Heyli had never felt so uncomfortable her whole life. She sat by the window and tried as much as she could to distract herself by looking out of the window but she couldn't. Nina's presence made her really uncomfortable and no matter how hard Melodie tried to make her forget that Nina was actually seated by them, Heyli still felt her presence heavily. "How long does this journey take?" Melodie shrugged. "I have no idea. This is my first time on this trip," "About eight hours," Kayla replied. She had just woken up from her short nap. "We've been on the road for three hours. We have five hours left," "Are you hungry?" Melodie asked Heyli who nodded. "I didn't have anything to eat for breakfast this morning because I was too excited for this journey. I would have eaten something if I knew," "At least we came with enough food to last us and we're also going to stop at one of the roadside restaurants to get snacks or something," Kayla said and pulled out the large duff
The bus behind the car Athena and Alexander sat in screeched to a halt and they both turned to see that people were talking in loud voices. "What the hell is happening?" Athena asked as she squinted. Alexander asked the driver to halt and as soon as he did, the doors were unlocked and they stepped out. They stood, watching to see what was about to happen. People were pushing out of the bus and yelling at the top of their voice for the others to get out and when they saw Melodie and Kayla holding Heyli on both arms, she went into a full blown panic. "She's about to shift, Athena. She's about to shift!" Alex yelled and immediately ran towards the bus. He knew how she looked when she was about to shift and he snatched her from the girls' hold. "Y'all, go back to your buses. You're safe!" But no one listened to him. They were filled with so much curiosity as they wanted to see how things were going to turn out. Heyli's temperature was so high that when Athena touched her
"I just got an info," The commander said as he moved to the front of the large van. Loki was standing beside Clara, one of his mates from way back. "The bus conveying the junior and senior teams stopped because one of the junior team members was about to shift to a Kanime," Loki immediately moved forward. He knew it was Heyli. But how? He hadn't expected her to shift at this time. This was why he had told Athena that actually bringing her here would cause so many problems. "But that was a different case. The young lady is experiencing a very high fever and she keeps calling the name of her guardian," Everyone turned to look at Loki and he knew he had messed up. "Loki, why aren't you with her?" The commander asked as he drew closer to him. "You know how she gets in situations like these, yeah?" Loki nodded. "I do." "Then why aren't you with her? Why did you come here with us and risk the lives of people in that bus?" "Heyli isn't going to kill anyone. She is
Loki walked around and got into the car. Kayla left the car to give him enough space. Alex went to the bus and ordered everyone to continue their journey but Melodie and Kayla decided to stay back with Heyli. "That's not possible, girls. And you know that." Kayla was stubborn about it. She stood her ground. "I need to be with my friend." "We need to be," Melodie added as she came to stand beside Kayla. "We can't leave her here. We must go with her." "There's no space in the car for you both. I would have reconsidered if there was," Melodie craned her neck to see the cars before them. She frowned and looked at him. "But there are two cars. You and the King can fit into one. We'd squeeze into the other car," Before Alex could give them a reply, Athena stepped forward. "No. You both are going into the bus. Heyli is going to be fine and safe, okay? You can be with her as soon as we arrive but for now, she needs all the space she can get." Their hopeful expressio
The Lycan Confederate, known to be at the center of the werewolf jurisdiction, had tall gates with a fort built around it. A ball of energy engulfed the building, moving in waves of current. But today, it was absent. The King had ordered that the protection be taken down for the arrivals of the members of the royal families from packs across the land. It was to be open till dawn when everyone would have finally arrived before it got shut. Guards stood around the walls, watching out for any enemies. They were well suited to fight off any enemies and they had rabid hellhounds on a leash, ready to unleash it on anyone who tried to cause problems. The clack of the King's shoes rang around the hall as he climbed up to his throne. This was where he would address the people and he waited for their arrival. A man dressed in a dark cloak stepped forward and bowed. He was the King's special adviser. "Your majesty," "What's the news?" "I have informed the people in charge of th
As soon as Heyli stepped down from the car, she began to look around the monstrous beauty before her. There was a castle standing before her and beside the castle were arrays of mansions and buildings, carved and painted in the most beautiful designs and colors. Whoever had built this place was really skilled. Loki came up to stand behind Heyli. He watched the building with her. "You look enthralled." Heyli turned to look at him. "Yes! I am. More than enthralled, even. Jim, take a look. Antarti doesn't beat this place by thirty percent. Look at the roads, the electricity, the communication mediums and everything. It speaks of class and advancement." "Of course, it is. You're really excited about this," "Not excited, Loki. Just, mesmerized." "So mesmerized that you totally forgot that you and I were not in talking terms?" Loki said with a smirk. Heyli immediately remembered that they weren't in talking terms. Wait. How did he get to the car? She thought he left with
Athena and Alexander were led to the area where King's and Queen's were assembled. It seemed like they were all waiting to be assigned to their various rooms. The room was filled with glam. Everyone was dressed like they were attending a party. Women held fans and their arms were in their mate's crooked hands. Some ladies talked in groups and Athena knew they were princesses. Then she has an idea. "Alexander," Athena called. He turned to look at her. He had been looking at the podium before him like he was waiting for his savior to emerge from there. "Heyli should be here with us, right? She should be assigned to a room with one of the princesses. That way, she can make friends easily," Alex shook his head. "No. You know Heyli wouldn't agree. She would want to be with her friends, you know? Besides, you're not supposed to be saying this. You don't even like people and Heyli isn't good with people. Didn't expect this from you," Athena sighed. Alexander was right. "I just
"This bed is so big and bouncy! Just like yours, Heyli," Melodie said as she jumped on the bed and flailed her legs. Heyli and Kayla were both busy checking the large room out. There were cushions in a small living room adjoined with the main room. "There's even a fireplace and a coffee table," Heyli said in wonder as she walked towards the fireplace. The fire was out but she stood there watching in wonder. "I've never seen a real fireplace. This is my first time," Kayla came to stand beside her. "We don't usually have fireplaces because we live in a hit region. We always invite the cold that invalidate the use of a fireplace." "Before I came to Antarti, we lit bonfires of different sizes. Mini bonfires for inside the house and large bonfire outside," Heyli placed the flat of her palms on the mantelpiece and felt the marble coldness of it. "Jeez, it feels so good." Melodie came from the other room. "Do you think all other rooms are like this or we got lucky?" Kayla turned to he
"It's the men's combat game, Athena!" Damien said as he watched his Alpha strap herself with knives. She placed a diamondback knife in her boots and wedged a dagger on her arm. A pair tantos sat on the insides of her jacket and when she turned to face Damien, she smiled. "How do I look, Damien?" She asked. Damien shook his head and turned away from her. He hated the fact that she was excited for the combat. There was nothing to be excited about! She was literally putting herself in the face of danger and beckoning on it to come to her. "I don't know what to say, Athena. I do not feel comfortable with you participating in the men's combat category," Athena walked to the window and opened it. It was nearing evening and in about an hour's time or so, she would be out there, facing her opponent while everyone watched. If she was being honest with herself, she was really scared. Scared of the unknown. What if she got beaten to a pulp. What if she got paired with someo
"What the hell is going on?" Kayla gasped as she heard the announcement the master of ceremony made. Kayla came to stand beside her. "Did the King just ask her to participate in the male category?" "Yes, he did," Kayla replied, sounding really shocked and worried. "Why would he do that?" "Because the King does what he does according to what his subject wants," A guy came and stood behind them as he spoke. Melodie gave him the stink eye. "She's not his subject. She's the King of Antarti!" The boy laughed like he was mocking her and Melodie glared at him like she wanted to kill him on the spot with her eyes. "You think. He's ruling the Lycan Confederate and can make any degree. Besides, she asked for it with her whole feminism shit," "And who the hell are you?" Kayla stepped forward in a defensive stance. "Oh," The boy touched his chest in a mock polite manner. "My name is Lawrence. I am the Prince of The Lycan Confederate," "And what are you doing here?"
Athena stood alongside other contestants. Most of them were women and she frowned. Was this category just for women? Just then, she saw Eucaria standing at the other side of the line. The lady waved at Athena and scurried to stand beside her. "I had no idea you were participating," "Well, I am. Why is it just women here?" Eucaria shrugged. "This is a women's game. It's less brutal than combat and the rest," "That's bullshit," Athena said. The women around her gasped but she ignored them. "Why would they allow that?!" "There's actually no time for you to ask questions," A lady, dressed in combat outfit but looking like she was the referee with a whistle around her neck, came forward. She stared at Athena who matched her look without fear. "Once I blow the whistle, you all run towards the ropes hanging off those rocks on the other side of the amphitheater. Use it to lift your bodies off the ground and jump once you're about two meters in the air. Note that lit
Kayla and Melodie were still waiting for Heyli to come back to them with good news when they saw her climbing one of the seats above. Kayla stepped forward and Melodie squinted her eyes as she watched Heyli take a seat beside Athena and Alex. She looked guilty and as Alex spoke to her, she only nodded. "Did she actually leave us here?" Melodie asked, suddenly feeling offended and betrayed by their friend. Kayla wasn't going to believe that was it. "I don't think so. Heyli won't do that to us. She's probably trying to negotiate things with Alex," "But she's seated there!" Melodie cried. Some people from the team looked at them and Kayla immediately apologized. "Let's just hope that's not the case," Melodie turned and looked at her. "Maybe that's the case." Kayla kept staring in Heyli's direction, hoping their friend would look at them and signal that she was going to return soon. But that wasn't going to happen because the master of the ceremony already stepp
As early as five in the morning, the girls were awoken by the ringing of large bells. "I woke up at six back at home," Melodie said as she groaned and sat up. "I hate this time arrangement." Melodie noticed that Kayla wasn't in bed. Heyli had woken up for a few minutes before laying back down and falling asleep immediately. "Kayla?" "I'm bathing!" She called from the bathroom. Melodie climbed out of the bed and went to the bathroom door of bathroom. "Why didn't you wake us all up?" "I did. You both sleep like a hibernating snail. We have to prepare quickly, by the way. We're going to be manning the surroundings of the amphitheater. Handing weapons and change of clothes and help to the injured. I just hope nothing goes wrong," "What might that be?" Kayla's voice lowered. "A beast might be released. That would fight with one of the contestants. Someone told me a few warriors were killed the last time," Melodie's heart sank. "What?" "Yes," "Is this what I
Heyli fell into his arms. She had no idea what was controlling her but she knew that his arms was where she wanted to be. Nowhere else but his arms. As she walked into his arms, he fully engulfed her in a hug and placed his chin on her glossy hair. "Did you use a new perfume?" Heyli drew away a bit. "Yes. How did you know?" Loki smiled and pulled her back in. "You love vanilla and that's your signature. But you're using something fruity," Heyli swallowed. "Well, Melodie suggested u used a different one and it was actually nice," "Because of Miguel?" Heyli shrugged. "I guess." "You guess? Or you did so because of him." "Do you want us to turn this into an argument?" "Not an argument. I'm mad." Heyli gave him an incredulous look. "Why?" "Because you are making yourself look good for another boy. It makes me want to go after him and rip his limbs apart so you don't find him attractive," Heyli gasped and burst into laughter but before she could sa
One thing Heyli loved about this place was the fact that she didn't have to go through gates. The doors directly lead out to the streets and once she was hit with a cold gust of wind, she closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "The Lycaon Statue," She muttered under her breath. That was where Miguel said they were going to meet. Pulling up her gown, she climbed down the stairs and turned to the northern side of the road. The streets were void of people but amber lights flooded the roads and she was able to see under them. She actually didn't need any light to see but she needed to see Miguel. Somehow, she didn't trust her sense of vision to lead her to the right person. As she hurried down the road, she made sure to look back. Someone might be following her. No one was and she hastened her footsteps. She just hoped Hathaway had forgotten about her. As she turned her head to see if anyone was following after her, she bumped into a hard body and nearly fell on her kn
The suit was lit by scented candle lights. Athena sat on the Chippendale chair that faced the windows and she stared up at the night skies. She had spent most of her day in this room. It was oddly comforting. The walls that were repainted by the sunset and the twilight. Then she lit the candles, ignoring the lights she could turn on through the switch. There was something about candle lit rooms that made her feel like she was floating. She stood to her feet and walked to her as dinner was almost near. She wanted to be early so she could mingle with the other ladies who had been smiling at her when she was taking a walk in the afternoon. This was to avoid being in close contact with Alexander. There was something he was hiding from her and if he didn't trust her enough to tell her, she wasn't sure she wanted to have anything to do with him. As for Damien and Loki, theirs was still loading. She didn't have time yet. She took out a pale green dress. It was one of her fa
"He asked me to see him by eleven tonight so he could tell me the complete story of Lycaon," Heyli said as she pulled off her dress. Kayla wiggled her brows. "That story must be really interesting for you to actually sneak out by eleven," Heyli chuckled her chemise at Kayla who caught it in her hand and dumped it on the bed beside her. The girls were back in their room as soon as the clock struck seven. Heyli hadn't seen Loki throughout the day and neither had she seen Athena or Alexander. Melodie was just stepping out of the bathroom. Her body was wrapped in a towel. "Kayla's right. I can't believe you're going out by eleven just to see a guy you don't know," Heyli became defensive. "His name is Miguel," Kayla and Heyli exchanged looks before bursting into laughter. Heyli glared at them both but she said nothing. She wrapped a towel around her and went into the bathroom. She took her time there, opting for the soft scented shampoos for her skin and floral shampo