[~♠CORAL♠~]“He’s been like that for a few days,” Mother explains, her voice croaks as she turns to look at Raegan. She looks as though she was about to cry. Now that I look at her she does seem worn out, like she’s been crying all week.As a matter-of-fact, everyone looked worn out in some way or the other. Even father. His hair is slightly ruffled and his shoulders are tensed. There’s a worried look in his gaze even though he’s trying to hide it, it slips out sometimes when he looks at mother.Damien looks like he hasn’t had a wink of rest. Even though he looks somewhat composed on the surface, I can tell he hasn’t had a moment of rest. He’s even spotting a scruffy five o’clock shadow and a slight dark circle underneath his eyes. Why was this happening? It didn’t have something to do with me leaving, did it? And why was I the only one that seems unaffected physically, despite all the turbulences.Catching my bottom lip between my teeth again, I let my shaky gaze fall scrutiny aroun
[~♣RAEGAN♣~]I stir when I catch a familiar scent. It was sweet and warm and caused a deep aching stir in my gut. But not the kind of ache you get from a stomach trouble. It’s the kind of sensation you feel when you know someone that means the world to you is close.And I feel it, in every fiber of my being as her scent washes over me like rain on a steep hill.My eyes peel open and her close proximity jerks me up. I blink, assuming her presence was a façade and that my desperate need for her must have conjured my mind to dream her up and placed her here. After all, it was in her bedroom that I had purged myself into, on her bed, where the sheets still had her scent on.It was the closest I could get to being close to her after falling prey to her scorn. I had wanted to apologize, for the pain and distraught that I’d unimaginably put her through because of my selfishness.When she pushed me away, I felt a cord in my soul snap and I let my anxiety take over me. It felt as though my so
[~♠CORAL♠~]“Raegan…” I rasp out, my heart waging a war inside me. “I would never hate you or Damian or Rune… never.”Raegan’s gaze widens at my words, “But… you said—”“I know what I said… but I was angry… and I said things,” my gaze waver before holding his icy blue smothering orbs again. “But I don’t hate you.” A sea of relief floods his orbs. “Then… do you forgive me?” His voice still held uncertainty.“Raegan… I… I don’t know…” I mutter, tearing my gaze away from his. “It’s just…”A part of my heart shifted at the wounded look in his eyes but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. Growing up, Raegan, Damian and Rune has always been my biggest mountains. They were who I wanted to be like when I grow up; strong, brave, powerful and confident. A protector as they were my protectors but the secret they’d kept caused an enormous rift in my heart and left me in a sea of hurt and confusion.Even though I still care about them, after all, they’ve been my brothers for years, I couldn
[~♠CORAL♠~] “His vitals seems stable…” Theo, our pack’s theta states once he was done checking Raegan. The morning sun peeks in from the windows. He stands up straight and adjust his glasses on his nose bridge. He wears a riddled expression on his face as he shares a look with father, the former pack leader and mother. “But?” Father asked, his left arm clings around mother’s waist but his gaze was focused on Theo. “Oh no, nothing’s wrong. I’m just a bit surprised about his sudden shift back to his human form, plus nothing seems out of the ordinary, especially when we couldn’t exactly deter the reason why,” he answers, and weighs his glasses over his nose bridge then tucks his hands into the pockets of his white overall. “It’s just a marveling sight.” He adds with an intrigued smile. “I see… my daughter might have been responsible for that,” father’s sudden input startles me and I stare up at him, wide eyed and open mouthed. “F-Father!” I hiss at him, feeling flush from the atte
[~♠CORAL♠~]Raegan doesn’t say a word as he follows father out of my bedroom. I didn’t know what father wanted to discuss with him and I could sense it was really important too and yet, it unnerves me.I feel a pair of soft, warm, slender hands glide up and down the length of my arms. It’s soothing and slowly warms away my growing unease.“You don’t have to look so worried,” Mother’s powdery voice turns my attention away from the doorway, to her. Her deep, enchanting, rich cobalt blue eyes with a hint of purple undertones that sparkles with an inner light wears a smile as they hold my bright green gaze. “I’m sure your father and… Raegan just have a lot to catch up on regarding the pack duties and all.” She reassures. I knew the words she had wanted to say and she was being considerate enough not to say it. It still made me feel all type of ways and I wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with them— all these overwhelming feelings that I carried inside of me. It still felt a little weird.Y
[~♠CORAL♠~] I sigh for the umptieth time, unable to concentrate on the book I was reading. I close the book, collapsing into the wall of pillows behind me, another sigh breaks out of me and I toss the book to the side and close my eyes, letting my mind drift off to an endless plane. Mother's words play subtly in my mind, drifting like a cloud in the silent dark. My mind becomes a place I’m trapped in and suddenly I start to feel lonely in my own thoughts. My nostrils tingle and my eyes peel open as I catch a certain scent in my room, “Kiara?” A hitched breath makes me smile as I sit up, locking eyes with her as she stood frozen in the middle of my room like a statue with her hands clamped against her mouth. I sigh, shaking my head at her ludicrous antic. “Aw, I almost had you.” She confesses sulkily. “Yeah, right… you didn’t even attempt to hide your scent, did you think you were going to scare me if you sneaked up on me?” “Your senses are just too sharp.” “No, you’re just ver
[~♣RAEGAN♣~]The unblinking gazes of the elders directed at me was starting to hurt my head ‘cause they’ve been staring since the minute I walked into this room with my brothers. Being an elder didn’t only imply having grey hair and beards and nursing knowledge as old as time with the inability to fight to protect their lives when it really matters. No, maybe in some packs it was but in my pack, it was simply made up of the strongest which, of course, were the heads of each faction under my rule.It’s been that way since the foundation of the pack. Elder simply implied that one had a vast amount of the historical knowledge of the pack that has been passed down through generation in both written and oral form. I take my seat at the head table; father sits at the other end and my brothers, Damian and Rune take each seat next to me at both my right and left hand. I didn’t have to hold each of their gazes to see it, I could clearly sense the unease riding the hues of their piercing
[~♣RAEGAN♣~]The sun has finally set by the time I make it back home with Rune and he goes right up into his room as though he was hypnotized to do so.Our walk back home was mostly quiet but it wasn't uncomfortable. Besides, I was lost in my own head thinking of the next step to take from this storm. And if I was to pull us out of it, we would have to talk about our way forward and that includes talking to her about it.That is the hardest part after all. Convincing her… And that on its own would not be easy. Hell, it might even be downright impossible.Right now, I’m just grateful that she hasn’t rejected us yet— A week ago we would have lost her completely if mother hadn’t intervened. I made sure to show my gratitude for that. Mother never hit us nor did she show any displeasure for our sin. I was grateful for that, we had enough beating from father to last a lifetime, It hurts to even think about it.I was also grateful that she didn’t feel any resentment for us, she reassured me
[~♥CORAL♥~]“Kiara… What are you doing? You’re going to get us into trouble.” I let out a hushed yell, turning my head around to scan the surroundings.Kiara creeps closer to the wall, placing a finger on her lips. “Shh, you’ll get us caught if you keep bugging me.”“Well, it’s not right to eavesdrop on people.”“Be quiet Coco, I’m trying to hear what’s going on. It’s clearly important.”“That’s exactly why we’re not supposed to be here. Why did you drag me here? I never agreed to this. What if someone sees us and reports it to Raegan.”She rolls her eyes, shaking her head, “Well, for one I know we won’t get caught if you stop making a fuss about it. Secondly, you’re literally mated to the most important people in the pack. No one else is above them, so we’ll be fine.” She says and turns to me. She winks, her smile mischievous and then she returns her attention back to the wall. Placing her ear against the surface, she strains to hear what’s happening at the other side but with the
[~♦DAMIAN♦~]It’s all bullcrap and I can smell it.If that shifty fucking smile on his face isn’t enough to prove it then I don’t know what else will. There was something other than just bringing an end to our long held feud that he was attaining for. I don’t know much about the strategic stuff in a war, that was Rune’s line of expertise but with Kane’s reputation and what I’ve seen through the long years, this war has become more than a conquest for power. Our land has one of the rarest items that any pack would kill to obtain—a mine with an abundance of mythril.It’s a stone that’s considered to be one of the strongest ore in the land. It’s used here in crafting the best of our weaponries and priced accessories but it’s never exported in bulk because it’s a precious stone but it’s also a dangerous item if in the wrong hands. It’s an item that can turn the tides of not only war but development in any pack. So it’s always been the leading factor to all the wars we’ve faced so far.
[~♠RUNE♠~]The tension in the air is remarkable. If active it would be explosively destructive.Even though Raegan might have agreed to this meeting, everyone present is on high alert. That doesn’t exempt me though. But I’d rather have a peaceful resolution than a destructive war.“My, you guys should really chill out,” Kane inputs when he takes the seat at the end of the long table. Reagan takes the other, at the head. The rest of us settle into the seats at each side of the table. Damian and I sit at opposite sides; I on the left and him at the right. Leon and a few others take their individual seats as well and Kane’s beta, Talon sits next to him, at his right side. Kane crosses his left leg over his right. The table is high enough to conceal it but his body movement is enough to read his actions. He smirks. “There’s enough animosity in this room to chill my bones. It’s almost like I’m the enemy here.”“You are the enemy here, you fucker.” Damian growls.There’s a subtle pause b
[~♣RAEGAN♣~]“What do you want Rune?” Damian hisses at Rune, not taking a look at him. His attention is held up by the man in front of him and Alpha Kane is just as reeling to go as he is.“What I want is for you to stop misbehaving.” Rune scolds. “Are you trying to make things worse than they already are?” Damian snarls at him. “He’s the one asking for a death wish.” Kane lets out a disdainful snort at his remark and Damian shoots him a glare.“Are you really going to do this? You’ll only be contradicting your stated intentions of peace if you engage him in a fight,” Rune says, and it earns him a smirk from Kane. “But don’t think we’ll be letting you off just because my douchebag of a brother caused a scene.” Kane’s smirk widens into a darkly, amused grin and his eyes flashes, noting the threat behind Rune’s words.He straightens, completely relaxed from his battle stance. His muscles are slightly tensed so I know he’s distinctly aware of Damian’s threatening presence in front of hi
[~♣RAEGAN♣~]“What the hell are you doing here?” I snarl at the man in front of me.I was in the middle of a meeting with my brothers and the pack’s elder council on finalizing the next step of action to take regarding Kane's message when one of my border guards busted in like his ass was on fire.He came with troubling news. Kane had already arrived at our border and the guards had apprehended him and were bringing him here.The news set my brothers and I and everyone else in the room on high alert. We rushed out a moment before he arrived at the pack house, surrounded by the pack guards with their weapons poking out behind him.The news of his sudden arrival was upsetting but not the most surprising thing, even though it completely threw me getting the message. We were unprepared and hadn't expected him to show up so soon and so suddenly.He’d requested a meeting through his messenger. It was the reason we were in-deep in this meeting, arguing our heads off on whether to take Rune’s
[~♥CORAL♥~]“You didn't drop by this morning. What happened? Is everything alright, Kiki?” I ask, walking up beside her just as we step out of school premises to the street.I call out her name this time when she doesn't respond to me. When I get no response again, I quickly grab her arm. Stopping in my tracks, I pull her back. It cause her to jerk back too until she halts in her track. “Kiara…” Her mind seems dazed but then she blinks and gasp as though snapping out of a hypnosis. Her eyes fills momentarily with shock and a clip expression before it falls off her face.Her breath settles and then her hazel gaze holds mine. “Sorry Coco, what was that?”I frown a little, a small pout puckering my lips and I release my hold on her arm. “You didn't show up at my house this morning… what happened?”I must have imagined the flash of anger in her eyes. “Why? I'm not your mother, Coco.”I know she didn't mean to be rude but her curt remark still cuts me like a gullet wound but in the chest.
[~♥CORAL♥~]My face is red. Beet blood… maybe even tomato red. I know because I can feel the heat smoking off my face, hotter than any heated ore or metal. Probably even hotter than molten lava itself.It's scalding and it's caused by the two large figures hanging at the doorway of Rune's bedroom.I'm overcomed by sheer embarrassment as Damian's teasing words hit me. That's right… I had come here to bring Rune over for breakfast. He's been engrossed in his new craft piece, I'm not sure he's had a proper rest. I wonder what he's making this time. I do love all his pieces. They were always enchanting. I'm sure all the females in the pack would love to wear a piece if they could. However, the thought made my mind scream with disapproval. I wouldn't want any other woman to wear his art piece. Actually, more correctly than that, I didn't want them wearing any of his piece. I know that it sounds childish to think but I can't help but think that they'd be wearing a piece of him on them a
[~♥CORAL♥~]“You want… to kiss me?” I mutter the words slowly. My cheeks instantly heating with a blush.“Mhmm, I deserve one too, don't you think?” Rune says, turning me slightly in his arms.I flush deeper, stuttering. “Well… um, I–”“You don't have to if you don't want to, cupcake.”“No, that's not it. I just thought you were angry about it.”“Cupcake… what in goddess’s are you on about?”“What? You're not angry?” I ask, surprise. I'm not so sure why I am but I also don't really know how I expected him to feel about it. “Why would I be?” He arches a brow at me.“Well, because you saw Raegan kissing me?” I point out slowly. My cheeks heat from both the memory of the kiss and suddenly feeling dumb.Rune scoffs, then roll his eyes and shakes his head. The white highlights of his soft, dark locks scatters across his face.“Why would I be angry about that? It’s perfectly normal between mates.” He remarks.I bite my lip then add. “Raegan was mad,” I pause. “Actually, no, he was jealous
[~♠RUNE♠~]A soft knock on my door has been stirring out of a daze. But I don't look up from my work when I mutter the words “Come in.”There's a low humming in my chest before the door pulls open and I'm raising my head to the door even before she pokes her head through the opening of my door.“Hi,” She calls out in a sweet, low tone. A coy smile graces her beautifully plush face as she steps onto the threshold. She stands there, not crossing and my gaze catches the nervous twirl of her fingers around her midriff.A smile of my own coats my face, my lips twitching with the amusement I'm suddenly feeling at her shy demeanor. She looks so cute fiddling with the material of her dress. So cute and so edible in the soft looking, white, sleeveless dress with soft pink flower prints, she's wearing.Noting my own thoughts, I mentally hit myself in the head when I realize I haven't responded to her greeting.“Hi,” I say, getting off my stool and dumping my piece of art on my work table.“Um…