[~♣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
[~♣RAEGAN♣~]“What did you want to talk about so badly?” She asks straightforwardly as she sits upright against the pillows that walls up behind her, drawing her legs up against her body and wrapping her arms around them as her chin rests on her knees.But she doesn’t look at me.Her room is dimly lit by the glow of light emanating from the moon stone hangings on the ceiling, threaded by twine ropes and the candle lamp on the bed stand.I sit next to her on the bed, watching her as she watches the moon outside her bedroom window as though it was the most fascinating thing to gaze upon. She was indeed a brilliant sight to behold, my heart turns from merely the sight of her.She was like a fairytale, seeped halfly in the light from the moon’s glow, her skin glows like an ethereal dream that I never want to leave and it leaves me speechless every time. My guilt comes back at me again… Now I was starting to wish I could turn back the hands of time to that very day… So I could redo the th
[~♦DAMIAN♦~]“What’s so important that you have us awake before the break of dawn, Raegan?” I ask as I walk into my twin brother’s study. The room was built as an adjoining room to his bedroom but it also has another entrance door leading in from the corridor.I took the liberty of walking in through his bedroom because it’s right in front of mine. Raegan has his back turned to me, he turns around when he hears my voice.“You’re here,” He states simply, ignoring my question. “Where’s Rune?”As though hearing the call of his name, the door to the study’s main entrance opens and Rune comes into view at the threshold. His amethyst eyes sweep the room before they land on us across the room. His hair is tied back with some loose strands on his forehead as he walks in. Speak of the devil…Meeting our gaze, Rune doesn’t say a word to either of us, only nodding in acknowledgment of our presence and just makes a beeline to one of the couches in the middle of the room and takes a spot at one
[~♠CORAL♠~]“I don’t expect forgiveness overnight, moonbeam, I understand that. But I hope you’ll give us a chance to prove ourselves to you. We’ll do anything to regain your trust.”I tousle in bed as my mind runs away with me again. The sun was already above the horizon, the curtain sways softly to the breeze and the cloud drifts lazily across the sky. The warm comfort of my room surrounds me as I stare out my window. The sky looked serene but my mind, however, was far from it. A heavy feeling clings over my chest. I hug my pillow and let out a frustrated cry into it. Raegan’s words were a constant echo in my mind, invasively and eluding me of sleep. My mind and heart stirs with emotions that I thought I'd buried away. Their actions, their secrets and the apologies swirled together in a jumbled mess in my head.My thoughts were a maze and It felt as though my mind was constantly plunging into the core of an eruptive core. I didn’t know which part to take or which emotions to trust.
[~♠CORAL♠~] Heavy aroma of freshly baked bread and pancakes surrounds me, overwhelming my sense of smell, making my mouth water. “Mmm, that smells so good.” Kiara purrs as she starts to run ahead, towards the kitchen. I smile, tailing behind her. Agatha must be making a feast this morning, it smells more than the usual bunch. I wonder what the occassion was? It’s not like it was anyone’s birthday or an anniversary ceremony. But without much thought, I hurry towards the kitchen as well, striding behind Kiara. She’s standing by the entrance when I meet up with her and she looks transfix. My brows knots with a frown as I get closer to her. “Kiara?” I call but she doesn’t turn to me and my frown deepens when she ignores my second call. She’s never been this taken by anything before, what in the goddess’s name is she staring so strongly at? “Kiki, are you alright.” I reach her, clutching her shoulders, she jerks from my touch as she turns to me and I shoot a brow up to her. “Ah… Coc
[~♠CORAL♠~]“Is it to your liking?” I hear Raegan’s cool baritone voice question beside me and my attention snaps up to him. He’s seated next to me, his short white hair grazing his forehead as he watches me with a look in his eyes.I nod, looking back down at the breakfast buffet on the dining table but especially at my pancakes, topped with whipped cream and wild blueberries.“I’m glad to hear it. I guess I haven’t lost my touch yet.” He says and I sneak a glance up at him but his intense ice blue orbs catches mine. The look in his eyes morphs into one of content and he smiles softly at me, his orbs glinting a silvery glow.I sweep my gaze back to the table, it lands on Kiara at the other side of the table and she’s in her own world, her sole focus being the dishes on the table. In addition to the pancakes, bread and cookies, Raegan also went out of his way to make cream stew, bacon, fried eggs and served with orange and sweet lemon juice and tea. I get that he wanted to make me bre
[~°RUNE°~]I watch my brother grumble as he trails his pen over a piece of paper. He’s sitting behind the desk in father’s office— former office. it belongs to Raegan now but he’s barely used it, choosing to convert his study into an office.It was his safe space which he’d chosen to be converted into a working space when he took up the role as the pack leader. He’s usually there reading books or writing poems.“Curse that Raegan,” Damian groans as he scribbles on the paper, his face tightening with a deeper scowl. His fingers clench harder on the quill. “How dare he make me do his work for him while he goes to spend time with my mate.”“Relax, Damian. It’d be overwhelming for her if we’re all with her at once.”“Don’t you think I know that, Rune?” He snaps, lifting his gaze to me, halting whatever it is he was writing. “Still, I wanted to be the one in his place.”I relax into the seat opposite Damian. “Well, It’s not as though we’re competing for her.”“Who does he think he is? I wa
[~♥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…