The drive to the Academy was so long that I fell asleep and woke up over four times. Martha made sure to attend to all my needs, and make sure that I was well fed on the foods listed on the list permissible foods for the course. I felt a gentle tap on my back and I slowly opened my eyes. It was Martha, "Miss, we are here!" She whispered, and I could tell the excitement in her voice. She was more optimistic and thrilled about the whole exercise than I could ever be. I just wanted to be back in my room at the Castle, reading a good book, or in the TV room watching one of my favorite shows with Attus. The guard held open the limousine door, and I stepped out shyly, looking at the large and highly glamorous building before my eyes. There were royal people around, all wearing a beautiful purple suit dress in different style variations. The building had possibly over a million storeys.The floors were white marble with gold trim, which matched the color of the building itself. There was a
The building Glenn pulled me to, seemed to be one of those old buildings that were built in the early 1900’s but redesigned to stay in tune with the current structural trends for houses. It had two floors with four storeys, each with two windows. A small balcony stood near the front door. There were several large wooden benches sitting near the edge of the porch. In the center of the building sat an outdoor fountain. We approached it as soon as we reached the sidewalk, Glenn, Mila, Martha and I, all looking over our shoulders to make sure that no one was behind us. This part of the campus seemed usually deserted. The fountain, named after its creator in a poem by Emily Dickinson, was filled with water from a hose that ran from the top down into a basin shaped like a heart. The bowl was filled with small stones that made a gentle tinkling noise when I moved them in any direction."What do we do here? I thought we had been heading to the part where there were lights, life, music and
"Yes, Becky. I dreamt that they died." the thought alone filled me with so much mirth that I smiled very brightly. "I understand that you felt hurt, but why are you smiling so brightly while talking about the possible deaths of our parents? Was it really that bad?" Becky asked with a look of pure horror on her face. "Was it not that bad, Becky? I am not smiling at their deaths, but was it really not that bad?" I retorted. "Oh, it was?"Becky scoffed." Your experience for barely two weeks can never compare to what I have endured living in your shadow for all my life simply because I was not the special pup of legend…""But you did not fail to live up to the prophecy in front of the whole pack. Becky, you did not and still do not have the silver hair; a stamp of being cursed everywhere you go…""But are you not enjoying the hair? Look at how you've styled and embraced the look. My roomie cannot stop blabbering about how much she wants to get silver hair too like yours…" "Shut up, Bec
The next morning, I was very eager to tell Martha about how I had run into my sister, but I thought better of it. If I talked to her about my sister, I would have to tell her so much more about my life before the Castle than I wanted to. Of course I trusted her, but I really just wanted to protect myself. When you have your family beat you to death and go to bury you in the forest, you just never heal from it. How was I even sure that buying Martha was enough for her to be loyal to me? If there was anything that time had taught me, it was that people were perpetually completely unknowable. I could never truly know the next person's heart's contents, no matter how much I liked them or they said they love me. "Ready for today's hassle? We're to be grouped into classes today based on how powerful or rich our soon to be Alpha husbands are." Glenn said as we stretched. I smiled, trying to be as quiet as possible and not get noticed by the yoga instructor at the front." Lower yourself i
Together, we all made our way out of the room after Mila was done with Glenn's makeup. Glenn asked for red lipstick the same shade as mine.She looked like royalty in her dressing and her ponytail that showed off her blue eyes and her blonde features. We walked leisurely to the common area as we still had fifteen minutes to spare for dressing.The other girls were already waiting for the class distributions to begin. Mila and Glenn found a sofa, and we all sat on it, chatting animatedly."I feel very uncomfortable," Mila whispered. She had very bad social anxiety, which I could relate with. I held her left hand which was closest to me, and Glenn held her right hand. And Martha reached past my shoulders and rubbed Mila's."You are not alone, Mila. I will be with you wherever escorts go." Martha said soothingly, and Mila smiled broadly. I suddenly felt strange, b
"Let's start by introducing ourselves please, will we?" The first teacher said, "Just mention your name and the name of your fiance Alpha. Is that alright?" She asked, and I felt relieved because I did not know much else."Net worth too! This class contains $500 million to $900 million, so we know who is who? I definitely want to know, so I mingle with my kind only." That was the redhead.Some of the other girls rolled their eyes. "Shut up please! You really do not have to always show yourself! If you want to know the individual husband's net worth, take your snobbish ass over to the Records office and do the research yourself. Nobody will do the damn work for you."A dark-haired girl said from the back and everyone turned to look at her.I smiled and gently nudged Glenn, "We like her already, right?" She said conspiratorially, and I laughed.
All eyes were trained on the dark haired girl. I looked at her long legs swathed in a black lacy panty hose that made her look like a rock star. She had short heat curled hair, and wore dark brown lipstick that made the skin around her upper lip seem even lighter in contrast. She looked really amazing, but not in a soft, girly way. She looked like if it came to it, none of us in the class could land more than two blows on her in a fist fight."My name is Ellen. I do not like the Miss title. I like to be addressed simply as Ellen. I am marrying…" She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. She did not seem eager or excited to be getting married. I could tell that much from her countenance."I am marrying Alpha Denis of Kingston Pack." She said conclusively, looking around the room with a straight face. When our eyes locked, I quickly looked away. Her personality was too large, too extroverted for me,
After drinking, she continued, "He took forever to find the spare key to my grandfather's room in his hungover state, but I stayed banging on my grandfather's door. Eventually, my uncle returned with the spare key, and tried to open the door, but my grandfather's key was still in the keyhole from inside the room, so he could not put the key in far enough to unlock the door." She chuckled."We had to break the door down. My uncle kicked hard until the door gave way for us to enter the room. The room was empty. I looked around, went into the adjoining bathroom and everything, but my grandfather was nowhere to be found. I called out my pet name for him over and over and again, as did my uncle."I heard Glenn make a sound of uncertainty." Anyway, on careful looking, I found a bunny on my grandfather's bed. It had on his sleeping mask on its cute white chubby body. And since we could not explain where my grandfat
I nodded, feeling grateful for her words. "I know, but I just don't know what to do. I feel so trapped."Becky leaned in, her voice soft and reassuring. "You're not trapped, sis. You always have options, even if they're not immediately clear. And remember, the only way to move forward is one step at a time."I took a deep breath, feeling a sense of clarity wash over me. "You're right. I need to take things one step at a time. And right now, that means figuring out how to make things better for myself."Becky smiled, her eyes filled with pride. "That's the spirit. We'll figure it out together. And if you need to stay here for a while, that's perfectly fine. You're always welcome here."I nodded, feeling a sense of relief. "Thank you, Becky. I don't know what I would do without you."We spent the rest of the day talking, laughing, and reminiscing about old times. And as the sun began to set, I felt a sense of hope, of optimism for the future. I knew that I still had a long road ahead of
As I continued on my way, I realized that this was one of the most fulfilling experiences I had had in a long time. Helping to bring people together and create a sense of unity was truly rewarding.But my work was not yet done. There were still external threats to the castle, and we needed to be prepared for anything that might come our way.One day, as I was walking through the castle, I heard the sound of horns in the distance. I immediately ran to the walls to see what was happening.In the distance, I could see a group of raiders approaching the castle, their banners waving in the wind. The guards on the walls were scrambling to prepare for the attack.I knew that we had to act quickly. I raced to the queen's chambers to inform her of the impending attack. She quickly assembled her advisors and knights, and we began to prepare for the defense of the castle.The knights were ready and eager for battle, and the peasants were doing their part as well. They had been trained in basic c
I'm thinking of leaving Xavier again."I said at the nail salon with Mila and Ellen, and they looked over at me with pity in their eyes." Don't look at me like I said I'll drink acid, girls!" I said, and they blinked."The Irene problem, huh?" Mila asked, and I nodded sadly."I don't want to resort to making her life miserable," I replied. "But I just can't take it anymore. She's always making snide remarks and trying to one-up me. And don't even get me started on the baby. It's like Xavier has completely forgotten about me and everything we had."Mila and Ellen exchanged a knowing glance. "Look, we get it," Ellen said. "But have you considered giving Xavier another chance? Maybe he just needs some time to come around and realize how much he's hurting you.""I've given him plenty of chances," I retorted. "But it's like he doesn't care. And as for Irene, I don't
Attus put a comforting arm around me. "I'm sorry you've been going through all of that," he said. "But you're not alone. I'm here for you, and so are your friends and family."I leaned into him, feeling grateful for his support. "I know," I said. "But sometimes it feels like that's not enough. I feel like I'm trapped here, with no escape."Attus was quiet for a moment, deep in thought. Then he spoke."I know we can't change everything that's going on in the castle," he said. "But we can try to make things better, in our own small way. We can spend more time together, and with our friends. We can support each other, and be there for each other."I looked up at him, feeling hopeful for the first time in a while. "You're right," I said. "We can do that. And maybe, in time, things will get better."Attus smiled at me, his brown eyes warm and reassuring. "I believe they will," he said. "We just have to take things one day at a time, and be there for each other along the way."I nodded, fee
Months flew past like seconds and one night, Irene's loud screams woke the entire castle. She was in labour. Withy how dramatic she was, hse made life a living hell even for the Alpha King who'd had two children with me and never had to suffer so much with me. "I am dying!" She screamed, scratching, punching and kicking everyone and everything in her way. The midwife and nurses quickly arrived at Irene's chambers, trying their best to calm her down and carry her to the delivery room. It was a difficult task, as Irene continued to thrash around, screaming and cursing everyone in sight.Finally, they managed to get her to the delivery room, where she was immediately immersed in a large basin of warm water. Irene had insisted on a water birth, as she claimed it was the most natural and pain-free way to give birth. But as the contractions intensified, she began to regret her decision.The midwife and nurses did their best to support her through the labor, but it soon became clear that th
Irene sneered down at the little girl. "I don't care what you meant. Just stay out of my way from now on, or you'll regret it."Luna ran off, sobbing uncontrollably, and Orion soon found her and asked her what had happened. When Luna told him, he became upset and ran off to find me. When he found me, he told me what had happened and I immediately went to find Irene."Irene, we need to talk," I said firmly, my eyes blazing with anger."What do you want?" Irene snapped, her hand resting protectively on her pregnant belly."I want to know why you slapped my daughter," I replied, trying to keep my voice calm."She got in my way, and I warned her to stay out of it," Irene replied, her voice dripping with disdain."That's not an excuse to hit a child," I said, my voice rising. "You could have hurt her. She's just a little girl.""She should know better than to get in my way," Irene said coldly. "I don't have time for her childish games.""She's just a child!" I exclaimed, my anger getting t
"I'm sorry," I said again, my voice breaking. "I never meant to hurt you. I love you both so much."Luna and Orion clung to me tightly, their tears soaking my hospital gown. I could feel the warmth of their bodies, the beating of their hearts, and I knew that I never wanted to lose them again.As we sat there, huddled together in my hospital bed, I realized just how much I had to be grateful for. Despite my struggles, I still had the love and support of my children, my family, and my friends. And as I looked at Luna and Orion's tear-streaked faces, I knew that I had to do everything in my power to make things right."I promise to do better," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I promise to fight my addiction and be the best mother I can be."Luna looked up at me, her eyes wide with hope. "You mean it, Mommy?""I do," I replied firmly. "I'm going to get better for you and your brother. I want to be here for all the good moments, to watch you grow up and become the amazing people I kn
I lay in the hospital bed, feeling alone and ashamed, and I knew that I had to face my husband and own up to my mistakes. I couldn't continue to hide from him, couldn't continue to avoid the consequences of my actions.As he walked into the room, I could see the anger in his eyes, the disappointment etched on his face. He stood beside my bed, his arms crossed over his chest, and I knew that I was in for a stern lecture.He spoke to me in a voice that was both stern and compassionate, reminding me of my responsibilities as his wife and as the Queen of our kingdom. He told me that my actions had consequences, not just for myself but for our entire kingdom, and that I needed to take responsibility for my mistakes.I listened to his words, feeling the weight of his disappointment bearing down on me. I knew that I had let him down, that I had failed in my duties as his wife and as a leader in our kingdom.But even as he spoke, I could see the love and concern in his eyes, and I knew that h
As I awaken in the hospital room, I am greeted by the sight of white walls and fluorescent lights. The room was small, with a single bed in the center, and medical equipment scattered throughout the space. I felt groggy, my head aching, and my stomach churning. The events leading up to my hospitalization were hazy, but a dull ache in my chest reminded me of the intense emotions that I was experiencing.As I looked around the room, my eyes caught a glimpse of the ashtray sitting on the bedside table. I reached out and picked up the ashtray, examining the contents. It was filled with cigarette butts, and the stench of smoke filled the air. I realized that I must have smoked an entire pack of cigarettes, one after the other, in an attempt to drown out my thoughts and emotions.I remembered taking swigs from a bottle of vodka, the warmth of the liquid filling my stomach as the alcohol took effect. I felt numb and detached from my surroundings, lost in a sea of self-pity and despair.Tears