I didn't know where she would be so I first looked for lady Beatrice and I found her talking to some servants. I waited till she was done before stepped forward into her view. "My lady." I greeted her with a bow.

"Good morning." She greeted back with a slight smile. "What do you need?"

"I was wondering if I could visit Mercy before I leave." I answered nervously.

"Oh? I suppose, she's still asleep and is in the middle of changing. But there's no harm in visiting." Lady Beatrice replied before turning away. "Come, she's this way."

"Thank you my lady." I thanked her following her eagerly.

It didn't take long for us to make it to a room in a hallway I've never been down before. Lady Beatrice pulled out a key from a fold in her dress and unlocked the door. It was like I was slapped in the face. The room was full of mana that seemed coiled and tense. It was very dark in the room but I could easily see through it to the bed where a familiar red head lay, eyes closed but heart beating faster than it should.

I stepped into the room and felt like I was swimming. There was a heaviness in the air I doubt was good. Is this what it was like when I was changed? I walked to Mercy's side and looked down at her. Her skin was a lot paler and clammy than it should be. Her usually radiant red hair was dull and there seemed to be a sickness about her I didn't like. Where's the woman that was bubbly and bright and called me Purple just because of my eyes?

I reached out and touched her sweaty forehead only to be sucked into a war. My breath was taken away by the savagery running through Mercy's body. Mana against mana was literally attacking each other both destroying and healing Mercy's body. I could tell that Mercy was in a highly dangerous situation.

I pulled my hand away from her taking in a deep breath. "What is the chance she will survive the change?" I asked leady Beatrice who I knew was behind me.

"Sadly it's fifty-fifty and I changed her on an unusually powerful full moon." She answered her voice slightly strained because of the pressure in the room.

I nodded my head before placing a hand back to Mercy's forehead and my other to her chest over her fast beating heart. I felt the mana around and inside her and started trying to calm the war between the mana down. I pulled mana into me, calmed it down and then placed it back inside her to start to merge the mana together instead of one side fighting for dominance.

I don't know how long I was there but I could physically feel the room lightening and life was coming back to Mercy's features. I breathed out a breath of relief once I felt that the opposing mana were sufficiently merged and calmed. I could feel the merged mana finally doing its job in repairing and restructuring Mercy's body from human to nightwalker.

I pulled away from her and sighed. I was tiredly but I couldn't deny that I was happy to be able to help my friend.

"What did you do?" Lady Beatrice asked sounding amazed.

I turned to her and smiled. "There were two different types of mana inside her fighting for dominance. One was her own that she had since she was born and one was yours mixed with something else that was a bit more... wild? I don't know how else to explain it, but it was killing her. I could feel it. So I pulled the mana out of her, calmed it down and placed it back and helped them merge together instead of having them continue fighting."

Lady Beatrice gave me a look of disbelief. I smiled at her slightly. "She's going to be fine now, just keep an eye on her." I looked down at a now relaxed Mercy and could already see the ethereal changes happening to her body. I bent down and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. "I will be back soon." I whispered to my unconscious friend before straightening up and heading towards the door.

A hand softly grabbed my wrist and I felt electricity run through the skin contact. I turned to see lady Beatrice looking at me with eyes I didn't expect on her. They looked so soft and held a weakness I've only seen in her eyes when we spoke about her fears. Her grip tightened on my wrists slightly and I wasn't about to break the contact.

"Thank you." She breathed softly.

I smiled back at her slightly and stepped forward till we were so close I could feel the heat of her body millimetres from my own. "I've already made it a personal mission to help you with your fears, my lady. I will do everything in my power to help you." I told her seriously before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss to her cheek. "You no longer have to be afraid of loosing your friend."

I gave her another soft smile before leaving the room just as Anon contacted me telling me they were ready to leave. I hurried up to my room to change into my gear before heading to the front of the mansion, which was crowded with people.

Servants and slaves stood out of the way while a few ran around getting the last finishing touches on carriages ready. Galen, Hawk and Lucas were waiting by for horses that included the one I rode before.

There was a split through the crowd when my Mistress and lady Beatrice walked out of the mansion together. Galen stepped forward and bowed low to them and I stepped in beside him to do the same.

"We are ready to depart whenever you are my lady." Galen spoke formally to my Mistress head still slightly bowed.

"Good then I suppose we best be on our way." My Mistress replied though she didn't look impressed at all.

We both nodded and I watched as my Mistress walked to her carriage and slid inside. Lady Beatrice stood outside the carriage speaking a few last words to her sister. Then everything started moving almost in more chaos than the packing caused. All the servants either walked beside or had the privilege to sit inside a carriage of their own and they headed off first.

Galen disappeared from my side and I saw him kick his horse into gear heading for the front of the train of carriages. I followed him by heading to Lucas and Hawk who still stood beside our horses.

"Wait! Ezzolat-ha." A voice called and I knew that they were after me.

I turned to the voice in confusion as to why they would call me their teacher. That was until I saw the dark skinned beauty of Ashwini walking towards me with a teasing smile.

I smiled back at her. "How are you Ashwini?" I asked her.

"I wanted to say goodbye and wish you luck before you left." She smiled back at me before surprising me with a short hug. I felt her mana at the instant of contact and I found that it actually had something like a flavour. It was sweet and I liked it a lot. "Stay safe, I still want you to teach me when you some back."

"Thank you. I will see you again in a few days." I told her brightly before giving her a wave goodbye. "Keep safe."

I nearly made it to Lucas and Hawk before I was once again stopped. "My lady." Sylvia greeted me and I immediately knew something was wrong with her. Her mana wasn't as bright as it usually is. I knew it was dimming slowly for a while now, almost like she was becoming depressed over something. I have a feeling that it was about something else and not entirely about our fallen friendship.

"Sylvia." I greeted back to her with a slight incline of my head.

"I won't be coming with you, um, so I just... I wanted to let you know... Um that... That I'm sorry." She said nervously. "What I said to you was unfair and out of line and-"

"Thank you Sylvia." I cut her off with a soft smile and raised hand. I placed that hand on her shoulder and squeezed it softly. "Don't worry about it, I've already forgiven you and I'm sorry for not being able to make our friendship work out. I hope to see you when I come back and maybe we can fix this."

Sylvia had a sad expression on her face. "I don't want to be friends my lady..." she confessed softly both confusing and saddening me.

"Oh..." I whispered feeling deflated.

"No, that's not what I meant! My lady I'm in lo-" Sylvia tried to explain desperately but was once again cut off when Anon appeared.

"Alpha, we have to go or we're going to be left behind." He stated shooting Sylvia a look of dislike.

"I'll only be a second Anon." I assured him before turning back to Sylvia. "What were you going to say?"

"Alpha we really need to go." Anon pressed as the last of the carriages left the estate.

"Go my lady, I will see you again soon." Sylvia told me with a regretful smile that I didn't understand what she was regretful about.

"Okay... then I will see you later Sylvia." I tried to reassure her before I turned away and hurried to my new horse. I settled down into the saddle before connecting our minds. He swung around with a cry before taking off after the train of carriages. My position throughout the trip was a guard on the left flank of my Mistress's carriage that was in the middle of the train.

Are you alright Alpha? Anon asked from his position on the other side of my Mistress's carriage while Galen was at the front and Lucas and Hawk took up the rear.

I'm fine, I just can't stop thinking about what to do about Sylvia. She said she didn't want to be my friend but then tried to say something else before you interrupted. I want to know what she wants to be if she doesn't want to be my friend.

She wants to be your mate, Alpha.

Mate? But isn't that when we find our soul mates? I don't feel a connection like that with her.

That's not exactly what I meant. I meant that she wants to be your lover, a state of a relationship that is above friendship. Lovers share not only friendship but they share their emotions and their bodies with one another. You don't feel that emotional attachment to Sylvia like she seems to.

I don't understand... I was confused. What's the difference between friends and lovers? Were we not already lovers then since we shared both a friendship and our bodies?

No, you also need an emotional connection as well. This emotional connection is what defines the difference between friends and lovers.

Then what were we if we weren't entirely friends but neither were we lovers?

I believe its called friends with benefits. I heard Anon chuckle at that but yet I was still confused.

You're still confusing me. I complained as my head started hurting from analysing my relationship, or the lack of a relationship, with Sylvia.

Haha, don't worry about it Alpha, just know that Sylvia wants that emotional connection with you because she's in love with you.

In love with me? I wondered to myself, why would she be on love with me? I remember in the past I'd see couples cling together like if they parted neither would be able to live. I defined that as 'love', so I know I'm not in love with her and from the way Sylvia acts around me I know Anon couldn't be right. Both Sylvia and I can live without each other and I don't have the need to always be around her.

Stop thinking so hard Alpha, when we get back she'll tell you herself how she feels. Anon broke my thinking and I couldn't help but sigh in relief from no longer having to think about it.

Okay.

•

Half the day went by before we hit a human town and I felt my blood run cold when I recognised the grubby stone walls.

As we went through the town, the town's people lined the road and I watched children that use to throw rocks at me run along beside the carriages giggling. Men and women gawked at me but I knew they didn't recognise me, since when I first saw myself I didn't eve recognise myself. I had to use some mana to change my eye colour just in case someone picked up a fuss about seeing my unnatural eye colour, also just in case there's a Hunter amongst the crowd.

A deep sadness filled me when I recognised some of the looks the men were giving me, I almost turned my horse around just so I wouldn't feel so dirty from their gazes like I did in the past.

I almost did until I felt a hand on my forearm. I was so busy fighting my emotions that I didn't realise that my Mistress had opened the carriages window that I was riding beside.

"Calm down my pet. They can no longer touch you like before." She assured me in a calm voice that in turn calmed down my urge to flee.

I swallowed my nerves and nodded. "I'm sorry, it's just hard... those looks they're giving me... it making me remember all that has happened to me, it makes me sick."

"You're safe with me my pet. If you want, I can allow you revenge. Come back tonight and do as you wish to these filthy beings." My Mistress offered but that just made me feel even worse.

"No, no thank you. I just want to leave and never come back." I admitted.

"I don't blame you." She assured me along with a short squeeze on my arm before she retracted her hand. "We'll go around instead of through when we come back."

"You don't need to make this trip longer than necessary for me Mistress." I argued though I could feel relief taking over my anxiety.

"Don't argue dear, just do." She ordered while also giving me a soft smile.

"Yes Mistress." I gave in with a nod. She nodded back before closing her window, which stopped the sunlight and anyone's prying eyes from getting into her carriage.

Then on until we exited the town I was able to ignore the humans that made my life hell before and never looked back.

I'm sorry for taking so long to update, though I know where things are going it's getting myself to actually write it while being so busy that is the trouble. I'll try to update soon without having to take another few months.

Please comment and vote! Thank you!