Connecting The Dots
THE SOUND OF gongs shook the air, alerting the heightened senses of the citizens of the Blood Claws Pack. The ladies from all the packs who were in their silk clothes squirmed on their seats as they waited for the potential males among the new members of the pack.
Mothers chastised them for giggling. Golden ringlets made from the sought-after goods of the mines from the far mountains of the western territories gleamed under the glaring sun. Parasols littered in front of the double doors of the gates that were made with fire and metal ores. It flustered everyone from the mere thought of finding the most compatible scent in this gathering.
If outsiders would see this, no one would associate it with the ruthless and crude Blood Claws Pack.
Beyond the rattling doors that were slowly opening before the eligible unmated ladies of the Blood Claws Pack, a woman who barely finished the celebration of her eighteenth summer solstice stared at the Cherry Blossom trees below her. The knot lodged deep between her perfectly carved brows worsened upon hearing the sound of the gongs that would signal that the Welcoming Ceremony, which had been canceled a week ago, would finally commence.
She knew she had to hasten her movements.
Hunched over the back windows of her room, her right food placed onto the railings as her hands held either side of the windowpanes to balance herself before she would take a jump. “This is it. Thank goddess Sally is essentially busy with the preparations.” The corner of her plump lips curled up.
Clad in her usual omega-scented clothes, her sweat mixed with the pungent odor of the clothes she was wearing swirled into her nostrils which almost made her gag—a perfect disguise that would surely cover her tracks and hide her smell while she meet Shinro. Diana was about to jump off when her back tingled, followed by the ominous voice of the one person she did not want to see right now.
“Miss Ritchell, please take off that ghastly werewolf garb. And do not forget that you are the future Luna of the Blood Claws Pack. My alpha is already at his wit's end just to get done with this ceremony and be with you openly.” A grinning Beta Seymor Tesan stopped Diana’s tracks.
‘How can I forget if you drilled that into my brains every time you see me, Seymor?’ Diana bit the insides of her cheeks as she thought of her usual retort. These days, ever since the pack found their wounded alpha, Beta Seymor was primarily handling the pack.
Why? Because Alpha Dylan Cain was busy loitering around the outskirts of the pack territory to look for ‘something’. When asked what their alpha was looking for, Alpha Dylan would be left stumped for the rest day.
Yes. Alpha Dylan Cain forgot the ‘witch’ and the following incidents after being poisoned.
Diana stared at Beta Seymor Tesan in the reflection of the opened window. A fiery glint gleamed bright for a fraction of a second before she opened her mouth and defended her case—for the nth time of the week. “It is because I am the future Luna that I should see the Blood Claws Pack with my eyes. I will rule them someday, so I must know what they want. And for the record, I am technically not a member of the pack yet, right?”
Beta Seymor Tesan walked past Diana and closed the windows, his lips on a straight line while his footsteps were heavy against the tiled floor – the stress was taking a toll on his mental state already.
The sound of the window’s locks clicking marked the end of Diana’s attempt. Beta Seymor Tesan handed her a familiar-looking basket. It was littered with outfits varying from a patrol’s uniform, a handmaiden’s uniform, a chef’s uniform, and now to an omega’s uniform. Groaning low as she undid the buttons one painful moment at a time, Diana averted her eyes from the basket.
‘Ugh. I thought I will be able to pull it off for the first time today. I badly need to talk to Shinro. Rakiz must have gotten the letter by now since Sonja has yet to come back.’
Beneath the filthy clothes were her real ones, so she did not really give Seymor a live strip show.
“You might or might not have heard about this but a member of the Werewolf Committee is coming to serve as a witness.”
Diana nodded. She indeed heard about it. “Yeah, but the guest is related to the Blood Claws Pack, right?”
“Sort of. The guest is Alpha Dylan’s cousin and an ex-best friend of Axel Crescent. Does it ring a bell?”
Drawing a deep breath, Diana nodded. “Of course, it does. What does that man get to do with me, Beta Seymor?”
Seymor Tesan made himself comfortable by sitting on the extra chair in the area. Since the place was so tiny, the presence of Seymor Tesa made the place feel so cramped. Almost hunching down while he sat, he answered nonchalantly. “He was ambushed by Axel Crescent on the way here. Luckily, he met a shapeshifter by chance who saved him from his apparent death.”
With raised brows, she asked. Diana did not know why, her heart thumped. “A shapeshifter in our area? Aren’t they supposed to be extinct?”
“I get what you mean. Shapeshifters are bound to witches. A shapeshifter nearby means a witch nearby. When Alpha Dylan heard about this. He flipped. When we asked him why, the bloke could not even answer a single word. I don’t know… Ever since the poisoning incident and our plan failed, anything can set him off. Everyone is walking on eggshells this week. We need you to calm him down so that’s why I organized this Welcoming Ceremony.”
Diana finally connected the dots.
‘It seems I have to refrain using Sonja for now.’ Diana thought grimly.
“Beta, is that guest actively looking for the shapeshifter?”
Seymor Tesan nodded. “Yes. Alpha Dylan urged him more than I did. If we find the shapeshifter, we find the witch.”