"Nefret." I look up from my book to find Phoebe standing by the door of my room. I keep my book away and nod at her in acknowledgement.

"I want to talk to you." She says grimly.

"Go on. You're already doing that."

"Stay in your limit, Nefret," Phoebe says. A dangerous amount of power radiating off her body. I can sense her wolf on the surface. Her eyes are dark and it didn't take me long to realize what she's talking about.

"What do you meant, Phoebe?"

"I am the Alpha, and you're below me. So stay there." She growls stepping forward. I look her dead into the eyes which are now two black abysses.

"I'll try." I feel Vesta speak on my behalf. She looks guttural and ready to attack. I compose myself for a possible attack.

"Look, Nefret. I am leaving you this time but if you repeat it again then remember that I have the power to banish you from the pack. I won't think twice to do it. You're trouble for this pack and I won't hesitate to eliminate you on your slightest mistake." By the time she finishes speaking, Vesta is fighting for control. She wants to show her what we're capable of. She may be an Alpha by title but she's forgetting that I have Alpha blood running in my veins as well. I am as powerful as her... or even more.

"Was that a threat?"

"Yes."

"Great."

Without another word, she turns on her heels and leaves my room. I see Archander leaning by the door, looking at me.

"You don't belong here." He says, his eyes studying me pensively.

"Neither do you."

Time flew by.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months and slowly, months turned into years.

I am twenty-three now, traveling around the world, forging allies and influencing the relationships between the packs diplomatically. Archander follows me like a shadow. Watching, advising and helping me.

I am surprised to have lived so long. As each day passes, I feel more and more distant from this mortal world. There's this loneliness that follows me where ever I go. It scares me sometimes but I am used to it. The subject of my nightmares has changed from Arles to a nagging voice telling me that 'I stole fire and I'll be punished for it.' But it's not like Arles has left my nightmares totally. He appears sometimes, his hooded figure pushing me off the cliff or throwing balls of black fire at me.

Sometimes I swear I could feel him looking at me from the shadows. Five years have passed since I completed my first task. He never came back with the third one and I couldn't be more grateful for that.

As I step inside the border of my pack, my head instantly shoots up to see the only flowering tree on this snowy land. The white flowers are shedding their petals signaling that it's the Calentha Ceremony. It's a ceremony performed by the people of my pack to thank goddess Ishtar for blessing them with mates.

I don't have one so I try to avoid being in the pack whenever the ceremony takes place. But this time I couldn't avoid it because first, I am done with work early and second, the annual Alpha meet is going to be held in our pack this year, which means that I have to be present here and help with the preparations.

I sigh deeply, embracing myself for the new wounds that I am about to get. I have been away for a week as I was visiting some packs in the south for some diplomatic issues. I wish if I stayed there a little longer.

I enter my house and find my family gathered in the living room.

"Look, Nefret's here," Grace says pulling everyone's attention to me. I greet them before heading upstairs. Archander follows me closely as I enter my room.

I sigh at the sight of a bouquet of red roses resting on my bed.

It happens every year.

Someone leaves flowers for me every year on the Calentha Ceremony. I tried to know who it is but I failed every time. I asked Archander multiple times if he knew about the flowers but he denies having any knowledge about the matter.

I step forward and take the roses. They're fresh and beautiful. I take them out of the bouquet and place them in the vase on my dressing table.

"I want to know who sends them," I mutter under my breath while studying them.

"You'll know soon," Archander says behind me.

~

I can't help but look away seeing the happy couples gathering around a huge bonfire. I try to stay as far from the couples as possible. I am sitting away from everyone, in the shadows of the trees along with Archander. Both of us are silent as we see the couples perform the ceremony.

"I want to disappear," I mutter under my breath while playing with the snow. It's hurting my eyes to see them. It's hurting me. I don't want to be here. The strings of attachment to my pack are thinning out every passing year. Now, it's at the verge to break. I feel suffocated here. I feel like I don't belong here.

"Well..." Archander trails off. His eyes are fixed in the distance as he drowns deeper into his thoughts.

"Since you're my Guardian Angel, you would know how long I am going to live, don't you?" I mutter under my breath before looking around. Everyone is busy with the ceremony to even acknowledge me.

"You'll live long your highness." He speaks silently, still lost in his own thoughts.

"Well, I don't want to anymore."

~

"Have you checked everything? Phoebe inquires as I enter her office. Finally, it's the Annual Alpha meet. Alphas from all over the world will be visiting our pack for a brief meeting where they'll be discussing the problems faced by their packs and try to come up with solutions and vision for a better future in the werewolf world.

"Twice," I say while placing the files on her desk. She nods at me before taking the files and looking at them.

"Beta Seth is not in the pack. You'll be present at the meeting instead of him." Phoebe says while looking at some papers.

"Sure," I say before we head towards the conference room where the meeting is going to be held. Phoebe steps inside first, followed by me. I take a seat beside her before the meeting starts.

The meeting starts with Alphas introducing themselves. I recognize the Alpha who tried to flirt with me on the day when I took over the post of pack representative. By his looks and demeanor I can tell that he has found his mate and now he's marked and mated. This prickles my chest but I let it go.

As soon as the introductions are finished, we move to the problems faced by the majority of the packs.

"Alpha Harris, your border patrol has been trespassing the lands of Alpha Paxton's pack. Do you have any explanation for that?" One of the Council members asks who is the Chairman or speaker of the meeting. Alpha Harries, who's the Alpha of one of the southern packs which I visited recently, stays silent while others frown at him.

"Also, there are allegations that you have increased the shelling around your border. Is there any way you're trying to sneak the rogues in Alpha Paxton's pack under the deafening noise of those missiles, Alpha Harris?" The Speaker further adds. This makes the Alpha growl out loud.

"He's occupying my land!" Alpha Harris growls pointing to another Alpha sitting nearby. I recognize him as Alpha Paxton from his nearby pack.

"That land is mine!" Alpha Paxton growls at Alpha Harris and the Speaker tries to settle them down. The dispute of land between their packs is very old. Many bloody wars have taken place between those packs for that piece of land. I was recently sent to Alpha Harris' pack to inquire about the situation. It's pretty messed up and complicated.

"Respected Alpha Paxton, if you may then can I know the coordinates of the piece of land that is being mentioned here?" I ask gently before standing up. Everyone's attention in the room is bought to me.

"Yes, of course." As Alpha Paxton recites the coordinates, I stand up and step in front of the large map at the end of the room and mark the mentioned coordinates.

"If I am correct, then this is the piece of land that you're fighting for, right?" I say circling that place.

"Yes." Both of the Alphas say in unison.

"Okay. Here's the thing. Here's the history of this piece of land. It used to belong to a pack named Kalinda whose Alpha was Alpha Ho. Alpha Ho was defeated by Alpha Bentick in a war, who happens to be Grandfather of Alpha Paxton-"

"And that's why that land is mine!" Alpha Paxton growls out loud. His growl is followed by a thundering growl from Alpha Harris.

"Please, let me finish," I say, claiming their attention.

"Even though Alpha Bentick defeated Alpha Ho, he didn't claim his land." My words cause a huge stir in the house. Alpha Paxton is glaring at me along with his allies.

"EVERYONE!" I shout, claiming everyone's attention back. "I am not done yet, there's more."

"Even though Alpha Bentick didn't claim the land, he welcomed Alpha Ho's pack's members who continued residing on Alpha Ho's lands." As I explain everyone listens with pin drop silence in the room.

"This caused a complication. Even though the land didn't belong to Alpha Bentick, his pack members were residing on it. It's in the CODE book that any unclaimed land belongs to the Council. But here's one more complicacy..." I trail off as I turn back at the map and continue, "River Lo, which originates from the hills in Alpha Harris' pack was de-routed in 1999 to flow through this unclaimed territory, dividing it in one- fourth. This was done to avoid floods in the low region area of Alpha Harris' pack." Several gasps and oo's are heard throughout the room.

"So, the three fourth of the land is occupied by Alpha Paxton because his pack members live on it and the remaining one-fourth of the land is occupied by Alpha Harris because River Lo joins it with his remaining territory. Now the question is who the rightful owner of the whole land is?" The room is dead silent as I turn around and look at everyone.

"The answer is..." I trail off while looking at Alpha Harris and Alpha Paxton, "No one." As soon as I say those words, the whole room bursts off into loud chatter. There's a lot of commotion around the room. Alpha Harris and Alpha Paxton are glaring holes into me. They're one step away from lunging at me and wiping my existence away.

"But!" The whole room falls silent again as everyone's attention is bought to me again.

"Since River Lo is one of the busiest commercial routes for trade, that one-fourth part of the land is very vital for Alpha Harris or his economy would collapse. And also, Alpha Paxton's pack is densely populated. He needs the three-fourth part of the land to accommodate his pack members. In short, both are guilty of occupying Alpha Ho's unclaimed land but they have their justified reasons to do so."

I look at the Speaker who's looking at me pensively. His eyes are filled with understanding and I could already see the wheels spinning in his head. The Head of the Council looks deep in thought too, so as Alpha Paxton and Harris.

"Alpha Paxton, you want to keep the three fourth of the land to accommodate your pack members, right?" He nods at me.

"And Alpha Harris, you want to keep the one-fourth of the land to maintain your economy?"

"Exactly."

"Then I prefer you request the council members to divide the land accordingly and grant it to you after you sign a treaty that you won't bother each or other packs regarding this matter in future." Both of them nod in unison and everyone start clapping and appreciating me.

The Head of the Council members smiles at me before standing up and addressing the whole room on the matter.

After the meeting is finished, many Alphas meet me personally and appreciate my work and wish me luck. It's a surprise for me and everyone that I have solved an ancient problem that has been causing so many wars in just mere minutes. Some even request me to train their diplomats but I shoot down the offer politely because I cannot imagine myself as a teacher.

Finally, the speaker and the Head of the council members come to talk to me.

"Sometimes, I wonder why Alpha Andrew didn't make you the Alpha instead." The Head of the Council member speaks and that's when I feel Phoebe step beside me, joining the conversation.

Shit.