Chapter 2

Hearing about it now that we already reached this certain age put an unexplainable weight in my chest. We just turned nineteen –– the unripe age of nineteen, where we had just started figuring ourselves out, devoid of expectations of marriage or partnership. It wasn’t unusual, but the stated ‘mission’ meant this was a responsibility I wasn’t prepared to take.

But I didn’t respond to Harvey with this frustration. He said his parents were the ones to tell us what to do. I thought moving to Azen and leaving my family were scary enough. This was something else.

Harvey led the way downstairs, as I trailed behind him with my chest tightened. We approached the living room and spotted our parents already engaged in a conversation. Mugs laid atop the coffee table placed in the middle of the two couches that sat across from each other. A tinge of burnt wood from the fireplace lingered in the air, as the cackles and the voices resounded in the  room. Mrs. Sebastian, Harvey’s mother, halted at the sight of us. A smile appeared on her face, and she stood to wrap me in an embrace.

“Oh, Ellie, Agatha was just telling us about you,” she said, her voice warm. She pulled away and held both my arms. “You’ve grown so beautiful. You look just like your mother.”

“Thank you,” I sheepishly responded, not knowing how to take compliments as my eyes turned to Mom, who was sitting just beside Mrs. Sebastian.

“Come, sit. We have an important thing to discuss,” Mr. Sebastian ordered. It was now that I realized how uncannily similar Mr. Sebastian and Harvey looked. He inherited almost every  physical feature, except his hazel eyes that were his mother’s trademark.

They all scooted over on the couches to give enough room for Harvey and me. We sat across from each other, and I would constantly glimpse at him in nervousness.

Mr. Sebastian glanced at the gold watch on his wrist before clearing his throat. “We only have an hour left before we drop you off at the passage to Azen.”

“I hope you two have already talked about this upstairs,” Mom said before she sipped on her mug. I didn’t know how my leaving this town seemed so casual to her. Maybe this reunion just overrode her wariness, especially since Mrs. Sebastian was her closest friend.

“There was a message from Azen,” Mrs. Sebastian started, “it was about a ball that they will arrange in the next 2 days. It’s why I told Harvey that it’s better for you two to arrive there as soon as possible.”

“The Moonlight Ball,” Harvey inserted.

“It’s an event where werewolves find their mate, much like a debutante ball: a tradition held every eighteen months, and this time, the royals from the palace of Azen will also participate. Gio and I figured that it’s the perfect time to create an alliance with other packs,” Mrs. Sebastian explained briefly, and I was left stunned by the information. “Harvey and Ellie, you both will be representing our pack during the ball, so we expect nothing less.”

Alliance through marriage, in an unfamiliar world, with only the two of us, no packs, no connection, just pure duty. Great. My head hurt at the thought of it. Why me? I was barely even a werewolf –– couldn’t even function as one. And I couldn’t tell them because a part of me knew they wouldn’t like it.

“We’re now entrusting the future of our pack in your hands,” Mrs. Sebastian continued as her gaze landed on Harvey. “Especially to you, as you’re the last alpha after your father and me.”

But Harvey neither looked proud nor responsible; his face was stoic. As if he’d expected it all his life, and now that he ought to step into his duty, it couldn’t sink in. And even I could feel the weight in Mrs. Sebastian’s words. 

“Duty above everything,” Harvey mumbled.

“Duty above everything.” Mrs. Sebastian nodded, her eyes glistening as she stared at Harvey. “Though this is a difficult decision for us to make, it’s the only way we can secure the future of our pack. I hope you both can understand that we’re doing this not to punish you for our mistake for dividing everyone, but to reconcile with the truth: that this isn’t a safe place for us anymore.”

Reconcile with the truth. Or were they just afraid to admit that reuniting the pack was almost impossible? That’s why they wanted to send us off so we could continue the lineage.

“Ellie, how do you feel?” Mrs. Sebastian asked, and a sudden lump formed in my throat.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian. I’m just finding it hard to process all of this. We’re leaving our lives behind, and I’m scared.”

“I understand you. We’re scared too, but it’s the only choice we have. The door to Azen is open with new possibilities and opportunities, and it’s what Goddess Selene granted us. But we promise, you both won’t have to live in fear, unlike what happened to us here.” Mrs. Sebastian’s reassuring words did just enough to give us false hope. 

It wasn’t that I distrust them; it was the fact that a lot of questions lingered in my head and I couldn’t bring myself to ask them. But I guess Harvey and I should figure those out ourselves.

“It’s getting late, and your chaperone is going to meet us outside the passage. We only have a few minutes left, so I think we should get moving,” Mr. Sebastian said in finality as he stood and walked to the rack to grab his coat. 

I glanced at Harvey for the last time, noticing the distant look on his face as if he was contemplating. I’d never seen him like this before. Never even thought we’d reach the point where life would stop feeling like it used to –– where we would just be children and teenagers laughing and doing silly stuff. Now it just suddenly felt… hollow.

I walked towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We do things together, remember?”

It didn’t immediately lighten the mood, but he let out a soft sigh –– a sigh of relief, I hoped. But when he looked at me with his teary eyes, I almost saw in them the reflection of the memories we built together back then. 

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The way to Azen’s passage wasn’t what I expected. I thought we’d have to cross a sea or we’d be dropped off at an airport and ride a plane. Like going to another country or town. Instead, every direction we swerved led to one bumpy road to another, with only the car’s headlights lighting the way and the illumination of the moon above. We drove by a forest crowded with pine trees that reminded me of the one near the bayou where we used to live. It had the same muddy soil that would make Mr. Sebastian cuss out of frustration when our car wheels would get stuck in it. After a few struggles to get through the forest, we were met by an open field. Two overlapping mountains stood a few miles ahead of us, clouds covering their peaks, and birds flying ahead from afar.

As we got out of the car, the fog-covered ground emanated a soil-like stench as the cold breeze blew past our faces. Our boots etched footsteps on the moist dirt; every stride felt as though the ground was tugging us down. I looked around the empty field, confused, and checked for everyone as they grabbed our stuff from the car’s trunk. The moon took the spotlight in the empty sky, and I envisioned the darkness that cloaked it in one of my nightmares. Harvey nudged my arm when he noticed my silence.

“This looks more like a graveyard than an actual passage,” he joked while we both stared ahead at the mountains. “We’re being sent off to get murdered.”

We both laughed, and I flitted my eyes back at the moon above us. 

Goddess Selene.

“Do you think she’s watching over us?” I asked, crossing my arms on my chest.

“The Goddess?”

“Yes.”

“I’d like to think so.” He shrugged. “I had a guess that after what happened to all of us in the pack, she kind of turned her back against us.”

“Why would she do that?”

“I’ve been having these dreams lately. I don’t know what those mean, but it’s a message, that’s for sure.”

I stared at him in surprise. So it wasn’t just me who was being haunted by these unusual nightmares. They were a shared experience. Maybe it’s the Goddess's way of reaching out?

I was about to say something when Harvey squinted his eyes in the distance and said, “Is that… the chaperone?”

A silhouette of a man riding a carriage came into view. But as it approached our vicinity, I noticed something odd: it looked like they were being carried by a cloud-shaped fog. The horse and the carriage weren't touching the ground; they were floating.

“Am I hallucinating?” I glanced at Harvey beside me as Mr. Sebastian stepped into view. 

“That’s the chaperone,” he concluded. The silhouette came closer at every blink.

I turned my back to find Mom staring at me with longing in her eyes. She pursed her lips as if to prevent tears from rolling down her cheeks. So I walked closer and pulled her into an embrace.

“Send me letters when you get to Azen, Eleanor. Luke and I will miss you.” She hugged me tighter, and I could feel her tears drenching my knitted sweater.

“Don’t cry, or I’ll cry too.” Tears cascaded down my face.

It was the very first time I would be separated from her, and the thought of it made my heart sink. I used to think I wouldn’t be leaving her side, but I think the Goddess had different plans.

I turned to look at the man in the carriage behind us. He wore a fedora that cast a shadow on his face, black trousers that looked a bit too big, and white button-up sleeves that had a tiny pocket with a small watch attached to it. He pulled a scroll behind him and unwrapped it in front of us.

“I’m ordered to assist Harvey Sebastian and Eleanor Trevino for a safe trip to Azen,” the chaperone read through the scroll. But he scanned all of us in confusion.

“We’re just here to drop them off,” Mr. Sebastian answered as they started to load the carriage with our stuff.

I looked back at Mom, took a deep breath, and tugged my lips into a smile.

“Goodbye.”