Part Wolf

"So did you hear about the girl who came with Zack"s family?" Brandt asked following him to the backyard.

"Please don"t start with the gossip again Brandt." Alex sighed, sitting down on the bench that faced the pack house.

He could hear a lot of noise from the place. Although the Beta"s mansion was quite far from the pack house, it irritated his wolf senses. He hated loud noises, and the place was filled with it non- stop, from the last few days. For that very reason he hadn"t trained or s.h.i.+fted since three days. He couldn"t wait to feel his wolf again.

"Apparently Alpha Li arranged Zack"s marriage with her. I bet Zack had never seen her before. Who does that to people? Like why would he even think of arranging Zack"s marriage at all? That"s crazy! We have mates! We don"t need arranged marriages! " Brandt said, ignoring Alex"s comment.

"I don"t think it"s crazy at all. Back home in India everyone had arranged marriages. Plus,the concept of having a mate sounds just as ridiculous as love at first sight. That- I"d agree is what"s truly crazy." Alex replied.

Alex heard Brandt drawing in his breath to start another argument. He didn"t understand how one person could simply talk that much. It was getting to him after three weeks of sharing the same room with Brandt. Elize was way better- at least she used to shut up when she understood that he was not interested, Alex thought. He had been counting days since she left him in the place with the other wolves. He was dying to see his sister and luckily, today was the day that he"d get to go home to her.

Brandt was still yapping about the bond of mates, "...and I truly believe that one day I"ll meet mine. But I"m pretty sure it"s your sister. But you shouldn"t have any problem since we already know so much about each other-"

"Hey you guys!" Nina"s voice interrupted her brother"s monologue.

"Great. Please take your brother away." Alex said, stepping into the porch of the Beta"s house.

"Anytime brother in law!" Nina said laughing.

Alex huffed at the remark.

He watched her as she grabbed her brother by the collar and dragged a struggling Brandt towards the front side of the house. The two had become quite close from the time Nina insisted on Alex staying over at their house instead of the cramped and noisy pack house. Every day after her security s.h.i.+ft, she used to come home to help Alex with his training.

"Oh and Alex?" Nina yelled from the corner.

"Yeah?"

"Zack asked you to go to the pack house. It"s urgent!"

"Thanks!" Alex said as he jumped off the bench and s.h.i.+fted into his wolf. He relished the feeling of the wind against his fur as he ran, pus.h.i.+ng his limits.

Soon the huge four storeyed building came into view and Alex s.h.i.+fted back, grabbing a pair of shorts from the basket of clothes hung right behind the parking lot. He walked towards the building hastily putting on clothes and avoiding random teenage girls who stopped to stare at him as he pa.s.sed.

As soon as he entered the pack house, it hit him. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon filled the place.

He looked around searching for its source. There were too many people in the hall.

"Alex! There you are!" Zack said coming up from behind him.

"Uhh are we having cinnamon rolls for dinner tonight?" Alex asked, still looking at the people busying around the place.

"I don"t know. I need a favor." Zack said dragging him outside again. Alex shook his head and followed his friend to the parking lot.

"What is it?" Alex asked leaning against Zack"s Range Rover.

"Let"s go now, before anyone notices us." Zack whispered leaning in.

"Why are we whispering? And go where?" Alex asked in a hushed tone.

"The other side of the Island. I need to go somewhere and I"ll drop you off at Aileen"s."

Alex looked at his friend suspiciously.

Zack sighed. "Okay fine long story short- I found my mate and she"s expecting me. So I need to get out of here before grandfather"s men spot me. Also, you don"t know the way to Aileen"s place."

"Wait I thought you were getting married to someone." Alex looked at his friend shocked.

"Not if I have a say in it. Now get inside!" Zack said pus.h.i.+ng Alex inside the Rover.

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The moon was s.h.i.+ning a bright orange when Alex turned the corner to Aileen"s house. Zack had left him three hours back, giving him instructions to follow the straight path.

He was about to give up on the vehicle and s.h.i.+ft into his wolf for a better sense of direction when he heard noises from up ahead. Thank heavens that he decided to follow it, Alex thought as he parked the vehicle in front of the huge house.

He got out of the Rover and walked towards the house which seemed to be empty. His wolf senses were on high alert, suddenly getting a whiff of the same sweet smell again. His mouth watered at the thought of something that he couldn"t place. His wolf stirred from inside, poking at his mind to let it out.

"Hey! You there!" a shrill voice called from behind him.

Alex turned around to see a pretty blonde girl in a red dress. She held an oddly shaped utensil in her hand and he could see some sort of liquid inside it.

"Are you Alex?!" She squealed running to him.

"Uhh..yeah. And you are?" Alex asked stepping back.

"I"m Agatha, Elize"s friend." The girl said beaming.

"So where is everyone? I thought we were having a party tonight?" Alex asked, looking at the empty house.

"Ooh yeah! The ceremony is about to start. You better come soon if you don"t want to miss it." The girl called Agatha said walking towards a tall hedge.

Alex was confused for a while as to why she was walking towards a tall bush but he decided to follow her since he had no other option.

"Ready?" She asked turning to him.

"For what?" Alex asked, c.o.c.king his head.

"Fateor Visum" She whispered.

The hedge suddenly started dissolving from the edges, revealing a pathway lit by what seemed to be floating fire b.a.l.l.s. Alex drew a sharp breath in.

"H-How?" Alex asked turning to the girl next to him. Then he shook his head as he realized that what he witnessed was magic.

"You can go inside and look around although I"d advise you to be quick about it since the ceremony is-" She paused and looked at the moon, then back at him and continued, "starting now. I"ll see you later then!"

"Wait. Take me-"

The witch disappeared suddenly, murmuring something under her breath again.

"Fine." Alex said, stepping inside what seemed to be a pillared garden.

As soon as he stepped inside, the house disappeared from behind him while the scent that drew him grew stronger. His wolf was pacing inside his head restlessly. Alex walked ahead, trying to trace the origin of the scent.

"d.a.m.n cinnamon rolls." Alex muttered under his breath, eyeing the plants around him warily. Who knows what kind of wolf- eating plants the witches grow in their gardens? Alex thought as he kept walking.

Soon he could hear people murmuring again. He turned around a corner and saw a crowd standing around a huge tree which was glowing pink. He raised himself on tiptoes to see what they were facing. All he could see was a blue turban from the distance.

"How do we know for sure that she is the one?" He heard someone shout from the group.

He heard a familiar voice laugh. The voice said, "I knew that this question would come up."

"Aileen!" Alex exclaimed moving towards the group. He couldn"t see much as he pushed through the crowd. People looked at him weirdly as they gave way to him. Suddenly the crowd gasped.

Alex looked up and saw hundreds of blue b.u.t.terflies flying towards the direction of the tree. He stared at it, awestruck. People started murmuring again, this time their voices a bit raised, in confusion.

"It"s true! She"s the one from the prophecy!" A woman said in an excited voice to another woman in front of him.

Alex pushed ahead confused, earning glares as he moved through the crowd.

"I hope you all are satisfied with what you"ve seen." He heard Aileen"s voice as it boomed over the place, silencing the crowd. Suddenly the crowd bowed. That was when Alex saw what was happening in front of him.

Aileen was standing on a podium, along with his sister and two other girls. The girl who talked to him a while ago was standing beside his sister, whispering something to her. He saw Elize nod and say something back.

What happened next was not something that he expected. Elize fell down clutching her head in her hands, her face construed in pain. Alex pushed ahead towards his sister in desperation. He saw the women around her trying to hold her down.

"Quick! The nightshade!" Aileen screamed.

The utensil that he saw earlier was pushed against Elize"s mouth as soon as the command rang. He could see his sister struggle under the force. Two women suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside her. Their backs were against him as one of them bent down beside his sister while the other stood beside her, tensed. Alex understood from their movement that they were wolves.

The sweet scent hit him hard again. This time, he knew where it came from.

"Hold her down!" The woman bending down shouted to Aileen.

Elize"s body was seizing right in front of him. Rage boiled inside him as he watched the women try to hold her down. He reached the woman and shoved her away from his sister grabbing her hand, his claws extending involuntarily. Suddenly Aileen was in front of him, her eyes pleading.

"She"s s.h.i.+fting!" The girl called Agatha shouted from behind the old woman.

"What are you guys doing to her?! Leave her be!!!" Alex shouted. A growl erupted from his body as Alex started s.h.i.+fting right in front of the women.

"Someone get him away from here!" Aileen shouted.

Before he knew it Alex was on the ground, a feeling of contentment spreading through him as someone held him down. The sweet smell of vanilla and cinnamon filled his senses, a tingling sensation coursing through his body from the weight on his chest. His wolf was howling inside his head with joy.

"Found you." A sweet voice rang in his ears.

He drew a deep breath and opened his eyes. The most beautiful pair of dark eyes were staring right into his own. He could see speckles of amber in her black Irises. Her angelic face was so beautifully carved that the mere sight of it stopped his heart for a minute. Her porcelain skin glowed from a pink light that seemed to come from somewhere ahead.

"Mine." Alex heard himself say.

"Mine." She repeated, with a blinding smile.

A loud growl rocked the ground suddenly, startling both. Understanding that it came from his sister Alex attempted to get up, but the girl pushed him down once again.

"Promise not to interrupt." She pleaded.

"But my sister-"

"The nightshade is only to let her wolf sleep. But if you interrupt, she might die. So please." The girl repeated.

Alex was shocked for a moment but seeing her expression, he nodded in agreement deciding to trust her.

The girl got up from the ground and offered him a hand.

"Meifeng." She introduced herself.

"Alex." He said taking her hand and standing up.

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"And so the prophecy lives. Through her we"ll find our strength. Through her the Ruah Yareach lives!" Alex watched as the crowd erupted in cheers at the words of Aileen.

"It"s all so creepy." Meifeng said, s.h.i.+vering.

Alex wrapped a hand around her protectively, instantly stopping her s.h.i.+vering. She looked up at him and gave him a sweet smile. Alex wanted to bend down and kiss her but he stopped himself. They were already earning a lot of strange looks.

"So who was the other woman with you? Your mom? I mean I"m sorry that I kind of manhandled her and all." Alex said, smiling awkwardly.

Meifeng sighed, "No, well that"s aunty Meili. She"s not my mom. Well it"s a lo-"

She stopped before completing her sentence and stepped away from his hold. Alex moved forward instinctively when someone tapped on his shoulder. Alex looked back.

"Man! Where were you?!" Zack asked him.

Alex was confused. "Zack? Why are you here? I thought you-"

"My family was invited apparently." Zack said cutting him off.

"Ohh. They"re here? Your fiance too?" Alex asked, surprised.

"Yeah well." Zack shrugged.

"Okay I have to introduce you to someone." Alex said happily turning around to where his mate stood.

"Hey Zack." Meifeng said awkwardly, coming forward.

"Oh hey kid." Zack said smiling.

Alex was confused. "Am I missing something?" He asked.

"Fiance" Zack mouthed to him.

Alex stood there shocked.

"Zack!" someone shouted from behind Alex. All three of them turned to see Agatha running towards them.

"What is it Agatha?" Zack asked.

"Wait-" Alex interrupted. How did they know each other? He thought.

"Sorry hon, not now." Agatha said to Alex painting. She then turned to Zack and said "Aileen"s looking for you. You better be gone before she-"

"ZACK!!" A voice thundered from the podium.

"Oops. Too late." Agatha said as she covered her ears.