BONDS OF HEARTS

It was late in the night, the moon shone brightly. My eyes glimmered with joy as I watched the beauty of the moon. I have always loved to stay outside at a time like this, but this night is one of my happiest. I will be clocking twenty tomorrow and the thought of it made me giggle to myself. I can't wait to leave this teenager and finally become a grown adult as I had always wished. The joy I feel from within is quite indescribable. “ Aria, you should get in as early as possible tonight. You know it's dangerous staying outside this late. " My mom's voice spoke loudly from inside. “Alright mama,” I replied, swinging my legs from the high long bench I sat on. I will only have to stay for a few more minutes before entering my room, since the last time I checked, it was only past 9pm. On normal days, members of the pack are usually gathered together, talking, eating and the pups playing about, but this night was unusual. It was reported that there were some rogues invading the woods and making way into some houses. This has made the King direct that everyone should be in their houses by 9pm. My elder brother, Sean, had arrived home days ago from a meeting that was held at the palace. He said it was announced that the rogues were deployed into the pack by the King's elder brother. “ What kind of person does that to his own blood? Tch! ” I said after hearing from him, not hiding the displeasure on my face. “Anyway, I'm among the warriors that will be going out at night to fight the rogues,” my brother had said, breaking the news and not minding the scared look on my mother's face. “ Your brother won't be the end of me. I’m scared that the same thing that happened to your father might happen to him too.” my mom had spoken immediately after my brother left the room. I had wondered why she was always scared whenever my brother brought up the matter of being a warrior. Maybe because of my Father's death, which I never knew much about, though. My father had died while I was a pup and all I heard was that he was a warrior, too. “Mama, how did Papa die?” I had asked her years back, and she had told me I did not have to know it since I was little, and she would tell me when I grow older. “When will I be old enough?” I asked. “The time will come my daughter,” was always her reply. Soon, I was preparing to enter the house when I heard the neigh of a horse close to our house and I could have sworn my heart skipped beats when I heard that. “Why should a horse be around this place?” I thought, rising to my feet. It's high time I entered the house. My legs reached for the door faster than I thought, and immediately I grabbed the door's handle, I heard a voice, “You shouldn't be found outside by this time, young lady,” the voice said, sounding calm yet very cold. I couldn't wait to know what would have happened next because within that minute I ran into my room. My heart was beating very fast. And, almost immediately, I fell on the bed. I did not have the time to think about what had just happened. “All that mattered is my new age,” I said, drifting swiftly into a long sleep. *NEXT DAY, ARIA'S ROOM. I woke up to a loud scream from my friend. “Happy birthday, girl!!” she screamed out loudly as my head released a loud bang. “ We're both twenty now, Aria! We can start looking forward to meeting our mates. I'm so happy for us. ” she said, placing the little bag she brought on my bed and hugging me. “Aww. Thank you, Sarah. ” I said, wrapping my hands around her, too. Sarah has been my best friend since we were little. We grew up together in the pack, and she has been more than a friend and now a sister. We often do a lot of things together. I doubt if there's anything going on that we should not tell ourselves. “But really, sarah? Did you have to scream that so much? You just gave me a headache. " I told her, feigning pain. " Hehe! I love you too, girl! " She replied, picking a cloth from my bag in one corner of my room. " Are you not excited? You will be meeting your mate soon,” Sarah said, raising her brows. “I also want to tell you about Nick, he found his…” “Good morning, pretty girls!” My mom greeted her, interrupting Sarah's words as she entered my room fully. " Happy birthday, my baby. I love you so much, and I'm so happy for you, " she said with smiles on her face as she pulled me into a hug. My mom is one of the best things that has happened to me since I was born. I couldn't have imagined life without her. I remembered years back when my Dad died during the war that broke out in our pack. And, even though we were just Omega's, my mom made sure we never lacked basic amenities and hustled out to provide for my brother and I. “Thank you, mom. I love you too,” I said, wrapping my hands around her, her scents filling my nose. “I'll be back, Aria. I want to quickly get something in the sitting room,” Sarah said, leaving the room. Of course, I didn't have to ask her where she was going, she has been a part of our family for a long while and literally knows her way about. “Mama, can I ask something?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I know I shouldn't ruin the atmosphere in the room, but something within me triggered me to ask, at least to know the truth. “Ask, my dear daughter,” she replied. “Do you think I'm old enough now?” I asked, unsure of saying what was left in my mind. “Yes, you are my dear, you are twenty today,” she replied. “Alright, can I ask about what happened to Pa…” “You're not about to ask what happened to your Dad today, Aria. We should be joyful today. Not asking questions about death. Today's your birthday, girl!” She interrupted me, knowing what exactly I had wanted to ask. “Now is not the time to talk about this. Do you hear me? The rogues are invading the pack and, as an Omega, there's not so much luck on our side,” she added, her expression changing instantly. “Okay, Mom. It wasn't my intention to trouble you,” I replied. Lowering her gaze on me, she said, “you should get ready and prepare to go out, dear. You know you're not locking yourself in the room all day. Be very careful out there, too.” “Alright, mama,” I replied and immediately, Sarah entered the room. “We will be careful, ma,” Sarah added. *OUTSKIRT OF THE TOWN. Sarah and I had moved around the town a bit before we decided to settle down in a market square in the town. Today is one of the best days of my life and right now I'm so happy I have got to enjoy the day. Apparently, Sarah is my lifesaver because it was left to me. I'd have spent all day in my room. “So, who do you think your mate will be? Have you ever given it some thought?” Sarah asked, picking up one of the stones on the ground. “I can't tell, Sarah. I'm sure he's an Omega, too. But I sincerely hope he's someone that would really like me and that I'd like him too,” I said, smiling. “Don't tell me you're hoping the person is Nick? Nick is…” Suddenly, a large crowd of people rushed towards where we sat, “rogues are attacking everyone. Run for your life, Omegas,” was all we heard before we took to our heels. One of the saddest things about being an Omega is that no one really cares about us, we are most times the easiest target when the rogues attack and this time I prayed under my breath that I'd be saved. As I managed to run at a pace, I saw a rogue approaching me, my legs began weakening due to how fast I'd run earlier, and I could only hear the voice of Sarah calling out for me to run faster. The rogue was about to pounce on me when I saw an arrow flashing beside me and. Entering into his neck, oh! I'm saved, the rogue is dead. And, with that, my eyes went slowly dim while I saw a shadow hovering on top of me. TBC…