Five.

*TEN YEARS AGO*

As he stepped deeper into the forest, the chill air began to seep into his clothes making him wrap his cloak tighter around him. With every footstep, the ground crunched beneath his feet, the broken twigs and dry leaves glorifying the eerie silence that already surrounded him. Still, he pushed on, walking hastily through the towering trees and thorns that pricked the revealed part of his body.

The moon filtered through the branches, casting rather horrifying shadows on the ground, while the iciness in the air, as time passed by, succeeded in penetrating every layer of clothing that he had on. It felt as though his cloak had lost its use. Conri had sneaked out, again after his maid, Daciana had tucked him in bed. The young lad, however, had other plans. Why waste away such an amazing part of the night in the name of safety? Also, he needed to find more unusual rocks for his collections. He was quite the adventurous spirit.

Ultrika had ordered him to stay in bed with a brief explanation of all that was happening in the packs but he was the son of the Alpha who at a very young age had began to teach him the basic steps in combat, this made him feel as though he could hold his own. As he ventured deeper into the forest, his breath coming out as visible puffs, Conri relentlessly tottered to the main spot where he loved to stay.

Despite the peace and quietude, he couldn't help the feeling of being watched. He glanced around before settling by the river, he saw nothing but the trees and the endless darkness, still, the feeling lingered. Conri exhaled deeply as he moved closer to the calm body of water. The reflection of the moonlight emphasized its beauty— and he knew he could stay there forever.

That ended when a creaking sound came from the branch of a tree next to him, followed by a loud, brain-scattering thud that sent Conri staggering backward in fear, barely a foot away from the river. A creature seemed to have fallen from the tree. Despite his pounding heart and disconnected thinking, he poised for combat in the middle of the forest waiting for the creature to reveal itself amidst the dusty mess of broken branches and fallen leaves. The darkness seemed to be on this creature's side.

His arms fell when he heard the creature moaned in pain and it began to dawn on Conri that it wasn't a monster neither was it a wild animal. It was a person just like him, and as he took careful steps closer, the image cleared revealing a young girl just about his age, clutching her injured leg.

Was she... spying from the tree? The thought of it caused a shiver to roll down his spine and his breath got caught up in his throat. If it was so...then for how long??

Conri was dumbfounded. Never had he bumped into a person this deep into the forest, so why was she here? His eyes lingered on her face, tracing the curve of her cheekbone to the curve of her small lips. He jolted when she looked up at him, her round eyes burning with curiosity like an enigma appeared before her. The intensity of her gaze was unsettling in a thrilling kind of way. She had eyes a person could get swirled in— an endless ocean of blackness, the same as the hair that cascaded down her shoulders in loose waves. He gulped hard, not knowing what the right reaction should be.

"A-are you okay?" He managed to ask as he moved even closer outstretching his arm but she said nothing, her lips tightly pursed as she tore her gaze away from him. For some reason, she didn't seem surprised to see him, rather...she looked as though she'd been caught?

Before he could say more, the young lady began to crawl backward and suddenly she was on her feet, even though injured and leaping. She suddenly dashed into the forest without a word, it left him stunned. She seemed like his next adventure, there was something about her aura that drew him in. Conri knew he wasn't going to let her get away.

##

He groaned tiredly as he picked up his shirt and rushed it on. Ultrika was by his door again, chanting aggressively words that were inaudible to him, fortunately. He was wise to have locked the door. From all that she'd said, all he could deduce was that the new pack members had arrived and she wanted him to meet them now for the betterment of whatever she included— he had stopped trying to listen.

As an Alpha, he could do this much, right? Right? He smoothened the bird's nest that was his hair by the mirror and flexed his features. If there was anything Conri was concerned about, it was a good first impression. Nobody should be able to resist him— nobody! He clenched his jaw and his facade was back on, the illusion of a ruthless Alpha dawned on him once more— that was what he should be. No, what they expected him to be. A sculpture in place of his father's legacy.

Conri lazily walked to the door and clicked it open, he still had a bit of a hangover from the previous night. The door opened, revealing Ultrika's glare, it was an everyday image. Before her lips parted, he stopped her.

"Lead the way, let's meet the new members, shall we?" He said, "The Alpha is ready." He would rather do anything than this, and she knew it too. Conri lived his life like it was already scripted — except for the part where the ladies came in. Ultrika rolled her eyes but walked forward without protesting.

"The first chamber." She muttered and he followed without saying a word. When they arrived, Conri did a brief scan of the room and as he descended the stairs, his eyes fell upon the two who seemed out of place, they looked, smelled, and acted different. It wasn't that much of a job to tell them apart from the regulars.

The maids bowed and chanted incoherent greetings as he approached and it seemed to apart the ladies of Conri's presence. As he approached, their full looks soon came into view. For a brief moment, Conri's lips curved into a smile. They were nothing alike— the maidens. The one who seemed younger nudged the older one to bow in his presence but she didn't seem to be having it, he found it interesting.

"Altalune, Tala... Alpha Conri," Ultrika introduced before slipping into the chair before them.

"G-good. I- I'm sorry, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Alpha." The one with red hair stuttered, her head remained bowed and she didn't dare to look him in the eye, just as he wanted. She was beautiful, unlike most of the ones in his pack— considering that he had been with a good number of them. She wasn't bad to keep around...

And the other- the one who glared at him like she wanted to throw fists, there was something about her. Conri couldn't define it. The first thing anyone would describe her as was intimidating. She had a vibe so intense one would begin to see authority in her every move, it was strange. Her hair was short, unlike the other and it looked like the pitch darkness a person would see when their eyes were fluttered short. Her pale, flawless skin tone was the opposite of her hair as though she'd never once stepped foot under the sun. How did a person look this...enthralling? Not only was he transfixed by her beauty, he was almost scared of it.

Her eyes were a reminder to draw back yet he couldn't help but stare, taking in every detail of her features. This person wasn't the usual kind of beauty, it was complex— the kind you had to calculate because it made no sense.

"Conri?" Ultrika's voice echoed in his ears and he snapped out of the unintended allurement. With the way their eyes were feasted on him, it seemed that wasn't the first time Ultrika had called out to him. He cleared his throat, pretending to be unbothered to save his pride before addressing them.

"I see no reason why this should be done seeing as Ultrika has addressed you two but if it must be, then I'm Conri, Alpha of SilverBow and it's to our good and yours that destiny had led you to our pack. It's not going to be hard as long as you're willing to follow the rules and succinctly perform your duties. I can assure you, we want no parasites. That's no say if you have any plan on leeching off the pack then you might as well race back to Riverside and ask Kai to take you back." He expressed harshly, "That'd be all. Is there anything you'd like to say?" On purpose, he turned to the raven-haired maiden whose name he'd failed to listen to when Ultrika introduced them.

"I think you were pretty clear... Alpha." She answered, her eyes still fixated on his and the one next to her nodded in affirmation. The way she looked at him— she wasn't scared, neither did she hide it. Was this bravery or foolishness? His eyes lingered on her face, all the way to her cheekbone and the curve of her lips, then a vague sensation coursed through his entire body— it felt like he had done this before, so oddly familiar. Conri shook it off and blamed the alcohol from the previous night.

"Do you still need a maid, Alpha Conri?" Ultrika questioned, "I was thinking you could pick one of them since we are a little short-staffed. I'd love for Daciana to return to her place, she's worked for way too long."

"I suppose I could..." His eyes wavered from the red-haired to the raven-haired— she seemed like a lot to deal with. Did he want that? It was attractive in a way that annoyed him, he hadn't felt this sense of adventure in a while, thrilling. Maybe there was a mystery there, he would chose her. "the black-hair-"

"I'd do it!" She announced with her arm raised, startling even the one who stood next to her. "I'd be the Alpha's maid. I believe I'm very fit for the job!"

That menacing glint in her eyes. Oh, well. There really was something about her.