AMALAThe house is located at the top hill of Twilight Hound. It has a great view of the whole city. We have arrived when the sun sets south and the sky becomes dark. The city lights shine brighter during the evening which is a huge contrast to the human border—dark with only dim lights in certain streets. So, this is like the city from the movies yet far more modernized. The automatic car goes to the underground parking area and I see a lot of cars situated there. A car collector, huh? I thought to myself. The Alpha takes advantage of his prestige to get the best cars humans yearn to have for a lifetime. The car seats prop open as soon as the car stops at the available space. Before I try to get out of the car, his hand grabs my wrist and I glare at him."What?""Never tell anyone about your past crimes. As we promised you, we will erase your records to protect you."More like protecting your reputation. I nearly rolled my eyes. "You are going to meet Marie today, as she is th
AMALATonight, I will be meeting a bunch of higher-up wolves who are on the same level as Seth or Richard Bates.I feel a bit nervous as the words Seth told me last night has finally come to me. If I screw this up, I will be executed immediately. Amy will wake up only to learn about my death.That is something I have to avoid at all costs."Are you nervous, Amala?"Marie is kind enough to brush my hair as she helps me get prepared.I just found out that if I want them to acknowledge me, I need to be presentable. "Somewhat. I need to stay strong so I can be alive when my sister wakes up.""You have a sister?" Marie asks with a surprised tone.I smile as I nod. "Where is she then?""At the hospital. This hospital that your husband brought last night.""What happened to her?""She's—" I cut myself halfway when Seth's words last night echo in my mind.'Never tell anyone about your past crimes.''Keeping a young pup away from the pack is a serious crime in Twilight Hound City.'"My sist
AMALA N-no way! A cold sweat drops from my cheek as I am beyond stunned that I couldn't budge as the guards approach with hurried steps. But Seth steps in front as he grabs my hand. He then glares at the guards who later flinch and step backwards after seeing his fury. "Alpha Seth, move away." However, that only encourages him to give a light squeeze on my hand as his fingers interlace mine. "S-Seth…" My voice sounds shaky. He turns back to the council as he takes a deep breath. "Council members, how could you have forgotten that the humans who fought against us have already lost and perished before I was born? This human…my mate, is younger than I am and she doesn't know much about the history of the war!""Yes, Alpha, it has been thirty years since a new era has changed for us. We fought for a decade against the humans to conquer and we obviously won."His thin frown deepens. "But, the war lasted for ten years, Alpha! The humans, despite being inferior, had known to fight back
AMALAEveryone stares at me in utter surprise and after declaring these words, the room has become eerily quiet. Yet, I stand there with a firm and determined look and I haven't stopped observing the look on that asshole's face. As expected he doesn't remember our first meeting, so in order to lure him, I continue. "Hey, Mr. Bates." I wave my hand, innocently. "Remember me? I am Amanda Gaines' daughter and we met three years ago."Richard Bates rises from his seat. His whole body trembles as he glares at me. "YOU LYING BITCH!" He points his accusing finger at me. "I don't remember impregnating a human!""If you don't believe me, get her blood sample, have both of your DNAs tested. You'll see she is your biological daughter."With his shaking fists as they are both clenching tightly, he glares at me. "Why are you saying this now, human?""Because if I will be executed here, I want to ensure my sister, Amy Gaines, will be living in a healthy environment. And if you die along with me
AMALAAt that moment when he held my hand as he defended me, my heart fluttered as I felt that familiar sensation that drew me to him. This cold-hearted wolf has kept his word by protecting me from the brink of death but I won’t admit that I see him in a different light at that moment.Unfortunately, that impression is being shattered by his cold words. He doesn’t trust me until now and he thinks that his wife, the woman who is his temporary Luna, is more trustworthy.Fine, then! I won’t be swayed again just because he saved me. In fact, I won’t believe any of these wolves again!But then again, he saved me three times now, huh? First with the Red Moon party when that pesky wolf got in my way, then, the time when he not only paid all of my debt but also brought Amy to a private hospital and finally, he defended me, a human, against the Council members. Amy has taught me to be grateful yet…it’s a complicated feeling.It is an awkward ride to the hospital as I am now sitting next to M
AMALA“Hey, have you heard? The Alpha found his fated mate!”“I've heard it was a human girl! The moon goddess chose a human for his mate!""What about Marie Bates? Will she lose her position?""I'll say we will protest for our real Luna! She has been nothing but great to our pack!""Oh, that's the one! Tch, she looks filthy don't you think?"More insults come to my hearing range like it has been intentional just to make me feel unwelcome.Unbeknownst to Amy and Marie who are chatting without a care of their surrounding, the whole area of wolves are looking at me. As soon I turn to meet their stares, they either look at me with disgust or look away.But honestly, it doesn't bother me even the slightest right now.My mood has already been dampened by the sight of Marie holding Amy's hand as they both walk around while Marie gives her a tour.Marie is clearly trying to take Amy away from me.I continue giving her the stink eye while she blissfully chats with my sister. I would have bee
AMALA"Wow, this room is big, Amala!" Amy runs around with her tiny feet.I scan around the room and let out a whistle. Who would have thought they would make so much effort for Amy's room as soon as we immediately left the hospital?Walls are newly wallpapered in pink with bunny patterns, a large queen-sized four poster bed is being decorated with pink frills. There are toys everywhere and as Amy opens the box, she giggles as she pulls out different dolls and books."Amala! It is like a doll house!""It is like a Barbie room which comes to life," I mutter."If you excuse me."Finrel, who escorted us to this room, excuses himself before closing the door. Now that Seth and that snake, Marie, are discussing their plans of "reforming" me, I have some time alone with Amy.I sit down next to her as she starts opening the huge castle with a king and queen doll inside."Say, Amy, when you said Frisky, what do you mean by that?""Ma-wi said it is my wolf!" She answers while taking out the dol
AMALA“You have my husband then I’ll take care of Amy, what do you think?” Marie asks with that angelic smile of hers.“Ma-wi!” Fear slowly resides as soon as she sees her and she runs, passing by Seth, and give her legs a hug.I glare at her and my hands clench. At first, I wanted to give her a piece of my mind, yelling at her for the stunt that nearly got me killed!But I can’t say it, not now…Seth is set in stone that Marie is too honest to her core and Amy…she has a strong liking for her.And that pisses me off the most!Marie crouches down a bit to be on Amy’s eye level as she asks, “Do you mind if I take over Amala for tonight, Amy? She’s a bit tired and I don’t mind staying away to be with you.”Amy quickly turns to me as her eyes fill with excitement. "Can Ma-wi stay here tonight, pweez?" Amy begs as she is very eager to be with her after their first meeting.A pang strikes my heart once again when my position as her favorite is at stake.I turn to Marie who only gives me a wa
AMALAMy cheeks turned bright red after being caught not only eavesdropping on other wolves but also checking him out like he was some kind of rare fine specimen.That is, he is truly a sight to see.Yet, he doesn’t beat around the bush as he says, “I’m Damien, one of the Omegas here, it is an honor to be graced by your presence, Future Luna.""O-omega?" Startled, I examine him once more. "Are you sure you are an Omega?"According to my lessons, wolves' rank and prestige define their looks…well, mostly about their beauty. So, it is hard to believe with those looks, he should be more of an Alpha!"Ah, I get that a lot but I was born from a normal omega gardener and a female human. That's where I got her looks from. You heard them calling me a hybrid, right?""Ah…right." The heat on my cheeks hasn't faded away as I keep embarrassing myself to this stranger. "My name is Amala Gaines, soon-to-be Luna. Err…Shouldn't be here? I mean this place is off-limits.""Oh, that?" He chuckles and the
AMALAOnce I’ve introduced myself to almost every important member of the Greymound pack, I head outside and head straight to the rose garden next to the hotel. Seth is stuck with wolves sucking up to him with their flowery compliments and I feel like his lip twitch from the unnerving swarming wolves near in his personal bubble.Well, it is perfect timing for me to sneak away from the attention so I can take a huge breather.Once I reach the rose garden, I'm awed at the sight of the scenery. The large moon above becomes a beacon of light to the abandoned rose garden, giving a natural lighting to the sight of the dark red roses.It’s conveniently abandoned in huge contrast to the Avenue square where everyone is partying. I can still hear the chatter from a distance. As I step inside and continue looking around, giving an appreciative view on this place. It’s like I’m Alice in Wonderland, curious and eager in a new world.Krieg’s words suddenly come to my mind and I regret thinking abo
AMALAJust like that, everyone is having a huge feast, drinking together in the finest wine. Forget the animosity they had earlier, the ambience changed from somber to joy when Finrel offered food and drinks to every attendee. Once they were busying themselves with food and liquor, the female omegas brought me to the room at a nearby luxurious hotel. "The Alpha wants you to wear this dress, Future Luna," says one of the women. Before me lies a long rose gold overskirt dress which reaches until the floor. On its dummy, I can see a matching color of the rhinestone crystal headband. "Beautiful." A word slips through my lips as I am mesmerized by the beauty of this dress.Not even once have I seen human girls wearing this fancy get-up in a lifetime. This truly defines how far our statuses are between wolf and human."Hello, Future Luna, I will be handling your hair and my assistants for your make-up." Another female wolf enters the room who looks like she's in her mid-40s. "S-sure.
AMALA= The Announcement Day = The moon hangs low in the dark violet sky, casting a silver glow over the Square Avenue—the center of the main city where all the wolves of the Greymound pack have been gathered for this important event.Or more likely they are unwilling to, seeing their begrudging looks when their eyes center on me, the “star” of this evening.But I’m not surprised with those stares: I would be damned to see an inferior being ruling over them if I were in their shoes. So, I have already braced myself for this coming day. Now, standing at the center of the square where the podium is, despite my readiness of this prejudice, I can still feel the shiver running down my spine for this momentous announcement.I still keep my poker face yet within my thoughts, I am beyond agitated because all I want is to get over this and be done with all of these werewolf bull crap.I glance at Seth who hasn’t spoken to me even once and I silently hope my “impatience” can reach his strong
AMALA Finrel gives a rare expression of his bewilderment. "What? There's n-no way that I–" "Whatever excuses you say, your voice and your expression give away," I continue as I gulp juice. "By the way, is this natural pulp orange? We don't have that there at the border."He shakes his head. "H-how did you know?" His mind is still focused on the part when I caught him in the act."I was a thespian before I started hustling for money. Observing people is fundamental for the Stanislavski method.""Stanis–what?" He continues shaking his head. "Never mind. I don't need to know."He stands up as he starts pacing back and forth. "So, is it because I was too obvious? What should I do?""Calm down, Finrel." I pat his shoulder. "You are consistent in keeping that poker face of yours, Finrel. You don't have to worry about being caught. I mean…why are you worried especially now that Marie is single?"He sighs, returns to his seat as he plops back there. His back bends awkwardly as his large ha
AMALAIt's been three days since I've agreed to do the training. As long as Finrel is physically present to prevent Marie from sabotaging the preparation, I can continue doing this without any worries.However…“Splendid, Amala! You did great!” Marie fakes her applause after I demonstrate the perfect kneel. According to them, this kneel is essential the moment the Alpha will make a declaration for the whole pack to hear.If anything, the pose is easy for me, given my street performing background.At the corner of the room, Finrel looks amused after witnessing my pose but seeing that he has been quiet the entire time, he decides to continue observing us from the sideline.At the back of my mind, I hope he won’t sneak out while we’re doing this. Because I see that Marie is behaving well today.Surprisingly so."Is that all I need to do during the ceremony?" I ask while wiping the sweat from my
FINRELIf there is one word to describe my mood, It's irritation.My feet nearly stomp-march their way back to the living room and stop as soon as I see Seth knotting a red tie around his neck while facing the mirror.He glances sideways after acknowledging my presence."Have you at least told Amala for this Friday?""Yes, sir." I clear my throat as I don't like giving out more bad news to the Alpha. "But just as the former Luna said, Miss Gaines doesn't fully take her new role seriously."He turns to me and his nostrils twitch as my emotions are unveiled from my scent."You reek of anger, Finrel."I should say the same thing to you, I thought.Yet, I won't dare to answer. Our earlier interaction won't have an impact if I contradict myself now.Let's say, I am beyond infuriated but at the same time respected the human who doesn't want to let fear overtake her by the sight of Seth Grey
AMALA"Miss Gaines, open the door.""Go away, Finrel!" I bellow as I wrap my arms around Amy. Her eyes peek through my arms with utmost curiosity. "If it is about your Alpha, I don't want to talk about it!""But you're being unreasonable.""Unreasonable?" I scoff as I glare at the door where Finrel is standing outside. "Tell Seth he was the unreasonable one for lying!"“The Alpha is just…he—” He stumbles a bit.“Even you can’t defend him this time, Finrel!”A loud sigh is heard from the other side as he says, "I just want to let you know that the Alpha will make a formal introduction of you as his new Luna to the pack. If you are going to stay here longer, I would advise that you should be at least physically present in order to be taken seriously."What? I couldn't believe what I heard! I let go of Amy, who is confused with the events happening today and head to the door.
SETH“AMALA! GET BACK HERE!” I roar out loud, hoping her retreating figure will flinch and return. But it only encourages her to run as far away from me. I sigh as I return back to the room and slump on my chair. "Is something wrong with Miss Gaines, sir?” Finrel asks with caution and I don’t blame him. As my blood boiled from the earlier events and anyone could sense it a mile away. I swiftly glare at him and he flinches, yet he still enters the room. "I don't understand humans," I reply despite my frustration as my hand runs around my tousled dark hair. “Forget it. So, what did you say earlier, Finrel?” "Ah, right. Mr. Bates has called to meet you later, sir."I sigh. I am not in the mood to see him. "Is it still about his illegitimate child?" "He said it is business-related." It better be about business, Richard, I thought to myself. "I'll see him later in my office.""Understood."He swiftly turns back to leave the room but a thought suddenly comes to him, he stops his tr