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CHAPTER 6

“I’ve been worried about Stuart. I wonder what they have done to him.” Samuel with sorrow said to Iliana who sat behind him on a bench in the public park of the town.

“We should be more careful. This is my fault.”

“Iliana, what actually happened? It isn’t a coincidence you’ve been a victim of this power twice. It also isn’t coincidental that you were hit by it outside the forest.”

Iliana gave it a thought for a minute.

“You are correct. I cannot exactly tell you what happened but all I mostly remember is feeling faint and that’s all.”

“I see. The new objective between you and I is finding Stuart. In the process, we will find information regarding the Silver Creek pack.”

“Where should I go to this time?”

“This time, just socialize. Can I borrow your phone for a few moments?” Samuel requested.

“Sure.” Iliana trusted Samuel her phone.

“I’ll be back.” Samuel got up and left Iliana alone in the park.

Iliana observed a certain woman walking towards her. It wasn’t strange but Iliana prayed she wasn’t coming to talk.

The woman sat on the bench Iliana sat on

“Oh, hello.” The woman greeted.

“Good afternoon.” Iliana returned the greeting.

“A lovely afternoon, isn’t it?”

“Every afternoon is lovely, even in the harshest sun and the heaviest rain.”

The woman chuckled “I wouldn’t differ.”

Iliana faked a chuckle.

“My dear, what’s your name?” The woman asked

“Rachel.”

“Oh, well, I have never seen you here before, Rachel. Are you new around here?”

“Oh, yes. I came in three days ago.”

“Is that so? Where did you come from?” The woman questioned. Iliana had not yet thought of an answer to this particular question but she had to answer it. Saying Shadow town was out of the options for Iliana and she could not lie about being from somewhere else.

“I’m from a small town down in the north.”

“Oh. Do you have any relatives here?”

Another tricky question for Iliana to answer.

“I do not.” Iliana did not lie but did not tell the truth either.

“Well, then what brought you here? You’ve got any friends?”

“I thought of starting life anew somewhere far from my parents. So I saw Silver Creek online and thought it would be a great breathing place for me.”

The woman stopped asking the questions but Iliana had her own questions.

“How about you?” Iliana asked. The woman looked at Iliana with an eye of confusion.

“What do you mean? I’ve lived here all my life.” The woman replied “It is quite peaceful around here.”

Iliana had her suspicions but she put it behind her as she began to worry about Samuel’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me.” Iliana stood from the bench and looked around. She paced steadily around the park not to raise any attention but she kept her sight sharp, scanning every person.

She returned to the bench that was now without the lady and tried to be patient. Her patience seemed to be limited ever since her two experiences with the town.

She kept scanning everybody until she saw a masked young person with dark clothing coming to her. It was someone different from the usual young man. It was the little girl from before. The little girl had a letter in her hand. The girl handed Iliana the letter and left.

“COME TO THE CORNER IN FRONT OF THE CLINIC.”

Upon reading this letter, Iliana didn’t know if she was to wait for Samuel or go to the corner. It was a conflict for her but she trusted her instincts and headed for the corner.

She arrived at the corner, looking at the surrounding before going into the corner. There, she saw the masked man with the masked little girl besides him.

“What do you want?” Iliana drew her sword first.

“Have you given it a thought?” He asked

“Given what a thought?”

“Joining the pack. Didn’t you want to find out everything?”

“I will find it out.” She claimed

“How?” His question left her silent. “Join the pack. Become one of the Silver Creek.”

“I am part of a pack already”

“What pack?”

“The—” She was cut short by her own mind.

“You don’t belong to one, do you?”

“I don’t.”

“You will die.”

His words caused her heart to drop.

“What?”

“Become part of the pack.” The young man said while he dipped his hand in his pocket. He brought out what Iliana recognized to be her phone.

“Why are you with that?” She asked

“I found it somewhere and I had a feeling it would be yours. It was dead when I found it.” He handed the phone to Iliana.

“Samuel…” she whispered under her breath.

Tensed more than ever, Iliana was in an internal state of discord.

“Are you okay?” The young man asked. Iliana looked him straight in the eye. Her eyes were lit up by his question. She has never been asked that question for as long as she could remember.

“I-I have to…go” Iliana merely stuttered and walked out of the corner back to the motel.

It was 00:46pm. Under the half moon, Iliana sat on an elevated surface outside the motel and wondered how much has happened. Stuart is gone and so is Samuel. She had a lot of fears but couldn’t express it. She began to think of her encounter with the young man. Joining the pack. ‘Are you okay?’ The remembrance brought a little smile on her face.

“How often do you smile?” A voice asked from behind. Iliana remembered the voice as the voice of the alpha she met before. She immediately stood up and faced him. His golden eyes penetrated her soul

“It’s you.”

“Mind if I join you?” He politely asked.

“Please.” Iliana gestured.

“Perhaps, let’s take a walk?” He proposed

“Sure.”

They began their walk from the motel, side by side. They moved at a slow pace and let the fresh night breeze have it’s way.

“How are you?” He began.

“I’m…fine. Thank you for asking.”

“You did not look fine when I met you.” He opposed.

“I am. I was just enjoying the night.”

“Clearing your head again?” He asked and she nodded. “Do you have a friend in this town? Or maybe someone to talk to?”

“I used to. They left town.” Iliana responded to the question.

“That’s sad. Why did they leave?”

“They wanted to go on a little road trip to the south. I don’t know when they’ll return.”

“Well, the people of this town are very friendly, I’m not sure about harmless but they are friendly.”

“I want to join the pack.” Iliana blurted out what was on her mind which made the alpha stop and look at her. “I’ve been thinking about it and I want to join the pack.”

“You…want to join the pack?” He asked for clarity

“Yes. I feel it’s dangerous for me to roam around without joining the pack, since I have decided to stay here for a long time.”

The alpha looked at her but she couldn’t look at his eyes.

“Look at me.” He ordered. Iliana lifted her eyes slowing and setting it straight into the alpha’s eyes. “You are aware of the process of making you a member of the pack, yes?” Iliana was aware of the intimacy involved in it.

“I am prepared for it.” She confidently said. The alpha drew closer to her. He stood only a mere two inches away from her. Their eyes were locked and their breathing could be heard.

“You should think hard about the process. You have no alpha to help you with it.”

“You’re here. I’m ready.” Iliana said with a quiet voice.

“I can’t help you. Find someone else.”

“I need to do this. I need this.”

They both gazed at each other for a daring period of time. They drew closer to each other with the gazes unbroken.

“Are you sure?” the alpha asked.

“Ye—”

AWOOOO!!! A howl.

“I have to go.” The alpha said as he broke away from her.

“Let me know you name, first.” Iliana grabbed his hand, pulling him.

He looked her in the eye. “Alexander.”

“Thank you, Alexander.” She let him go. She watched him as he transformed into a pitch black wolf and the illumination of his golden eyes carried everything.

Iliana stood, thinking of the whole moment that just passed. She had never experienced such before.

“First time for everything.” She whispered.

She was suddenly hit with the realization of denouncing her pack to be a part of this one. It did not come to her mind. However, she was prepared to do it for the sake of her pack and for the sake of Samuel and Stuart. Will it be worth it? She was ready for everything that would come afterwards. For the Shadow pack and for the Silver Creek pack.

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