THE RISE OF AN OMEGA-Chapter 71: Haunted by Zambida

Clara’s POV

"Where am I?" I muttered under my breath. Despite how quiet and calm I sounded, my voice still echoed throughout the horizon. "Where is this place? How did I even get here?"

This place was very dark, darker than the cave space, which was how I knew that I wasn’t in the cave space. I was somewhere else, but I didn’t know where this was.

Suddenly, the darkness disappeared, and everywhere was filled with brightness, flowers, and growing leaves.

I smiled seeing how beautiful it was. Heaving a deep sigh of relief, I began to go down the narrow path. As I went deeper and deeper into the path, I began to see familiar faces, faces of people from my past.

Why?

Why was I seeing these faces, faces that I had left a long time ago, faces that I had tried to forget? In fact, I had forgotten about them, but somehow I was seeing them in the beautiful forest.

Something was definitely not right; something had to be wrong with me.

I tried hitting my head and pinching my skin to know if I was hallucinating, but I wasn’t. It didn’t feel like a dream either; it felt so real, and it baffled me.

This life, my life at the Zambida pack, I never want to relive those moments, those times, especially my last night in the town. It was dreadful.

Zambida pack was where I grew up before I was found by Ryker and some of his pack members during one of their patrols. They had found me in the river that separated my pack from theirs.

I was much younger then, and I was the only survivor of the Zambida pack. That day was a nightmare, and realizing that I might be reliving that moment again sent shivers down my spine.

"Hey Clara, come over here."

I froze.

That voice.

My sister’s.

How is she still alive?

Did I, by any chance, travel back in time?

This thought was the last thought I had before everything changed. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but it felt like I had lost my memory. It felt like things had changed within me.

I turned to look at my sister; she was wearing a warrior’s white. In the Zambia pack, warriors in training, especially female beta wolves, are dressed in white just to differentiate themselves.

Celine was my younger sister. I had gone through my novice white days; now it was her turn to do the same. My father was the alpha of the pack, and he had given birth to just my sister and me.

Unlike other wolves, my father wasn’t bothered that he didn’t have a son. He was contented with his daughters; he never once placed a burden on being the next alpha Luna of the pack.

Yes, in my pack, where I came from, a female can become an alpha and ruler of the pack. They are called alpha Luna.

"I see you’ve grown some nerves, little sis," I said, smiling.

"Oh come on, Clara, how old are you again?" Celine chuckled.

"Hmm, wait, let me think." Immediately I ran after her. She took off on her heels too, but I was able to catch up with her as I was stronger and faster.

Yes, I was. I had to be because by right, I was supposed to become the next alpha Luna of the Zambida pack.

I had been undergoing training since I was much younger.

"Come here, you little brat," I said, faking a roar.

I took her in my arms, attempting to scare her, well, playfully though.

She chuckled.

"That’s enough, both of you!" Zane, my father’s right-hand man and beta wolf, instructed.

Zane was a man of principles; he was strict too. Most of the training I had was with him, and he was a very terrifying creature. But I owe him my strength.

"Hello, Zane," I greeted.

"Your father seeks you."

My father barely calls for my attention, and when he does, it’s either I had done something wrong, or something was about to happen to the pack.

"What does he need me for?" I asked.

"He didn’t say, Clara. Just go see him," he replied, his tone firm. "I have delivered my message. I take my leave now."

As he went ahead, Celine mimicked his walking posture and some of the words he had said earlier, and we both burst out laughing.

"Sister, what do you think is the problem this time?" she asked.

"Honestly, I don’t know. I am sure I didn’t do anything that warrants his query, but if he’s not giving me a query or a tongue-lashing, then it means it’s..." I paused. I didn’t want Celine to worry.

"Means what, sis?"

I took in a deep breath. "Honestly, sis, I don’t know. I will just have to go find out from Dad."

"Okay, you do that, and I’ll go find Mom."

"Okay, sis. Take care."

I hugged her, placed a kiss on her forehead, and then she left.

I inhaled and exhaled heavily. Then I began to head to my dad’s office which I always call his meeting place.

"Hey Dad, you sent for me," I said, my voice a little bit shaky.

"Come here, child," he ordered, beckoning me to sit close to him.

I went over to sit next to him.

"How are you, daughter of Montero?"

I smiled. Ever since I was little, Dad had always referred to me as "daughter of Montero," and it always put a smile on my face. Montero was his name.

"The daughter of Montero is doing fine," I chuckled.

"That’s good," he paused, looking a little bit distant.

"Dad, what’s going on? Is anything the matter?" I asked, sounding impatient.

"Everything is fine, my dear," he replied, looking away.

He was intentionally avoiding my gaze because he knew I would be able to tell that he was lying.

I stood up, went to stand in front of him, and asked him again. This time he didn’t look away; he tried to maintain a straight face, hiding the worry and the possible fear in his heart.

My heartbeat raced. Though he tried so hard and so well to hide it, I could read people better, so it wasn’t difficult for me to know that something was going on and he wasn’t going to tell me what it was.

It worried me, and it made me scared.

"Dad, are we being threatened?" I asked him, my gaze fixed on his.

He was silent.

"Father! Please, I need you to tell me what’s going on!"

"Nothing is going on, Clara. Everything is fine."

"Come on, I am not a five-year-old anymore. Maybe if I was five, I would believe you, but not now."

He stood up and placed his two hands on my shoulders. Dad was taller than me, so he looked down at me, his eyes locked with mine. "I need you to promise me you will keep your sister and mother safe when I am gone or if anything was to happen to me today."

"Come on, Dad! What’s going on? I can’t make such promises. Nothing is going to ha—"

"Clara!" He raised his voice, interrupting me. "You need to promise me!"

"But Dad?"

"Just promise me, Clara."

"Okay, I promise, but what’s going on, Dad?"

He heaved a deep sigh of relief and went to sit on his chair.

I went closer to him, kneeling at his feet, and was about to ask him again when we suddenly heard the sound of an explosion not so far from his office.

He seemed not to be shaken by the sound, and that was how I knew he was expecting this attack, but he didn’t seem prepared for it, either. Was it because he didn’t hear about it in time?

"Dad, what’s going on?"

"Go, find your sister and mother and make sure they are safe."

"No, Dad, I want to fight with you. I am st—"

"You promised, Clara! Now go!"

I grumbled for a while, but I finally left. I ran out of his office, heading towards our home, and on my way, I felt a strange energy. These people weren’t the normal werewolf enemies we knew; they were different. I could see their fangs and claws—they were quite different from werewolves.

That was when it dawned on me. They were vampires.

I never thought they were real. The most surprising part of it all is that they were also magic wielders, which made it easier for them to cause explosions in my pack.

They all had evil smirks on their faces as they caused havoc in my pack. Shortly after, I heard a big explosion. I turned to look back and found out that it was my father’s office that had been destroyed.

"Dad!" I cried out.

As I was about to run back to him, his voice came again to me: "Find your mother and sister and make sure they are safe."

Amid tears, I continued running towards our home.

As I ran, I saw how our pack warriors tried to defend the pack, but they were no match for magic-wielding vampires. All our warriors were crushed into pieces like ants.

Tears rolled down my eyes, but I didn’t stop until I got to the house.

Getting there, they were already at the house.

Yes, the vampires were at my house. They held my mom and sister.

I can’t explain how I felt, but seeing them, my knees began to wobble. I got so scared that my heart beat faster; it felt like it was going to pound out of my chest in no time.

My gaze met with my sister’s. She cried for help, but I was stiff; there was nothing I could do. My mother cried for help too, but I just stood like a statue, watching as the vampires drained the blood and life out of them.

I took to my heels, and I didn’t stop until everywhere got so dark. Then I began to hear whispers of betrayal.

"You betrayed us, sister," Celine’s voice echoed through my ear.

"You left us for dead," my mom’s voice echoed through my ears.

"You are such a useless daughter. I should have killed you or maybe replaced you with a son," my dad said.

All these voices haunted me, calling me names and all sorts of things.

Finally, my dad appeared in front of me.

"Dad!" I muttered.

"Yes, daughter of Montero."

"Oh my gosh, it really is you, Dad."

"Yes, it’s me, my child." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Please, I am sorry. I was weak; I couldn’t save Celine or Mother."

"Then show me how sorry you are."

I raised my head up and saw him stretching a dagger toward me.

"Kill yourself, and come join us."

At that moment, I saw my sister and mother smiling at me, beckoning me to come.

As I raised my hands to stab myself, I suddenly woke up back in the cave space with the dagger.

"What just happened?"