—HIM—
I don't have a mate. I cannot have a mate. I am the Lonely God. I rule alone and I prefer it this way. I am a King without a Queen. This is one of the traits that set me apart from other wolves.
It's one of the days when I wander around the earth. I don't have anything to do in particular and nowhere to rush to. I am an immortal. Time doesn't bother me much.
I continue to walk and come across the white flowering trees — the one that produces flowers in this snowy land. They stand tall, providing and guarding the pack that I visit quite often. River Red, owned by this particular silver—headed Alpha.
I can choose when I want to be seen and where I want to be seen, that's one of the powers I have.
My feet halt at the front of a big house. By its size and lavishness, I know that it's the Alpha's house. I near one of the several windows that line the house and look inside.
Three girls, not older than ten are playing inside. Two are silver blond while the third one has black hair. They are deep into a seemingly important discussion. The black haired girl is holding a rose in her hand which is levitated high up in the air while one of the silver blonds is trying to take it from her.
Her blue eyes glimmer with mischief and her face has an innocent glow to it, the black haired girl. She stands on her toes, making it hard for the silver blond to get the rose. I know she is a troublemaker when the sides of her lips curl up slightly as the silver blond bursts into tears.
Suddenly, her blue eyes are looking directly into my silver ones. Instantly curiosity lights up her face and for a moment, she forgets the sobbing blond. I step back from the window when she approaches the front door of the house right next to the window I was peeking in.
Without my whim, my legs turn on their heels and soon, I am heading towards the edge of the forest. The front door of the house clicks open behind me and I feel her gaze on me. I continue walking, feeling her following me. Her tiny feet somehow manage to keep pace with my big ones as they leave footprints on the flawless blanket of snow.
When I reach the edge of the forest, I had to turn around to face her because this compelling force in me couldn't let me walk away without seeing her. I look down at her blue eyes simmering with innocence as she stares up at me with curiosity.
"Are you Arles?" She asks eagerly. Her voice is woven with softness and playfulness.
"Yes," I answer as I wonder how she is able to see me when others can't. As moments pass, we continue to stare at each other. I try to read her mind to know what she is thinking but my spell is not working on her.
It confuses me for a moment. Who is this child? Why my spells are not working on her? I tilt my head and study her from head to toe before kneeling before her small figure, leveling with her.
"Who are you?" I ask while looking closer into her huge blue eyes. The longer I look into them, more compelling they get.
"A mortal," She answers and for a moment, I am taken back. She looks close to four years old and manages to know the difference between a mortal and an immortal?
"What are you thinking?" I find myself asking, tilting my head at a side. This child is different. There's this aura to her presence that could call the attention of the whole universe. She could attract anyone towards her like a magnet.
"Do you have a mate?" She asks and I am yet again surprised at the knowledge of this child. She looks very young to know about mates but maybe she doesn't really know what mates mean. Feeling the gaping hole in my chest, I answer, "No."
She steps forward before handing me the rose. I look at the rose and thence to her. She grins widely, showing off her baby teeth.
"I want to be your mate." She says playfully, taking me by surprise. I wonder if she really knows what a mate means. She turns around and traces her footsteps on the snow back to her house while I am kneeled on the snow, wishing for a mate I'd never have...
Tips:
1. In this book, HYBRID term is used to refer to those wolves who have one of the elemental powers like fire, water, air etc. Some say that hybrid wolves are the cursed wolves and some say that it's a gift from the moon—goddess. If you find multiple explanations of being a Hybrid wolf then don't fret, multiple folks have their multiple versions.
2. THIS ONE IS IMPORTNAT> In this book, the Moon Goddess doesn't pair mates. The paring of mates is done by ISHTAR, Sumerian and Babylonian goddess of love and fertility. She had a habit of attracting lovers and then killing or maiming them.
