten seconds. It seemed to work because the Alpha sketched a slight shock when dilating his pupils. Around us, the silence was present. "I study the stars, and I found coordinates following the constellations of the zodiac. Or rather, some constellations, because there were many others that I didn't have time to translate."

"And what did the moon say to you?" he asked, letting go of my chin. "Duntied did the moon agree to send you here?"

As ironic as that wasn't, I couldn't help but give a debauched smile.

"The moon doesn't speak."

The man took a deep breath, warming my face with the warm air from his nose. He was so close, and I hadn't even noticed the approach. I could now say that he was handsome. Perhaps the most beautiful man I've ever seen in my twenty-five years of life. But humans were decadent, and there were no beautiful people after so many years without food and sufficient living conditions.

"Alpha Randall," called the man who had captured me. And Alfa pretended he wasn't there. Your eyes are now fully directed to the moon pendant between your fingers. "Do you believe that the curse has come true?"

"I'm sure of that," he said.

A collective moan echoed from everyone. A deep regret. I frowned, looking at each of those people. Very well. I had gone from an accurate death to part of an unknown curse. And I didn't know if I was lucky to have made my backpack fall, or unlucky to be still in bad shape.

However, my doubts about what the worst fate was had been resolved as soon as Alfa Randall stood up, pulling me abruptly by the collar of my old band shirt. The fabric almost tore.

It was made of the most rotten cotton of our plantations and was too worn due to the years of use. Even so, my biggest concern was to notice that the hands in claws continued to hold my shoulder firmly.

"We have to take her with us," the Alpha announced, and everyone was silent as if showing indignation. "If the damn witch is right, she can tell other humans where we are and what we have in their interest."

"What can you have to attract so many humans so far?" I asked without being able to contain myself.

This time, Alfa didn't ignore me. And I would be happy if I did because it was very disconcerting to be in your sights.

"As for the other humans, I can't say, but you..." he took my hand and stuck the necklace with all his strength between my fingers. "You have a way to locate us, and I can't allow you to come back. Besides, if you get involved in problems, I will also have problems. It is better to stay in our sight, even if it is extremely unpleasant to smell this disgusting smell of humans on your skin."

"Why would you have problems?"

"She talks too much," grumbled my captor, making a face. The Alpha stared at him, the man swallowed it dry. "Alpha, she won't survive for long. I can smell the disease rot inside her. We may never reach the witch to reverse this cruel fate."

"You remember the witch's words," he just said.

My captor lowered his head. Everyone spoke in a very rude and firm tone, but the Alpha had a much greater ability to make everyone submit to his whims.

Those final words were enough to make everyone move, some going back to the shed and picking up reinforced boxes, others simply passing by us and leaving the military barracks.

I got up before Alpha, staring at everyone who was leaving. It was strange to see him lowered in front of me, and very curious when he raised his eyes to face me. It didn't look like an alpha wolf position.

"Why did you give up the idea of killing me?"

The Alpha rose, and again the sun disappeared from my sight because of its height. Meters and meters of muscles covered my vision. There was no one stronger than him there.

"Because I can't have problems."

"With humans?" I laughed. "I doubt they can find you after leaving me dead in the cruel way you intended. Everyone was aware of my destiny when I left our farm."

"What could a human like you know about fate?"

I shrugged.

"I would never have looked at the stars if I didn't feel like I was destined for it."

The Alpha performed a gesture that seemed between a nod and a grumbling. So he held out the necklace to me and said the most absurd thing I could have heard all my life.

"You carry the symbol that an ancient witch had said my mate would carry," he warned, with a deep lamentation. I didn't know what a mate meant at that time, and I felt relieved not to be the target of death so soon. "Unfortunately for both of us, my stellar mate seems to be a filthy human like you."