*Charlotte*When Mia and Jessica saw me walking towards them, they abruptly ended their conversation, and Jessica ran away without looking at me. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and I felt sad seeing her that way. While Jessica was a bitch to me, she was still a woman, and as a woman, I wanted to sympathize.Mia was about to go as well, but I called her name, and she was left with no choice but to stay and talk to me. I could see the hesitation in Mia’s eyes, but since I was still the future Luna of Dragon Wing in her eyes, she greeted me with a good morning and asked if I needed some help.“Good morning, do you need my help?” she asked instantly. “Good morning, Mia. I saw Jessica crying. What happened?” Mia was a bit surprised by my question but did her best to answer anyway.“Oh, that? She’s just having a bad day. If you don’t need my help, I’ll excuse myself for a moment. I’m needed in the kitchen.” Before I could ask her again, Mia left me, so I just went back to my
*Charlotte*Jessica’s words hung in the air between us like the moment before lightning struck. I could see her trembling, tears swimming in her eyes as she pulled her arms around herself like she was trying to protect herself from a rain of blows. Her fear and despair were visceral. And I knew that look- that fear as intimately as it was my own because I’d seen it over and over again. Felt it myself back when I was still indebted, betrayed, and angry at the world and myself for the situation I’d been thrust into. Trapped in a place that only wanted to take what it could from me and leave me a shell of myself. Terrified of what would become of me when night fell and there was no one to see me if I disappeared. I’d seen women in my situation sell themselves to men whose names they didn’t even know, who’d been tricked by nice smiles and pretty words only to end up abandoned. I’d never thought them foolish because when you’re at the bottom of the darkest hole, you’d tak
*Charlotte*I had to admit, Alexander’s subtle but effective mind was a wonder to behold, I thought as we sat at the dining table for breakfast. Alexander gave me a quick glance, tapping his spoon three times on the dish as a signal, and I suppressed my own smirk, eyeing Carlos.‘Your downfall was about to begin,’ I thought. He’d rue the day he messed with someone from our pack. “I have to admit our journey to Dragon Wing has been incredibly pleasant,” Alpha Kingston said joyfully to Finnley and Diana. “Your reputation is not given lightly and I am a bit sad to leave tomorrow, how about you, Carlos?” Carlos nodded in agreement, a handsome smile on his face as he glanced over at me. “There are one or two things I wish I could stay for.” His intention was obvious and unlike before, where his attention had made me feel better, now his gaze on me felt like bugs crawling across my skin. I suppressed a shiver and look of disgust, plastering on the fake smile I’d mastered af
*Charlotte*“Charlotte, what are you doing?” Alpha Finnley moved first in front of me, blocking my view of Alpha Kingston’s reaction. He glanced at Jessica, worried for both of us in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to hide us both underneath his arms and as heart-warming as that was to see, I knew this wasn’t his battle. “Trust me,” I gave Alpha Finnley and Luna Diana a meaningful look, pleading that they let me finish what I had started. Jessica was trembling by my side, tightly holding onto my sleeve and looking like she might burst into tears or run away at any second, but I set my hand on her back, steadying her.Alpha Finnley and Luna Diana shared a worried glance and I could tell what they were thinking. If this went wrong, and Alpha Kingston took this as an offense, the relationship between the two packs would break down. They could be launched into war.But I knew in my heart that this was the right thing to do. I stepped around Alpha Finnley, pulling Jessic
*Charlotte*“You deliberately set all of this up knowing that causing discord between our two packs could put the security of the whole pack at risk, Charlotte! It was an incredibly reckless and foolish idea!” Luna Diana was furious, her words bombarding me and I sat silently on the couch, head bowed as I accepted their anger and disappointment. I’d known going in that the fallout for this would rest on my head.The meeting room was empty besides the three of us and Alpha Finnley sat across from me, head raised in the air and his hand over his eyes like he was trying to wish all of this away. I knew I’d caused both of them to stress over this incident and despite Alpha Finnley having allowed me to do what I did at the moment, this was the consequence of my actions. Even if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.Jessica was free, a renewed spirit as she moved on with her life, and Carlos was trying to become a better man. Even Alpha Kingston held more
*Alexander*Being punished unfortunately didn’t mean my regular work as the future alpha stopped. No, Daniel had to stay up with me all night in my room as I rushed to do all the work I would usually do tomorrow during the night. It was three am before I finally settled down for some sleep but only a few hours later I was awoken by my own father’s smug look as he informed me the welfare institution was ready for us. I dressed simply, knowing this wasn’t going to be as easy as Charlotte thought it would be. She looked absolutely chipper and excited to be heading out of the palace and I made a mental note to take her to the main city more often and showcase some of the finer everyday places. Daniel often told me that the mall was fun when he’d sneak out though I’d never gone myself.The welfare institute was anywhere but fun, however. Despite the flashiness of the rest of the town, the bright lights of the red movie theater, and the white polished look of the hospital,
*Charlotte*A flash of lightning struck across the sky, illuminating the dark hallway followed only a few moments later by the rumbling of thunder booming loudly. Even I was startled by the sudden crash, echoing deeply as I lost my grip on the candle.“Fuck!” I cried, as the small flame snuffed out and I fumbled for the holder before it could catch the rug on fire. The hot wax spilled across the floor and signed my fingers and I winced from the pain, moving it around until it no longer felt like the tips of my fingers would be burnt off.In the pitch black, it was hard to see but I kept a hand on the wall, using it to guide me as I found the doorknob- cold brass to the touch. I bit my lip hesitantly, unsure of whether to disturb him or not but the sound of another pained and muffled whimper coming from the other side of the door pushed me to action. “Alexander? Are you there? I heard something so I want to make sure you’re okay,” I knocked, trying to remain quiet so I
*Charlotte*If Alpha Finnley and Luna Diana had thought making me work at the Welfare Institution was a punishment, they were sorely wrong. I had a blast. When I was a kid, my dream was to become a teacher, one unlike the ones I had who were disinterested in bringing our creativity and having fun while learning. I’d always wanted to be a teacher who was the exact opposite. One who let the kids be themselves without stifling their natural gifts, even if it wasn’t counting numbers or memorizing vocab words. I’d never expected that my dream would come true, much less in a world full of werewolves.It felt like something out of a fairytale, to be honest. But I still vowed to do my best. To let these children have the best week of their lives that I could. And true to my word, every class was filled with fun and laughter, the kids even started to respect and pay attention to Alexander’s dreadfully monotone lectures about prime numbers too.And the more time Alexande
*Alexander’s POV*I should've felt bad for rejecting Sylvia in front of everyone, but I found myself indifferent to the physical and emotional pain my rejection might have caused her. It was exhilarating, liberating even, to know that she no longer had power over me. I looked at Sylvia’s face, which was covered with fear and anger, and I could not help but pity the woman who once held my heart. She was terrified.“Take it back, Alexander. Take it all back! It’s not true. We will be together, forever… please take it back.” She was kneeling on the ground, the result of my rejection manifesting into physical torture, and she could not help but wince in pain.I watched her as she crumbled in pain, and all I could feel was pity, guilt, and sadness. But mostly, sadness. Back then, I was so sure of Sylvia. I was so sure that she was my fated love. She was the only woman I wanted to be with for the rest of my life and no one would dare to get her away from me because I would kill for her.
*Alexander*“Come in,” I said firmly, not caring that the door to my office slammed against the wall as I rushed inside, the two girls exchanging a look before heading in after me. Mia shut the door behind her quietly, and I heard the turn of the lock in the door. Her lips were chapped, like she’d bitten them down repeatedly over the last few days, eyes rung with dark shadows as she turned to me with pleading guilty eyes. Jessica stood firm on her other side, holding a simple box of what I didn’t know in her hands that she quickly placed on the coffee table. Mia and Jessica sat down hesitantly when I gestured towards the couch and I leaned against my desk, facing them fully.“Speak,” I commanded.“The night of the banquet, Charlotte asked me to check the food because she suspected something was wrong. When I went to the kitchens to check on it, I saw someone trying to hide the glassware. I didn’t want to believe they were doing something bad at first because this was s
*Alexander*It had always been the plan. Get engaged to Sylvia, become the Alpha and Luna of Dragon Wing, and live happily ever after. That was the dream I’d been chasing for so long. But now that it was coming true, it felt more like a nightmare.I glanced stiffly at Sylvia, who shot me a victorious look. The gleam of greed in her eyes was visible for all to see like she’d finally won a prize she’d been striving to have for so long.And I don’t know why it took me until now to realize that was all she’d seen me as. Her entire act, pretending to be the girl who saved me, befriending Charlotte just to drive her away, was just for this moment. And I’d walked straight into her trap.I clenched my fists at my side, rage boiling under my skin as I realized what an idiot I had been all this time. Sylvia wasn’t the one I loved. She never had been. I’d love the facade she’d put up, the girl she pretended to be but even then, it had always been Charlotte in my heart. Now
*Alexander*The melody that I heard from the voice recorder that Charlotte left for me was the same melody that saved my life. I could still remember the pain that I felt throughout my body when I was attacked by the wild animal when I got lost in the woods.My eyes were scratched by its claws and my eyesight went blind temporarily, and if I hadn’t heard the harmonica playing in the background, I wouldn’t have been able to find my way back home. I wouldn’t be alive today. All this time, I thought it was Sylvia who played the harmonica, but I was mistaken. All along, it was Charlotte. I remembered asking Sylvia before to play it for me again because that tune calmed my nerves, but she told me she forgot how to play it. I did not force her to play it; after all, I was made to believe that she was my savior. I didn’t have any reasons to doubt her before because I owed her my life, but tonight, everything changed. If my assumptions were true, Charlotte was my savior. She was my f
*Alexander*When I was about to confess my true feelings to Sylvia, one of the nurses called me and told me that someone had visited my room and wanted to see me. I hoped it was Charlotte so we could make up, but it turned out to be Alpha Brown with the doctors who tested Sarah's blood sample and the poison from the tableware she used before she fell down the stairs."Good evening, Alexander," Alpha Brown greeted. "I'm sorry for interrupting you tonight, but I thought you should know that the poison injected into you is the same poison that almost killed my daughter."Oh. I had a feeling it was the same poison, but I wanted evidence before concluding. I had been reckless for the past few days, always jumping to conclusions. I promised myself to be smarter this time, especially with criminals lurking around our pack."I see, but we still need to find the culprit, Alpha. Even though it's the same poison, we shouldn't assume anything unless we have a witness and can blame them direc
*Alexander*When I found out that Sarah was poisoned, all I could think of was how I blamed Charlotte for everything. I was blinded by the lies that surrounded us, and that broke not just her heart, but also mine. Sometimes, I wished that I had not been easily swayed by the people around me because it was clouding my mind from learning the truth. And the truth was, Charlotte, while she was vulgar and bold, she was never a liar. Unfortunately, I treated her as such.“She was poisoned,” I told my father over dinner. It was unusually quiet inside the dining room, a clear sign that our ray of sunshine was no longer around. Ever since Charlotte became part of our family, our dinner and lunchtime were always full of laughter and stories. Now that she was no longer around, we were back to quiet evenings“Yes, Daniel told me earlier. What did Brown say when he found out about it?” my father asked. He was not looking at me; instead, he was focused on eating the fried chicken that he reques
*Alexander*It had been a few days since the incident with Sarah happened, and I was honestly tired of dealing with it. I had been busy talking to Alpha Brown and the wolf committee to make sure that Charlotte would not be apprehended for endangering a she-wolf’s life, a crime that I never thought she would commit. All this time, I thought Charlotte and I would finally be having our quiet time with each other, but the unthinkable happened, and now we were at war.When I learned about Alpha Brown’s plea to the committee to apprehend Charlotte for what happened to his daughter, I immediately asked for Charlotte’s freedom in exchange for sending her far away from the pack. While it pained me to let her go, I wouldn’t want to risk her life because of the other pack's decision to end her life.Aside from the endless meetings within the Dragon Wing, I was also dragged into tiring talks with other packs to avoid the impending war that Alpha Brown was threatening in the whole wolf communi
*Charlotte*“Should I stay or should I go?” I asked myself the same question repeatedly until it was tattooed on my mind while I paced back and forth inside my bedroom. When I heard Alexander say that I needed to go for my own sake, I was left with the hanging question of whether staying inside the palace was worth it.When I first arrived at Dragon Wing, I remembered how kind and welcoming Alpha Finnley and Luna Diana were towards me. They gave me new clothes to wear, a clean and comfortable bed to sleep in, and delicious food to eat. All the privileges that were taken from me by my creditor, they brought back to me and gave me more.I was a total mess before I entered Dragon Wing. I was a nobody. But they changed that in an instant when Alpha Finnley chose me to be his son’s bride. All the good things that happened to me after my long suffering at the hands of evil, I owed it all to Alpha Finnley and his wife. While I paced back and forth with the words of Sylvia and Alexander
*Charlotte*I could not believe what Alexander just said straight to my face. Out of all the people I knew inside the pack who would not believe me when I told them the truth, I never expected Alexander to be one of them. I thought we were already past doubts and resentment, but we were back at it again in just a blink of an eye.How could he not trust me when I told him that I did not do anything bad towards Sarah? Yes, I was not a werewolf, but that did not mean that I would do something bad towards their members just because I was different from them. And he knew how much I loved him. I would never hurt the people I loved. I would never betray their trust. I would never betray Alexander.“Seriously, Alexander? I never expected that you would believe them.”“Is there any reason to doubt their words, Charlotte? Wolves do not lie to their fellow wolves. You should know that by now,” he said, raising his voice towards me. His voice was tainted with what I sensed as disappointment.