Crossing Moon

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All thanks goes to Izabella and Angelika for helping in editing the series...

Don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT!

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From Aveline Erickana Ruben's diary:

1st December 2008, 11.45 PM, my bed

Hypocrite!

That's what Alven is!

He is nothing but a selfish, idiotic, egoistic and did I mention a HYPOCRITE??

There I was, all heartbroken. You would think that the brother of the heartbroken girl would be more compassionate! I ran in my wolf form practically all the way from that STUPID Wolfy Cafe to Ruben Manor and CAN YOU GUESS WHAT I HAD FOUND??

I called his name! There I was, all going, "Alven! Alven! Where are you? Let's go back home..." and all I found was shredded pieces of clothing strewn across the living room floor!

My suspicion was confirmed when I ran up the stairs to that psychotic hypocritical idiotic man's room!

He was NAKED with that clingy idiotic HUMAN girlfriend of his! How dare he?! All preaching to me about how he wouldn't let our father and the Four Council down -- that I should learn to block my feelings out like him! The perfect wolf! HAH!

Perfect wolf, my ASS!

I went to him! I didn't care anymore! I kicked him hard on his gut! That woke him up all right but it took him a few seconds later, for it to register that I was THERE, seeing him in all of his nakedness -- not to mention that idiotic CLINGY girlfriend who was STILL fast asleep!

Damn him!

Damn Yvainne Wilkinson!!

"Avvie!" he exclaimed, quickly covering himself with a robe, which he found in his bathroom. He went to me, all regretful (IT'S A LITTLE TOO LATE TO BE REGRETFUL, DUDE!!!)

I didn't say a word to him -- NOT EVEN A SINGLE FREAKING WORD!! I just growled at him, and then leaped up and gave him a kick right on his chest!

"I -- I didn't mate with her," he gasped out for breath.

I glared at him. "You have just made things a whole lot worse Alven!"

He looked at me regretfully, not being able to say anything. I looked at the sleeping Yvainne and bit my lips.

"Avvie..." he called out to me weakly.

"I'm going home!" I spat out to him, stomping angrily on my heels.

I was so mega furious with him! I needed to vent out my anger! That's actually why I called Carinelle but it turned out that she was not much of a help either!

The minute I told her about Alven, she went perfectly silent.

MY GOD! WHAT WAS GOING ON HERE????

Avvie

From Carinelle Hynes Thorn's diary:

2nd December 2008, 3.30 AM, bedroom.

I said 'YES'.

Carrie.

***

Samuel grasped her hand tightly. She looked at him, feeling nervous all over again. It looked like all her speech practice in front of the mirror, telling her parents about the news -- was going into the drain.

"I'm scared," she admitted to him.

He grinned, "You have nothing to be afraid of," he said smiling, and then kissed her cheek, "I'm the one who have to face Jerry and then the Four Council members."

She was about to push open her father's office door when he suddenly pulled her to him and started kissing her. Her back was on the wall and her lips pressed onto his. He made her feel special and loved, far from what Alven had. True, that Alven had no idea whatsoever on her loving him but now, well, in addition to what Aveline had told her about him sleeping with that human girlfriend; it only added to the reality that he was just not her soul mate.

Breathless, she kissed Samuel's neck, and then pushed him away gently. She looked at him, and wondered that perhaps...

Well, perhaps, Samuel Charleston Nyca was her true soul mate.

Even if she wasn't entirely in love with him; it was indeed true that she loved being in his arms and feeling his warmth all around her. It was lust, but at least, she was happy.

Samuel took her hand and then pushed open Jerry's door. Jerry was sitting on his chair, his hands on his laptop. He looked up, somehow knowing what was going on.

"I see that you've asked my daughter," he said.

Carinelle blinked at him, "Dad?" she said bewildered, "You knew?" She looked at Samuel instantly and he grinned.

"Well, remember last time, when I said it was 'Alpha matters'?" he asked her.

"Y -- yes but -,"

Jerry cut his daughter's words off, he stood up and went to the couple and said, "He came to me for your hand, Carrie dear," he smiled, and then he looked at Samuel, "You already know my answer."

"Yes, and I thank you for that, Jerry," Samuel replied, "And the Four Council?"

"I will inform them tonight," Jerry told them.

Jerry went to his daughter, smiling and feeling very proud at her, "My Carinelle, you really are a big girl now," he said, almost a sniffle, "My little girl's about to start a whole new life."

Carinelle blushed. "Dad, you're embarrassing me,"

Samuel kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry love," he said, "I just wanted to surprise you." Suddenly, his mobile phone rang, he took it out and saw who it was. He smiled to her, "I have to answer the call, it's from my pack," he said. Jerry nodded.

***

Carinelle looked at her father who was now sitting down on his chair. He bent down to find something in his drawer. "Dad?" she called him. "Yeah?" he said, still bending.

"Do you agree of my um... mat -- uh, being with Sam?"

"Well, he is your choice," Jerry said, finally sitting up straight. He placed a small box on the table, "And I think he is a very good choice; he's an alpha so that's a plus, he will help you lead this pack in the future."

"Yes, it's very prudent of me," Carinelle said, almost a sigh.

Jerry looked at his daughter, "I always thought that maybe you'd be with Alven." he said suddenly.

Carinelle's eyes went wide, stammering, "D -- dad, h -- how, what are you saying?"

Jerry opened the box and then took her hand, Sam's bracelet tinkled. He smiled at her as he placed a silver necklace with a crystal pendant. "James had given this necklace to your mother for our first year anniversary and your mother had told me that she'd wanted to give this necklace to you when you have found your mate." he told her, ignoring his daughter's question.

Carinelle grasped the necklace tightly in her hand, feeling so sad suddenly, "Why do you think that I'd be with Alven? He... he just thinks of me as a family," her voice broke at the end.

"I suppose so," Jerry nodded, "The most important thing here is that you're happy," he looked at her again, "Are you happy with Samuel?"

"Dad, what kind of a question is that?" she faked a laugh, "Of course I'm happy," and then she added in her thoughts, I guess.

He smiled at her, "For all its worth, I do think that Samuel is a good kid," he said.

Carinelle smiled wanly, and then she put the necklace on. Her heart felt heavy. "Yes, he is and he loves me," she whispered.

***

A week has passed since Alven slept with her. Yvainne sighed and scrubbed the counter as harsh as she could. She felt so frustrated -- well, cheated was the perfect word.

"Alven?" she remembered calling his name, just a few seconds after she had woken up. She was in his bed. Oh, she could still smell his scent on it. She took a deep breath, memorizing it. She opened her eyes when Alven did not answer her. "Alven?" she had called again, panic started to rise within her when she saw him sitting on the cold floor...his back to the wall.

He had looked so perfect -- even in his naked glory. She swallowed, resisting the urge of wanting him inside her again -- oh how she remembered it! They moved together -- in a perfect rhythm. They had connected to a level that she couldn't explain in just mere words. Or maybe, she was just imagining it.

"I'm sorry," he had said to her.

She stood up, and walked to him, ignoring the fact that she was stark naked. She sat next to him and put her head on his shoulder, "Why are you sorry?" she had asked him.

He sighed. "Cover yourself up, please, Vannie," he said, standing up abruptly and then pulled a t-shirt and a pair of jeans from his wardrobe. He looked at her for a second, and then looked into his wardrobe and finally found another shirt which was big enough for her to wear as a knee-length dress.

She blinked at him when he gave the shirt to her. "I -- I don't understand," she had stated to him in a weak voice.

"We -- we shouldn't have done this," he told her quietly, "I should have learnt to control myself."

She stood up and quickly embraced him, "It wasn't your fault," she told him, "I had wanted this, I told you, even if it was for this one day, I wanted you to make me yours."

"You do not want it that way, Yvainne," he had replied to her, "You deserve a man who'll always be there for you. I am not that man. I can never be that man,"

Tears started to pool in her eyes, "I - I thought you loved me."

"I'm not sure what I am thinking anymore," he admitted to her, he looked at her and tightened his arms on her, feeling her warmth, "My sister saw us together." he said softly.

She gasped, "Oh god," she had blushed!

"She wasn't happy," he continued, "And I realized that she was absolutely right."

She looked at him, shocked ran across her face, "Alven?"

"I'm not coming back," he told her softly, "You know that."

"There's always a long distance relationship thingy," she pleaded, "We can still try to work it out."

He shook his head, "You don't get it," he said, "You don't understand the gravity of the situation I am in now. It is my mistake -- entirely my fault, I shouldn't have come to you and messed all the things between us." He kissed her forehead and then let her go gently. "I love you," he said to her truthfully, "But we are not meant to be."

She slapped him.

"You don't say that you love someone and then say that it's not meant to be!" She bit her lips, feeling so cheated.

"You don't understand," he said, sighing.

"Then make me understand!" she screeched.

"I can't," he said.

She looked at him, glaring, realization dawned upon her features, "It's that bitch Carrie, right?"

This time, it was Alven who was shocked. "Carinelle has nothing to do with this," he said.

"I knew it!" she continued to screech, "I saw how she looked at you! I always had this nagging feeling about her!"

"You're delusional, Vannie," he replied back calmly. "Carrie has nothing to do about this."

But she continued to rant on. How she had always knew -- well, had a sense that the reason Aveline had been less friendly to her was the fact that she was an outsider. And as for Carinelle, even if she had never crossed paths with Carinelle, she had this instinct that she had stolen Alven away.

Alven had enough of all this nonsense. As much as he did care for her, he knew that he couldn't let those feelings stop him and break the wolf system. He was the future alpha and like any other alpha, he had done the most sensible thing in such a similar situation.

He had left her alone.

Remembering all those events -- it kept on playing in her mind. Yvainne felt like screaming. Her heart had broken and all this time, pining over this perfect godly creation was wasted!

She kept on scrubbing the counter as hard as she could and then gasped in a mix of pain and shock when she broke her fingernail. She cursed.

She closed her eyes, trying to even her breath. Come now Vannie, he's not worth it, she told herself and even then, she couldn't believe it.

She loved him so much and despite the fact that he had hurt her, she still had some hope left. And why was he being so melodramatic?

What was it that he could not tell her? Yvainne felt so frustrated. Yes, sure, she had jumped his bones but she loved him and she wanted to feel him inside her.

Yes, he did say that he couldn't be with her -- that there was just something that he couldn't break through and somehow, she knew that it was all crap. Even if he was telling her the truth -- the honest truth was that he loved her; his love was not deep enough to overcome his so-called barrier and she knew that Carinelle was a part of that reason.

***

Aveline sat cross-legged on her bed. Alven looked out to the floor-length window and watched while the low ranks did their daily activities. Some had phased into their wolf forms and sprinted all over the land happily, a few were scouting the area -- watching for intruders (which the chances of that were zero but still) and the other half were just doing their tasks in their human forms.

"You're ignoring me." she said, almost a hiss.

"I'm not," he replied softly.

"Then why aren't you telling me more?"

"I told you, Avvie," he turned to her and looked at her exasperatedly, "I promise you, to the moon and to Mom and Dad, that I did not mate with her. I did not bite her. It was just -,"

She cut his words off, "Just sex?"

He nodded shamefully, "And I broke a very good girl's heart."

Aveline heard the remorse in his voice. She sighed, "You really do care for her, don't you?"

"I do," he admitted.

"Do you love her?" she paused, "Like a mate?"

He looked at her, "What do you mean?"

"I love him," she said, "My Max," she sighed, "But he doesn't know how I feel, nor even the fact that -,"

This time, he was the one who cut her words, "That we are wolves?" he offered.

She sighed, "I love him so much that it hurts to know that we are not meant to be."

"So you agree with me that it's the best to forget all those feelings and not to let down of our father and the Four Council?" he went to her and sat down on the bed.

She sighed but nodded, "And that's why I said it that way," she paused, "So, you really do love her?"

He smiled wanly at her, "It's not like that," he told her, "I care for her but she's not my mate."

"And who do you suppose your mate is?"

He shrugged, "Time will tell, I suppose."

"I don't think Yvainne would take the news lightly," she said, "She loved you so much."

"It's not love," he protested softly, "I might sound unfair but what we had was indeed special, but we were driven with the excitement, the danger and lust."

"How does it feel like?" she asked suddenly a few minutes later.

"Feel what?" he laid on his back and stared at the ceiling.

"Sex," she whispered meekly.

He turned to his side, facing her, "It was..." he paused, "A very satisfying and unique feeling," he smiled at her when her cheeks turned red, "Don't worry sis, you'll find out exactly what I meant when you mate."

She groaned at him, throwing a pillow at his face, "Now you're being terribly disgusting!"

Alven laughed, dodging the pillow swiftly; she growled at him, and then stuck her tongue out in a childish way that she smiled afterwards, feeling silly but quite happy. She had been so depressed and sensitive lately that even Alven's silly joking remark made her smile in a release tension. She was about to say something witty and sarcastic but then, just as she opened her mouth to speak -- her door was knocked twice.

She closed her mouth, and then, said, "Yeah?"

Carrie's head popped in, she was smiling but then, she bit her lips when she saw Alven there. She went in and the two Ruben heirs instantly saw the creamy white coloured card that Carinelle was holding to her chest, like something precious -- or even sacred.

"What's that?" Aveline asked. Alven, remembering how hostile Carinelle was, decided to stand up. "Alven? Where are you going?" she asked.

Carinelle bit her lips, and pondered for a second, "Uh, just stay for a minute Alven," she said, "It's good that you're here."

"Why is that?" Alven asked bitterly. He couldn't help but to feel that way. He felt that he didn't deserve the cold treatment that Miss Carinelle Thorn had given him.

She turned red, "Look, I'm sorry," she started, "I didn't mean to be so..."

He cut her words, "Hostile?" he offered.

She sighed, "It's complicated really but I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry."

Alven looked at her, his hands folded to his chest. He waited for a few seconds but then, when she wouldn't say anything. He went, "Oh, just forget it." and was about to leave the room when she went to him, flinging both her hands to his neck, wanting him to stop.

Alven was stunned. This was the first time she had ever shown any sign of close intimate contact. "Don't go yet," she said, "Please don't make this any harder than it is."

He sighed and then gently took her hands off him, "Why were you so mad at me?"

Aveline just looked at them, knowing that it wasn't her place to interfere. Carinelle bit her lips, "I -- I wasn't mad..." she said.

"You WERE mad, I can see that," he insisted.

"I wasn't...." her words trailed off. "Avvie?" she looked at her, desperate.

"Maybe it's the fact that you're with that clingy human," Aveline said, sighing, "We've never talked about this but that doesn't mean that we like it."

Ah, well that was close enough to what is the truth, Carinelle thought secretively to herself.

"Was that all?" Alven asked.

"Yes," Carrie agreed.

"Now, what's that?" Aveline asked, going up to her and then before Carrie could even stop her from taking the card. Aveline swiftly took it and then opened it.

Carrie sighed. Aveline's eyes went wide in pure shock. Alven was anxious -- it only made him even more anxious when he saw his sister like that. "Avvie?" Alven asked but Aveline just thrust the card to his chest and he quickly looked at the card.

"What's the meaning of this?" Aveline asked brokenly, "I thought we agreed that we would accomplish our dreams..."

Alven just closed the invitation card and then ripped it half. Carrie, feeling shock, went to him and quickly gathered up the pieces into her hands. "Why did you have to rip it Alven?!" she cried.

"How could you?" Aveline went on, "We're just eighteen for crying out loud!! How could you decide on this?"

"You don't have the right to be mad at me!" Carrie spat out, and then glaring at Alven, "Especially you, Alven! You don't have the right to rip my mating invitation card!"

"This is absurd! You are still too young to be mated! A child!" Alven retorted.

Aveline screeched, "I thought you are the wise one among us three! Boy! You prove me wrong!"

Carinelle slammed her fist to the wall, it cracked. "None of you have the right to judge me! This is my life! It's my choice whether or not I want to be mated or not!"

"We promised...." but Carinelle wouldn't let Aveline finish her words.

Carinelle glared, cutting in, "I have never wanted to go to explore the human world! It was not my dream to begin with! You cannot accuse me of betraying the promise!" she was so angry that she forgot the thin line between her judgement and her secret, "And you, Alven! You are not the perfect wolf! You SLEPT with a human! You don't have the right to be mad at me! I'm the one who should be ripping you into pieces!"

"Me?" Alven scoffed, "Why would you rip me?"

"Because you broke my heart, you dumbass wolf!" Carinelle screeched, "I loved you," the words came out without her thinking and then she regretted saying it but the damage was done. "I loved you all this time, secretly, wishing that you'd be mine! How did you think I'd feel when you went on and dated that bitch and ended up sleeping with her?" She glared at Aveline, "And you! You can't just say that I betrayed you! I deserve to be happy! Samuel loves me and that's all what I needed and maybe you ought to do the same thing! Just move on and forget Max! He's a freaking human and humans won't give you eternal happiness!"

Alven just stared at her. Aveline was crying now.

"This wasn't how I pictured it," Carinelle continued, tears rolling down her face, "I thought that you guys would be supportive of my decision, especially you Alven." and then without another word, she turned and left the room.

***

Alven gathered up the card pieces into his hand. Carinelle had dropped it to the floor when she left them. He was shocked to hear her confession and somehow, deep inside, he had seen the little signs but he didn't want to think about it. Much less, consider it.