I still felt the room’s silence creep under my skin. They waited for an answer and I needed to give them one now!A nervous chuckle left my lips as I thought of a reply worthy enough to take me out of this mess. “Nico is a very social person as we all know...I mean, who doesn’t like him?” I forced a smile.“I know I don’t,” An unfamiliar voice came from the circle. The room burst into laughter at the honest joke that aimed to ease the rising tension.“But still...” The room went quiet again. “That doesn’t answer the question Ella,” Michael shot me a calm look I knew was far from what he projected it to be. He aimed to ruin me and he was backing down either.“Well, I don’t care if she likes me or not...I like her...I like Ella and that is what matters.” Nico raised his eyes to meet mine and for a split second, the wind stopped and the room felt empty.Was this Nico trying to come out about his feelings to me in public, or he was just doing it to save my face?The crowed “Ooed” and sque
The truth or dare game had been a desperate attempt to inject life into the sterile party, a last-ditch effort to feel something, anything, besides the gnawing emptiness. And when Nico, confessed what seemed to be his feelings in that hushed, unexpected moment, the dam holding back my emotions broke.Nico froze, the shock reverberating through him, a tremor that ran deeper than mere surprise. "Let's go outside," Nico blurted, his voice rough with nerves. "Just for a minute. It's getting hot in here."I stared at him long and hard, trying to read his expression. Of course I wanted to be civil, I needed to be civil, I wasn’t going to blurt my desperation. I hesitated "It's my birthday, Nico. Celebrants don't abandon the ship." But the sincerity in his voice, the desperation to escape the suffocating heat of the crowd, tugged at my heart. "I should stay," I murmured a protest that sounded more like surrender."It won't take long," Nico promised, his voice a threadbare lifeline. "Just...
Christmas came early, and everyone prepared to go back to their different destinations. The deal about Nico and Iofficially dating was no longer news in Tulane. Everyone stared while we stood together, sat together, and even walked together. Nico on the other hand always gave them a lot to talk about, he was either nibbling my ears, holding my waist or grabbing my ass. The ass grabbing I quite liked, but I was always conscious of who was watching, especially after Michael went MIA after my birthday party.I hadn’t said anything about Nico yet to Dad or even Nanny. I was scared Dad might reject him, it was either that or I was too conscious of him being a werewolf around my family. My thoughts were so heavy on me that I sighed loudly forgetting I was still in the middle of a conversation with Ariana and Claire. “Is anything the matter Ella?” Ariana was more worried about me not listening to her story than the reason why I drifted.“No... it's just going to be a long Christmas without
“Would you stop laughing?” I was getting sick of Arianamaking gestures about my situation. We decided to spend some time out during the holidays. Claire couldn’t make it due to a certain engagement at work, so I was stuck with just Ariana who at the moment was finding complete joy in my plight.“I would continue when you are done laughing,” I glared at her.“Sorry Ella, it's just a bit funny,” she continued laughing. “Your dad saw you smooching a man, and he kept quiet all this while, only for you to come back and he dangles it at your face. Forgive me for laughing but it is hilarious.”“You don’t even know how embarrassing that was, I couldn’t even look him in the eye Ari. Aaargh!!” I buried my head on the restaurant table.“Come now, it couldn’t have been that bad...or was it?” Ariana asked when I suddenly went silent.“I don’t think I have ever felt so cringe in my entire life. The fact that he knew about it all this while, makes it more embarrassing. I admit I am not the best at t
.The shrill ring of the phone startled me from my book. Glancing at the screen, a grin spread across my face. It was Nico. The day had been a slow crawl, and his voice was a welcome jolt of excitement."Hey," I answered, my voice bubbling with anticipation. "What's up?""Nothing much," Nico chuckled, the sound warm and inviting. "Except I suddenly have a craving for your company and the open air. Any chance you're free for an impromptu escape this evening?"My heart skipped a beat. "Escape? Does that involve ice cream and stargazing?""Maybe ice cream," Nico teased. "But the stars will have to wait for another night. Rainclouds are brewing, and I have a feeling they'll paint the evening with something more exciting than moonlight."Intrigued, I readily agreed. Within minutes, I was out the door, lucky enough, Dad and Nanny had gone out for a function. A giddy lightness filled my face as I out to meet Nico at the corner. He pulled me into a warm hug, the tension of the past week melti
Rain clung to my skin like the lingering warmth of Nico's touch, a reminder of the passionate whirlwind that had spun us together just hours before. Now, bathed in the crescent moonlight, we stood at the mouth of the ancient cave, Nico's hand a comforting weight on mine.It was quite a struggle to get here. I didn’t think I was ready to be introduced to Nico’s pack yet as his “mate” These were the words heused to describe me, he said it was a wolf thing. I stood still as I looked at the old hexagon cave, memories flashing back in a rush. The first time I was here, I left devastated because I found out Nico was a wolf, and now that I am here again, I am about to be introduced as his mate. My heart raced at the thought.Breathless, I clung to Nico's hand as we approached the mouth of the ancient cave. The rain stopped, replaced by a whisper of wind and moonlight. The cave loomed ahead, dark and mysterious, like a giant mouth ready to swallow me whole. My heart drummed against myribs,
“Are you going to say something or continue staring out the window?” Ariana snapped.I looked back inside, watching Ariana select clothes for the New Year’s Eve getaway. “You know... I am beginning to regret ever letting you know where I stay,” I said jokingly and watched Ariana’s mouth form an “ooo” that brought such a satisfied smile to my face. “Claire never worries me this much,” I stood up to stand beside Claire.“That's true,” Claire agreed smiling.Ariana hung her nose in the air, “I don’t care, Ella,” her voice full of pride. “I would just appreciate it if you were always present you know...not lost in God knows where all the time,” she sucked.I felt a great pang of guilt. My friends needed me, but I was somehow always stuck in the land of rainbows. Of course, new love excites me, it was thrilling infact, but I had to adjust my life also, Nico wasn’t the only person I had in my life.“Okay, what do you want?” I moved closer to Ariana, trying to help her sort the clothes, hopi
Anyone could have seen the tension that rose from the middle of the dance floor, but the music and high jubilees of the clubbers shut out every distraction that Michael and the stranger currently creating. I moved closer to Michael and touched his back, signalling him to let go. But his grip grew tighter and his gaze more fierce. “Ahhh...ahhh...let go...let go,” the stranger cried. “I am sorry if she’s your girl, I was just having a little fun. Nothing personal...ahhh... I promise.”“Look at her face,” Michael commanded “I said look at her face!” the stranger raised his head to look at me, I looked away slightly, feeling embarrassed at the commotion I had caused. “Whenever you see her, never again trouble her, or else...I would come for you,” Michael sounded deadly. The stranger shivered as he nodded, and straightened his hand when Michael finally let go of him.“You shouldn’t have done that,” I said quietly as I walked to the bar. I was grateful that Michael showed up, but I just fe
Two months later“Hurry up! We are going to be late!” Claire screamed from down the hall.“How did she get to dress up so fast?” Ariana asked. Lola opened the door from outside. “Hey you guys, I think we should hasten things up, or else we would miss the speech.”We hurried along with her, excitement surging through our bodies. It was the graduation ceremony. Nico was graduating! I was super excited about it because he had several fallbacks in school that made him re-take a lot of classes, extending his year of graduation.“What took you guys so long?” Claire examined us.“Sorry Claire, we were just trying to get prepared for the ceremony,” Ariana smiled.“Are we done with the chit-chats?” Lola was getting impatient. “Alrighty then, let's go!”“I thought you said we were going to miss the speech... the ceremony hasn’t even properly begun,” Ariana frowned when we got to the ceremony ground.“Well... better late than never,” Lola shrugged.“I don’t think that’s the best way to use tha
“Would you stop pacing around and glancing at your watch nonstop?” Lola said. “You are making me lose my cool you know.”“Yeah... you are keeping us on our toes here,” Claire agreed.I had finally told them everything that happened during our visit to see the witch. They were most excited about the demise of Elena. Telling the pack on the other hand was a hard choice to make, but we had to make it. Nico called for a meeting and the pack was informed about the progress and conditions involved.“As the leader of this pack, it's my rightful duty to choose what’s best for us. But I also must lead you without spite and a regretful heart. The condition brought to us by the witch is not one that we can control. And it would be selfish of me to do this without telling my pack about it. That’s why I have called this meeting, to hear from you brothers... and sisters,” Nico’s voice thundered with authority. “What your take is on this... and whatever we decide as a clan shall stand... no matter w
It was shiny like they had been soaked into a bowl full of glitter. I looked at the tiny bottles as we drove back home. The cure.It was finally in our hands, but somehow I couldn’t help but wonder if we made the right choice. Was the cure going to cause a feud between brothers and friends just like Agnes said? Was it going to bring death? Was it going to get to its final stage of completion? “If after forty-eight hours the blood of a willing hunter is not mixed in the potion, the potion ceases to be active. And don’t bother about coming back here to look for me... because you won’t find me.” She vanishes into thin air after laying the potion on my arm.I looked at the potion again. It had already been mixed with my blood and that of Nico’s. Now it was up to my Dad. Forty-eight hours.#I held on to it tight, like my next wake depended on it.****“Are you sure about this ?” Nico looked at me with concern.I nodded. “It’s now or never Nico.”“You know the last time all three of us we
Nico drove at a speed that made my inside turn. We informed the pack of our search and they offered to tag along, but we told them it was something we had to do by ourselves.“Remember, when it looks like danger is lurking, howla at us,” Lola made a wolf joke.Ariana and Claire were also aware of our trip and they offered support in the only way they knew how to. “If anything goes wrong, just call us and we will dial 911 straight up!” Ariana said.“You can’t bring the police to a werewolf and witch fight,” I reminded them smiling.“Oh... that’s right,” she gave a cringed look. “But still,” her eyes spewed concern. “Be careful.”“Promise to come back to us,” Claire said.“I promise.” I hugged them. After a few hours on the road, Nico, like he was reading my mind, chuckled. “What funny,” I asked him.“Nothing. I was just wondering why they all made it look like we were not coming back.”I laughed. They did make it look like that. Everyone reacted in a way of love that was easy for them
The familiar smell of grilled barbecue stung my nose. The noise in the restaurant was never changing. Customers still ranted about their orders, and servers hurried their way to please. “You mean you can’t remember those group of chatterboxes who sat down at that table two weeks ago?” I asked the waiter, already frustrated.“No Ma’am. It's impossible to remember the customers we have here in a day because we are highly patronised,” he bragged. “Not to talk of the ones from weeks ago,” he shook his head sympathetically. “They were like four of them,” I continued adamantly. “Three elderly men and one woman,” I searched the waiter's eyes, waiting for a positive reply.He shook his head. “Nope... nothing Ma’am. I am so sorry,” he picked up his iced drink and resumed his duty.“Let it go, Ella,” Nico sounded drained.“Let it go?” I shouted, and then realised I might have drawn attention to us. “Let it go?” I repeated in a calm voice. “Why would you say that? You know how much this means
“Wait, so you guys killed Garry?” Claire asked confused.It had been a week since we heard last from Elena, and everything seemed to have gone back to normal. I was back at the dorm and so was Lola, except for the time when she needed to go get stuff from her coursemate or go buy groceries, which I knew was a BIG FAT LIE!Ariana and I were cool again, and we were closer than ever before. The tension had tied between us, and they had learnt to accept me for who I was. Dad on the other hand was still finding it difficult to adjust to my new development. He never picked up his calls or replied to my voicemail. Nanny was more welcoming than he was, and she always invited me to come over for the weekend, but we all knew how disastrous that would turn out to be at the end.“No, we didn’t,” I tried to pass a clear message to Claire for the umpteenth time. “I wasn’t a wolf at that time, but I knew of their secret. There was a werewolf hunter who was sent to hunt them down and kill each one of
Relief washed over me as I stared at the pack that gave me so much pride. Finally, the time was here and there was no turning back now, not even for Elena.Elena stared at them for a few seconds and burst into laughter. “I see... I see what you did there,” she looked at me. “Very clever.” She turned to face Nico. “And what makes you think your little friends can stop me?”“We might not be able to put an end to your existence... but we can stop this foolishness of yours,” I said, opening my palm to release my claws. There was a distraction now, so whatever move I made, I was sure to have the backing of my clan. I cut through my net with my claws and landed on the floor with my feet. Claire and Michael looked down at me, I could almost see the surprise in their eyes, but this was no time for pity party or storytelling. I quickly removed the knife from my pocket and aimed at their net, setting both of them free.“You are out-numbered Elena,” I turned to face her. “There is nowhere to hid
The building smelt rusty and reeked of herbs and portion. A typical witch den. We searched all the empty rooms but couldn’t find Ariana or Elena.“Any luck?” I asked Claire. She shook her head in response.“Are you sure about this place?” Michael was beginning to get uncomfortable.“Yes I am,” I said. “My Dad gave me this location, and he is sure about it.”“Are you sure about your Dad?” Michael’s impatience was rubbing off on me in a very displeasing way.“Well if you think this is not the right place, why don’t you go ahead and find the right one then,” I snapped.“I didn’t say that,” he tried to deny.“But you assumed it,” I retorted.“Guys, guys,” Claire tried to ease the tension. “We are not even halfway there, and we are already fighting. How are we going to get Ariana back if we continue like this? aren’t we supposed to be together in this?”Claire’s words sunk deep, reminding us of the reason why we were in the god-forsaken building in the first place. “Now,” she continued whe
The silence in the study amplified the beat of Dad’s heart, I could hear his breath slowly leave his lungs, his feet turning cold and his eyes lifeless. “What are you doing here?” there was a spite in his voice that I could not ignore. “Who let you into this house? Aguiella!” First time I heard Dad yell Nanny’s name, and it was not in a pleasant way.“There’s no need for that,” I lowered my voice, hurt by how quickly Dad wanted me out of the house. “I won't be staying for long,” I searched his eyes. “I... I just need your help.”“Whatever it is you have come for, I am sorry to say, but you have wasted your time. I don’t need you to be here, I don’t want you to be here now leave.” There was nothing calm about the way he said it, even though his voice seemed calm. He steadied his eyes on me, and I searched for the tenderness it once had, but it was gone!Of course, I knew waltzing into Pa’s house wasn’t just going to be a walk in the park. I didn’t expect to be specially treated now tha