Chapter 2: A Glimpse of Fate

Chapter 2: A Glimpse of Fate

Morning mist clung to the ground as Tiara ventured back into the woods as it had become her routine.

Today, she walked deeper than usual, drawn by something she could not explain.

The forest remained stilled as it was still very early.

Then, she heard movements.

Suddenly, a shadow detached itself from the ancient oaks. A black wolf, massive and sleek, lunged through the brush. Tiara gasped, her leg catching on a root as she tumbled back.

But instead of teeth, she met a wall of solid heat.

A man stood over her, his hand gripping her arm to steady her. He was a mountain of a man, draped in furs that smelled of cedar and rain. His golden eyes didn't just look at her—they seemed to weigh her very soul.

Observing the man before her, he was taller up close. Muscles tensed under his dark cloak, his golden eyes piercing.

"The Deep-Wood is no place for a cub," he rasped. His voice had the vibration of a low growl.

"I....I....erm..." She stuttered, her heart hammering against her chest. Up close, the power radiating from him was suffocating. 

“You might be mistaken for a spy considering the fact that you are here all alone, by yourself.” 

“I am sorry.” Tiara apologized.

“It is fine, you really do not have to apologize.” he gently replied her.

“It is understandable that you must be so scared and flustered.” He said.

He didn't move. He reached out, his calloused fingers brushing the mud from her cheek. The contact sent a jolt of raw electricity through her, a spark of the ancient bond that shouldn't exist for an Omega like her.

"You have the scent of the Old Blood," he whispered, more to himself than her. "Strange."

“Why are you here, all by yourself?” he asked, leading the way.

“I come here to gather herbs,” she replied, following his lead that coincidentally led to her house.

“Are you sick?? Or are your parents ill?” he asked.

“No, not at all.” She quickly replied.

“I am healthy and my parents are not sick.” she added, hiding the fact that she was an orphan.

“Why then do you come into a dangerous place like this to gather herbs?” he curiously asked.

“I— I gather herbs. For remedies,” she stammered.

"For remedies?" He raised his brows.

“I come here to gather herbs so I can sell at the market so as to make ends meet.” she replied.

“Ohh, you are an herb seller,” he said, nodding his head after getting her explanation.

"Yes, I am." She replied, biting her lips.

The man simply nodded his head and was about to say something else when his eyes fell on someone: hiding behind a big tree that stood close to them.

He stepped closer. “What is your name?”

“Tiara.”

"A girl with the name of a Queen. Tiara is never a nobody," he countered. Something flickered in his eyes. “You don’t feel it?”

“Feel what?” she asked, taking a cautious step back.

“The bond.” He tilted his head. “Strange.”

"What bond?" The clueless Tiara asked.

He glanced toward the shadows behind them, his jaw tightening. The man before Tiara slightly raised his head, maintaining eye contact with the man behind the tree, indirectly sending him a message for him to leave his hideout, unnoticed.

Tiara noticed that his body had drifted away from her, so she followed his gaze—

She was sure that was looking in the same direction as him but she saw nothing.

"What is he looking at? Is someone or something there?" She asked herself.

“Is everything okay?” She questioned the man before her.

“Yeah….yes, everything's fine.” He replied, stammering a little.

“Why do you ask though?” He questioned, looking in the direction where her eyes were and he knew that she must noticed his gaze on the hidden person in the forest.

“Ohh, nothing.” She replied.

“I thought I saw you move zone out but it must just be as a result of me being tired and exhausted from today's work.” She added.

He knew she was actually telling the truth about seeing his attention elsewhere but he could not agree to it.

“Ohh, accept my apologies for keeping you waiting for long when you should be home, resting or doing something more profitable.” He said, apologizing to her.

“You do not have to apologize…..sir.” she said, not knowing what to call him.

His eyes moved to her lips and watched how they moved and turned against each other as she spoke.

Her lips looked so soft and succulent with a two toned color that added a more alluring look to her face.

“What were you saying?” He asked her, still fixing his eyes on her lips.

Tiara touched her face to see if there was something on it that made him to keep staring at her.

“Is there something on my face?” She asked, wiping her face with the hem of her dress, flustered out of embarrassment.

“No, not at all.” he answered. "But I suggest we continue moving before the shadows here grow teeth."

“If I heard you correctly I think you wanted to know what my name is since you had no idea what to call me.” He added.

“Yes, I actually do not know what to call you.” Tiara agreed, shying away.

He was so pleased to see how calm, reserved and shy she is.

“Well, I will tell you my name because I believe we will meeting again, and very soon.” He said, winking at her.

Tiara was quick to face the other side as she was surprised by his move.

“Alright sir.” She replied, biting her lower lip.

“Why is she biting her lower lip now of all times?” He asked himself.

“I know you want to draw her close and kiss her.” His wolf said.

“You sure are more attracted to her than I am.” He inwardly replied.

“You were going to tell me your name, sir.” Tiara mentioned again, bringing him out of the slight daze.

A dark smirk touched his lips. "Edwin Stone. And I think you already know what that means."

"Did you say your name is Edwin Stone? You mean Edwin as in the alpha?" She asked, wanting to be sure. And he nodded.

Tiara stood frozen, her hand tingling where he had touched her. Edwin Stone. The same Thing dwin Stone who was the Alpha. The man her uncle intended to sell her cousin to.

Before he could say anything else, a howl echoed through the trees. Edwin turned, alert.

“I think you should head home now since I have taken so much of your time.” He said, smiling sweetly at her, waving his hand a little like he was not sure if he was doing the right thing.

“Thank you, sir.” She said, waving back at him.

Edwin wanted to wait a little more so he could see her turn and leave but he did otherwise and hurried back into the forest before she could take her leave.

“Stay safe, Tiara.”

He turned, vanishing into the mist with a speed that shouldn't be humanly possible. As she reached down to gather her scattered herbs, she froze. A tree trunk beside her had been gouged-three deep, savage claw marks that wept sap like blood.

Heart still hammering, Tiara bent down to pick up her fallen basket, when she noticed deep claw marks slashed into the tree beside her. Far larger than any normal wolf could make.

And there, nestled in the broken wood, was a pendant. It pulsed with a faint, ghostly blue light, bearing the Crest of the First Ancestors.

Her father’s crest.

A shiver ran through her.

Her hand reached out to it, her fingers brushed against it and she could feel a cold sensation running through her body. She picked it up, brushing away the dirt. Her breath caught. The pendant bore the same ancient symbol her father wore on his ring, the ring he never took off, even the night before he died.

Why was it here? What did it mean?