Sienna

The little girl clamped her tiny hands over her mouth and sobbed in silence as she watched the monster ripping her father’s heart out of his chest. Her strong Papa groaned in excruciating agony. Warm, fat tears were falling down her chubby cheeks while her legs were quaking violently. Her eyes widened and she peed her pants in absolute fear when her blue eyes locked on her father’s heart that was now pounding vigorously on the palm of the hooded monster. Red thick blood dripped down from between the monster’s fingers and splattered on her father’s now lifeless body.   

‘I have it..I have it..” what had started off as a whisper was now a joyful shouting. 

A roar of laughter was followed by the declaration.   

Her eyes shot open. She drew a shaky breath and stared blankly at the ceiling, not bothering to wipe the tears that were flowing down her blue oceans. She was covered in a thick layer of sweat and her whole body was shivering slightly. 

After staring at the ceiling for some moments, she got out of her bed like a robot and headed towards her bathroom. 

Her feet, however, paused before the round mirror in her bathroom. She couldn’t resist turning and checking her appearance. 

A pair of deep blue eyes stared back at her. Unlike the girls of her age, they lacked light and spirit. They were dimmed with gloom and exuded melancholy. Her lips drew into a rueful smile. Her eyes were indeed a window to her soul. 

These eyes had seen things, they shouldn’t. They knew agony and had wept more than they had smiled. 

She assessed her face. Uncle Jarek would always call her “beautiful,” but she knew she wasn’t. Her bullies had made it a point to burn this fact into her brain, especially Azriel- her worst bully.   

She had a round face and brown wave hair, that often turned golden under the sun, reaching down to her waist. She wasn’t tall which was a rare case in werewolves. Most of the girls around her stood 5”9” or “10” but Sienna was only 5”2.” Her short height was the favorite topic for her bullies aside from the fact that she was still wolfless. 

She picked her brush and started cleaning her teeth. Today she had an important test in school. 

She had her breakfast with Alpha King, Jarek. The Alpha King was her dad’s best friend and so took her responsibility after her parent’s demise. The man loved her as his own and for that, she couldn’t be grateful enough. No one would say Azriel was related to him, much less, his son. They were unbelievably different.   

“Slept well, beautiful?” the Alpha King’s eyes lit up with warmth when he saw her climbing down the giant stairs.

“Slep well, beautiful?” Jarek asked as he saw her coming down the stairs.    

Sienna slightly bowed her head in respect. 

“Yes, I had a good night,” she lied with a smile.

“Let’s have breakfast then,” Jarek said.  

After breakfast, King Jarek dropped her at her school. 

Clutching at her bag straps, she fixed her gaze at the beautiful building in front of her. “Lupus High School” was inscribed in giant silver letters on the crown of the building.    

Lupus High was nothing short of a nightmare for her. Every day was a struggle. 

Despite being the daughter of an alpha, she hadn’t bloomed yet. She was wolfless and that made her weaker than even an average werewolf.

She hung her head and heaved a sigh of despondence. She wondered what her bullies had in store for her today. 

The moment she walked in through the gate a basketball hit her back, making her stumble forward. Her face twisted with pain.   

“Oopsie,” a familiar deep voice rang in her ear. Lucas. 

“Did I hurt you, shortie?” the amused voice drew closer, to her discomfort.

Sienna didn’t answer and started walking towards the building. There was no regret in his tone, just a crude mockery.  

“Come on, I just asked you one simple question,” Lucas jogged to catch up to her and blocked her path.  

“Let me go?” she said, looking everywhere but at him. 

“Not before you apologize for coming in my ball’s way,” Lucas kneeled to her level and regarded her with a mocking smile. Sienna looked up at him in disbelief.

Lucas simply lifted a brow in question. It was all amusing for him. 

Sienna tamped down on her irritation and wandered past him. 

“ Geeting bold, eh? Gotta tell Azriel,” malice was clear in his voice. 

Sienna rolled her eyes. They get to lord it over the whole school only because they are friends with Azriel, the future alpha King. No one, even the teachers, dares to cross him which pretty much makes sense. Who would want to antagonize the next Alpha King? Yes, it sucks.     

The luck was seriously not on her side today. She realized it when she saw the Queen bee sashaying in her direction the moment she entered the building. The girl was too busy smiling down on her phone to see where she was going. Before Sienna could move away, the miss popular bumped into her, sending Sienna down on her butt. Alessia was the royal beta’s daughter and so possessed considerable strength. Much more than just a mere human.   

“Ouch,” she caught how her perfect features distorted into an ugly scowl. 

“Are you fucking blind?” the taller girl chastised while glaring down at her. Her minions were also giving her a dirty look. 

Sienna helped herself up but before she could walk past them, Alessia grabbed her elbow in a harsh grip.

“The next time it happens, I will gouge your eyes out,” Alessia warned her sharply. 

“I am not at the fault,” Sienna couldn’t hold her tongue this time. It was clearly Alessia’s mistake. Alessia looked at her, all stunned.  

Sienna heard her minions gasping in the background.

“Look at you talking back, you pathetic omega. It seems you need a good teach....” Alessia held up her hand, silencing Millie. Her lips were curling into a cruel smile.

“Azriel will take care of her,” she announced as she folded her arms underneath her huge breasts, causing them to push up. Malice shone brightly in her sparkly green eyes as she smirked down at her. 

Sienna swallowed at the mention of his name. The instantaneous surge in her heartbeat was a clear indication of the fear she had for him. He was the devil of her life who derived joy from her pain. He knew her raw nerves and had used them against her. 

The girls threw one last look at her before walking past her. Lily bumped Sienna with her shoulder while passing her. 

Sienna shook her head and started towards her class.

The class had settled down and the teacher was teaching when the door to the room opened. Everyone’s eyes flitted to the door. A bespectacled boy stepped in. His brown eyes were fixed on the teacher. Holding a piece of paper in his hand, he entered the room. 

After a little chit-chat with the teacher, he turned towards the class.      

“Alright, class. Today we are joined by a new student. Dustin, why don’t you introduce yourself to your classmates?” 

The boy smiled nervously and introduced himself. 

“Hi, I am Dustin Maverick. Nice to meet you all,” he announced with a warm smile. 

His appearance was of a nerd with his thin frame but had over six feet height that could easily win him a spot in the school’s basketball team.    

“Take a seat next to Sienna,” Mrs. Heildie finger-pointed in her direction. Dustin’s gaze followed her finger and stopped at her. Quietly, he walked towards her bench. 

Sienna used to sit alone in her classes as she had no friends. Nobody wanted to be on Azriel’s target list.

“Hi,” the boy chirped in a low tone while lowering next to her. 

She looked over at him. He was already regarding her with a friendly smile.

“Hi,” she returned his smile with her own. Her strained smile hinted at her discomfort. She wasn’t used to people talking to her without an ulterior motive. Despite their friendly introduction, however, no other words were exchanged between them as Mrs. Heildi had started with the lesson.    

“...The project will be done in pairs. The student sitting next to you is your partner. Work on it together and submit your work by the end of this month,” Mrs. Hieldi announced in a flat tone while gathering her papers.  

Sienna turned her head to see Dustin. The boy also turned towards her and flashed her a warm smile.  

“I am Dustin,” the boy quipped. A hesitant smile fluttered over her lips. 

“I am Sienna,” she replied. 

“ Nice name,” he said. 

“Umm..actually, I am new here. So I was wondering if you could give me a tour of the school and we can also discuss a little more about the project,” he suggested with a hopeful gaze. 

Sienna took a moment to ponder over it. Her next class was free and they indeed needed to discuss the project.  

“ I suppose I can,” Sienna answered with a small smile. Sienna was an introvert but she wasn’t standoffish. She also wanted friends and to have a good time. Anything to get her mind off her past. Dusting seemed like a good person to her. He didn’t appear mean and was giving off friendly vibes and besides, she loved helping others. This was one trait she had inherited from her dad and was never going to lose it.  

“You wear specs?” she couldn’t hold back her curiosity. It was unheard of in wolves. Wolves were blessed with sharp senses. 

She also had picturized his wolf with glasses. It was funny. 

“Ohh this,?” he awkwardly pushed his glasses up his nose. 

“Actually I had a fight with a hunter some years ago. He threw wolfsbane in my eyes and this happened. My wolf can see clearly but it was my human side that had to take the brunt,” he explained. 

“Ohh,” Sienna replied in realisation.        

“So shall we begin?” a grin stretched over his lips.  

Sienna nodded. 

“......And this is the cafeteria. Try here’s lemon tea, they taste heaven,” Sienna remarked as they entered the cafeteria. She was slowly opening up to him.

During their conversation, Sienna had found out that Dustin’s had just moved here from Spain. His family died in an attack by their neighboring pack. He was also a werewolf and wanted to be a healer. The duo had similar tastes. They both liked classics, preferred vanilla over chocolate, and believed that Lycans do exist.          

“It is pretty crowded,” Dustin noted. The place was buzzing with students. 

“Yeah. You will find half of Lupus High here,” Sienna replied as her blue orbs scanned the cafeteria for that one face. He was nowhere. Her shoulders relaxed in relief. Perhaps, he was absent today.

“Let’s get a seat and we can discuss the project while having our lunch,” Dustin suggested. Sienna nodded in agreement. 

They got themselves a table in the corner of the room. After setting their bags on the chair, they headed towards the counter to get their order. 

After getting her order, she started towards her table. Dustin still hadn’t gotten his.  

Her eyes were fixed on her tray when she heard a deep, sonorous voice that made her falter in her stride.  

‘“How’s her highness doing?” the voice asked, sending a cold chill down her spine. It was him.      

She could easily recognize his voice out of thousands of voices. She saw him leaning against a pillar from her peripheral vision. As always, Alessia was hanging in his arms. His friends had surrounded him.  

Sienna gulped and resumed walking but she had hardly taken a couple of steps when a hand clutched her elbow in a harsh grip. A gasp escaped her mouth and the loaded tray fell from her hand as she was swiveled harshly to face her biggest bully. Her biggest fear. Azriel Ledger. The loud crashing sound attracted everyone’s attention.  

She had to crane her neck to look up at him. And when she did, she wished she hadn’t. His intimidating steel-gray eyes had turned deeper with fury as they cut through her cerulean orbs. His sharp jawline was clenched tight and his brows had knitted down in disapproval. Her heart hammered inside her chest. It wasn't difficult to deduce that he was angry. 

Sienna gulped hard as he brought his handsome face closer, allowing her to take a closer look at his sharp, exquisite features. His dark long lashes framed his dazzling silver orbs beautifully. With an aquiline nose and bow-shaped lips, he could put even Adonis to shame. She was convinced that the Moon Goddess had taken her sweet time in creating him. Because he was just perfect. Nothing else could define him. But what made him more attractive was his intimidating aura. There was something dark about it. Something that would scare you but also tempt you. Unlike Uncle Jarek, Azriel didn’t give warm vibes. He was cold and feral. He was a rebel, the bad news, the devil. 

She dropped her gaze immediately, remembering he had told her never to look into his eyes. 

“Now, princess, don’t be a brat. This stuck-up bitch attitude doesn’t suit you. You are too ugly for that,” he sneered bitterly in her face. She had heard him using the word “ugly” for her countless times. So much that she had also started to believe it. She held back her tears because his words did hurt and so did the open snickering of students.     

Her cheeks tainted red with shame while she kept her eyes focused on the floor. This wasn’t the first time Azriel had made fun of her in public but she still hadn’t gotten used to it. He loved to hurt her. He hated her. She attributed his hatred to her closeness with his dad. Azriel always thought his father favored her more.  

She winced when he tightened his hold around her elbow.

“Don’t ever give me this attitude again. If I ask you something, you will answer. Even if you are dying, you will obey me, princess,” he fumed lowly, only for her ears. She nodded timidly. 

“Words,” he sounded at the end of his rope.

“Ye…yes, Sir,” she uttered meekly. Azriel was a control freak. Even more when it came to Sienna. He wanted her complete submission. Her whole attention should be on him and only on him when he is around. There were some rules set for her and one of them was to call him sir.  

This man’s beauty was an illusion, he was a vicious beast from inside.    

“Get away, man. You are hurting her,” Sienna’s eyes widened slightly when she heard Dustin, who now was standing beside her. Her heart dropped to her stomach when Dustin tried to remove Azriel’s hands from her. 

Out of instinct, she glanced up at Azriel. If possible, he looked even angrier now as his eyes burned holes on Dustin’s hand on her arm. A low, ominous growl rumbled from the center of his chest. He raised his eyes and sized Dustin up with a murderous glint before turning them back on Sienna. They held a feral intent now. 

“Who is this prick?” he demanded by jerking her closer and pushing his hand off her. For once, he didn’t care she was breaking one of his rules by looking into his eyes. Something about this boy had tipped him over the edge.   

“He..he is my pro..project partner,” she stuttered, feeling scared. 

“You should not trea..” before Dustin could finish his words, Azriel shot him a fierce glare. His wolf had surfaced and he made no attempt to hide his utmost animosity for this new boy. Dustin clammed up because even though he didn’t know who he was, his wolf couldn’t help but feel intimidated by his scent plus his glare was way too scary.   

Azriel turned to the little girl in front of him. 

“Just a project partner?” his tone was low and demanding, making sure no one else heard him. “Yes,” she replied submissively. 

“Hmm,” her answer seemed to have allayed his temper a little. Even though his doubt was clarified, he made no attempt to push her away. They were close enough to breathe into each other’s scent. The spice of his cologne had invaded her nostrils.  

He simply brought his lips closer to her ear and whispered huskily.  

 “Make sure it remains like this or I will snap your neck along with his,” he warned before letting her go with a jerk. She immediately cradled her arm, which was now bruised by his harsh grip. Tears burned her eyes.  

Azriel retreated a step and turned around but not before casting a menacing glance at Dustin. The message was clear. STAY AWAY FROM HER.  

The entire cafeteria watched him in silence as he sauntered out like a King he was. 

She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing a tear out her eyes. How she wished the ground could open and swallow whole. 

He was a bane of her existence just like she was his.