Chapter 9 Same Blood

Atasha’s Point of View

As we passed through the guards, we went to a secret door that led us to see the mansion's front yard. It was an enormous front yard garden that for someone to reach the gates, it would take him an hour or so. I looked at him and asked why he brought me here. Without a single word, he grabbed my hand, then held me around through his back. My hands were wrapped around his shoulders, and he grabbed my thighs around his waist. In an instant, he carried me on his back and shoulders.

"Hang on tight. We will go straight to the gates," Zach said.

I tried to protest as I was punching his back against me. I was not allowed to go out without passing the test. I already had an agreement with Elijah.

"Zach, please let me go!” As I was trying to push him away, in a split second, my legs slipped through his hands.

But before I landed both of my feet to the ground, he went to grab my bum as both its cheeks went to his large hands. It was only then that I realized I was not wearing any undergarments.

I felt his fingers poke and reach my hole a bit; that probably made him realize that as I also moaned for a second. He slid his hands back to my thighs when I felt that humiliation. My face turned red, and I couldn't utter a single word. Every inch of my body was quivering. Every sweat from my neck dripped on Zach's shoulders. His body felt warmer compared to a while ago.

"I envy Elijah, and he can sleep with you anytime," Zach uttered. I noticed that he was smiling when he said that.

What did he mean by that?

"We are not sleeping together!" I responded.

He suddenly ran towards the darker side of the front yard going on the left side of the garden where guards were not visible. Zack was lightning fast, every sound from the whirling wind was beating up both of my ears that seemed like bleeding because of the pressure.

As we were nearing the gates, some of the guards noticed us. In order to hide, we suddenly went through the giant bush. He covered my mouth and pushed me to lay down. When the guard's flashlight hit both of us, he covered my body and kissed me on my lips.

The guards were shocked and so was I. Zach then turned around while hiding me. He smiled at the guards, and all of them walked away.

I'm wondering who this werewolf really was.

Was he in a higher position in the Crimson Pack?

Everything slowed down as I looked at him. Both of us stood up. I couldn't even stop from observing him and I noticed that he was an inch taller than Elijah. He crossed his arms and looked towards the gates. He then turned to me and asked, "Do you want to get out of here?"

I remembered that I had already made an agreement with Elijah. If I went out of this manor, I'm also afraid that I would not be able to locate Astrid on my own. My mind became haywire. I only came back to my senses as he tapped my shoulders.

"You don't need to answer it right now, I know what you and Elijah are planning. He will do everything just to get what he wants. I have already seen it in my own eyes. You're his next victim. It would be best for you to decide to be free and doesn't become one of them, like his other slaves."

He looked at me intently. I wasn't sure why but the sound of the wind became more soothing in my ears. However, his remarks regarding Elijah disturbed my overall system. I knelt down as my head turned dizzy. He held my hand and carried me.

When we went back to my room, we both saw Elijah in front of its door. I looked at Zach, and asked him to bring me down. But Zach refused.

"I saw her trying to go to her study room, and she fell down—" Zach was not able to finish his words and was punched by Elijah on his face.

"Don't lay your filthy finger on her," Elijah uttered.

I immediately tried to stop Elijah, but he grabbed my hand and ordered me to return to my room. I feel bad for Zach as it was my fault in the first place. I should have not come with him.

That night as I tried to sleep, everything that Zach said lingered in my mind, making me question my own decisions and question my own feelings towards Elijah. I remembered earlier when I asked Veronica about Zach in the study room; she refused to answer and only gave me a smirk. But I can tell from how she reacted that there must be something strange about Zach and his identity. I couldn't help but wonder what relationship they had to Elijah. Veronica could easily shout at Elijah as if it was nothing to her, and she was not afraid of him.

On the other hand, Zach's remarks towards Elijah in regards to his slaves sounded like he had known him for a long time. What feared me the most was that I started questioning myself if I made the right choice and if it was not too late for me to change my mind if I figured out the truth.

I badly wanted to know if someone could really help me save Astrid, my father, and even myself. At this point, my only chance to get away from being killed right away was to play this role as a contracted Luna of Elijah. I couldn't deny the fact that I'm afraid that I would be betrayed in the end.

I began crying my heart out as if I could no longer take it. My tears flowed as my body went numb. My mind replayed the picture of my life in the Silver Moon Pack. Dreaming of old happy memories, I slept on that night and dreamed of my father chopping wood together with my sister. I felt a sigh of relief, believing that no matter what happened, everything would be alright.

***

Elijah’s Point of View

The moon hung in the sky like a ghostly silver ball, eerily beautiful. It was, indeed, an enticing sight. It felt as if I was seeing a scene from an ancient legend come to life on the page, and I was captivated by its beauty and wonder. No wonder why I kept hearing howls of wolves from afar.

I drank on the bottle of wine I was holding and gently cracked my neck to perhaps feel a comfort. I had a tiring day, that was for sure. A flicker of a grin slipped my lips. Never in my whole life had I imagined to be in this dreadful circumstance yet I didn’t know why it felt thrilling. I couldn't truly impressed by the fact that the slave was eager to go to such lengths to make my plan possible, and by the fact that she was behaving bravely enough to sway my father's confidence.

However, when I remembered Zacharius and how he touched Atasha back then, all I could do was drink the battle of wine in my hand.

Damn it! I couldn't stop myself from wondering if he was plotting something that would make my plan fail. He better not try to intervene.

I let out a huge sigh. The chilly night wind cleared my head a bit as I rested my back against the railings. I looked at the silver moon and continued drinking. My thoughts were entirely focused on Atasha until I became aware of the presence of a familiar werewolf standing nearby, observing me.

“I can smell your scent, Veronica. Come and join me instead of gawking right there,” I stated, still looking at the moon as I heard her footsteps toward my direction.

“Well, I’m just trying to observe you for a moment. Why are you drinking alone?” she asked curiously and leaned on the railings too to check on the silver moon.

“Guess what? I’m not alone anymore,” I said and handed her the bottle of wine I was drinking.

She grinned and raised one brow. She drank from the bottle and tilted her head to look at me. “I know you heard us earlier in the study room. I can’t believe that slave was born emotional. So, what are you going to do in the next coming days?”

“I get what I want, so I do whatever it takes. You know that. Also, for me to succeed we must help her.”

She smirked and shook her head. I knew she was also doubting Atasha. Veronica knew how incapable she was but I still wanted to believe that she could overcome this mess, that she could help me stop my father from manipulating my life.

“You’re investing so much time with a stranger, El.”

“Right now, she’s not a stranger to me, Veronica. She’s the key. You must help her at all costs. You are the only one I could rely on to train her.”

She wrinkled her nose, grinning from ear to ear. “I know because I am the smartest shewolf here,” she said and finished the bottle. “Anyway, what if she passed the test? Are you ready to tell her the truth?”

“I should be.” I sighed and looked her in the eyes. She then rolled her eyes, indicating that she didn’t believe my words at all.

“I’m not trying to warn you but if our father figured out what she truly is—”

“You’re the only one I could trust the most.” I cut her off because she could finish her statement. “He wouldn’t find out about it unless you tell him, you know that.”

“Alright! I’ll keep your dirty little secret for now. I still don’t get it why you’re holding on to that slave. She’s very stupid but you know what?” She moved closer and narrowed her eyes.

My forehead creased. “What?”

“Hmm, I hate to admit that she’s pretty gorgeous,” she snorted and put down the bottle on the table behind her. “You must rest. Tomorrow will surely be a long day for you and for your naive slave.” She then tapped my shoulder and smiled. “I’ll get going. It’s time for this beauty to rest.”

***

Atasha’s Point of View

The next day . . .

“Damn! Surprisingly, you’re doing very well now!” Veronica exclaimed as she checked my test paper. Her expression looked like she finally saw a miracle after years of torment. “Dang! How could this be possible?”

“I told you I can do this, see?” I told her with an evident happiness in my tone of voice.

I chuckled when I saw the look of satisfaction on her face. She giggled and patted my head. “Well, you have to be consistent to pass the Alpha's test, slave!”

It was the second day of me being stuck here in the study room with Veronica. As soon as we finished our breakfast at exactly seven in the morning, we went here right away to study. At first, I thought that this study room could be compared to a dungeon—a prison that brings a suffocating feeling and pressure, but then I was wrong.

It was odd that Veronica used a different approach this time and spent her time explaining things to me in a calm way which I assumed had worked as I didn’t feel much pressure when I answered the practice exam she gave me after five hours of studying.

The door opened and we both looked at Elijah who entered the room. He raised one brow when he noticed that me and Veronica were having a good time. I guess it surprised him, too.

“I heard your chuckles from the outside. You two must be getting along now, huh? That’s weird,” he commented with a smile creeping on his lips.

“Oh, you have to get out of this room because as you can see, we’re studying and to tell you what? Your face is weirder, alright?” Veronica hissed which made me chuckle more.

Elijah smirked and crossed his arms as he walked towards our study table. “Mind you, this face you’re calling weird had made a lot of werewomen drool.”

“How conceited!” Veronica rolled her eyes and so did I. “By the way, she was able to ace the practice exam!”

I saw how Elijah’s face glowed up more upon hearing the good news. I couldn’t help but be proud inwardly. He then turned to me, mouth half-opened as he gazed at me in disbelief.

“You did?” he asked me and was about to hold my hand but Veronica slapped his hand immediately.

I felt my cheeks burning for some reason. Did I see it right? He tried to hold my hand . . . my heart thumped loudly inside my chest. I shyly took a glimpse of him and saw how he got stiff for a moment but then he still managed to look at Veronica.

“Don’t even try to touch her. She is mine for now! Get out!”

“What? She is my slave!” Elijah snorted.

A smile formed in my lips. Watching them having this kind of conversation was like me watching my younger self with Astrid playing with other kids.

“I don’t care! She’s mine and you have no right to defy me!”

I was shocked to see how brave Veronica was. She just shouted to the soon-to-be Alpha. Wasn’t she afraid to be punished? As I continued to watch them, I realized that this was the time I’ve seen Elijah acting like a child in front of someone. He acted like he was being bullied and his dominant aura was gone.

“Alright, I’ll raise my white flag for now.” Elijah sighed and walked out of the room like a loser.

Veronica bursted into laughter and so did I. I shook my head as I couldn’t believe Elijah would let her shout at him that way.

“Aren’t you afraid of the soon-to-be Alpha? How could you order him to leave like that?” I asked curiously.

She grinned and sat on her seat. “Of course, I am not afraid of him. He is not an Alpha yet.” She looked at the door where Elijah went out. “That brat will not be an Alpha anytime soon. He’s not yet ready and he doesn’t even have a Luna to be with.”

I simply nodded. Based on Elijah’s behavior, I would agree that Veronica was right.

“Also, I have all the rights to scold him simply because I am his older sister.”

“What?” My eyes widened with her revelation.

“Yeah, we’re siblings,” she said proudly.

They are siblings? I was astonished to hear it from her. I thought Veronica was his secretary! I couldn’t even see the resemblance between the two of them at all, probably because Veronica had golden hair, and the color of her eyes were different from his. Her hair though resembled Zach's hair.

My eyes widened as to why I feel that Zach could be also related to Veronica. Is it possible that they’re all children of Alpha Gregory? There's a possibility that all of them are Montreals of course.

At this point, I was starting to believe that my hunch was true. But I should ask Zach and know more about the details. Then I can proceed to formulate a better plan for this.

“Atasha, you can be part of our family, I would like you to be my sister,” Veronica stated, which made me come back to my senses and dropped the test papers. She held my hand and gave a warm embrace, the same thing that I felt from Astrid.