Her Past
Kazandra gripped his shirt tightly as she continued to narrate what happened. “He was human but he was my mate and because a werewolf like me needed a mate, I brought him to my pack but never marked him.”
Vega stiffened. It was a taboo for a werewolf to not mark their mate. It was a disrespect to the Moon Goddess who had given them their mates. He had never seen a werewolf who refused to mark their mates.
“All I thought during that time was that it was okay for him to just be with me. I really had no thoughts of marking him. I just brought him because it was necessary. That was the greatest mistake I had ever made.” She couldn’t hold it back anymore. Her tears started to fall but even so, she continued to tell him all about Regulus. “He didn’t get along with the members of my pack because he was human and some of them couldn’t accept the fact that a human was their Alpha. I turned a blind eye to this even though I know that he was being discriminated against. He was all alone but you know, he managed to earn the trust and protection of my pack without me even noticing it.”
Regulus was just like that. He had a soft heart and he stayed positive even though he was getting shunned. He proved to them that he could be their Alpha even though he was human. His resilience and bright personality brought a refreshing effect to the pack. And as time passed, he was fully accepted that everyone just naturally started calling him Alpha.
“Everyone from my pack adored and protected him. I only noticed this face when I tried to pay attention to him and because of how the children and the women from my pack praised him. Even the warriors liked him when he couldn’t even beat any of them.”
There was a smile on her face despite the tears that were flowing down but then her voice suddenly strained. A flashback of the gazes that lost trust in her made her feel awful.
“And when he died, all the respect and trust that my pack had for me disappeared. I also lost a loyal beta who had been protecting the pack and Regulus with his life. It hurt so much to know that I became a disappointment to my own pack. I was their Luna but they could only respect because of that title.”
To lose the respect from your pack members would be one of the greatest shames for an Alpha or a Luna. They show you respect but, in their hearts, they do not recognize you as their leader anymore. For a werewolf in a high position to reach such a situation would definitely be an embarrassment especially in an environment where genuine respect was the ultimate show of loyalty.
Thinking back to his pack, Vega couldn’t help but be at ease knowing that his pack still regards his brother as a respected Alpha. He couldn’t imagine something like that happening to any packs at present.
“During the war of against ORDER, they managed to infiltrate my pack and took the children hostage. Regulus offered himself in exchange for their safety. He was taken captive, tortured and yet I ordered my warriors to stay put. I was angry because of what he did and ordered them not to make a move. I intended to teach him a lesson but it backfired and I lost him.”
Vega could tell that Kazandra’s past self was full of ego. She was powerful and had the highest position every wolf wanted. It was already irresponsible of her not to mark him and now she even left him in the hands of the enemy. Now he could understand why she lost the respect and trust of her pack.
“I lost him. The pain I felt when my body was torn couldn’t be compared to what he had endured. When I saw him again, his eyes were no longer shining. His smile was no longer there. His body was mutilated. Even until now, I could still smell the scent of his blood.” She broke down.
For her to lose her mate, it must have been painful but the fact that she hasn’t marked him means that she did not feel the full effect of it. This punishment must have been the Moon Goddess’s way of letting her experience the loss of a mate.
Her sob filled the room and Vega was there to comfort her. He did not speak and just continued to soothe her back. He would wait until she could calm down to start another conversation. It took her a lot of time before she managed to stop crying.
“You’ve been through a lot and I admit that what you did was indeed out of the line. I’ve read of your pack from our history books and it only mentioned that it was the strongest pack seven hundred years ago.” The year coming out from his mouth only made him realize the passage of time and how long the woman had been alive.
Kazandra knew about it. All records about the pack were either destroyed or kept in a hidden place. After she was reborn into a human body, she tried to check out her pack but to her surprise, there was nothing about the Crimson Eclipse Pack. It was a name that became a taboo or the other packs were just too ashamed to just utter her pack’s name. Eventually the name Crimson Eclipse Pack faded into nothingness and all she could do was bear with it.
“As long as I remember them it is fine.” Kazandra took a deep breath as she stared at Vega’s now black irises. “It was Ingrid who helped me throughout those years.”
“Ah, that woman. Is she a vampire?” Vega remembered the fiery model and CEO of Matrix. She was someone who never filtered the words coming from her mouth. He saw Kazandra nodding. “I already suspected that she’s not an ordinary woman but I never had proof and she was just an acquaintance so I never paid her attention.”
“She’s an old vampire…” Kazandra’s voice faded and Vega already knew what she meant by it.
“How long have you known her?” For her to help Kazandra, their relationship must have started way earlier before the curse happened.
“She’s been a dear friend even when I was still Sangria. She and her coven lived in seclusion and I only saw her a handful of times but when I was cursed, she was the first one to step up.” She laid back on her back and stared at the ceiling. “She was the only one who was there to support me and brought me to my senses.”
“And I will still be the one to slap you hard without hesitation if you ever try dying again.” A graceful voice interrupted them.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.