I stared blankly at the wall in front of me, my mind still too numb to register what'd happened in the last week. My eyes flickered to my sister, watching how her lips and hands moved animatedly as she moved the clothes from the drawer into the suitcase on the bed. I I couldn't help but notice how happy she looked at the moment, her sapphire eyes had a twinkle in them. "Emma?" She crouched in front of me, both hands on my thighs, "Are you okay?" I continue to stare at her, wondering if she couldn't see it. The sadness that settled within. The fear. The uncertainty. Everybody assumed that I was fine with their plan but I was scared, more afraid than I was that night. I would be going to a strange place, meeting strange people and I had to pretend to be someone I was not. No one noticed, not that they cared enough to. "Do I have to leave now? I heard you can skip the preliminaries until a day before the competition." Dahlia chewed on the bottom lip, musing thoughtfully. "It'll be
The car ride took four hours, driving straight east, across the country, past rolling hills and thick forests that stretched on into the distance. We drove through the night, stopping periodically in small towns, sometimes for gas, sometimes because we needed to eat. By the time we arrived in the city, I'd already lost track of which road we were traveling along.I marveled at the scenery as we rode past rows of houses, shops and tall buildings lining the roads. The city bustle was strange in contrast to the mundane simplicity of Silver Spring."Where are we ?" I asked for the umpteenth time, watching as George pulled into a parking lot next to several others and turned the car off."This is Coral Dew, a pack in the eastern region. It's the second largest following the Capital. All the nearest packs around will assemble here for the preliminary tests before heading to the capital city."As we exited the vehicle, I felt the wind rush past my body, refreshing me slightly from the heat
My fingers twirl the device in my hand as I stare at it. The loud chatter of the people around me is almost deafening, I look upward at the crowd in front of me, sighing as I slowly trudged forward.After George had left last night, I was left to myself. In the large hall, we were assigned various rooms and I had to share one with four other girls. The experience was less than splendid, to say the least, one of the girls snored so loudly, I swore the walls shook. I had to sleep on the balcony, on the cold hard floor with only the buzzing of the mosquitoes to accompany me.I barely had any sleep, I was hungry, sleepy and tired."Come on! Move into your vans!" A paunchy man dressed in uniform bellowed loudly causing me to jump in shock. I eyed him in distaste before turning to face the queue in front of me. I moved as they moved, and stopped when they did as well. The phone in my hold buzzed loudly, startling me yet again. I looked down at the screen, seeing Dahlia's name. My brow furr
"Really?"My brows shot up to my hairline in disbelief, watching as Paige nodded in affirmation, her fingers twirling the ends of her sun-coloured hair,"Yeah, he's tried to force me into marrying his best friend's son, but when that didn't work out he used my mother's cousin!" "Wow." I blew out a breath, "That's..."Paige shook her head with a sigh, "I know, crazy how one can get selfish even when it's their own daughter involved."I bit the bottom of my lip, my eyes crinkling slightly. I didn't want to reveal that I understood how she felt, my family had been thoroughly selfish for years now after all. They still were, I wasn't stupid. I knew the only reason they were suddenly acting nice was because of Dahlia's situation."So he forced you to do this, as well?" I asked, cocking my head to the side."Yup, I had to pretend I was sick but it didn't work out."The van jumped slightly, causing us to bounce on our seats, and screams of shock echoed through the small space."Forgive me,
We assemble in the enormous space on the ground floor, the entire area is covered in gold and white marble and decorated with portraits and tapestries. There's an exquisite chandelier hanging off the roof in the center of the room, although it is spacious, I feel cramped. This was my first time in a crowd, my first time standing amongst strangers, and the feeling is less than pleasant.Paige is standing at my side, listening attentively to whatever the woman at the front of the room is saying. Her eyes were wide in excitement and she kept pulling at my fingers whenever the woman mentioned the King. I, on the other hand, felt dizzy and nauseous. Different scents from the many people in the room overwhelmed me and made me feel queasy. My body was hot and uncomfortable under all the heavy layers of clothing I had on. I tried to concentrate on the discussion and ignore the heat burning through my clothes, but it seemed an impossible task.I try to breathe through my mouth to dispel some
The West Court was actually an entire building separate from the main castle,the only demarcation between them was the maze gardens and the courtyard itself. The edifice itself was just as magnificent as the castle's with its massive, white marble columns, and imposing façade, which gave it an aura of grandeur and majesty, but also added to its other features, a sense of mystery. We filed into the building, one by one, filing in through the doors, all in pairs or small groups. My eyes widened as they swept over the vast expanse of the ground floor, whoever had constructed this space spared no expenses on every piece of architecture. Every detail looked so well cared for and polished that I could see my reflection in every piece of furniture. "I feel like I've died and gone to heaven," Paige whispered beside me, tugging my arm. "Look at this place." She grinned. "It's like a fancy castle."I chuckled, shaking my head fondly, "That's because it is a castle, Paige.""Oh?"I stifled m
"Thank you!" We said simultaneously to the guard at the gates, then collected our pass cards from his hand as we made our way out of the castle walls. I turn over the small plastic card in my hand, frowning at the photo of my sister staring back at me,"I can't believe they used our passports. I look terrible in this." Paige pouted, showing me her pass card. I couldn't help it, I snorted at the picture on her card, my lips twitching into a smile."Oh shut up," she snapped, shoving me lightly. "I'd just woken up moments ago before I was forced to take a picture, what would you have expected?" She rolled her eyes and craned her neck to see mine. "Let's see yours."My heart stuttered slightly and I quickly shoved the item into the back of my jean pocket. She wasn't stupid, anyone with good enough eyes would know that the person in the photo was not me. Although I had changed my hairstyle and dressed more like her, there were still obvious differences. "Nope, mine looks worse." I chuc
"I can't-I can't find my wallet.""What!?" Her face paled instantly. Panic was written all over hers. "Let's search the area, you go over there and I'll go this way. We will meet here in ten minutes."I nodded, watching as she walked over to a couple of dining at the table adjacent to where we stood, she pointed toward where I stood, her mouth moving rapidly. They both nodded and she gave them a thumbs-up before rushing to me."I asked them to watch over our bags." She swiped a hand across her forehead."Oh, that was smart," I commented and she shrugged."You can handle yourself, yeah?" She sounded almost worried, but I knew that she didn't care about whether or not I was capable of handling myself, she was asking whether or not I would be able to defend myself if I needed to. It warmed my heart."Yeah, I think I can manage. We'll meet in ten minutes." She nodded, and I watched as she disappeared into the crowds. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me and I pushed it aside. I qu
|SIX YEARS LATER|Castle Black, Pack Black Haven(Capital city).Another chapter. Another day, combined with hours of waiting and anticipating his return. It is cold, dreadfully so and it seems like no matter the amount of layers I put on, I will still remain frozen. Maybe it is because I am pregnant but Paige says I should keep warm, so the child wouldn't end up a white wolf as his mother. But I am doubtful, the doctor already said that one of the children will take on my gene, I only wonder who."Your highness!"Today, I had nothing important to do, asides settling a dispute between two neighbours who claimed ownership over a goat. Unlike what I'd expected, a Queen didn't have much duties asides making sure that the capital was in order. It took months to help the beggars on the streets and even longer to put an end to alleyway bag thiefs. I had to persuade the council to fund an open house for the poor and needy plus two orphanages as well."Your Highness!!"At first, they were skep
Gorgeous.The girl staring back at me was so unbelievably gorgeous, it shocked me to the core. Her snow blonde hair was thrown over a shoulder in beautiful waves, golden flowers were pinned in different angles of her head. Her ruby red lips would put the colour of blood to shame and kohl-rimmed eyes blinked back at me."You are truly stunning, Luna Emma," The voice from behind me was almost starling and I tore my eyes away from my reflection to stare at Lady Calloway who had an expression of awe etched on her features.I smiled grimly, looking back at the mirror. The gown I wore was a shimmering blue, the same shade as her eyes. Although she truly looked stunning, her lips were pulled down into a small frown.I blew out a heavy breath, twisting around to face the woman in front of me, "Do you really think I would be a good Queen?" I asked hesitantly, chewing on the inside of my cheek.Lady Calloway smiled gently, crouching and placing a palm above my hand, "I think you will make a gr
I stirred on the bed, stretching my limbs with a pop. My eyelids fluttered open, lips parting to release a drawn out yawn,I winced softly, rubbing my exposed tummy. My vision was a bit blurry and I squinted when I turned towards the window, the bright morning light shining in my direction."You're awake," I whipped in the direction of the voice, my lips pulling into a lazy smile. Theo walked around the bed towards my end and leaned to press a soft kiss on my head. He was still shirtless but had donned on a different pair of pants that looked a little bit oversized. His hair was messy on top of his head and there was a twinkle in his eyes, one I hadn't seen before. "Sleep good?" I shook my head, pointing between my legs, "I feel sore," My voice came out as a small whine causing him to huff out a short laugh."I knew you would say that, hence I prepared a warm bath for you,."I frowned at his statement. Warm bath?My question was brought to a cease when he moved his hands beneath my
The hem of my robe dragged across the floor as I walked, the candle was resting perfectly on the inside of my palm and I had to keep from wincing every time the hot wax dropped on my skin. It was dark, the moon hadn't fully risen yet all we had as illumination was the dim light of the bulbs overhead and the large rose-scented candles in our grip.The lady in front stopped suddenly, causing all of us to grind to a halt. She turned to look at me and for a moment, the corner of her lips curled upwards. Lad Calloway nudged her head towards the close door,"This is his chamber, wait inside until he comes." I inhaled deeply before expelling the air. In one swift motion, I turned towards the door and tipped my chin in a confident manner,"Open it," I said, my determined gaze set on the embellishments on the wooden entrance.Tonight was the night everyone had been anticipating, including me. The mating ceremony was a revered ritual among us, it was when two people either chosen or fated mate
I took in a deep breath after explaining, watching warily for his reaction. His face was gloom and drawn tight, there was a little furrow between his brows which meant that he was still digesting everything.Finally, he exhaled before shifting to properly look at me, "Why didn't you tell me? I would've ripped the bastard's head right off."I smiled wryly, tightening our conjoined fingers together, "Trust me, I wanted to do that too. I debated if killing was the best idea and then choose not to do it.""Why?" He asked curiously and I chuckled softly, bumping my shoulders against his."Because," I started, drawling in a tired manner, "For people like Hansen, their lives matter less to them but their prestige on the other hand?" I shook my head, "That's what their entire world is built upon." Theo hummed thoughtfully, his eyes glazing over. Suddenly he smiled brightly, throwing an arm over my shoulder, "I'm glad I have such a smart mate."I rolled my eyes, stifling the giggle that was t
I stared at my reflection in the large mirror, my fingers playing with the silk robe tied around my waist. After the whole contest yesterday, I was brought into the Queen's quarters and was given strict instructions not to leave there until instructed. Apparently, I had to be cleansed and purified before the mating process began.The dowager had asked me to phone my family and order them to be on their way so they would make it in time for the coronation. That was this morning and I haven't picked up my phone yet,"Black looks good on you,"I flinched, whipping around to face the intruder. Theo was casually leaning against the wall, arms crossed against his chest and a serious look in his eyes,I frowned, puzzled by his appearance, "How-when did you get here?"He shrugged, pushing himself from the wall and stalking towards me, "A while back,"I sighed and turned to face the morrow away, my fingers still fiddling with the knot in front. When he wrapped his large arms around my waist, I
"Should I be scared or nervous?"I gave the man a grim smile, pushing the small cup of tea towards him before grabbing my own. I gingerly took a sip, savoring in the warm sweetness that invaded my tongue instantly,"Which one of the two do you think is more appropriate?" I asked, arching a brow when he pushed his cup away, a small gesture but one I caught nonetheless.I gave him a look, one he not-so-politely ignored, clearing his throat loudly, "I don't quite know, you're no longer a contestant anymore but the mate of the Alpha and future Queen of the entire werekind. It would be stupid not to feel some amount of petrification." My lips curled and I slowly placed the cup back on the table, smacking my lips together, "I'll be straight with you, Lord Hansen," That piqued his attention causing him to lean nearer, "I called you here for one specific reason,"Something akin to uneasiness flashed in his eyes but he quickly concealed it with a cocky smile, "Do tell," "Jessica." I said si
When I was younger, I always wished that I would get like my sister's colour of wolf. Dahlia was my role model, everything she did, I copied and she loved it too so it was only natural that I got her colour. But sometimes, in the secret I would wish for my mother's colour too, hers was a beautiful grey and I loved the way the fur looked underneath the moonlight. Never in my life would I imagine being a white wolf. A wolf so powerful, they were regarded as too much for the werekind. A wolf so special, they were rare to find.So why, why did the moon goodness find me fit to become one?My eyes flew open, burning so bright and powerful. It felt like the sun was scorching me from inside and I couldn't help it. A piercing scream ripped its way from my chest and I curled into myself,My wolf emerged like lightning, spearing through my entire system. My eyes flew open and I shook my head but I realized that I wasn't in my human form anymore.Jessica looked stunned, her jaw was hanging open
The arena was filled to the brim, I was very much certain of that. They had used the same place as the first round where we had to go through different obstacle courses, the same place where I had purposefully broken my leg in a bid to avoid what I was presently doing.I looked around me, at the wild crowd cheering and crying. Their sentences almost inaudible since they were all yelling at once, excitement and tension pooled in my stomach,My eyes met my opponent's but she wasn't focused on me, her gaze was on the crowd. She was smiling and waving at them as though they were chanting for her, probably they were I couldn't hear anything either ways. I wondered if Lord Hansen had told her that his plan had flopped and there was nothing holding me back now. I wondered if she knew just how dangerous I could be once I shifted."Werewolves and shewolves," Lady Calloway spoke through the loud microphone that carried her voice round the entire auditorium. "The moment we have finally been wai