Her stomach dropped. “Where did she go?”
Petra’s heart clenched. After coming so far, to hear that Zeph was gone was a cruel twist of fate.
Terran must have noticed her reaction because he leaned forward slightly. “You can stay here for a while. My men can help look for her.”
She hesitated. There was no reason to trust this man—yet, what choice did she have? The only lead she had was now out of reach.
Slowly, she nodded. “Alright.”
Terran’s lips curled slightly. “Good. She’s a good person, you know.”
Hearing that made Terresa’s chest tighten. “She always had a good heart,” she whispered, emotion threatening to spill over.
With a final nod, she turned and left the meeting hall, her mind clouded with thoughts.
The moment the door closed behind her, the warmth in Terran’s expression vanished, replaced by something cold and calculating.
Terran leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping rhythmically against the polished wood of the table. His expression remained neutral, but his mind was already calculating his next move.
He lifted his hand slightly and gestured to one of his guards standing by the door. “Bring me Vixxen. Now.”
The guard bowed his head and hurried out without a word.
Moments later, the door creaked open again, and Vixxen strolled in, his usual smug expression in place. His sharp eyes flickered with curiosity as he observed Terran’s demeanor.
“You called for me?” Vixxen drawled, leaning casually against the doorway.
Terran didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he let the silence linger, watching as Vixxen’s smirk deepened with amusement. Finally, Terran exhaled slowly, his fingers stopping their rhythmic tapping.
“She’s here,”
Vixxen turned, a slow smirk forming on his lips. “Who?”
“Zeph’s mother.”
Vixxen’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. “Interesting. I guess she would have heard of her daughter’s whereabouts. Did she recognize you?”
“How would she? She only saw a glance at me many years ago.”
“Alright. What do you want to do now?”
“She won’t ever be leaving this place. She will be my leverage against Zeph when the time comes.”
***
The festival day had finally arrived, and the White Wings Pack was buzzing with excitement. The streets were decorated with lanterns hung in the air, swaying gently. The smell of delicious food filled the air, and the sound of laughter and music made everything feel lively.
Zeph stood in front of the mirror, admiring the beautiful traditional dress she was wearing. The dress was soft and flowed nicely, with intricate silver designs that sparkled in the light. Around her neck, she wore a lovely necklace given to her by Sage, the pack leader. She touched the delicate pendant, feeling a warm sensation in her chest.
"Why did he give me such a wonderful gift?" she wondered. But she pushed the thought aside and left her room to meet Ashral.
Her aunt was already waiting near the festival grounds, dressed elegantly in her own ceremonial attire. When she saw Zeph approaching, her eyes sparkled with amusement.
“You clean up well,” Ashral remarked, giving her a knowing look.
Zeph rolled her eyes. “It’s just a dress.”
“And a necklace. "A very expensive-looking necklace,” Ashral pointed out. “Courtesy of the Alpha, no less.”
Zeph sighed, ignoring the teasing in her aunt’s voice. They walked together through the festival, taking in the sights and sounds. After a while, Zeph’s curiosity got the better of her.
“Ashral,” she started hesitantly, “is it possible for someone to have another mate after losing two?”
Ashral raised a brow at the sudden question. “It’s very rare, but not impossible. "The bond of a mate is strong, but in exceptional cases, the Moon Goddess can bless someone with another.” She tilted her head, a smirk playing at her lips. “Why do you ask? Getting attracted to a certain Alpha, are we?”
Zeph immediately scoffed. “Of course not. "I just… like his handsome face, that’s all.”
A deep chuckle sounded behind her.
She froze.
Slowly turning, she found Sage standing there, arms crossed, amusement dancing in his stormy eyes. “Oh? So you like my handsome face?”
Heat rushed to Zeph’s cheeks. Great. Just great.
Sage smirked, clearly enjoying her embarrassment. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Zeph groaned inwardly. There was no escaping this. Instead of denying it further, she crossed her arms and huffed, “Take it however you want.”
He chuckled, then extended his hand toward her. “Come with me.”
Zeph eyed his hand warily. “Where?”
“You’ll see.”
Zeph hesitated for a moment, then put her hand in his. He gently guided her through the crowded festival grounds. People laughed and talked all around them. Soon, they arrived at a clearing where a large group had gathered. Zeph looked up at a banner that read "Tied Race Challenge" .
“What exactly are we doing here?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at Sage.
He smirked. “We are here to compete. Remember?”
One of the organizers walked up to them, holding a thick rope. "Welcome! The rules are easy: We'll tie one of your legs to your partner's. Then, you'll have to run to the finish line while avoiding obstacles. "And," he said with a sly smile, "you'll have to hold each other around the waist the whole time."
Zeph’s stomach flipped. Why did I agree to this?
Before Zeph could say anything, Sage was already tying the rope around their legs, making them stand very close together. Zeph felt a lump in her throat as she felt the warmth of Sage's body. He leaned in a bit closer to her and said, "You're not nervous, are you?"
“I’m not,” she lied.
The starting horn sounded.
As soon as they took their first step, Zeph lost her balance. Being so close to Sage and having to move together made her stumble. She almost fell, but Sage's strong arms caught her around the waist, holding her up. "Focus," he whispered in her ear, his breath making her shiver. She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the distraction. They started moving together, slowly getting faster. Then, they came across obstacles in their path.
The first obstacle was a rough patch of ground with small logs scattered all over. Zeph and Sage carefully stepped in sync, jumping over the logs together. The next challenge was a set of wooden poles hanging from ropes, swinging back and forth. Zeph ducked just in time, narrowly avoiding getting hit in the face. Sage held her waist tightly, guiding her as they navigated through the moving poles.
The third challenge was the hardest - a muddy area with slippery rocks to step on. If they slipped, they'd both fall into the mud. "Step where I step," Sage said, taking the lead. Zeph followed, copying his exact movements. She slipped once, but Sage caught her, pulling her close. She'd never felt so aware of someone before. The last part was a sprint. Other teams were ahead, but Zeph and Sage were in sync. They ran together, their steps perfectly matched. With one last burst of speed, they crossed the finish line - in first place. The crowd cheered around them.
Zeph panted, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “We… we actually won.”
Sage smirked down at her. “Told you we’d make a good team.”
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at her lips. Maybe—just maybe—she was actually enjoying herself. His grip on her waist lingered for a moment longer than necessary, his fingers grazing her skin through the fabric of her gown.
Zeph felt it again. That tension. The undeniable pull between them.
“I know you want to ignore the pull between us. But how long will you ignore it before you admit that I am your mate?”