[~♥CORAL♥~]The moment my gaze locks with warm ember orbs, I feel the air around me shift with an electrifying sizzle, for one, because Damian is here, as our supposed instructor and he smiles, waving at me like a child that's just found his mother in a crowd.It hinders my attempt at hiding my presence—though I wasn't succeeding much in that area either, my red hair makes me stand out like a sore thumb.The other, because there’s suddenly an uproar of excitement bubbling from the girls and the boys but most especially, the girls and very extremely, from Raina.My gaze cuts off from Damian, landing on Raina. She’s not looking at me this time because now she has her gaze solely fixed on Damian and I swear to the moon goddess that I can see the moon-struck hearts in her freaking eyes and I’m flushed by a wave of violence at her shameless ogling at my mate.“Quiet!” One of the instructor’s voice catches our attention again, this time, it’s the black haired one that speaks up, his voice h
[~♥CORAL♥~]When my body hits the ground, my world spirals for a moment. Raina's movement had been so quick and her attack was sharp and concentrated, knocking me to the ground within a second. I barely saw her coming. Much to my dismay. She proved her strength when her body settles on mine. My hands though, had shielded my face on instinct, though it didn't ease the pain that spammed my body at the moment it made contact with the hard ground.Dust gust around us before it finally settles and I look up at Raina. A smug look paints her face and she's smiling down at me like she's just won.“Ha! This is going to be so easy.” She snarls wickedly, her smile turning into a mischievous grin, her eyes shining with sheer diviousness.And somehow, my gaze finds Damian. His arms are folded against his broad, black clad chest and so is the rest of him—built like a warrior king. His demeanor is stoic and fierce but I don't miss the way his hands clench at his sides and the very subtle flex of hi
[~♦DAMIAN♦~]She won. My sweet girl won the spar. It was a little surprising because I knew her opponent was a lot stronger than her, she’d surprised me with that move she pulled.I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face the moment it happened.I've been beating myself up about stepping into her fight and breaking it off the moment her body hit the ground but I know that would only cause trouble for her.My girl was already trying to carve out her own part through her circumstances. I didn't want to be the new source of her agony. I never want to experience the hurt and broken heartedness of my mate ever again. She is the most precious fucking thing to me and bringing her joy is the only thing I'd live to do from now on.The instructor has just declared her the winner and there was a surprising alarm of cheers at her victory even though this was no more than a practice session. I was so fucking proud of her and all I could see in that moment was her.Wanting to get to my mate t
[~♥CORAL♥~]I let Damian drag me off the training ground, mostly because I'm still reeling from what just happened.Raina had tried to seriously hurt me and Damian had stepped in. He'd protected me. My heart felt afloat with the feeling of both fear and relief, it still does, the aftermath effect is still strumming around in my chest.Damian leads me behind a building. There's a bench resting against the surface when we round the corner and he pulls me down gently to sit on it before lowering his height and kneeling with one knee to the ground. His face is a mess of worry and… distress and his gaze fervently runs up and down the length of my body in fluid movement.“Where exactly does it hurt?” He asks, pulling up the sleeves of my shirt past my elbows, he carefully lifts my left arm to his face, inspecting closely.“Here.” I respond, using my other hand to motion across the length of my forearm. “All of it… hurts.”Damian's ember orbs flashes a glowering red and a snarl shapes his f
[~♦DAMIAN♦~]“You're so mean.” I stare down at my mate to see a pout puckering her sweet lips.“Whatever do you mean, sweet girl?” I ask, letting a smirk curl up my lips.She looks up at me, her eyes flashing with a coy smile. She's finally gotten used to the name so now it doesn't bother her anymore when I address her by it. Then they turn solemn, almost like she's trying to scold me silently.“You know what I mean.”I did. But I love teasing her. The thrill her expression causes is a medicine I've gotten addicted to. Even when I don't want to, I just can't help it.I flash a grin, “I apologize, sweet girl. I just can't help myself when I'm around you.”I hear her breath catch in her throat just as her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. “You're not sorry at all,” she narrows her gaze at me.I can't help the chuckle that slips past my lips at her acute accusation. “And you don't think I'm going to forget about your sudden intrusion into school today.”“I wasn't intruding, sweet girl.
[`~♠CORAL~♠] -Age 17- The cool breeze hits my skin as the evening sky thickens on dark clouds, leaves rustle around us and my hair dances to the conduct. I hold my dress by the hem and wait for the gust to pass.“I–I really like you, Coral… won't you reconsider? I won't do anything to hurt you, I promise.” Jason probes, professing his feelings for me once more.“Jason… I like you too, but… not in that way.” I say, tucking a stray strand of my fiery red hair from my face.Jason wears a crestfallen face that pulls at the guilt at my chest, plaguing me once more. He was a sweet boy and a year older than I am. I wanted to give him a chance but I couldn't. “We're only a year away from getting mated. It's not going to be possible—”I start to tell him but he doesn't listen, cutting me off halfway. “You don't know if that's going to happen!” Jason argues. “And even so, I don't care about that, you're the only one I want right now.”His words made me smile, bringing a certain warmth to my
[~♠CORAL♠~]-Age 18- I stir awake to a warm feeling in my chest and a smile on my face. Sitting up, I stretch, humming as my body comes alive as the sun hits my skin through the open window. Today's my eighteenth birthday and most likely the day I get mated. I'm so ecstatic that it's nerve wracking. I wonder who it'd be, what he'd be like. Was he as excited as I am? I hurry downstairs, my tousled red hair flying behind me as I step into the landing and take the flight of stairs till I'm at the bottom. I giggle, feeling the excitement of today. I'll know when the moon comes up. My hair brushes my face as I hop onto the landing and skittle down the hallway, into the dining room for breakfast. The house is surprisingly quiet as I walk through, I don't see a single person, not even the maids but I hear the whispers of distorted voices as I approach the dining. Coloured papers rained down on me with a loud pop when I pushed the wooden double door open, then bright lights from the morn
[~♠CORAL♠~] Soon nightfall came with the passing of the sun as the moon toppled over the reddish-orange hues of the sky and the day became even buzzier. I was overly excited— I was nervous and I was almost about to implode. It’s the night of my birthday and my parents had invited every member of the pack. The celebration is customary since I'm the daughter of the pack leader. Well, former pack leader, since my father, Knox Hendrix, is retired and my eldest brother, Raegan has taken over leadership as the next head. It’s the night I get to discover my other half, my second piece. My mate. So it was an important event and it was going to be grand. My brothers had turned eighteen years ago and the same was done for them, although they hadn’t been able to find their mates, even after taking over the leadership position from father. It’s been sixteen years since turning eighteen and it’s also been five years since their enthronement as pack leaders so I understood the worries of th
[~♦DAMIAN♦~]“You're so mean.” I stare down at my mate to see a pout puckering her sweet lips.“Whatever do you mean, sweet girl?” I ask, letting a smirk curl up my lips.She looks up at me, her eyes flashing with a coy smile. She's finally gotten used to the name so now it doesn't bother her anymore when I address her by it. Then they turn solemn, almost like she's trying to scold me silently.“You know what I mean.”I did. But I love teasing her. The thrill her expression causes is a medicine I've gotten addicted to. Even when I don't want to, I just can't help it.I flash a grin, “I apologize, sweet girl. I just can't help myself when I'm around you.”I hear her breath catch in her throat just as her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. “You're not sorry at all,” she narrows her gaze at me.I can't help the chuckle that slips past my lips at her acute accusation. “And you don't think I'm going to forget about your sudden intrusion into school today.”“I wasn't intruding, sweet girl.
[~♥CORAL♥~]I let Damian drag me off the training ground, mostly because I'm still reeling from what just happened.Raina had tried to seriously hurt me and Damian had stepped in. He'd protected me. My heart felt afloat with the feeling of both fear and relief, it still does, the aftermath effect is still strumming around in my chest.Damian leads me behind a building. There's a bench resting against the surface when we round the corner and he pulls me down gently to sit on it before lowering his height and kneeling with one knee to the ground. His face is a mess of worry and… distress and his gaze fervently runs up and down the length of my body in fluid movement.“Where exactly does it hurt?” He asks, pulling up the sleeves of my shirt past my elbows, he carefully lifts my left arm to his face, inspecting closely.“Here.” I respond, using my other hand to motion across the length of my forearm. “All of it… hurts.”Damian's ember orbs flashes a glowering red and a snarl shapes his f
[~♦DAMIAN♦~]She won. My sweet girl won the spar. It was a little surprising because I knew her opponent was a lot stronger than her, she’d surprised me with that move she pulled.I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face the moment it happened.I've been beating myself up about stepping into her fight and breaking it off the moment her body hit the ground but I know that would only cause trouble for her.My girl was already trying to carve out her own part through her circumstances. I didn't want to be the new source of her agony. I never want to experience the hurt and broken heartedness of my mate ever again. She is the most precious fucking thing to me and bringing her joy is the only thing I'd live to do from now on.The instructor has just declared her the winner and there was a surprising alarm of cheers at her victory even though this was no more than a practice session. I was so fucking proud of her and all I could see in that moment was her.Wanting to get to my mate t
[~♥CORAL♥~]When my body hits the ground, my world spirals for a moment. Raina's movement had been so quick and her attack was sharp and concentrated, knocking me to the ground within a second. I barely saw her coming. Much to my dismay. She proved her strength when her body settles on mine. My hands though, had shielded my face on instinct, though it didn't ease the pain that spammed my body at the moment it made contact with the hard ground.Dust gust around us before it finally settles and I look up at Raina. A smug look paints her face and she's smiling down at me like she's just won.“Ha! This is going to be so easy.” She snarls wickedly, her smile turning into a mischievous grin, her eyes shining with sheer diviousness.And somehow, my gaze finds Damian. His arms are folded against his broad, black clad chest and so is the rest of him—built like a warrior king. His demeanor is stoic and fierce but I don't miss the way his hands clench at his sides and the very subtle flex of hi
[~♥CORAL♥~]The moment my gaze locks with warm ember orbs, I feel the air around me shift with an electrifying sizzle, for one, because Damian is here, as our supposed instructor and he smiles, waving at me like a child that's just found his mother in a crowd.It hinders my attempt at hiding my presence—though I wasn't succeeding much in that area either, my red hair makes me stand out like a sore thumb.The other, because there’s suddenly an uproar of excitement bubbling from the girls and the boys but most especially, the girls and very extremely, from Raina.My gaze cuts off from Damian, landing on Raina. She’s not looking at me this time because now she has her gaze solely fixed on Damian and I swear to the moon goddess that I can see the moon-struck hearts in her freaking eyes and I’m flushed by a wave of violence at her shameless ogling at my mate.“Quiet!” One of the instructor’s voice catches our attention again, this time, it’s the black haired one that speaks up, his voice h
[~♥CORAL♥~]“Are you alright, Kiki?”Kiara lets out a deep breath at my inquiry. Slowly she turns around, her face still wears the scowl until she finally meets my gaze and it lets up. Then a smile slowly stretches her face as she slightly cocks her head to the side, her curls bounces.“Of course, perfectly fine, though a little regretful that I couldn’t slug that bitch’s face in.”“I-I don’t think there would have been any need for that.” I mutter.The look on her face is incredulous, her scowl returns. “You don’t think— Coco, she tried to jeopardize our friendship with that little stunt she pulled from her wild mouth.” kiara barks, her hazel eyes wide as she takes a step closer to me. “You don’t believe her do you?”I nibble on my lower lip, not exactly sure what to say. I couldn’t really believe Raina’s words, her accusation was preposterous, after all, Kiara was my best friend and she’d never do or act in a way that would hurt me but somehow, it didn’t sound all too ridiculous. I
[~♥CORAL♥~]The stares didn’t stop, neither did the whispers. It was like they didn’t even mind that I could hear every word that was spilling out of their mouths. It wasn’t even a whisper at this point and I try to ignore it all even though most of the things they said cut me, not because they were true but because of their oblivion.I couldn’t fault them for it either.“Just look at the way they’re running their mouths,” Kiara sneers at my side. “Maybe I should show them how to keep it shut.” she suggests with a crack of her knuckles.I roll my eyes at her violent display but a small smile still tugs the corner of my lips at her defensive gesture. She was ready to fight about anyone just for me… always for me. I wasn’t the best of the best when it comes to fighting and that is why I particularly dislike the physical training activity at school. Kiara on the other hand was a star. Her father being the chief warrior gave her the upper hand in combat.“You don’t have to solve everythin
[~♥CORAL♥~]The academy is about forty minutes walk from my house but a few minutes less from Kiara's. And the closer we were to the gate, the stronger my ansty was growing. We follow the main streets and as expected, there are loads of eyes that fall on me as we stroll towards school. It wasn't as though their gazes or whispers didn't bother me anymore but it wasn't also new having people talk about me.My red hair is like a puzzle to them—being the only one in the pack with bright red hair—and they always whisper their hearts out about it. I didn't have the same hair or eye color as mother and father either and that alone makes me stand out in a pack of three—almost four—thousand people.The enigma surrounding my appearance is one that only a few know the real truth about—it didn't stop them from talking though.Holding my head up, I try not to meet anyone's gaze—and if I did, only for a millisecond—my focus on the path in front of me like a light beam until we finally arrive at th
[~♥CORAL♥~]“Do you need me to come with you?” Reagan asks. There's a look of worry etch on his face when I turn around, my hand pausing mid-air from reaching for the front door, to face him.My red hair bobs around me, caressing my face and shoulders. “No, I'll be fine.”“Are you sure?” His pries, his soft ice blue gaze narrows as he watches me intently and I force down a bundle of nerve threatening to push it's way through.Gifting him a warm smile, I grab unto my bag’s straps on my shoulders. “It's not my first day in school, Reagan. I'll be fine.”I tell him, trying to tamper his worries but even my false affirmation doesn't seem to be working either.My smile cracks when he says, “Yes, I know that but, this is different.” He takes few steps towards me until he was closing in on me. I don't drift in my step and let the soothing aroma of his scent seep into me.“We've not exactly made a public announcement.”He was referring to our mating bond. A lot of things has definitely happen