Chapter 5 CHAPTER 5

AVARA

"They're real!" I gazed in astonishment, feeling so, so... I don't know how to explain it.

Should I say lucky?

All these years, many have claimed the werewolves were just a myth, and few—like me—had full faith in their existence.

Now here I am, standing before three tall, handsome... "Wow," I uttered, unable to hold back my admiration.

But the trio didn't give me the same vibe I was expecting from their kind. You know, like in the novels?

I've read a lot of fairy tales on how the werewolves, especially the men, can be caring towards humans.

But with the way these three were staring at me... I'm beginning to think those authors didn't fully do their research.

"At this hour?!" The first werewolf groaned, glaring at me like I've committed a crime!

"I thought Elvador said no one was roaming around at this time?!" He barked, eyes falling onto the others.

The second, who stood in the middle, also looking annoyed at me, replied, "He did, and I made sure of it. But someone decided to go against our order and spy on us."

"Indeed," The third supported, giving me a nasty glare!

On seeing this, that thrill of meeting my favorite creatures faded into fear instantly!

With the way they were staring and accusing me of something I know nothing of, I began trembling.

"This is not how I imagined them. I thought they'd be nice."

The three kept blaming me for ruining an important meeting, threatening to punish me for it.

And as they spoke in their deep, scary tone, flashing their glowing eyes at me, fear overwhelmed me and I couldn't help but drift further into the dark, just to get away from them.

What if I was mistaken about them?

As this thought ran through my head... "Where do you think you're going?!" The third questioned, causing me to halt immediately.

He saw me drawing away and that added to the situation.

Two looked mad, as they demanded my name, but the second who stood in the middle, stared at me strangely.

"Are you deaf? What's your name?!" The other two roared, drawing closer.

My body shivered as I stepped back again, unable to speak or defend myself.

"Great. She's a mute!"

"Mute my foot. Once we deal with her, those lips will start running in no time," The first threatened, about to grab me!

But all of a sudden, "Wait," The second stopped him, placing his arm in his way, saving my petrified life.

They were losing patience and just wanted to punish me.

That's when the second ordered me calmly, "Step into the light."

I didn't know if I should obey or refuse his order and run away, but remembering they're one of the speed-demons of the supernatural world, I had no other choice.

The moment I came fully under the moonlight, the three werewolves froze.

They looked stunned like they had just seen something unbelievable!

And just as I suspected, "Aurora?" The three called, referring to me!

I was left surprised to hear that name.

"The Luna from the painting. Do...they know her?" I wondered, recalling the janitor's story and my striking resemblance to the Queen.

"Of course they will. She's the missing Luna, and I look so much like her. Do they think I'm their missing Queen?" My finger slowly reached for my face, feeling my skin.

"Is that really you, Aurora?" The third asked in a sweet, sad voice, like one who's been yearning to see someone dear to him for ages.

This desire was seen in all three's eyes. And it touched me in a way I didn't expect.

Did they have a strong relationship with the Queen?

"This can't be possible. She can't be Aurora," The first doubted, struggling to look away.

"This has to be Adira messing with us. I know it's you!" He accused, pointing at my face.

Whoever this Adira was, she sure wasn't liked by the men. And the point made by the first made them believe I was her.

"Don't forget she's fond of stalking us. Now you're going with new tactics? Pretending to be a stranger, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I spoke, trying to defend myself.

But they weren't ready to listen.

Instead, they wanted to teach me a lesson!

"We've warned you times without number, Adira," The second grabbed my wrist, pulling me close.

I was terrified by his strong grip, as I stared into his eyes helplessly, listening to what he had to say.

"You are not our Aurora. You will never be her!"

"Please... You're hurting me," I cried, trying to pull out from his stronghold.

"I'm not Adira!" I winced, feeling my bones aching.

But he wouldn't budge.

"And for going against our order, we're going to make sure you..." Suddenly, he paused.

His brow narrowed down in confusion, as he took a sniff of the air then another close to my face.

I shivered when I saw him near and wanted to pull back, but he swiftly dragged me into his tall, well-built frame, taking a deeper sniff into my hair.

Right there against his chest, I was stiff like a statue, wondering what was happening.

"Please don't eat me. Please don't!" I prayed, hoping that's not the reason for this uncomfortable inspection.

All of a sudden... "You're not Adira!" He said in astonishment, pulling away from me swiftly.

I staggered a bit at the speed he used in distancing himself from me, before lifting my head to find the trio staring.

"She's not Adira," The second repeated to the others, who found this information shocking.

"What?"

"That can't be true."

"It's definitely her. Stop this trick or else!" The first threatened, approaching me!

When I saw this, I panicked and drew further into the darkness, my back meeting against a tree.

I looked up and saw his hand reaching to grab me by the neck, but I was immediately saved by the second, who stood in between us, stopping his raging partner.

"ENOUGH, JAY!"

"OUT OF MY WAY, HUGO! I won't give this Omega another chance to trouble my peace!"

"She's not Adira, neither is she a werewolf!" The second, Hugo, revealed, causing his raging friend, Jay, to pause.

"What?" Jay uttered in disbelief, looking at me with his red glowing eyes.

I was shaking in my spot, planning on how to escape from these wild men.

"If I can just dash right back into the path I came from, that portal should throw me right into my own world," I plotted, carefully slipping away while the trio were distracted, talking to Hugo.

"A human that looks like Aurora? That's impossible."

"How did a human get into our land? I thought every gateway had a spell to keep those meddlers out of our land?!"

They talked, finding this hard to believe. But the main point was the fact that I looked like Aurora and this Adira lady.

"Maybe you didn't sniff her right. I'm sure she's the one. I say we take her back and..." Before Jay could complete his statement, "HEY!" he yelled, spotting me getting away.

I ran like crazy without looking back, hoping they don't catch me.

"Where is it?!" I groaned, searching for the entrance while increasing my speed.

But there was nothing! No force or even a strong pull!

Still, I didn't stop. I kept racing through the woods and thick bushes until... "WOW!" I exclaimed at what I saw before me, falling back immediately!

In front was a big cliff, with nothing but an ocean spreading out far!

"No, I must have missed the way," I swayed my head, stepping back and taking another route.

But it was the same result in every path I ran into.

A huge cliff and a whole body of water!

I'm trapped!

.

The sun hit my face from above, making me open my eyes to see it was already morning.

I thought last night's scenario was all my imagination, but at the sound of the ocean's wave, I realized it was real.

"Oh God," I groaned, sitting up and rubbing my face.

I don't know when I dozed off in the woods, next to the cliff without any danger around.

It felt peaceful.

"They didn't come after me," I said, referring to the three chaotic werewolves from yesterday, while looking back.

"If I hadn't gotten away, who knows what would have become of me," I sighed, looking over to the ocean.

A clear reminder that I was trapped in another world.

Just then, my stomach grumbled due to hunger.

I decided to look around the forest to find any fruit to eat, but the woods had none.

My stomach growled louder and the ache was getting out of hand.

"I guess I have no choice then," I groaned, making my way forward, looking for an exit from the forest.

I had no idea where I was heading to, until I heard the sound of people from ahead.

"Is that a market?" I asked rhetorically, passing through long grasses to see for myself.

Lo and behold, it was indeed a big market filled with lots and lots of juicy food and fruits!

"Thank God!" I licked my lips, jumping out of the bushes to get myself something to eat before I die of hunger.

Without hesitating, I stood before a store with nice fruits and began to pick the ones I wish to buy. But when I lifted my head to look at the seller, I froze on seeing his pointy wolf ears.

"Shoot! How did I forget so quickly? They're all werewolves," I reminded within, looking around to stare at the people.

So much like humans, but their ears will easily let you know who they are.

"What will it be, my dear?" the seller asked, smiling at me.

I instantly forgot how to speak due to my worry of getting caught, and just pointed at some apples from a distance.

"Ah, the usual I see. I'll pack that up for you quickly," he said, getting to work.

"The usual?" I picked that statement but had no time to process what he meant by that, because my fruit was before me and he was waiting for his payment.

"Oh, I... I'm coming," I said, looking down at myself to find any money.

But I lost my bag while running away from Stella. What will I do now?

"Um... How much is it?" I asked, feeling shame taking over me already.

That's when the fellow chuckled and said, placing the pack of apples in my hands, "You and your jokes. You know well that when it comes to you, it's free."

"Really?" I was surprised.

He nodded, stealing my heart with his kindness.

"Thank you so much, sir. You're so kind," I appreciated, taking one apple to munch. Only for the fellow to say something that made me pause instantly.

"Eat up. You'll need all that energy against other maidens at the palace today, future Luna Adira."

The moment I heard that name, my mind flashed back to the three men from last night, and how they expressed deep hate for this woman.

"Adira? Does she look exactly like me?" I wondered with curiosity.

Not just that, what the fellow said about the palace and other maidens... "Um, what exactly are we doing again at the palace?" I asked, trying to get some words out from the seller.

When he heard my question, he chuckled and assumed I was pulling his leg. Still, he played along and told me about the event taking place soon.

"The search for Luna Aurora's successor? You do know that it's today that every damsel who qualify for this event will be present, right?"

"Yeah, I know about it," I lied, nodding my head.

Then the fellow told me not to delay and head down quickly.

"As everyone's beloved maiden, you don't want to keep your people waiting, my Queen," he advised, treating me with respect.

I had to play along and walk away, thinking about the same tale the janitor had told me and about this Adira lady.

"It seems everyone loves her in this land. But those men hate her deeply. Come to think of it, I wonder who they are to the Luna. They were acting like they hold some kind of high position in this place," I wondered, moving into any direction my legs carry me in.

My plan was to stay out of everyone's sight before something on me gives me away.

But suddenly, "ADIRA!" a woman of high class—her dressing says it all—cornered me, taking me roughly by the arm.

"I can't believe you're out here playing princess with these people! Why do you look so dirty? And what in Goddess's name are you wearing?" She questioned, pulling me away.

I couldn't speak because of how she kept blabbing about the palace and how important it was for me to be there.

"The people's choice needs to be present," she said with pride, taking me over to her mansion.

Right there, I was given a makeover and dressed beautifully in a purple gown.

Honestly, I almost forgot that I wasn't Adira and began admiring myself, until the classy woman came over and asked, staring at my face, "Why's your ear like that?"

She pointed, noticing the difference.

"Oh, that? I..." My heart began pounding. I needed a miracle to save myself from getting exposed.

And just as I wished, a maid came in to let us know that there wasn't time left.

Due to this, the lady ignored my ears and rushed me out, as we made our way to the palace on foot.

"Quickly, Adira!" she rushed me, pushing me forward.

I was trying my best to keep up, as creeping thoughts ran through my mind.

"I'm not Adira. What if she finds out?"

"Should I speak up now?" I contemplated, afraid of the outcome.

But it was too late.

We found ourselves walking into the palace, as we were being welcomed by guards and people of the land.

Everyone treated me—Adira—with so much respect.

Like... This lady is indeed adored by all.

As we stepped in further, we came before three high thrones with no one seated, and I was made to stand with the other maidens there.

Most of them had makeup that tried to give them the same look as the missing Luna.

So when they saw me, I noticed how envy flooded their gazes for me.

That scared me.

"I don't belong here," I screamed inside, afraid of what was going to happen if they discovered I'm not Adira.

Just then, "Bow to our Majesties, Alpha Dean, Alpha Hugo, and Alpha Jay," an announcer made, sending everyone's head lowering.

The maidens around did the same, and I had to copy them, looking towards the thrones to see three familiar faces!

"Oh my God!" I gasped, recognizing the same men from last night.

Alphas?

They are freaking Kings?!