Chapter 4 Ivora pov

CHAPTER 4

When she finally stepped out of the room, the young girl was no longer there. She walked into the corridors, taking a look at all the things she hadn't noticed. She stepped to the balcony and looked down at all the other houses. Ereinwere was like its own kingdom. She hadn't ever seen a pack live in this kind of place.

Most packs lived in bamboo houses in swamps, others just built temporary houses in forests. But then again, she hadn't seen much pack domain before. She looked up at the thick grey colors that hung up above and wondered if the place ever got sun at all.

Moving outside, she took in the beauty of the place. They weren't anybody outside. Maybe it was because of the cold. But werewolves could live well in the harshest of climate cold. She walked along the corridors, keeping her eyes out for anyone. With the way the weather was dull she couldn't make out what the time was.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. It was the pale, black-haired man. Beta Mander Bhathom. No wonder people here were pale, they were hardly any sun here.

"What are you doing here," Mander asked, frowning in suspicion. She wondered why Mander didn't like her.

"I was looking for somebody, where is everyone? Don't people live here?" She asked.

"Where is Atla? The woman who was assigned to bathe you" he continued after seeing Ivora's confused gaze.

" I don't know where she is, am I supposed to know?" I asked him and he just huffed, telling me to go with him.

They walked along and entered the compound as they left the building. They walked for a long while and then cornered that was when she spotted a gathering. She went and sat there.

There were two big chairs everywhere and the people were chattering away. Everybody was talking. There were high chairs, three of them were for the alpha and his beta, and the last chair. She wondered if it was for Alpha Reese's mother.

Ivora looked at the clothes everyone else was wearing and she was jealous when she saw the clothes she was wearing. They were perks to being a werewolf. Ivora wondered how wonderful it would be to not have to feel cold.

She looked around, realizing that Mander had left her. Hissing, she decided to work forward herself. She bumped into someone and she looked up to find a man staring at her sheepishly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Curly brown hair and green eyes stared at her. He was tall and handsome with his smile.

"That was my mistake, sorry." He said

" No it isn't your mistake, I wasn't looking where I was going," Ivora said, giving him an easy smile.

" My name is Wick Hoofman, you?" He asked her.

"Snow," Ivora said simply.

"Nice name."

"What are they doing here? Seems everyone is here" Ivora asked, noticing.

"You don't know?" He looked at her, shocked.

"I don't, this is my first time here."

"Weird, we don't exactly get new people here." He said.

"I'm a special case," Ivora replied. Ivora looked around and she could even see many humans here. But they were few.

"We're waiting to see the ladies coming in to compete as a potential bride."

"Who's the king? And what bride."

"Alpha Reese Falcon is the king..."

" You call him king? Ivora asked with a raised brow.

" Yes. This whole place looks like a kingdom doesn't it?" He answered with a smile. The place looked like a kingdom she used to see in books she stole.

"Our Alpha King has decided to choose a Luna this year as per the moon goddess suggestion."

"I thought people already had mates destined for them."

"It is the moon goddess blessing to us. The Alpha gets to choose his mate because of the history where(a long time ago Alpha begged the moon goddess to let him be with his beloved as he and his mate weren't in love with each other. The moon goddess asked if he was willing to die for her and he did, they both died and ended up together and because of his selflessness, she let all his descendants mate whoever they wanted - Alpha Reese would narrate this to Ivora when she asks him why they got to choose their mates. That was why his mother chose his father because she loved him but he didn't love her, hence the maltreatment she received.

"That explains everything then," Ivora said. The chattering was so much that no one had even noticed her. A few little children ran around here and were playing with each other. At the far end, Ivora spotted the maid Atla chatting animatedly with an older woman. The only people that weren't that noisy were the guards, positioned at each post. They held weird weapons that were the shape of claws attached to a black iron-like stick. The claw-like things were curved inside. Ivora supposed it was to claw out people's hearts. But then again, they already had claws to do the work for them. Ivora hoped to weld the weapons one day and even hoped to have one. There was no stopping with her fascination with weapons. On their waists were also sword-sheathed.

Some had arrows. She looked up at the dark clouds that looked like it was going to rain but she knew it wasn't possible as it mostly snowed here from what she heard.

"Is the sky always this cloudy?" Ivora asked Wick.

" Most of the time it is. That's one of the things we love about this place." He said, smiling at her and Ivora couldn't help but return the smile.

" Most... " Ivora trailed off.

" The Alpha King Reese Falcon is here."

********************

" The Alpha King Reese Falcon is here."

Reese walked along the open path that led to his seat. The whole place came to a hush as the people drew their children behind them and straightened their backs to greet him.

"Alpha." They chorused. He gave them a curt nod as he adjusted his mask. They respected him but he could feel the fear coming from them. Only in his guards did he taste respect and no fear.

It was good his people feared him. Yes good. He allowed himself a smirk behind his mask.

The humans feared him the most. Though there were only a handful of humans in the pack domain, they were either servants or mates of some quite rare werewolves. But unlike other pack domains, Earienwere is filled mostly with humans.

Reese felt something hit his leg and he looked down to see a little boy. A werewolf cub child. He looked about four years of age. His green eyes, framed his hair the color of red stared at his own. He heard collective gasps of horror as he looked up at the people. A thin man in particular was shivering, looking at him with horror etched in his face. Reese recognized him as one of the servants, an omega.

A hand pat him on his leg and he looked down to see the little boy staring at him with wide eyes full of reverence. In his hand was an apple.

"For you." The boy said in a timid voice. Reese looked from the apple up to his face.

" When I grow up, I want to be like you." The little boy said, still looking at him with innocence in his eyes. His father let out an audible gasp. Reese decided that he didn't want the innocent boy to ever become like him.

"It's not good to be me," Reese said as he collected the apple, rubbing his hair and pushing him to go back to his father. But the boy smiled all the same, happy that Reese accepted his gift. He turned around and ran back to his father who knelt in relief.

"Thank you, Alpha, thank you" the man trembled. Reese looked away.

He sat down on his special seat and looked down at the people. At the side of his eyes, he spotted the young boy they met in the forest. The boy who said his name was Snow. His blue eyes were studying him like something was interesting about him. He turned to look at him but the boy did not flinch nor did he turn away.

Reese was the first to look away. The boy sure had guys to look him in the eye. He would deal with him later. He looked back and beckoned for him to come closer. Mander was coming too, from the other side.

"Alpha." Mander nodded at him and he nodded his head too as Mander took a sit beside him at the right. He looked back to see the boy still standing there as if he had not just referred to him.

"Come over here Snow." He said out loud as everybody turned to look at him.

***

"Come over here Snow." Alpha Reese said to her. At first, when he beckoned to her, she thought it was only her eyes deceiving her. Now that she was here, she suddenly felt that his reputation as the cruel Alpha King fitted him well. But what he did to the boy earlier had been kind in her opinion.

Ivora began to walk to him. The looks of everyone on her would have made her nervous but she wasn't, after all, she was in disguise.

As she walked close, she suddenly felt the King's cold aura. Alpha Reese Falcon. His black eyes which had seemed friendly though untrustworthy the other night now seemed very intimidating to her. Why didn't she noticed it since?

"Here I am Alpha Reese," Ivora said to him as she got near.

"Sit." He said gesturing to the third seat next to him. Ivora looked perplexed as to why the alpha would ask her to sit in that position.

"I don't think I should be staying here Alpha Reese," Ivora said, bowing.

"You didn't have a problem sitting with me last night." Alpha Reese said, his voice lazily drawn.

"That was because I didn't know who you were then. Forgive me Alpha." Ivora said, bowing slightly.

"I said sit."

Ivora kept her mouth shut and went over to the seat. She looked over to Mander and she caught him frowning, his nose flaring. Ivora looked away, wondering why the man didn't like her that much.

All this while, people were staring at them but no one looked surprised, perhaps they were used to their Alpha being like this.

Soon, a fat man with juicy cheeks came over. Man or werewolf, Ivora couldn't tell but it seemed he was a werewolf because of the way he carried himself with confidence.

"The girls that came for the selection have arrived now and any moment from now, they will be here." The man shouted.

It must have been very interesting for the pack because, despite their fear for the Alpha, they couldn't stop murmuring excitedly.

Ivora watched the people with a smile in her eyes. She looked at the alpha king from the corner of her eyes and wondered if he was excited too. He showed no sign of being excited. On the contrary, he looked relaxed. She looked from the silver scar he wore to the gloves on his finger. He must have had some skin disease to cover himself even when he was amid his subjects in his pack domain.

The Alpha turned to look at her as if he had heard what she said in her mind. Ivora tried to make eye contact with him but before she could do that, he turned, facing his front. He closed his eyes and relaxed further into the chair, looking dominant. She relaxed in her seat, thinking about her dead father.

The hushed excited whisper grew louder and Ivora looked up. There was a carriage-like ride, except it wasn't a carriage. Silver and dark green. It was a rectangular-shaped ship, it wasn't a ship, on it was a spherical cover that covered it and on the front of the ship-like-carriage were 5 giant wolves riding it. Werewolves. Huge werewolves. They were a little alike to the ones in the Black Blood pack.

The ship-like carriage stopped and the werewolf stopped. They stood as they all shifted back to their original form, shirts covering them as they shifted back. One by one, ladies came out of the carriage, their faces to their chests covered with clothes. The selection, Ivora supposed.

Ivora wondered why the ladies covered their faces. She looked to her right at Alpha Reese, wanting to ask him why but thought it was better to keep to herself.

"It is for suspense... If you're wondering why they cover their faces." Reese said to her, his eyes still trained on the ladies below.

"Oh," Ivora said, surprised that the Alpha was talking to her.

"You weren't afraid to speak to me yesterday, why are you so guarded now?" The alpha said, turning to her as he spoke. Ivora heard the smile in his voice but none of it came to his eyes.

"Then, you weren't the Alpha Reese Falcon, you were just a hungry man who came and stole my meal from me," Ivora said, grumbling.

" A hungry man you say? " He said and Ivora almost was sure she heard him smirk.

"Then speak to me as you did when you didn't know my title. You are here to help me with clues to defeat my greatest enemy, you should feel welcome to speak as you wish. " Ivora gulped, wondering if the little information she had was enough.

" I'm afraid you'd regret it then." She said.

" For letting me speak freely." She continued when he continued to stare at her.

Alpha Reese just faced his front

" I never regret anything." She heard him mumble softly.