That night when Karam had brought me here to this colony in the dark, I was too tired to observe the surroundings.

But today, I saw it all.

The streets had a different environment. Everyone looked busier with professionally done tasks rather than the daily house chores. Leather-making, Weapon, Vessel-making, making cloths, and all the stuff that Alpha Lycans weren't doing in this pack, was being done here by the foreign wolves.

Noira had an aura around her as she led me inside the streets, holding gazes with each males or females we would pass or stare at us in curiousity. They'd sniff and look at me up and down. Observing the wound on my neck, their gazes would immediately lower.

Unlike bricked floors of the street where Alpha brothers lived, these streets were muddy. Probably because the houses were smaller in size and the space wasn't enough to have cattles inside the plot. So, they were being kept outside and thus, the scent of dung was rich.

Since, it was afternoon, the pup were at the lake to bathe or play with their friends.

Maybe, that's why, Natasha was spending afternoons here.

I was going to her house uninvited, without asking or telling anyone. Last time, Uncle Joran and his sons weren't really interested or affected by knowing who I was. They were only curious. I was the affected one. I was the one who got disturbed.

This time, I didn't expect any kind of reaction from them too. They probably looked at me more as a Lycan bride rather than someone who could be called as a Rucussan or someone who loved his brother's family as much as he himself did.

"There, you see. That big wooden door. Natasha will smell your scent sooner as you get closer." Noira said while stopping in the middle and pointing at the one house that was standing out. Unlike other houses, there were no baskets or belongings kept outside near the main door. The entrance was clean. It seemed like his family practiced privacy as much as they could.

I looked at her in confusion. "You are leaving?"

"I have to look after Costina and some house chores." Noira smiled before palming my back affectionately. "Go."

I took the steps ahead and glanced back at her. Noira was stepping backwards too and nodded when I reached the door.

Before I could even knock, the door was opened by none other than Natasha's younger brother whose name I couldn't remember.

I glanced back at the street and Noira was gone.

"He did mark you then," said the boy with bright blue eyes, in his deep calm voice, looking a bit irritated by the fact.

I could do nothing about it. I didn't know how to react. Since the day I woke up after that adventurous night, I was only being recognised and talked about this mark only. I hated it.

He glanced at my neck before sighing and opening the door full for me to enter. "We didn't think, they'd let you come."

"I don't need anyone's permission," I mumbled and entered the verandah, looking straight at the two doors in the front. The words I had said lacked the weight of my confidence and I couldn't collect it at the moment.

The walls were of the same bricks. There were three pillars ahead of them to make a little shade ahead of the rooms.

"Misty?" Natasha came out from the left door with wide surprised eyes. Her mouth opened at observing me up and down. She came closer and observed the mark. "Is it hurting?"

"Not today," I said and my voice came out hoarse from the dried throat. "I came to see Uncle Joran."

She smiled a little and held my hand to pull me inside the room. She moved away from my view and let me take a look around the small cosy room. A bed was in the middle and Uncle Joran was sitting on the bed, resting his back against the pillows.

The moment he saw me, he tried to get up and Natasha panicked.

"Ah! No. I'll come closer," I mumbled while walking towards him and nodded a little.

When I looked in his old bluish eyes that had specks of red and yellowish spots in them too because of all the hardwork and sorrows he suffered throughout his life, he was looking at me only.

I felt extremely lost.

Because he wasn't even blinking. He tightened his mouth that was holding so many unsaid words. I knew that he was trying and struggling to say something. But he didn't know where to begin as his eyes moistened and he gulped the emotions. His lips trembled.

My face probably showed worry with the way he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "What happened to you?" I whispered in concern.

"He is well," said Aslan, hesitating to say more when I looked at him immediately. He was sitting on a chair at the foot of the other side of the bed. He looked huge sitting there with that grown black beard and uninterpretable expressions. He glanced at his father. "Just not really well."

The younger brother entered the room while forwarding a glass of water to me all of a sudden.

I awkwardly took the glass and gulped down a few sips before handing it him back. "Thank you. . ."

He observed my expressions and recognition his his face. "Kaamil."

That's when I remembered the name and he took the glass gently.

I looked back at Uncle Joran who was now staring at the door, lost in his thoughts. But he was aware of my gaze on him. I could see him blinking consciously.

"We heard. . ." While Aslan was having difficulty in opening up to me.

Kaamil's friendly vibe reminded me of Thomas as he didn't waste time in leading the conversation.

"We have been unable to sleep since you got marked. We heard. . . We heard our true Alpha's growls," he said and my eyebrows raised at Aslan.

"His roars shook our hearts. Our father who never really mentions his old pack or enjoys sharing a single memory, was fighting us to run towards the forest where the Lycans caught you," Kaamil continued while I was literally having goosebumps.

"We had to stop him," said Aslan, shaking his head grimly. His ears were sharp-shaped and eyes didn't resemble Uncle Joran. I could guess that he might have his mother's dominant features.

Although, she wasn't here.

"It was something that had never happened before," said Uncle Joran while looking at me. His rough voice and face cut reminded me so much of Gilbert. If those soft eyes would hold a little irritated expression for me, he would look just like him.

"Never in our lives, we ever heard stories of someone daring to enter the territory uninvited," said Kaamil and sat on the chair beside Natasha's. "We all heard everything. The growls echoed. The warning echoed. Your screams. We heard everything."

My eyes lowered as the glimpses of that night started to fill my sight.

"My wolf has never felt so enthusiastic before than it did in his Alpha's presence," said Aslan while staring at the wall a little away from the bed. "Father felt it harder than all of us did. He shifted and ran towards the Alpha's street. We had to hold him back."

"My brother couldn't come for me, for Valeria, for anyone else," said Uncle Joran while looking at me with glossy eyes. "But he and his pups came for you."

My heart shook a little. The pain occurred at the corner of my eyes and my throat vibrated too with sudden emotions.

I didn't want to break their hearts. But they needed to know. I couldn't hold it back anymore.

"He would have come for you too," I told Uncle Joran and gulped hard. "If he knew that you were alive."

The old man didn't move while I saw Natasha's brothers giving me blank looks.

"Pete was roaming the jungles, Eva and Keira, my sisters—they were dancing right in front of the Lycans, mixed in the Mystic dancers," I said while remembering it all. "If they knew that you were all alive, they could have reached here too."

Uncle Joran rubbed his forearm with the right hand and stared at the wall.

Kaamil took a long breath while Aslan looked at me. "The stories are going around. The whole pack is talking about them. Some says that his growls were heard up to the mountains."

"It was like a quake inside my heart," said Kaamil while putting his palm on his chest.

Natasha got up all of a sudden and announced, "I'll go bring the water from the well while you talk."

Both the brothers nodded as she left the room and picked up the pots from the verandah.

"We never really talk about Lycans in front of her after her bond," said Kaamil when he saw my confused face. "Even if Salome is not someone we should beware of, we keep our sister out of any arguments that could happen back in the Alpha family."

"Her loyalty lies with the Lycans. It is different from what we feel," said Aslan and I nodded in understanding.

There was an awkward silence.

"Whom are you loyal to?" Kaamil asked me.

I blinked at the suddenness and thought a little.

"My loyalty lies with me," I said carefully. "I betrayed myself and it led me to failing in crossing the border. I have learnt a lesson. I don't think I have to be loyal to Lycans any soon. After what they did to me and my family. They clawed one of them."

"You shouldn't be here then," Aslan said, giving me a straight blank look. He looked too confident while saying, "Lycans could have done worst. They held back their attacks. They didn't really fight. They were pretending. They are capable of vanishing packs in mere breaths."

I moved back a little in thought. "No, they did attack—"

Uncle Joran shook his head. "They don't accept wolves uninvited. They kill them. Gilbert and his pups could have been hurt. The Lycans played them or you. They didn't kill because they need future brides. But it is not a show of weakness. If they wanted, they could have killed them and still get the brides in the future. The Mystics make everyone follow the rule anyway, no matter what."

I gasped silently.

Really? But Lysar and Anton were ruthless. Karam was all beastly when he fought Pete. Virion and others, even the Lycan who fought Eva in the dark and mud, was really out for blood.

"The Lycans are being patient to you," said Aslan, giving me a judgemental look.

I was slightly uncomfortable.

"They didn't kill the Rucussan Alpha for a reason only they know. And it could be them not wanting to give you more reasons to rebel. We too have not been able to hide our resistance to the Lycans all these years.  But for Natasha, we chose to not irk up."

Wait. What? I had started to feel unwanted all of a sudden. I straightened a little on my chair.

He continued with his confident gaze and said, "Salome is different from all of them. Karam is equally wild and barbaric when it comes to saving his family. Besides, after the marking, every bride changes. Valeria changed. Savina did. Alvena changed even before the marking. They never entered this colony. While you are making us hopeful, only to break our trust later. You'll be the same."

My eyebrows raised in shock.

"We were troubled when Karam brought you here," said Kaamil while I didn't know what to say. "Lycans not really let the new brides come closer to us or anyone from the colony. We thought that something bad was about to happen to you or us. We don't know why he brought you here. But we were baffled that it happened. Now that you are going to live here forever, you don't have to be our relative for the sake of it. We will understand. You have already put yourself in so much trouble and faced—"

"I came here to check on his health," I said while glancing at Uncle Joran. I hated that I had to justify coming here to these people only. Wasn't it obvious?

I wasn't asking them to make escape plans or protests, with me. I didn't even know if I had any hope left now that I myself was stuck for forever, thanks to my so-called bloody Lycan mate.

"Just because I was marked and might have to live here until I die, doesn't mean I will believe in their systems. You are the closest I have to family here. If you don't want me here, you can just say that."

I had raised my voice a little.

Aslan's mouth parted at my words while Kaamil lowered his eyes.

A hand came upon my hand on the chair's arm.

Uncle Joran gave me a torn look. "You are always welcome here. How precious you are to my brother that he dared to cross the border, makes me believe you are a miracle. But not coming here, will protect you. It is the time you must make amends with your mate and his family, win their trust. Meeting us here will make it all worse."

My heart broke into a thousand pieces.

"We feel empowered by what our Alpha did," Kaamil said while giving me a faint sad smile. "But we can bring nothing good out of it. In this little house on this territory that we not belong to, we are hopeless."

I slowly got up from the chair.

Aslan too got up from his chair and sighed heavily. "Seeing you gives us hope and strength to recognise our true identities. When I heard that you tried to run away with your sisters and brothers to cross the border, I feel the beast in me wanting to rebel too. But now we see that mark on your neck. Now, we see that you are stuck here too forever, just like us. There is no way out. No use of meeting and being each other's hope. No use of practicing relations. Your presence will give us more pain than happiness. You don't really need anything from us. The Alpha family value you enough, we have observed. While you'll be forgiven for being Karam's mate, we will be not."

All the warmth I had felt from knowing that these men were blood-related to Gilbert, was forcefully gone. I couldn't blame them because they were right in their way. But why did it have to be this way.

They just made me feel what Gilbert did to me all these years. They pushed me away.

This was my fate. I just didn't have it in my destiny to get the people I wished to have close to me.

So, wasn't it better to just give in to a mate who wished for my attention all day and night?

Mortified, I walked towards the door, feeling my heart drumming hard in rejection and helplessness.

At that moment, I understood one thing.

I turned around and looked straight at the three men. "Do you want to know why the wolves outside the border don't know that you are alive?" I asked in a shaky voice.

They looked blank.

Uncle Joran stared at me in question.

"Because you never tried enough to remove that border."

It felt mean to say that. But I was pissed off and hurt.

"You feel proud at admitting that you don't accept Kingston as your Alpha while you live on his land. If not him, than don't call Pete as your Alpha too when you are scared of being inspired from his actions and simply demand your right to practice your connections with your possible relatives. But you are all scared or. . . Maybe, just bitter. Since I am not really Gilbert's child, maybe that could be the actual reason. You don't have to worry about it, I won't come here again." I told them while flaring my nostrils.

"A female of my age has much courage than you three together or all the other male wolves who are stuck here. She doesn't care if we are related or not. She only cares about helping the outsiders in bringing the border down. She did help them by staying stuck here only, just like you, right under the Lycans' noses," I said while remembering all that she had suffered till now.

"The outside world knows that she is alive."

Uncle Joran looked speechless while Kaamil and Aslan were shocked.

I gave them a last disappointed look before turning around and getting out of the house.

Natasha called out to me in the street when I was literally about to escape this one. I pretended to not hear her and kept on walking ahead, thinking of ever not coming back here again.

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I felt so out of place, sitting here at the dining table.

Sulking in my own room after what happened, Nysa returned with a cup of tea in the evening. I didn't want to drink it.

The record of not drinking the soup and than tea, brought Amelia's wrath upon me.

Just as the evening darkened, she burst out in the room. Instead of bringing the plate full of dinner for me, she grabbed my hand and took me to her house.

My cheeks heated up the moment she made me sit on the table with the others. The pups were staring and so were their fathers.

Nysa was sitting down to with Kenny and Reveka. Emily was helping out her mother in the kitchen.

I couldn't even dare look up in embarassment. I just didn't know how to behave if not just scream in frustration about everything that happened and also the fact that they were pretending like nothing actually happened.

And worst of all, as expected, Karam wasn't here.

"The world has evolved really," said Robin, in between the gossips. "Don't you think, King? We, push that wheel hard all our lives, pull those carts. Ah! throwing our Lycan strength and here, our human Misty goes, moves a wheel so smooth and flies out to the forest with. . ." He mimicked the engine's sound.

My face burnt from all the attention as Kingston chuckled deeply. "Our Karam here shifts into his beast, punches his chest, growls out with pride and. . . Misty moves wheel. . ."

Robin's engine roared again.

"I had chills when he stopped that thing and she glared back, " said Lysar, making the brothers laugh. "I was on Misty's side. I thought she would slide that thing over him."

I cleared my throat while Kingston gulped down his wine and placed it hard on the table, shaking it all. The wine spilt over the table like every time. That's how they all would always drink and eat.

"It will go down in history. Robin, Descendant of Alpha Ronyn, son of Alpha Kai, brother to Alpha Kingston, got his breeches stolen by—"

Robin elbow-ed him back. "Ya! Calm your tits, King."

Lysar coughed as all the pups around us laughed. Even Kenny and Stella did, who looked actually bored of their fathers' gossips.

"The Southern Alpha looks godly though," said Robin while taking the bowl that Emily just brought. He placed it on the table and added, "I have been told, Severans are losing it. They forgot their hymns."

Kingston choked on his wine when Reveka and Stella gasped in mortification.

"No, we didn't!" They said in unison.

Lysar rolled his eyes with a smirk. "You all haven't heard about him from Amelia—"

The slap came right on his head.

"I didn't even see him," said Amelia while putting the big plate in the middle.

Emily walked around the table and put a bowl of gravy in front of me. "This one's for you, without meat."

"Thanks," I mumbled while looking up at her and back at the bowl.

Amelia passed me some breads while Emily sat beside her next to Lysar in front of me.

"She has been continuously asking me about how he looked," Lysar told Kingston in his ear, earning another slap on forearm from Amelia.

Kingston nodded properly in doubt, entertaining the youngest brother.

"He made me want to shave this off," said Robin while touching his beard, and with same hand, he ate the piece of meat. "Now I know why Misty calls us cave men."

Kingston and he exchanged a glance. "We'll shave it off. But Karam will be the first one to do it," said the Alpha.

I sucked in my cheeks as everyone snickered because that sounded like something impossible to happen.

My eyes suddenly met Kingston and his laughter calmed down. Not leaving the smile, he nodded. "Ask what you want to."

Everyone silenced and but was still eating noisily.

I clenched my fists while asking, "Will you give them the flower?" My voice came out soft and low.

Kingston nodded without a doubt to my surprise. "Of course," he said while chewing and pointing at Lysar. "I am tempted not to."

"But just to prove it to Alpha Pete that we have no hate against him, who sent us you when he didn't want to, I will give him the flower. It will heal the wounded."

The sugar-coated words won't melt me anymore. They all seemed to be just in the good mood because I was stuck here and marked.

It would take one word from me spoken outrageously and their true expressions would come out.

But I wouldn't be able to handle the hatred too if they actually behaved bitter with me about the adventure I pulled.

"Eat," said Amelia, while passing me a stern look.

I looked down at the plate and back at her. "Where is Keev? You said that he is here."

The three brothers ate quietly while Amelia looked slightly irritated.

Nysa chose to answer. "Back at the temple."

"What?" I whispered absentmindedly. My vision blurred a little as I recalled all of convincing I did to Lucine to bring the pup here.

"He was here only till yesterday. He is gone for short period," said Emily, with a small smile. "Until you get well."

"Who took him there?" I asked lowly, feeling ashamed and hurt.

The brothers passed each other wines and pieces of meat.

Amelia gave me a confident look. "His father," she said, putting a morsel in her mouth. "I tried to stop him. But this time will only help your neck heal, Foxy."

My head lowered to an angle, I didn't want to show them how hurt I was.

A tear fell on the table as I tried to calm myself. I bit my lip and taught myself that they might be saying the truth. That Keev was here till yesterday and now back at the temple for the time until I got absolutely well. But it still felt weird. I did so much for him to be here.

My actions led him back to the temple. By his own father. What would Lucine must be thinking of me? Even if I didn't want to care because it was my right to cross the border, I still felt the guilt.

A hand nudged my left forearm, and I glanced at Denissa, Robin's second girl.

She was thirteen, a shy and silent one. Seeing my glossy eyes, she smiled and gave me her piece of bread.

I sniffled a little and raised my head, breathing hard.

I took the piece of bread from her and stared at it. My gaze went back to the piece of meat that Kingston picked up from his plate.

"Can I taste it?" I asked absentmindedly.

Kingston looked up at me and straightened on his seat in confusion. His hand was totally drenched in the gravy.

Robin and Lysar exchanged a glance as I nodded at them.

"Give me one."

Nysa looked lost. "Really?"

I blinked as my eyes burnt a little. "Yeah. Eventually, I'll end up eating it. The years would do that to me anyway. I might just start getting used to it right away."

Stella and Emily looked unhappy as Lysar got excited and uncovered the main bowl. He put the lid aside and brought out two pieces on a new plate that Robin passed him.

"Don't do that," Amelia muttered while not looking at me.

Kingston observed me properly. But he didn't say anything when I took the plate from Robin as Lysar put the two pieces.

"You didn't vomit. That's a progress," said Robin encouragingly.

My heart curled a little at the thought of it. But I took a breathe before picking up the piece with my shaky hands.

Reveka didn't look happy when my eyes caught her staring. Emily looked worried. Kenny was in her world, savouring the tastes.

I gulped before bringing my mouth closer.

"She will cry," Amelia muttered while hitting Lysar's head.

"Let her try," Robin said while Kingston had stopped eating to watch me.

I controlled a sob as the fact that I would never able to cross the border again revolved in my mind. My nostrils flared and eyes ached. My stomach did twists but I held courage.

I wanted to try it anyway once when I was a child. So, I opened my mouth.

The door burst opened and my wrist was grabbed painfully all of a sudden.

There was a scorching burn over my neck. It literally made me wince.

The piece was snatched from my hand and fingers were wiped by the piece of bread which Karam threw away when I looked up at him in shock.

My jaw dropped when he picked up the plate and passed it to little Lucy.

Kingston cleared his throat and everyone started eating their own meal.

While I was stuck, observing the fresh look on Karam's face. He looked radiant. The raven lashes, hair and beard. All trimmed and sharp. Very clean light brown shirt and black breeches.

I was sulking here in my sorrows, drowning and dying. While he was looking radiant.

The anger rose in me like the magma in a volcano.

So now he was going to control what I eat and what I won't?

"She wants to know what she is missing out on. But she will have a rought night full of weak heart. Her heart can't handle it even though she might enjoy the taste," he said while demanding his plate from Amelia with a nod. "I saw it."

His deep voice brought shivers to my heart.

Robin and Lysar backed away the moment he gave them a narrow glare.

Amelia gave him the new plate full, immediately.

He took it placed it it front of him while my heart was beating faster with no limits. Was he talking about that one incident in the middle school?

I wanted to try out a non-vegetarian dish as it looked tempting and I was the only vegetarian friend in the group. It landed me into the hospital. Because the continuous vomits had made my chest down to my stomach, everything sore. It felt everything inside had shrunken.

Wait.

I looked down at my plate in disbelief.
Oh God.

What else did he see?

I glanced back at him from my peripheral vision. He was eating his food with the same eagerness as of his family members. Lowering his head closer to the plate, looking like he was about go for a party, not having even one per cent guilt on his pretty face or being affected.

I felt trapped. Unseen. Hurt.

So, I tried to raise myself and just leave.

A big hand grabbed my right hand to stop me from moving, pressed our hands down on to my right thigh.

My cheeks and ears burnt as all the blood rushed up to my face at the touch. Everything was forgotten and I could only think about his audacity.

His left hand was under the table, holding mine while his right one was preparing another morsel looking unbothered.

Embarassed and confused, I tried to remove his hand with my fingers. But he wouldn't leave mine.

None of the family members glanced at us, being fully aware of everything that was happening. But they didn't show it.

"Eat with us, Aunt Misty." Lucy said, while licking her fingers. "You always eat in your room."

I frowned and opened my mouth to say something.

Lysar passed me a pleading smile, making me give him a bothered look.

My eyes went on Nysa who too was signing at me to just eat, I looked away in frustration and gave up.

Karam pulled back his hand when I struggled to rip a piece of bread with my left one.

The nerves underneath the mark on my neck, tickled.

Main character was a far thing, I didn't even feel the side character in his story.

For once, I decided to give in and eat my meal just like everyone.

But with the first morsel, I drowned further in the horror of getting used to sit here every night and eat with the same casualness as them. With the second, I imagined myself eating comfortably and laughing with them, not bothering about the border.

My feet turned cold.

So, with each next morsel until the last of that evening, I promised myself again and again that this was the last family dinner in this house with them.

I won't eat here again. I won't, to keep myself motivated.

To make myself remember, that this was my story and I had to break the border.

Especially after knowing, that at one point Karam tried hard to do the same.

All I had to do was work harder than him or anyone else, to my best potential.

_____

"What do you think?"

Please vote and comment.

_

God. I had to think a lot before publishing this one. I had written this chapter quite a while ago even before the last three chapters. I really didn't want to publish this one because I had mixed feelings about it. I didn't know how important or extra it could turn out to be for the story to go ahead. I thought I would directly jump on some other scene ahead rather than show these two scenes. But here we go. (I am still unsure about it. I might even delete it later)

Let me know what you think of the above two scenes. It's a contrast literally if you know what I am talking about.

Life outside Wattpad takes a lot of me. I really want more than just 24 hours for a day.

But I'll try to keep the story going by taking out some time any how each day to write, so we all stay connected and know and enjoy Misty more and More. And, I am gonna end this part of the series at a point where I feel it will be apt and leave us hanging for the next one. So, before that I want to show some scenes from Karam's life that will add on to the plot, whether or not they affect Misty in any way. But yes, in the end, the book is about Misty. So, it will be her journey.

I'll try to speed up the pace of story too if anyone is wondering about that. 

Have a good day/night, everyone. Please take care.

Love,
Nikki <3