"When deep down in the core of your being you believe that your soulmate exists, there is no limit to the ways he or she can enter your life" – Arielle Ford

An exhausted groan escaped my lips as I slowly regained consciousness. There was huge heaviness wearing my eyes down accompanied by a strange buzzing in my brain but I fought against them both and managed to open my eyes.

My brown eyes met cold black eyes.

I felt my pulse quicken as a scream tore through me. With all my might, I sat up and pushed the unknown creature aside, anxiously scouting my surroundings for an escape route.

A relieving breath escaped me once I realized that I was still inside of my pack, at the exact spot where I was talking to Ethan. Speaking of, where in the hell did he go?

My attention was once again stolen by the unknown creature which let its presence known by growling loudly.

Wait a second... growling?

You idiot, Vivian, that is a wolf!

A wolf with awfully familiar, dark eyes…

“Oh, fuck….”

It had worked.

It was Ethan’s wolf.

All air vanished from my lungs as I collapsed back onto the soft Earth and covered my eyes with my hands, “Unbelievable…”

It had worked!

A few seconds later, I felt heavy footsteps of his wolf nearing me. From within the space between my fingers, I peeked amd saw him hovering right above me. Then suddenly, without any warning, he dropped his large head on my chest.

My eyes widened in alarm as I eagerly tried to push him away for the second time but being as stubborn as his other humanly counterpart, he growled angrily, fought back and once again laid the side of his head right on top of my chest.

"Hey! Get off, I am not your pillow!"

I matched his determination by pushing him away, this time adding the signature Alejandro glare in the mix.

He backed down.

Seriously, this guy needed to be taught about invasion of personal space.

Thinking that I had won, a triumphant smile overtook my face but that victory was short-lived when he came back to me and began to lick my face.

"Stop it, stop it!" Short giggles escaped my mouth at his relentless effort to lick my face squeaky clean. Whenever I let out a squeal, he would pick up his pace.

For the first time ever, I willingly touched his wolf by brushing his soft, black fur with my fingers. In response, he stopped licking and let his eyes close, completely focusing on relishing the feel of my long fingers working through his fur.

Guess he had enough of his human lollipop, which is good because I am quite certain that he had given me a complete facial wash with his tongue.

When I stopped brushing his fur and began to retreat my fingers, he instantly opened his obsidian eyes and nudged me on the side with his snout. A small whimper escaped him, urging me to continue with the gentle stroking.

Not wanting to piss him off, I decided to give into his demand, but only for this one time. In reply, he laid his entire self on me and conveniently pushed his face into my neck like a little child.

Our close proximity made my heart pound.

His mouth was right next to my neck, directing all my thoughts to one particular subject - what if he marks me without consent?

No, Vivian, if he wanted to, he would've.

Trust him.

Goddess, where is my wolf when I need her?

I closed my eyes, and began to silently hum my favourite song, Bohemian Rhapsody, to calm myself down while his wolf continued to do whatever the hell that he was doing.

Quite a few times, I felt his canines graze my neck which would automatically put my body on high alert, but I managed to keep myself composed and put on a brave face, just like a Queen {pun intended}.

After all, I am an Alpha.

We stayed there for what felt like an hour. My entire body had fallen asleep under his immense weight. I could've definitely used my wolf's strength right now to battle off this wolf-hulk.

She was still there but she wasn't responding which must be due to the sheer exhaustion caused by the reversal of our bond.

Men just love putting everything on us women, don’t they?

As we lay on the ground, more like - as I tried my best to not pass out for the second time, multiple questions filled my mind, but none which could be answered while Ethan was still in his wolf form.

I wasn't too keen on upsetting, or worse, angering his wolf when he had just returned; I was still unaware of how he felt about everything.

A strong sensation nudged me in the head, interuptting my thoughts.

Someone was trying to mind-link me.

"Alpha?"

"Beta Jonathan?"

"Finally! Where are you? Are you okay? Do you need help?"

Yes, I am very much dying under the weight of my mate.

"Everyone felt a strong powerful wave of pain from your side. We all have gathered and are prepared to attack. It’s your call; just tell us where you are."

"No, Jonathan... I am alright.”

Pfft, right.

“Tell everyone to go back and rest. It was a false alarm."

"Are you sure, Alpha?" His voice dropped, “Just say our code word if you are in trouble.”

"There is no need for that, especially since no one can actually hear us mind-link; don’t fret. Thank everyone and apologize too; I'll tell you everything in the morning."

"As you say, Alpha."

Time crawled by as I lay trapped under Ethan's wolf, distracting myself from the lack of breathing by admiring the warm, milky, glow of the moon surrounded by the starry sky.

His wolf kept lifting his head after every two minutes, as if making sure if I was still there.

"Ethan?" I hesitantly poked him. When he didn't budge, I poked him a little harder; which made him lift his head high enough to stare right in my eyes.

He was extremely close to me; his hot breath was tickling my face.

When I didn’t speak straightaway, he stood right on top of me, effectively caging me underneath him, but fortunately, I could breathe now.

"Thanks, you nearly suffocated-,"A gasp escaped my lips when my gaze fell upon his front legs.

Tears automatically brimmed in my eyes as I hovered my fingers over his left front paw. The pad of my thumb lightly smoothed over the scar which made him flinch and pull back.

The scar lay fresh and new against his skin where the fur had burnt off; an external voice to his internal anguish. My eyes travelled to his other paws and found similar fresh wounds.

My eyes connected with his and said everything that was needed to be said.

Use your words, Vivian.

“I am so sorry...,” I started but choked on a sob. My head dropped against the ground once more as I sobbed into my hands, the tears dripping between my fingers, shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

He stepped forward and nudged me thrice; a futile attempt to get me to uncover my face. He then began to vigorously shake his head as if telling me to stop. When I didn’t, he climbed back on top of me and found a new target; my sides - right where I was the most ticklish.

That did it. Like ripples in water, I burst into fits of laughter. His soft fur brushed against my bare skin from where my shirt had risen a bit, leaving sparks in its wake. He continued to tickle me, switching between my sides.

"Okay, stop it! Stop it!" I tried to speak mid-laughter.

Thankfully, he stopped and let out a growl; a growl which sounded like he was saying if-you-cry-again-i'll-do-it-again. I had no interest in losing control of my body again so I eagerly nodded.

"I'm done, I'm done," I rushed out just in case he didn't understand.

Once satisfied that I wasn't going to cry, he stepped off of me and situated himself to my side, gazing expectantly.

"I have a few questions and since you won't be able to answer them in this form," I started, "Can you... shift?"

Instead of answering, he just looked at me; long and hard. Absolutely silent.

Was it just me or did his eyes turn even darker?

If my wolf was here, she must have shouted something like "Abort mission!" but I couldn't back down now, even though I was practically angering his wolf and building a golden path for him to come and mark me.

"Please? You can come back once we are done talking," I requested, trying my best to attempt puppy eyes, fully knowing that I was testing his patience and digging my own grave.

Surprisingly, after looking like he was battling a dilemma in his mind, he dropped his head and let out a soft whimper.

His wolf looked.... adorable, yes that's the word! Even though it was me who was making those puppy dog eyes, it was his wolf that looked like a cute, little pup.

He took a few steps behind, allowing me the opportunity to stand up, close my eyes and turn around to give him some privacy. A brief pause ensued and then there was the familiar sound of bones cracking.

"Vivian?"

His voice calling me out was all it took for me to open my eyes and turn around.

A weird emotion bubbled inside of me, which caused me to do something absolutely unthinkable! I lept and jumped on Ethan. A loud 'omph' left his lips but he safely caught me in his arms.

"It bloody worked!" I exclaimed a little too close to his ear.

He was only wearing a pair of shorts so there were tiny sparks erupting at places where our skin made contact. Let me tell you, there were many sparks.

No amount of anything could have prepared me for what I was experiencing right now.

My heart fluttered at the feeling of my body pressed against his. I sunk into the warmth his body provided now that his wolf had returned. His arms held me close to him, his hands gently rubbing my back. A smile formed on my face, appreciative of the simple gesture.

We were so close to each other, our breaths were mingling. In his hold, I felt all my worries and pain washing away. The world ceased to exist, time ceased to exist - there was no one but us.

But then realizing what I did, and the position we were in, I quickly got off and put a little distance between us.

Seriously Vivian, just a second ago you were thinking of lecturing him about invasion of personal space and now you go on and do the same.

"I- I am sorry, I don't know what I was umm... what I was thinking," I felt heat rushing to my skin.

He sighed loudly, "Seriously, you need to stop apologizing for everything, Vivian, least of all for hugging me," he paused and gave me a smirk, "In fact, if that's the reaction I'm going to get everytime that I shift back, I think I'll have to do it more often then, especially when you're around." His smirk shifted into a mischievous grin.

I playfully pushed his chest, "Oh, shut up."

"As you say, Freddie Mercury."

My eyes widened. I could feel heat searing through my cheeks once more and for a minute, it felt as if my face was on fire. On the other hand, he let out a boyish laugh.

Let's ignore, maybe he will forget it.

Deciding not to bless his reply with a response, I let my eyes drink him in. He looked different; much better and stronger. His chiseled jaw was lifted with a proud, and pleasant smile. The light in his grey eyes had returned, and his soft, feather-like black hair were brushed away from his face but a treacherous strand fell on top of his forehead as the moonlight highlighted his prominent and symmetrical cheekbone structure.

Time to change the subject.

"What happened here?"

"You passed out right after you...," the sides of his mouth tugged up, "accepted me as your mate."

"Yes, I remember as much; it must be due to the pain... The reversal of a bond has to hurt. I can't feel my wolf right now either, most probably due to the exhaustion."

He nodded, "Yes, I was going to ask you that. My wolf was and is still going insane because he cannot feel her responding back."

"Yeah, but she's a strong one, she'll be back before you know it." I assured him, "That reminds me, your wolf...?"

He wiped his hands over his face and exhaled loudly, "By Goddess, Vivian, you scared the living shit out of me. For a second, I thought I had lost you when you passed out... you weren't even breathing!"

My eyes widened in alarm, "I wasn't breathing?!"

He nodded once more, his grey eyes reflecting his fear, as if the memory was still haunting him, "There wasn't any other option, I had to take off the silver and try to revive you back."

"You took it off by yourself?!"

He lifted his arms and turned his hands in my direction. They were red and burnt.

"Yeah, I broke them off," he shrugged as if it was no big deal.

I just stared at him with an incredulous look, "That had to hurt."

"It did, but by then," he stepped forward in my direction, "nothing was more important than making sure you were okay."

I was rendered speechless, the blush in my cheeks returning.

"It was a long shot; I wasn't even sure if my wolf would respond but fortunately, he did. After that, there was only one solution to bring you back - we had to mark you.

"I wanted to wait it out a bit since I didn't have your consent and I knew you were strong enough to fight the pain but," his voice and eyes reflected his fear, "he was getting worried that I was going to make him late and that we'd lose you forever."

In seconds, the fear in his eyes vanished and was replaced by amusement, "Are you sure you couldn't hear us because you opened your eyes right at the second I gave him the heads up," There was humor behind his voice.

I rolled my eyes and bit my lip to stop myself from smiling.

"Anyways, I wanted to apologize for our actions. We didn't mean to jump on you; he has a tendency to act before thinking. At first, he was just trying to hear your heart beat to make sure you were alive. Later, when he didn't feel your wolf respond to him, he went for your neck to smell her," Ethan explained, "He is furious at me right now, he says he wants to meet you again if your questions are done."

"Is he mad at me? For everything I put him through?"

He scrunched his nose, "Yes."

My head dropped and a frown came over my face.

"But not for the reason you're thinking; he is mad at you because you risked your life for us."

I lifted my head up, "But isn't that what mates are supposed to do for each other?"

His beautiful, grey eyes lit up hearing me acknowledge our bond verbally for the very first time.

"Yes, that is exactly what they're supposed to do," He grinned, my eyes noticing and following every little movement that his handsome face made.

"By the way, is there any chance I can hear those vocals of yours again, my Queen?"

"Oh, piss off!" I laughed, grabbing a small rock from the ground and chucking it in his direction. He ducked, his warm and infectious laughter surrounding us.

The events of tonight took me back to the one time Father told Zack and I about an ancient Chinese proverb when we were younger.

+++

"Every night before I went to bed, your grandad used to tell me about a proverb that his father used to tell him. Now, it is only fair that I pass it down to you guys."

"It better be good because I am sacrificing my sleep for this and potentially the sleep of my children," Zack sat up and leaned against his bed's headboard.

"It is called the red threat of fate."

"Why red?" Zack interrupted.

"Reserve your questions for later, Zack. For now, just listen. According to the proverb, there is an invisible red thread that connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of the time, the place, and the circumstance. That thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break," He explained.

"That's it?" I questioned and he nodded in response, "But I don't understand it."

"Aaaaand, there is my queue to sleep," Zack added, hurriedly sliding down under his covers, "Good night!"

"Vivian, it-"

Before Father could explain it any further, Mom walked inside our room, "Al, it is past their bedtime; let them sleep."

"Yes, Dad, please let us sleep." Zack mumbled from underneath the covers.

Father got up from the side of my bed and walked towards Mom, his arm automatically finding its way around her waist; a gesture that came to him as natural as the action of breathing itself.

He tilted his head towards her and gazed adoringly, "Don't worry, Vivian, one day you'll understand."

+++

That night, the little me went back to sleep confused and unaware of the depth and meaning the proverb held.

But tonight, I found out exactly what it meant.

----

After bidding adieu to my pack in the morning and handing over the control to Mother and Chief Warrior Xavier; Beta Jonathan, Female Beta Ella, Ron, Ashlee, Hera and I made our way towards the Academy to join everyone else.

However, right before we left, I took Mother to a corner and broke the news of my acceptance to her. Her eyes immediately filled up with tears as she congratulated me and told me of how proud she was. Seeing her happiness lifted my own spirits and mood.

The East-Moon pack and our pack members arrived simultaneously. The South-Moon pack and the West-Moon pack members were already there, as well as Rogue Leader Jeremy, his wife Janice and his community members.

Everybody reached forward to meet each other. I started by greeting the person who was standing closest to me, which was Alpha Carlos, and then went along down the line.

My heart beat started to pick up its pace once I hugged Chris because from my peripheral vision, I could see that his son was up next.

There was a mischievious gleam in his eyes when I stepped in front of him. He raised his eyebrows, urging me to come forward and greet him the same way I did with the others.

"Hi," I retaliated by giving him a small wave.

He cocked his face to the side and smirked, "What? All out of hugs already?"

I rolled my eyes and shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

Way to keep our bond a secret, Ethan.

"Well, I guess this'll be my charity for the day," Narrowing my eyes, I gave him a sarcastic smile and stepped forward to comply with his request.

He smiled at my response and walked up to me slowly, his dark eyes taking me in. Once he was right in front of me, he raised his hands and pulled me closer to him; his big and strong arms encircling my waist. With a jerk of his hands, he pulled me even closer to him.

In comparison to the hug we had last night, this embrace seemed warm and very protective.

"Now that's a proper greeting, mate. Although, I can think of many other different ways to greet you." His warm breath tickled my ear.