Chapter 5 - The Quadrangle.

"What is this place called again?"

Cora asked as she settled herself into one of the old stone benches that seemed to be carved out of the ground. The entire area was filled with stone sculptures as centrepieces and stone benches. It was eery and at the same time creative. 

"It's called the Quadrangle. A lot of students come here to relax." Everett replied as he sat across Cora.

She seemed unnerved and oblivious about every single thing that was happening around her. She was free.

"You brought me here to teach me the basics so I'm listening, what do I need to know about this place?"

"First, I have to ask. How much do you know about Avalonian history?"

Cora nervously bit her nails, a bad habit. She didn't know anything about Avalonian history, nothing at all. Her mother had volunteered to teach her so many times but she was either too busy or really didn't care.

And the small book about Avalon: The City of wolves was lying somewhere on her bed. She forgot to pack it. No, she didn't forget, she intentionally left it there. 

"Let's be honest, I don't know much. So you have to start from the very beginning, like the pack names and all because it's all so confusing."

Everett raised his eyebrows in shock. At the age of ten, he could recite all the major packs and all their minor packs and every Alpha from memory and that was before he even got enrolled in Avalon. It was just normal, for werewolves everywhere to know about their history, yet here was a girl totally oblivious to the fact that she should. 

And lucky for him, he just had to be the very fortunate guy to be her mate.

Thank you moon goddess. He said as he rolled his eyes. 

"So, we'll start from the very beginning like I said. The major pack that's basically in charge of the political affairs of Avalon is the Ortus Solis run by Alpha Superior Eli. The second oldest Alpha. He's a very diplomatic person and sure you can say Ortus Solis is a fairly good pack to be in, except rumours are going around that he's a paedophile and all but who cares since it's Ortus Solis."

Everett rambled as he rolled his eyes.

Another thing he hated about the pack was that the wolves who belonged to the pack all had foolish pride and massive egos and they generally believed that they were superior.

"Are you listening?" 

"Totally. Ortus Solis is at the top of the food chain. Proceed."

"Lux Aeterna. Now it's run by Alpha Superior Noah, the guy you met earlier. Basically they're in charge of infrastructure. They build most of the stuff around here."

"Ohh! Nice. When did Noah become and Alpha Superior?"

Cora asked as her eyes lighted up with interest at the mention of Noah's name.

"Hnmmm. It was a few months ago. On to the next pack which is the Custodes Lunae. I guess you can call it the overly spiritual pack since all we do is worship the moon goddess day and night. Led by Alpha Superior Abraham. It's also my pack."

Cora rested her face on her hand as curiously searched Everett's face. There really was something about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on. He was actually handsome if she looked past his attitude. But she didn't like him, no, she didn't.

"You don't look overly spiritual."

Everett rolled his eyes.

"Thank the moon goddess for that."

"The next pack is the Sole pack. It's run by Alpha Superior Augustus, the oldest Alpha. They don't care about Avalonian politics and it's almost as if they are detached from everyone else. I kid you not, it's the oldest and strongest pure blooded Lycan pack and I say lycan because they are direct descendants from the very first werewolves and they absolutely under no given condition allow their Alpha or important lycans in their weird hierarchy participate in inter pack breeding."

"That's not very fair. What if your mate's not in the Sole pack?"

"Well, if you're a female, you may be permitted to marry outside your pack since the female inherits the husband's pack. But if you're a male, you most likely will be made to reject your mate. Lycans started the arranged marriage tradition."

For a second, Cora was grateful that she wasn't in the Sole pack. The only upside so far was being much more stronger and different than the average wolf.

"Deum Belli is run by Alpha Superior Scarlet. They're in control of defence. They also train werewolves. Deum Belli werewolves are known to be extremely aggressive and violent, it's like it runs through their blood to cause trouble. Just like their Alpha."

"Is she the first female Alpha Superior?"

"No, she isn't. We've had a few. Except in the Sole pack. Old traditions die hard for lycans."

"Your pack is Filli Lunae run by the Alpha Superior twins. I'm sure you know at least something about your pack."

"Yea, you can skip that." 

Cora said as she waved her hands. Truth was she knew next to nothing about her pack but she didn't want Everett saying something about that.

"Final pack is the Ruber Luna. It's the smallest and the most secretive pack. 

It's run by Alpha Superior Ida. The Ruber Lunaes are all healers, well, most of them. That's about it for the seven major packs. Any questions?"

"Not really."

"Over the next few weeks, I'll be seeing you a couple times in a week and we'll be taking the history of Avalon plus some other subjects that are very important. I just have a few questions to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Can you shift yet?" 

Everett asked. He knew the answer to the question but he wanted to hear it from her, because it still sounded unreal to him. 

"No. I can't."

"Does the full moon have any effect on you?" He asked and Cora squeezed her face. She had no idea if it did.

For a while her parents kept her home when it was a full moon but nothing major happened except for some pain for a while, nothing happened. Cora was physically incapable of making the shift.

"It really doesn't. Some times I feel very tired and like my whole joints are aching but it goes away once it's over."

"Okay. Okay. Have you felt any connection to your wolf? I need you to be honest now."

Everett was staring into Cora's large blue eyes. She looked unsure, frightened and nervous all together and his wolf ached to reach out and comfort her.

He would like to feel her in his arms and give her some of his warmth. But he couldn't. Because she wouldn't understand and even if she did, there wouldn't be anyway he'd know for sure if she'd want him that way. Being mates was a forever kind of commitment.

"Sometimes, it feels like there's something deep and ancient inside of me that's sleeping. Sometimes it wakes up, but that's only for a few seconds. Sometimes I see it in my dreams. A snow white wolf watching me from afar. Whenever I try to run after it, I can never catch up and sometimes it seems to disappear so fast that it feels like it was only a figment of my imagination."

Cora didn't know why she told Everett about her dreams. She didn't tell anybody else. Not even her own parents. 

"Now, my final question will be a little personal, but I want you to please answer me. As your Dux, I'm tasked with helping you out in every issues you might have with your academics and your wolf. So I need to know as much about you as possible. Cora, I want you to tell me what happened to you."

Cora had been dreading the question. She hated answering it. Because personally, she had no memory of it ever happening and that made it all scarier. Other people telling her about what happened to her.

"When I was one year old, there was an issue with Alpha Superior Henry and Luther's beta. According to my parents, Alpha Luther and Henry had declared me their heir after my father because they couldn't have father any children. That was also around the time their Luna died of grief. Beta Superior Ryder didn't think it should be that way and the news divided the pack. Before the Alpha Superior twins could denounce and dethrone their Alpha, I was kidnapped. My parents said I was only a year old. I was thrown into the Moon lake by Beta Superior Ryder. A human child would have died, but I kept struggling till I was found. They said that when they found me, my heartbeat was so slow, they thought I was dead. With the help of a mage and several healers from the Ruber Lunae, I was saved. But the Mage foresaw that I would relive the trauma over and over again and it would affect me. So she convinced my parents to let her wipe away the painful memories. She did and I left Avalon with my parents. Over the years my parents feared that I didn't show any signs of shifting or connecting to my wolf, they blamed it on the fact that my memories were repressed. We really couldn't find the mage after that.

I think I recovered. But my wolf didn't. They could clear my memories, but I don't think they could clear hers. A healer once said it's possible she's still stuck in my one year old self. Reliving the drowning experience over and over again."

Everett was at a complete loss for words. To think that this cheerful bubbly girl went through so much trauma at such a young age.

His wolf was crying out to him to touch her, to comfort her. She was so sad. He wished that he could help her.

"I'm really sorry you had to go through all that." 

He reached out for her hand out of instinct and the moment his hand connected with hers he felt a bolt of electricity run though him.

Cora looked as shocked as he did.

As their intertwined hands sent sparks flying in him. His wolf was literally howling out of joy and in Cora's eyes, he found something phenomenal. 

She felt it too.