ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)

While Zaramanni watched the lips of the healer who was explaining some things to Sham, she realized that she was no longer feeling pain in her chest.

The pain had been quite a lot when the doctor earlier attended to her injury.

But, a few minutes later, there she was, re-bandaged and feeling no pain.

Zaramanni, who had now fully acknowledged the fact that she was indeed carrying fairy blood, wondered if drastic reduction of pain was an advantage that came with being a half-fairy.

She did recall experiencing quick healing when she was still on Earth.

“Zaramanni,” Sham’s caution-filled voice called as he gently patted her shoulder before sitting at the edge of the bed. “What are you thinking about?”

Truthfully, Zara was yet to get two things out of her mind. The vampire’s words about her unimaginable powers and King Darren’s mean look which stabbed her heart over and over.

Zaramanni let out a depressing sigh that slumped her shoulders greatly. As she peered at Sham’s ever-soothing eyes, she let out a sad smile and asked, “I messed up, didn’t I?”

“Well…” Sham’s hesitation did not hide itself, but it didn’t seem like he was going to hold back either. “You shouldn’t have run away. You don’t know anything about this realm and it is not surprising that you fell into the hands of rogue vampires.”

Zaramanni nodded slowly as she followed his words to the end. “I know,” she said, “I should have stayed still. But it was a good opportunity to go back home.”

“Zaramanni…” The bedsheet rustled as the man shifted closer, his body giving off a strong masculine scent that had an invitation attached to it- an invitation to welcome his embrace.

Of course, Zara was tempted to accept it.

Besides, she had just experienced something terrible, a little hug wouldn’t hurt.

But, Zara found herself unable to move closer. As her eyes swiftly glanced at Sham’s lips, she discovered that she was sort of frightened.

When Sham’s hands covered her little ones, Zaramanni flinched and a whispered gasp left her lips as she was surprised by her reaction.

Her coloured lashes danced furiously as she watched Sham’s forehead deepen with worry.

For a second, it seemed Sham wanted to move closer, but he shifted back and watched her keenly from that distance, his hands placed on his manly thighs.

“Do you want to go home that bad?” Sham calmly asked the question that he couldn’t voice earlier.

Zara gave a short nod, her fingers playing with each other as she wondered if the incident at the orgy party was going to have a huge impact on her.

At that moment, she wasn’t feeling scared or bothered. She was hardly feeling any strange emotion, but her reaction to Sham’s simple gesture made her instantly curious.

“I will speak to the King and ask him if you can begin your journey to Mount Hermos. I don’t think staying here any further will be of help to you. The journey to Mount Hermos is tiring and trying, but, at this point, we must do what’s best for you.”

Zara wished to smile but she couldn’t. Hearing Sham mention the King brought back fresh memories and she damned how her heart terribly ached.

Her voice was barely audible as she asked, ”Do you think he will let me go?”

”Why won’t he? Your continuous encounter with danger is something he is aware of. He has to let you go.”

Zara ducked her head and she ended the play between her fingers. Staring at her purplish fingernails, Zara recalled her last discussion with King Darren, and said, “He won’t let me go.”

“That’s nonsense!” Sham’s voice beamed with positivity. “King Darren might be a ruthless ruler at times, but he is very considerate,” he assured her. From the corner of her eyes, she saw his hand reach to touch her shoulder again, but he quickly withdrew his attempt.

Zara sighed again. “So, you will talk to him?”

“Definitely.” He smiled brightly and Zara felt lifted by his cuteness.

“How is Alisha?” Zara recalled the woman who had been relishing the touch of the men that erotically surrounded her.

“Who is Alisha?”

Zaramanni’s eyes bulged.

Afraid that King Darren’s wolf killed Alisha, Zara tried to picture that night.

She remembered the scattered bloodshed, deep growls, loud screaming, her fears, and her tears. But, she could not place Alisha’s presence in her memories.

“Never mind,” Zara cleared her throat. She feared Alisha might end up in trouble if she mentioned her name. She just prayed that the woman was safe and back to her senses.

Before Sham could reply, a man dressed in a black-coated body armour walked in and the two men proceeded to have a hushed conversation.

“Uh…” Sham faced Zaramanni as the other man left. “I will see you later. The King is requesting my presence. Take care, okay?”

Zaramanni wore a smile as Sham walked out of the room. She heard him say something to the two men that stood guard outside her weaved door, and after some seconds, he was finally gone.

Plunged into loneliness, Zaramanni decided to temporarily get rid of the many burdening thoughts in her mind.

So, she slipped into the bed. Her head rested against the fluffy pillow, and she closed her eyes, ready to sleep.

~

“All I am saying is, we need to be diplomatic about this issue.” The voice undoubtedly belonged to the representative from the Batani Pack.

In order of power, after Crown-Blood Pack, they were next.

Their opinions were always valued everywhere they went and it was often rumoured that should the moon goddess decide not to select a king from the Crown-Blood Pack, one would be picked from the Batani Pack.

But, King Darren was starting to think that the wolves in Batani Pack were not so smart. And he hoped the goddess would think twice in the future before making a rash decision.

With anger in his strides, he walked into the room which seemed crowded even though only five men had gathered to discuss an urgent issue.

“Diplomatic?” King Darren’s voice introduced tension as he pushed the chair intended for him to one side. “Were the fairies being diplomatic when they killed our people? My people?”

Batani’s rep was a young-looking man named Fam. He was the one with the rare kind of wolf. His wolf had silver-like fur and had indications of being both a male and a female. The king stared hard at the man whose cloak kept falling off his shoulders. He stared at him until Fam could not help but shift his eyes to the side.

“We are here to discuss what to do about the rogue vampires.” The Alpha King faced others in the room, his eyes not missing any detail in the small room. “I expect harsh suggestions. I want something that would make sure those that have stepped on our tails won’t get to do so anymore.”

”But, that could lead to war!” another man-wolf exclaimed, his tone feverish.

This one was from the Verano Pack- the pack who didn’t mind living in a way that was a little retarded contrary to others. The people of the Verano Pack depended a lot on their wolves to live their lives.

While they were sometimes a bother to the entire kingdom, they were the main producers of the kingdom’s food. No one knew how Verano Pack did it, but their yearly production was always unbeatable.

King Darren felt more angered.

“We need to teach them a lesson, both Amarxona, and Skullis. So, I don’t care if it leads to a fucking war!”

The Alpha’s agitation grew because the men-wolf he was having a meeting with lacked a thirst for the blood of those that caused their Kingdom great harm.

Slamming his palms against the hardness of the table, King Darren shot his glare at every man as he said, “Do you think we will sit back and do nothing after we lost so much? I will admit that I was going to wait till the kingdom was back on its feet, but with rogue vampires lurking in our forests, we can’t wait anymore. We have to strike back!”

“We can behead the survivors and send them to their Overlord. They are almost dead anyway,” Sham suggested from where he was. “That will send a message to Skullis. A message that will let them know that they have outdone themselves.”

Sham’s eyes darkened as he spoke. His folded arms exposed well-formed triceps that seemed to intimidate the representatives.

King Darren smiled widely. “And as for Amarxona,” he finally pulled his chair and had his seat, “we must remind them whose land they are sitting on. Yes,” he nodded, a deadly smirk on his face as he pictured the bloodshed, “they will regret what they have done. They will regret biting the hands that fed them when they were homeless and highly troubled.”

“Your Majesty, I…” Fam swallowed hard as Darren’s glare flew in his direction. “I think we should go about this differently and-”

“What? Should we offer them baskets of fruits and ask them to gladly step on us?”

“N-no,” the man replied timidly.

The chair the king was seated in creaked as he shifted, his elbows soon resting on the table. “Fam, your father is dead, isn’t he?”

“Y-yes,” Fam replied with great discomfort.

“He died because of an injury he sustained during the attack, didn’t he?”

“Yes, but-”

“Do you still think we should be diplomatic about this issue?” Darren didn’t give him a chance to respond. “Picture your father’s dying face. Picture the faces of every soul lost in the Batani Pack. Remember everyone we buried in the entire kingdom.”

The king felt a lethal chill run down his spine. His anger was taking over his entire being.

His voice thickened with the sorrows he had kept bottled and his eyes became clouded with bitterness and hot temper.

“Remember, Fam.”

“I remember, Alpha Darren! I do!” Fam’s lips quivered seriously as he ducked his head to hide his tears. His voice cracking, he said, “I can never forget.”

King Darren sighed and sat back. After taking a quick look at the men in the room, he said, “We should not be lenient in times like this. We have always treated the kingdoms that attacked us with nothing but respect. But what did we get? Bloodshed? And for what?”

He scoffed. Then, he blew the hair in his face to the side with a strong force.

“The rogues will be a great way to show Skullis that we can never forget what they have done,” Sham said, his voice calming the tension in the room. “I will personally ensure the delivery of the heads and there will be a clear message attached.”

“Fam,” the young he-wolf looked up as the king called him, “I would love it if you could have a mindset similar to that of Sham. It will help you if you are going to be heading your pack from now on.”

“I-”

“I will communicate further plans later. But, for now, let us enjoy the new lunar rising celebrations. You may take your leave.”

After a few seconds, the king and Sham were the only ones left in the poorly lighted room.

“Sham, where is Zoey?” The king asked.

“After he heard of Zaramanni’s situation, he left for somewhere I have no idea of.”

“He was supposed to be in this meeting. Why would he send someone that I have never seen before? How do I know to trust the man he sent?”

“Well,” Sham got up and moved closer to the King, “Beta Zoey’s men are always loyal to him. Let us hope this one is loyal enough to deliver the details of our conversation only to his master.”

“Hmm.” Darren’s sight trained on a dark spot in the room. He appeared to be in deep thought.

“Your Majesty...” Sham called with caution.

“Do you think the man that shot Zaramanni is part of the vampires we caught?”

“It’s hard to tell. But, let’s hope that he is dead. Alpha Darren,” Sham exhaled hard, “I think you should let Zaramanni go back to where she came from.”

“How many times do you want me to tell you?” Almost creepily, the king turned his head to face Sham, his eyes wearing unmasked fury. “That girl is going nowhere.”

“I just feel bad for her. Whatever happened with the vampires will traumatize her. And, I don’t think she can handle it. Staying here might be the wrong choice for her.” The King’s guard looked worried.

“Sham, I gave her options. I told her to choose between staying or leaving. I would help her either way, I had said. But what did she do?”

King Darren scoffed, the back of his head resting on the head of the chair, his eyes looking up at the wooden trusses above. “She decided to foolishly run away. I have no intention to give her more options. So, she is staying here until the kingdom gets back on her feet.”

“But-”

“When we leave this place, make sure she always stays in the manor and assign her to work with the chief librarian.”

“That old man?”

“He isn’t that old,” King Darren replied quite tiredly.

“Yes, he is just three hundred years older than you. Do you really want Zara to work for him? If you will be keeping her in the kingdom, can she at least stay in the palace?”

“No.” King Darren began to wonder why Sham was acting that way. He was being pushy about Zaramanni’s departure. Sharply, he turned his head and looked straight into Sham’s eyes. “You haven’t forgotten the disaster that befalls people that disobey my orders, right?”

Sham sighed even though he looked unbothered by the dagger stare the king gave him. “I remember, Your Majesty. I will let Zaramanni know your decision.”

“And, let her know that she won’t have it easy if she defies my orders again.” After this statement, the King went back to staring at the ceiling.

Sham knew better than to say a word more, so he walked out, leaving the Alpha King to his thoughts.

And, all King thought about were kingdom matters, kingdom matters again, and, strangely... Zaramanni and the sound of her crying which was yet to stop haunting his mind.