I wake up to the sun brightly hitting against my face and a sweet current flowing all over my body. I could hear the soft thumping of a heart other than my own, a side of my face completely flushed to something hard but smooth, and something that was definitely not my pillow.

I push myself higher and watch the light dancing along the surface of his face.

Aries. My mate.

All the heartbreak, the uneasiness, from previous days, years, all forgotten, a memory forsaken, only left for the past.

I trace the lines of his face, my touch as light as a feather, careful not to awaken the sweet soul that was sound asleep. The harsh lines on his face, the dark shadows under his eyes, now completely gone. He looked even more heartbreakingly good now that he had enough rest, time to recuperate.

His hold stronger around me, probably his unconscious self, scared that I might leave again. I smile at his innocent intentions. I will be crazy to leave him now that I know what he means to me. Although I knew him for lesser than a moment in this eternity, I already felt attached to him, my soul already weaved into his.

Without him, I was nothing now.

Unwillingly, I break free of his iron grip and leave him to sleep a little more. I step into the shower, reluctant to let the water wash away the night, but surprisingly his scent still lingers on my body. That fresh minty scent of his, addicting and bewitching. I had fallen in love.

I suck in a breath as I realize my own thoughts and quickly wrap a towel around me.

Wiping the mirror clean, I watch the girl on the other side of it, meaning to dispel my thoughts but what it reflects back catches me a little off-guard. It surprises me a little to see her so- alive. Her once vacant eyes now looks like the starry night sky, so full of life, the hope that had once been lost, was starting to rise again. The porcelain skin of her had a bit of colour added to them and her sandy lips looked plump and healthy.

Once again, the mirror showed a side of hers that wasn't her or one that she had never seen before. An image she only imagined herself to be, so free of burdens, so full of life.

As soon as the sound of heavy breathing invades my ears, the bathroom door comes flying open and I'm completely engulfed into an electric embrace of two strong arms that I would forever spend my eternity in.

"Mine."

And as my own arms snakes around him, I look back up into the mirror. The girl inside has this loving smile on her face, her eyes filled with happiness, as she holds onto his muscular back, possessively, as if telling me that he was hers. And only hers.

A stranger until moments ago had taken the vacancy in my heart and had today become unerasable. This man, who clings to me as if he clings onto his dear life, had become irreplaceable. Take his heart and you will find me dead. Tear my soul and you will find his.

I truly had fallen for this man. I was in love. I loved him. I love him.

"Mine."

The only honest word I have ever told myself. He was mine. And no goddess would ever take him away from me. Not now, not ever. For long as I breathe, I will forever hold him in these arms. Tight and firm.

This I will promise to myself. An oath I will take forevermore if needed.

"You left me."

His whisper makes my lips curve into a small smile. "Yes, I did." And his hold tightens even more. "Only for a while."

"No. You cannot leave me from now on. Promise me, Althea." He pulls back but places his head flush to mine. "Promise me that you will never leave me." Those blue in his eyes twinkles as he looks deep into mine, so much worry in them, a strong fragility in that powerful glare. "Not even for a second. Promise you will be with me forever long I hold breath in this body."

"Even when there's no breath left in any of our bodies. I will forever be with you. I will hold your soul into mine."

"And I, yours."

"We will be together for eternity."

"And beyond time." He leans forward, his eyes slowly fluttering close.

"Beyond time..." I promise myself as his heavy breathing ignites my face, his face inching closer, slow and steady.

But like any good dream, it too comes to an end when the ringing of my phone breaks our sweet silence and turns our reunion bitter. Letting go of my breath and him, I turn him around and push him further into the shower. "Take a shower first."

I quickly turn away and close the bathroom door before he could come out of his daze. Throwing in some clothes, I answer the still ringing phone.

"Hey mum."

But no reply comes through. I pull the phone back to check the connection, but it seemed fine, so I place it back on my ears. "Mum?"

A frighteningly loud thunder roars from the other end and it sends my heart to a complete stop. I start to panic. "Mum-" But her hurried voice soon follows after. "Just... training." She breaths out and the voices behind goes mute which somehow lets me to believe her words.

Although not completely.

"Listen Althea. I just want you to know that I love you no matter what, alright. That you are the best thing that came into my life, of course apart from meeting your father."

And she was talking weird. "Mum." I just couldn't get past the feeling of something wrong happening. "I'm kidding." And as if she had said the best joke in the world, she giggles. "Just wait until you find your mate and you'll forget about me too."

Just then Aries appears out of the bathroom in a fresh pair of trousers and a t-shirt, his hair still wet from his encounter with the water. "About that..." I really hadn't gotten a chance to tell her that I had found him or him me. Long story short we have found one another.

He comes forward, his eyes fixated on my lips as he answers for me. "I found her." But the minute he opens his mouth, I put my hand on his lips to stop any more words from him. I glare at him, but he just smiles with his twinkling eyes. "Hello? Althea?"

"I found him. More like he found me." As the deed was already done, I confess. "His name's Aries. Aries Blackwood. We met not too long ago that's why I didn't get to tell you about him."

And a long pause follows, I wait for her to process the information and was about to speak when she finally decides to speak again. "Can I talk to him?"

He places a kiss on my palm still on his lips and this earns him a light slap on his arm. "Hold on. Here." I put the phone over his ear and mouth behave but he only continues to smile. "Hello?"

"Hello Aries. It's been a while. I know it's sudden, but I need a promise from you Aries." I narrow my eyes at him as I hear my mother's voice. "Yes."

"Aries promise me that you'll keep my daughter safe and of course happy. Love her till the end of time and never let her fall. I know you will, but I just need to hear it from you. Just for a mother's sake."

He looks deep into my eyes, as if promising not only to her but to me as well. "I love her, and I will forever keep her safe even if I have to take the strike for her I will, I promise."

"Aries." This man manages to melt my heart every time.

My mother clears her throat from the other side, and I take the phone off him. "Sorry to interrupt but I'm kind of in a hurry, may I have one last word with you Althea. Do you still remember that room in the palace that you used to spend most of your days in? And I told you it once belonged to someone. A family member who had left us all."

"Yes."

But just then a deafeningly loud sound comes from the phone, startling me a little and that feeling once again resurfaces as my heart starts to feel it too. "Could you help me find her and send her a message?" I hear more from the other side, roaring, howling, cracking of the sky, it all sounded like a war cry.

But she continues to speak through it. "When you find her, tell her that Raven needs her to return home, tell her Raven knows everything, that Raven remembers. But just be careful when you-"

And another loud boom follows, I grip my phone tighter, panic rising with the increasing thumping of my heart. "Althea, when you meet Harmony-"

And it goes silent.

"Mum?" I call out. "Mum, are you still there? Mum did something happen. Are you okay? Is everyone okay? Mum. Mum, answer me."

But the call had already been cut off. She couldn't hear me, nor I her. I dial her number again in hopes to reach her, but all my effort goes futile as the line goes unanswered every time. I try reaching for dad, to anyone to answer but no one picks up their phone.

"Aries there's definitely something very wrong happening back home. Aries I can't get through anyone." I pace back and forth, still trying to connect.

But he too seems to be in a world of his own, into his deep thoughts, his eyes on the floor. Unable to take it anymore, I inhale a deep breath, collecting myself as I stand tall.

"Everyone, assemble."

Calling out to everyone, I march towards the door, leaving Aries by himself. But the second I step my foot out of the room, he locks his hands into mine and walks beside me but otherwise remains quiet.

I meet Egan and Circe by the end of the staircase and Alex comes storming through the front door with all the warriors. They all line in front of me, to heed to any command I shout. And with the power that I hold, I stand dominant, Aries just a step behind me.

"I cannot reach my mother or to anyone back home. I fear that something bad is happening. Do whatever it takes, get in touch with someone and prepare to return home now." My harsh voice booms loud and clear.

"Dismissed."

And the crowd scatters out of the house to follow my command as we all gather by the sofa. "Zoe? What's wrong?"

Squeezing my temples with the tip of my fingers, my elbows propped on my knee, I lean forward. "I was on the phone with mum and there was this commotion behind- and she kept saying things. I-"

I take a deep breath in when I feel Aries lightly squeeze my arm. "Since then, I have been trying to get a hold of her, but I can't. I have tried everyone that I could think of. Alex what if-"

He gets on his knees and looks into my eyes. "Nothing's going to happen to them, you hear me." I seal my lips tight and nod. "Let me go and help. I'll be back soon." With a squeeze of my hand, he goes off and we all sit in silence, waiting for someone to come and share any news.

But what I thought would take them five minutes, takes them hours until they finally appear before us, Alex leading the warriors. But their grim expression already told me that they had failed me.

"Zoe, there must be something really going on back home. We cannot contact anyone. And the ones, outside of the kingdom, we managed to contact so far doesn't know anything either."

"What about the preparation on our return?" My heart thumps, slow and loud, already knowing the answers to all my questions.

"Unfortunately, all the aircrafts have been shut off by the kingdom. Including route via the sea."

"It sounded like a war cry."

I exhale a shaky breath, as my eyes stares at the vacant space ahead of me, brewing thoughts of hopelessness in my head.

"I need to return home, Alex. No matter what." My decision firm as we all sit in silence. But what now?

There really was no way back home. What was I going to do? But what could I do anyways? What power did I hold?

"A portal."

I look at Circe who looks at me with this glimmer in her eyes. "A portal?" Did I hear her correct? Was that even possible? "But no true Lycan with that gift has been born yet. It's im-" But she shakes her head at me, and I stop midsentence.

"I'm not talking about Lycans, Zoe. A witch. I'm talking about my mother."

She lights me up with hope with her words. Can someone really be that powerful? Powerful enough to create something thought impossible. But will anyone really go that far to help me? "Can she- Will she-"

"She will."

But it was Aries who replies. He takes my face in his warm hands and compels me to look at him. "Once she knows who you truly are, without a doubt."

"I don't understand." I squint my eyes at him and like all the other times he just gives me that sweet smile of his, the reassuring kind. The smile that tells me that everything will be okay.

"You'll soon find out." He holds my hand and pulls me on my feet. "Let's not waste another second. If we leave now, we'll be there before sunset."

"Are the cars ready to move?" I look back at Alex who nods his head. "On command."

"Then we leave now."

With another nod Alex heads ahead of us and we follow behind. We all jump into the cars and speed down the road. We had no time to waste.

Along the ride, Aries calls someone, most likely the people we were visiting, we were an uninvited guest regardless of what anyone said. "Matt I'm on my way back. Could you let the patrollers know that it's just me with some guests? I have quite a number with me. Oh, and Cici is with me too. We'll be there soon."

"The crazy things you do Aries."

He chuckles, his free hand playing with the lines on my palms, keeping me from getting too tensed. "I'll see you soon Matt." And he hangs the call.

Soon.

The sky turns darker as we bend through the empty road into what looks like an unauthorised land. The deeper we get, the crowded it was with nature and hence the darker its shadow that fell upon us. And something else that runs through those shadows besides us, almost caging us in.

But something else bothers this heart of mine, the closer we get to our destination. Everything here seems so known to the unconscious part of my mind as if it once lived through this land, walked and laughed, and shed tears of pain. I scan the all too familiar looking woods as it told me a story of another lifetime.

When the car comes to a stop, my eyes immediately fly to the tall tree by the field, its branches missing my presence, calls me. But the massive garden of roses invites me more than anything here and more so when the door opens and its sweet scent wafts into my lungs.

Aries stands by the door and just like that I come out of the hypnotism this place created, only to fall into another created by the endless blue. I take his hand and get off the car. Everyone else already out and waiting in front of the big but cosy looking house. Home.

And as I admire the sweetness it emitted, a sense of belonging, a girl comes flying through the door and falls onto Circe's arms, her similar golden hair swinging behind her as she did so. "Cici."

"Lia."

"I have missed you so much Cici."

"So, have I Lia." With another tight squeeze, they let go of one another and I finally get to see her face which holds a dazzling smile and a kind look in those brown eyes of hers. Her eyes scan the crowd, her smile warm and welcoming, and stops at Aries whom she acknowledges with a small nod. "Alpha."

Aries smiles as he shakes his head at her. "I'm no Alpha, Lia." I know that look on her face, she very much wants to disagree, but as more of them comes out, she closes her lips and replaces it with the smile from before. Two male and a female step out of the front door but halts on their step as soon as their eyes falls on me.

"Luna?" "Althea?"

I hear them call but I just stare at them vacantly unsure of their knowing greetings or should I say surprised.

"Matt, Tray, Natalie, it's been a while." Aries greets them disregarding their open mouth, their surprised eyes.

"More like a century..." Another man appears out of the door, his face almost an exact replica of the man beside me, apart from his eyes. The man in front of me had this soft pale blue eye in contrast to Aries' piercing ones.

"Brother."

No wonder the similarities they hold, but I didn't know he had a brother. I smile as I see him reunite with his family. His friends. So, this really was home.

He comes forth from his group who stands frozen on their steps, different sets of eyes still on me. But I look past their gaze and to the man that now walks towards us, only difficulty was that the more I look at him, the more I couldn't get past the feeling that I knew him from somewhere, like we met before.

And I was going crazy. First this place and now him. What else, Zoe? Get a hold of yourself.

I pull myself together, climbing out of my crazy thoughts and once again put a smile on my face as I greet them. "Hi. I'm-" But I don't get to introduce myself as everyone seems to have already known me here.

"Althea?"

I turn to Aries and squint my eyes at him, who only smiles back at me. He probably had already told them about me, right? "Right." Turning around, I nod my head in acknowledgement but that only seems to surprise them further. "But please call me Zoe." I manage to breath out given their reaction.

"Zoe, I just got a call from Alastair Stamos. Apparently, dad left him a message and asked him to join us as soon as possible. I already gave him our address. He's heading our way with the rest."

I nod my head and turn to the front again. "If you don't mind informing the guards about their arrival. Please..." I get a small nod from him but now their eyes were going back and forth between me and Alex.

I clear my throat but that doesn't do anything. "Let me introduce to the rest. This is Al-"

"Alexander." Ah I'm not the only one special here. Thank you. "Right again." I smile and blink my eyes twice.

"Egan here. Circe's mate."

That finally seems to have done the trick as all eyes fall on him. I let go of my breath slowly and hear Aries chuckle beside me. I elbow him but it does nothing to his solid built.

"Can we all go in now?" Circe saves my poor cousin from the eyes of the hungry wolves and we finally break the ice. "Looks like we have a long night ahead."

Or maybe not.

"Matt, so where's Evelyn?"

Finally, the person in search was mentioned. So far nothing had been answered to either side. We all sat in a complete and utter silence while they pass their occasional glances our way, and not just me.

To this point, we been introduced to the current Alpha, Noah, Aries' little bother, his mate Lia, who so happens to be Natalie and Tray's daughter. Of course, there was Matt, Circe's father who was with us in the room along with me, Aries, Alex, Egan and Circe while the rest stood outside, guarding the perimeter of the house.

"She should be back soon. She took Cleo out for training." Matt clears his throat and once again silence fills the air above us. I could hear the thumping of every heart in the room, the occasional breath they took in order to keep their heart pumping, every shuffle around the house. I start counting the seconds as I count their numbers.

But sudden voices right outside stop me midway. And I focus on those voices.

"I'm so proud of you Cleo."

"I told you I could do it mum. Can't wait to tell Cici about this. I bet she'll be jealous."

Seems like Evelyn and Cleo had arrived. But how did I not feel their presence just until- but of course, the portal. I hear Evelyn chuckle as the door opens up and Circe steps in front of them.

"Cici."

They both engulf her in their own greeting, years of separation too painful for any family. Circe was a copy of her mother, those emerald in her eyes, the milky white skin, she had inherited from her whilst Cleo looked more like Matt with his grey eyes.

Matt too walks over, completing the tear-filled reunion of the sweet family which soon disperse with laughter of their hidden jokes, their happiness radiating a smile to everyone present. Seeing them, I miss my own family. But Aries' tight hold on me lets me know that I was not alone, that he will forever be with me.

"Come I'll introduce you to the rest." Matt leads Evelyn to finally face us. Wiping her face dry of her happiness, she nods still looking away from us. "Meet Evelyn, my mate. And my boy Cleo." Cleo waves his hand in greeting.

"That's Egan. Circe's mate." Matt says with a big smile on his face and once again Evelyn's eyes tear up. "Goddess." She breaths out looking back at Circe for conformation and a nod of her head, she quickly fans her eyes, exhaling softly. "Oh Cici."

Egan goes to her probably to do one of his awkward greeting, but Evelyn pulls him down for a hug. "Thank you for coming into her life Egan. My Cici has waited all these years for you."

With a nod, Egan lets go of her. "Come see who's here, Aries has come back too."

"Really?"

Aries stands up as she comes forward with a smile on her face but stops to look at me when he pulls my hands to stand next to him. "Hi." She greets me but she looks back to Aries then me, her eyes asking for my identity. Finally, someone who doesn't know me.

"Eve, meet Althea. My mate."

I smile at her, but she looks back at Aries with a deep frown on her face. "Did you- did you just say Althea?" Aries nods back at her but she just shakes her head. "Are you playing some kind of joke on me? I-"

"Although she prefers to be called Zoe, she is Althea and no one's playing anything with you."

She finally notices Alex, standing by the window, and takes two stumbling steps back, but Matt holds her tight before she can fall. "Alex..." She breaths out as if witnessing the return of the dead.

"You too know me?" Alex moves forward to stand beside me.

"But I- I saw you die-"