Even with my eyes closed, I could still tell how bright the sunlight streaming into the room from the window was and the warmth that came with it was refreshing, a small smile played on my lips as it felt as if I were floating on a fluffy cloud. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this good and although I didn’t know why I was feeling so good first thing in the morning, all I knew was that I wasn’t ready for it to end, but of course, all good things had to end. “This the way you sleep in everyday?” Diane’s voice came from somewhere around the room and I groaned painfully. Why on earth did this woman even exist in the first place? I had half a mind to tell her to piss off but I just knew how terrible an idea that would be. I didn’t want to ruin my day that was already starting out so good by indulging her and so I flipped open my eyes and turned over on the bed to find her sat on the only chair in the room, just watching me. I frowned at that realization. How long had she been
She looked at me, her facial expression daring me to defy her. I bit my tongue lightly in an attempt to stop myself from verbally expressing the disgust I felt inside.“Alright” I said, picking up the cup and turning towards the door.“Aren’t you forgetting something?” she asked, leaning forward in the chair and pointing at the tray. I sighed quietly, walked back and place the cup on the tray before lifting everything.Nicole was still in the kitchen when I returned, “What’s wrong?” She asked, her questioning gaze searching my face for some sort of clues. Drying her hands with a napkin, she walked over to me.“What happened?” She asked again, placing a hand over mine, her voice laced with concern.“She asked me to do it again.” “Oh dear, why?”“She didn’t say and I didn’t ask.”Nicole’s expression shifted into a light frown, “You would’ve asked. At least, if you knew what was wrong with it, you wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.”“I doubt anything was wrong with the coffee, she just
27I sat in front of the window, my eyes glued on the drawing book in front of me but my mind was deeply lost in thoughts. It had been seven whole days since Gwaine left town and in that time, Dianne had made it her life mission to push me down the hill of frustration. From the meaningless errands she constantly made me run for her to the cuss words she mixed perfectly with the words she used when talking to me. She was never nice to anyone, but she spoke to the other maids with a little bit of respect, something that was completely lacking when she spoke to me.I picked up the book in a feeble attempt to draw something, anything at least. But a whole week of putting up with Dianne had taken a toll on me. My concentration, if anything, was divided. I could hardly focus my mind on anything as thoughts of her seemed to cloud every available space in my mind. I was unsettled, mentally and physically. Dianne’s determination to frustrate me grew stronger and more effective by the day. E
28Gwaine’s POV:The loud beeping sound of the alarm sounded muffled in my head, like someone had stomped on the bedside clock and then stuffed it under the mattress before it went off. Slowly, the sound got louder and registered in my clouded mind.I stretched my hand towards where I hoped the noise was coming from. When I found the device, I grabbed it a little too firmly, pressing buttons blindly until it stopped. Sighing deeply, I attempted to drift right back to sleep.I heard a soft knock on the door and cursed under my breath. The door swung open before I could form the words I needed to send the intruder away.“How are you still asleep? There’s a hall filled with men and everyone of them is waiting for you.” Regan said, walking towards the window and pulling it open. The light that flooded the room afterwards was a little too bright. I pulled my arms protectively over my face to keep the light from assaulting me more than it already was.“Go away Regan!” I said, still wincing
29 I came awake slowly, noticing the ache in my head before anything else. My entire body felt sore, but my head ached the most. I could feel the bright rays of the sun on my skin and I thought it best to keep my eyes closed for now because I wasn’t ready to face that much light. I moved on the familiar bed that now housed my small frame, trying to get to a comfortable sitting position. I realized I couldn’t move and that only made me try harder. Placing my hands beside me, I tried to force myself up but my arms were too weak to hold my weight. “Careful now, no need for any of that.” Regan’s voice came from somewhere in the room and my eyes flung open. The bright light blinded me momentarily and when I finally adjusted to it, I saw Regan. He was sitting right beside me, a magazine sitting on his leg. From the way it sat open, I could tell he had been reading it. We were back in my room, I tried to recall what had happened and at first, it was all foggy but after a few minutes, the
Gwaine’s POV:I stood there, my eyes fixed on the small woman curled on the bed who had managed to cause so much trouble in such little time. A small sigh escaped my lips when I noticed just how much she was fighting back the sleep that threatened to overwhelm her.Why anyone would go to these lengths just to defy an instruction was something I had no logical explanation for. Her eyes closed lazily and she opened them again, her gaze still on me. She said nothing, she just laid there staring.After a few minutes of trying to stay awake in a bid to defy me, Catherine finally closed her eyes and this time, she drifted to sleep. The calmness in her expression warmed my heart. I smiled at the realization that her actions for the past few minutes seemed to have been in vain.I sat down in the chair beside the bed and watched her sleep. She was a stunning beauty especially when she was peacefully asleep like now, I thought, noticing some of her features for the first time. Her pointed nose
My eyes opened suddenly, like someone or something had disrupted my sleep. I looked around, my eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness as I sat there, hoping to confirm my suspicions. I was disappointed when I realized I was all alone in the room. I looked around one more time, just to make certain I didn’t miss anything the first time.Gwaine had been here earlier, he probably left while I was asleep. I remember he asked me to sleep and I stubbornly laid here, fighting to keep my eyes open until I couldn’t. I smiled, wondering if he had noticed.I shut my eyes, willing myself to go back to sleep. I laid there, my blanket dragged all the way up as I tossed and turned uncomfortably, looking for whatever sleeping position would help me sleep faster.The ache I had all over my body was still present, I couldn’t tell if it was better or worse than it was earlier. I rested my elbows on the bed, used it to push myself into a sitting position. A sharp pain in my head stabbed me suddenly, makin
32I came awake slowly to the sound of running water. The ache in my head was barely noticeable now. There was a different but familiar scent around me. I was definitely not in some place I’m used to being. The bed felt different; it was softer and more spacious. I opened my eyes, coming face to face with the unfamiliar surrounding. After a few seconds, it all started to make sense. This was Gwaine’s room and the scent lingering in the air was that intoxicating unique scent of his. I looked round, hoping to find him perched in a corner, watching me like he usually does, but he wasn’t here.The events of the previous night came flooding back into my memory and a smile graced my lips as I remembered. We had had the longest conversation last night and this time, we talked almost as friends. I remember resting my aching head on his shoulder to see his reaction . When he adjusted his body to accommodate me, I leaned in more comfortably and eventually drifted to sleep. He probably broug
One year laterI sat in front of my drawing board with a pencil and some paper spread out in front of me. The piece in front of me was a portrait of my son. I had always drawn him since he was born; a portrait for each month. A little boy with his mother’s eyes, long blonde hair that grew so much I had to cut it often, his tiny nose and his wide smile. I would capture the look in those brown eyes whenever they caught the reflection of the window, when the sun reflected off of the ocean and warmed them up.The door creaked open but I was so lost in thoughts I didn’t hear it. Gwaine came up from behind me and wrapped his hands around me. I rested my head on his chest as he kissed my neck. “Hello beautiful. You’re up early, why don’t we have breakfast first?” He whispered, nuzzling his face into my shoulder.I laughed at his remark because very one knew I wasn’t a morning person. It was late September, the summer months were almost over but we still got to enjoy the days together. His
Gwaine’s POV:I looked at Catherine’s lifeless body as she laid on the ground motionless. Her blood had soaked through her white gown and was pooled around her thighs. I fell in my knees and rushed over to her side, gathering her in my arms with my head turned away from her open eyes which stared unseeingly up into nothingness. My heart felt heavy in my chest and as I held her, I cried silently. The baby cried and Gina, one of the people Regan had come with picked him up and cradled him against her chest. She held him securely, not minding the fact that he was covered in blood. Tears streamed down my face and I knew there would be no end of crying later. The sobs shook me whole and for a while, all I could do was hold onto her limp form and cry, letting her warmth flow into me through our embrace. I didn’t know how long we stayed like that, but it felt like an eternity. After what seemed like forever, I eventually stood back up slowly, my tears drying up with each passing second
Gwaine’s POVI sat in my office with Regan and Jason as we went over the plan again. If Catherine’s mother was held within wolf territory, I was convinced Catherine herself was being held somewhere close. “We’re going to split into different groups so we can search the forest surrounding every border. Jason nodded attentively.Turning to Regan, I said, “You’re not to tell any of the soldiers about this, just assemble them by morning and split them. There’s a traitor out there and until I’m sure who it is, no important information is to be repeated outside this room.” “Alright.” He answered.I couldn’t get myself to trust anyone, not after Nicole’s betrayal. The security around the house had been doubled and the maids were not allowed in certain areas except there was someone to supervise them.Catherine’s mother was making a quick recovery now that her system had been cleansed if that drug. She was discharged from the hostel and now occupied the room that once belonged to Catherine
I sat on my bed, deeply distracted by my thoughts. I tried to remember how long I’ve been here for but I couldn’t. I wondered how Gwaine had managed to not find me all this time.I thought about my art, it feels like it’s been years since I held a pencil. I looked down at my palms, caressing it slowly as I imagined the things I wanted to draw.The metal door creaked noisily and when I heard the sound of keys, I turned towards it. A girl not more than eighteen walked in, tray of food in hand. The meal here was awful but although it tasted awful, I had to eat as there was no other options available for me.“Thank you.” I mouthed but she didn’t respond. She simply dropped it on the table and walked out. I dragged the table closer so I could eat from it while sitting on my bed.I ate quietly, almost chocking on the bread I tried to swallow. Once I was done, I drank from the glass of water that was placed beside my meal.I returned it, sighing deeply as I thought about the kind of meal I w
Gwaine’s POV:The beeping sound of my alarm sounded muffled in my head like someone had stomped on it and then stuffed it under a mattress before it went off. Slowly, the sound got louder and harder to ignore. I searched blindly with my right hand, grabbed the device and pressed different buttons until it stopped.Sighing deeply, I sat upright. I looked at my wrist watch, it was almost 7am. I had managed to fall asleep last night, even though it was just for a few hours. I looked at my desk, there were papers everywhere. There was no time to fix that mess as I had an important meeting with Regan this morning. I had to be ready before he arrived. I headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.I stopped in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection. I was in dire need of a shave. My face looked unkept as I hadn’t shaved since Catherine disappeared. I ran my fingers on my face, feeling the now overgrown facial hairs. I picked up my face cream as I finally decided it was time to cle
I spent the next couple of days learning their routines. There were three separate guard change every day. The first guard patrolled from about 6am in the morning till noon and the second took over and ended his shift by 6pm.The last guard was there all night. I once tried to engage one of them in a conversation but he had refused to say anything so I assumed they all had orders not to engage in any conversation with me.The days went by slowly, speeding up only when Charles was around. I had gotten used to him, so much that I looked forward to our sessions. I raised my head at the sound of approaching footsteps. I could tell it was Dianne by the rapid clanking against the ground. She wore heels, always. She fumbled with the door for a bit before she finally pushed it open. She had a mischievous smile on her face and I sat there, wondering why she seemed so excited. “Oh sweet Catherine!” She exclaimed as she walked closer to where I was sitting. I sat upright, spreading my legs
The first time the doctor came to check up on me, I was asleep. Dianne slammed the door so hard, I jerked awake. I sat upright, rubbing my eyes with the back of my palm. The chains on my wrist slammed against each other and made a rather annoying sound. For a moment, I sat in silence, my heart hammering against my chest with fear and panic as I saw Dianne and a strange man walking towards me. My hands were clammy, my fingers trembling as I gripped the edges of the bed. After a second of hesitation, I loosened my grip on the bad, raising my head to look Dianne in the eye.“I see you’ve made yourself rather comfortable.” She said, looking around the room. She had ordered for my room to be cleaned and a bed was brought in.It creaked noisily with every movement but it was better than nothing. The window was opened a bit so air could come in freely. Although the room still reeked of everything foul, it wasn’t as bad as before. “Good morning to you too Dianne.” I said, clasping my hand
Gwaine’s POVJason had proved to be useful these past few days and now, Regan seemed to let him tag along. I wasn’t surprised to see him in my house, again. “You seem to forget this meeting was between an Alpha King and his beta.” I whispered to Regan. Jason had his eyes darting in every corner as he admired the interior of my office.“If we really want to find Catherine, we need his help, Gwaine.” Regan said, beckoning to Jason and then, they both had a sit right across from me.“Do you have any information on what’s going on?” I asked Jason. If the man was going to be a part of this meeting then he might as well contribute and earn his place. He raised his head to answer and that was when I had a chance to look him over. He was smart, no doubt, but seemed to tremble in my presence. He had on a white Tshirt and a faded blue Jean. His blonde hair was a mess, with some strands covering the most part of his forehead. “From what I’ve gathered, the humans are capturing as many wolves
Gwaine’s POV: I sat in my office as I tried to sort out the hundreds of files that had piled up on my desk within these last few weeks. I had finally let Nicole come in and clean the place up. The office was neatly organized now. The only evidence of its previous messes were the countless empty coffee cups that littered my desk. I had been up all night working as I couldn’t get any sleep, not with Catherine still missing.I had put up a lot of notices around town, urging anyone who had any information on her whereabouts to please come forward. So far, no one had come to me with anything useful. I rubbed on my eyes as I looked at the now empty cup that sat before me. I had managed to consume an entire pot of coffee alone and I couldn’t get myself to brew another. I walked over to the shelf, picking out a brand new bottle of whiskey from the top and taking it back into my office with me as I continued sorting through the pile of documents in front of me. I poured some liquor into th