Chapter 19

The princess, her friend, and the Middle Eastern Pack left six and a half hours ago. There was a hum in the air that made Lily rouse from her sleep. She was resting on the birdhouse Celeste made for them when they moved to the Philippines.

Clutching the small vial, she watched as a sound of a motorcycle approached the property. A man on a black-colored Streetfighter V4 wore the same shade of jacket and helmet. It was impossible to see who the rider was, but in the back of her mind, there is only one person who she can think of.

He stopped at the entrance of the property, looking at the remains of a house that he longed to return. Not a single structure was left standing, all were burned to the ground. He turned the engine off, kicked the stand, and stood up. The man took off his helmet and placed it on the handlebar. His silver-green eyes never left the house.

"Prince," Lily began.

His gaze swung to the tiny voice that was always his companion whenever he had the time to visit. He held out his hand and waited for this tiny creature to land. He noticed the vial. And closed his eyes.

So it was true. The man he called father and his mate are dead. The resonance he felt was not a mere transfer, but a death that no one was expecting.

"Prince Zahir," a soft voice called to him. He looked down and saw tears falling down her tiny face.

"My sister?" He asked in a choked voice.

"The Alpha of the Middle Eastern and African nations is with her."

Zahir remembered meeting him, he just turned twenty years old, while Rooka a hundred years old. They just shook hands, but he could never forget the look in his eyes. His wolf, you see, was also on the surface.

"They are headed to the Temple. Lem wants her to establish herself as the alpha of the region."

"Which she should be. Does she know about me?" Lily nodded and placed the vial on his palm.

Zahir felt like his world shattered. He released a loud growl of anguish. It reverberated, throughout the whole world. Just like Serena's resonance. It was a growl of promise. A promise to avenge the two important people in his life, and a promise, to the sister he would meet her.

Eventually.

~~~~

They arrive in the northern part of India in the dead of the night. They were not going to travel on foot as Rena wanted nor by horse. What Nuru's crew got was something better.

It was an ATV that was designed for Weres and could travel in the mountains. Nuru's crew designs and modifies their transportation, according to the terrain where they will be doing the stunt. The problem? There were only two vehicles.

"I should be with you, Rooka," Wayne said, he was frowning because he will be left behind to guard Megan. Kaz and the two alphas will be going to the temple.

"I know, but you are needed here more than with us," Rooka replied looking for Rena, she was standing apart from Megan, Nuru, and Layla. The three were oohing and ahhing the ATV. It was a plus that Nuru owned a stunt company, the things his crew came up with were amazing.

She suddenly looked up and closed her eyes. At the same moment, all the Were Being stopped and looked at the sky too. Rooka knew what happened. Another resonance, but this is different. He looked at Rena, her posture was rigid. She must have felt his gaze because when she looked at him there was determination in her eyes.

He nodded and recalled their conversation.

He felt her move, they just slept for two hours, and yet he never felt so rested. He loosened his hold so she doesn't feel like she is being touched inappropriately. He was expecting her to move away, to stand up and leave. But what happened was the opposite. She turned around and buried her face against his chest.

"I don't know if I am ready to face those people, Rooka," she said, her breath warm against his skin.

"I'm right here to help you, my minx. But, it's ultimately up to you. Being an alpha is more than just a title. It's about your dedication to the people under you. It's about helping them even if they are far from you, it's about a never-ending commitment even if you want to kill some of them." He said the last part in a dry tone, making her giggle. "You can do this, minx. You just have to have faith in your abilities, and the rest will fall into place." He kissed her head after.

"Dad said I should open that chest when I am ready to be an Alpha," she whispered.

He leaned back and lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. "Open. I'm here. Whatever happens, we do things together."

"We need to move," Serena said, pulling him out from his thoughts. He nodded and mounted the first ATV. "Wayne, make sure Megan is safe, bhe, I know you wanna skin him alive, but not now...maybe later?" Wayne chucked, she looked at him and there was something in his eyes.

"Fine," Megan said, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm doing this because his alpha asked me politely, and because I know you will be worried about me. But the moment he oversteps -".

Wayne laughed out loud. Rooka just shook his head, his brother was crazy. "Wayne, behave. Nuru, Layla, stay sharp, I have a feeling all of you will be going to the city where the statue is, make sure that the bears have souvenirs. Especially anything with honey," he looked at the bears in question. They were sitting at the two bottom steps of the jet, sharing what looked like a tub of caramelized nuts. "Guys," he called the bears, "be ready to take off when you see my signal."

"Will do," they shouted.

He pushed the button to activate the ATV, there was a low rumble, Rooka looked at Serena and motioned her to sit behind him. He put her helmet on, making sure she was safe. Kaz was already a few meters ahead of them. With a final nod to everyone, he revved the throttle and sped away.