THE SAVIOR LUNA

The Peony pack is the most powerful pack to ever exist among all the other wolf packs. It is known for its extremely organized system with hierarchies that uphold the smooth running of the prestigious pack. With twelve tribes guiding the pack, each tribe represents a pillar that supports the affairs of the pack, with the tenth tribe as the biggest tribe of all.

The tribes have walked hand in hand for years with understanding until the need to take over a certain power arose, which led to a big fight between the tribes and also caused the wipe out of the entire tenth tribe.

***

Just like every other full moon, the eerie feeling clouded everywhere as the wolves were getting ready for the shifting party. For generations, they had been ordered to shift together and enjoy the ambience that the full moon creates for them to draw the energy they can before it rolls over to another day.

The tribes' elders were busy holding their usual meetings in the pyramid room while other wolves were getting ready for another big night. Hums of happiness were heard from all the corners of the pack from the expectant wolves who couldn't wait to display strength and beauty in few hours.

"I think we should induct the wolves that will be of age into the adulthood circle soon. They are now many in number and should not be left hanging", the leader of the tenth tribe proposed, and everyone supported his suggestion. "Make every preparation for the induction". Alpha Ricky commanded the first tribe, which was in charge of the induction.

"I will make sure to set everything in place, My Alpha" the leader bowed without any further countering.

"The other tribes should get ready to play their parts too. Our pack has always set a good example over the centuries. We can't afford to lose our faces" grunted the Alpha, and they all agreed to his words.

The meeting was wrapped up on a good note and the elders dispersed to get ready for the great night, but little did they know that the night would never come. One of the wolves that was sent to bring in food from the warehouse ran to inform them that a strange entity had invaded the pack and bitten one of them.

"What do you mean by a strange entity? What are you talking about? Explain yourself this instant!" the elder of the fifth tribe countered with a scrunched nose, but before the wolf could reply to him, the said bitten wolf showed up with huge vein marks all over his body.

Piercing screams filled the pack as everyone ran for their lives. The wolf had bitten the other wolves who tried to help him and before anyone could blink, the pack was filled with strange poppy vein sickness which drained the wolves of their powers and took over.

"Can someone explain what is going on?" questioned Alpha as he staggered back.

The situation at hand was terrifying and ominous. No one understood what the strange and frightening situation happening was not to talk of proffering solutions to it.

The elders gasped in shock as one of the wolves tried shifting for strength. With a loud and long grunt, his claws popped out and the visible veins began to stretch further. His furs were sprouting out at a very fast rate, his bones were cracking loudly with his eyes bulging more than usual. He finally shifted and was torn into pieces before he could do anything after letting out a powerful but painful howl.

"What is this disturbing situation?" the elder of the fifth tribe blurt out as the blood splashed on everyone around the lifeless wolf.

"We are doomed!" exclaimed the leader of the tenth tribe as everyone gasped in horror.

The thick rain enveloped all the surface of the wind screen so much that the driver was hardly seeing what was in front of him, the wipers were sweeping the waters pouring endlessly as if their lives depended on it as the car moved through the dark street.

"When did you say we would get there?" a thick voice asked from the car and the silence that was existing in the car shattered to shards. The driver replied "The navigation app showed that we will be there in the next five minutes" with immediate effect and he grunted.

He was getting impatient.

The driver was sticking his eyes widely on the road while holding onto the driving wheel as if it was the key to his life. He wanted to get to his destination safe and sound amidst the pouring rain.

Alfred growled "You should just relax, you are always too anxious and worked up. You don't have anything to be scared of, it's not like this is your first time here, so breathe in and out" and Draco rolled his eyes and fired "Did I not tell you this is not the time for you to meddle in? Do you seriously want me to lock you out for the rest of the week? You are being chatty for no reason", making Alfred zip his mouth immediately.

That is how Draco has always been. He never listens to anyone nor does he take opinions. He does only what benefits him and will never back down when he sets his mind on something.

"That stubborn for nothing and proud airhead" Alfred grunted and Draco howled a thick "I can hear you, do you know that?" at which Alfred scoffed at, and stated "Do your worse" before sticking out his tongue.

****

Helena rolled on her office chair cycling the black fountain pen in between her thin and long fingers. Resting her head on the chair's head, she stared hard into the ceiling, her gaze was enough to bore a hole into the huge white roof covering her head and a smirk was playing faintly on her face.

Although the heavy rain pouring down outside her window was disrupting the total silence she needed, she still felt it was perfect for the atmosphere of that night. All her plans were going to yield her a positive result that night and she couldn't wait to see how it would turn out because it was a moment she had worked hard for.

Her right leg dangled as she crossed it over the left, and the white robe she was putting on was flowing over the leg royally. Her face was plastered with makeup that was enough to make her alluring even though she was a beauty in her natural standard.

She muttered a low "It's going to be a long night", closing her eyes to feel the effect of the soft music oozing out of the record player in the far right corner of the room as it seeped through her soul to make her relaxed.

Her eyes opened slowly at the clacking sound of heels kissing the glass tiles in the room as Secretary Han walked in with a file in her hand. She was dressed in a wine gown with a mock neck style, her brown trench coat was doing the job of keeping her warm as well as pretty and chic. Her red hair was packed into a ponytail and soft, wispy baby hair edges were clearly mapped out according to the frame of her forehead. She is indeed pretty.

She held firmly in her right hand a black tablet for her official duty and said "Ma'am, the guests will be arriving in the next five minutes". Helena replied, "I see, lead them into the meeting room as soon as they arrive" with her eyes closed this time around.

Still rotating the chair slowly, she asked further "What of Jerry?" and the secretary answered "He's fast asleep in his room, ma'am" making her nod before dismissing her.

Different thoughts and scenarios were running through Helena's head as she sat quietly on the chair. She wondered what the outcome of the meeting that would be held in a few minutes' time would be. She had prepared hard for this for more than a year and now that it is finally happening, she can't afford to make it flop because it is the determinant of how her life would turn out.

****

The huge golden gate leading to a large mansion that was as long as a five minutes' walk opened as the car pulled in front of it and the driver drove till he got to the entrance of the house. The rain had stopped pouring hard and was only dropping bits by bits at that time, so it was convenient for him to see what was in front without difficulty unlike few minutes ago.

The door was opened by one of the security guards standing in front of the house and an opened umbrella over their heads guarded them as they got out of the car. Draco stood there looking at the huge mansion for a while, marveling at its beauty before marching into the house according to their leads.

They were taken into the huge house with an extra high roof, the golden chandeliers were all donating their shares of light to the room to brighten it up as much as possible.

"This way, sir" the guard said and led him to one of the rooms in the house.

The guard opened the door to the room painted entirely white and golden chairs were arranged around the white table. The overuse of white reminded him of someone he shouldn't remember, so he shook it off without hesitation.

The guard informed them "The chairwoman will soon be out, I will inform her of your arrival" and they nodded before he left for his job.

A maid brought a golden tray of white cups and a golden teapot to the room and served them both a hot tea to keep themselves warm before the said chairwoman came out to see them.

"It's been up to ten minutes ma'am" Secretary Han informed Helena, who still closed her eyes on the rotating chair. She mumbled "Ten minutes? That's a little time compared to how much I waited" and Secretary Han pressed "I think you should join them now". She snapped at her and grumbled "You are such a nag!" before stopping the chair and rising to her feet.

"Should we then go and greet our precious guests?" she said with a smirk as the gown she was putting on came into its full glory.

The gown was flowing hard behind her with every step she took, it was like a queen's outfit with the golden belt attached to the waist. She trailed the steps gracefully and dragged her hand along the golden rails with a grin on her face.

Draco, who had been sitting there for ten minutes, was getting impatient and growled "You don't think she's delaying us on purpose? This is getting out of hand" as he hit the table in anger.

"Are you going to go out then? Will you walk out? It seems you have forgotten that you are the one in need of something urgent and important, so you had better behave yourself and don't make some unnecessary fuss", Alfred warned. He was getting angry at his tantrum.

Draco almost yelled "No one dares make me wait in the pack!" and Alfred scoffed and slammed, "You are now outside the pack you dummy", just as the door opened to show the panache entering of Helena.

She dramatically graced the room with her golden shoes peeping in first before she showed herself in her full regalia. She moved to the front of the table with full confidence and her shoulders were high up in the sky as she walked to her seat and greeted "You are welcome to H&M Villa" and the guests turned to see who was in front of them.

The cup the driver was holding lost its grip and fell from his hand, the shattering sound was what brought him back to his senses as he jumped at the sight in front of him.

Draco stood there with trembling lips and furrowed eyebrows for some seconds before managing to mutter "It can't be... you can't be Helena, right?" with a shaky voice trying so hard not to stammer.

She wanted to catch him unaware and she was successful in seeing his reaction, which made her smile inside, but she only smirked and replied "Yes, I am Helena Marcus. Is there any problem with that?" raising her brows

Draco could not believe her audacity and ended up chuckling unintentionally for a while because of the absurdity of the situation he suddenly found himself. "You must be kidding me, you thought I would be intimidated if you showed up with this grand style? I am sorry to tell you that I don't fancy all of this" he growled, and Helena shrugged. She was unbothered by his threat, he was the one at the losing end after all.

"I don't have any reason to keep unwanted guests in my house, show them out" she ordered, and the guards entered to carry out her command and Draco protested "Are you telling your guards to throw me out? In the middle of the night?". She slammed her hand on the table and the driver jumped in fear for the second time. "It seems you are not ready to negotiate, so why should I listen to more of anything you have to say or house you further?" she fumed angrily and Draco threatened "You shouldn't be doing this to me Helena, you should know that the pack will suffer for it" but that only made Helena laugh so hard that tears laced on her long eyelashes

"Why should I care about a pack that abandoned me? Why should I care about people who didn't hold my hand when I needed them desperately? The only reason I am going to grab their hand this time is because I am a businesswoman, which means, I only accept terms that benefit me, so if you are not ready, then get out of my house". She gritted out of her teeth, her boiling anger was taking the best part of her, she would not have Draco insult her in her house.

The driver, who was tired of their banter and emotional show-offs, quickly pleaded "We will do whatever you want us to do, we really need the vaccine, and we cannot watch anyone die in our pack any longer" desperately and Helena rolled her eyes at his words before asking "You really need the vaccine?" and the driver nodded his head immediately,

"Then kneel" she blurt out and silence swept the room for several seconds. The driver and Draco both glanced at each other to confirm if they heard her well before her voice resonated once more.

"I say you should kneel and beg for it" she repeated her words and the driver got on his knees immediately. She turned to him and waved her finger, "I was not talking to you" she said before facing Draco, "You should be the one to kneel, Alpha Draco" she stated with a grin, and Draco could not believe what he, just heard. How dare she?

DRACO'S POV

Has it been over a year and half I last saw Helena? She had come to me with a smiling face that early morning with a clear sky and the atmosphere of spring at the Lead Lake situated in the pack. She was jumping and hopping along the metal rails of the bridge and I couldn't get enough of her radiating beauty as I stared at her from afar where I was waiting for her.

She called out to me "Draco" with a wave and I smiled back before proceeding to walk towards her direction. Running to my side with a woven bamboo basket in her hand, she was giggling and finally linked her arms around mine when we met halfway on the bridge. She was my mate and we had been dating for over two years. Everyone knew about us but we were never ashamed or tried to hide that fact.

She would come over to my place and I would walk her back to her place whenever she's leaving, making us the inseparable love birds. "Did you wait for long?" she asked as we turned to walk down the bridge and I replied with "No, I just got here not quite long", lying, even though I had been waiting on the bridge for over thirty minutes

"I am sorry I came late, I suddenly had to fix some things and that took a while" she apologized and I told her it was okay.

We went to the huge field close to the mountain and settled there to eat the food she brought along. We had promised to go on a picnic that day.

After eating, we ran around the field, looked at flowers and went back to the bridge to look at several fish playing in the water. We were still on our date with our fingers intertwined when Gray, the Beta's son, rushed to our side with a panicked expression.

I asked "What's wrong?" with a calm voice and he blurted out "There is trouble at the palace", making me wonder what type of trouble it could be.

We rushed down to the palace to see the dead bodies of both Alpha and Luna being carried out on a stretcher as they carried them into the ambulance. My eyes flashed between black and red for minutes as I could not comprehend what was happening in front of me.

I shouted "What just happened? What happened to them?" at the security guards standing in front of them and one of the guards informed me "They were visited by the Jones family and the next thing we heard was gunshots. A series of gunshots were fired by them and they killed both the Alpha and the Luna", which I laughed crazily at for a while because there was no way they would do that.

The Jones are my in-laws and their daughter is right beside me with the basket we brought from our picnic, so why should this kind of expensive joke be playing itself out right in front of me? Something didn't feel right no matter how I tried to look at it from different angles. One of the police officers walked up to us and said "You will have to come with us for questioning and we will be arresting you without a warrant" to Helena, who was still standing beside me.

"What do you mean I am under arrest? I didn't do anything", she protested, but the officer answered "Your parents killed both the Luna and the Alpha, so we need you for further questioning" before leading her into the van.

The case was investigated and it was proven that she knew about it, and that was the reason she called me out for the damn picnic. She clearly told me that her calling me out for the picnic was the last favor she could offer so I wouldn't get killed. That statement made me despise her so much at that very moment. What audacity? She did me a last favor when she knew that my parents would be killed by hers. I have never met someone as crazy and evil as her.

The murderer of my parents is now here asking me to kneel down in front of her if I want the vaccine? That will be over my dead body!

ALFRED'S POV

Draco has been a very uptight and wonderful leader ever since he ascended the throne, but he is unnecessarily brutal when it comes to digging out punishments. He suffers a lot from trust issues and won't open up to anyone except me and that is because I am his wolf. We share one body, so there is no way I wouldn't know what was going on with him.

The pack has been afflicted with a strange disease that is killing off the wolves especially. It would kill their wolves and render them powerless, and if care is not taken, it would kill them too totally. The research center has been trying to find a cure to it but they don't even know the origin of the strange disease. The whole pack are already protesting that either Alpha Draco finds a solution or he leaves the position of Alpha because he's incompetent.

That had stressed him out for months and it was painful for me to just watch him suffer, it was not like he was the one that planted the strange disease in the pack. In his quest for finding the cure, he was introduced to a famous researcher whom he reached out to about the strange disease.

The researcher told him that she has the cure but he will have to come over himself for it and, of course, with conditions attached and here they are, it turned out that the researcher is his ex, the one whose parents killed his parents, Helena Jones.

****

"Are you crazy? Why would I kneel for you? Have you forgotten the history between the two of us?" Alpha Draco fumed and she shrugged before stating "You should be able to do this much for an Alpha who desperately wants to save his pack. You have always proved yourself to be responsible, capable and diligent, so I wonder if you will live up to those characteristics, Alpha Draco" with a mocking tone.

"You b!tch" Alpha Draco cursed out and she laughed wickedly, "And that b!tch will be your saving grace this time around. I am curious to what you will do. Will you take my hand or let your pride win?" she remarked, and the driver, who happened to be Gray, his Beta, was there waiting for his decision.

It was indeed a bitter pill for him to swallow, he would be an irresponsible and selfish Alpha if he returned to the pack without the vaccine and he would be a bastard for kneeling down to the ones who murdered his parents.

He thought long and hard about it but he could only sigh.

He gave up, muttered "You are indeed a terrible witch" as he closed his eyes and painfully went on his knees. Every cell in his body was screaming anger, pain mixed with pain. He felt like a bastard to his parents, a failure kneeling down in front of their murderer's child, but he would go down as a selfish Alpha who refused to save his pack because of his pride in history. It was a bitter experience for him as shame enveloped him on his knees.

She folded her hands and smirked as she watched him lower himself in front of her, groveling for the vaccine that would rescue his pack from the deadly disease ravaging them. She was enjoying the show more than anyone else. She wanted to put him in agony and her way worked. She could see the sea of shame swallowing him up and that brought delight to her face. Her mission was accomplished.

She really didn't expect him to kneel considering his arrogant attitude, but here he was groveling at her feet in exchange for the people. At least he loves his people.

"Please save us" he begged with his fists clenched together and she lowered herself to his level before slowing, tracing the corner of his neck with her long nails. "It's actually amazing that you put aside your pride, Alpha Draco. I commend you for that" she said, seductively drawing a line through his neck with the tip of her nails and, worked it up to his chin before raising it up to look at her. Her scent filled the air as she crouched closer to him and it filled his entire nose.

She whispered to him "You should have known that you are mine no matter what, I missed you terribly, as you can see" and went in for a sudden kiss.

He was taken aback at her audacity that he didn't even think of pushing her away at that second. She pressed into his lips without probing into his mouth and pushed her lips on his for some seconds before removing it. "I loved you, Draco and I still do", she declared and stood up to her feet while Gray just watched the scenario with his mouth hung open. Whatever was happening between them was beyond what he could understand,

She walked to her seat and sat down noiselessly before crossing her legs. "You should stand up, we have to negotiate, don't you think?" she said, facing Draco who was still on his knees there.

Alpha Draco took a deep breath and stood up to his feet with a mountain of anger rising up within him, but he was keeping it calm till this deal is done. He would make sure to pay her back for these humiliations she made him go through.

"Sure! We should negotiate" he said with a grin, and took his seat.

"I have the cure to whatever disease is ravaging your pack and I am ready to give it you as long as you accept my condition" she said to them.

Alpha Draco asked "We are here to talk things out after all, what is the condition?" with his entire focus fixed on her.

"A remarriage" she announced, and he was flabbergasted for the third time that night.

He was not sure if she was trying to rile him up purposely or if she was serious about the offers she had been presenting to the table.

A big frown etched on his forehead as he asked "A remarriage? For what?" but Helena ignored him and smirked just as the door opened to show secretary Han with a baby in her hand.

"Because I am the mother of your child" she stated, and the room went dead.