The Ancient Blood Luna

Chapter 5: A Red-haired Beauty

Carlos's Point Of View.

Sweet ticked down my brows, my eyes shut deep in meditation.

'Move!' I pushed my concentration to the limit, but still it wasn't enough. I was like a corked bottle an inch from explosion. All the blood inside me resonated with the blood molecule suspended under gravity midair. They boiled, only giving off steam no matter how much I focused my mind on them.

'It's still not enough,' I growled. My frustration evident from my tone.

'You only need to move the blood molecules to ascend to the third floor, Carlos,' a deep voice grumbled within my head. 'It's a very simple task, but here you are—stuck for ages.'

"Shut up, beast!" I barked. "If it were so easy, why don't you do it!" I snapped, irritated.

'Like you'll let me out,' he said. I could imagine the mischievous grin behind his tone.

And I wasn't going to. I still remembered the last time he broke loose. Just the thought of it made my stomach turn.

'Carlos, look!' the beast suddenly exclaimed.

'Stop it, you're ruining my meditation,' I replied mentally.

'Your wrist, it's glowing.'

I peeked through my eyes slightly. Lo and behold, a red halo really surrounded my right wrist.

"The mate bond?" My heartbeat quickened. I had heard many stories, but this was the first time I was experiencing it firsthand. 'My mate, she must be close!' I thought.

'Our mate!' The beast growled. As if lecturing me would help find her.

'Whatever,' I said, getting up and scanning the area around me. I had almost given up the search for a mate, but fate had other plans for me instead. The moon goddess was smiling on me today.

'What a foolish Alpha, beneath you!' The beast broke my thoughts. 'Can't you smell her?'

I didn't take his insult to heart but instead looked beneath me.

The glass I stood on separated the second floor of the Blood Realm from the first. My nose twitched as I sniffed the air. A weak feminine fragrance permeated the air. It was fresh and recent too.

I activated my alpha sight, and my shape gaze swept through the entire first floor. Curled up in a corner was a woman who looked like she was in her twenties. Her expression was one of pain and agony.

My heart ached just from watching her endure the endless pain. My protective instincts lashed out; the urge to break through the glass barrier and save her brimmed inside me. I had always thought I was the last of my kind. But down there was another descendant, my mate nonetheless.

"What a beauty," I mumbled aloud. My soul was instantly drawn to hers, and my entire view revolved around her. She was like a goddess descended. As an Alpha, I'd seen a fair share of beauties, but only hers captivated me. I didn't know if it was her natural allure or the fate bond at work, but I was instantly hooked.

'Those damn visions, how dare they assault my mate!' the beast growled. It turned out I wasn't the only one with the urge to protect her. A surge of rage swelled inside me. He was angry, very angry.

'Chill, your anger isn't going to save her,' I said through gritted teeth. I took in long breaths, trying to calm both myself and the agitated beast. I knew she had to endure the pain herself, but that didn't reduce the urge to protect her.

'Red hair, cyan eyes, she must be pure blood,' I mused.

'Obviously, she would not have access to the Blood Realm otherwise,' the annoying beast lectured me again.

We watched her in silence, forgetting my meditation.

'Do you think she'll notice us and the bond?' the beast asked, his tone inquisitive.

'I'm not sure,' I replied. 'The only thing she feels right now is pain, agonizing pain."

After a while, the second floor of the Blood Realm where I was darkened. My one-hour duration there had expired, and I had to leave. Although I knew this, I was reluctant, and so was the beast. Only when the darkness thickened to the point where I couldn't see myself did I accept it was time to go. I sat down cross-legged and closed my eyes. My consciousness left the Blood Realm and returned to my body.

My eyes opened only to see two pairs of eyes a few inches from my face. The owners were so close to me that their breath tickled my skin. The pair retreated immediately they noticed I was awake. "Joe, what's happening?" I asked my Beta, a questioning look on my face.

"You were thirty-six minutes late," Joe replied, observing his stopwatch. "We thought you were dead. Vanessa here, suggested we bury you at the Rogue Mist borders."

I glanced at Vanessa, the other person who was watching me with Joe.

"That's not true," she pouted. Her brown hair fell across her face as she glared at Joe.

"Beta Joe, what did I tell you about your nasty jokes?" I asked, trying to look serious.

He let out a dry laugh as he scratched his head sheepishly. I made a mental note to discipline him afterwards.

"I saw my mate; that's what delayed me," I said, recalling the image of the red-haired beauty.

"You mean you found your mate in that mental realm only you can access?" Joe asked.

"Yes."

"Thank the goddess! I can't wait to marry you off," Joe exclaimed, punching my arm. "Do you think it's related to that prophecy your mother always talked about?"

"Don't bring my mother into this!" my mood changed instantly. Joe nodded in response. He knew he had crossed a line.

"Look, it's great you saw your mate. But how do you find her in the real world?" Vanessa pointed out, drawing attention to a problem like she always does.

"You have a point there. She could have accessed the mental realm from anywhere. The odds of finding her are almost zero," Joe said. He had gotten over my earlier mood swing.

"Even if I have to tear the entire continent apart to find her, I will," I promised myself and the annoying beast throwing a tantrum inside my head.

"We will begin by searching the entire Rogue Lands. First, our lands, then both Alpha Leon's and Alpha Seegrill's borders. If she's still not found, we'll extend the search to the pack lands, starting from the Silver Woods Pack," Joe said. He was scribbling something on that arcane diary of his.

"It will be fruitless like always. We have searched tirelessly in the past," Vanessa spat out. "What makes you think we'll find her now? It's just a waste of time and workforce."

"We have to find her," I sighed. "Or the entire Rogue Lands would know no peace," I rubbed my temples.

Joe and Vanessa shivered; they understood what I was pointing at. The beast chuckled in my mind.

The door blasted open with a bang, and a person rushed in.

"Alpha Carlos, Beta Joe—bad news," the man said in between breaths.

"What's wrong?" Joe asked.

"Fifty she-wolves were missing this morning. We found them. At the edge of Alpha Leon's borders. He requested we call the Alpha," the man said.

'No one touches what's ours!' The beast screamed in my head.

"Alpha Leon again? What does he want this time?" Joe sighed. "Alpha Adrian, I think we should gather more information about what he wants before proceeding."

"I don't have the patience for that." I picked up a pair of katanas from the wall, hanging them on my waist. I drew out the long blade just enough to see half my face reflecting on its surface. My eyes flicked between shades of cyan blue and crimson red.

My fingers brushed on a bone mask hung on the wall. With a low growl, I wore it before storming out of the room.

Joe and Vanessa screamed after me, but I paid them no heed.

The sound of wind blew past my ears as I dashed through the streets. I leaped over everything in my path; werewolves or buildings, a trail of dust behind me. My red hair danced in the breeze as I made a straight line for my destination. I arrived at the edge of my borders in no time.

A stone pillar stood tall in the middle of the street. It separated my border from Leon's and Seegrill's. To my left was Leon, with his blue hair waving in the wind. His smile always annoyed me, and just a whiff of his scent was enough to make me puke. I always felt like punching his smooth face. Behind him were the fifty women kidn*pped. On my right stood a bulky man whose frame seemed to block the sunlight. His face was covered with scars that could frighten others but not me. A large battle-axe was rooted into the ground before him. The three of us were the Rogue Alphas of the Rogue Lands.

"Seegrill, are you with him on this?" I scowled at the bulky man.

"Nope," he replied. "Just protecting my borders from unnecessary casualties."

My eyes turned back to Leon. "Why don't you return the she-wolves, and I'll treat this whole incident like an expensive joke."

"I want five percent more of the supplies," he said, a wide grin on his face.

"If you want more supplies, go hunt for more; you're not getting them off my borders," I barked at him.

"Then I'm keeping these beauties," he laughed as he turned back.

My eyes flicked again, and I struggled to keep myself in check.

"Leon, don't be rash. You've provoked Devil Wolf," Seegrill said.

"Too late," I growled. The voice that came out of my mouth wasn't mine but the beast inside me. My eyes were now crimson red. I slowly unsheathed the long katana from its scabbard at my waist. Tattoos of red chains criss-crossed my entire body. The beast had activated my bloodline powers. My blood boiled, and my body gave off heat.

Leon turned with the grin still on his face, his fingers lengthened, and his skin hardened with a lustrous metal hue. It would get bloody soon, really bloody.

"You don't take what's ours and go free, never!" The beast growled from my mouth. I lunged at Leon, sword against claws.