Chapter 4: Flashback

Riona POV

I moaned feeling the comfort of this soft nest. My hands held the edge of this fluffy thing where my head rested as I moved it to the side. A satisfying smile escaped my lips while my dark vision wandered somewhere. The cold wind brought my soul to a familiar broken gate I thought I would never see again.

Then I saw a posture of a man I abhorred at first sight. And a lordly command I would never want to hear at all. A realization came to my senses.

Was this a nightmare?

I humbly asked for someone to shake my shoulders or slap my face or any solution that could wake me up. If journeying to the past was exciting then I didn't want any part of it.

"I have an announcement from our Alpha King!"

A command that was equivalent to a clap of thunder, my mother's cold shaking hand squeezed mine tight. My father stood beside Erro as my head kept lifting I was curious to know what that announcement was.

As they began their steps, our neighbors started trembling. The men's long black robes flapped around their ankles as they marched. The three women dressed differently but still displayed superiority.

"Dad, I can't see!" I whispered, my palm pressing his shoulder.

I could compare myself to a human eager to watch a live concert from afar. My head moved sideways as my hair swayed with the blow of the wind.

"Quiet, Riona, and don't move!" my mom uttered in a sullen tone while removing my hand from my dad's shoulder.

"Uh-okay!" were the only words I was able to let out as I glanced at her.

I had no clue what was happening but I could guess, these three with me were shielding me at the moment. The question was, from where? From who?

FROM THEM?!

Their steps were regal, their enormous features sliding in and out of my sight as I squeezed my head in between the men covering my nosiness. Erro glanced over his shoulder as he talked to me in his mind.

"Hide, kid!" his gnashed teeth displayed a warning I should obey at once.

Their burning gazes rummaged through the surroundings like searching for the most dangerous rogue. Till their so-called parade came to an end just ten meters away beside us.

Our neighbors held their breaths. Their expressions cast both fear and rage. Some mothers covered their whimpering infants' mouths when one of the women in a warrior outfit threw them a dagger stare.

"Silence!"

"Control your pups' tongues, rogues. You don't dare to disrespect the Alpha King"

A rumbling noise followed by a longer one made Erro's fingers turn into a tight fists while my father's breathing throbbed at a quick speed. I was behind them I couldn't see their looks but I could feel their fury.

"We are here to find the woman that can carry the Alpha King's seed!"

The elders in the village blazed flames in their eyes suppressing their inner wolves to growling for an imminent attack. The youngers, however, were in awe doubting the validity of the announcement they had just heard.

"Is that true? But we're rogues!" one woman my age narrowed her eyes while whispering to the man beside her.

"It can't be true! The royal clan despises us. They kill our kinds!" her man whispered back. But I saw that he clasped his woman's hand indicating ownership.

"You should be honored. The Alpha King gives you the chance to live. That woman is the key to redeeming your names!"

Insipid expressions were written on our elders' faces I had an inkling they had heard the same statement before. When their leader caught sight of their dull aura, he was furious that he cut his lengthy speech to the chase.

"The chosen maiden will be the Lady Luna of the kingdom. She will sit next to the Alpha King's mother, our beloved queen!"

"What?!"

"Why are they doing this?"

"They did the same thing years ago!"

My ears fluttered trying to ponder on the final words this man with telekinetic power announced while listening to the commotion our neighbors were doing.

"Lady Luna?!" I asked in a whisper.

Lady Luna!

The title most of the she-wolves in my village were dying to gain. It wasn't for intimacy reasons but it was for reclaiming our lost names. Stripping the rejected or rogue title was more than reclaiming our freedom. It was to redeem our life.

"The chosen one will never be called Lady Luna!"

When Erro's stern voice sprang like a mushroom in the wild. The rest quieted, waiting for their response. The kingdom's warriors tossed him an angrily piercing stare. They turned sideways facing us or facing my elders' cold aura.

"Do you have something to say, Erro?!"

I was surprised. They knew my father's best friend. I trained my stares at my mom and saw her shaking lips. Her hands were quivering as I noticed the tiny bumps appeared on the surface of her skin as the hairs were erected. I tried to speak to her in my thoughts and she instantly responded.

"Whatever happens, escape. Run! Far away from here. Escape, Riona!"

"Mom?!"

"You are destined but if it's against your will, we won't force you. Riona, you are fated to leave the rogue pack!"

I saw a slight glance from her blurry eyes. Among us, it's my mother who could see the future. Did she see this coming? Was she aware from the start that I would be sent away?

We were still in the middle of our mind-link when Erro spoke. His tone was stern and strong. His stance exhibited dominance.

"Victor isn't the real Alpha King so whoever the chosen maiden is, based on the law governed by the Great Alpha Kings in the past, she isn't worthy to be called the Lady~"

"Erro!"

He was cut off as the leader threw him like a rag doll using his power while my parents screamed his name. I clamped my mouth in my hands as I saw how he landed violently on the rice field far away from where we stood. I heard loud gasps and breathing coming from their chests as our elders began to shift. Bark-growls suddenly enveloped the quiet village.

My father jumped high as he transformed in the air and went to Erro's aid. He nudged his best friend with his nose as he ran it down the slope of his neck. Erro was unconscious in his human form. My father's bluish eyes shot fires rage was shouting through his veins. His four legs stood strong as his paws were buried in the muddy ground. He was ready to attack when my mother's green eyes turned black. She was stopping him in his thought.

"Calm your wolf down, Frudio! We'll all be in danger if you fight them today!"

My mother could control her husband's wolf but the enraged rogue pack couldn't. They immediately circled the Alpha King's warriors giving them a last warning to retreat. Baring teeth and raising hackles, I felt the intensity of their claws on the ground. Their ear-splitting growls made me gasp in fear I swore I'd never seen wolves battle before.

But how could they fight these wolves that were trained to protect the royal clan? One woman sneered as she opened her palm and a flame burst out. Before she could slap it in the air, the other woman beside her had spoken.

"Halt! I sense her. The chosen maiden. She is near us!"