~Aurora~

　　The night before the preparations had begun, I decided to contact Emeric and let him know what was going on. I knew I could trust him; he is not an overly ambitious beast who would want to snatch away the guarded, most procedure possession known to enhance vitality of werewolves.

　　I paced around the room gently, waiting for him to pick up my call. There have been three rings so far. He must be busy with the festivities, as he said he would be. I sighed in defeat. Maybe…this is a subtle sign from the universe that I shouldn't tell him what is going on—

　　My phone's ringtone blared through the silence of my room. I almost jumped at the sound, Maia calmed me down immediately. She encouraged me to pick up the call as swiftly as possible. I might miss out on the opportunity to talk to him or something.

　　"Hey! I'm sorry, I've been busy with planning and everything. Tell me."

　　"Yes…so…I decided to search for our pack's artifact, Emeric. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing anymore. I've already put the orders out, they have been preparing for a moment now." He was listening to my rant in silence. I assumed that he must be at his study at the moment.

　　"Emeric, I can't seem to shake off this feeling of…uneasiness. I don't know why, but my chest never felt so tight when I briefed the plan to Torin and a few other special spies of our pack. Please tell me if I'm doing the right thing, Emeric…"

　　"I can't truly say if you're doing the right thing, my love. If your gut is telling you something, you ought to hear it. But sometimes, even I ignore the feeling of my gut. It's alright. Just be careful, for your plan may backfire or something. Always be ready with a back up plan." His Encouraging words brought such peace to my heart. I sighed heavily,

　　"But…there is a feeling that I cannot shake off as well." My eyebrows crushed into each other when he said that. I'm curious now.

　　"Can you tell me what it is?" I asked the man softly.

　　"Aurora, this might come off as offensive, but be prepared and on your toes, always. It's almost always better to be safe than sorry.

　　And the feeling that I've been having…

　　I suspect that the culprit for your parents' death might be someone from your pack. Just be wary of everyone else."

　　"Wait…really? Emeric, how were you able to connect the dots better than me? I always had a doubt that the presence of the artifact and the mystery behind my parents' accident was connected."

　　"That discussion is for later, Aurora. Just be safe out there, when you are leaving to fetch the artifact. I've been hearing rumors of increased black magic activity around the area you've told me. I can't forgive anyone else and myself if something happens to you. Alright?"

　　His words melted me as I quickly relaxed into the phone. My shoulders slumped back down, having been up and tensed throughout our conversation.

　　"I love you, Emeric."

　　"I love you too, my love. Good night."

　　Greeting him back softly, I cut the call with him.

　　After the call, I couldn't stop thinking about what he's just said. I have to be wary of the ones I discussed my plans with. But the only ones who I have discussed about the exact location of the artifact was with Beta Torin.

　　He's always had my trust. And since recent times, for the past few days, he's been nothing but a caring and doting uncle figure for me. He had finally sinked into the role of an adult role model for me. Someone that I can rely upon, no matter what.

　　I didn't let more thoughts haunt me anymore through the night. I needed a good sleep for me to function well tomorrow. It is going to be a very long journey by road towards the location. I was thrilled, I was scared, I was anxious.

　　Out of all other things, I was mainly trying to be humble and think of ways to use the artifact on myself. Its powers are for me to decide. I am the alpha of the Darkforest pack! It is my duty to protect and prevent my people from potential harm.

　　Well, as the sun rose from the east the next morning, I was up and awake. My feet and hands were tingling with nervousness and excitement, both. I know, it's a bit peculiar, but it is what it is.

　　"Everything is ready, Alpha Aurora." The guard Captain of our pack had approached me and informed me. I nodded curtly. He had a black gear, bulletproof vest within which gave him a puffed look. I asked for a vest for myself as well. I could use it when needed, when I get down at the scene.

　　"Get two healers with us, just in case." I said.

　　'The elders are approaching, Aurora.' Of course…

　　Turning around, I faced the elders who each had a look of concern, of different intensities.

　　"You've just come back home. Do you need to go on this expedition to find our pack's artifact, Aurora?"

　　"How do you know that your intuition is right? What fuels your thought that the artifact is linked to your parents' death?"

　　Two questions came back to back, as I stared at them for a moment, "Elders, as soon as I acquire the powers of the artifact, understand what its power grants the user, I will dig through the matter. It is a hunch, but what if my guess is true?"

　　The elders remained quiet after that. A hand on my shoulder made me look at the man over my shoulder,

　　"It's time to leave, Aurora."

　　It was Beta Torin. The sun hadn't come up completely yet. My pack members have gathered all kinds of equipment needed for everything necessary, and anything sudden.

　　And then, we left the scene to travel for more than twelve hours south…