As promised, Zaden and the leader’s pack took or dragged Selena to the camping site. And as
expected, she didn’t have any peace of mind. For time being, her mind hearing capability only works on
protecting this 5 people. It might have worked to her father and brother as well, but there is no way of
finding out since they are not with her. Zaden and Orion behaved as if they have preplanned to make
Selena suffer. They attended to the girls, talked to them in private, even gave a welcoming hug to them.
Their thought train was wrecking hell in Selena, purely raw. She could never figure out how school girls,
younger than her, could have known such vivid information about sex. If only their thoughts had been
put to work at the same time, Zaden and Orion would be ripped to pieces. Sophie also came to the
camping, as the teacher’s pet. The lake that they have chosen is Lake Thao, the same lake that
allowed everyone to fish at their wish. A wooden plank bridge with simple handrail had been installed,
which was not there the last time Selena came here. A new installation to facilitate or encourage
fishing. Selena was sitting on the bank of the river with her head between her knees, when someone
plopped next to her.
“Having fun?” It was Orion
“You know, I just made a blacklist and you are number 1 on it, followed by your alpha.
Congratulations!!!” she said with a pursed lips, making Orion to chuckle. Right at that moment, Sophie
ran into Orion’s lap.
“Orion, can be go swimming?” she asked in the most cutest accent.
“”Oh no sweety, you are not good at swimming and these lake is very deep…” he said in a sweet tone
but all they get is a downward curled lips and a sad face. She turned to Selena
“Prewty girl, can you swim in deep waters?” sensing where this is going, Selena shook her head no
with the same downward curled lips and sad eyes.
“I don’t understand, you are grownups, you are supposed to know everything” Orion looked at Selena
with a longing look
“Not always, sweety… we have our own inabilities too” he said, eyes still on Selena. He had been
trying to tell her how he feel about her, but till now he doesn’t know how. There are things grown up are
incapable of. After complaining a few more minutes, Sophie ran away to her mother, probably with the
same question, making Selena and Orion smile
“Selena…do you like it here, in Mount Manuka?” he asked, probing her to talk.
“Yes…what not to like…I mean, I miss my family but Zaden promised to bring me to meet them once
this 15days is over” she said casually. She rolled her eye, followed with a tight blink when a girl passed
by them as her eye ogling Orion. Orion laughed at her
“Shut up” she snapped and glared back at the girl
“Ok fine…what do you like the most here?” he asked after his laughter is suppressed
“The nature…the clean breeze and the beautiful mountains…” she answered
“Whom do you like the most here?” Orion
“Everyone except for those school girls” she said still glaring at them
“No, no, I mean specifically… do you find anyone that you like exceptionally deeper than all of us?”
Orion probed, his smile line around at the corner of his eyes haven’t faded from his last laughter.
Selena’s eye froze at the ground when one face pops up in regards of Orion’s question, Zaden. She
started fiddling with the grass.
“Well…” just at that moment, they heard a large splash and snapped their head towards the source.
Sophie’s mother was wrecking hell, shouting and wringing her hand at the edge of plank bridge. Zaden
was nowhere nearby. Selena and Orion stood up and ran to the water in lightning speed. Orion jumped
immediately but Selena stood there looking into the water and ripple marks and had an instinct to
where Sophie must have fallen. She jumped into that direction. Just as she expected, she saw
something in pink, the dress Sophie was wearing and steered herself towards it. She managed to grab
the child and swim up but just before she could hit the surface, something grabbed on to her left feet.
Selena struggled to release her feet but the grip was too strong. Bubbles of her breath is wasted in the
struggle. Her brain started working. She could hold on a few more minutes but the child might not and
Sophie could be the indicator of their location. She stretched her arms up and pushed Sophie to the
surface, still fighting to release her legs. Within a flash, someone had come to grab Sophie. Once
Sophie was out of her hand, Selena bent down to release her feet from whatever that it’s stuck on. It
wasn’t something, it was someone. A skinny hand was encircling her feet, a very old, white and long
nailed hand. She subconsciously screamed releasing an array of bubble to the surface. Orion who had
just passed Sophie to her mother, looked back and didn’t see Selena resurfacing but pops of bubbles
came up. He knew something is wrong and he jumped back. Before he could reach her, Zaden already
did and struggling to release her feet. Once Orion was there, they pulled her together with their wolf
strength, effectively releasing her and they resurfaced up. Selena in the middle, Zaden hand crossed
over her right chest to her left waist, and Orion’s hand crossed over from her left chest to right waist.
Her hand was on both man’s shoulder and she was losing consciousness as black vision took over.
A few blinks. A blurry vision. Selena was gaining back her consciousness. The first person she saw
once she regained completely was Zaden’s dripping wet and worried face. He gave her gentle slaps
and she pushed herself to sit. She was surrounded by other the school girls and the leader’s pack.
“Selena…can you hear me?” Orion was on her right. Selena held her forehead with the base of her
palm. A stabbing pain exerted from her ankles. She hissed as she tried to turn her ankle. A red band
has formed right around her ankle and the rest of her foot was purplish.
“Let’s go to the hospital” Zaden bent down to lift her
“Wait!!!There was something in the water, what was that?” there was an array of gasp from the girls.
‘Disperse’
With that mind-link, everyone left in a rush.
“What was there?”Orion asked since he didn’t go deep enough to have seen the hand. Zaden saw it,
he went down to her leg to release her
“There was something down there holding her feet. A creepy hand and a pair of red eye peeping out
from the river bottom. I have no idea what is that and how long it has been here, but we will ask the
elders if they know anything” Zaden explained in low and Orion’s eye widened before he turned to the
lake. He wanted to jump back in to check what was that but Selena stopped him.
“We don’t know what that is, it’s not safe” Selena calmed him down
“This is it…this is where it’s going to fall apart…” Zaden with his eye glaring at the waters. They sat
there for a few more minutes before Zaden carried her to their hospital. Thankfully, nothing serious
happen to her ankle, a sprain and bruises. Orion stayed with Selena while Zaden went back with
Makeala to grab some of her stuffs and they also need to talk with Grandpa Kai.
“I have no idea and I have never heard of such a thing in our waters as well. I linked the elderlies if they
have heard or seen such thing, they also have no idea, Zaden. What are we going to do? We can’t
have something that dangerous in our waters, where people go fishing regularly” Grandpa Kai said
“That’s the thing. All this while, so many people have been going to the lake for fishing. Even today,
Sophie, Orion and I went till the bottom of the lake but it only pulled Selena. Why? It must be specially
attracted to her.” Zaden said and they all remained silent. With a dead end, they went back to the
hospital, visited Selena. She was heavily dossed with drugs to fall asleep.
Night came and no matter what happen, Selena has to shift to her wolf. Zaden carried her to Lake
Khalifa. She was still weak due to the drugs injected into her body, so she leaned on Zaden’s chest, not
speaking a word, all the way to lake. Zaden gently placed her down. It was 11.45pm and her wolf takes
over exactly at 12 midnight.
“How are you feeling…” Zaden asked, sitting next to her, bent knees to his chest.
“Drowsy…” she yawned
“But I’m glad I don’t have to go resistance training tomorrow…” she bumped her shoulders to Zaden
“Who said anything about skipping” he bumped back
“Hey…I’m sick, see” Selena pointed at her now heavily wrapped ankle and Zaden chuckled
“Drama queen!!! Aren’t you scared?” Zaden asked and Selena put on a calm smile, merely a smile
“Are you saying I will die?” she cocked her eyebrow at Zaden and Zaden licked his lips in frustration
“That’s not what I’m saying” he said
“That’s ok, you can say it. First step in solving any issue is to face the issue as it is and accept it as the
problem” there comes another calm smile
“If that’s what is going to happen, then be it. I don’t have regrets in my life. I just…just wish I could see
my dad for one last time but then again, it could become danger to them. Why take the risk?” she
shrugged.
“What is the second step?” Zaden tried to lighten the situation and it worked. They both laughed out.
“Asking the right question…That’s your second step, remember that” She tapped her temple. She then
gazed the horizon while Zaden gazed on her. For a fragile, little thing, she is surely far more matured,
calm and thinks clear. Not long after that, her wolf came through and Zaden rushed his word as fast as
she could
“She has her ankle sprained, be careful” he was grabbing her legs so that she won’t rush to move.
Instead of panicking, the black eyed semi-wolf, giggled
“You seem to care about her more than you do for me…” she said
“Are you jealous of your other half?” Zaden
“Sort of…” and they both chuckled before Zaden placed a kiss on her lips.
“No sex today” Zaden whispered to her ears and she let out a pretend sob. Zaden gently pushed to lie
down and he snuggled to her stomach
“Why do you like my stomach so much?” Zaden kept silence first to her question
“It’s soft and warm, like a baby’s blanket, smells like my mate and most important, I can hear cute
heartbeat from here…I forget all my worries and stresses when I snuggle to your body.” Zaden kissed
her navel
“You have any idea what attacked you?” Zaden asked
“It’s an ancient creature…lurking from one water body to another, summoned to look for someone.
They feed it with a specific blood and then release to water. It will be craving for that 1 blood, refusing
to eat anything else except for moss. It is rumored that Samrat had one, called Goya but died 200
years ago. Apparently, it has been lurking for the past 200 years and found it’s target today…” she said,
successfully making him anxious. He slowly sat up
“You mean someone knows that she is here?” he asked
“Those creatures, amphisbaena, they are just like snakes but with hands. They don’t have the ability to
mind-link or what so ever but if my guess is correct, it must be travelling back to its master. If it reaches
his master, then yes, they know I am here” she said with a sad smile and before his eye, the woman
laid on the grass turned into a wolf in a swift, while he keeps staring without blinking. She then licked
his cheeks, begging to see her wolf in full form. He shifted and she moved with great effort to snuggle
in the crook of his neck, cooing softly.
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