Chapter 4

Author's Note: ¡Hola a todos! Aquí está el capítulo 4. Espero que os guste este capítulo. Hi everyone! Here's chapter 4! I hope you like this chapter. I'm sorry for being so late, but I did take my time to enjoy writing this. I'll be regularly updating this story starting this week. Thank you for supporting me!

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LEON ADLER

Holding on to the necklace Ethan has kept for me, I pray to the Goddess that she takes care of my mate while I'm not by his side. To ask such a huge favor sounds stupid, considering how bad I treated Ethan when he was here. I acted like he was nothing, like he didn't exist in my life, and in this pack. But if I could go back to the past, I would gladly do so. I didn't know Ethan is carrying so much weight on his shoulder, and it bothers me so much that I didn't offer any help.

Cloud – the Great Alpha, and Nigel – the mate of the Guardian of the Werewolves, are still in the pack, discussing the ties between the two packs. Dad wouldn't pass the opportunity; it has been his long-time dream to have this alliance with the most powerful pack, and to be under the Great Alpha's watch.

Some would say that the Great Alpha has incredible strength, and anyone who would dare to fight him would be a death sentence. And on top of that, his pack has been blessed with the Great Beta, and the Guardian of the Werewolves, and powerful mates such as Nigel. The Great Alpha's mate is also powerful, as what I've heard. On top of that, the Great Beta's mate is also Guardian of the Werewolves in the past life.

Blue Sky Pack is truly blessed by the Goddess.

The pack warriors and I are going to leave by dawn tomorrow to look for my mate who has ran away from me and his home. If the Goddess wills it, I would bring him back home with me, and I'm going to accept him wholeheartedly like I should have done a long time ago.

"Alphas," Shao, the leader of the pack warrior, greets the two Alphas, bowing his head in respect. "We've got a message from Los Lobos Pack. The Alpha said there has been numerous sightings of the hunters, and there was from our pack who handled them. It appears that the goal of the werewolf who took out these hunters had a clear goal."

"How did Alpha James know that it was from our pack?"

"Alpha James said they have a video, as they've been installing CCTV around their territory, and even outside." Shao explains, nodding at his comrade. His comrade nods, and then hands out a USB. "I have yet to see the video, but according to Alpha James, the person was wearing a traditional Hakama dress, a male clothing in Japan worn typically by male, with an insignia of the pack's logo on the back."

Shao hands out the USB to my dad. We follow our dad to his office, then inserts the USB to the DVD player. He turns on the television, and selects the video. The video starts playing, and at first, there isn't something weird going on. Humans pass by, but they don't appear to be a regular human. They carry out weapons, which we are familiar of. A gun loaded with silver bullets designed to kill werewolves.

"It's him," Nigel says, watching the video with such interest. My heart beats.

The Hakama-dressed werewolf appears in the video. His Hakama is black, and on the back, the logo of the Crescent Pack – our pack – is sewn carefully, showing every detail. It's a half-moon with a wolf's head as an overlay. There's a gray ribbon wrapped neatly around his waist, securing the grey pants. The haori is a bit long, and it covers his arms. He turns around, and my heart stops as Ethan looks at the camera.

Gunshots are heard, and Ethan effortlessly blocks it by moving graciously. The Hunters start attacking him. Ethan never really attacks them head on, but as they attempt to touch him, the petty humans would just fall on the ground. His Hakama moves together with him as if they are in sync, dancing as he battles the Hunters. His eyes are at a different color, his canines showing, and his fingers are on point and deadly.

Ethan is in semi-wolf transformation, which is quite to maintain but he does it with ease. There's only a certain period where anyone can do the semi-wolf transformation. It's the form where you're still human, but your wolf senses are heightened. You're basically blocking the transformation, and it's quite exhausting as you retain this form.

"Where is this?" I ask Shao.

"This is in Silver Water, 16 miles from here. Ethan hasn't gotten that far." He tells everyone, and my dad immediately asks Shao to prepare the warriors, and looks at me expectedly. I nod my head. "I will ready the pack warriors, Alpha. In your signal, we will move and bring Ethan back home."

"Leon, could you still see the strings?" Nigel asks me.

I look at the faint red strings connecting me to Ethan. It looks like it's ready to disappear, and that terrifies me. Does it mean that if I don't see the strings anymore, our ties are severely damaged? I don't know, and I don't want to know. I nod my head.

"It appears that Ethan is looking for some answers," Nigel says as everyone looks at him, wanting to hear what he has to say. "There are questions in his mind that aren't clear to him, and somehow, he's going back to his roots. From what I've seen in my vision, the battle between the two Goddesses happened somewhere in Japan, but I don't know exactly where. When werewolves were just created, they built shrines across United States to pay tributes to the Goddess but no one really has seen these shrines. Perhaps he's trying to understand what he really is, who he really is. It appears he has already discovered one, considering that he's wearing the Hakama."

"Nigel, you said Ethan is a direct descendant of the Goddess," Cloud begins as he looks at his pack member with expectant look. "And he's somehow connected to you, would you be able to watch out for Ethan and locate these shrines?"

"I have no idea, Cloud." Nigel responds, and my heart immediately sinks. "I just knew this the instant I saw him wearing the Hakama dress. But I do have a feeling that he's about to go north. But I'll see to it if I could find more. I bet I could get in touch with him, or hopefully, Ethan."

"Alpha, the pack warriors are ready." Shao comes back, saluting.

"As what the Luna said, this is your task, son." Dad looks at me with proud eyes, and I nod at him, emotions coursing through me. "What is your command? This is your army, your pack warriors, lead them wisely."

"We leave in five minutes," I tell Shao, nodding at my dad and the Great Alpha.

"Very well. Bring your mate back, and we will aid him to find answers."

In five minutes, I'm more than ready to leave the Crescent Pack so I can search for my mate. Everyone wishes me luck as I pass them, even the newly trained warriors who I parried with, that I trained with really hard. I touch my chest where my heart lies, then lift my hand up in the sky, fingers spread open. They do the same thing.

It's a traditional good-bye for our pack that means "find your freedom". Shao waits for my command, and the pack warriors – a dozen – line up behind me. I look at each one of them, letting them know that their action to aid me is greatly appreciated. They have a proud look on their faces, and now only do I realize that they really look up to me as their leader, their soon-to-be Alpha.

The Silver Water is just 20 minutes away from here. I've been there twice. The territory belongs to Los Lobos Pack, and that pack is one of the packs that relies more on modern technology. We have an alliance with them, and Alpha James decided that we could use some modern technology to help watch the perimeter of our territory, which has been so helpful.

As we transform to our wolf form, everyone watches us and they give a loud cheer. My mother, the Luna, wraps a small bag around my neck, the knot a bit tight. It contains a few disposable clothes, as it would seem my journey would be quite long. Hopefully, it doesn't take a long time for me to find my mate. With the help of the strings in front of me, it'd be much easier to track him down. All I need to do is follow it. My mother smooths my fur, and plants a kiss on the side of my neck before breaking into a smile. I nudge her with my nose, and she laughs, then she motions towards the forest in front of me. I look at the pack warriors, who are already done shifting, and we run towards the jungle.

Keeping my eyes on the strings while trying to focus on the way is quite hard, but as I run forward along with my pack warriors, and with Ethan inside my head, it feels like I could do this all day without getting tired.

My paws land on the ground with a loud thud, and beneath my paws I can feel the earth's murky ground. The wind brushes past my fur, and I let my wolf – Apollo – take over. This is one of his rights, to pursue his mate. But I took that opportunity away from my wolf. I let out a howl, letting the wolves in the perimeter that I'm on the hunt, and they howl back.

I wish I could have been a better person when Ethan was still in the pack. Maybe he wouldn't feel left out, and he would have sought our help. Maybe he would have given me those smiles he shared with the kids when he was playing with them. There's a lot of maybes inside my head that I can't seem to get out of my head.

We've been running for 15 minutes, but we haven't sighted any humans that have been singlehandedly by Ethan. Alpha James said the brawl happened near Mac's lake. It's just a few minutes away from here, but I don't see bodies yet. In the video, it appeared that Ethan didn't kill them; he just put them to sleep. Also, the attack is near Los Lobos Pack. I wonder if they have many more information about that. Because if the Hunters are building camps near our territories without us noticing, then we're in deep trouble. And why was Ethan fighting them? Did he accidentally come across them? Shao said it looked Ethan had a clear goal. What could possibly be his goal, besides finding who he really is?

The red strings in front of me become clearer, and I smile, a hope sparking in my heart as I know Ethan's near. I can practically feel him around, and I wonder if he feels I'm near, or again, if he could he see the strings connecting the both of us.

As we walk towards Mac's lake, we notice several bodies come into view. They are still breathing, as their chest rise up and down; they just look like they are sleeping. I move forward, never stopping. Guns are strewn everywhere, but they are already broken. It also appears that the cartridges have been emptied. I smile, finding it so smart of my mate to take their weapons that could harm us. But at the same time, I'm quite worried. If he isn't careful, those silver bullets could do serious damage even just by touching it.

If it were other werewolves, these humans would have been dead. If I was the one they were dealing issues with, my hands would have been bloodied already. I would have probably carried a severed head and throw it to enemies' direction so they would know who they are messing with.

I stare at the pile of human bodies, and for a moment, I think of killing them. These are the persons that have been killing my kind since God knows how long. But I would respect the wishes of my mate; he let them be alive for a reason. But if it was my way, I would surely not let any breathing hunter leave this place. The pack warriors and I transform back into our human form.

The strings become clearer and clearer as each time passes by, and when I look up, there he is, my mate. He hasn't noticed us yet, and it's kind of confusing because normally when your mate is around, you would immediately notice him. Ethan looks up, and his eyes widen. Our eyes meet, and Ethan drops whatever he's holding.

"Ethan..." I call out his name. It feels weird to say his name. Has it been really a long time since I uttered his name out of my mouth? I take a step forward, and he takes a step back.

Ethan disconnects his eyes from mine, and looks anywhere, possibly looking for an escape. He's now in his human form, still wearing that Hakama dress. He looks confused and scared. My wolf whines when I don't feel any connection to him, but the red strings are still there.

This honestly scares me.

I have no idea what's happening. My head aches from thinking what could possibly be wrong. I don't feel any connection with Ethan, but somehow, I know he is my mate. Has Ethan done something wrong to severe our connection besides leaving? Nigel said that he's a powerful werewolf – he has talents, and I wonder if he could remove mate bonds completely. It terrifies me.

"You shouldn't be here, Leon." He tells me as he takes another step back, shaking his head as if he wants to believe I'm not in front of him. "Go back. You shouldn't be here in this area. There are hunters."

"Ethan, I came here for you." I say to him, and Ethan looks up at me with teary eyes. "Ethan, I know. You're my mate. I know you're my mate since I was a kid. Come back home. Everyone is waiting for you."

A tear slips his eyes, and he shakes his head again. "It's too late, Leon." He runs a hand across his face. My mate looks tired from battling these ingrates, and I want to be there to comfort him. I want to know what he's going through in his head right now. And I want him to be in my arms. "I had to leave. I bring danger, and I would hurt all the people around me. I don't want that to happen. You must leave. You must leave me alone."

"Ethan, are you fucking out of your mind? You're my mate!"

"Please."

"I will not leave you here. If I have to take you by force, I will"

"You're not making this easier for me, Leon. You – Leon!"

Ethan runs as fast as possible towards me, and once I'm within reach, he pushes me out of the way. I look behind me, and there are hunters carrying guns with silver bullets. My mate groans in pain, blood pouring out of his arm as he takes deep breaths. Shao and the pack warriors begin to transform into werewolves, attacking the hunters. The hunters move swiftly, but they are no match to a strength of a werewolf unless we have the bane in our system. I growl at the hunters, and immediately transform into a wolf. I let my canines extend further, glaring daggers at the hunters in front of me.

What I'm feeling is beyond explanation – I'm beyond pissed. No one dares to hurt my mate, even if it's just a human. I launch on the humans, gaining momentum as my paws hit the murky ground. I want to let out my ravenous side, but I don't want my mate to see me as a monster. He wouldn't think that, would he?

It takes a couple of minutes before we can defeat these hunters. They are surprisingly strong, and they know how werewolves move and attack. So it takes a change of tactic before we could defeat them completely. I turn around, and my mate is not there anymore where I left him, but there are trails of blood leading further into the woods.

I pick up the bag my mother has given me, and start running towards the direction where the trails of blood lead me. The strings are quite faded again, and it surprises me how fast he moves. Then as soon as we turn left, the woods suddenly close. Vines rapidly grow out of nowhere, and the trees feel like they are bringing each other closer, forming a barricade. I don't know if it's my head playing tricks on me, and I look at the pack warriors for confirmation if they are seeing what I'm seeing, and Shao's reaction tells me that this is all true.

"Leon, what is our next move?" Shao asks me.

"We have to go after him as soon as possible," I'm panicking here. The silver bullet must be removed from Ethan's system, and the bullet might carry some poison that could kill him if left untreated. "The silver bullet could kill him. We have to prepare the medic back home so they could treat my mate right away, Shao."

"Yes, Leon." Shao salutes me. "Roger and Daniel, please go back to the Crescent Pack and ensure that the medic will be ready as soon as possible. Take Cory with you. He only has a grazed, but that bullet could have something deadly in it. He needs to be inspected immediately." The two warriors nod at him. "As for the others, you follow me, and we will follow Leon."

Somehow, I can feel myself weakening and this time, I can feel how my mate is suffering from his injuries. I shake my head, my vision becoming a bit blurred. "Ethan..."