Reborn Luna： Guardian of Alpha

Chapter 4 - Entering the Schwarzwald

The Schwarzwald had always been infamous for being a place of danger, and very few werewolves dared to even attempt to approach the depths of it. There were poisonous plants and ferocious beasts everywhere, and the common wild boars found there were almost five meters in length. Needless to say, entering the Schwarzwald was rather like a suicide mission. Survival was not guaranteed given its treacherous conditions.

Although they moved fast, it would take Luna and Etu at least three days and three nights to get there with minimal rest. Luna’s anxiety was growing, as she did not remember which day it was that her Alpha was injured in their previous lives and worried that she might be late to save him from his fate. At this thought, Luna couldn’t help but swallow down the lump in her throat, small beads of perspiration beginning to form on her temples. But yet, she tried her best to remain strong and unfathomed in front of Etu and persevered on in their journey.

Three days later, they finally arrived at the entrance to the Schwarzwald. It was quite majestic, and an unsuspecting visitor would never have been able to guess the horrors and dangers that were within. However, Luna and Etu had to pause in their tracks as they noticed a large group of bodyguards guarding the entrance to the Schwarzwald. Luna knew they were bodyguards because of their uniforms, which were similar to Etu’s, and quickly looked around to find another way in which they could enter instead of the main entrance. She was feeling a little unsure, as she was afraid of running into trouble so early into their journey. Just as they were about to go in, they saw a group of bodyguards surround the entrance.

Luna spotted a lone spot just beside the entrance behind a boulder, and nudged Etu. She gestured with her chin, and they sneaked to the corner before returning to their human forms and got dressed. Etu felt glad to be back in his familiar suit again, and Luna ran her fingers through her golden locks. “You can turn around now, I have dressed,” laughed Luna, noticing how Etu was stiffly facing away from her with his eyes clamped shut. Etu cleared his throat awkwardly before giving a rigid nod toward the boulder, and Luna laughed as they both walked out to face the guards at the entrance of the Schwarzwald.

They decided they had no other choice but to enter from this entrance, as they weighed their options and realized it was probably the safest option. They could not risk facing unprecedented danger and waste precious time if they rerouted temporarily. Moreover, it was logical to believe that their Alpha most probably entered the Schwarzwald this way too, and this would make it easier to retrace his movements and find him quickly.

As soon as they approached the entrance, the bodyguards parted and a girl emerged from behind them. The atmosphere was tense as both Luna and the girl sized each other up, eyes scanning the entirety of each other’s bodies. The mystery girl took obvious notice of Luna’s beauty, and scowled. “What, is the Schwarzwald open to everybody now?” sneered the girl, crossing her arms and smacking her lips in displeasure. Luna chose to ignore the sarcasm in her voice and stepped forward toward the entrance again, until she was stopped once again by the guards. “They listen to my command,” said the girl haughtily, her nose in the air arrogantly. Luna peered at the girl, entertained. Does she ever get tired walking with her nose so high up in the air all the time? thought Luna to herself in amusement.

“I am talking to you! How dare you ignore my words? Do you know-” the girl shouted just as she was cut off by the cold voice of Luna. “Do you know who I am?” said Luna, taking the words out of the girl’s mouth. Although Luna spoke quietly, there was warning laced in her voice. The girl was visibly intimidated, and she choked on her words, her confidence wavering. “Who are you?” she asked finally. “Since you do not even know who I am, how dare you get in my way?” shot back Luna, her violet eyes now hard and cold. Her tone was domineering, and Etu could not help but be reminded of Alpha Matwau’s own aura. Five years of being by her Alpha’s side has definitely changed her for the better, he thought proudly.

The girl was shocked by Luna’s hostility, and was reminded of an Alpha she met as a child. They had a similar aura, and just the thought of that man sent a chill down her spine. She began to question Luna’s identity, and grew wary of her.

“Well then, introduce yourself,” pouted the girl, aggrieved. Luna beamed inwardly, not expecting that it would have been this easy to deceive the young girl. Instead of replying, Luna turned around and proceeded to push past the guards. The girl stood where she was, staring at Luna’s back. Was she the daughter of the Alpha in some other pack? No, that cannot be right, she thought to herself. She suddenly remembered her own identity again - that she was Waneta, daughter of the Alpha in the Crescent Pack, and regained her confidence. There is no reason to be afraid of her, she smirked to herself. There was no one else she should be afraid of except her parents, and the Alpha of the Green Forest Pack.

Waneta was ashamed and mad that she had been fooled, and she ran forward to stop Luna. “Stop! Do you know who I am? How dare you talk to me like that and disobey me!” spat Waneta angrily. Luna let out a noise of irritation and glanced helplessly at the bodyguards blocking her way. She really was in a great hurry. However, she caught sight of the badges gleaming on the bodyguards’ uniforms, and their engravings indicated that they were from the Crescent Pack. Luna’s eyes lit up as she quickly deduced the identity of the girl. She was the daughter of the Alpha of the Crescent Pack, there was no doubt about it. It explained her unruly and careless attitude, and it all made sense considering how young she looked. Luna rolled her eyes before turning around to face the girl throwing a tantrum, looking her directly in the eyes. “What do you want? Are you always this nosy?” sighed Luna, exasperated.

Luna did not reveal her identity to Waneta, and acted oblivious. She had never seen Waneta, but knew her name. “Whatever do you mean?” retorted Waneta indignantly. “Only nosy people stand in the way of others,” replied Luna. Waneta was clearly infuriated because of Luna’s lack of regard or interest in her identity, and was even more offended that Luna called her nosy. “Do you know that people that have offended me never get to enter the Schwarzwald?” shot back Waneta, crossing her arms in an attempt to look intimidating and reinforce her threat.

Luna smiled softly in amusement as she pointed a finger at the sign behind Waneta that had the word "entrance" painted boldly across it. “Ah, but it looks like I have already entered!” exclaimed Luna in mocked pride. Some of the bodyguards could not help but let out a chuckle before quickly regaining their composure, afraid to offend their master. But it was too late, as Waneta shot a fierce glare at them. “You dare laugh at me? I will ask my father to lock all of you up!” roared Waneta, her face flushed red like a tomato. Her guards kept quiet, and did not say a thing. Waneta was satisfied by this, and turned back to face Luna.

“Guards, arrest her. I am going to teach her a lesson she will not forget,” snarled Waneta, crossing her arms triumphantly and shooting Luna a smug smile. Luna let out another sigh. She did not have time to deal with such a pampered and entitled girl, and her patience was running thin. However, she was not going to go down without a fight.

“You are not cute.”

Luna spat out before lunging at the guards, stretching out her claws to their full lengths. The bodyguards were caught off guard, and they were shocked at how powerful Luna was. Taking advantage of their delayed reaction time, Luna quickly knocked down a bodyguard in one swift motion, Etu following in her wake. He tackled the surrounding bodyguards easily, and soon the rest of them ran cowardly out of the encirclement to safety. In the blink of an eye, Luna and Etu were nowhere to be seen as they disappeared into the depths of the Schwarzwald.

Waneta was furious. She marched forward and slapped the bodyguard closest to her, the sound of the impact echoing through the forest. “You pig! You could not even deal with a woman, how are you qualified to protect me? My father will hear about this,” spat Waneta through gritted teeth. “Miss, we deeply apologize, it is our fault. We underestimated the enemy,” explained another bodyguard, attempting to diffuse the situation. But Waneta ran forward and gave him another slap, eyes filled with rage. The poor bodyguard’s face instantly reddened, but he did not dare to touch it or attempt to soothe it. Instead, he just stood in place with hands clasped in front of him in obedience.

“I do not care! Chase them! Find them! Lock them up and kill them!” shouted Waneta hysterically, her arms flailing wildly. “Go, you useless bastards! How useless can you be?!” she screamed once again, when she saw that her bodyguards just stood there stunned. They scurried away immediately, rushing into the forest, Waneta following after them. The guards were visibly distressed when they saw Waneta follow them, because they knew that if she got injured, their Alpha would blame it on them. He would kill us all, was the one thought they all shared as they charged through the forest.

*

Deep into the Schwarzwald, Luna and Etu were moving fast.

"Wait, stop." said Luna as she came to an abrupt halt.