I stood alone in my dimly lit room, surrounded by a veil of silence that allowed my thoughts to echo through the caverns of my mind. I knew I was about to embark on a daring journey, one that would force me to confront my past, my fears, and the very people who had once inflicted immeasurable pain upon me. But I was not the same fragile girl who had been beaten to the brink of death. I was different now, stronger, both physically and emotionally.At least I thought so.It was as Diana had stated it; the Queen had announced the party two days prior, but only to the eligible representatives of varying families who had shared the information to their family members. Dim had communicated the same to Peter since he was the representative of their family—he had done that in the center square to make a fool of himself rather, for Laura had already gotten a special invitation from the Queen herself. And so today was the day whereby I went back to the pack that has haunted my life.In the
“Are you ready to go, Maya?” That was Diana. I knew her voice as much as I knew Adam’s. But why wouldn’t I? The girl called my name more than a thousand times daily.I swerved, placing automatically, a short smile on my lips, as my eyes connected to her shiny blue ones. I was not ready for another bout of inquiry from her. Besides, she looked too happy to be going to a pack party. Laura thought it was because the little girl had been hearing of werewolves all her life, the bigness of their sizes, and the softness of their thick furs. It was safe to say that the little one was curious.Diana wanted to see them change to their wolf forms too. No matter how hard I tried to talk Diana out of it, the little girl seemed intent on asking a werewolf to shift for her. I didn’t know which werewolf would do that, to shift for show, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she finally achieved her purpose. The girl was so cute to be turned down, especially now. I thought, taking note of her made up face
I felt nauseous. I felt like puking. Even though the journey to the pack had barely lasted one minute, I felt like disgorging the contents of my stomach from my mouth. My throat was scratchy too. First time perks I thought, from teleporting.One second I was holding hands with Diana on one side, and Laura on the other side, connected to the hands of the other party troopers—we were all holding our hands together like a cult would—while the queen stood in the center of the circle and chanted things that I had known nothing about; and the next minute we were here. The queen; she had been looking ethereal in her white gown which had gone past her ankles, and even shoes. She had worn a white mask too; a white mask that had enhanced the mystery that shrouded her. She hadn’t looked human; she had looked like an angel. I had seen her sons too, and her daughter. Handsome fellows if I would admit, but I looked nothing as I felt; just blank. I guessed they felt the same as our eyes had co
The party hall was a magnificent spectacle of opulence and artistry. As I entered with Diana, my senses were overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and grandeur that greeted me. It was way different, and much more beautiful than the decorations that had been put in play for my sendforth then. This screamed of a royalty ball.The walls were draped in luxurious fabrics in deep, rich hues of crimson and gold, reminiscent of a royal palace. Crystal chandeliers adorned the ceiling, casting a soft, warm glow that bathed the room in a gentle, ethereal light.From beside me, I heard Diana gasp. Quite understandable. This was a beauty to behold. I was very sure that the king had put so much effort in this to play a show off to the magic Queen.Every corner of the hall was meticulously decorated with attention to detail. Elaborate floral arrangements graced every table, featuring an assortment of roses, lilies, and orchids. Their fragrance wafted through the air, creating a sweet and intoxicating at
“Do you know them?” Diana asked, her hand still clasped to mine. As Laura had kept repeating whilst we walked to the hall the first time, Diana was sticking to me like glue. I held her hand tighter, for assurance. When we had gotten to the hall, I had seen that the people we had come with had all dispersed to mingle; and watching the flurry of movements now, I could see that some of the witches and wizards already had friends here. I was surprised to see the queen’s daughter even talking to Cass. Remember her? She had been one of my bullies; daughter to the pack doctor. They laughed over something and held hands like best friends would. Then, there was the son, the girl’s twin, with Naomi’s brother, Timothy. But I hadn’t seen the lycan boys yet. Were they waiting for a special entrance service? I wouldn’t put it past them. Hooligans. There was no sign of Claire too, not that I cared. The bitch had played a part in what I was facing. Who says she hasn’t been in on the big pla
“Who are they? They look alike.” Diana asked, a note of enthrallment in her voice.But why wouldn’t she be enthralled? The boys still looked as hot as ever! The difference was that I felt no crush for them, just a hatred as deep as the ocean. “Maya, aren’t you going to say something?” Diana asked, and I soughed. The girl was really determined to know them. “I know you know who they are. Can't you tell me?” I stretched my hand toward her, aware of the furrow in her eyes, but knowing that she understood what I wanted. Hesitantly, as if not sure, she dipped her hand into her bag, and brought out the bottle of pills. “Is it that bad? The news about them… is it that bad?” She asked, as she handed the bottle of pills over to me. I nodded, before opening the bottle, and taking out one pill. On a second thought, I took out another. Just before Diana could say a word, seeing my actions but taking a second too late to react, I threw the pills into my mouth. “What are you doing?” She shou
I’m hurting his feelings? Like seriously, the idiot had the audacity to complain that I was hurting his feelings? I didn’t blame him though. He didn’t know who I was. He thought that I was his newest conquest, the new girl that would grace his bed. The bastard! Without much ado, I flinged his arm away, my face scowling, unable to help the expression this time around. Quickly, I retrieved a handkerchief from my bag and cleaned my hand, the exact spot where he had touched. As I cleaned, I cussed, aware that tears were beginning to brim in my eyes. Another side effect of the drugs? I didn’t know. But I kept on cleaning my hand, becoming unaware of my surroundings, until Diana laid a hand on my busy hand, halting my frantic motions, driving me back to consciousness. There was explicit worry in her eyes that broke my heart. I think it was at this moment that she began to see why I had needed the extra dose of the pills. I would have been a freaking ball of mess by now if not for the
Noah straightened-he had bowed a bit when he had wanted to speak with Diana about his dissatisfaction with her. An indescribable emotion fleeted past his eyes. He looked at me, this time more deeply as if accessing me, as if wondering if he had crossed paths with me in the past. The idiot didn’t recognize my voice. That’s interesting. I thought, finding it comical. They really hadn’t cared about me, they had really toyed with my feelings. They would pay though. The three of them. They would pay. “Do you know me? Have we crossed paths before?” He asked finally after beats had passed, folding his arms across his chest, peering down at me. I scoffed in derision, and turned away from him, with Diana, not bothered at all to give him a reply. He didn’t deserve one. I was just about to leave the hall for some air, when the lycan king began to speak. I paused in my movements, needing to hear what he wanted to say, curious as to what nonsense he was about to spurt out in the name of pea
Noah sighed at my question; the first sign that showed he was aware of my presence. But Adam and Daniel remained as they were. Noah’s sigh spoke of irritation. I hated it."If you are so irritated with me, Noah, then take your half baked self and leave with your people. Why do you even bother to come here when you know how selective I am with people?" I questioned, folding my arms across my chest, wondering what happened to the fear from before. My moods were similar to those exhibited by females during their menstruation period. Noah gave me no response, not even a glance. He just stared ahead, into space. I hated to be ignored, but I will be caught dead before I admitted that, or reflect that in my face.I looked at Claire. She was just staring at me blankly. "Who the hell are you? Daniel told me the assumptions you had made about them the last time they were here."Instantly Adam and Noah glared at their brother who tried not to squirm under their gazes.Well well well. I see w
As Levina announced that my old friend was here to see me, my heart sank like a stone in water, only because I knew that if Naomi was here, then the triplets were already at the Queen's palace. Before I gave into my fright mode, I noticed that Levina's eyebrow was piqued; she couldn't believe that I had another friend, especially from the pack."Do you know her? Is she your friend?" The emphasis on friends spoke of her unbelief and mild jealousy. This would be the first. Levina is jealous over friendships, but now magic?I gave a slow nod.She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, they are waiting by the counter?""They?" Raul asked, echoing my thoughts. They had come with Naomi to this place? Daniel must have been their director then.Fear gripped me instantly, squeezing my chest so tight I could barely breathe. The memories flooded back without hesitation– the cruel words, the relentless bullying that had haunted me for so long, despite being kept at bay by my sense of 'I have magic now,
Levina darted her eyes between I and Raul, wondering if it was a good choice to leave the drama that was about to unfold. When she stood up, I was sure that she had made the choice to hear a drama she wanted to happen, from me; for if she chose to stay, it might not happen. It amused me. I watched, keeping the amusement away from my face, as she sauntered away from me, to the door. She was about to leave when Raul suddenly called her back, drawing my attention to him for the first time since he had come into the store room. "What's my mother delivery doing here?" It was then I realized that I was still squatting by the carton. Oh god. I mentally palmed my head, since doing that physically would only toughen the uncertain situation we were already in. How do I convince Raul that I had not touched the carton? "I don't know. We had been offloading the cartons when we had seen it." Levina's confidence was something to be envied. Raul looked at her, and then at me. I had stood up imm
I found out that the boy Levina liked was Sinclair. Back in class, when the headboy was listing the rules and regulations by which the contest will be governed by, I had, out of a whim, turned aside to look at my friend; only to find out that she was watching Sinclair as an ardent fan would; not just a mere fan, but a fan in love with her object of fanship. Levina had been been hanging on his every word. And when he had called out her name—as the my campaign manager—listing off the do's and don'ts of her office, I had watched her ears turn pink. I had been amused. But I hadn't told her. That would’ve embarrassed her the more. I had decided to wait until she was secured enough to let me know about her likeness for the headboy and when it had started. Has Sinclair noticed her love for him? I wondered, subtly glancing at her now. Well if he did, he had a good way of hiding it. It made me consider the nuggets I had given Levina earlier; the ‘ignore him yet be in his space’ advice. Sin
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