“Gaia!” Mayari blurted, eyeing the black stallion I’m in.
Edith’s right, they’re all in here. Abberant’s main frontier, specifically in the fallen first and second lines of defense, was now retained by three divisions; Daghum, Sanguine, and Mayari’s platoon.

“I need the plan,” I opened. Leaping down the horse and walking towards Mayari.
A sword was on her side and attached to her leather-like chest plate were clusters of tiny daggers and blades, and if I would guess, it was not only secret weapons that were resting inside every clutch but of other useful things like pieces of cloth and perhaps tablets.
“The—plan?” she uttered perplexed with her lips twitching.
“What’s that? Are you telling me you don’t have one?”
Mayari shook her head in response and raised her hand, pointing on the other direction where the first line of defense was located. “Maybe them on the front have one.”
I crooked my lips and my forehead in confusion. “What happened?” I asked, but Mayari shrugged her shoulders and pointed the initial line of defense a few kilometers away from where I stand.
I just now realized that there lies a two-colored group, splitting away.
“Ever since we got here, Deianira of Daghum and Sanguine’s beta was on their highest pride of the meantime,” Mayari narrated, taking steps and heading to a huge tent built in the center of the camp. “Us, knowing to be a neutral state, they don’t want us to interfere. They don’t regard us, perhaps because they still do not trust us.”
Oh, right. I almost lost the issue of that in my mind. “How’s Sinandaya?” I questioned. “Felipe sent me a letter asserting a thing about being neutral.”
Mayari parted the heavy curtains and the inside of the tent lighted with lamps in tiny cubes welcomed my sight. The same typical kind of battle tent, weapons alongside and a wide round table with the Abberant frontier’s map.
“From where do you want me to start, General?” she asked, offering me a chair with her eyes that didn’t leave staring at my humped belly.
“It’s a sweet mistake if you want to ask,” I blurted, taking back her sight on me.
“I wonder what it is.”
“I do not know either. But someone had told me it was a disaster if the Senate or even the council will discover I bear this kind of creature.” I rested my elbow on the table and held the still bleeding wound in my tummy with my other hand. “However, it’s the least of my concern now. What tops my priority is defeating the Senate.”
Mayari protruded her lips and nodded in agreement, “Right. I suppose Felipe had already mentioned the thing about you and Vander’s relationship. That you two are married in the eyes of the world. Flamed by the news scattered that Abberant’s Alpha had abducted you under the name of vengeance for the massive attack we did.”
“If that’s the case, then it is not only Pinansey-angan and the Senate that we’re facing soon.” My hand raised and rested on my chin.
“Dustin and Lireign confirmed that thing. Only Daghum was siding us now. The remaining vampire territories; Lhas-ang and Malabi was chained by Pinansey-angan. And what’s restraining Sinandaya was our people…”
My eyes instantly turned to face Mayari, her face shifted austerely.
“They do not agree to the thought of joining Abberant. You can’t blame them, wolves had once destroyed Sinandaya. And it is not as easy as that to forgive. You know that Gaia,” she dropped.
Mayari, we’re at the same age of existence. And I know she suffered torment and pain the same as mine the day Sinandaya crumbled into ashes. After she reached Laxon and took me out that time, she already knew her family would die outnumbered by the wolves. That she’s the only one who escaped the first attack.
“It really is. Thus, I want to apologize to you, Mayari,” I uttered, making her eyes look at me in shock. “I know a part of you too do not agree with this. For what I ask. I may not know the reason or maybe because you really stand up to words you let out, yet, here you are leading the fourth platoon teaming up with wolves.”
She moved her head away, diverting her gaze. “Maybe because I realized I cannot hold this grudge in me for the rest of my life. I want to get away from it and perchance, start a new life.”
My lips smiled at her answer. If only others start to realize the same thing, but it’s an impossible thing.
“Then Felipe came up to an idea. And that is making Sinandaya a neutral territory,” she added which I objected.
“I remembered reading a phrase included in the letter. That the people are willing to set aside their vengeance and even bury it in oblivion for ceasefire over the century-old war between our kind and to the wolves.”
Mayari snickered and tossed a glass. “He lied. Even after he claimed and turned Sinandaya into a neutral territory, the majority of them still opposes it. We can’t control them. Fortunately, chances of rebellion were still not ignited.”
I poured an ounce of the crimson wine and took a controlled sip out of it.
“How about Nishimura’s existence? Don’t you want to discuss it?” she taunted, making my face crumple and darted a glare at her. “Are you sure? You’ll gonna need it, I swear.”
“I already knew. She’s here to take my place—”
“However, she’s a comrade.”
A brow automatically was raised, looking straight at Mayari’s eyes as she continued.
“In my eyes, she is,” Mayari shrugged and gulped the red liquid in her bottle. “Miranda Nishimura, she is someone’s mate from the senate. Maybe she allied with us for personal reasons.”
“Are you saying there are other vampires out there linked with wolves?”
She nodded, “I recently found out the time I broke into the Senate’s records inside Daghum territory. Had the queen Louisan told you she’s holding one of the Senate’s highest position?”
“She did,” I responded.
“You and the Abberant’s Alpha stand out beyond the rest of the lovers maybe because you ignited the flame of fighting for what you have—”
“It’s only me this time,” I cut along, resulting in her lips falling open.
“Eh?”
I don’t want to talk about this but I have to break her colorful expectation. It seems like she anticipates Abberant’s army to reinforce us.
“Sadly, he’s giving me up. I don’t know but he’s being afraid of something that is very likely to happen, and that is me ending up being killed by the Senate,” I introduced.
“What kind of mindset is that? Won’t he be there?”
I shooked my head, “It’s just that we had a past. Twice I got killed by the Senate. Believe it or not but what I am now is not what you think I am.”
“Huh? Then who are you then?”
“King Ackmen’s illegitimate daughter. Deianira’s half-blood sister,” I added. “I was born with the King’s first woman, a commoner, who died out of childbirth. Everybody in Daghum knew I am a bastard, hating my existence, and considered the black sheep of the royal family. I don’t know why but the Queen seems to have no concern about it.”
Mayari held her mouth shut and her eyes still unconvinced.
“She never talked to me but her every gaze she flung towards me states I am nothing to her but a useless piece. Until my father sent me to Laxon University in my fourth year of existence. And two years after that, I met Diego. I approached him with a gloomy jolly smile, asking what a werewolf’s ancient texts meant.”
“Wait, you’re telling me you have a different life right before you came to Sinandaya?” she interrupted which I nodded in reply.
“At that time it was Vander Contejo that I’ve set my eyes upon. Assuming he was that someone fated to be with me my entire life. But it’s a mistake.” My lips lifted a corner, recalling the scene when I entered the forbidden door inside Laxon. The werewolves’ quarters.
It was dark and cozy walking along the empty corridor. My legs led me towards a room. The door where a mere vampire like me shouldn’t be crossing. But seems like my head stands tougher than a rock that I crossed the forbidden.
“The oracle of the moon,” I muttered as my feet continues to advance.
This reflects the future your heart truly wants to know. And the second I let my blood drip into the tiny carved corner, blinding lights emerged from it. Images of prophecy flashed afore my sight.
Chains were tight and ruthlessly clasping two intertwined hands. And as the smoke vanishes, owners of those became clear to me. One was of fangs dripping with blood and the other with a man with a lunar crest printed on his nape. Surrounding them were blades and angered roar, there also lies lifeless bodies and flames burning.
“Then all came to my realization… I was fated to a forbidden love. Despite that, I have never regarded that to be true. Not until I again escaped death, and again meeting him as the Sanguine pack’s beta under a name… Gavin.”