Chapter 3: Arrival Of Humans
"ALPHA, Ethan is back, but he is not alone. You must visit the shore, it's urgent." For Centauri, it was a blessing in disguise. His feelings for Sylvia were genuine but he wasn't sure if the marriage was just an alliance or some plot against his pack. His aura became dense and his wolf surfaced. His ocean-blue irises became blazing red with streaks of gold. Sylvia who happened to be his partner was intimidated too by his change in demeanor. She took a few steps back and her gaze shifted towards the floor as if submitting to someone invincible. Aster immediately shifted into his wolf and ran out.
Centauri moved towards the door and sauntered into the broad corridor. His office was located on the third floor of the building. On the second floor was the residence of single-pack warriors. The first and ground floor consisted of mess and training rooms.
Centauri was the only wolf born with the ability to co-exist in his wolf and human form. His nails were gradually converting into claws, the strength of his wolf transferred to his human mass, and thick golden fur with bright red tips appeared on his neck and covered the center of his back in two parallel lines with circular patterns running down his spine forming some uncomprehending pattern.
Centauri was completely in control of his. He sensed the presence of the three outsiders. Instead of using the stairs case he jumped from the window and shifted in his wolf. His clothes were ripped in the process and pieces were blown apart by the strong wind. He landed on the ground and started running towards the shore. His speed was much faster than normal wolves. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the black wolf of Aster leaving him mesmerized by his strength. He reached shore within five minutes. The pack warriors already stationed at the shore upon sensing Centauri's presence prepared a new set of clothes and placed them on the branch of the tree. Centauri shifted into his human form and quickly changed into black attire. His irises were still red and dominance radiated from his figure.
Pack warriors upon seeing him, slightly bowed down in respect. Although they had lost their royalty some things never change and the most prominent among them are habits and virtues one learns throughout his life. It was their norm which remained unchanged and gave them hope for a promising future.
"Ethan! What took you so long to return?" he roared in a deep thunderous voice. Ethan, the beta of the pack was standing near one of the three ships where the outsiders were kept. He lowered his head and his heart started throbbing violently as if ready to break its cage. Ethan was the strongest warrior of this pack second to Alpha Centauri. The only person who could tame Ethan was Alpha himself. Ethan was wild, crude, and merciless. His personality compliment Alpha. Both of them together were enough to turn the world upside down.
"Alpha! we took shelter on the island owing to the storm but encountered humans near the western land connected to our border. They were kept hostage there. Seven of them were killed and three managed to escape."
"How did they manage to cross the barrier hiding our world from the humans?" Aster who just arrived at the shore, tried taking part in the argument. He was panting and bent forward to catch his breath.
"I spotted the scents of vampires and wolves inside the forest they were held captive. I am sure they bought them here, our enemies are up to something." Ethan commented with a stern face.
Centauri's aura was filled with killing intent upon hearing these words. He clenched his fists tightly, his neck veins became prominent and his jaw clenched, "This is not a good omen. We must keep cautious. Our invitations have been accepted and we must not let their tricks make us lose face on the day of reunion of all the forces." He took a deep breath to keep his anger at bay but failed miserably. He remembered that the last royal king was also exploited for the crimes he never committed and it resulted in chaos and death of King Constantine and Queen Isabell.
"Bring the humans," Centauri commanded in his Alpha's tone and Ethan immediately rushed inside the ship.
Centauri turned towards Aster and passed the instructions regarding the stay of these humans and how to keep them away from the pack members, "Inform the pack about the current situation and ensure not to make these humans suspect anything suspicious. They are not aware of us. It's up to us now to keep the secret safe until they return."
"Alpha are you sure they are just humans? Maybe they are one of our kind and are simply masking their scents." Aster felt proud of his wisdom and looked towards Centauri with gleaming eyes waiting for him to shower him with praises but soon his excitement was flooded but the stern and cold response from Centauri
"Only humans can cross this mist without an amulet." After the mist broke out no one was able to cross it. The ones who dared cross it were killed brutally by the hidden mysteries inside it, only their rotten bodies remained waiting to be discovered by others. After many years they discovered in Saintes journal that by preparing a certain amulet they would be able to cross the mist. All the ships and Pack warriors were given the amulets for their safety. Since humans do not possess any magical abilities they were not affected by the mist.
Aster and Centauri were busy chalking out new plans regarding the humans meanwhile Ethan brought them out of the ship and made them stand in a line. Centauri's attention was diverted by the loud murmurs of the warriors. His back was facing the humans so he turned around to face them. They were short compared to the werewolves and looked timid. Their clothes were covered in mud and their hair was a great mess. They looked scared, tired, and malnourished.
Centauri sympathized with them, He took a few steps closer to examine them. Centauri cleared his throat and tried to speak in a gentle voice, "Who are you and how you ended up in the forest?" well his gentle voice was more like a thunderous voice for the humans. Their faces turned pale. The girl among them immediately moved behind one of the boys and peeked from his shoulder grabbing his arm firmly. Aster who was good at communication tried to soothe the environment,
"I am Aster, the third in command here. He is the owner of this area, Centauri Leonis. You will be treated fairly here. We will also look for a way to send you back as soon as possible." His speech seemed to have some calming effect on the humans. He looked at Centauri and Ethan with a victorious smile.
"You should introduce yourself and then we will make arrangements for your temporary stay." Aster started babbling once again.
"I am Sam, I am 20 years old. We are all from B city. We were kidnapped fours day ago at night. Many of our peers were killed and we were running to save our life when we met him" he pointed towards Ethan. After a brief pause, the girl standing next to him said, "I am Rigel and he is Zed."
Centauri nodded his head in response. "Take them to the black peak residence." He mind linking Aster and passed the instructions.
Aster nodded to one of the warriors to bring the jeep, "Follow me, you must get some rest, and then will have a profound discussion."
All three humans exchanged glances and then decided to trust him. Zed took the initiative and walked past Centauri towards the jeep followed by Rigel and finally Sam. The moment Sam approached Centauri, his senses felt a faint smell of jasmine mixed with coca with a strong aroma of wet mud masking it. Centauri's eyes widened in shock. His irises rank down Sam's body looking for the source of the scent and finally, he noticed a small spot of blood near the abdomen of his shirt. Most of the mark was covered with mud. The moment Sam crossed him Centauri's wolf echoed in his mind, Mate. Centauri immediately blocked his path with his arm and turned him towards him forcefully.
"Whose blood is on your shirt?" Centauri's deepest desire was to have a mate. He knew he would never have one but couldn't help thinking what if he found his mate? This moment of realization felt as if the world around him has halted. He felt like drowning helplessly in an ocean. He was standing dead in his track looking towards the spot covered in mud. His wolf once again echoed in his mind and repeatedly said one word which he wanted to hear the most
"We have found our mate."
"Alpha you are scaring him." Aster tried to elevate the tension between them. Centauri who was still in a daze said in a low whispering voice, his tone stern and demanding, "The blood on your shirt." he pointed to the small circular red mark on his shirt which was not masked by mud.
"What's taking so long for him to speak." his beast echoed inside his brain. It felt like centuries before he finally opened his mouth and said,
"Anastasia, she helped us escape. When we were running for our lives she got shot and died. We had no other option than to leave her behind." Tears filled his eyes and he swiped them with his sleeves, he lowered his head and Rigel held his hands and slightly squeezed them to comfort him.
Centauri was unable to breathe. His mate was right under his nose. She was here struggling for her life and he couldn't help her. He couldn't save her. He tried maintaining his demeanor. For the first time in his life, he was feeling pain. He was angry, sad, and irritated, and had a mixture of feelings that he couldn't comprehend. He was cursed not to have a mate. None of his ancestors found their mates. His thoughts were impaired and for the first time in his life, he decided without considering the consequences.
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Food for thought,
Reporter: Author do you have anything special to remark about today's chapter.
Author be like: One minute silence for the ones who thought Sam was Centauri's mate. ;-)
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone