Chapter 8: A PLAN UNFOLDS

ZARA POV

“How is he, is he still breathing” the healer asks Maddie as Ren is being rushed into her tent

“He's barely breathing,”

“Rush quickly, go to the inner chamber, get me the diamond leaf and the silver stem with the oak tree's root. Be fast while I hold him up”, I heard the Pack healer instruct her servant.

Who knows what Ren must have gone through in the hands of Loren? I could see Kael and Emily at the other side of the healer's tent, awfully discussing in a manner that looked suspicious. Kael's eyes met with mine and he gave a blunt smile, more like a fake smile.

It was just too hard for me to understand, a few days ago, Kael was telling me to leave the pack, and all of a sudden, he's pleading with me to stay, and now the Visionary said she saw something about me, and she needed to tell me, and Kael. What could it be?

‘They seem to be close’ I said to myself as I watched Emily gradually making her way to my side, ‘maybe she is his mate’

“I heard you..” Emily said, waving to me, oh fuck she could read minds; she heard me.

Almost reaching my side, Emily raised her hands on my shoulders “I am not his mate, maybe you are”, she said with a mix of seriousness and jokes on her face.

“That's not possible”, I muttered, “it's barely a week since I came to the pack, it not enough time to know that yet”

“How long is enough time?” she cuts in, staring for answers.

The question got to me, there's no time range for love, one might fall in love with someone at first sight while others might stay together for a long before realizing their love, while others might fall in love but aren't supposed mates

“Hey Emily, it's okay, you won. Can we change the conversation, please? I said, already overwhelmed with the thought of Kael being my mate; I quickly waved it off… Besides, you read the mind, not the future,” I pointed to her, making me more relieved by the thought.

“Haha, Zaara girl” she chuckles “yh I don't read the future but, I can read the minds of those who read the future”...” Isn't that enough..?” she laughs,

“Do you mind?” she said, beckoning me to follow her. “Let's go check up on Ren now the healer is done,” she said, gradually making her way to Ren's tent.

“I will be right behind you”

Is she saying that she had read the mind of the Visionary, Miera!?, definitely not. Let me assume she's just playing around; besides, she probably just wants me to get used to her. Oh let me go see Ren.

“You seem to be healing slower, oh I see; the cut is really deep,” Maddie says to Ren as she gradually scrutinizes his wounds along with other pack members in there; they all seem to love Ren “Don't worry, that son of a bitch would pay for everything.” Maddie braggs, trying to comfort Ren.

I was meticulously paying attention to Ren's reaction, and there was something off about the way he responded as if he was aware he would be kidnapped and then later returned by Loren. I tried to wave it off but it was just too obvious to me. I closed it off my thoughts since someone might be reading my thoughts.

As if approaching an Enemy, Kael barged into the tent bringing along him total silence in the tent.

“Everybody leave us!” His voice echoed with authority and power. Something was wrong, “What's it, Kael, why these reactions!? I mustered a little courage to ask.

“I said leave us!!” his voice echoed again leaving a chill of fear in the atmosphere.

Everybody was long gone, and I was the last to leave; I hung around the corner of the tent to see if I could filter something off from their conversation, but here comes Emily, the thought reader; I have to guard my thoughts. She's always distracting me when I'm close to discovering something; what is she up to this time?

“Come, Zara, let's go do some training”

“Oh, training, yeah, that's true,” I answered, deeply searching my heart for an effective excuse to pull her off. “Erhm, how about we do it later in the…”

“No, no…no”, she cuts in, “no more procrastination,” she says, stylishly pulling me away from Ren's tent, just the moment Kael has started speaking.

“Sorry for the injuries Ren, so how did it go?”

“Did you get to see my….” Kael's voice fades off as Emily pulls me farther away.

‘How did it go?’ was that what I heard? How did what go? Was Kael aware of Ren's kidnap, of course not; why would he intentionally allow Ren to be kidnapped? What, then, did he mean?

‘Did you get to see my’? Kael's words echoed in me. The game is not clear to me but I know that something fishy is going on.

---

KAEL'S POV

“Yes, I did; I saw your father, the king; I also saw your Mate, Deborah,” Ren answered me in pain.

Oh, Deborah, our memories together just rushed through my mind. Deborah has been my fated mate, and we've always been together until the council deceived my father into banishing me.

“But” Ren pauses as if not wanting to say it out.

“But what?” I asked furiously, “What is it, Ren?” my voice sounding more authoritative, anticipating his next words.

“Loren has taken over Deborah,” he says slowly, barely audibly.

“What” I fumed, then he continued..

“And your father, the king is old,” he says in a faint tone “I'm afraid sooner or later Loren would be crowned the king”

“That's impossible” I groaned, “that son of a bitch I call a brother has taken everything from me.”

“It's his mother,” Ren cuts in. “She's the mastermind behind everything; she is the Christophe behind his actions; while in the cave, I overheard their conversation when she…” Ren continues

Ren's words pierced through me like a double-edged sword, slicing through my whole being, the thought of Loren being mated to my mate, Deborah, Is something I won't tolerate, and soon he would be the king of the whole Eastern Coast. The most powerful of all Regions.

Now, it's obvious to me that it is the Luna that is behind all this. I bet she could have probably been behind my mom's banishment, too. How could a stepmom be this cruel? She's already the Luna what else did she want?

“… so that he would become the king as soon as possible,” Ren said.

Oh, she wants her child to be the king.

I stood up and looked at Ren with a straight and bold face. I wanted him to understand the intensity of what I was about to tell him.

“Since they asked for it, this is the perfect time to give it to them,” I said, putting Ren unease

“This is what I am going to do. Ren, you must not tell anyone, especially Zara, about my mate. She would be a great tool to exploit in this forthcoming war.”

Ren was confused but kept quiet.

“I have planned it with Miera and Emily, Miera would claim the gods have Fated Zara as my mate and she would be my wife, and Emily would always be with her to tell her good things about my thoughts for her, and how I love her, she would also help her to control her powers so as not to use it against us when we are done with Loren, I would know what to do with her”

“I can't afford to lose her now, not when I'm yet to acquire my kingdom; she came at the perfect time, and she would serve the purpose she came for before I dispose of her.”

I could see bitterness on Ren's face. He was not happy with my plan, but I was not ready to give him an option, “erhm. Don't you think, keeping secrets from her might make her not trust you, It might be difficult for me to do” Ren says, stammering in fear while carefully selecting the words to use

“I am not asking you to, I am commanding you” I spat in rage, with my eyes piercing into his timid eyes,

“If you want to remain in this pack, you must do as I say;

if you want to survive, you must abide by my rule,” I said with a tone of finality, giving him no option.