The Alpha's Mystical Mate

Chapter 6 : Crimson Pack

Alpha Denis was standing outside the door, so he barely heard their discussion over the old duffle bag. Laurel tightly held the bag strap and walked outside.

When she passed by Max, she whispered a thank you to him. Max made an almost inaudible hum in response.

The duffle bag was her only luggage, so it was kept with her in the backseat. No one waved at her when the car started. She sat in the car, looking at the house where she had lived all her life.

Her father was not here on such a day. He probably didn't care where she was being sent.

From this day on, Laurel would have a new life. She had little hope for what life had in store for her. All Laurel asked for was for it to be enough for her to live. She didn't want to die.

Crimson Moon Pack was about three hours by road, more or less depending on road conditions and how good of a driver was in charge of the wheel.

Laurel was not a talker, nor was the driver. For three hours, Laurel had no problem staring out of the window. It was her first time going somewhere far.

Whatever traveling she had done in her life was always within the borders of the pack. They had wilderness in some parts of the pack, but it was not nearly as impressive as the stretch of forests in between the large cities they passed through.

"Can I open the window?" She asked the driver.

The driver hummed, "Sure."

The AC was turned off, and the window was opened on her side. Due to the speed of the car on the relatively empty road, the air slapped her face and blew Laurel's hair all over the place. She quickly used an elastic to tie it all in place.

Suddenly, the ride became all the more interesting. Instead of just seeing everything through a glass window, she was able to feel the harsh wind, smell the freshness of forests, and smell the scents that were exclusive to cities.

Time passed extremely fast from there, and before Laurel knew it, they were going to enter the infamous Crimson Moon Pack.

As soon as she saw the board saying the name of the pack, her back straightened, and she quit hanging her head out of the window.

It was the fear of the unknown creeping up her back so badly that it made it difficult to take a breath.

She was all alone in an unknown place, in the care (?) of an unknown person whom she had heard some questionable things about. It was bound to be nerve-wracking.

Laurel's old phone was broken long ago, and she hadn't been provided with a new one since then, as she was at home all the time.

Hence, she wasn't even able to look for information on the said pack and Alpha. Laurel knew absolutely nothing about the Alpha except for him being called a beast; the source was also questionable as it came from Ashley.

The driver seemed to be a little nervous as well. The speed of the car was under the speed limit, and he drove extra carefully ever since they encountered the board for Crimson Moon Pack.

Laurel saw that his back was also straighter than it was during the past three hours.

"Are we there?" She asked timidly, lowkey, hoping he'd say no.

"Almost. Can't you feel it?" The driver asked in a small voice.

"Feel what?" Saying that, she tried to feel something, but nothing really came to mind.

The driver took a deep breath and said, "The air feels heavier. This is the air that dominates the crimson moon pack. The environment is completely different from the Silver Moon Pack.

Laurel didn't feel it.

She lowered her eyes and tried to feel it consciously, but there was still nothing. Maybe her wolf had gone numb to such sensations after being overstimulated?

She still nodded. "Yes, it does."

Her abnormality was only her's to know. It didn't have to be explained to everyone.

The crimson moon pack was evidently larger and better than the silver moon. It went through early development, and the culture was also refined. The difference between the two packs could be seen as soon as they reached the border of the crimson moon pack.

The entire pack had only two entrances, according to the driver. They came to the main entrance in the south of the pack, where soldiers were stationed to check the vehicles and visitors who wished to enter the pack.

A soldier went to talk to the driver, and another one came over to Laurel's side.

"Your ID?"

Laurel opened her bag and handed over her identity card with both hands. The soldier scanned the card and handed it back to her.

By now, the driver's ID was also checked, and he was not asked anything because Laurel heard him say that he was just a driver hired to send her over. The guard naturally did not interrogate any further.

"An invitation, letter, or anything else?" He asked sternly.

Laurel shook her head and said, "Nothing."

"Your purpose for visiting?"

"Um, Alpha Denis of Silver Moon Pack has sent us to visit the Alpha of Crimson Moon."

It took a considerable amount of courage for Laurel to say it. She was a timid person by nature. It was built over the years due to the harsh treatment she received, and it was not easy to elevate.

In front of the soldier, she was naturally scared. She said the first thing that came to mind. She couldn't say that she was here to marry the Alpha, right?

The soldier paused for a second and nodded. "Alright."

The car passed security and successfully entered the Crimson Moon Pack. The driver let out a shaky breath and gave Laurel a smile through the rear view mirror.

"That was not as bad as I thought. We passed surprisingly fast."

Laurel gave an unenthusiastic smile. She had other things on her mind that didn't allow her to smile. For example, what was she going to say when facing the Alpha?

At the entrance, the soldiers took their place again, and the one who spoke to Laurel shook out of his daze. His eyes found focus again, and he saw his partner shaking his shoulders.

"What?" He snapped and pushed his hands away.

His partner pointed his thumb at the car that zoomed past them.

"What was that about? Did you check their documents properly?"

The soldier nodded, unsure if he did. "I did."

"That was fast. What were they here for? We don't get that many visitors, so it's interesting to see new people."

"Just...." The soldier rubbed his temples as he tried to recall, "I think it was to attend some event."

His partner knocked him on the head and asked, "Are you having memory loss? You just interrogated them?! What are you acting like this for?! Or did you not do the job properly?"

"Ugh! Quit it! I did! It was just a girl in her teenage years! I'm here to visit someone. Don't be so serious now."

Although he brushed it off, the soldier sat in a corner, thinking back to the time he spoke to that girl.

He spoke with confidence to his partner, but now he was not too sure when he realized he couldn't remember much of their conversation, nor could he recall her face properly.

As the car crossed the boundries and entered the Crimson Moon Pack, Laurel was painfully aware of the stark truth of her life.

As much as she knew and understood, it still hit like a truck now that she was already here.

She was rejected and sent over to an unknown place all by herself. If that was not enough to drown in self-consciousness and anxiety-ridden sweat, then nothing could.

As they drew closer to the destination, Laurel hugged her body and wondered what Alpha Denis was thinking when he agreed to send her to the Alpha of the Crimson pack.

Who would want someone who had a broken heart and a broken body?

No one had the time to heal others.

Laurel didn't know what she would do if the Alpha felt disgust upon seeing her. What if he throws her out of the pack? Where could she possibly go?

Perhaps because Laurel never had a moment of positivity in life, her mind couldn't comprehend any good upcoming situations for her.

The mind creates what it knows.

Laurel only knew bad things. So it was not surprising that she was assuming the worst.

The driver drove extra carefully once they entered the pack. The wide streets and people on the sidewalks had a similar yet different feeling from Silver Moon.

The people in Crimson Moon had a different air around them. Laurel could feel it from far away.

The Crimson Pack was also bigger. It was not fair to compare the two packs in every aspect. The Crimson Pack was undoubtedly superior in every aspect.