5. Rain

Elly is one of the Gamma females. She is younger than me by a few months and lives with her brother Dan in a lovely cottage close to Packhouse. Their parents died around eight years ago, when Elly was twelve and Dan sixteen, when a group of Feral Rogues attacked the pack. Since then, Dan has worked hard to take care of Elly.

“You know another waterfall within the pack’s territory?” he asks like I am stupid.

Not that I would know, since I have never been able to run across the entire territory. The pack, resides in Romania, in Baciu Forest and old magic protects this place. It is kind of like how in Harry Potter, where anyone that dares to enter the famous Baciu Forest will not only never find us, but strange phenomenon can happen around them. Things that will make them think twice before putting another foot in our territory. It is the same for any place where paranormal creatures live.

The Crescent Moon Pack is the gatekeeper of the Diamond Realm. I have never been there, but from what I heard, it is a wonderful place. There are many paranormal races living there. A long time ago, the Diamond Realm was opened to everyone, including humans. The Diamond Realm was founded by Queen Sera—the most beautiful werewolf female that had ever lived—and her mate, King Aris—who was the son of the king of the Ruby Realm of the vampires.

The Cosaci Vampires are the vampires that can see the memories of the ones they drink blood from. After being kicked out of the Ruby Realm for killing King Aris’ father and trying to make Dimos, King Aris’ cousin, the new king of the Dacian Vampires, they made a pact with the Feral Rogues to conquer the Diamond Realm. Queen Sera was on good terms with King Roi of the Sapphire Realm—the realm of the dragons—and she, with the help of the dragons, defeated the Cosaci Vampires but lost her life in the last battle. King Aris, while being Queen Sera’s mate, was killed by the Armored Knights—the Queen’s personal guards—for being a vampire. Since then, relationships between the Diamond Realm and the Ruby Realm have been tense, to say the least. Werewolf-vampire couples are taboo, and most times, they are forced to separate by their families. Or killed.

There were some Cosaci Vampires that escaped and have rebuilt their numbers. Last I heard, they live close to here, in a very old palace.

As for the dragons, they usually keep to themselves.

There are more realms, of course, but the Ruby and the Sapphire Realms are the closest to us.

I shrug. “The farthest I have been is at the waterfall,” I say to Jordan. “I can’t make it at 9 PM. I doubt I will finish everything that I have to do by 10 PM.”

He looks at my hands, which are callused from all the years of hard work. “Nine-thirty then. Not a minute later.”

While he has the sketches with him and can give them to me right now, I agree to meet with him by the waterfall. Reluctantly. “At 9:30 PM,” I confirm the time.

Jordan takes a few more puffs of his cigarette, letting the ash fall by my feet, before turning on his heels and walking away, leaving a trail of smoke and mud behind him.

Fucking asshole!

After I clean the mess made by Jordan, I return to the windows.

Elly and Andrea, Elly’s best friend, are sitting on a bench next to the rose bushes, talking. They might be the only females that I like from the pack. Probably feeling that I am watching her, Elly looks up, and when she sees me, she waves at me. Andrea does the same. I smile as I wave back.

The attack of the Feral Rogues had left Elly pretty shaken up. From the discussions I heard between Dan and Victor, she still has nightmares about that night. There are days that she refuses to get out of bed, for fear of something happening to her. It makes me happy to see her outside. Dan and Victor, who are both Deltas—warriors—train nearby. Since that tragic night, Dan rarely lets Elly out of his sight.

I wish I had a brother like him.

Once the windows are clean, I make sure the guest rooms are ready for when the females start to arrive. If one of them is to be Jordan’s mate, I pray she is nothing like the current Luna.

Luna Maria is…. She hates me with all her being. Not sure why. She rarely leaves her room, and almost every day, she has tea with my aunt, Karen. Of course, they make me serve it so that they can ridicule me, among other things.

When it is dinner time, I am called to the kitchen. For once, I hope that Mrs. Marian will take pity on me and give me food without having me beg for it. Boy, am I wrong.

“You see this tray?” she asks in her high-pitched voice while pointing at the island in the middle of the kitchen. A tray with a teapot, two cups, muffins, and other sweets is next to a beautifully decorated five-tier cake—probably for Jordan’s birthday. “Take it to Luna Maria’s room.”

I prepare myself mentally, pick up the tray and leave the kitchen.