Darkness And Light

Raja's parents found themselves standing on the stairs, listening intently to the conversation between their son and the young woman who had come to see him in the middle of the night. They were filled with mixed emotions.

On one hand, they admired the woman's courage and dedication to Raja, as she had left her bed to remind him of his actions. On the other hand, they felt a deep sense of pain and sorrow for their son and the woman, as their closeness was forbidden by the royal rules and regulations, causing them both so much anguish.

Raja was a man of honor and loyalty, bound by his oath to the royal family. As the top warrior, he was held to a higher standard and had to abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the kingdom.

Despite his high standing, he was not considered significant by other members of the royal family, which added to his frustration and sense of helplessness. He ran his hand through his hair, letting out a sigh of defeat as he struggled with his desire to be close to the woman and his duty to the kingdom.

Eclipse and his friends were surprised by Alazne's words of loyalty and dedication to Raja. It was evident to Eclipse that her allegiance lay with Raja, and not with him. Raja, however, seemed unaware of this fact or perhaps was unwilling to acknowledge it, as it would only add to his already heavy burden.

Raja's father noticed his son's uncertainty and asked if he was sure about his decision. Raja responded with hesitation, unsure of what he should do. He knew, however, that he did not want to be the cause of any trouble or controversy. With a firm tone, he made it clear that he did not want to speak to Eclipse or his friends about the matter, as he did not feel qualified to do so.

As Raja made his way up the stairs, his parents exchanged sympathetic glances, knowing full well the weight of his burden. The night was long and the weight of his duty to the kingdom would not be lifted anytime soon.

As Alazne walked towards her home, her heart was heavy with emotions. Ever since she stepped into this town, Raja was the first person she met. He was so compassionate and helped her with her belongings in her apartment. He even helped her clean up the whole house and prepared a delicious meal for her, which she enjoyed.

Raja always stopped by her restaurant to have a word with her or just check up on her. Sometimes he would bring with him his mother's delicious delicacies or just bring a box of pizza with hot chocolate. He was a true friend and brother, loyal, honest, and loving.

She had spent half her life in solitary confinement and had forgotten what it felt like to have a true friend or even a brother. Raja had shown her what that feeling was like, but here they were miles away from each other with pain in their hearts and minds, which only he could take away.

She wondered what Eclipse's identity was that was scaring Raja so much. What did both men have against each other that was preventing them from being free around each other? She had been trying to figure it out for a while but could never come up with any tangible answer.

Alazne's encounter with Raja and his parents had left her feeling overwhelmed and uncertain of what to do next. She knew that her feelings for Raja were deep and genuine, but she didn't know that their relationship was forbidden by the royal rules and regulations and that she was in a world full of mystical creatures.

She needed time and space to process her emotions, so she decided to take a break from Eclipse's home and Raja.

The next day, the pack gathered in the training ground as usual for their morning training, except for elderly men and children under the age of five. Alazne was already there, sitting in the middle of the ground with her legs folded and crossed in a less-than and greater-than form. Her hair was flowing around her like a forbidden aura, and her eyes were closed tightly as she tried to focus her thoughts.

As the pack started to pour in, they noticed her presence and gathered around her, curious about what was going on. Eclipse was also present, standing at the back and observing her quietly.

Without opening her eyes, Alazne began to speak softly, almost as if she were in a trance. "I walked amid the dense forest with white and black fog swirling around me like an aura," she whispered. "The white fog was as light and warm as the light of day, and the dark fog was as dark and gloomy as the darkest tunnel without any source of light, not even a spark. A white cloak adorns my figure, my mind a thousand miles away from my surroundings."

The pack listened intently to her words, captivated by her voice and the imagery she evoked. Alazne's words seemed to transport them to another world, a world of mystery and enchantment.

Eclipse's lips parted in shock as her words reminded him of a disturbing image he had seen before. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was a deeper meaning behind Alazne's words and that he needed to uncover it but he also suspects that her poem was incomplete

As Alazne continued to speak, her words became more and more poetic, as if she was reciting a spell or an incantation. The pack was entranced by her words, and some even started to sway to the rhythm of her voice. Eclipse watched her with a mixture of fascination and concern, wondering what was going on inside her mind.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Alazne opened her eyes and looked around at the pack. Her gaze was intense and piercing, and it seemed to have a hypnotic effect on everyone around her.

She stood up slowly, her movements graceful and fluid, and made her way out of the training ground, leaving the pack behind, wondering what had just happened. How she got there was a mystery to herself but she needed to get to work, that's right, she has to be herself and stop sulking.

Eclipse watched as she walked out of the training ground, she didn't even glance his way nor did she breathe a greeting to anyone, well, what was he expecting, a hug? After what his bond with her had caused her she wouldn't tolerate the mere sight of him and he felt too guilty to comfort her knowing he was the cause of her current pain.

He thought a mate bond was a blessing and joy but ever since he met her, the pain in his heart was more than any emotion in his being, he felt trapped, unable to breathe and that was because he knew he was the one behind her pain, she lost a friend because of a bond she isn't aware of.

Gabriel signaled for everyone to start warming up while Godfrey turned to face his Alpha with a look of sympathy, "I think you need to talk to your dad about this whole thing because this doesn't feel right," Godfrey said, advising his Alpha with a friendly reminder.

"I can't allow another man near my mate someone I haven't even started going out with properly," Eclipse said causing Godfrey to scoff mockingly.

"Raja isn't another man, he would never betray you, he is loyal to you, he is our best warrior. He always has your best interest at heart," Godfrey said in a firm tone, everyone knows Raja, sometimes, Godfrey thinks Raja would make a better Beta than himself so what Eclipse was saying was pure nonsense.

"Godfrey is right, I think he is the only one who can help you with winning her heart. Alazne doesn't know you well but she knows Raja and trusts his every word. Through Raja she could come to trust you without needing any words from him because by that time her trust in you would be firm," Gabriel said after thinking about it for a while, what Gabriel said was the truth, Alazne trusts raja blindly, to her Raja's word is law, and it makes Eclipse wonder how long have Raja and Alazne been seeing each other because her trust in Raja was not something he earned in two weeks and five days, was raja special than himself? Similar questions like that keeps popping up in his mind. Oh, he wish there was no Raja.

Talk of the devil and he appears, there Raja was, he walked into the training ground and greeted Eclipse and his friends with a bow as he bypassed them. Eclipse looked at the man with uncertainty, he couldn't trust another man with his precious mate. No, he would not, he could never do that.

"I can't do it," Eclipse responded with a shake of his head making his second and third-in-command sigh in exasperation. When he becomes the King, they are doomed, these were silent thoughts of Gabriel and Godfrey.

"I pray you don't lose her because of your unreasonable jealousy," Godfrey said in response, he was the only one who could talk to the Alpha prince how he wanted, but it didn't mean he was disrespectful towards him.

Raja wasn't bothered by Eclipse's behavior, Eclipse was arrogant sometimes but that was what Alazne despised the most, Alazne once said everyone was equal before the law, and no one should be above or beneath the law.

As the training session continued, Eclipse couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in his chest. He knew that he needed to confront his feelings of jealousy and insecurity, but the thought of another man potentially winning Alazne's heart filled him with dread.

After the training session, Eclipse decided to seek out his father for advice. His father, the King, was a wise and experienced leader, and Eclipse knew that he could trust his guidance. As he explained the situation with Alazne and Raja, his father listened attentively, offering words of wisdom and encouragement.

"Son, it is natural to feel protective of those we care about. But we must also trust in their judgment and allow them the freedom to make their own choices. Raja has proven himself to be a loyal and honorable man, and if Alazne trusts him, we should respect that trust," the King advised. But he also told his son he was the only one who could adjust the royal rules and regulations, even his father thought those rules and regulations were unreasonable but he couldn't do adjust them due to the elders, the elders could control everything behind the curtain if you are a compassionate king and that Eclipse father was but no one tells Eclipse how to live.

Eclipse's father went on to explain that true love and loyalty cannot be forced or manipulated, and that relationships built on trust and respect are the strongest. Eclipse trusts Alazne but he doesn't trust Raja enough to allow him to be near his human mate, humans are different from mystic creatures, and their feelings are cultivated through platonic relationships.

But with his father's advice, Eclipse realized that he needed to let go of his jealousy and insecurities and trust in the bond that he shared with Alazne but no matter how much he tried he could not bring himself to do it, because he knew that Alazne would forget all about him once she has Raja back as her friend, he would think very well before taking his next step.

Eclipse went home, had a good bath, and decided to go check up on Alazne to see how she was doing, although he saw her today she wasn't herself and he wasn't sure if she had eaten or not and He needed to visit someone very important after checking up on her.

Alazne's poem was still fresh in his mind, the content of it, giving him an uneasy feeling, something about the way she described the forest drew him into the images from his nightmares.

Well, if only Eclipse knew that there was more poem coming his way, the contents would be more gruesome than his nightmare, he would wish he could understand what it would mean but he wouldn't.

Entering the restaurant, he went to Agnes who was behind the counter, Agnes's head bowed slightly in greeting to her Alpha prince, to which he nodded. "Is she in her office?" He asked, a sigh leaving his mouth.

"Yes, she is," Agnes replied with a nod. Eclipse gave her a nod as he walked toward the elevator when he got to her office, he saw her sitting behind her desk and working her ass off. Alazne who senses Eclipse's presence in her office points her chin at the chair on the other side of her desk.