ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)

Staring at the lifeless body of the Overlord made King Darren feel more dread. Even in death, the eerie aura that followed the leader of Skullis still existed.

Without making much noise, the men that transported the Overlord from the seated position he was found, covered the dead body and stood aside, awaiting the next set of instructions.

A terrible tugging in his chest, Darren took his sight off the Overlord’s body. He looked past the windows and saw how the moon kept shining bright, unaware that some sort of a disaster had befallen the kingdom.

Overlord Zamar dying in Zenrada could go wrong in so many ways. Alpha Darren knew for sure that the people of Skullis would use the unforeseen incident as an excuse to fully threaten Zenrada with war.

Or worse, they could attack them in the dead of the night. If the Vampires are able to block the energy of Zenrada’s moon just like the fairies did, there was no doubt that things would go wrong for Zenrada no matter the strength of the wolves. The deadly fangs of the Vampires would be very furious.

Darren could already see his people suffering another bout of loss should the vampires decide to attack.

As he silently begged the raging wolf inside him to stay still and ignore the calling of the shining moon to shift into its true self, he wondered if Zaramanni had been found.

While he strongly doubted that the half-fairy poisoned the Overlord, King Darren suspected that her powers were the reason she was missing from the manor. She was nowhere to be found. It was as if she suddenly ceased to exist.

Darren just silently wished that she wouldn’t get stuck in whatever realm she had disappeared to.

Some realms have been rumoured to be more vicious. Despite her growing powers, Zaramanni would be merely a small rat in such places.

“Alpha Darren,” it was Lord Elias. Shirtless and covered in sweat, he adjusted the massive belt around his waist that held both his gun and sword in place. He ran toward the King who turned to face the room which was reeking of more sorrow as seconds passed. Then, the old librarian, after relaxing his heaving chest a bit, took a look at the body on the ground. “By the goddess... It is true,” he whispered.

His hands clasped behind him, Alpha Darren watched Lord Elias approach the lifeless body of the Overlord. Lord Elias pulled the sheet off the Overlord’s face and the king stole another look.

“Judging by the discolouration of his lips which is gradually spreading to his entire face, I am certain that he was poisoned.”

“Zaramanni is the suspect. Her hair strand was found in this room,” Alpha Darren said while Lord Elias placed his fingers at certain areas of the dead body, trying to determine certain things.

“Is Zaramanni the only one in this Kingdom with that kind of hair?”

“She is the only one in the entire Crown-Blood Pack with that kind of hair.”

“Alpha Darren...” The man-wolf lifted his eyes and glared at his king. “Do you think Zaramanni is the suspect?”

“Of course not. But, that’s what they will believe if they find out the details of this murder.”

“What if it wasn’t murder?”

“Are you saying that we should lie to our people and the people of Skullis? Do you know how terrible the outcome can be if we take that route?”

Lord Elias got up and signaled to one of the men to cover the Overlord. After he took a few steps away, he cleared his throat and stared at the moon. At this point, rhythmic beats from the traditional drum sets began to fill the atmosphere. That was an indication that the party was about to begin.

“I am not saying that we should lie. Let us consider the possibility that Overlord Zamar did this to himself.”

Darren almost scoffed. Then, he asked, “And, do you think that might be true? We are talking about Overlord Zamar, the leader of Skullis. People like him don’t die easily.”

Lord Elias sighed as he gently tilted his head to the side. “It is just a consideration. Anyway, I think I might be able to decipher who did this.”

“Really? How?” Alpha Darren felt hope in his veins when he heard the man’s response.

“Should I send word to Sham? I will need his help to figure this out. I have a feeling that our enemies are with us. I think our enemies are our own people.”

King Darren could not help but feel that there was something more to that utterance. But, he didn’t pursue the statement. Nodding his head, he said, “Sham is presently dealing with the investigation of the recent murder but I can send word to him. I am sure he can delegate his duties to a trusted wolf.”

“What recent murder?” Lord Elias quickly turned, a scowl on his face.

“Oh, you didn’t hear.” Alpha Darren took a step closer to the man to avoid the few men in the room from figuring out his approaching responses. “An omega wolf was found brutally murdered in the royal pantry.”

“Who do you think did it?” Lord Elias didn’t mind their proximity. He made his eyes connect with Alpha’s in a strong and awkward way.

“My wolf,” the King responded, not bothering to sugarcoat his words. “I have a strong feeling that it did it. And, I am scared it will get worse now that the moon is fully back.”

The man-wolf glanced at the King’s chest. With a tiny frown on his forehead, he asked, “Is it bothering you right now?”

“Yes. But I can ignore it... for now.”

With haste, Lord Elias said, “We should get you close to Zaramanni. Her touch will tame your wolf for a…”

“She is nowhere to be found. She disappeared.”

“Shit.” His frown became deeper. Scanning the room with his eyes that communicated his bothered mind, Lord Elias asked, “Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? Today doesn’t feel ominous. The moon is back yet something like this is happening to us. Is the goddess in her right mind?”

“Lord Elias, it is not right to badmouth the goddess.”

“What? Was she there when we called for her help? She only fully involves herself in mating issues. She might as well establish a matchmaking organization and leave other duties to capable gods. What good is the presence of the goddess if she can’t protect us to some extent?”

Alpha Darren had known Lord Elias for a long time. The old librarian was one of the high-ranking guards during his father’s long reign. And, despite the little troubles faced by Zenrada at the time, Lord Elias never lifted his voice to curse at the ones who were invisible yet fully involved in the universe.

It was indeed strange to hear the he-wolf utter such words.

Not willing to allow the man to bring some curse upon his head, Alpha Darren said, “Well, we have to figure out what to do and…”

The door at the entrance made a loud noise. Heavy pants filled the room and Beta Zoey stood at the entrance, his face wearing his anger boldly.

“I...” His legs walked into the room as his ferociousness grew. “I cannot find Zaramanni.” His voice was scary and demanding. “You two...” Zoey shot his gaze at the King and Lord Elias. “... you know something I don’t. Before I turn everything here into a huge mess, you have to tell me.” His neck made cracking noises as he stood straighter. It seemed he had just shifted from his wolf form. “You have to tell me about Zaramanni. That thing I don’t know, I must hear it.”

While Beta Zoey shook with anger and desperation, Alpha Darren and Lord Elias shared a look and they knew that they had to say something. Anything.

Beta Zoey could indeed ruin the entire room. He always becomes a beast when harm comes upon something or someone he cares about.

~

Zaramanni groaned lightly because of the light cramp in her back. As she stretched her body, her eyes fluttered and the instant realization that she was not on her bed hit her.

Running her hands through her hair, a burning feeling scorched her skin while she grudgingly sat up.

Once her blurred sight was cleared, a huge thump enveloped her heart.

Quickly, she leaped to her feet and scanned her eyes through the unexpected sight she was staring at. Lips slightly apart, her ears caught the noises that trailed a busy city. Car horns, thousands of feet walking to their destination, thousands speaking in loud or hush voices... These sounds emerged and disturbed Zara’s ears immediately.

Then, her eyes darted toward the McDonald’s sign she had seen.

There was no doubt about it, she was back on Earth.

She tried to walk but her bare feet screamed in pain. The sun’s rays were not merciful as well. They scorched every part of that area and the barely neat grounds were not left out.

Shielding her eyes from the sun, Zara made her eyes travel past the many high-rise buildings that surrounded her and that was when she heard a whistle from behind.

“Hmm, looking good. That backside is so... Oh my God! It is an alien!” The guy who initially spoke with delight screamed when Zara turned to face him.

As he found refuge behind the people he was with, one of them said almost excitedly, “Don’t be silly! She’s probably an albino.” The woman that spoke wore a large corseted gown and Zara wondered if they were coming from a themed party.

The men she was with were dressed as if they came from the 18th century. Since they spoke modern English Zara was certain she had not time traveled.

“An albino? She doesn’t even look human. She looks like she came out of a fantasy world.” The sacred man certainly had a response to give despite his frightened steps which were still cowering behind his friends.

“She is pretty though. We can get some money if we sell her to the adult market. Men would definitely want to sleep with a woman like her. It would be the ultimate fulfillment of their fantasies,” the woman said, her wide eyes Zaramanni who was now looking around for a way to escape.

She had no idea where she would be going, but she needed to get away from the people who were openly scheming ways to use her as an object for sexual pleasure.

Then, her eyes caught a small space between two buildings that were a few distances ahead. She hoped it would lead to another area where she could peacefully think about the bizarre thing she was experiencing.

Well, one thing was certain, her powers were the reason she was back on Earth. But, she felt so strange. She wanted to go back badly. Perhaps that was because she couldn’t stop thinking about Zoey and how devastated he must be.

So, while the people that openly discussed a potential source of business argued about their issues, Zaramanni walked away quietly and approached that small space.

Her lips tugged into a smile when she saw that it led to another street.

Soon, she began to walk past the arraign of bicycles that filled that alley. She looked ahead and she could closely see a billboard advertising the body lotion she used while on Earth.

She was about to figure out her exact location when she felt a push from behind. She turned to face that direction and the bright day became night and loud drum beats filled her ears.

Zaramanni had experienced something like that before but she was still baffled at how bizarre it was.

One second, she was here. The next, she was somewhere else.

Choosing not to dwell on the complexities of her life, Zaramanni faced her front and when she saw the huge building in front of her, her heart lept.

It was the manor.

A few distances from her, a lot of people were gathered, dancing freely to the melodious beats coming from the loud drums. That sight brought a smile to her lips. And when she looked up at the bright moon that had blessed Zenrada with its brightness, Zara felt a burden leave her chest and her smile grew bigger.

Without wasting a second, she rushed past the large entrance of the manor. She followed the guidance of The Red Thread that was visible thanks to the moon’s rays and she allowed it to lead her to her mate.

She wanted to hug Zoey so badly at that moment. Only then would her heart be at ease. Only then would she be certain that she had nothing to fear.

As she ran past the corridors, Zaramanni realized how things had changed. Weeks ago, she was desperate to go back to where she came from. But, when she got a chance to get home, though brief and confusing, she felt desperate to come back to Zenrada. To come back to Zoey.

Soon, her hasty legs came to a halt. Not so far from her was a man whose back faced her. She saw that the end of the thread was connected to this figure and her heart jumped for joy.

“Zoey!” she called.

She was so close to jumping onto him when she saw who the person was.

The man who turned to face her was not Zoey, it was King Darren.

With a deep frown on her face, she looked down at her finger. Then, at the Alpha King’s finger. There was no mistake, their threads were connected.

Then, she heard another man call her name. When she turned to her right, Zoey was approaching her.

While the confusion within her grew, she looked at her pinkie finger and to her surprise, the single thread had suddenly split into two.

One part was connected to Zoey who looked relieved to see her and the other was linked to King Darren who watched her closely with a blank look on his face as his long hair felt the gentle breeze that filled the atmosphere.