As they walked through the streets of Adene, Harry felt his consciousness was familiarized with the place and the people who walked past him. It was almost like a Deja-vu, as if he had indeed been there before, walked down that same path and stood under the same sky. The gently tinted pink clouds seemed to run at their pace, and as Harry looked closer, he realized that everyone he seemed to walk by was always looking straight at him. Finding it weird, he parted his lips to speak to Eros, but was briefly interrupted when the exact same dragon in a bubble stepped in his way, forbidding him to walk further.
Harry stopped right in his tracks with a confused expression since he now knew that he shouldn't touch a dragon despite his curiosity overflowing him. Looking up at Eros, he took notice of his clenched jaw looking annoyed and Harry believed something had messed up his plans. Taking a step back with caution, he blinked once his eyes felt something wet and he realized he had stepped over a puddle of water. What he didn't know, was that he would be engulfed by the ground the second the information caught up to his brain and he was falling.
''Oof.'' He huffed with annoyance as his ass slammed against some grass, his back almost twitching at the unwanted free ride. ''Fuck.''
He cussed, rubbing his lower back as he made an effort to get up, blinking calmly as he took a deep breath through his nose and felt his lungs being filled with much welcomed oxygen.
Blinking, the boy took notice of the sight in front of him. He was no longer at the same street he had been a second ago, but was yes in the middle of what looked like a forest. More precisely, in front of four tree roots that were merging together right on top of the grass seeming like pillars, majestic and breathtakingly beautiful, before slowly climbing higher and leaving a space unattended between them, a circle which Harry discovered was actually a lake by the water it contained. As his eyes drifted higher, he saw water cascading down into the lake and finally, caught a glimpse of a castle which seemed to float in the skies, being held up by the merged tree roots with trees wrapped around it in a strategical way like a rampart.
As if trees had a voice of their own.
The tree branches seemed to embrace the sides of the castle, the branches morphing slowly into well treated and light wood before appearing to be a blazing golden color which was adorned by hints of white, almost seeming like a really expensive furniture that no amount of money could ever buy. The windows were arched over the top in a circular motion, giving off the feeling that they were about to fall off alonside the waterfall cascading from an unknown place somewhere in the castle. The whole sight felt like a myth, a daydream and Harry was unsure if he wanted to wake up at all.
Letting his green orbs travel further, he tilted his head once his eyes landed on a craved design over the golden wood and if Harry didn't know better, he would surely say it was a crest. Craved on the wood were six wands, two going northwest, other two going northeast, one wand standing straight in the middle of those four but still slightly higher than the others and finally, one laid down under all of the five. Harry was pleased when he took notice that the crest was nothing more than a symbol of a big crown. The towers of the castle seemed to be infinite and hidden by the pink clouds, the top of the castle looking like it was a sunset while the lower part screamed for sunrise.
''Harry, welcome.'' A female voice brought him away from the sight of the castle and the boy took a step back once he realized there was a woman standing right in front of him.
Harry had been so lost in that sight that he most probably failed to notice the woman. She looked no older than forty, but what a good forty those would be. Her blonde hair was neatly caught in two braids that cascaded over her bony shoulders, her eyes were a piercing grey color and her skin would bring shame to a baby. Her body was adorned by a white dress that accentuated her breasts, her wrists holding bracelets that were connected to the dress and were covered by a thin laced veil. She was beautiful, and there they were, those four dots at the end of her eyes.
''Yes?'' Harry pronounced. Perhaps he was taken as an idiot, but no one could blame him for not knowing what to say. His whole reality had just been punched in the face and thrown into the garbage.
The older woman flashed him a tender smile. ''I know you don't remember me, but I am Fay.'' She stated calmly, not wanting to cause the boy any discomfort. ''I'm the GoldCrown's Fort keeper, and used to be your father's first line soldier. Welcome to Adene and Flare, even though it wasn't supposed to happen this way.''
Tilting his head to the side, Harry furrowed his eyebrows at the lady who called herself Fay. ''It wasn't supposed to happen this way?''
''No. We were only supposed to take you once the Alpha awoke, but that thick-headed Eros just had to have it his way.''
Parting his lips to speak once more, Harry was suddenly interrupted when another person made itself present amongst the conversation. With no prior warning or sound, Eros was standing beside the curly boy.
''Bad mouthing me when I'm not here, old hag?''
Squinting her eyes, Fay raised her eyebrow. ''My my, Eros, are you going through a middle life crises once more?''
''I brought him because it was needed to.'' Eros rolled his eyes, not seeming affected by her words. ''Even if the Alpha is still asleep inside of him.''
''You had no right to do such a thing without the blessing of the ancestors!'' She growled back, her eyes briefly flashing from bright green and back to her usual grey color. ''He is not ready to handle this.''
''If I hadn't brought him now, then the whole world would know him! He signed a contract with a record label and soon enough he would have his face all over the news!'' Eros' voice was raised and Harry frowned since he was never fond of watching a man raise his voice to a woman. ''What if he shifted uncontrollably during and interview, or a concert and hurt people? All of us would be in danger, Adene would be discovered even if they didn't exactly find it.''
His heart clenched tightly in his chest. Was his wolf – the Alpha – so dangerous that he would hurt innocent people and lose control of his own self and desires? When he thought about the books and movies about werewolves, they all portrayed Alphas as majestic and respectful people, only wanting the best for their pack.
''Even so, you acted ruthlessly just because a Luna had already been chosen.'' Sighing quietly, Fay shook her head before dismissing Eros with her hand, keeping her eyes on the curly boy. ''Go tend her.''
In a second, Eros wasn't there with them anymore.
''How does he do that?'' Harry whispered to himself, knowing he wouldn't be able to make himself familiar with such thing.
Chuckling in front of him, Fay simply smiled, reassuring him in a way. ''Eros is quite old, Harry. Old enough to have a pact with a Dragon, meaning he can teleport quite easily.'' Harry could only nod in agreement despite his little self wanting to scream and jump because that was really cool. ''I must apologize for his behavior, he means well, he just isn't doing it for the right reasons.''
Nodding her head, she indicated the boy to follow her as they both walked up to the small lake between the four trees that held up the castle in front of them. Harry had a lot of questions but he also didn't want to be rude, especially for someone who knew his father and had fought alongside him. Taking a look at the boy from the corner of her eye, Fay smiled quietly to herself.
''I'm sure you must have a lot of questions, please, don't be afraid to ask, I'll do my best to give you a precise answer.''
''Did you just read my mind or something?'' Harry chuckled.
''Something like that, yes.''
''Wait, I thought only the six warriors had magical powers?'' Once more, he was confused.
Shaking her head, Fay let out a soft sigh. ''I apologize, I'm sure Eros wasn't the most effective in giving you the full information. Well, it's not like we can blame him because his duty is to the Luna and not you. In fact, he probably doesn't like you very much.''
''Why? It's not like he knows me.'' Harry replied, but he would be lying if he said that it didn't make him jealous to know that Eros only cared about the Luna, HIS Luna.
''He doesn't have to. Eros was purposely brought into the world and quickly bitten by the oldest Counselor which was about to pass away, meaning all of his wolf was rapidly engulfed in Eros' body.'' Fay explained, her voice calm while pronouncing her words easily so it would be easier for the young Magum Noctis to understand. ''A counselor's job is to tend his Alpha's Luna, to protect her if there ever is an unfortunate event in which the Alpha isn't around, to teach her the ropes of ruling a kingdom and become a fine lady, while being her confident. The only Luna he ever looked after was your mother, Laira.''
''My mother?'' Harry breathed out slightly, stunned. Laira, that was his mother's name. Even her name was beautiful.
''Yes, Laira Blackwood.'' She smiled as both of them stopped by the water, before she took a step forward and walked over it, as if the water made the perfect path for her to walk upon it. ''She was the daughter of a tailor and during a delivery, she found a man laying underneath a tree with his body covered in blood, she was always too much of a good person and she was unable to simply walk past him despite knowing the danger that Norburm was at the time.'' Fay looked at the boy, tilting her head to the side as if telling him to follow her.
Harry was unsure, not knowing if the water would have the same effect on him as it had on Fay, and he cautiously stepped in, feeling something like a gentle veil underneath his step, not letting him touch the water and allowing him to almost float above it. For a moment, Harry considered if he had been given any drugs.
''I'm assuming that man was my father?''
''You are correct.'' The woman chuckled, her grey eyes glistening as she looked at the boy who was now joining her. ''She helped your father, tended his wounds because he had poison in his system so he wasn't able to heal by himself. Once she was done, she left before he was even able to open his eyes. As your father woke up, his wolf was screaming at him that his mate had just helped him.'' Smiling, she winked at Harry. ''Unfortunately for she-wolves, they don't know who their mate is until they stare into their eyes, but for an Alpha, they know just by the girl's scent. So your father waited by that same tree for a month, because he knew that she would have to walk by again once more. And she did.''
''My father sounds like a stubborn man.'' Harry chuckled, knowing that he was also very much stubborn and Amelia knew that by heart.
''He was and because of that they used to argue a lot, but they could never stay mad at each other for long. Your father had been crazy about your Laira ever since he laid his eyes on her and she had been his ever since she tended his wounds.''
Taking a few more steps forwards, they reached one of the two waterfalls, the water splashing into the lake but no droplets landed on them as Fay reached up and placed her foot over an invisible stair, looking over her shoulder with an amused expression. Harry looked utterly confused as he leaned in and tried to see if there was indeed a staircase, but his hand simply went through the waterfall and got soaked. Looking up at Fay, he took notice of how her lips were pursed together so she wouldn't laugh before pointing at his feet.
Harry's lips formed into a pout as he tried to lift his feet and to his surprise, he felt a step underneath, allowing him to go higher and meet Fay over the waterfall. She looked at him with a chuckle, truly thinking he was very young and had no memory of his own home.
''What happened to them?'' The boy suddenly asked, feeling his stomach turn.
Taking a second to answer, she chose her words carefully. ''After the war, the six warriors built their own homes on different positions of Adene, such thing formed six different tribes. The one you're at now is called the Flare tribe, the others are called Scoya, Ascax, Ocai, Hound and Towall tribe. Your parents ruled the Flare tribe for over 500 years together, but despite the peace having been installed, there has always been danger nonetheless. The rogues, for example. They don't think we should live in secrecy and they are looking for the keys.''
''Keys? To what?'' Harry asked curiously as they climbed up the imaginary stares.
''The keys that hold the secrets to Adene. Beware that this is mere speculation, Harry, neither I know if this is real or not, since it is a secret that should go with someone to their grave.'' She told him quietly, her voice serious. ''It is said that each of the tribes hold one of the keys, and those keys are said to be an ancient spell of some sort which can merge Adene and the human world together, unleashing the darkness that is separating both worlds.''
Harry didn't know what to think, what position he should take. He had only just discovered this world and only a bit of its creatures, so he was in no position to answer Fay. He didn't know anything about this world, why it was the way it was, how it is governed, if people enjoy living there or not. He wasn't able to say if merging the two worlds would be a good choice or not, but something in his gut told him there was something else missing.
As they reached the top of the waterfall, they were met with a concrete floor, stumbling upon it and feeling that the veil had once more been broken as Harry looked back at the waterfall, wondering what kind of spell they had, but he remained quiet since his heart was aching for some reason.
''Your parents had you unexpectedly, because they had been trying for a while but never succeeded, and then you were born and they were rejoiced. You spent your first three years of life right here in this castle.'' She told him, taking a quick glance at him with a soft smile, not wanting for him to worry about what had happened in the past. ''The rogue attacks were becoming deadlier and merciless, and your parents knew they would be struck soon, so they took you to the Human world along the other five tribe warriors, and you were bitten by all of them to become the one who would rule Flare and guide the packs to the upcoming war.''
Taking back, Harry raised an eyebrow at the beautiful woman.
''Wait, me? Leading a pack to war?''
''Yes, Harry. You.''
''Miss Fay, I really think you aren't understanding what I mean. Roughly three hours ago none of this existed and I was a simple human.'' Harry told her, his voice trying to stay calm but all he wanted to do was shout and wake up in his bed thinking this was all a dream. ''There was no Adene, no Alpha, no Keys, no werewolf. And I liked it that way.''
Fay didn't seem fazed by his light outburst, only nodding her head in acknowledgement.
''But it is your destiny, Harry. And it's very hard to run away from it, because it will always chase you no matter where you go.''
''It's not what I wanted.''
''It's what you need.'' Fay declared, her voice leaving barely any room for discussion, before sighing quietly. ''I don't want you to think about this as a duty, Harry. You have no idea how much we fought for this peace, how much your mother and father lost just so this world could be restored. I know that to you, this isn't your home. But it is the home of many, and the most prized trait of a king Alpha, is empathy for its people.''
But Harry was no king. Harry was no Alpha. Harry was nothing but an empty shell who constantly needed reassurance. A confident man with yet no confidence at all. A lie waiting to be uncovered and a grave waiting to be dug. The boy was nothing like Fay painted him to be, and he knew that he would never be able to surpass or simply be compared to his father's doings. He was, once more, a disappointment.
''This is too much.'' He breathed out through his teeth.
''I know it is, and I don't blame you. But there is time for you to settle and learn, it won't be from one second to the other.'' Fay tried to assure him, placing a hand over his arm while she smiled at him. ''There's always time to grow.''
Harry wanted to believe it. Despite everything, Harry's soul was wild, animalistic and primal. A beautiful creature like that should never be caged and somehow that's just exactly what he was feeling. He was told he was powerful, but he had no control over anything, he was told he was supposed to rule, but he didn't know who his people were. All of it screamed that there was something terribly wrong and missing, and he felt a soft whine within his body.
Suddenly, however, his breath hitched. His senses were heightened. One, two. Soft footsteps could be heard through an hallway and a heartbeat joined his own, that melody that seemed to be a lullaby to his soul and the light amongst all of the darkness his empty shell contained. He turned his head to the side and tried to search for the sound, his lips parted as they landed on auburn curls standing right in front of him, through one of the large arched windows of the castle, accompanied by Eros
Amelia.
Just as if he had called out to her, her eyes instantly met his without any words being exchanged, that magnetic pull always tugging them together without having to look for each other. Her almond eyes were slightly wider than he remembered and he figured it would be due to all of the new information Eros probably told her, but the way her gaze lit up once she saw him told him she was more than just glad to see Harry.
Her auburn curls were neatly pushed back by some golden clips on the sides of her head, making her cheeks more defined and her jawline slightly shaper. Her lips were tinged red while her neck was fully bare, before his eyes drifted lower and he took a glimpse of what the ginger was wearing.
The dress was red, the corset tight on her waist and breasts while the fabric fell effortlessly down her hips while the sides were adorned by golden specks. The top of her breasts was covered by a thin layer of golden lace, leaving much to the imagination and Harry couldn't be more relieved.
She was okay, she truly was. His girl was right there, staring at him like he was all she could think about, and she was beautiful, perhaps even more beautiful than three hours ago. Her whole skin had a different glow and his heart was condemned to her.
''Harry.'' He could read her lips, her whole gaze softening as she took a few steps closer to the window and placed her frail hands over the cold glass.
Not giving it a single thought, he quickly pressed his hands against the glass, right where hers were and he looked at her with a soft smile of his own. Amelia made all of his worries disappear and for a second, Eros' words drifted through his mind about the Luna being the best part of an Alpha. Well, he wasn't wrong about that, because Amelia was the best out of everything and nothing could prove him wrong.
Harry's thoughts were hard to control as he watched her, his heart feeling so relieved to actually see that she was okay and well, that nothing had harmed her. He wanted to apologize so badly for leaving her alone, she must have been so scared just like he felt at first. His chest ached, however, when his gaze fell upon hers again and he noticed the unshed tears at the brim of her eyes.
Those beautiful almond eyes fought for control over the unshed tears, not wanting to let any slip down her pale cheeks. Harry wanted to hold her in his arms and promise her that everything was okay, that he would protect her against every single one in this world and the other, that he would never leave her and he would care for her deeply. He wanted to cup her cheeks in his hands and kiss away her pain and uncertainty.
In a flash, the window separating them was gone, there was no glass preventing them from feeling each other's warmth, both of their eyes wide at the realization that the tall window had simply vanished. But the curly boy had other plans and he couldn't care less about how the window disappeared, all he cared about was his beautiful girl who was about to cry.
Not wasting a single second, Harry reached out and quickly hugged her, taking in her sweet and dizzy scent while her trembling arms wrapped around his torso and her face pressed against his strong chest, his own scent quickly calming her down as she breathed out. The sun was a witness of the longing they both felt for each other, these three hours in a new world having felt like centuries of not being able to find each other and relish in one another's embrace.
''You're okay.'' He breathed out into her auburn curls while her gentle cries were muffled against his shirt, his heart racing just from holding her in his arms. Carefully, he cupped her face in his large hands and tilted it back so he could look into the depths of her eyes whilst his thumbs rubbed over her tear-stained cheeks. ''No one hurt you, right?'' He quickly asked, wanting to make sure she had been well treated. If she hadn't, he didn't mind breaking a few faces and limbs here and there, not giving a shit if they could be stronger than him.
She gently shook her head, red lips parting as she looked up at him. ''Took you long enough to come.''
''I'm sorry, did you miss me that much?'' Harry teased her tenderly, leaning down and letting his lips brush over the smooth skin of her forehead.
''I think the universe took it a bit to heart when I said I liked to be called yours.'' Amelia chuckled through a sniff, the tip of her nose getting slightly red due to her tears, making Harry realize that she had already been informed of the 'mate' bond.
''Changed your mind?'' Harry amused her, pressing soft kisses over her forehead and the tip of her nose.
''Not at all, Alpha.'' Amelia teased, her lips forming into a tender smile, her tears stopping.
Harry felt a sudden hint of pride flooding his chest, nothing like when Eros or Fay called him an Alpha. Hearing it from Amelia's mouth was different and exciting, making Harry smirk at his ginger. He would be lying if he said that he didn't hold her tighter, because he did, nuzzling his face against the crook of her neck and taking in her strong scent.
The tip of his nose gently rubbed against her neck, feeling her breath quicken as he did so, his lips parting and he didn't even notice how his teeth were carefully grazing over her tender skin until he felt her hold on his waist tighten and a gasp leaving her lips.
''Alright children, not here.'' Came Fay's voice, but Harry paid her no mind.
Parting his lips further, he got drunk on her and slid his hand to her jaw, being easier to tilt her head for him as his canines grazed her neck and carefully inched closer to the back of it where her scent was stronger and where she was calling for him. Feeling a sharp pain on his forehead, Harry blinked and he was pulled out from whatever daydream he was under. Eros had drawn out a sword from one of the sculptured armors which decorated the only part of the hallway Harry was able to see, the sharp tip being pressed to his forehead.
Raising an eyebrow, Harry's eyes squinted at the threat, mostly because his lover was in his arms and she could be hurt by the weapon. Eros eyes seemed to challenge him, not wavering from his gaze and keeping a firm hold on the sword. Harry had other plans and he wasn't about to go easy on someone who would pose a threat to Amelia.
In a daze, Amelia turned around to see why Harry had abruptly stopped, before she took notice of the scene happening right in front of her eyes, her heart aching as she grasped Harry's shirt in her hands.
''Eros, what are you doing? Lower that sword!'' Amelia begged, feeling like she could barely breathe.
''I am protecting you, Luna.''
Raising his hand, Harry didn't even flinch when he wrapped his fingers along the sharp edges of the sword, igniting a gasp from Fay and from Eros, the blade ripped his skin and blood rushed from the open wound until his hold was strong enough to rip it away from Eros' hands, throwing it somewhere on the floor, easily discarded and forgotten. His free hand, however, was tightly holding Amelia to his chest, his posture defensive if anything tried something against his lover.
''Harry, you're bleeding!'' Amelia gasped, quickly struggling against his strong hold so she could grasp his wrist in her hands.
''It's nothing that can't be fixed.'' He whispered to his loving mate as his lips pressed to the side of her head, letting her take his injured limb between her frail hands before his eyes turned back into a threatening color between green and red, looking straight at Eros. ''If you, Councelor,'' The word dripped from his mouth with disgust. ''raise another weapon in a room where Amelia is present and threaten her well-being, I will blind you.''
Amelia shivered at Harry's tone which was laced with authority and power, biting down onto her bottom lip as butterflies flew happily in her belly because of his words and consideration for her. For a short second, Amelia could swore that a glint of satisfaction was spread over Eros' features, as if this was the reaction he had been hoping he could pull out of the curly boy.
''Amelia, dear. Since I already showed you the castle, why don't you bring Harry to the bathroom and clean up his wound?'' Fay's voice sounded once more, bringing both Harry and Amelia back to reality.
She quickly nodded, looking up at her little magum noctis, using the hold on his wrist to bring him with her into the hallway, his gaze finally leaving Eros before wrapping his uninjured arm around her once more, bringing her close to his side while the ginger began nagging him about what he did and how dangerous it was.
Standing at the same spot, both Eros and Fay watched the young couple leave through another door. Shaking her head, the woman brought her hand down and up again while closing her fingers against her palm one by one, restoring the window that had previously disappeared.
''Should we tell them that it was her who made the glass evaporate?'' Asked Eros.
''No, give them time to adjust first.'' Fay told him, folding her hands above her stomach. ''Your ways are so medieval, putting a sword to your Alpha's forehead.''
''He was unconsciously about to mark Amelia, I thought it would easily awaken the wolf.''
''I think you awoken something else.'' Fay mused, taking a stroll down the hallway with Eros following closely behind. ''Even without his wolf, Harry was binding you. I'm sure you felt it just like I did, it was light, but it was a bind. And not even any of the six warriors had that trait. This will be fairly interesting.''
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Heyo, I'm back with another long update because I hate to cut chapters in half. (not edited)
What did you think of the chapter? I'm not going to lie, my heart is head over heels for protective Harry.
If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a vote and a comment, it means the world to me!
Thank you for reading,
Stay safe xx