Immortal Desire

As gratitude to La Quinta Jewels and Entertainment Agency employees, Erasmus del Fierro throws an extravagant masquerade year-end party annually. After a decade of running his self-made billionaire business, this is the first time he will be attending the party to meet his employees. Close to the event's end, the party organizer announced that there would be a surprise game. The participants need to be blindfolded, and they have to find their partner as soon as the lights turn off. Unlike many parties with this kind of game where everybody participates, there was a raffle draw. The employees on the dance floor will be called randomly from their ticket numbers. During the game, Erasmus accidentally touched Verna’s hand among the crowd of employees. From that night, he can’t forget about her. The woman is a guest of one of her employees. He knows all of his employees though only a few of them know him personally. Her scent, he is sure she’s one of his kind—the feeling when he already met his mate. Erasmus del Fierro, known as Fierro, is the CEO of La Quinta. He built the company from his modeling and acting career since he was fourteen. Fierro successfully ventured into producing elegant jewelry collections and flourished in the entertainment industry business, where he grew his connections to run his research facility. Bernice Cruz Guideville, known as Verna Quintana, Italy’s top model and heiress of Silas Guideville, wanted to try a career away from the country where she grew up. Bernice was given the stage name Verna Quintana after La Quinta because of her exquisite beauty. She becomes La Quinta Jewel's face after being scouted by Raquel “Raque” Santillan in Milan, Italy. Verna grew up in Italy with her adopted mother, her mother’s sister, Magdalene, and her husband, Ephraim Silas Guideville. They moved to Italy as a family with Ephraim's son, Dimitri, after the war between humans, vampires, and wolves fifteen years ago. Verna can vividly remember what happened that night when she became an orphan. She can’t forget how her parents saved her life. Her father fought with a vampire, and her mother fought with her fellow humans, trying to protect her. The night of the blood moon where the moon's shadow reveals the chosen one was the night when her parents decided to leave Senadosa. The last Luna of the Quinta, the chosen one, will have a red crescent moon marked on her nape that will only be visible during the blood moon or lunar eclipse. Verna’s mother, a shaman, foreseen her daughter's future. Afraid of the catastrophe that is about to happen. She sends out a message to the alpha wolf of her premonitions. The vampires are coming, and they are after Bernice. They wanted to kill the chosen one. No one knows from Quinta's pack that their Alpha, Elfego Quintana, has a daughter with their shaman Emmeline Cruz. A Quinta alpha is forbidden to love anyone other than his mate. But, Elfego fell in love with a human and had other than their Luna, Camillia. The calm before the storm. It was dark. The surrounding is unbelievably quiet even the crickets can’t be heard. Little Verna listened to a scream from afar. She just arrived from spending the whole day with Era and their friends playing in the woods. Verna hurriedly scampered to their small shack when she heard her mother's voice. Verna can vividly remember how her mother screamed at her to save her life. For the first time in her life, her mother yelled at her. But when she saw the dagger on her mother’s chest, she knew something was wrong. Her mother pulled the knife out of her chest and rushed to her. She stabbed the man forcefully, saving her from the knife he held that was about to slit her neck. Verna’s mother's skin turned pale white, and her eyes slowly shut down. Emmeline screamed to Verna with the last of her breath, “Bernice, go, run, run, far away!” Emmeline yelled. “But mother, why are you telling me to run away? I will not leave you here,” Bernice stubbornly replied. “Please, I will sacrifice the last bit of my power to keep you alive. You have a mission to save the Quinta’s. You are the last heir of the Quintana’s. The chosen one, you must protect and defend your kind. You can only do that if you keep yourself alive.” “Mother, I don’t understand,” Bernice said. Elfego arrived just in time before Emmeline died. “Father, you’re here. Mother has been telling me creepy things. She’s telling me a prophecy the same as werewolf stories.” “Emmeline, we must leave. They’re here.” “Elfego, I can’t. Please, take our daughter far away from here.” “Bernice, baby, no matter what happened, you must not forget what I told you. If your father doesn't make it, you have to run to the woods and hide in the place I told you. My sister Magdalene will come to rescue you. You must go with her. Far away from here. In time, you will go back to the pack where you belong. You must claim your throne. Remember, you must not give up the power that belongs to you. You are born to protect and save your pack,” Emmeline breathlessly said to Bernice. “Emmeline, we must hurry!” Elfego screamed. It was too late for Emmeline to come with them. She was stabbed with a poisoned dagger a few hours ago before Bernice found her. It was already too late the poison rapidly spread throughout her body. “Fego! Run!” Emmeline screamed, protecting her daughter and Elfego from the humans' gunshots. Emmeline took all the bullets that were supposed to hit Elfego and Bernice. “Mother! Mother!” screamed five-year-old Bernice while riding at the back of a white wolf. Elfego transformed into a wolf when a vampire, Ephrim, tried to touch Bernice. “Don’t lay a finger on my daughter, or I will forget our treaty,” said Elfego, now transformed into a wolf. Ephraim was there as a friend to help Elfego save his daughter. But because of the war between humans, wolves, and vampires. Elfego didn’t trust anyone but himself. He needed to save her daughter. Most of all, he must protect and keep the chosen one, Bernice, the real Luna. “My friend, I am not here for the war. I come to save your beloved Bernice. I will take her with me to Italy and raise her as my daughter. No one can find her in my territory. You saved me once before, and it’s time to pay you back,” Ephraim said. After those words, out of nowhere, an arrow strikes through Elfego’s heart. He transformed back to a human form and saw her daughter in shock. “Why do you speak like you know I am about to be slaughtered?” Elfego asked. “Fego, we know that it is your destiny to die tonight. The prophecy will happen, and we can’t change your fate, but I can save your daughter,” Ephraim replied. “How did you know about my daughter? No one knows about Bernice, not even my tribe.” “You must have forgotten you rejected your mate, who became a cold-blooded vampire.” “Camillia was killed by you, or didn’t you?” Elfego asked wearily. “The revenge of a Luna is the deadliest amongst your kind,” Ephraim replied. “You did not kill Camillia?” Elfego said brutely. “How could I? She’s now one of my kind. Camillia is the mother of my child.” “You son of a b***h! I trusted you, Ephraim.” “You don’t need to worry. Camillia is locked up in a place where she can’t be free unless the chosen Luna will give her freedom.” Elfego can sense a human fast approaching. Emmeline’s sister, Magdalene, is also a shaman but not as powerful as her. Emmeline can see the future and chant to heal sickness and chase away evil spirits. She can speak to the spirits of the dead, lost souls, and the gods. Emmeline has a strong connection with the elements of nature and command creatures to her liking. She has the power of a wizard. Bernice inherited all her mother’s abilities and will be more powerful as she develops her skills. Elfego met Emmeline seven years ago when she read the prophecy on his wedding with Camillia, his mate, the Luna. But when he set his eyes on her, he refused to marry Camillia. That was a decade ago, before the blood moon. He fell in love with Emmeline and followed her way home to the foot of the hill, where they made love on the first day they met. Elfego’s betrayal to Camillia comes at a price. She forsook him and became wild, killing her kind and all the creatures in Senadosa mountain. Elfego’s vampire friend Ephraim helped him capture Camillia. For the past ten years, he believed that Quinta's Luna is dead. Elfego felt the extreme sadness and agony the same way as every Alpha grieve when they lose their mate. Despite the pain, Elfego and Emmeline continued to see each other at the secret passage towards town discreetly. Ten years later, their forbidden love bears a fruit of a beautiful daughter named Bernice. “I can smell the blood of a human,” said Ephraim. “That’s Magdalene. She’s close to our meeting place. We must leave,” said Elfego. Elfego tried his best to reach to the bottom of the hill to take Bernice in the secret passage. He is losing so much blood, and the arrow that hit him has poison like Emmeline’s. His wound has already healed, but the poison is spreading rapidly on his nerves. A poison that only the master shaman can heal, but she’s dead. “Ephraim, take us to that foot of the hill by the banyan tree. There is a hidden passage that will take you to town. You must not let anyone know Bernice is my daughter. Please, I beg you, Ephraim, take care of my daughter,” Elfego pleaded. “You save me once, and my family. I promise to take care of Bernice until my last breath.” “Father, you’re bleeding,” cried Bernice. “Bernice, my dear, you must not cry. You are the chosen one. A Luna must be strong for her pack. You are the leader of the Quinta’s. You have to be brave for our tribe. Do you understand?” Bernice looks at her father with tears flowing like a river. She was just a child, her mother just died, and now her father. When they are about to leave, a man with a dragon tattoo on his left wrist slit Elfego’s neck to death.