𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞

34. Xanthus

(Trigger warning : Some scenes have resemblance with what we're facing in our real life due to COVID-19. Please do not read if you think you'll find it disturbing)

Ariana woke up at 3 a.m. with the help of her shrilling alarm ringtone. She saw pitch darkness outside as she peeked through a small slit between curtains. There was bone-chilling cold inside and she had gone to bed pretty late last night. But nothing was going to demotivate her from stepping out of bed and sitting on the desk to prepare for healer exams.

She wanted to call Nate and ask if he had reached home safely. But she refrained herself thinking he must be busy enough not to be disturbed by her useless calls. 

She had to do something productive during such a time and disturbing him wasn't something productive. Neither was going back to her world, without proper skills and qualification. Hence, she had refused Nate's request to follow him to Pack Ziram and send him off. But of course, with a promise that she shall return to him as soon as she passes the exams.

Everything happened in such a rush. In the blink of an eye, her batch had sat through all the tests and the Windsor Administration had provided them with their results. Thankfully, Ariana not paying attention in classes as per her previous plan, hadn't backfired as she passed all the tests with average marks. Sean, however, surpassed not only her but every other werewolf of their batch. Had the plague not been in full action, he would have been awarded as the gold medalist by the King himself.

Sean and Ariana had been in the same room when they had gotten their results via e-mail. When they had seen Sean's result, both of them couldn't help but hug each other. Sean, being in ecstasy and Ariana, feeling proud of him. 

Sean felt tingles all over his body. His heart beat was erratic but strangely, never had he felt such comfort and peace with anybody else. He snuggled further into her. They remained in each other's embrace as the snow continued falling outside.

                                                                                        **~~~**

Lightning struck the ocean, followed by its sound. A ship was struggling during the thunderstorm as huge waves crashed into it. Ariana watched the terrifying scene from above, through the window of whatever aircraft, definitely not a human-made aero plane, she and her classmates were in.

How do they enter the supernatural world anyway? Ariana had little to no idea of that as she had been in a deep slumber while entering the human world after a lovely dinner with the lady who had given birth to her and and the guy she had grown up with. Ariana scoffed at just their thoughts.

Everyone gasped as the aircraft entered a lump of grey clouds and darkness spread inside. Ariana felt Sean grasp her hand. Just then, the aircraft started shaking violently as another lighting struck beside them. Everybody closed their eyes as per instruction of the pilot. 

The pilot fetched a gold-rimmed spectacles with tinted glass and wore it. He took a deep sigh pushed a handle forward before whispering. "Home sweet home."

                                                                               **~~~**

As soon as the aircraft landed on Pack Ziram, all of them were given white coveralls and gloves to be worn immediately. Those who were appointed for Ziram were escorted to health posts and hospitals whilst those appointed for other packs boarded another one of those aircraft  and departed from there.

Ariana and Sean were placed in a local health post near the border that Ziram shared with Ravernia. Right now, they were standing along with three other graduates in front of Dr. Ronald Howard's office. After a wait of five minutes, Dr. Howard emerged from his office.