Daniel balled his fists in anger at the question thrown to him by Raul. He darted glances between I and Raul as if we were both joining hands to attack him. Gabriella left his side, as if she was afraid that he might get insane, and walked to my side. Daniel, noticing this, gritted his teeth, before freeing his hands. “Good boy. Good that you noticed that this is not your living room, or your pack, or the school where students lived for drama. Now what do you want?” Raul asked, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. Was the boy courting death? I wondered, folding my arms across my chest. As much as I believe Raul’s words, I liked the drama. Gabriella mirrored my actions. We watched as Daniel opened his mouth, and then shut it. I wasn’t sure if it was because of nerves seeing that Raul had displaced him before he even started, or because whatever he wanted to say was embarrassing. Looking at him now, it was hard to believe that he was the same Daniel with the most running mouth amo
Daniel literally flinched at the vehemence in my voice. He didn’t see it coming. He flinched and withdrew his hand from my arm as if the entirety of my hand was hot fire. “I’m sorry. I just got over excited.” He said after a beat of silence had gone by, surprising me for the second time today. “I will help you arrange the boxes. We can talk as we do that, right?” I said nothing, instead I watched, stupefied, as he opened one of the cartons—he didn’t wait for a reply from me—and brought out a product. “Where should this go?” A good question that will retrieve an answer from me, because there was no way I would allow him to give me double work by not shelving properly. “Put it under that area. Others like it go on the same row. You know what I mean?” Daniel released a nervous laugh. “I might not be like Raul who serves the commoner, but I’m not dumb.” Thank the gods for that. I retraced my footsteps back to the carton I had been working on, choosing to be civil for the sake of m
“Are you getting off on this? Are you a fan of bdsm? Do the hits and scorn give you the thrill you seek for?" Daniel's shock has given way to dry humor. He was annoyed. Well, I would be if the roles were reversed. Why the hell had I slapped him? Though it was called for—he had bullied me because he was just bored; he had made my life miserable because he was just bored—he didn't deserve it because he wouldn't know the exact reason why I had slapped him. He had a worser reason than Adam though. I wondered what Noah's would be. Maybe he was the one getting off the abuse? To Daniel's stupid yet deserved question, I shook my head. "Did you hit Adam when both of you had gotten cozy a week ago? See, I have thought about it, and for Adam to kiss you, to get into your space, it would mean that you had let him, that you had let him touch you. Am I wrong?" I gave no response, other than scrunching my face in disgust. Daniel didn't buy the fake expression this time around. "So, h
Raul didn't smile at my figurative expression. He looked in the direction of Daniel rather—the manager had taken the Lycan to one side to discuss with him. I'm sure the manager was having the time of his life. "You should have told me…" Raul spoke, retuning his attention to me. "I would have bought you something, maybe taken you to the eatery just a few miles away from the store." All to prevent Daniel from walking with me? That was a little too late, because the anticipation of having Laura's food on an empty stomach was more tempting that going out on a date with Raul. 'It isn't a date. He just wants to buy you food.' Whatever. "I can still take you now…." Really? Nah. Sorry dude, try again the next time. "That's won't be necessary. I will be walking her home now. Her request was granted." Daniel said, interrupting us, giving the expert no I wanted to give Raul. "Are you ready to leave?" Daniel asked me, done with Raul. "I just need to get my bag." I mused, and left the bo
Was this a joke? It’s a lame one if it was.When I perused Daniel’s face however, he wasn’t laughing because he had made a joke, he was laughing because he thought it funny that I was lost for words in the face of his comment. He was serious. What the hell?! What in god's name was this anomaly? Was there no first aid kit in the Queen’s house? Was there no healer there? Even if there wasn’t, couldn’t the Queen have tended to the wounds since Adam was a guest of the palace?I released a string of curses then, ignoring the comical expression on Daniel’s face. Who had brought the stupid idea of bringing the hooligan to my house?I ruffled my hair angrily, disregarding my significant other’s exasperation with me for letting my emotions out in the open. ‘Must you act like you are actually shocked? This Lycan isn’t stupid. He would read you off like a book, or rather he has read you up already. No way would you be escaping his clutches now.’ She might be right, but this was no time to
The first thing I noticed when I turned away from the door, was Peter sitting on his sofa, and tapping his foot frantically on the floor. He was livid too. But if he was here alone, it meant that Laura was with the three Lycan boys in the clinic. He left her alone? “She had demanded we leave, when we…” Diana stuttered, having noticed my expression, and ruffled her hair, before looking at her father. I greeted Peter then, and marched to a seat and sat down. “What is happening? How are they here? Why did Laura accept to treat him? Why are you not with her?” Peter wasn't forthcoming with answers. He was still stewing in so much anger that he couldn’t speak. I looked to Diana for answers. “Some minutes after we arrived home, mother received a call from the Queen…” Diana started, coming to sit beside me. “She had mentioned that the Lycan Prince had requested for mother’s services. She had insisted that since he was a special guest in the community, there was no choice but to obey
When I stepped into the room reserved for Laura’s medical practice, the first thing I noticed was the mild tension that assailed the room. Laura wasn’t comfortable with the boys-at least it was obvious to me-she was only here because she loved her job. When I came in, however, they all turned to look at me, including Adam who was lying with his back on the same bed I had spent months in. “Dora, you are back?” I nodded to Laura’s question, gesturing with my head at Daniel who wasn’t sporting his usual smirk, not until I indicated his involvement with my walk home. “I came with him. He told me about the matter. Are you okay?” Laura nodded, understanding what I was talking about. She will be fine with treating the boys who had made me this way. To think that we had talked and laughed about this, during the night that the Queen had paid me a visit, the night I had told my family everything, and it was happening now. What a coincidence. “How much longer till you are done?” I asked,
I inhaled deeply, then exhaled. I repeated it for the second time. I repeated for the third and the fourth time. Yet, I couldn’t concentrate. My mind was in chaos. My mind was here and there, on my family, on the Lycan boys who had taken residence in the Queen’s palace for the weekend, on the woman in front of me, on the Queen who hadn’t said a word to me since I came, only that I took a breath. I’ve been taking breaths, trying to center myself but to no avail. My mind just refused to cooperate with my commands. My significant other was also absent. We had been talking freely, on our way to the Queen’s place this morning for the training—or was it punishment?—and then suddenly she had stopped speaking as I stepped into the compound. All efforts to invite her out were to no avail. I knew, however, that she was there, on the surface. I could feel her waiting to strike if the Queen made any wrong move. If I would take the guess now, I would say that my significant other wasn’t on goo
This week has been uneventful. I surmised as I watched the professor summarize her teaching for the day. Even my magic classes that had been slotted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays had been uneventful. Seeing as I had a better control of my magic, I just did as they asked me, without any extra flourish. There was not a note of extra in me, of having fun whilst doing magic—not with the threat of Adam and his brothers hanging over me. Since the week started, till now, I had been waiting for the drop of the other shoe, but so far nothing has happened. It was like last weekend didn't happen, like my scar hadn't shown itself. And for my neck, all efforts to cover the mark had been futile. So, I had taken to wearing scarfs around my neck, and since it was a cold season, no one had raised an eyebrow at the piece of accessory which had never been equated to me. I had also gotten more friends, than I would have liked, or rather acquitances—people who liked me because I wasn't an ordinar
As I walked out of the Queen’s palace which was now filled with suffocating air, my heart pounded like a drum. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that Adam might have found out who I really was. I couldn’t shake off the fact that he might put two together—the mark and my accurate information on Maya—and conclude that I was she whom he sought. Maya. The thought of this possibility sent shivers down my spine, and my mind raced with fear and uncertainty.For months, I've hidden my identity well, keeping the truth open to my adopted family alone, keeping it tucked away from prying eyes and whispers in the community and the pack. But now, a careless slip, a moment of indiscretion on my own end, and everything had come crashing down—it felt like the walls were closing in on me. Could this be the reason why my significant other hadn’t wanted me to speak to their parents?‘Was it the reason?’There was no response; just the thrumming of energy I felt. She was choosing to keep quiet? Quite unde
Had I dug myself deep into a hole by bringing up the subject about Maya? I wondered, sinking into the tension that had surrounded us after Adam's last statement. Rachel's mouth has never gotten around getting closed, and Raul's grip had tightened on my hand. The triplets all had smirks on their lips, masking, almost completely, the uncomfortableness that the topic on Maya had brought up. I shook my head. Even if I hadn't talked about Maya, the triplets wouldn't have allowed Raul to leave here with me, without making some lame agreement. "Dora, is this right? Did you agree to it?" Raul asked, incredulity ringing in his voice. I hissed from irritation, before I could stop it, causing Noah's smirk to get more prominent. "Why would you think I will agree to such stupid suggestion made by egocentric fools to soothe their egos because a girl turned them down?" "I'm sorry, I just…" "You thought I will be way over my head because three fine ass boys were coming for me." I freed my hand
At my question, I noticed first that the boys became confused. They were still sporting looks that claimed that I was lying, that I was wasting time, but at the same time, I could see the doubt of their own selves, of their own story accounts, like they weren't sure of their earlier stance. I saw it in Adam's jerk, and his subtle staggering back, as if I had dealt him a blow. I saw it in Noah’s lip biting intermittent motions. I saw it in Daniel’s subtle shifting of feet, and twitching hands. Then, I saw Adam dart a glance at his brother, Noah, then at himself—an inward look into his mind—as if trying to recall something that seemed out of his grasp. His brothers were in the same turmoil, and if I wasn't hearing their heart rate, if I wasn't as confused as they are, I might have called them liars. But my ears were attuned to their heart rate, my eyes were attuned to the several emotions that ran through their face in split seconds. The triplets were confused.They were confused abo
I would have said no to Raul's request if we were alone in the hallway, considering the topic I had just bashed Duke for, considering the fact he had been aware of the matter, but for the Lycan boys. Rachel had no place in my thoughts. If I were to deny Raul his request, then the purpose of kissing him in the first place would be defeated. I couldn’t allow that. Not that I regretted the kiss though. "Yeah, sure. I would love that." I managed to say without gritting my teeth, even going ahead to clasp his hand in my mine, when what I wanted exactly, was to slap him for endorsing his family's misconduct. He must have known my thoughts on him, because he instantly made an apology with his eyes. I diverted my gaze, I wasn't going to forgive him that easily, not even with those cute eyes of his. I made no comment as I and Raul walked past Rachel and Adam, not until Daniel called me, right after I walked past him and Noah. "You must think me a joke, if you believed I was going to let y
"So where did I stop with my story?" I asked, ignoring the subtle tap on my elbow—Raul was handing me a lame warning, to stop with it. That would be expected, considering the hatred I was seeing in Duke's face now. I had taken a huge guess when I had mentioned the fact about the throne—it had come up when he had spoken of me after the throne-as if Raul had the potential of being the next one on the throne, even though there was no strand of white hair on his head. It told me that either the Queen had so much faith in her second son, or she had placed the faith on the bethrothed. That brought my attention to Diana, and her former classes with the Queen. Could Diana be the bethrothed one? If she was, then I hoped that Raul had really denounced it. I couldn’t bare the thought of Diana being plunged into this mess of a family. As much she was strong willed, she would be broken. I loved my sister too much for that. I would have taken this incident as a pointer to start speaking to her,
Three seconds into my kiss with Raul, I forgot that I was supposed to disengage from the kiss when the boys went through the bend and came to hallway we were in, I forgot that they were coming, I forgot that I had made a plan like that, I forgot that this was a kiss meant to deliver a piece of information, not for pleasure. When Raul grabbed my ass however, and squeezed, when I moaned into the kiss biting his lips, enjoying the moan that escaped from his, there was an intentional cough that brought reality into my vision again, that brought my attention to the burning mark on my neck. Oh my god. This was good. I concluded, when I remembered myself. Raul was a good kisser. Despite knowing that there were more than three people watching us, I was adept enough to still play the game. I smiled at a Raul who was shocked by my gutsy kiss and smile, but who remembered quickly how to smile flirty. Satisfied with our interaction, I disengaged from the hug. Slowly. With infinite flourish, I
This time around, the shock on the Queen’s face lasted for more than two seconds. It lasted until she croaked out a sound of amazement from her lips, which was similar to one in my head, which was similar to the ones I heard from our watchers, which had increased by the minute. “You…” She stuttered, unbelief in her eyes. She was still holding the offending hair, an offending hair that I vowed to cut when I got home. As I was still cussing the offending hair, the Queen pulled another one, and this time around, it was a little lower than a chunk. What the hell!Without much ado, I pushed her away from myself, held my hair by myself, and swerved to one of the windows of the castle—the windows could do the job of a mirror. My mouth dropped open in shock when I noticed that almost one quarter of my hair was white hair-not together-some were scattered, mixed with my black long hair. It looked like a trend, like a swag, only that it was not. I wanted it gone. It had appeared first when I
The surprise on the Queen's face, however, didn't last two seconds. As quickly as she had seemed fazed by the fact that I could add and subtract flames without needing to make a gesture with my hand, as quickly as the surprise had left. The only indication that she had been shaken had been the slight shaking of her hand as she returned the cup to the table, a shaking that led the cup to spill some of its content. Its content was a blood red liquid. Wine then. I thought, taking my eyes off the cup to her face when she stood up from her seat, dusted her hands on each other, and started walking toward me. "So, it seems that you can control the fire with your mind, at such a young age. That's huge potential, I will have to admit. Let's see how far you can go…" She said, staring at me, from my hair which was tied to a ponytail, to my tennis shoes. My significant other recoiled further into my mind, as if the gaze was scorching her. What exactly was with the both of them? I wondered,