LUNA ASTERBELLE’S POV
The aura that surrounded the dining hall was kind of heavy, despite the bright morning. Right after the mysterious man greeted me, King Dawn had been unusually releasing a large amount of his aura, which was a mixture of uneasiness and vexation.
"So, can I now know who you might be and what’s the purpose of your visit here?" I carefully asked the man who was busy finishing the meal that Jazpher served.
"I’m Beta Holmes of the Crimson Moon Pack," he introduced himself, then stood firmly with his closed fist on his chest. "The Alpha ordered me to fetch you from this useless clan," he added, which made the king click his tongue.
Dawn suddenly got up from his seat in the middle, then approached Beta Holmes with such ferocity in his eyes. "Useless? You better watch your words, Nero. You’re in my territory; you should know what would happen if you mess up with me," he coldly said.
The intensity between the two of them grew stronger. I have no clue what occurred with the Crimson Moon Pack and Dawn’s clan in the past, but they don’t seem to get along pretty well.
"King Dawn, don’t cross the line. You know as well what I’m capable of once I’m provoked," Nero replied with a smirk.
No one dared to stop the two, which made me wonder why the hell I was in the center of both of them.
"Ah… It’s not like I know you or the Alpha, so can you please leave for now?" I genuinely mumbled in hopes that he’d abide by what I said.
Nero raised a brow. One of his hands attempted to reach my wrist, but Dawn pulled me away quickly.
"Whether you like it or not, you’ll be coming with me before the sun sets. The Alpha would absolutely kill me once I go home empty-handed," Nero replied.
Moments later, Nero randomly sent objects flying in my direction. All of those almost hit me. Thankfully, Dawn was there to protect me. The Beta didn’t stop there; he began to shift with his wolf in broad daylight. His back snapped as his bones cracked. Only his body changed its appearance; his head remained intact along with his face.
"Give Luna Asterbelle to me unless you wish to witness me wreaking havoc in this hopeless clan of yours, Dawn," Nero seriously said.
"As if you actually can," said Dawn.
Since the time that he pulled me, he has never let go of my wrist, which is why I could still feel how his grip got tighter every second. There was a pattern in his hold, though I can’t comprehend what it was that he wanted me to do.
‘On a count of three, run away,’ said the same voice that I heard from the first day that Jazpher unwillingly urged me to come here.
It’s always been a wonder to me where it was coming from, but regardless, it was saving me from danger right from the start.
As I counted to three in my mind, Dawn released his grip on me out of the blue. I wanted to look back and ask if he was the one who talked to me through my mind, but I couldn’t even glance at him as I started to run.
"You piece of crap!" I heard Nero cursing from where I left them.
Things had to come down to this when all I wanted was to shift in peace. Thinking back, I still have no clue if I did shift with my wolf yesterday, or did I completely lose consciousness?
"There’s nowhere for you to run, Luna. I've got your scent memorized deep within my brain. I can tell where you are even without following your tracks," said Beta Holmes.
I stopped running in haste in the middle of the street. I could sense my feet shaking up to my legs, so I took some time to breathe.
"What do you guys want from me?" I asked him after I calmed down.
"Me? I have no business with you," Nero answered while pointing to himself. "But Alpha Holmes, my brother, does; he’s interested in you."
Despite what he announced, my heart didn’t even skip a beat.
Our conversation just kept going back and forth. I made up my mind to leave Nero, but he wouldn’t let me. The Beta insisted that I go with him.
I heaved out a sigh of frustration. "Fine; I’ll go with you, but under one condition."
"Spill it."
"Win against the king," I shortly uttered.
I gulped in fear when I saw that Dawn and Jazpher were walking to our spot. "What are you plotting, Luna? Do you even know what you’re expecting to happen?" King Dawn raised his voice.
The king was almost a few meters away from my reach; however, Jazpher pulled him to halt his movements.
"You’re basically selling yourself to their pack if I end up losing."
My eyes widened a bit. I didn’t know that there was a condition like that. I mean, those events only occur in auctions, right?
"I didn’t set the rules yet, King Dawn—"
"Those are the basics of commencing a duel, you dumbass!"
Nero smirked, then burst out laughing. "I really don’t see the reason why my brother’s interested in such a stupid lady with no wolf."
***
It was three in the afternoon when the two began to brawl against each other. I clearly told them that they could hurt themselves, but no one should die in the end. One of them simply has to make their opponent surrender to be victorious.
Just as I noticed that the sun would soon set, Nero suddenly groaned in pain as he made his brawny body get even bigger than it already is.
The Beta seemed like he had no plan to give up. And rather than that, he managed to turn the tides.
"What’s wrong, king? Are you losing to some mere beta?"
Nero’s provocation probably worked, as Dawn brought out two guns from who knows where; he didn’t have any pockets where he could’ve hid them.
"King Dawn, don’t shoot!" I yelled, afraid that his gun contained silver bullets.
He didn’t budge; he continued to point his gun directly at Nero’s head.
All throughout the months that I spent training to shoot, I could tell that Dawn wouldn’t be persuaded with words to make him drop his weapon.
"Come on, shoot. Shoot me if you dare, you self-proclaimed king."
Nero gestured to Dawn, saying that he’s free to pull the trigger and shoot and that Nero won’t even move an inch away to avoid the bullet that would come his way.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Jazpher attempting to steal my attention. I glanced at him and hurriedly went to where he was.
"What’s—"
"Dawn—The king is in danger, Miss Asterbelle! You’re the only one who can save him in this state," he murmured, trying his best to maintain his composure.