Bound By Faith Divided By Blood

Chapter 5.

“Oh,” her father said, and Rowan looked at him. He still wasn’t satisfied and had that discerning look while scrutinizing him.

“What do you do?” he asked, and Rowan smiled, thanking Selena that he had gone through that series with the daughter when they had initially met; it would have been hard for him to generate his lies now.

“I’m a hunter,” Rowan said, and Zach scoffed.

“What are you doing with my daughter?” he asked, and Rowan wondered which he should tell her father—that he was trying to woo his daughter or that he was a friend. He chose the latter.

“I am just her friend,” Rowan said, and Zach looked at him.

“Just a friend?” Zach repeated his words, and he nodded.

“Yes, just her friend,” he said, and then Zach nodded.

“You can leave.” Rowan gave a respectful bow and left the courtyard. After watching his shadow disappear among the villagers, Zach called out Elera.

“Where have you been?” he asked as soon as she came before him.

“I just went around the village,” she said, looking down, and Zach smiled.

“I have sent out different people to go in search of you, and none said they saw you,” he said with the smile seizing aas she looked up.

“Sending people to search for me is not nice. I am not a child; I am a grown-up,” she said.

“And who’s that young man?” he asked. “Are you sleeping with him?”

“No,” she said immediately. “He’s just my friend,” and that truly was what it was. She felt no emotional attraction to him.

“Yes, Father, just my friend,” she said, and he nodded. She enjoyed Rowan’s company, but he wasn’t what she desired in a man, and that didn’t involve him being a werewolf.

Rowan was calm, reserved, and mindful. She was chaotic, crazy, and not reserved. She wanted a man who would match her energy, and Rowan just didn’t fill that space. He would rather remain her friend.

“I think he’s a nice person. He spoke well… I like him,” Zach said, and Elera smiled. Rowan was a likable person.

“Yeah, Father, he’s a nice person,” she said.

“Just remain careful… He’s not from our village, and we never can tell what these young men from other villages are up to,” he said.

“I will be careful,” she assured. “But Father, why are you home by this time?” she asked, and he dismissed the topic with a wave.

“Some tyrants are trying to take over my warehouse. Once I’m done here, I’ll head to the palace,” he said, and she patted his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she said.

“This is why I need you to come and oversee my business. I can’t be taking care of both, and if you aren’t careful, they will take your business away from you,” he said angrily

“I will come,” Elera said, and he turned to her.

“When?” he asked.

“One day.

“You’ve been so distracted from the pack’s business lately, Rowan,” Alpha Amarillo said when Rowan came before him upon his call.

“I have been busy, Father. I am trying to deal with some personal issues, and I want to stay back for a while,” Rowan said. Just like him, Alpha Amarillo was a gentle, free-spirited man but fierce when necessary. He looked at his heir for a while.

“What is this personal issue?” he asked.

“I can’t disclose it to you just yet,” Rowan said. “I would love to stay in Harmony Village for a while. I’ll come back to the palace when the time is right,” he added.

“The heir to my throne wants to live among mere humans?” Amarillo asked rhetorically.

“To be a perfect Alpha, I need to understand our human form as well, and the best way to do that is to reside among humans,” he said. “I’ve been to the villages recently, and I realized that I have very little knowledge of dealing with them, and that is bad for me,” Rowan said, and Alpha Amarillo thought for a while.

“When you get a residence wherever you want, let me know, but you’ll come from time to time to handle some meetings,” the Alpha said, and Rowan smiled.

“Yes, Father,” he replied excitedly.

Getting a place to stay in Harmony Village wasn’t much of a hassle. The villagers were friendly and lived up to their name. With the help of his guards and maids, his chamber was well furnished. Alpha Amarillo made it a must for at least two guards and three maids to reside with him to assist and protect him.

Rowan grew closer to Zach after their meeting, and sometimes he followed him to the stream and assisted his workers before leaving to escort Elera to the hills. One day, Elera followed him to the village, and he introduced the guards and maids as his adopted family.

“What did you think of Rowan?” her father asked after dinner one night. Elera smiled.

“He’s a nice person,” Elera said, and he looked at her.

“What do you think of him as a man?”

She paused and thought of the question, then smiled wider.

“He’s a kind man,” she said.

“Don’t you think you two will make a good home?” he asked.

“No, Father. The relationship between Rowan and me is only friendship,” she said and packed his dishes to end the conversation.

When she met Rowan the next day and they went to the hill, he noticed the change in her mood.

“Are you okay?” he asked, and she forced a smile at him.

“My father thinks we will make a good home,” she said and turned to him. “I don’t want to break his heart, but can you make it clear to him that we are nothing but friends?” she asked, and Rowan’s wolf went silent. Did she feel nothing for him aside from friendship?

“Did I have to meet your father?” he asked, and she nodded.

“He will keep talking about it forever,” she said.

“Alright, I will meet him,” he said, and she smiled happily, giving him a tight hug. Rowan wasn’t settled; they had been friends for too long

“Have you ever heard of werewolves?” he asked her, and Elera paused. Why was he going to tell her about himself now?

“From some village women, but they don’t exist,” she said and smiled, turning to him. “Do they?” she asked, looking into his eyes.

“I think they do. I recently heard about them…”

“I don’t think they do,” she said. “There’s no evidence of their existence,” she added, and he went silent, each of them dealing with their inner battle. Elera feared things would change between them if he confessed his real identity, Rowan fearing she might leave after finding out who he really was.

“Let’s go to Father. He’s at the warehouse,” she said and stood up.

“Already?” Rowan asked, and she nodded, pulling his hand.

“He asked me to come and inspect the warehouse today. I would love you to do that with me,” she said.

“Alright,” Rowan said. That was the beautiful thing he had grown up mastering.

They walked back through the woods, making jest of each other, and into the village. The village was unusually quiet, and only a few people were moving about their evening business, but as they got closer, she saw a lot of villagers running past her, screaming, “Fire!” And in the distance was her father’s warehouse on fire.

Elera screamed, forgetting Rowan was right beside her, and ran to the crowd that were trying to put out the fire. The warehouse housed every reserve for rainy days.

She pushed through the villagers with Rowan right behind her, but her legs went numb when she heard one of the villagers scream:

“ELDER ZACH IS INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE!”