Chapter 109

Chapter 109
"Many rogues have been spotted around the Southern Border lately. I can’t leave yet,” Fabian replied, his voice tense. He glanced at Louisa with a meaningful look, signaling that the next conversation would be more serious.
Louisa caught the signal and took Rosanne's hand. “Let’s go, Rosanne. Let’s find your brother.”
Rosanne’s eyes lit up instantly. “Are we going to see Ruben today, Mama?”
Louisa smiled warmly. “Yes. Come on.”
Before they left, she gave another look at the two men, a mixture of concern and understanding in her eyes.
Naya remained on the side, her heart racing as she listened to Gaston and Fabian’s conversation. All they spoke about was their pack. And Naya was right. It was truly the Crimson Stone Pack.
Gaston and her father, Alfredo, were both members of the Crimson Stone Pack.
Before she could figure out more about her father, the scenery changed. It shifted to Louisa, Rosanne, and a young boy with long black hair. His face seemed a bit blurry, but Naya could make out a few features. His eyes, a mixture of red and yellow light like precious stones, shone bright against the morning sunlight that streamed through the window. He was reading a book inside a tower when Louisa and Rosanne arrived.
“Ruben, we’re here!” Little Rosanne exclaimed, her voice echoing in the quiet room.
The boy continued reading, his voice calm. “I know.”
Rosanne put her hands on her hips, pouting. “Hmp! You probably used your skills again. It’s because you have alpha blood, right?”
This time, Ruben finally lifted his head. He looked at Louisa, his eyes pleading. “Mama, can you get her out, please? She’s distracting me.”
Louisa giggled softly, carrying a tray of food. She placed it on Ruben’s table. “You two are the same age but you’re so different. Come on, Ruru. Take a break and eat the food your father prepared.”
“But, Ma–”
“What did I say?” Louisa's tone was firm but loving.
Ruben sighed, closing his book. He reluctantly took the food and started eating.
Seeing the warm atmosphere in the tower, Naya felt a wave of nostalgia. The young boy brought a sense of familiarity. Not just familiarity—she was almost sure she had seen him before. But where?
On the other hand, Naya quickly concluded that Rosanne and Ruben were siblings from the same mother. Their conversation suggested they had different fathers: Ruben had the Alpha as his father, and Rosanne had Fabian, a warrior in the pack, as her father. This was further confirmed when a man dressed as a general suddenly appeared.
“I’m here to take the Alpha Prince back to the village,” the general said, his voice authoritative.
Both Ruben and Rosanne hid behind Louisa, their eyes wide with fear.
“You can’t do that. He’s still studying. He also has another training session with Fabian tomorrow,” Louisa explained, her voice steady but anxious.
The general looked stern, unwilling to accept Louisa’s words. “It was the Alpha’s order to bring Alpha Prince Ruben back.”
Ruben shot up and glared at the general, his young face fierce. “I don’t know what Father told you, but I’m not going back yet. I already told him I have to train and get stronger and smarter.”
Even Rosanne couldn’t help but add, “Don’t force Ruben!”
Pushed back by the three of them, the general could only fall into silence. Then he let out a huff and turned to Louisa, “I hope you’re not forgetting your agreement with the Alpha, Louisa. We might have allowed you to form your own family, but that doesn’t free you from your duties as a member of the pack. Remember that.”
Seeing how Louisa only clenched her hands and refused to speak, the general shot them a final cold look before he turned around and left.
Both Ruben and Rosanne quickly went to their mother, their small hands clutching her dress.
“Don’t worry, Mama,” Ruben said, his tone determined and brave. “I will train hard and become a good Alpha Prince. No, not just good, but I will be the perfect prince Father wants.”
Louisa took Ruben in her arms, her eyes softening. “You’re saying nonsense things again.”
Ruben smirked and hugged her back. “I can do it. Just watch me. I’ll be his perfect heir.”
Rosanne jumped on the two and hugged them both tightly.
“Rosanne, don’t cling to my arm!” Ruben protested.
But Rosanne only smiled and hugged them tighter. “I will cheer for you and your dream of being the pack’s perfect heir, Ruben!”
Although Ruben had an annoyed expression, his eyes couldn’t help but be filled with warmth.
Naya stood and watched them all. Now it had become even clearer.
This little boy she was looking at—this boy named Ruben—was the Alpha Prince of the Crimson Stone Pack.
Then, did it mean he was the heir Naya was destined to kill?
The scene vanished once more, and it shifted to another. It was nighttime, and there seemed to be chaos outside.
“Rogue attack!”
Naya watched as Fabian marched to the front, leading many soldiers as they fought rogues, driving them away from the borders. He acted like a general, but the badge on his hip revealed he wasn’t. Despite this, many people seemed to respect his words and followed him without hesitation.
Soon, rogues were slain.
Gaston appeared, and he came with another person—the man Naya had been waiting to see.
“Alfredo,” Fabian called, catching his breath. “I heard you were looking for me.”
Alfredo, appearing to be in his 20s at the time, nodded. He looked serious but not distant, which was strange to see for Naya.
“Do you want to join me?” he asked Fabian. Everybody seemed to like Fabian. Naya could see it now. He was respected and admired by many, including her father, Alfredo.
“This border, I can’t leave it,” Fabian said.
“You’re not even a general,” Alfredo said. “I heard from Gaston you caught a wild boar last time.”
Fabian looked at Gaston before turning to Alfredo. He grinned and said lightly, “It’s not a big deal. Boars—”
“Boars are rarely seen in this area,” Alfredo cut him off. “Which means you went outside, far from here, to catch that creature.”
Seeing the tension of the conversation, Gaston cleared his throat. “Okay, I think that’s enough talk about wild boars. Alfredo, didn’t you say you’ll be meeting Amelia today? Why don’t you invite him over to Fabian’s?”
“Yeah, Louisa said she wants to meet her,” Fabian said. “Heard she’s pregnant, too. Is that right?”
Hearing his mate’s name, Alfredo couldn’t help but smile a little. He proudly nodded. “She is.”
Naya was beyond stunned. Here, at this moment, she could see her father smiling.
“Congratulations! Is it a girl or a boy?” Fabian exclaimed, exchanging a brotherly hug with Alfredo.
“A girl,” Alfredo responded, and both Gaston and Fabian smiled and cheered for him even more.
The look on Alfredo’s face was something Naya had never seen before. Lit up, refreshed, and with pride and warmth in his eyes. And it was all because of his mate, Amelia. Naya felt a twinge in her heart at the thought.
Amelia. That was her mother.
Naya had never seen her before—or at least, she was too young to remember her face. Based on her memory, her mother died when she was four or five. Alfredo rarely spoke about her. When Naya wanted to ask, she would go straight to Gaston, but somehow, even Gaston remained mum about it.
It was a very sensitive topic for the two of them. Seeing how hurt her father was, Naya also slowly learned how not to ask anything at all.
Instead, she trained hard. She hoped that one day, she would be able to see her father smile, just like in this dream, where her father was freely smiling without pain or sadness in his eyes.
The scenery changed once more. Naya couldn’t count how many times it had changed by now. The entire time, she felt like she was in a huge room where people appeared before she could process anything, and they disappeared before she could find answers to her questions.
But the more she watched these things unfold before her, the more she was convinced they were all beyond a dream—these things were real. And they all happened in the past.
In front of her, she saw Louisa talking to another woman. Was that her mother, Amelia?
Naya couldn’t tell. For some reason, the woman had a blurred face.
“I’m sorry for asking you another favor, Louisa,” the woman said as she and Louisa sat down inside a huge bedroom.
Louisa shook her head. “You know whatever it is, as long as I can do it, I will.”
The woman smiled. “Even if we’re raised differently, our sibling blood still remains it seems. I’m glad and relieved… This village… It’s been nothing but rules. I don’t understand why I have to stay here when my real mate is out there.”
At that, the woman began to cry.
Louisa’s face was etched with worry. She moved closer and pulled the other woman into a hug. “You’re a very strong woman, Luna.”
"I’m not strong. I’m only holding on because finally, now, we have an Alpha Prince to show to the pack. And he even came from you, my twin sister, and not from me. Why is it my fault that my wolf refuses to give any children to my arranged mate? I’ve been doing my best, Louisa. I want to become the perfect Luna of this pack. But why, why is it hard to produce an heir that Alpha needs? I’m so useless.”
“Sshh, it’s okay,” Louisa tried to comfort her, hand rubbing her back. “You’ve been doing your best as Luna. I’m sure the Moon Goddess is watching and will repay you for all your efforts.”
The woman pouted and wiped her tears. “No, I think she thinks I’m being too greedy. You know I can read her message, too, right?”
“Like those Spiritual Moon Disciples? Sana Farah?”
“Yes, like Sana Farah. I’ve seen my own future one time, Louisa. And there, I saw it… It’s going to be bloody. I will die at the hands of my own pack member.”
Louisa frowned, “What? No way that’s going to happen.”
But her slightly childish sister and pack Luna insisted, “I swear I saw it! In my dreams, I was actually bathing in my own blood. And I was killed by someone from this pack.”
“No,” Louisa shook her head, dismissively saying, “I don’t believe that. You’re just being paranoid because of the Blue Moon Hunt. Anyway, Ruben will participate in the next hunt. Fabian and I have been watching him closely.”
“Aren’t you afraid of what’s going to happen once Ruben becomes the official heir at all?”
There was silence before Louisa let out a sigh, her eyes carrying a trace of deep sadness in them.
“I am,” she said. “But I can’t stop him. After all, he has Alpha blood, unlike us who have mixed blood. We may all be warriors, but our fights are different in life. Fate, too, will always catch up to us no matter what we do.”
“Is that why you’re training him? To be more independent so he can protect himself from any kind of danger and evil people?”
Louisa nodded, “Yes. So he can be prepared just in case someone wants to assassinate him.”
“Louisa! You speak so carelessly about these things. Are you really his mother or what?”
Louisa heartily laughed. “It’s because I’m his mother that I know he will be fine. Okay, that’s enough talk about kids. Get up.”
“Where are we going?”
“To Alfredo’s mate, a woman named Amelia. I’ve been meaning to meet her. She’s pregnant, I heard.”
“But I can’t leave, Alpha will look for me. I–”
“Oh, come on. Alpha won’t die just because you stepped out of your bedroom. Hurry up and get moving, Luna Sandra!”
Naya, who had been standing by the side, couldn’t help but widen her eyes a little. Luna Sandra. This was the same name she heard from Sana Azalea and that female assassin too…
So that woman–Luna Sandra–she was actually the Luna of the Crimson Stone Pack?
Before Naya could think further, the images before her suddenly turned blurry, like a tornado filled with colors. Then, it stopped, and Naya found herself in the woods, the moon glowing above, with different sounds of running, panting, and screaming erupting through the land.
“A rogue attack,” she thought to herself. She walked ahead, following the loudest cries until she reached a cabin.
Flames roared, lighting up the night sky as fire engulfed the cabin. She could almost feel its heat, hear the crackling of burning wood amidst the desperate cries for help.
Naya stood there, frozen in shock as the cabin burned.
It was the same cabin she saw before—the one that belonged to Fabian and Louisa.