Chapter Forty-five

“No ma’am,” Alexia replied.

“You should. Have you and Hayden even thought of mating? Has he ever brought it up?” Evie asked.

“A few times, but we haven’t gone far. I…I’m still holding back,” she replied. Alexia figured this was not the time to play with words.

“Wow. To think I taught this boy a lot and he seems to know nothing,” Evie cursed under her breath.

“Is anything wrong, Mrs Lockwood?”

“Nothing much. Thing is, you have to mate on or before his next birthday.”

“The next Half-Moon?” she asked in a high voice.

“Yes. In werewolf tradition, if an Alpha finds his mate within a year rather than on his birthday as usual, they need to mate before the coming of his next birthday. This is because the stronger their mate bond becomes, the harder it becomes for the Alpha to shoulder the burden of the pack. He needs to share it with someone; someone on the other side of that bond –”

“The female Alpha; the Luna,” Alexia finished.

“That’s correct. The mating process is quite simple –”

“The Alpha and his mate have sex. During sex, he marks his mate by calling his wolf forward and extending their canines to put their essence in her. Then their wolves take over temporarily so that they can also mate and mark each other. After that’s done, the oath-taking ceremony where Luna is bound to the Alpha and the rest of the pack by the Blue Flame,” she paused to take a breath, then faced Hayden’s mum, “Was I correct?”

Evie nodded, impressed, “Yes, you were. Your Hunter background did give you a lot of knowledge about werewolves, and other Supernaturals, I presume.”

“Yes ma’am. We read far and wide.”

“There’s one bit of problem for you and Hayden in the mating process. you’re not a werewolf. You don’t have a wolf. I am not sure if the mating process will be complete without the mating of the Alpha and Luna wolves.”
Alexia pondered for a moment before replying, “Since it is an anomaly of the prophecy of Sisters of Light that brought us together, maybe that anomaly also caters for the mating process,” she reasoned.

“That’s true, Alexia. I never saw it that way,” Evie concurred, weighing the thought analysis.

“Anyway, Alexia –” Alexia finally cut in.

“Please, call me Lexi,” she asked.

“As long as you agree to call me Evie.”

The terms made her uncomfortable, but she had to take it because being called Alexia by such an attention-commanding woman made her feel like she was in trouble every time her name was said.

“Deal, Evie.”

“Deal, Lexi.”

“As I was saying, you need to make up your mind. I can see that you’re still undecided about being Luna and about your feelings for my son. Sort them out fast, and do the needful before the next Half-Moon. Maybe you two being mated will unleash a special weapon of some sorts on our attackers or something like that. The weight of the pack and the clan in total lies heavy on his shoulders. Think about that. I’ve said all I came to say. I’ll be leaving now,” Evie Lockwood finished and left the packhouse.

Alexia’s mind was in turmoil ever since.


***

Sophia came out to them after hearing Cole yell. When she saw Vanessa slumped in Ace’s arm, and both of them having a stare-off, she quickly intervened so that they could take care of the unconscious girl.

“Both of you!” she snapped in her most authoritative tone. They broke eye contact and faced her.

“Now is not the time to have whatever macho fight is between you. The girl obviously needs help and you’re here snarling and growling, and Ace, I thought you knew better. She’s your mate! Aren’t you hurting?” she huffed.

Like flicking a light switch, Ace’s senses kicked into action. He carried Vanessa bridal style, cradling her against his chest. Sophia led the way to her room – Ace’s childhood bedroom – and he gently placed her on the bed. In the back of his mind, he was happy that she didn’t alter the décor of the room. It was exactly as he remembered, with the exception of a refurbished vanity table, with her beauty products and…dagger on it?

“Stay with her, I’ll get some cold water and a towel. She’s starting to sweat,” Sophie said.

“Okay. If you have some mint and chamomile, please brew a tea. Then I will need honey, elderwood leaves and monkshood gel. Do you have those?”

Sophia smiled a little, “I have those, and I’m glad to see that you have not lost your healer training.”

Ace was too worried to smile, so he settled for a nod instead. Sophia left the room and Ace turned his attention back to his mate. She was still unconscious, sweating, and her eyes rolled behind her lids.

Her fingers also twitched. He brushed his knuckles over her cheeks and she seemed to calm down, so he continued to caress her face.

However, she was still sweating so much, her hair was getting damp. Gently, he took off her crop hoodie, leaving her in her bralette and jeans.

Ace swallowed as he trailed his eyes over her torso, her toned belly, the swell of her breasts and her smooth, tanned neck, the slight hollow of her collarbones. Gosh, she was beautiful.

Soon, Sophia came back with the bowl of water, towel and another wooden bowl containing all he asked for, along with a small pestle, a spoon and some wolfsbane of very weak potency.

He took the bowl of water and the towel, and gently wiped the sweat off her brow and neck. When her skin was no longer hot to the touch, he splashed the wolfsbane into the water, along with a spoon of monkshood gel. The water turned a pale blue, and he closed his eyes and dipped his finger into it.

Then, it turned transparent again. He dipped the towel into it, squeezed it and left it on her forehead. Instantly, her whole body relaxed, and her breathing evened out.

Ace heaved a sigh of relief, took her hand and kissed the back of it. Behind him, Sophia grinded the leaves together with the gel and a small splash of wolfsbane. The pink paste smelled like vanilla and violets and the smell pervaded the room strongly.

Without wasting time, Ace smeared the paste on her pulse points – her wrists, her neck and her temples. Then he finally allowed himself to relax. She would be fine.
"Relax, Ace. We've done all we should. What we can do now, is wait," placated his foster mother.

"I hope you're right, Sophia. I hope so."

Suddenly, his nose picked up the scent of another vampire. Cole. He growled and sped to the entrance where Cole stood. He was so fast, even Sophia didn't see his movements well.

He grabbed Cole's throat and lifted him. Then he smiled, a smile so sinister and bone chilling that Sophia shivered. He wasn't Beta of the Werewolves for nothing. Power poured off him like waves crashing into the beach.

"How about I return that punch? Or the way you've harassed my Nessa over the past few weeks, huh?"
Cole choked, but his eyes never left Ace's, trying to compel him.

Ace smirked, "You really want to compel me? Really?"

The shock reflected in the vampire's bulging eyes as his pallor turned blue steadily.

Sophia intervened at this point, "Ace, dear. He probably has something to say. Let him go."

"Why should I? I should tear the head off his body with my bare hands," Ace growled in reply.

"You could, or you could also listen to what he has to say. It may be vital to saving Vanessa," she reasoned.

After a while, watching his face turn purple, Ace released him.

"Talk."

"You really can't help her in the state she is right now," he managed to cough out, "she's in a trance. She's currently seeing her past life before she turned, or another event that happened in that timeline. She won't wake up until that vision is over."

"And how long…how long would that take?" Ace asked.
"Anywhere from between 12 hours to 2 weeks."

He was shaking and he dug his hands into his hair, distraught.

"You mean she could be like this for two weeks?" Sophia enquired again.

"Yes."

Two weeks?!


***


Vanessa was in a body, a body that wasn't hers. The hair was long and blond, and there was a wreath of white flowers on her head.

She wore a white silk dress that flowed out from her waist, and the sleeves too.

When she spoke, the voice was not deep and sultry, it was high and melodious. What the hell is going on?

Examining her surroundings, she found out that she was in a temple. It was an open temple, with high, polished white arches and a domed ceiling with stained glass depicting a scenario that was so familiar, yet so strange.

There was a clear pool in the middle of the room, and three raised platforms engraved with names in an unknown language that she understood. Celestia, Galilia and Florence. According to the platform she sat on, she was Celestia.

Just then, two other ladies dressed similarly to her entered the temple.

"Celestia, you've arrived. Have you made the preparations?" asked one of them, who daintily took her seat on the platform with Florence on it.

Without her will, Vanessa found herself replying, "Yes, sister Florence."

Galilia took a seat on the last platform and signed something with her hands. Again, Vanessa understood, although she didn't know how.

"Yes sister, we may begin now," Florence replied.

A gong sounded once, twice, and Vanessa/Celestia felt swallowed by white.