Chapter 7 Counting Moments for Fate

Serenity’s POV

The next day, I woke up without Anna’s usual nagging. I looked at my bedside clock and saw that it was already 9 am.

“I guess that means I’m not going to school, again.”

This is what my father does every time news of hunters being near the area comes, he locks me up like some kind of prisoner and the only ones who can visit are the boys and Anna, he doesn’t even let any of the help come.

I step down from my bed not wanting to waste the day, but the moment my feet touched the floor, cold engulfed me. Pain ran through me like something inside me is being ripped out. I gasped and reached over my heart giving it a squeeze.

What is this? I dropped on the floor still clutching over my heart, in pain.

“Serenity?” I heard someone scuffling toward me. “Serenity, what’s wrong?”

I tried to look through my half opened eyes to see Siam’s panicked face, he knelt beside me to help me up, but the cold doubled, his touch was like ice on my skin and I had to push him away.

“Serenity!”

“Please, don’t…” hearing my voice, only then did I realize that I was crying. “It hurts…”

I lied on the floor squirming in agony before I felt being covered with a comforter and carried back to my bed.

“Shh…” Siam whispers. “Calm down.”

“Siam it hurts so much.” I said in between sobs.

He sat there with me wrapped in my comforter, rocking me slowly.

“Sleep, Serenity.” He whispers repetitively, “Everything will be fine.”

Surprisingly I fell asleep, letting myself drown in my brother’s voice.

“Hey, you’re up.” Anna says, as she entered my room carrying a tray of food.

“No duh, Sherlock.” I mumbled, she gave me a look. “Sorry…”

“It’s cool, can’t say I can’t blame you.” she says setting the tray down.

I sat by the window, watching the guards roam around the garden, where two or three wolves stood underneath my window.

It isn’t as if I’m stupid to jump off from a four story house. I thought. I reached for my temple and massaging away an incoming headache.

“You ok?” Anna asks as she fixes my meal.

“I will be once I’m out of here.” I answered without looking at her.

Slowly the room was filled with the scent of the food she brought in, but the silence was more prominent between us. It was already three in the afternoon, I slept through lunch, but I wasn’t hungry, in fact, I don’t know what I was feeling.

“They sent him to Mama Ellena’s house.” She says as she worked.

I sat up and faced her. I knew who she was talking about, I didn’t need to ask, but then again, “Who?”

She frowned and gave me an apologetic look, “Eric, your dad said it will be better if he isn’t in the house while you are here.”

“Why?” I sneered.

“Cause then he can let you leave your room to entertain the other alpha boys.” She said slowly and almost a whisper, as if telling it like that would lessen the chances of me getting angry.

“When was this?”

“This morning, when Siam dropped by to check on you.” She took a step back.

That’s when I realized it, the pain earlier- it was because of the growing gap between us. The moment I stepped down the floor, the distance and connection- the gap was too far.

“Get out.” I snapped.

“What?”

“Get out and bring that with you.” I stood up tipping over the chair and glared at Anna.

“Serenity, you-“

“I don’t want to eat! I don’t want to see anyone!” I screamed. “Get out!”

“But-“

“OUT!” I snarled at her, hearing the alpha and goddess tone, I’m sure it was hard for her not to listen. She quickly took the tray and left.

I leaned back on the wall and slid down on the floor crying. I sat there for hours until darkness covered the room, and someone dared to break the little peace I have. Liam came to view as he sat in front of me and just stared at me.

This was Liam saying he was worried, that he’d like to know what’s wrong, but he’d rather wait for me to speak.

“What do you want?” I snapped after five minutes. He doesn’t answer. “It would be useless to ask if I’m ok since I’m obviously not.”

He still doesn’t answer. I shook my head, looking away, fighting away the tears.

“Leave me alone Liam…”

“No.” he said. “You’re keeping something from me, you never do that.” He continues as he slowly express his annoyance and disappointment. “You tell me everything, I know more than Anna. I know who your first crush was, I know you hate whistling because it gives you headache, I know how you dream of travelling and if given a chance you will first go to France to see this man who has collections of the oldest books in the world…”

“Liam-“ I wanted him to shut up.

“Darn it Serenity! I was the first one you told of having your first period!” he snapped, “How come you’re hiding secrets now?”

“Liam-“ I shook my head as I feel my eyes start to tear up again.

“You scared the hell out of Anna, Siam has been in his room the whole morning.” He continued to rant. “They’re all worried of you and you have angered your father to levels that I didn’t know possible.”

“He took him away from me!” I snapped, tears made their appearance again, for the umpteenth time. And I look him straight in the eyes, pleading. “He took away my mate, Liam…”

“Your mate?” he sat up surprised, and like Siam, his eyes widened, “Eric…”

I wrapped my arms around my legs, hid my face in between my knees and cried. I caught Liam about to reach for me. “Liam, don’t… it hurts.”

He frowned and set his hand on his knees.

“I’m sorry.” I said in almost a whisper. “I really am, I didn’t mean to worry Siam or scare Anna… but please, understand how painful this is for me and father isn’t even listening.”

“Serenity, you haven’t shifted yet, how sure are you…”

“If this pain and cold isn’t proof enough of the bond between us, then maybe mother Luna is punishing me.”

“Punishing you?”

“For not wanting to be her deity.” I mumbled. “To think rogues are luckier than I am.”

He sighed and moved to seat beside me leaning back on the wall.

“It’s just few more days.” He says. “And with you being so angry right now, I won’t be surprise if you shift tomorrow or before the day ends. Just three more days sissy, you’ll see him again.”

“I could barely stand the pain when I woke up, I don’t think I can will myself to wake up, I could have handled not seeing him, but not feeling his presence and the distance between us…” I shook my head.

“Then think of it like this,” he continues, “everyday that you wake up is a day less until you see him.”

I sighed, I thought of that, but it was hard. I can fool my mind, but not my heart. Especially with the bond causing this much pain.

“You know?” he says with amusement in his voice that made me look up, “I think I do a better job in being wise than you.”

I stifled a laugh, “Told you you’d be a better daughter of the moon.”

“Nah…” he scrunched his nose, “I think I’m good where I am… ladies love mature guys.”

I rolled my eyes and caught him laugh.

“So…” Liam says, “What does it feel like?”

“What feels like what?”

“Finding your mate.” He specified.

“Oh…” I rested my chin on top of my knees, thinking. “I don’t know, it’s just like how you feel every day, I guess.” Then I stared at the floor, thinking. “But you just have purpose. That you are waking up for someone, everything is tied with your mate. You share emotions and decisions. Your life is his, and his is yours.”

“And everything between you two is just natural.” I continued, “There’s no need to try or to impress, you simply adore every little thing about your mate.”

“Were you scared?”

“When I thought I was gonna lose him, yeah.” I remembered the moment in school when he told me I was his mate. “It was the same time that he figured it out.”

“Figured out what?”

“That he wasn’t crazy.” I smiled remembering Eric’s exact words. “I guess with him having fully shifted, his wolf sensed me already.”

“That’s why you were comfortable with him.” he says, I gave him a questioned look that made him grin in response. “You may not have noticed, but you aren’t that good in socializing.”

“Well whose fault is that?” I raised a brow.

“Not mine or Siam’s for sure.” He says, I was about to argue but he held up his hand, “You don’t understand sissy. We see how you move away from people you don’t trust and to be fair your judgment, it’s always right. You know who you can trust and cannot; it’s like natural instinct to you.” I stared at him, his face amused. “So Siam and I thought to take advantage of that, whenever we catch you feeling uneasy, we’d pull you out so we can get out of there as well. Making it look like we’re dragging you out of there like the badass that we are.”

I snorted, “You don’t sound so badass now.”

He laughs, “Yeah, well, we know how much you would want to at least feel a bit normal, but safety first.”

I shook my head, “You boys are crazy.”

“Yeah, and you are to blame for that.”

“You love me for it.”

“Darn, that’s true.”

I laughed. “Thanks for this.”

“Anytime sissy.” he tousled my hair and I slapped his hand away. “Man, you must be shifting soon, that one hurt.”

“Well, you know better than to ruin the hair.”

“Ruin the hair?” he scrunched up his nose looking at me altogether, “Whatever you are starting, I’m telling you now, stop, it’s social suicide.”

“Oh, way to go to boost my ego, Liam.” I said with a laugh trying to tame my hair in place.

He laughs as well before he nudged my shoulder with his, “You’re beautiful Serenity, inside and out. We know that and your mate is probably saying you are all that and more.”

I smiled, “You think so?”

“He’d be stupid not to.”

After that talk with Liam, he told Siam and Anna that it was once again safe to come into my room. I also had a chance to tell Anna about Eric. Soon, we four are talking about mates and what could possibly happen after we tell everyone.

I was still feeling cold, but the pain lessened. Which was good, according to Anna, Eric was probably feeling it as well and I didn’t want that. I wanted him to give his attention in getting better.

Anna then rants about some boy hitting on her at school earlier when she dropped off our letter to the principal’s office. Liam laughed remembering how the boy shrugged off his warning and continued pestering Anna about a date, then when she had enough she punched the guy square on the face.

We were laughing as Anna continues to enumerate what else she would have wanted to do with the guy. But our little private party was disturbed when my door burst open and in came my dad.

“Get dress.” He says, alpha tone and commanding.

“No.” I said without a care.

“You will be having dinner with the alpha boys, I will not let you strut in there in you pyjamas.” He said, “Now get dressed.”

“All alpha boys meaning Alpha Johansen would be there.” I raised a brow at him.

“No he wouldn’t.” he said, “My orders are-“

“Your orders are bias.” I snapped, “You say all alpha and yet the one boy who had the respect for me and even saved me that almost cost him his life isn’t there. Oh, that is so just and fair.”

“Serenity…” I hear Siam warn.

“You will stop this stubbornness and-“

“No!” I snapped, “You stop your foolishness. What you did to Eric was uncalled for. He saved my life and you pay him by asking him to leave!”

“You’ve spent enough time with him-“

“Because he had the audacity to get to know me rather than talk bull saying how they own me!” I snapped, “How do you like that father? Me, your own and only daughter, is being treated like a piece of meat by those men you care so much about.”

He glared at me and stepped up, “You will join them for dinner and that’s that.”

“No!” I repeated, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You will do as you are told or I will have Young Johansen sent home.” I looked at him shocked. “Now get dress-“

“Why don’t you just hand me over the hunters father?” I asked, “Since you seem to be so interested in hurting me.”

With that I walked to my walk in closet and slammed the door shut.

“Dad-“

“I want her downstairs in an hour.” Father snarled before I heard his footsteps and the door slammed shut.

As much as I didn’t want to back down, I also didn’t want Eric to be sent away.

That’s why an hour later I sat down between Siam and Liam trying to listen to my supposed suitors bragging about themselves and their packs.

“And the vast land where you can run for hours is breathless, I’m sure you’d like it there.” Carl of Bane Creek says as he slices a piece of meat and popped it in his mouth.

“Interesting.” I said pushing my food around my plate, bored.

“But in Clear Waters there is a lake with marvelous view of the mountains and forest.” Adam says.

“Charming.”

“We may not have those greeneries and lakes, but the Sand Dwell valley do have amazing savannah, beautifully landscaped and perfectly set in the deserts.”

I forced a smile, “Tempting.” Not sure I want to live in the desert though.

I caught Liam grin and Anna had to hide her amusement behind her goblet.

“You do know that father would prefer Serenity to live near him, right?” Siam says, “As I would also prefer that.”

“Oh, well of course, your highness.” Keith of Springfield says, “But then again, she would be Luna of our pack, so it is just right to introduce her to the land where we grew up.”

“What about our land?” Liam interjects. “Serenity has never been away from home without any of us.”

“The more reason she should come and see her new home.” Luke of somewhere says. “See ad experience other places.”

“I’m sure she’ll love to see the palace in York.” Another boy says.

Soon they were all throwing around places that they think I would like and the dining hall was just too noisy making my headache worse.

I sighed and looked around the room, my eyes then stares at the window looking outside, longing to see Eric. Wondering what he’d throw in to this ruckus. Probably would just be laughing along with me at the stupidity of everyone.

Then again, I don’t mind hearing about Eric’s hometown, I’d be all ears and imagining running around and seeing the vast trees, a serene place that hides a secret, a place to be ourselves and be happy.

A hand hitting the table snapped me out of my day dreaming, making me look around the table at the boys who are now impressing each other and not giving me even an ounce of attention. But their noise was hard not to catch and it was giving me a headache.

“Boys, boys!” I called out forcing a laugh as they all shut up. “I am sure that you all live in such beautiful lands. But, as you know, I am still in school-“

“You can study with me at our school.” One boy cuts in, “It is the best in the state-“

I rolled my eyes as they throw in more suggestions that I just gave up and picked up my drink.

“Or I can have you home schooled.” A boy chimed in, “That would be safer, especially during pregnancy-“

I choked on my drink and coughing up, while Liam patted my back and handing me water.

“You ok?” Siam asks.

“They’re scaring my wolf away.” I say loud enough for everyone to hear, but they were all too busy impressing one another.

“You think they’d end up as mates?” Anna joked.

“I wish.” I sighed taking off my table napkin and stood up. They all shut up this time.

“Where are you going?” one asked.

“I’m sorry gentlemen, but I still don’t feel well.” I forced a smile again. “I’d like to go back to my room.”

“Oh well, let me usher you-“

Soon all of them were offering to usher me to my room but no one really standing up, I rolled my eyes.

“C’mon, let’s just go.” Liam says, getting up. “They’re giving me a headache.”

The four of us left the bickering boys and breathed a sigh of relief the moment we left the hall.

“God, I think I’d rather be unmated rather than have one of those arrogant cocks be my mate.” Anna says, giving me an apologetic look.

“But you know what Anna?” Liam said, “You’d be good for those arrogant alpha boys, you’d probably straighten them out.”

“Urgh, too much work.” Anna shook her head. “I hope I can just pre order a specific mate.”

We all laughed as we entered my room and flopped down my bed and so did they.

“I can’t wait to get out of here.” I sighed.

“I can’t blame you for that.” Siam says. “Just don’t go too far.”

“Oh come of it, you won’t notice I’m gone once you meet your mate, I’m sure of that.”

Siam then moved to face me, and I turned my face to him.

“Serenity, you are my baby sister, always and forever.” He says, “So Eric has got to take care of you, or else I’ll skin him alive.”

“You’ll have to get in line.” I grinned, “Cause you’ll have to deal with what’s left of him after I’m done with him if he as much as look at another she wolf.”

The following days were pretty much the same, the alpha boys would visit and ask me to go eat with them, or walk around the garden, or watch movie in the entertainment room. Of course, the whole time Siam, Liam or Anna would be with me.

Anna in particular was more worried than necessary. But I really can’t blame her. The feeling of longing for my mate is taking its toll on me. I was as pale as a ghost and Anna resolved to retouch my make up three times in a day.

But make up can only take you so far, by the third day, I was dead tired and could barely get out of bed.

“Do you want me to call for Mama Ellena?” Siam asks.

I shook my head, “Eric’s scent will be all over her, that’ll just torment me more.”

“But you need help…”

I forced a smile, “We both know Mama Ellena can’t give that.”

He sighed and pulled the covers up to my chin, trying to warm me up some more.

“I’ll be fine big brother,” I reassured him, “I only have one day to go.”

Then the door opened and in came Anna with mother.

“What is going in here Siam?” she asked sitting beside me, “Your sister hasn’t been feeling well and you never thought of telling me?”

“Cause you wouldn’t have understood.” He shrugged.

“Wouldn’t understand? She’s sick, she needs medicine, she needs mama Ellena-“

“No!” they all said in unison. I groaned and turned to her.

“I’m fine mom, I just need rest, that’s all.”

“You don’t look fine Serenity.” She says, “You have lost weight in such a short span of time, your almost as pale as snow and you could barely breathe. If I didn’t know better, it’s like you’ve been separated from your mate.”

The others stared at her, while I just rolled unto my side, my back at her. My room was filled with uncomfortable silence, which was cut short by mom.

“Everybody out.” She snapped.

“What?” Siam asked.

“Out!” mom snapped again.

“Mom-“

“I need to speak with your sister alone, out.” She snaps and pushed them out of my room.

The moment I heard the door close I buried my face in my pillow and let the tears out.

“Oh, sweetheart, princess…” I heard her coo, the bed dipped as she sat beside me. I felt her body spoon me from behind, then I turned to her and buried my face on her chest, I felt an arm go around me and pulled me closer to her. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Cause father would have never believed me.” I said.

“Of course he will, he knows how painful it is to be separated from me.” she says.

“He never listens to me, mom.” I said. “I’ve been patient, I have done everything he asked, I held the end of the bargain of this search of his for my mate, and once I found him, he forced him to stay away.” I sobbed more and she just held me. “I know he is trying to protect me, but why didn’t he see that what he was doing was hurting me?”

“Princess, you know how much your father loves you; he will never hurt you on purpose.” She says. “The hunters came too near this time, they touched you and he blames himself for that.”

“But why does he have to take away Eric and shove me to those egocentric hormone fueled boys if he’s so worried about me?” I wiped away my tears and looked up at her, “You do believe me mom, don’t you?”

She smiled at me and kissed me on the forehead, “I believe you, love… of course, it would be much better if we have your wolf to attest to your claim. But seeing you right now,” she sighed, “would you like me to call for him?”

I looked up at her, as if she was mother Luna herself. “Will you really?”

“Well, I can’t have you getting any weaker or else you wouldn’t have the strength to even put on and carry your gown on your own tomorrow.”

I chuckled, my mom and her priorities.

“So would you want me to?” she asks again.

“Shouldn’t you be siding with dad?”

She rolled her eyes, “I swear that father of yours, if he didn’t feel the bond when we met, I’d say he never believed any of it.” She sighed, “He’s an alpha, he won’t back down on his word- that would be stepping on his pride. But he loves you too much to care about that.”

I sighed as well and rested my head on her shoulder. “I only have a day of waiting left, let father keep his pride in one piece. I’ll just rest for the day.”

“Are you sure about that?” she asks looking worried.

“Yeah…” I said, “I think I’ve hurt dad way too much this week, a kick on his ego would probably be not a good idea.”

She laughs, “I think you’re right…” then she gave me a kiss on the top of my head, “deity or not, you are wise beyond your years Serenity… though you are stubborn and foolish, you are wise.”

“Well, I guess I got it from your side of the family.”

“Darn right you did.” She said making me laugh.

“Thanks mom.”

“And congratulations, I couldn’t have asked for a better son in law.”

I rolled my eyes, “Mom, it’s not like we’re already married, geez…” I felt my face heating up.

“What?” she asks, acting offended, “Your father and I aren’t getting any younger, I would want to be able to play with my grand children you know.”

“Well, why not ask Siam for one?”

“Please,” she rolled her eyes, “your brother obviously has no plans of settling down yet, as you have pointed out last weekend. He is just like your father, I tell you.” she shakes her head, “But he’s a good man, he’ll be an amazing alpha king and husband.”

“Just like dad?”

“Greater.” She says, “He also has some of my genes, you know.”

I laugh again; my mom told me all about what it was like to be mated. The obligations that need not be said and other stuff I should expect.

After an hour she left for some last minute preparation for tomorrow’s party.

Tomorrow, the day everyone will know Eric is my mate.

Oh, happy day!