Sipping the warm tea, I released a long breathe.

Everyone was busy in their tasks today like usual. Mom was gone for the mythology class with Natalie and Eva while I was already done with learning today's signs from Keira. But when I realized that Ivan had continued with his duties assigned, I decided to jump into Stephen humble abode.

"I don't want to be the wall between them. They are behaving like teenagers who are in love and I feel like I am the mother who is trying to keep her daughter apart from him."

Stephen chuckled while writing something on the paper in his hands. He said that he was writing quantity of medicines he needed in his block that would soon be falling short.

"I don't like yelling at people. On top of it, Mom didn't yell back at me. It's like she takes every form of my anger as her punishment. It only makes me feel worse. No contentment, Steph."

I gulped the tea and winced hard. Since last night, my throat was sore. Actually, since the moment Natalie had left me all wet in the bathroom.

He wrote something on the paper and put them away on the table, picking up his cup of tea. I smelled the warmth of mine, loving the scent of ginger. Stephen was offering me juice but when I asked for something hot, he went for tea and even added ginger when he found me clearing my throat continuously. It was helpful as a slight headache had started to bug me too after bathing this morning.

"Decisions taken in anger never goes fine," he whispered, more to himself.

I breathed out in exhaustion while he gave me a warm look. "Where do your contentment lies, Misty?"

"I don't know," I said quietly, flaring my nostrils. "Sometimes, I feel like strangling this mighty Alpha. Sometimes, I realize that I have started to care for all of my half siblings."

My face warmed up in emotions while he smiled tightly. "Once you start caring, there is no going back," he commented.

I blinked, observing his curly white hair and specs that he pushed back on the bridge of his house. "You aren't sorted about what you want. But you are sorted about what you don't want," he said, lowering his eyes and sipping his tea. "Then, it's better to just don't make yourself feel guilty again. These regrets and guilts are painful than any other grief."

I zigzagged my jaw, looking at him.

"Ivan is all regretful about what he did; why he did. He is guilty and he can't do anything about it except for sulking in the corner." Stephen shrugged his shoulders slowly. "He wasn't sorted if he should go clearing out this confusion about Keira by talking to her or just be on his own. Look, where it took him. To impulsive decisions. Now, he has wounded three lives including his own," he explained.

I lowered my eyes. "I have been doing the same by coming in between your Alpha and my Mom. I thought I would be happy to hurt him. But it is not providing me any satisfaction. Not because I care about him. But because I don't feel, I need to forcefully snatch my love from Mom. By making her not talk to him, I can't remove him from that soft place in her heart."

"That means you actually wanted to break them?" He asked directly with an amused smile.

I widened my eyes. "No! I mean, they are technically married in your world like you do all those rituals. I have no intention of getting my mom away from him."

"But you did tell her to not talk to him," he said teasingly.

I smiled nervously. "So, he could feel guilty and apologise for giving me that death threat. Right?"

"But you said that it is upon your mother to decide. You wanted her to act and she chose to not talk to him. You didn't ask her to make Gilbert feel guilty. You asked her to not talk to him, punishing both of them." Stephen said, tipping his knuckles.

I groaned in annoyance. "Stephen, please. I am not a vamp who wants them apart. But yes, I get freaking jealous when he looks all happy to me as if he is the endgame with Mom and I am not."

Stephen burst out in a hearty laughter. "Of course, he is the endgame. He is the mate." He silenced after saying, "But you clearly signed your mother that you want them apart. If it's not your father, then it can't be Gilbert too. That's what you showed her."

I winced hard while gulping. "Oh my God! No. I want her happy. Okay! But it was needed to get my heart satisfied by some way. I needed some reparations for how he gave me that death threat."

Stephen nodded lightly. "I understand. But they both are surrounded by chaos at the moment. And if they aren't together, it will be hard to overcome difficulties and inspire their pups and pack."

"I am going to apologise to her about it." I told him, sipping my tea and sighing sadly. "What must she be thinking of me? That I don't understand her. Of course, I do. I know that mate bond is crazy. I have seen how Keira couldn't breathe these two dinners when Ivan showed up. She couldn't move. I have seen her discomfort."

Stephen gave me a tight smile. "It's not forceful, remember. It comes from within. Malina knows Gilbert's darkest secrets and he knows hers. They might not want to forgive each other but they can't stop caring for each other."

"That's love," I whispered, feeling my eyes burning. He hummed briefly. "I am going to tell her that I was impulsive and stupid. It doesn't look like what it is. I don't want them apart. I don't even give any damn. It's just that I was angry how he threatened to kill me—"

"Misty," he called out, cutting me off. "Your mother isn't a robot. She is not dying to talk to Gilbert. Remember, she had fallen for another man and she could very well protest to Gilbert about meeting you or living with you all her life. And she did. We all have seen."

My mouth opened in shock. "She did?"

"Just like she had punished Gilbert to avenge her brother's death, she tried to punish him again for Andrew's too. But pups had grown. They were watching their parents arguing, fighting and not sleeping in the same room," said Stephen while crossing his legs.

"On full moons, the pack witnesses for sure how Luna sleeps peacefully in vengeance in one house and Alpha runs away to the forests to calm his thirst. Nothing has been hidden," he said while rubbing his cheek. "I remember how she had even invited Frankie's mate here in the pack once to insult Gilbert."

My eyebrows raised. "Uncle Frankie had found a mate already?"

He shook his head. "Ilona was her name, if I can remember properly. She had recognized the scent when she went to his room, his belongings. A she-wolf from Mystic Warriors who had arrived there during the Ceremony. Ilona wished to kill Gilbert when she had came here to our pack."

"Did he apologise?" I asked. That she-wolf's fate was worse than that of Keira.

Stephen shook his head. "Iago had taken her back to her pack. He doesn't suffer his Alpha's insult. This is why, we don't get along much."

I smiled at his shake of head.

"Now, she lives in Malina's elder brother's pack as Frankie's mate. It's hard for an unmated, unmarked she-wolf to survive in a new pack. But she lives and the pack has accepted her," said Stephen. "Though, a rumour is on from years that she is living there so she could kill the she-wolf who fucked Gilbert when they were teens."

"Did she kill her?" I gasped.

Stephen shook his head. "Remember, Frankie's was upset with Gilbert because he had fucked his best friend's mate? He was unimpressed. But after everything, the male was Frankie's best friend and he has accepted his mate, no matter what or how. Now, why would Ilona kill the mate and hurt Frankie's best friend? Right?"

I let out a heavy breathe. "She is so strong, this Ilona."

Stephen nodded. "She is unmarked and she will forever remain a Mystic Warrior, nonetheless. That means, the magic they practise is still in her veins. She knows the art. Sometimes, I feel if these are Ilona's ill wishes for Gilbert that became true because look at the pack, now. Future Alpha can't find mate. Future Beta has upset his mate. All males are confused. In his last years of ruling, Gilbert is failing."

"History repeats itself when nobody tries to learn from it," he said slowly.

I stared at the table in deep thought while Stephen poured out his own. "It all gives me  deja Vu. When the pack needed its Alpha, Gilbert's five elder brothers were killed in the war. They fought against the Alphas of five packs for believing in the Lycans who had killed the males including Gilbert's one brother we had sent there, thinking that they would mate their Lycan females and come back. But no one returned and Gilbert's brothers couldn't handle the loss of so many males. They repeated what those four Lycan brothers had done to our pack and immediately got killed."

Wait. What?

Stephen smirked at my shocked face. "If you had asked a fifteen year-old Gilbert about becoming an Alpha, he would have ignored like you don't exist. But just when he was nineteen-year-old, his elder brothers died. Five males. Three of them had just met their mates the same year's Ceremony. But three she-wolves were killed too. All the responsibilities fell on him."

I blinked in surprise.

"I was to become a Beta but I didn't want to follow a reckless wolf like him who was spending his youth carelessly. He was irresponsible. But I misjudged him very soon."

"He deserved it," I muttered.

"He was a notorious wolf, roaming around in Ceremonies and that's how he got involved with one of the she-wolves your mother and Ilona would love to kill. Also, my wolf only wished to serve his eldest brother, Gillian. I would have even agreed for the second one, Greg. But rest of the four were little notorious wolves, I couldn't see myself following them. Iago took the responsibility and he has done a great job."

I looked at Stephen.

"Frankie's interference had disturbed Gilbert enough to influence the pack's environment. Until he finally marked your mother," he said.

"Mark?" I asked innocently.

He pointed at the juncture of his neck. "The claim of your mate on you. Almost a bite," he said. "Hurts like a bitch, but makes you shiver in pleasure for life after it heals."

I nodded, recalling Keira and Natalie gossiping about it often with other she-wolves. Even Mom and Aunt Kate had marks of puncture on their necks.

"Now, it's important for Pete to not be confused about his mate's scent and neither ignore it. The Moon Goddess takes offence and look how things are not going like we want them too. Pete needs to put more effort and reach his mate. Otherwise, all the males won't be able to confirm their mates during the Ceremony. Fights can erupt if someone is confused with two scents. One of that scent could be of other male's mate."

My eyes widened. "Thomas is confused about two."

Stephen gave me a long look but he was looking for a solution. "I can't let that happen. Now, only nine days are left."

"What do you want me to do? I'll help," I said immediately. "Pete, Thomas, Axel and even Ivan, everyone is suffering."

He gave me a small smile. "Do what your brother is hesitating to do in unnecessary patriotism," he joked. "Throw a paper with a message to the Lycan's territory."

I got up immediately and gulped, wincing slightly. Correcting the cardigan, I continued the sarcastic conversation. "What do I write?"

Stephen observed my face before smiling slightly. "Just don't let our enemies know that our future Luna is one of them."

Before I could even tell him how this all sounded so hilarious because it was impossible, a loud sneeze escaped me, shaking the whole room. I immediately sniffled back the mucus that had started to run down.

"There arrives the glue for my empty bottle," joked Stephen while getting up.

"I am sorry," I breathed out while still trying to sniffled successfully.

From our right in the drawing room, a door opened and Axel peeked out. His eyes were half-opened as in sleepy, face completely irritated and bandages were still there on his shirtless chest and arms.

"Go, die somewhere." The moron said while rubbing his eyes.

"Not before I see you dying for my sister's one loving glance," I mocked back.

"Don't take that bitch's name in front of me. I—" he had just began.

"Get back to bed or I am telling your father to take you away! Then, you can happily roam like a mummy with all those bandages during the Ceremony." Stephen threatened him calmly.

Axel flared his nostrils and now, his eyes were all awake. "She is not my mate!" He shouted before shutting the door hard.

Stephen gave me a cheeky smile. "He murmurs her name in sleep."

"I can hear you, lying hag!" Axel yelled from behind the door.

I chuckled and nodded. "I should leave and plan on how to deliver that message. I will have to make a big paper plane or just throw with a stone, I guess. I hope, I don't get killed for it by his highness."

Stephen tilted his head a little and chuckled. "Of all, you are immune. He can't kill you. He can't." But then, he laughed. "It should remain a joke, dear."

I smiled, shrugged my shoulder and muttered, "Thanks for the tea." Turning around, I walked towards the door. Twisting the knob, I opened it and sneezed again. Thankfully, it was not loud this time.

"Misty?"

I looked back at the old man who had a parakeet green muffler and a tissue in his hand. "You have caught the cold or should I poetically say, the mountain breeze of Rucussa has caught you," he commented.

I held the beautiful and warm muffler, putting it around my neck and smiling at him goofily. "Rucussa?"

"Rucus' land, Rucussa. With modernization, Alpha's have started to use the names based on geographical locations. Otherwise, each pack has their name based on origins or founder."

I smiled. "Rucussa gives feels." There's always something exciting to learn from Stephen. But then I remembered. "You never told me the name of Lycan Alpha's name."

His face straightened. "I had heard his brother call him, Alpha King."

"Isn't a bit cliché?"

"It's a nick name for Kingston."

My eyebrows raised while goosebumps risen on the skin. I blinked while gulping painfully. Sniffling again, I controlled the mucus from showing up on my lips. He handed me the tissue and stepped back.

"The fever will take two days but the broken body might give you the feel of an eternity. Just don't neglect the care, or it will get worse."

"Oh my God," I muttered while sneezing again and going out of his house. I stepped down the stairs. "It's just a running nose."

"You want me to come along? You are not going to faint. Are you?" He said worriedly.

I chuckled while waving at him. "Don't worry. It's just cold."

* * * *

"Somebody kill me."

I breathed hard after sneezing for the umpteenth time in the evening. After returning from Stephen's, I directly went to my room to rest. But with the noon passing, I felt an urge to drink something hot. And the whole house was aware of someone sneezing crazily.

Mom looked at me worriedly. "What you were thinking? You must have drank water without boiling. How many times have I told you to drink warm water!"

"Mother, stop blaming her." Thomas passed me the bowl of hot soup. "But maybe, you should. It's not like, Misty wear sweaters when you tell her too."

"So, I can look stupid when you all don't even wear shirts mostly," I replied while wiping my eyes with another tissue.

Thomas shook his head with a smug smile. "Warm blood flows, Misty. Remember, we are Werewolves. By the way, whose muffler is that?"

"Yeah, blood flows. Not lava." I rolled my eyes. Mom glanced at my muffler while I smiled at her softly. "Stephen gave it to me. He had seen me sneezing wildly."

She smiled back in appreciation while Thomas looked at the entrance of the dining room. "Good evening, father. I have prepared the lists and put them on your table."

My body stiffened as I glanced at the door. Gilbert was standing there glaring at me. His eyes flickered to my muffler and his jaws clenched.

My heart squeezed a little.

"Good job!" He muttered while walking towards the kitchen to go towards his office, not before glancing at Mom.

A sneeze broke my gaze on his retreating back and Mom clapped her hands. "Get up. You need to be on your bed, right now."

"Mom, you are behaving like Stephen." I told her while getting up. But just as I stood up, my head twirled like merry-go-round. "It's just col—"

I had only heard her scream and Thomas' swearing before the sharp headache reached to all of my senses and the darkness embraced to protect me from it.

________

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Two chapters to the Ceremony.