~Zayla

"You know exactly what they are going to say," I remind Zaid, as we walk up to the front door.

He shrugs from behind the flowers I had insisted we buy. Considering he's being named as Alpha tomorrow, and I'm being taken away by an immortal tomorrow, I'm awfully calm. I'm ready for whatever he has thrown at me, and I have been for a long time. I have a feeling my adoptive father will cry and my mother will fake smile until she breaks down.

I appreciate them, though. Both of them.

Every since Zaid and I were young, we knew what happened to our birth parents. My mother was murdered, in cold blood, and my father died from the loss and pain some time after. He had found the perfect parents who would take care of us before he passed. And he picked greatly. Anna and Jack raised me with affection, but with the ability to fulfill the fate that has been written for me before I was born.

Anna opens the door for us. Almost instantly, she grabs my shoulders, pushing me inside the room, right into a tight hug. I saw this coming.

"Anna," I wheeze, "what's the point of the dinner if you're just going to kill me at the door?"

That's what I appreciate about my family. We can joke about things. Even if Anna and Jack can be all too touchy at times, they don't take everything seriously. That's why they didn't mind when I first insisted I wanted to call them by their first name. My real parents are dead. There's no point avoiding that fact.

She pulls away. She's crying, like I thought she would. "We have so much to talk about before you go."

Dinner is already on the table as we walk in. I take my usual spot, while Zaid sits opposite me. When we were younger, we would kick each other under the table and Jack would threaten to give us no dessert if we continued. I missed those days, when Fate wasn't on my mind every day.

Jack gets up to embrace me the moment I step into the room. Both him and Anna have those distinctive Devotion Pack features. The bronzy hair and smoldering dark eyes. Both are beautiful, even in their age. Anna has brilliant smile lines in the creases of her eyes and by her mouth, while Jack has those deep frown lines between his eyebrows. Serious and playful, the perfect match.

"I hope you're okay to talk tonight," Jack says warily, as I take my seat. He pauses, before he slides into his seat, hands placed by his untouched dinner. He's nervous.

"Of course," I reply, watching Zaid as he sits. He doesn't wait for anyone else at the table before he starts eating. "There's no point denying what's going to happen. That's always been your stance on this."

Anna leans over my shoulder, placing a cup of tea in front of me. I glance down at it. Inky coloured leaves let out their dark infusion that colours the steaming water in the cup. It's Anna's special herbs she grows out back. She's been using them to calm nerves since Zaid and I were young, but personally, I can't say they work very well.

"We just want to make your last day here good. Maybe you should stay the night here...You never know when he is going to show up," Anna says anxiously, tearing her apron I hadn't even noticed she was wearing off.

I expected this. "Anna, it's fine, I'm fine. And I haven't packed yet. If he shows up at midnight, fine, then I'll at least have all my stuff ready."

They aren't ready to let go yet, it's obvious. Zaid is stress eating in front of me, while my stomach continues to flip, keeping my gaze away from my food. Tomorrow holds so much unanswered promise. Who knows what I'll even be eating tomorrow. What if he starves me? What if I'm left to rot in a cell while he watches for amusement.

Anna exchanges a glance with her husband.

"We have a few things you might want to take with you," Jack says, his eyes pinned to Anna as he says this. I narrow my gaze. "Things to protect you, if that makes sense."

More protection. A lot of this is because they feel bad that they couldn't supply me with any information about Fate. He's allusive, and you'll only ever see him if he wants you to. No photos to prepare me, no proper information I can trust. When I ask people about him, everyone has a different.

"He's a monster..."

"Manipulative."

"You won't last five seconds in his den."

Nothing positive, to say the least. It doesn't help the nightmares my mind conjures up every night. The crazy, wild stuff that only forces me to train harder. To work harder. I'll avenge my parents one way or another.

"We have these," Anna says quickly, pulling her hand out from under the table to slide me a small back cotton bag. "It's the biggest weapon we think he won't find."

Tentatively, I grab the bag, pulling the string back to look inside. It feels heavy, like stones, and when I pull them out, I realise I'm right. Small glossed over rocks roll around in the palm. Only three of them, but each of them are different.

"What are they?" I ask softly.

"A little magic infused stones to keep you safe," Anna tells me, smiling slightly. "You could see it as a part of us with you the entire time."

Anna leans forward, touching the first one my eyes had landed on. "This one's for protection. He won't be able to touch you with violent intentions."

"That's my favourite," Zaid says through a mouthful of sliced meat. Him saying that almost makes me smile, considering it's baby pink. He's always been the one to protect me from kids at school, or at least the thought he did, so in a way, the meaning behind it suits him just fine.

"This one is so he can't sense you, so you can escape if you really need to," Anna continues, pointing to a vivid purple one in the centre of my palm. "We don't fully know what he's capable, but you can never be too safe."

"And this one?" I ask, holding up the last one.

This one is blood red, seemingly brighter and more intense than the others. Anna bites her lip at this one. "He won't be able to sense your emotions with this one. I think this is extra special."

"Thank you," I breathe, putting the stones back into the small pouch. "This is definitely going to help."

By the time I got home, my eyes were rimmed red and my cheeks were blotchy from all the crying. As far as I'm aware, that could have been the last time I ever see them. Their parting words were ones I plan to follow, though. Get some sleep, and deal with it in the morning.

With everything packed, I keep two of the rocks in my main bag, while I keep the other one close. The red one. He won't be getting any of my emotions anytime.

I pause as I pull my sheets back. My pillow. What's under it?

Slowly, I delve my hand under, not surprised to feel a piece of paper there. Pulling it out, I don't hesitate to tear it open. What does he have to say this time? One word to make me scared is not going to get to me. Not this time. I'm glad Anna and Jack put them away. I hope I never have to see them ever again.

Flipping the paper open, I read the note.

You only have to say my name to summon me.

Whenever you please.

Fate.

I take a deep breath. What is this supposed to mean?

I crunch the paper up in my fist, throwing it in the in instantly. Everyone was right when they said he was insane. Does he seriously think I'm just going to call out his name and let him whisk me away to whatever dark hole he lives on? I shiver at the thought.

And then I start to think.

Is he trying to get in my head, because if he is, then it's working. There's no way to tell how serious this note is, if he actually expects me to call his name out. Or is this some kind of messed up way of tricking me into a false sense of security?

I stand, pulling my hair back with my fingers to let it go again. Then I repeat the process another few times.

On my knees, I grab the paper back out the bin, and smooth it out on my desk. Then I read it over and over again. What does he mean?

My eyes scan over it for what must be an hour until the words distort and I come to the conclusion that I've lost my mind. He's using this against me, as a way to make me feel weak and vulnerable. Clearly, he doesn't think I'll do it, he doesn't think I'm strong enough to handle what he's declared.

Either way, he's coming, whether I summon him or not. Might as well take him by surprise.

Clutching the red stone in my hand, I take my seat on my bed. My heart is beating faster than what is considered healthy, as I breathe in the shakiest breath:

"Fate."