[FLASHBACK: 15 Years Ago]
Zordan’s POV:
Standing in front of my mother’s gravestone I had a blank gaze in my round, black eyes. Even as a small child of only 10 years old, I could realize that I had become so numb to the pain of losing her that I couldn’t even shed tears properly. When everyone around me finished cremating her, all I could do was stand in front of her marble-white tombstone with an aloof, cold face.
My father, the Alpha, and the King of our Shadow Pack stayed with me for a brief until the ceremony was done. But soon enough he went back to the new woman he brought into the castle with whom he had already had a child before, my younger brother Marcus.
All the happenings around me didn’t fail me to realize that my father had found a replacement for my mother quite sooner than I had imagined. Even though Marcus was my half-brother, I couldn't deny there was always an absurd distance between us.
The sky was dark and murky with faint grumbling sound heard among the clouds. I felt as if nature was comforting my pain by putting such a gloomy weather. Whenever I came back inside the castle after playing, seeing my mother’s warm smile greet me was the only thing that made me happier.
But now that she is gone, what possible reason am I left with anymore to smile? Somehow, I felt her departure had dug a deep hole straight into my chest which was consuming me with darkness.
Will I be ever happy again?
While my little head was filled with these thoughts, I heard the sound of tiny boots approaching me from behind. Without turning around, I realized, it must be Maxim.
He was the first son of the Grand Duke of our pack who was appointed to be my Beta as well as my loyal companion. Both of us were the same age and after my mother, I could understand that he was the only person who could understand me here in this castle, even though he used to get pretty annoyed with my cold nature before.
Maxim slowly reached me close and I could feel the long cape hanging from his shoulder flaunting with the mild breeze. The weather was getting darker and it was about to start raining sooner.
“Crown Prince?” He called me in a timid voice, ruffling his silver grey hair with his small fingers, “It’s about to start raining, you should get back inside the castle. For how long do you want to stay here?”
“Leave me alone.” I didn’t try to take a glance at him, nor I showed any interest in leaving the graveyard. All I could do was stand and gaze blankly at my mother’s name crafted on the tombstone.
“Your Grace…” This time, I sensed a dissatisfaction in his tone as he let out a heavy sigh. “Why are you always persistent towards my requests? You might catch a cold if you stand here in the rain—”
“At least for today…let me stay here outside… I don’t want to go back to the castle now…”
My voice cracked a little as I uttered those words in a low murmur. Somehow, I felt as if Maxim had sensed the despair in my tone and he didn’t try to pursue me anymore. Letting out a heavy sigh, he mumbled, “Alright, but…I can’t let you stay outside for too long. The other knights will get mad at me if you fall sick somehow.
“I get it.” I nodded a little and soon found him walking away from my sight. Leaving all along, I could feel his concerned gaze upon me but my firm command pushed him to give me some space.
By this time, I sensed my feet had started to pain hard as I realized that I was standing still before the gravestone for too long. How many hours it would have? Probably six or seven…
But I was too bitter to walk inside the castle, even though I was feeling worn out. As I glanced around, the only option I found was to take a walk inside the woods which were located near the graveyard. Usually, the place was rarely visited by royal members, but I badly wanted to spend some time alone.
Without thinking anymore, I started walking in that direction after checking that Maxim wasn’t following me around. While I headed deep inside the thick woods, I could hear the grumbling noises of thunder getting stronger.
“HIC! URGH…HIC!”
But suddenly, my feet halted as I heard a strange noise coming from the direction where I was heading to. It was more like a whimpering sound of a small girl, that piqued my curiosity. Pretty soon, I heard that strange sound again and I was certain by this time that someone around me was crying here!
I followed the noise to reach deeper inside and soon enough, my feet halted as a confused expression crafted on my face. In front of me under a giant willow tree, a little girl dressed in a flashy red frock, quite younger than me, was crying alone.
Her porcelain white face had turned flushed red and her cheeks were soaked along with her tiny, blue eyes looking puffy from sobbing too hard. Her long, golden brown hair was tied with a beautiful ribbon and I could see a visible red scar around her white right knee. I guessed she must have gotten it by falling on the ground.
But as I tried to take a step near her, all of a sudden I sensed a sweet, extraordinary scent which tickled my nose. I sniffed a few times in air and soon enough I realized, that peculiar scent was emitting out of her! She smelled like a ripe peach fruit, and her pretty aura was radiant in the thick woods.
However, I couldn’t realize, why I sensed such a sweet fragrance from her. I have met countless noble children before but none of the other girls smell as sweet as her! My mother had once told me that Alphas can sense their fated mate with their unique scent.
Though, I guess I was too small to realize what did the term fated mate meant?
But at this moment, the little girl suddenly heard the sound of my boots and lifted her face above at me like a flash. As soon as our eyes met, she asked in a teary voice, “Y-You…W-Who are you?”
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