Meeting Alpha Reuben

"Who am I speaking to?" Number 28 asks as she takes slow steps towards where he stood.

Smiling, "It is I, Chan." He says, eyes on her as she approached.

"And Sarton?"

He chuckles, "In check."

She nods. "Again, am sorry about the other day."

Shaking his head, "It wasn't you." He says pulling her closer to himself, then he breathes in deeply.

She looks up at him, "What?" She questions, her eyes running all over his face.

"Your smell -

"Again!" She exclaims more like a question.

"It's getting stronger, as if you are going into heat or -

"Wolfing ?" Number 28 asks.

He nods, eyes still on her.

"But no one else can perceive it, not even Number 39 who is always next to me."

"Maybe Sarton is calling her out." He smiles, "That means she's in there, and Sarton senses her. He must have been reaching out to her every time we spent time together." He smiles more, "That means you have a Wolf, Ianna, and from the way she stir Sarton, she will be a powerful one. I will not be surprised if you wolf by this full moon." He says placing his forehead on hers. "I love you, Ianna." He says.

She nods, "I know."

"Do you love me?" He asks looking at her in the eye.

Number 28 gulps. "I -

"Shhh!" He hushed her, placing his right index on her lips. She looks up at him, wondering why he was stopping her words.

"Tell me on the night of the full moon." He says with a big smile.

"What?" She questions.

He wraps his hands around her waist and pulls her closer to himself, his new favorite way of holding her close. "I am going to introduce you to my father and mother the day of the full moon."

"What!" It was an exclamation this time.

"Yes, Ianna. My mother is so eager to meet you, and in two days, I will introduce you to her."

"The day of the full moon?"

Nodding, "The day of the full moon, Ianna, and that night, it will be our first full moon together." He pulls her even closer. "And if you wolf out, I and Sarton will be there to guide you through the entire process, okay?"

Slowly, she nods, "Okay."

He pulls her head down and places it on his chest. "And after that, everyone will know you are mine." He kisses the top of her hair. "Shall we go for a run?"

"Me and you?" Number 28 asks.

"Would you prefer Sarton then?" He asks with a raised eyebrow, a mocking smile on his lips.

She chuckles. "Perhaps."

And from behind a tree, a figure turns around and walks away after watching them for a while now.

*

"But why ?" Number 28 asks as they headed for the guest quarter where the Alpha of the West-East Mountain and his people were said to be residing.

Number 39 shrugs. "How exactly would I know what the controllers think or plan? Maybe they have less hands to clean there -

"We have more than fifty slaves, 29, there's no way everyone of them is busy or occupied. Plus, when has a Doulo ever been allowed anywhere near the guest quarters talk more of cleaning the quarters. We scrub the dirtiest of places, mop, wash, and do everything no human being should be made to do. Yet for some reason, we have been chosen to do something actually honorable today."

Smiling more, "Maybe it is our lucky day. Or perhaps we are climbing the ladder, I mean," she shrugs, "We have been nothing but loyal and faithful, and obedient. Or perhaps whosoever you are seeing is cutting us some slack. I do not know him yet, but I do know he can't be just a regular man or Doulo, so don't even bother lying about him. Maybe he's the one having them assign us to good places. Is there a chance it's his doing?" She asks turning to look at Number 28.

Number 28 looks down. Could it really have been Chan? Was he the one having them assign her to good places to serve? Number 28 made a mental note to ask him when they meet later in the evening. But they never met that evening. She had waited hours for him there, but he never came. Number 28 had shrugged as she got up to leave, maybe he was very busy he could not slip away. It was a day to the full moon after all, and as the Alpha Prince, he will be pretty busy. So smiling at that thought, she left.

*

"You two did not happen to see any jewelries while cleaning the quarters yesterday, did you?" A Controller asks them, his eyes raking the two of them.

Number 39 shakes her head, "No, we did not. Besides, that was not the room we cleaned, we were assigned the room opposite that one."

"And you didn't see any jewelries ?" The Controller asks.

"No!" Both ladies answer.

"I hope not, I mean, none of you would be that foolish right?" He says, his eyes narrowing. "Those jewelries belong to our guest, and not just any guest, but the Daughter of the West-East Alpha, our future Luna by the goddess. And she says the jewelries was given to her by her late mother, a family heirloom."

"We know nothing about it." Number 28 says this time.

"If you say so." He says. "Regardless, the entire Doulos and Slave apartment will be searched, the searchers are on their way already, and I can only pity whosoever had been foolish enough to lay hands on those jewelries." Sighing, he begins to walk away.

Number 39 turns to face Number 28. "Do you think a Doulo would have taken it?"

Number 28 sighs, "I wouldn't know, 39, I just wish he or she never did such. Now everyone will be suspicious of one another until the thief is finally found. Did you get any message from Jacob? Are they coming back anytime soon?"

Sighing, "I would not be sighing every second if I have heard from him, would I? I am obviously going to be spending tonight's full moon with you in the basement."

Number 28 begins to walk away, "And who told you I will be spending this full moon in the basement tonight?" She says more like a question, trying her best to stifle a smile.

Rushing after her, Number 39 stands in front of her, blocking her from moving any further. "You'll be outside? Under the full moon?"

Smiling, "I think I might wolf out today, 39." She says eyes on Number 39.

Number 39 gasps, then she immediately begins to sniff Number 28. "I knew you have been smelling weird."

Her eyes widens a fraction. "You can smell it too?" Number 28 asks.

"Faintly, but I can't really tell if it's your wolf or just you. You think your wolf has finally mature?"

Number 28 nods smiling.

Smiling back from behind her veil. "That would be great news, 28. But ... am not sure you should be outside unless we are sure you will wolf out. What if you don't, but you're outside? You could end up -

"I won't be alone, someone will be there with me." Number 28 says, trying her best to hide her smile.

Her eyes suddenly widening in understanding. "Oh!" She exclaims, smiling even brighter. She moves closer and pulls Number 28 into a hug. "I am happy for you, 28. Is he the one, or just someone you fancy?"She asks pulling away from the hug.

Smiling, "He's the one." She says.

Number 39 nods, "At last, all the delays are coming to an end."

"At last, 39." Number 28 says smiling as Number 39 pulls her into another hug.

*

He could have sworn he had seen her standing just here next to the pillars few minutes ago, but now that he was here, she was nowhere here, although he could still smell her. She was here, she had been here, or maybe she was still - a hand grabs his and pulls him into a hallway, and all it took was Sarton's stirring for him to know who it was even before he turns around to see her. But when he finally did turn around and looks at her, in no way had he been expecting the female he saw standing there.

His eyes widens as he stares at the one in front of her. A female, dressed in a fitting jean and what could almost be called a tank top, with sapphire blue eyes staring back at him. Ianna. His Ianna. Only today, she looked nothing like a Doulo, not even a slave, she looked everything like a desirable woman any man would want and desire to have. "Ianna?" He calls more like a question, as if to confirm if she really was the one.

Number 28 looks down, her cheeks turning flush. She wish she even had a peek of how she looked before Number 39 had push her out of their sleeping quarters. The moment Number 39 had learnt she will be meeting her mate this evening, Number 39 had dragged her back their sleeping quarters and begin to dree her up in clothes she used to own before she was made a Doulo. Now as she stood with the Alpha Prince staring at her with emotions she could not quite explain, Number 28 believes the ground will open and swallow her up.

He chuckles, not quite still believing his eyes. Somehow, his chuckle got her looking back up at him. "What happened?" He asks for lost of the right words to actually say.

Eyes on him, she shrugs. "You said we were meeting the Alpha and Luna." Number 28 says.

"And?" He asks taking slow steps towards her.

"Somehow Number 39 heard I will be meeting you and your parents today, so she dragged me to our sleeping quarters and did this without my consent." She looks up at him. "Do I look so terrible?"

He bats his eyes at her words. "What! Terrible?" He finally gets to her and holds her by both hands. "Ianna I mean ... you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, you look amazing!"

She smiles, slowly. "Thank you. It's bad enough that I am a Doulo, I wouldn't want to appear so shabbily in front of your parents and -

Chan leans forward, almost claiming her lips in a kiss, but he stops. "Later." He says, still hovering over her lips. "Later tonight, I will finally do this." He says placing his forehead against hers and shaking it. He grabs her right hand, "Now come let's go meet my parents." He says beginning to walk away with her away from the hallway.

"Do you think they'll like me?" She asks as they went.

"Mother will absolutely adore you."

"I have always heard about her, but I have never met her." Number 28 says.

"She is more beautiful than they claim. And father, well... we will see."

~

Chan felt something was wrong the moment her stepped into the quarters with Ianna beside him, but he couldn't quite tell what could be wrong. The atmosphere felt different, as if something was waiting to happen, something bad. Even Sarton stirred inside him, and not even because Ianna was walking beside them, no, it was due to something else. This atmosphere had been different an hour ago when he had left here to go get Ianna. But, ignoring the feeling in his gut, he continued with her until he got to the door leading to his father's office.

"Open the door." He commands the one at the door, his grip on Ianna tightening.

As commanded, he opens the door and bows to the Alpha Prince as he walks in with the woman behind him.

Looking ahead of him, he finds his father seated on his seat, with his mother standing next to him, her hands on his shoulder to show her support as always. "Father, Mother." He calls as he continues to walk his hands still on holding on to Ianna. Finally, he stops just a few inch away from the Alpha's table. Smiling, he pulls unto Ianna for her to step forward and stand next to him. She did. "Father, Mother, I would like to introduce you to someone." His smile deepens. "Her name is -

"You may come in." Alpha Reuben says, more like calls out in a deep voice.

Confused, Chan stirs at his father, his eyes moving to his mother who shakes her head slightly as if to signal something to him. He was still trying to decipher what his mother was trying to tell him when the door to an adjoining room opens, and in walked Isabella, followed by two guards dragging in a bloody female Doulo.

Ianna had her head bowed all this time, probably from habit as a Doulo. But the moment she had heard the Alpha utter that four words, she had looked up. And when a door by her right opened and someone walked in from there, she looks up just in time to see two guards drag in Number 39. "39!" She calls her eyes widened as she rushes over to where Number 39 has been pushed to her knees and hands.

"She recognizes her, impressive, then that makes my job much more simple here." Isabella says folding her hands across her chest.

Eyes on his parents. "What's going on here, Father, Mother?" Alpha Prince Chan asks his eyes resting on his mother.

"Isabella -

"Apparently, your Doulo is guilty of stealing from Isabella." The Alpha says.

Number 28 looks up from where she knelt next to Number 39. Shaking her head, "Number 39 would never steal from anyone." Number 28 says looking up at the Alpha.

"Maybe, but she is not the one guilty of stealing from a free born, you are." The Alpha states, as he glares at the Doulo who had walked in with his son. "And we all know the single judgement for stealing anything, is death!"