The first thing that Mateo did when he heard the news about the mating ceremony and all the decoration for that event would be prepared in the next day was to meet Blue.
He was an omega in this pack, though he was a former beta for Blue's uncle's pack, but since he had crippled his leg and Alpha Xerxes did not allow him to go near the training ground or even exercise, he wasted all of his time in the garden and helped with menial worked.
And now, because he needed to meet Blue immediately, he crossed the field and ran to the training ground, he couldn't wait until the sun had set to meet that girl. His blood was boiled with anger.
The thought that Blue would be mated with her uncle's murderer made him sick on the stomach.
"Zuri!" Mateo called out to her when he saw her white hair that was very stand out among the other member of the warriors.
"You are not allowed here, cripple," one of the warrior came to him and tried to stop him, but Mateo growled furiously at him. "Oh, do you want a fight then?" he snickered.
However, before he could do anything to Mateo, someone had grabbed his collar and yanked him away across the training ground.
"Don't touch him," Blue growled at him, her hazel eyes fixed on that man until he scrambled to his feet and walked away from them. Great. He knew that he wouldn't be able to take her in one on one fight. "What is it? You know that you are not allowed here," Blue grumbled at Mateo, because he knew the rule.
"I need to talk with you." He grabbed her hand and took her somewhere quiet, out of earshot of everyone there. "Is that true?"
"What?"
"The mating ceremony. It will be held in three days."
Blue didn't want to answer that, she didn't even want to talk about it. The thought of that alone made her wanted to smash something against Emmet's skull.
Seeing Blue said nothing about it, Mateo understood, he shook his head. "You need to go, Zuri. I can't bear to see you mated with the son of your uncle's murderer."
Blue gritted her teeth when she heard that, she averted her gaze because she didn't want to look at Mateo with the hostility in her eyes that was not directed for him.
"I will go if I can," Blue said through gritted teeth, her voice barely could be heard.
"Of course you can."
"Where?" Blue was not stupid enough to run toward the enemy den and surrendered herself to be experimented by those human, since there was not much options for her if she walked out of this pack.
Mateo looked restless when he said about this. "I can't find any member of the McKeltar family."
The name made Blue flinched, she didn't want to hear it, but most of the time, she subconsciously would try to think about it before she snapped back to the reality.
"I can't find them, but there is this organization that support the non- human being like us, they don't think of us as a monster."
Blue scoffed when she heard that. "The organization that think that supernatural creature and the human can live together side by side?"
"Yes."
"I don't want to go."
Mateo frowned. "That, or you will be mated to Emmet."
Blue grimaced. "I will kill him if he dare to touch me." Mating ceremony was one thing, but they didn't have to follow the aftermath, right?
"Zur, you know that it's not how things work here." Mateo shook his head.
Blue was aware about it.
The afternoon sun was shinning so bright above their head when they talked about it, but none of them seemed to care about the weather right now.
"Where is this organization?" Blue mumbled.
=====================
July had an appointment to meet with July two days after she contacted her. Lise explained the situation in her end and she needed July to give a shelter to Anne.
Of course July knew Anne, though their encounter was very short, but she had heard story about the girl that was saved by Chaos decades ago and chose to stick with them until the end.
Absolutely the little girl was not young anymore, she looked exhausted in her old days, fatigue even. Wrinkles on her face and her white hair look shabby that was tied behind her nape.
Somehow, July couldn't bear to see her, because it was a reminder for July that it would be her in a few years later, wrinkles, eye bags, white hair, fragile, old…
July averted her gaze from Anne. She needed to get rid the picture of herself that was reflected perfectly on Anne.
What the different between the two of them? Both of them loved a supernatural creature that wouldn't age even for another decades. Time meant nothing for them, but it was everything for human like her…
July felt a pang in her heart when she looked at the ring on her finger. Should she wait for him? But then, what she would get?
It was fortunate in July case that Knox loved her back, but Anne…
Would she waste her time? But, for what?
"July?" Lise called out her name. "Are you okay?" she looked at her with concern in her eyes.
July snapped out from her dark thought to the reality before her eyes and smiled brightly at Lise to hide her restlessness.
She didn't want to think about it, but it was always on the back of her head and now seeing Anne only made it so real.
When Knox returned, how old she would be? Forty? Fifty? How could she face him when he was as young as he looked like the first time they met?