Chapter 3 Forbidden Bonds

| CRESCENT EMBER PACK |

"Alpha Jasper instructed us to bring you to his lodge." Blaise, Jasper's Beta, informs Cameron. Just then, Freya walks up to them.

Jasper's gaze is directed at her, and Blaise's attention follows suit.

"As you can see, my girl's right here. So, please leave." Cameron retorts, pulling Freya in for a hug.

"It's an order from the Alpha, Cameron." Blaise insists, as Cameron suddenly growls, unevenly pulling off from Freya. Blaise shuts his eyes, taking a deep breath.

Cameron cools down now, saying, "Don't let me repeat myself." And then, he leaves.

"Freya, what's new here?" Cameron pats her shoulders, regaining his composure.

"My mom wants you to see her." Freya delightfully says.

"What's the matter?"

"Just come with me." Freya clips, taking hold of his hands, but Cameron stops her.

"Be cautious. Don't venture out too easily. Midnight Echo Pack – we're not allies with them." Cameron warns.

"She wants to see you – why? Who is your mate?" Freya inquires, looking professional.

"I've already told her! I want you as my mate, okay? And no guy..." Cameron whispers back to her. "...no wolf can compete with me. I'm the Alpha's son, and I'm taking over this pack house...very soon."

Alpha Jasper suddenly appears, causing Cameron and Freya to gasp. "I'm not going to die. Just hold on; the position is yours to possess. On the matter of a mate, you can't have Freya as your mate. I've been telling you this. Let her go."

"Dad?" Cameron shuts his eyes, perhaps hoping it might help him keep his lips sealed.

"Don't call me. If you truly want this position, you have to listen to the moon goddess." Jasper instructs, while Freya observes them.

"What does the moon goddess say?" Cameron asks.

"9 PM, at Jack's?"

Cameron sniffs, "OK."

| MIDNIGHT ECHO PACK |

The leaves rustle, disrupting the soldiers' preparedness as they stand ready to repel any rogue attempting to infiltrate the pack house. Mane takes the lead, with Ralph observing from a distance.

"Another rogue?" Mane questions the one closer to the source of the sound. They tighten their grip on their swords, anticipating the rogue's appearance.

"Wolves don't use swords. Should we be doing this?" One of his warriors questions.

"For these rogues, our claws can't defeat them. Shifting to fight them would defeat them but... at the same time, suck us." Mane explains as Sera comes into view.

"Damn!" He sniffs hard. "Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to know what's going on here and what the..." She retorts as another rogue confronts her. She feels her whole body in turmoil, shaking her head vigorously, stretching to and fro, shifting into her wolf. Mane watches in silence. His other warriors are ready to intervene, but he stops them.

"Let her try her new wolf. Nice try." He chuckles, wondering how she could start fighting without being trained.

Sera's blue wolf growls and swiftly pounces on the other rogue. They deftly switch positions, one atop the other, as Sera's wolf maneuvers with agility. The intense growls echo as her claws leave a significant scar on the rogue's body. Believing herself victorious, Sera delivers multiple punches, confident in her triumph. Turning towards Mane and the others, she begins the transition back to her human form.

Unexpectedly, the rogue regains energy, forcefully sending Sera to the ground and delivering powerful punches to her chest before retreating into the forest, avoiding confrontation with Mane and the others.

"Sera... Sera, are you okay?" Mane rushes to her aid as she swiftly shifts back into her wolf form. She coughs loudly, still wounded, but the injuries miraculously heal before her eyes. She gasps in amazement, pondering the newfound healing ability.

"You're a wolf now. It'll heal your wounds." Mane explains, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh... well. Emotional wolves on the battlefield!" Alpha Ralph growls from above, observing the scene.

Mane swiftly releases the hug upon hearing Alpha Ralph's disapproval. Leading Sera and his warriors back into the pack, they return triumphant after dealing with the rogues completely.

Sera quietly trails Mane until she inadvertently finds herself in his room.

"Nah, nah, get this damn door open!" She kicks the door forcefully.

"It won't budge." She complains to Mane. "Mane!"

Mane turns to look at her with a smirk on his face, "I wasn't planning to rape you." Then, his vision abruptly becomes erratic, leaving Sera in awe.

"The Alpha calls for me. See you soon." Mane exits the room.

As soon as he leaves, Sera hears a gruff, deep voice, as if the speaker is right there in the room with her.

"Sera!" Something ethereal, almost like a phantom, darts towards her, but it eludes her vision.

Then, a very low voice reaches her ears. "Sera, Sera, Sera... I can't get out of here. They've chained me. Sera!!"

The knock on the door interrupts the voice, bringing Sera back to reality.

"Did your wolf start speaking to you already?" Mane asks. Sera connects that with her recent experience, but she's not convinced; what she saw doesn't resemble a wolf. It's more like a ghost-invisible to all, but visible to her.

"Erm...nothing, just...you know, here." She stammers as Mane goes down on his knees.

"Sera, ever since I brought you here, I've been wanting you as my mate. I love you with all my heart. Would you become my mate?" Mane proposes as Sera chuckles in surprise.

"Shouldn't the Moon Goddess be in charge of this?" Sera questions happily, though feeling reluctant still.

"Moon Goddess doesn't speak; we choose our mates ourselves." Mane retorts, expecting a positive response from her.

"This is..." Sera stammers, covering her lips. "...don't you think it's all too sudden?"

"Yes, it is." Alpha Ralph creaks the door open, affirming the statement.

"This is not the proper way to form a mating bond. Sera Moonshade, let me advise you. Mane got his mate just three weeks ago but rejected her. I'm certain that you have your own destined mate chosen by the Moon Goddess. If you don't feel a connection with him, then you can come to Mane. I'm saying this so you won't miss your destined mate." Ralph asserts.

"Noted." Sera says, gulps, and forcefully pushes Mane's hands away from hers. She feels a pang of guilt, but she follows the Alpha out of the room, leaving Mane burning with anger.

| CRESCENT EMBER PACK |

"Is there a message?" Alpha Jasper turns to his Gamma. Gammas are responsible for delivering messages from the pack house to the moon goddess and resolving matters, including those concerning mates.

"The moon goddess has commanded all neighborhood pack houses to hold a feast at Moonlit Haven tonight - 8 PM. The upcoming Alpha, Cameron, will find his mate there." Ben, the Alpha's Gamma, informs, and takes his leave.

"Come back here. There might be some goodness in this." Jasper chuckles, calling him back.

"Tell Felix to create the fliers and send them to the neighborhood pack houses; let us know their response." Jasper orders.

"They can't defy the moon goddess' orders, no matter what." Ben retorts.

"Does that stop you from telling Felix to make the fliers?" Jasper grunts as Ben hurriedly leaves his presence.

"Stupid messengers." He comments and walks away.

| MIDNIGHT ECHO PACK |

"Mane, come on, please listen to me!" Sera pleads, but he continues to ignore her.

"Mane!" An authoritative voice calls out sharply. It's his workmate, another Beta for the Alpha.

"The moon goddess has ordered the pack houses around us to a feast. I'm not here to ask if you'll be coming." The Beta informs him. "The Alpha wants to see you soon - 8 PM, Moonlit Haven. It's almost time, don't be late." With that, he takes his leave.

"Okay, Mane. Will you listen to me now?" Sera asks, tears already pooling in her eyes. She feels a sense of guilt, as if she has betrayed someone who once saved her when she was banished from her previous pack.

"Sera... I'll only listen to you if you promise to follow this word." Mane speaks, moving closer to her, intending to whisper now.

"Don't come to the party. The feast, I mean." He whispers.

"I won't come." Sera affirms.

"I know you. You eventually came to the battlefield even when I told you not to."

"That's true. But I'll be more worked up, now that I have a wolf to train." Sera chuckles, making him believe her words. They embrace each other tightly, holding onto the moment until the other Beta returns.

"Mane!" He screams, causing Mane to pull out of the hug at once. He's scared to see Alpha Ralph standing as well.

"It's time. Let's go." Ralph says with a smirk, and Mane quickly scoots over to their side.

"Is your little pup coming with us?" Ralph asks.

"No." Mane replies before Sera can say a word. She starts to see a reason why she should not be present there; her former pack would have been invited too, and she shouldn't meet with the likes of Logan and his Alpha again. However, she stops Alpha Ralph.

"Alpha!" She raises her voice, and he stops, turning to look at her. She runs over to him and whispers in his ear.

"Mane doesn't want me there. Command your warriors and make arrangements for me. I saved your Beta, remember." She says, and swiftly gives him a peck. No one notices it.

The Alpha nods his head affirmatively and they all leave, without Sera.

| FEAST AT MOONLIT HAVEN |

Three pack houses report to the haven, while two others refuse to come. A lady swiftly walks up to the altar with an unbelievable speed, an obvious feature of a vampire.

"Let's recognize the presence of the Alphas here." She smiles, guiding each Alpha to an official seat with their Betas standing behind them. At this moment, Sera stealthily creeps inside the haven. The lady on the altar notices it, but she believes it wouldn't have been possible if Sera weren't allowed inside. There's ample security, so someone in authority must have made the arrangements.

"Alpha Ralph of Midnight Echo Pack!"

"Alpha Jasper of Crescent Ember Pack!"

The lady calls out the names of the Alphas present as some attendants serve drinks around, and music starts to play, making the atmosphere lively. Sera crawls to a seat, and someone immediately grabs her hand. She gasps, almost slipping back to the ground - she had unknowingly crawled beside Mane.

"Hey you!" Mane points his finger at her. "You still came?"

"I'm sorry - I couldn't have avoided it. I-I wanted to..."

"Why did you lie to me?"

The lively aura from the lady resumes as she starts to speak again.

"We also recognize the presence of Alpha Regulus of Velvet Shadows Pack!" She hollers, and the whole audience applauds, making the celebration of his presence even more superb.

"In short, this mandate was given by our leader, the moon goddess, and approved by her instructor who is absent here, Logan.", She says as Sera's eyes widen in shock - Logan is Regulus' main security Wolf; how come the instructor for the moon goddess now?

"It's not the Logan you know." She corrects in time. "They're just namesakes."

Sera lets out a sigh of relief.

"This feast is meant to bring us together, fostering friendship among packs. Let no pack harbor hatred towards another. Let wolves see vampires as part of their community." The lady affirms. The haven falls silent, but Sera scoffs at the sentiment.

"And most importantly, to allow the son of the present Alpha, Cameron Hartwell, to meet his mate." She asserts, sending shockwaves through the entire haven, except for Crescent Ember Pack, who are already in the know.

"Does this look like a trap?" Mane objects, rising to his feet. "We were deceived; we need to go." He grabs Sera, intending to make a quick exit from the haven.

"It's actually not a trap, nor a bait. It's more of a surprise, and fortunately, you can't leave the premises until we're done." She says, and a guard releases Sera.

Sera walks back to her seat, though on a longer journey, almost losing her way in the process.

She greets Alpha Jasper, Alpha Ralph, and his son, pointedly ignoring Alpha Regulus. Their gazes lock briefly, but she forcefully averts her eyes from him.

"Want a drink?" Jasper invites, and she takes her seat.

"Oh, thank you." She says. She grabs the glass cup, and just as it's about to reach her lips, she smashes it to the ground, unintentionally spilling the wine. She starts to act oddly as Mane hurries to meet her, but guards stop him. Coincidentally, Cameron begins to act in the same way until both of them stop simultaneously.

"Mate, mate!" Sera's wolf screams happily within her. "Mate!"

"Mate..." Cameron slowly calls, pulling her in for a hug, not minding that she's from his enemy pack.

Everyone else watches them in shock as Cameron finds his mate, Sera.