This was her favourite park. It reminded her of the one her mother used to take her to when she was a child. The park was primarily for humans since it was closer to the city, where the population was mostly human. It was a Sunday; the park was bustling.
There was a birthday party in the far-east corner, and she could hear kids' laughter and voices. It soothed her. She had discovered the park by accident years ago when she got a flat tire driving back from the mall. Under strict instructions from her uncle, she was told to walk a few meters away to the park and stay put. He didn't want her sitting alone in the car – it would have attracted unnecessary attention. He just didn't want her getting help from a stranger. From that day, her uncle took care of all her car maintenance. When she had bought her Jeep, he had made her send him a copy of her maintenance plan. He always sent someone to pick up her car for maintenance. He knew she loved her car, and she wasn't the best at keeping up with the upkeep.
"My, my, my. Looks like today is my lucky day," Lucila said, standing in front of her. Her head started to pound instantly. She chose to ignore her and took another bite of her club sandwich, opting to watch the kids on the swings.
"Yeah, I'd be quiet too if nobody was here to protect you," Lucila sneered.
"I'm guessing you're here for round two?" she asked. "Your moves haven't changed," she smirked. "Did you have one of your pasts follow me around? I reckon I would have smiled desperate a mile away." She scoffed.
"This is between you and me. All you have to do is reject Sive and leave," Lucila spoke confidently.
"Threatened by my presence?" she questioned.
"You're not a threat, Zoleka. One snap, and you're dead," Lucila giggled.
"Empty threats. You couldn't kill me even if you tried. Now, go back to where you came from. You're ruining my day," she told her.
"Ruining!" She yelled, drawing attention from people around them.
"Careful, there are humans around," she warned. They both knew the rules. Don't draw attention to yourselves and don't shift around humans. Unless in protection of ours.
"I don't give a damn!" Lucila snapped, coming closer to her. She stood up, picking up her belongings. It seemed like she couldn't eat in peace, again.
"Well, I do. Stay out of my way," she said, walking toward her car.
"You stay away from Sive. Do what needs to be done so what is meant to be can happen."
She couldn't help but laugh. "Meant to be?" she asked. "The last time I checked, you weren't someone's mate." Granted she wasn't pleased about Sive being her mate but couldn't the girl take a hint.
"A minor technicality," She snickered, oozing arrogance.
"I won't be told by you what to do, and I'm certainly not running just because it suits you." She snapped. "I didn't come back home to have you and some destiny stand in my way. Despite what you think Lucila. I have more important things to worry about."
"You've done it before. Why not now?" Lucila taunted.
"If you think I was running all those years, then you're more foolish than I thought," she smiled. Lucila raised her hand, but Rose arrived just in time and stood beside her. She knew she had seen her at the mall.
"Luna," Rose said, greeting her. "Do we have a problem?" she asked, ignoring Lucila. She stepped forward inches away from her.
"I won't tell you again to stay away from me and whatever you consider as mine," Zo warned, her voice firm.
"I'll see you home, Rose," Zo said, walking toward her car. She wasn't going to let anyone chase her away.
The meeting with the border council had gone fine considering Alpha Arthur's demands. The man had spent an hour rambling on and requested documentation for all tabled discussions. They were standing outside, saying their goodbyes to the council members.
He saw Zoleka's Jeep pull up in the driveway, and she got out quickly, looking furious. Rose parked beside her in her Audi.
"What happened?" He asked, mind-linking Rose.
"Lucila," she replied.
Zoleka's dark brown eyes locked onto him, and anger crossed her face, but it immediately changed to shock. "Arthur?" She smiled, running to the old man and embracing him in a hug. How did she know him?
"Zoleka, darling," he beamed, hugging her back. "I heard you took up a position here - so sad you didn't choose me," he noted.
"You know I'll travel across the earth to help you if you ever needed me," she joked. "What are you doing here?" She asked. He exchanged looks with Daniel both shocked by the scene before them. Arthur wasn't a raging type A maniac.
"Boring meetings," he groaned. She smiled at him knowingly. He was still confused about how she knew him.
"I'm sure you gave them hell." He huffed at her comment. He did more than give them hell. Arthur was crazy. The pair looked at him; he guessed he huffed loudly.
"So, the Reed? Did you find your mate?" He asked her.
"No," she replied quickly, looking at him.
"I'm happy you didn't, but I'm not happy that my grandson found his last night. I really wanted you to be my daughter-in-law."
"I know. Don't worry. I still love you. Are you leaving now?" She asked.
"I have a few minutes to spare for you. How about you walk me to the Alpha office? We could catch up a bit."
"I sure would love that." She wrapped her hand around his and walked past him, not even acknowledging his presence. He watched them leave, walking into the main house.
"What happened, Rose?" He asked her.
"I followed her to the mall; everything was fine until she got to the park."
"Which one?"
"The one by the river bank," she clarified. "Lucila ambushed her. I know she wasn't following her, but I wouldn't be surprised if she got one of her followers to tell her if they spotted her."
"Coward," Daniel said. Rose nodded in agreement.
"Zo said the same thing. I stepped in before it could get heated. Looks like Lucila wanted to throw the first strike."
Touch mate? Heno questioned.
"I got there just in time" She reassured. "She wasn't shocked I was there - she actually ignored me." Rose told them.
"I'll talk to Evans and see what can be done. I don't think she is planning on sticking to your agreement," Dan said. "Let me go now before he leaves for the day," Daniel said, walking towards the house.
"One more thing, Sive," Rose said, waiting for Daniel to clear ahead.
"Zoleka warned her."
"What did she say?" he was curious.
"I quote, 'Stay away from me and whatever you consider as mine,'" Rose said.
"Thank you, Rose. Keep an eye out," Sive nodded, and Rose left him.
"She thinks of us as hers," Heno beamed. "Not too fast," he warned. She was still angry at him.
"She still hates you - not me," Heno clarified.
That he knew, but if she wasn't a 100% opposed to their mating, that meant he still could win her over. Do everything in his power to make her his. His mate and Luna.
