Chapter 4: Sacrifices of the Heart - A Wolf's Bittersweet Choice

"This is not happening!" Alpha Jasper barks at his son, Cameron.

Cameron quickly pulls himself out of the hug, glaring weirdly at Sera.

"Get away from me, infidel. I'll reject you!" Cameron reacts, as others ponder.

Mane whispers into Sera's ears, "let him reject you. I want you." But Sera brushes his lips away from her ears.

"Do you want to reject Sera Moonshade as your mate? I stand in the position of a Beta to say this." Mane declares. Everyone directs their attention to him.

Alpha Jasper shrugs, instinctively telling Cameron to reject.

Mane looks at Sera, then at Cameron, at Jasper then at anyone else, every now and then.

"Your choice, what's your choice!" Alpha Regulus screams.

"You're not involved in this." Mane states, making Sera smile.

"Alright, I can take my leave." He retorts, and he's allowed out of the haven. No one calls him back. Logan glares at Sera, and shakes his head.

"Stupid man." Sera whispers silently to him before he is out of sight.

Cameron sniffles before he comes up with a speech, "I know our pack houses are not at peace with each other. The moon goddess has done this to…"

"Don't tell me - to unite us?" Jasper rebukes as Ralph chuckles softly, "I never wanted you into our lives."

"Let's not start this!" Sera silences them. "I wanna go somewhere, I'd be back. Give me feedback."

"You're not allowed to go anywhere, Miss Sera." The lady vampire blocks her way, smirking.

Mane sharply drags the lady vampire from the way as Sera runs out of the haven. She returns in a jiffy, whispering, "I'm not running from this, I'll be back."

Then she runs faster than ever before Mane can even catch up. She wobbles into one of the unused rooms in a restaurant opposite the Moonlit Haven.

There, a greater being appears to her through the walls. She gasps but stays at same corner, being certain it is someone she is related to.

"It's me. Don't be scared. Sera, I'm stuck here. Please help me." The Ghost pleads.

"How come I can see you?" Sera boldly asks, still shivering though.

"Because only you can help me." He whispers in return. She didn't think he would reply her - which makes her heart thumps faster.

Sera sighs, "Alright, but you have to help me first."

"What's it, my lady? I'll do anything to get out of here." The stranger replies.

"Help me ask the moon goddess who really is my mate." Sera whispers. "I don't want to choose a mate based on my wish only, because I'm going to be great."

"Sera Moonshade, you've been mated to your enemy pack!" He screams as he vanishes out of sight, like though he's being sent back to hell.

Sera shudders, finding her way out of the room and back to the haven. As she walks out of the restaurant, the manager beckons to her to come.

"I-I'm Sera." She answers an unasked question.

"Go."

She scoots over to the haven and she's surprised to see Alpha Ralph and Alpha Jasper signing some documents and offering themselves handshakes and sidehugs.

"What's happening here?" Sera suddenly asks. Everyone's attention is diverted to where she is.

"Come up here, Sera Moonshade." Ralph beckons, and winks at her. She confidently walks up to him, scanning the haven since she notices someone's absence.

"Where's Mane?"

"He ran away from here in a sad mood." Jasper retorts. "Don't worry, we'll find him."

Cameron smiles as she approaches him but instead, she rolls her eyes.

"I have to look for Mane, please." She says, surprising everyone.

"He saved me. I need him. He can't be out there alone, he would someday be torn apart by vampires." She grumbles, remembering what happened to her mom and dad.

"My pack will do that work." Ralph moves towards her, patting her shoulders.

"Just follow Cameron and Jasper to their pack." Ralph says. "The moon goddess appeared to us while you were away, and settled our midst. Since you're from our pack and you have to be given to his son, we had to sign a peace treaty."

Sera sinks in her thoughts - could it have been the moon goddess who has appeared to her twice now?

"It looks more like a ghost." Her wolf corrects.

A single tap from Ralph brings her back.

"I never imagined that you could be this vulnerable. You and a pack house have conflict issues and yet you resolved it because I'm mated to his son? It definitely must have been a little issue." Sera rebukes.

"It's not, Sera." Ralph retorts. "Mane is even angry for two reasons - first, you were given to his enemy pack, and second, you didn't come for him when he had started having feelings for you."

Sera chuckles slightly, "feelings?"

Alpha Ralph nods his head while others keep discussing silently - Silent and incoherent voices.

"I like it that way. But can you give me a few details about what happened between both of you?" Sera questions.

"It's not a matter to discuss in a few minutes."

"I asked for a few details, not full story."

"Okay. We fought and killed one another."

"What led to the fight?"

"We're returning to the pack, Sera." Cameron breaks the silent conversation.

"Oh…okay." Sera says, and pulls Ralph in for a hug. "I'll love to see you again. When you see Mane, let me know."

"And if you have any weird experience with what's not a wolf or vampire, let me know." Ralph replies.

"Would I come to your pack to say that, or send you a mail?" She chuckles.

"Mind link." Ralph whispers and leaves the haven as Sera is left with Jasper and Cameron with their Security Guards.

"Cameron has accepted you to be his mate, and you'd be the upcoming Luna for the Crescent Ember Pack!" Jasper joyfully says as Sera forces a smile.

"Can your pack do me a favor?" Sera asks.

"Sure, sure."

"Help me find Mane."

Silence.

"Let's go to the pack, we'll do that." Cameron quietly affirms. He leads the way to the pack, and Sera follows them in.

"I would like to discuss with my new mate." Cameron tells Jasper inside the official room now.

"Sera, come up here please." He requests.

As they open the door of the room, they bump into Mane and Freya.

"Nice try." Cameron smirks.

"Mane for my mate and Freya for someone else's mate." He analyzes.

"I'm not here to argue a point. Just leave me with my mate." Mane furiously requests as Sera lays her head on Cameron's shoulders.

"Sera, what did I tell you about this pack?" Mane asks again, his voice breaking.

"Oh, cry baby, don't shed a tear." Cameron mocks.

"I thought you're aware that we signed a peace treaty already." Sera speaks.

"Peace treaty? Who, when?" Mane is confused.

"Cameron, give a minute. Let me speak with Mane." Sera says and leaves his presence, with Mane.

There's a loud but unclear argument going on between Cameron and Freya as Sera leaves.

"Mane, what you doing? Did you save me to have me?" Sera questions, wanting to be cold-hearted.

"Sera, I told you not to come to the battlefield, yet you came. I told you not…" Mane analyses.

"...to come to the party." Sera completes.

She sighs, "I'm well aware. And I'm sorry I had to disobey you but it's for my benefit. You can plead with your real mate since you rejected her a month ago. Just go back to her. I found my mate already."

"Do you like him?" Mane asks, looking into her eyes. Sera avoids looking into his eyes - to avoid being emotional and choosing a wrong path.

"Not really, but I definitely will." She says.

"Can you see?"

"Yes!" Sera affirms. "I can see that I'll be great!"

"Damn!" Mane says with a breaking voice. "You belong to our pack house, Sera. Why a sudden switch?"

"I only was in your pack house for a few weeks. I've not been there for half a year or a year. This is my mate. Mane, do you not understand? Fine, I know it's hard to let go and I know you helped me. I'll repay you, but not with being your mate."

"You just said your mind. Fine. You took the actions you prefer to take. I don't want any benefit from you if you'd be his mate. I'll take actions I prefer to take as well." He says and without looking back, runs out of the pack house.

Sera permits a single tear to flow down her cheeks. She turns to look back and her head hits a hard object - it's Cameron's Chest. He cleans the tear and leads her to the field.

"What happened to Freya?" She plainly asks.

"I should be asking what happened to Mane."

"Tell me first, what happened to Freya?" She asks as something weird rushes past her immediately, something that looks like a warning. She smirks, concluding that it can only be from Mane.

"I had to lock her up since she wouldn't control herself." Cameron says.

"That's wicked though." Sera comments.

Cameron smirks, "as much as leaving Mane is wicked."

"I think we both should stop being wicked and go back to who we love." Sera stares.

"I'll mark you as my mate in a few days to come. Do you know how effective the mark is, the mate bond? It makes love grow even stronger."

"Ugh, fine then."

"The Alpha has made preparations for our wedding ceremony."

"That quick?" Sera chuckles softly.

"The Alpha should have quitted being an Alpha. I'm next to be the Alpha. I don't want the unwanted to happen, so we have to be quick as possible."

"The unwanted?" Sera asks.

"You'll understand better, later."

And he walks away.

"Hey come here." Sera runs to meet him and blocks his way, holding his hands.

"When exactly are we getting mated?" She feigns a lighter feminine voice.

"In the next two days." Cameron affirms. Sera looks back at once and sights the red eyes of an angry wolf. It disappears within a jiffy, leaving Sera in shock.

"Did anything bad happen?" Cameron asks, making her panic more. Is this Logan? Can they not paraphrase the question?

"Nope." She says, walking away.

"You will be indoors till the day of our wedding, to ensure a better security method. Okay?" Cameron snaps and Sera walks into the room. Cameron follows her and locks the door.

| MANE |

As soon as he storms out of the pack house, he has a rethink - should he return to his pack? No, he'd be mad at them for signing a peace treaty with their enemy pack without informing him. He rather darts into the forest, where rogues emerge.

He fights the rogue he is able to, and escape from others. He runs deeper into the forest until an overwhelming presence stops him from moving suddenly.

It is his first time of coming in close contact with different beings - demons, vampires, wild wolves and an ethereal being.

With no stress, they draw him to themselves as he lands to the ground with a loud thud.

"You should know you're dead. But you have an option." The vampire snarls, instructing him.

"We'll inject you with demon blood and that's the only way to break the chains at the gate of a strong pack house." The vampire resumes saying.

"We need you for our work."

"Where exactly?" Mane struggles to say, as tension is about to end his life.

"Spend a day with us and we'll explain everything to you." The vampire orders.

| BACK AT CRESCENT EMBER PACK - A DAY AFTER |

Mane starts to walk suspiciously around Crescent Ember Pack as he has been injected with demon blood and each of his moves are being noticed by them.

The guards at the pack grab him immediately, and lead him into the pack house - it's almost 11PM, the night that precedes the Alpha's son's wedding.

According to the Alpha's orders, they take him to the Pack Cell and lock him with chains too strong for a wolf to break.