4: Take the Carrot While I Offer it

Very much like stabbing a stone with a pin, my first attempt to reach Freur Ferdinand had failed miserably. However, refusing to be so easily daunted and thwarted, I wasted no time in moving on to my next strategy which was proving to be as spontaneous as the first. I would cause a lot of ruckus and attract a lot of attention so they'd have no choice but to let me in.

"Reputation?!" I raved at the top of my lungs, my head turned up towards the security tower and my eyes squinted to avoid the glaring sun. "I hope you see this!" I flicked up my two middle fingers.

"YOU ARE ONE TO TALK ABOUT REPUTATION! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT REPUTATION?! I WAS CLASS SALUTATATORIAN, CAUSE WELL… MY SISTER JUST HAD TO BE VALEDICTORIAN, DIDN'T SHE? BUT THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT! THE POINT IS THAT I'M GONNA GO TO COLLEGE. HAVING A COLLEGE DEGREE SURE BEATS BEING A GATEMAN ANY TIME!"

I wasn't sure if riling them up was working to my favour. If it wasn't, I was ready to move on to my third equally spontaneous strategy of just bursting into the matyr tears of a scorned werewolf. Trust me when I say this, they'd be real tears.

"Miss Palmer," said a voice, which I figured was coming from the gate's intercom. The voice sounded a lot like Nick, the one who had given the order for me to be sent away. "You are causing a nuisance Miss Palmer. If you keep on, I'll have you forcibly removed and you can spend the night in a cell while everyone else is having a nice time at the mating ceremony tonight. The choice is yours."

I reviewed the abominable offer in my head. If I somehow got arrested now, my father would not use his influence to save me. The easiest way to get deranked in the Sanctuary was to get a criminal record. I could become an omega and lose my chance to meet Freur altogether. It'd be too late, and he'd be mated to Maude Caulkin, Luna of the Shiner Pack.

"Damn it," I murmured. "Just wait till the alpha hears about this! Cause I bet it to you he would have wanted to hear what I have to tell him before he makes any decision tonight! He'll have both your heads!"

"Miss Palmer you have ten seconds."

"Fine, I'm going. I'm going." Fuming, I left, but it was only to hide behind a tree. I sat down and continued sulking. Ara had still not said anything. "This is the part where you gloat."

"You are giving up already?" Ara asked.

My eyes widened in pleasant surprise. I automatically knew that my inner wolf was up for something reckless. "Will I ever truly figure you out Ara? One moment you are telling me to forget Freur and the next, you are suggesting that I commit the crime of breaking and entering."

"Guess I'm cut from a different cloth."

"Tell you what, I like this cloth version of you better."

As werewolves, our inner wolves served as an internal system of emotional support. It really meant a lot for us to have our wolves on our side (they hardly ever weren't). It's like we could do anything at that moment, even walk through the fires of hell. Ara made me brave and daring. The end, they say, justifies the means. All I really wanted was to meet Freur. Everything else I did had to be secondary. I had to take the risk of not being caught until I set my eyes on him.

Fuelled with new motivation, I made sure to be conspicuous as I weaved through the trees as if I was leaving. When I was far enough to be sure the mansion gate guards no longer considered me a disturbance, I made a U-turn.

I had my once in a life time mayor mansion tour six years ago when I was thirteen. It was with that long ago experience that I now intended to infiltrate the well guarded fortress.

The mansion had three back gates, all equally guarded, yet disregarded. One of the gates, as I clearly remembered, led to a mausoleum— the final resting ground for all alphas and lunas of the Sanctuary. I figured the security there would be slacker since the sanctuary wasn't really popular for tomb raiding. This did not automatically mean I could just waltz right in of course. In fact, this was the only gate I had a most narrow chance of entering through to the mansion. During my tour experience I remembered the mausoleum building for having a water tunnel which I had always guessed, led outside.

"Aha!" I cried with glee as I located the human sized water tunnel. I was right. I was also right about the slack security. I removed the cover of the tunnel after picking the rusty lock with a bobby pin.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Ara," I warned. Did she really have to start being discouraging now?

"It's just that the air in there would be awful," Ara claimed. "The cover at the other end might also be locked from the outside. Then you wouldn't be able to turn round and you'd have to crawl backwards. You wouldn't even be able to run. There might not even be enough oxygen…"

"Ara, shut up." I entered the tunnel, refusing to be detained any longer. The air in there was indeed stank and rancid, Ara would not stop expressing her disgust. On the bright side, it was dry season so I wasn't crawling through disgusting muck.

I saw light at the end of the tunnel. The end was in sight. I happily rushed towards it. The cover was open and not locked like Ara had anticipated. This was going to be easier than I thought. More fortune from the moon goddess. It was a relief to breathe fresh air again. I laid spread eagle on the grassy ground, amd I laughed.

"It's like the moon goddess is on our side. How has nobody ever broken into the mayor's mansion before with such a convenient entry and get away? Wait a second," I frowned, "convenient? Ara what are the chances that this was planned and someone's expecting me on this side."

"Hundred percent," Ara quipped. She wasn't just saying it. In cue of her response, a figure came into my line of sight, standing above me and directly blocking the sun— causing the figure to be nothing but a shadowy silhouette. Well, shadowy silhouette was enough for me to know I was cooked.

"Crap," I cussed. "This isn't what it looks like. My pet mice uh, fell through and I was chasing it. Did you, by any chance, see where it went?"

"You don't have to lie. I am not going to turn you in."

My eyes widened in disbelief as I put a name to the velvety soft and nasal voice, nearly a whisper. I knew that voice! I'd heard it far too many times for my taste. The figure shifted a bit to the side, unblocking the sun, and inadvertently giving me a clearer view.

It was no person other than Maude Caulkin. Luna from the Shiner Pack and soon to be 'fake mate' of my 'real mate'. Could I still look forward to a friendly meet and greet?

'Hi, Maude . You seem like a really nice person so I bet you won't have a problem if I ask you to let Freur Ferdinand go because I am his mate and he is mine.'

'Oh sure, no problem Audie. You have the goddess's blessing and I'm too nice to care about the four years I've already spent courting Freur and planning an alliance for the betterment of both our packs.'

"Crap," said Ara.

I tried to lean towards my optimistic tendencies. Maude Caulkin seemed nice. At social events, she was always to be seen by Freur's side. She had been described by many as kind, generous, benevolent and dare I venture, deserving of Freur's hand in marriage. However, how nice could a person be? Personally, I could not consider myself nice since I had come all this way to find Freur, notwithstanding the fact that he was supposed to announce his engagement to Maude tonight at the mating ceremony. If I put myself in Maude's shoes, I wouldn't be too happy either if a woman came out of the blue to scatter a relationship I had put so much time and effort into constructing.

I was rightfully wary as Maude helped me to my feet, looking unperturbed by my undoubtedly wild appearance. "You are the beta's other daughter, Audeline. I have heard so much about you."

"I am sure they weren't good things," said I, for want of better words.

Maude's smile was frozen in place. "No matter," she said, "follow me."

"Where?" I asked.

"Oh, you don't really have much of a choice. You either follow me as a guest or as a criminal. Take the carrot while I offer it?"

She started walking ahead without waiting for my response. Why would she? Nobody in their right mind would want to crawl right back through a repulsive tunnel if there was the slightest off chance that they could walk right past the big gates.

What was the worst that could happen? I damned it all to the moon goddess and ran after Maude Caulkin.