The Sabor Tooth pack had begun to find refuge and harmony in the last two weeks while staying at the Eclipse Dominion.

The two packs had always gotten on quite well but it was even more evident now in their time of need.

Their warriors worked together with both the Zetas to formulate a plan of attack - their next move when concerning the coming war.

The prophecy was everybody's top priority now.

Distraction had no place in anyone's life right now.

Except for maybe the Prince himself.

"A flower for m'lady!" Ryder exclaimed with a bow, a single red rose between his teeth as he flashed a goofy grin.

His arms were gently folded behind his back to add to the allure of it all. He was dressed in his Sunday best; a crisp, white button up and black slacks.

However, his efforts were in vain as his charms were thwarted faster than he could blink.

As usual.

"Piss off, Ryder. I'm busy studying this stupid prophecy. Can't you take a bloody hint already?" Alisa replied with a roll of her eyes.

The eighteen year old simply frowned as he took the rose out of his mouth and began standing straight. If even romance could not thaw her icy heart, he wondered what else even would.

The moment he thought such a thing, he shook his head.

Alisa's heart was not unfeeling, she was just scared. He could feel the fear coming off her subtly in between her denial and stubbornness.

Determined to show her that being his mate and a Luna wasn't that scary. She was made for it, after all.

"Can't you take a tiny break? There are hundreds of wolves working on it right now. It wouldn't hurt to have two less for a moment," he commented with a soft voice.

The brunette girl sighed and then finally looked up from her notebook.

'I suppose one tiny break couldn't hurt,' she thought for a moment and willed herself to give in to his charm just that little bit.

As he saw a gentle smile grace her tan features, his own grin grew in response.

"So that's a yes?" He asked with hope in his grey eyes.

"Okay, yeah, just a tiny one though," she answered with a sheepish look.

"That's all I ask for," he cheekily responded before grabbing her hand and pulling her to stand beside him.

The small touch was enough to send sparks up both of their arms, causing goosebumps to appear on their skin.

Ryder relished in moments like this.

Without so much as anymore words, Ryder was off as he tugged her along with him.

The Eclipse Dominion may have had the grandest library of all but it didn't have every single book that Snake's Canyon held. A few texts differed between their collections.

But for the first time in a century, those differing texts were finally under the same roof once more.

The young man knew that was partly why she had been so engrossed in her research but there would be time for more of that later.

Desperate to spend some fleeting moments together, he did not care if he was pulling her from their species' greatest mystery.

There would be plenty of time for books later but the longer they fought their mate bond, the harder it would be to keep it a secret from everyone else.

"Where are we going?" Alisa chuckled softly as she allowed herself to be pulled down the grand hallways of the caste.

"Sh, you'll see," he whispered his reply, leaving it as a simple surprise for her.

The hallways were lavish, housing beautiful white columns made of marble in each of the structurally important places while each doorway were large white, archways made of the same material.

Atop of every archway held intricate designs of large gold wolves.

Curiosity finally getting the better of her, she dared to ask the question she had wondered since they sought refuge here.

"If Alpha Ryker is the King and you are the Prince...how come you guys don't live in a castle?"

Fear instantly welled up inside her, for daring to ask such a stupid question. The moment it had appeared, however, it had quickly vanished upon hearing Ryder's sweet laughter.

"This is our castle," he answered back with a hearty laugh as they slowed their pace when entering a far room.

Ryder pointed over to the left side of the room where the first of many magnificent statues were displayed.

"Meet my ancestor, Radford. The first of our great line, and the very man who built this incredible palace - the first King." The eighteen year old commented with a proud smile.

The statue was the tallest of all, shaped out of marble, depicting a great man with a sword strapped to his belt and a crown atop his head that bore long hair in waves.

"Wow," she whispered, staring down at his feet where a wolf was carved around his legs.

"And who is that?"

"His mate, Eleanor. It is supposed to depict that his Luna Queen was always there to protect him," answered Ryder with a knowing look in his grey eyes.

Alisa's eyes widened before they caught the portrait directly behind the statue. It was an old oil painting of the same man and a gorgeous brunette woman who bore royal clothes and crowns to match.

"I am guessing that's Queen Eleanor?"

"Good eye," he replied with a wink.

"So the rest of these statues...," she trailed off, looking at the abundance of them around the room.

"The rest of my famous ancestors," he supplied and then pointed to another archway in the middle of the room.

"Those who did great things earned themselves a statue whereas the rest simply have paintings in the Room of Remembrance."

Ryder took her hand back in his and lead them both to the room at the end.

It was filled with numerous paintings and each royal couple had their names engraved at the bottom of the frames in gold.

"Oh look, there's Alpha Ryker!" Alisa exclaimed excitedly as she dropped his hand and ran towards the oil painting.

"It is beautiful," she breathed out as she hesitantly moved her hand just in front of the painting, as if tracing the figures, without actually touching it.

"My mother was incredibly beautiful - my father was a lucky man," Ryder murmured as he came to stand beside her.

"Queen Anais?" Alisa asked in confusion, knowing nobody had ever spoken the Luna's name in front of her before.

The young man shifted uncomfortably before nodding in sadness.

"Our pack swore never to speak her name again when she was lost - my father's orders," he responded solemnly.

For he too, had not dared to speak her name before either. It hurt too much to remember what they had lost that day.

"Oh, I am sorry," Alisa stated, looking over at him.

The sadness was evident in not just his voice but plastered clearly on his face too.

This time, she hesitantly reached out for his hand and slowly entwined each of their fingers. After all, it was evident he needed the comfort.

It was but a moment before he curled his fingers around hers, accepting the gesture.

His grey eyes finally looked away from the painting and into his mate's inviting and mesmerising blue eyes.

The fireworks were there, just below the surface of the soft moment.

This was the closest he had felt to her since learning what she was fated to be to him and to their great species.

Ryder chose to break the sad moment and continue his explanation as it did no good dwelling in the terrible events of the past.

"When my mother fell, my father passed the kingdom and the political power over to the Lunar Eclipse pack. He was in no position to lead amongst his grief and he felt our species deserved better."

Blue eyes sort out grey ones once more as she placed a gentle hand on his cheek.

"I think Alpha Ryker made a wise decision in a tough situation. I can sense that you agree too," Alisa murmured in response with a bittersweet smile.

"I think, at the time, I was too young to fully understand what he was gifting me - solitary to grieve and just be me, not the Crowned Prince," he commented, looking deep into her hands.

Very aware of their close proximity and the vulnerability he was willing to show her, he knew now was not the time to seal their clear connection.

But the foundations were finally being built and that was all that mattered to him.

Looking away before he did something that would surely scare her off, he continued, "He took a handful of his loyalist people and set out to claim Snake's Canyon once more. Luna Lylian had no issues with parting with it. I mean, she got a castle and more people in return."

Ryder chuckled at the end of his words in an attempt to lighten the mood once more.

"Didn't she call your father King Ryker though?" She asked, not even attempting to squish her curiosity anymore.

The prince seemed all too happy to provide answers to her nagging questions after all.

"Well, yeah. He'll always be their King, just as, unfortunately, I will always be their Prince. A title I care little for, if I am honest."

"Why? You can shape the entire nation for better or worse. You will be the greatest tool in their arsenal."

"I don't want to be if it keeps you from accepting me," he replied with a twinge of sadness.

Alisa fumbled for a moment, letting go of his hand.

"It's not that," she eventually stammered out.

Now was definitely not the time to reveal her true nature - there were far too many wolves in one place. She'd be seen as even more of a threat just by being alone in a room with their heir.

The brunette girl, just shy of eighteen, chose her next words quite carefully.

"I do not think I will be a suitable Luna in comparison to all those great wolves that came before. I am afraid to let you down."

"You could never, Ali. You don't see it yet but I do; you were born to be extraordinary," Ryder whispered, head tilted to the side as he stared at her.

It should have been obvious with the strange circumstances that lead her to their pack, of all packs, on that fateful night.

Almost as if fate had lead her to their door on purpose.

Alisa had a part to play in their lives and the coming war. Her skills were needed just as much as her opinions would be.

It was clear as day that in the coming times of darkness, she would be the guiding light of hope.

©️©️©️

I apologise for the very long wait to this chapter. I wanted it to be just right before releasing it.

I hope that I have done you all justice.

Please let me know what you all think down below in the comments!

If you liked it, please also don't hesitate to vote! It would mean the world to me.

Some questions for you all:

➳ What do you think of the snippets I've revealed of the Eclipse Dominion (the castle)?

➳ Thoughts on the little moments of the family history I have revealed here?

➳ What do you think is going to happen with our beloved pair next?

Until next time, my loves,

©️ Elishia C. Xalfa ♡