ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)

Zaramanni had often wondered what the rooms on the other side of the manor were like. So, with seriousness, she took in the interior of the grand fireplace room they were in, and she found that the space was more beautiful than her room.

Coupled with the delightful use of reddish-brown wood that created architectural magic, the plain walls, heavily patterned drapes, and growing warmth made the space more comfortable to look at and be in.

“Here,” Clarissa said, her hand stretching a ceramic cup in Zara’s way, the steam emitting from the object making Zaramanni curious about the content of the cup.

Bracing her lips for the slight torture that it was about to face, Zaramanni surfaced her nostrils above the steam and noted the sweet smell the liquid was giving. If her guess was right, it smelled almost like the strawberry tea her Granny took four times a week.

Soon, the heated liquid went down her throat in small sips, the burning sensation dying before the drink could reach the back of her throat.

After a few sips, Zara became more settled.

After relaxing into the warmth of the blanket around her, she instantly transferred her focus to the people around her.

Zoey who sat on the sofa positioned closer to the fireplace seemed to be deep in thought as all he did while circling the mug in his veined hands, was stare at the burning redness of the flame.

Zaramanni easily attributed his prolonged silence to the moment they shared in the lake.

While she wondered if he was okay, Clarissa broke the ice in the room.

Her sweet-looking face was all smiles as she faced her nephew.

“I am so glad you found your way here, Isaac. I was so worried when I didn’t hear anything from your mother. But she died when the attack happened so I guessed that you suffered the same fate.” Her head hung low and her grin reduced. “I shouldn’t have done that. I should have looked for you.”

“I think it’s for the best that you didn’t,” Isaac replied, his voice more tender than it was earlier. “My journey turned sour way before the fairies attacked Zenrada. It would have been impossible for anyone in our family to find me.”

“Isaac…” Clarissa’s face wore slight distress. “Why would you say that? Who else would be able to find you if not your family? It is our fault for not thinking that something could have gone wrong on your journey.”

Zaramanni had already sipped her drink halfway and she was feeling less wrapped by the shivers the rainy day brought along. Placing her mug on the arm of the sofa, she decided to butt into the reunion. “Isaac…” The he-wolf darted his head in her direction, his silver eyes still a majestic view. “What happened to you? Who were those men back there?”

“What men?” asked Clarissa, her buttocks almost falling off the chair.

“Hmm…” Isaac’s voice hummed. “As you heard back there, Zaramanni, I was their slave.”

His flat nose scrunched and he wore a grand smile as though there was something hilarious about his situation.

Zaramanni’s heart sank because she recalled how those he-wolves kept torturing him with their kicks. Then, she darted her sight through the cotton, two-piece attire he had changed into.

After a good and hot bath, Isaac was looking more like the cute young wolf he was. And, thanks to the small gap in front of his teeth, each time he smiled, he looked really adorable and jolly.

His eyes trained on the flames ahead, Isaac crossed his arms and continued, “I left our home in the Verano Pack months ago to join Clarissa here at The Crown-Blood Manor, but certain bandits attacked our ferry and took all the he-wolves captive. While it was uncertain where they took us, I know they almost sold us to a certain witch who wanted young men to satisfy her sexual needs.”

Clarissa gasped softly.

Her brows knitted with great concern, she rushed to her nephew’s side and squatted in front of him, her hands holding his dearly. “Isaac…” she whispered and Zara noticed that the woman was close to tears.

“It is fine…” Isaac laughed again. “It was in the past. Besides, before we could be sold off to the witch, our masters got a better deal and took us to Amarxona.”

At the mention of the fairies’ kingdom, Zaramanni became more alert. While it was no news that Lord Haggard and his minions were probably still trying to get a hold of her by using dangerous means, Zaramanni had often wondered about the Kingdom that she seemingly had ties with seeing how she had fairy blood in her veins.

She had often thought about visiting the manor’s library to see if there were books on Amarxona, but things happened, like her mental laziness. But there was a day Zaramanni’s thoughts went all the way and wondered if one of her parents was still alive and living in Amarxona.

“In Amarxona…” Isaac continued, his voice failing to display sorrow. “…we were assigned to work in a certain factory. Since I was blind, I was tied to a hand-turning mill and I did most work in the same position. But I can never forget the murky feeling the room gave as well as the sloppy grounds.”

“Isaac…” Clarissa moaned again, the tone of her voice carrying a certain ache. “Why did you…? Why…?” Deep exhalations overpowered her failing questions and Clarissa gave in to her emotions, her hair falling as she ducked her head.

“Clarissa…” Isaac stretched his hands and began to map the air, trying to reach her face. When Clarissa helped him and placed his palms against the smoothness of her face, his low voice said, “I am fine now. I am here, with you. Despite everything…” Clarissa’s throat produced a choking sound as she fought her tears. Zaramanni wished to guess that learning that her nephew went through something terrible added to her existing pain. “Despite everything, I ended up here, the very destination I was headed for when I left our home.”

“Isaac…” Clarissa leaned into his touch as his thumbs managed to wipe her rolling tears. “I should have…”

Clarissa’s mournful words were interrupted by a shatter that echoed in the room. Highly surprised, all attention came to land on Beta Zoey who was now on his feet, his silence persisting, his shirtless body looking illuminated thanks to the fire.

Then, with his relaxed hair covering a great deal of his forehead, his sturdy steps walked past the fragments of the mug and led him to Zaramanni.

The girl was about to wrap her hands around his waist when he quickly planted a kiss on her forehead and walked out of the room. The exit on the right welcomed the Beta’s steps and after his retreating back was nowhere to be seen, a breeze passed and pushed the light door close.

A sniffle broke the silence and Clarissa asked, “Did you two fight?”

“Uh…” Zaramanni’s heart felt a squeeze and it mourned her inability to say a word or two to her mate before he left. Her fingers digging into the hardness of her cup, she turned to face the duo and replied, “We didn’t fight.”

“Oh…” Clarissa’s small frown soon turned into a quirk of her brow. “Did you feel his emotions?”

“H-how did you guess that?” Zaramanni was surprised.

The woman, while wiping her tears, chuckled loudly. “It is a mate thing. After bonding, the union between mates becomes stronger and they start to experience things like feeling each other’s emotions. I am surprised though.” Clarissa was yet to get her nephew’s hands off her face, so the sight was rather weird to Zaramanni who wished to laugh at how squished the she-wolf’s face was. “I never thought that you would get to feel the Beta’s emotions since you are human.”

“Zaramanni is human?” Isaac’s perplexed voice joined the conversation.

“Yes, she is from Earth.”

“Really?” The young one looked in Zara’s direction once again. And Zara got to see that unique smile of his again. “I have often heard about Earth. I wonder if it is anything like I have imagined.”

“Well…” Zaramanni was gladdened by Isaac’s sudden excitement. “Apart from the bad people that pollute our world, Earth is a pretty amazing place. If you get the chance to, you should come and see…” Zaramanni quickly wore a startled look when she realised the path her statement was about to take. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

He laughed. “People have reminded me about my blindness in worse ways, so it is fine.”

Clarissa finally got up and walked to her seat, her floral gown sweeping the floor. “Isaac, you had a terrible journey so far and I am so sorry I couldn’t help you in any way and…”

“I am not done with my story,” Isaac quickly cut in.

“No?”

His bouncy hair danced as he shook his head. “I worked in that factory for a while but after we heard that Zenrada was attacked by a certain tribe in Amarxona, we were all released. But since I was blind, my masters came back for me and decided to sell me off to Skullis.”

“Oh my…” Clarissa’s voice was drenched with regret.

Isaac sighed. He lifted his legs off the tiled floor and hugged his knees to his chest. “I think things took a worse turn at that point. Zaramanni, those men Beta Zoey punished earlier today were my masters.”

Placing a hand on her chest out of pity, Zaramanni was glad that she found them before they did something worse to him. “While I am glad that they are out of my life for good, I cannot forget the things they did to me.”

“The things they did to you?” Clarissa inquired.

“They made me suck their-”

“That’s fine. That’s okay,” the she-wolf rapidly stopped his words and walked towards him again. “You are here now and that’s all that matters. I am so, so sorry that you faced such a terrible fate.” Hugging him, Clarissa began to pat his back, her eyes trained on Zaramanni.

“I am really fine, Clarissa,” Isaac insisted as he returned her embrace.

“Shh. Zaramanni?”

Zaramanni paused her intention to take another sip of her drink. “Yeah?”

“Why does your hair change colours?” Clarissa didn’t hold back her curiosity. “I have been observing you since you arrived at the manor. Your hair has changed hues too many times.”

“Uh…” A rather nervous chuckle came from Zaramanni who instinctively reached for the length of her hair. “Well…” She drew a sharp breath. “Let’s just say I was born this way.”

“Really? You-”

“Clarissa, you can let go of me now,” Isaac quickly butted in, his small hands trying to peel her off him. Quickly apologising, the woman dissolved her embrace and surprisingly had her seat on the floor.

Still on the question she had asked Zaramanni, Clarissa spoke, “So, you don’t know why your hair changes colours?”

Zara shook her head, smiling gently as she hoped that she was doing a great job of hiding her white lies.

“As I said, I was born this way.”

“Huh…” Clarissa couldn’t stop eyeing the girl’s head and for a second, it seemed like she had more to say. But, she didn’t pursue the topic anymore. Instead, a sparkle reached her eyes. A clap followed and Clarissa said, “That reminds me. There is going to be a party soon.”

“A party?” asked Zaramanni who started to imagine how the werewolves threw their parties.

“Yes. A lot has happened in a matter of weeks. So, the Alpha decided to organise a celebratory party. And, that’s not the best part.”

“It’s not?” Zara tried to share the she-wolf’s excitement, but she couldn’t.

“No!” With the side of her eyes, Zara saw Isaac take a finger to his ear to wiggle it a little. That was expected. Clarissa’s voice had successfully turned into a shriek. “The party is going to be at the freaking palace!”

“Oh… It sounds like it will really be huge,” Zara remarked.

“The fact that I would get to see the insides of the palace before I die makes me so glad.”

“Uh… Clarissa? Don’t you think that you are being extra with your words?” Zaramanni really couldn’t share Clarissa’s excitement. Sure, a party sounded nice, but to Zara, sleeping all day sounded better.

“Being extra with my words?” A chuckle filled with disbelief ensued, the woman sticking out her tongue at intervals as her mirth abounded. “Zaramanni… I am just a mere omega she-wolf. For people like me, the chances of entering the palace are slim. So, darling, I am not being extra.”

“Alright…” Zara withdrew her case and Clarissa’s state of elation went out of hand.

Still making incoherent happy noises, as Clarissa got up, a ripping sound followed and her bum was exposed and facing her nephew.

“Oh my…” Clarissa gasped and Zara stifled a laugh while she rejoiced that the boy was unable to see. Zara guessed that was an example of a situation where a disability could be a blessing.

“What’s wrong?” asked Isaac.

“Uh…” Clarissa scolded the smile that was growing on Zara’s face. Then, while she gathered the remnant of her gown, tactically wrapping it around her naked buttocks, and stepping away from Isaac, she said, “There was a little accident. I need to quickly adjust something and… uh…”

“Your cloth ripped, didn’t it?” Isaac asked, the seriousness on his face tempting Zara to laugh more at the entire situation. “I might be blind, Clarissa. But I am not deaf.”

“Well… these things happen and... Zaramanni stop trying to laugh!”

The girl’s shoulders soon began to dance as Clarissa’s warning caused her laughter to erupt.

Caging her mouth with her right palm, Zaramanni’s eyes narrowed so much that she could barely see a thing. Her body was almost slipping off the sofa as she replayed the moment Clarissa brought fatal destruction to her gown.

“Seriously, Zaramanni…” Clarissa had her hands on her waist, and the frustrated look on her face soon changed into one that was about to break into chuckles.

Soon, the room was filled with that special merriment. And the ladies began to laugh in a way that surpassed the reason for their delight. It suddenly seemed like some contagious gas was released into the atmosphere, making their laughter grow more and more.

Zaramanni was now on her feet and questioning herself. She asked herself why she was that amused. Waving at Clarissa to put an end to it all, Zara began to straighten her back and that was when loud footsteps found their way into the fireplace room.

Looking toward the exit, Zara noticed that Lord Elias was the one that led the small group that rested their paces at the doorstep.

“Lord Elias…” whispered Zaramanni.

The old librarian didn’t spare the girl a glance. Instead, he faced one of the fully dressed guards behind him and said, “That is him.” Zara followed the finger Lord Elias pointed. It landed on Isaac. “Arrest him.”

Immediately feeling protective of the young one, Zara rushed her toward Isaac, her arms spread in front of him. “What are you doing, Lord Elias?”

“Are you trying to interfere with my investigations?” Lord Elias glared at Zara in a way that she failed to recognize. She had certainly never seen the old one wear such a serious look.

She had no intention to let the approaching guard reach Isaac easily, so summoning her courage, she asked, “What kind of investigation requires you to arrest a young he-wolf who has barely settled in the manor?”

“That young wolf…” Lord Elias spat back. “… is a key suspect in the Overlord’s murder.”