Chapter 7: Intruder (Ch.7)
"Intruder!!! Intruder!!!"
Neveah's eyes snapped open sleepily at the loud yells coming from the castle,
The dregs of sleep still lingered in Neveah's eyes and she lifted a hand to rub them off tiredly.
Neveah glanced around her surrounding, momentarily surprised to see the familiar clustered trees and thick greenery of the forest behind the Eclipse palace.
This forest was a place Neveah had frequented in her childhood, when everything became too overwhelming for her and she needed to get away from it all, even if for just a short moment.
Due to her familiarity with this environment, Neveah could tell she had gone in much deeper into this forest than she ever had before.
It took Neveah a moment to even recall how she had gotten out here in the first place and after her disoriented memory settled, Neveah heaved a sigh of exhaustion.
"Father would have my head if he finds me out here." Neveah murmured to herself in a distasteful tone.
Neveah had not even realized she had drifted off to sleep leaning against a tree after she had fled the castle and she recalled her father's strict warning that she was never to venture into the forest again.
In his words, the forest was no place for weak and pathetic humans who had no means to defend themselves save for a pretty face.
Although Alpha King Lothaire was the farthest from a caring and loving father as anyone could get, the fact remained he cherished Neveah for the benefits he believed her physical gifts could bring him,
And the one thing he feared the most was Neveah growing extremely emotional and harming her ownself so he could no longer use her for his purposes.
Neveah had actually considered it when she was much younger, considered ending her life and letting her father wallow in the loss of his shelf trophy and favorite toy.
However Neveah had quickly realized that in her bid to spite her father, she would only end up doing her step mother a great favor and so Neveah had pushed away those thoughts.
Although hardly anything in Neveah's life had happened of her own will, Neveah felt at the very least, she could get to decide the day she died and how she died.
Neveah sensitive ears picked up the howling and fierce growling of the pack wolves from a distance as they most likely chased down whoever the intruder was.
It was rare for anyone to be daring enough to trespass Eclipse territory, Neveah wondered why it had to be tonight of all nights that an intruder had appeared.
"It's one thing after the other." Neveah murmured in an exhausted tone as she leaned against the tree.
Neveah was not even sure how long she had been out in the forest, it could have been days even.
The fact that no one noticed her absence did not count for much as Neveah was only noticed when she was needed, at other times, she returned to being the insignificant omega.
Neveah had no intentions of heading back to the castle, the presence of an intruder was no business of hers.
Even if a pack of rogues were to launch an attack at this very moment, Neveah would hardly care for it... she had long dissociated her mind from identifying as an Eclipse wolf.
Whatever happened, the Eclipse wolves could deal with their own problems, she did not care in the slightest.
Neveah perked up when she heard footsteps coming her way, distracted by her thoughts, she had not even caught the footsteps until they were now awfully close.
Neveah was too emotionally drained to even panic and so she just stared on ahead with a blank gaze as a silhouette soon emerged from the cover of trees.
Neveah squinted her gaze to get a closer look, her eyes widened in surprise as she took in the visage of the silhouette.
With pitch black hair and eyes a boundless darkness, like gleaming black onyx and a face seemingly sculpted with the greatest care by the creator himself,
The dashingly handsome young man sped Neveah's way.
'Was there actually someone who was this handsome in existence? What was this? A heavenly being?' Neveah pondered in awe.
Neveah was accustomed to being the one on the receiving end of such shocked looks due to her visage, she had not expected there was actually someone in existence who could rival her looks and even put hers to shame.
What was worse, this someone was even a man at that.
It took Neveah a moment to shake herself back to reality enough to realize this was the intruder.
"Of course the intruder has to go by here." Neveah muttered to herself as she rolled her eyes slightly.
However Neveah immediately regretted speaking as the intruder halted sharply, finally taking notice of her.
Neveah watched in alarm as the intruder spared a look around their environment, confirming the Eclipse warriors were still at a good distance,
The intruder then changed his direction, stalking towards a frozen in place Neveah with slow, predatory steps.
Each step he took was light and almost completely soundless as though his feet did not even make contact with the forest ground,
Neveah found herself in a daze as the intruder stopped right before her, with barely an inch of distance between them, he crouched down and stared straight into Neveah's eyes.
Neveah shook her head slightly, forcing away her dazed state.
"I don't even care to know why you are trespassing Eclipse Fang territory but believe me, you are not going to get out of here alive." Neveah pointed out, fixing the intruder with a blank stare.
The intruder's lips stretched into a predatory grin as he leaned in close to Neveah's face, Neveah felt her heart rate pick up as the intruder's scent wafted through her nostrils.
'Dragon Shifter!' Neveah exclaimed in her mind as the scent of fire and ash flooded her sensitive nostrils.
Neveah's entire body immediately froze up as she realized just what kind of creature was standing before her eyes.
Just what kind of shifters were dragon shifters? They were the most powerful existence in all the supernatural realm.
They were at the very top of the food chain, the gods of the realm, their very existence was the representation of raw, unadulterated power!
Across the supernatural realm, who did not fear them?! They were the indomitable rulers of the supernatural realm! Ruthless, bloodthirsty and powerful!
In a sudden move, the dragon shifter leaned forwards and it was at this point that Neveah's heart exploded with panic, she did not dare move, she did not dare speak, she did not dare twitch... hell! Neveah didn't even dare breathe!