KRISTINA'S POVHe probably thought he was being funny; but it did work in giving me some confidence. I couldn't afford to faint, not after the last attempt. I nodded at him to show that I understood and we walked towards the elevator silently. The whole thing had felt like one huge blur to me. Like I was walking through cotton wool. I tried hard to remember every detail of the day. It was important for me to do that. For Nathan, too. But I just couldn't. As we entered the elevator, I could feel myself becoming weaker, like my body was giving up on itself and letting my imagination take control, leaving nothing but an illusion. It happened a lot during this transition period. I had no idea what was going on, where I was, what had happened before, or what was going on now. I simply existed in a state of limbo between reality and fantasy. The only solid thing was Nathan, his presence. That was enough. As we arrived at the ground floor, we exited the elevator and stood in the doorway,
KRISTINA'S POVThen, I sat down on the floor next to where he had been sitting. My gaze shifted from the clothes lying in front of me across the living room, past the coffee table, through the window to the view beyond it. I could feel myself relaxing when I saw that Nathan was still watching TV, but that relaxation was short lived. "Aren't you going to get dressed?" Nathan asked me. "No need. It's only going to take us a minute. And besides, why do we need to get ready? The party won't start until ten." "It's always good to look presentable, especially when our guest arrives, if you know what I mean." This is where I would have said something like, "What friend are you talking about?" or, "Oh, you're not serious. You expect me to wear this? Why can't we just let them come in their normal clothes?" But I didn't say any of those things because, well… It's true. "So," Nathan continued, "are you going to sit there with your feet crossed all night long?" "Sure," I replied, without t
KRISTINA'S POV"Wait! I want you to tell a story about you and Alpha Laurence first. I want to know everything about the man you loved when you were young.""W-why are you suddenly interested in what happened to me and Laurence?""Nothing! Is it bad to know the truth? Or in your past?""I am an orphan who grew up in Wysteria Hope Orphanage, together with my childhood friend, the same man who I loved for years.""O-okay. Is it Laurence? And Wysteria Hope? W-whaa...?""Yes, he is. The Wysteria Hope is the place where I grew up after I was abandoned by my parents. It's an orphanage that welcomes everyone equally on the outside, but treats all orphans as tools inside.""I didn't know they treated children like that!"I was placed in the Wysteria Hope Orphanage under the watchful eyes of two other orphans, who also had their parents die within the same year. That's awful. Is something anyone should be happy knowing. And since then, every child there has been treated like garbage. We don't
KRISTINA'S POV"Yeah, you're right," Nathan agreed. He looked around us, as if searching for something, before his gaze settled on me again. "Kris? You have been acting odd lately and now, I just have a feeling. Please, tell me what's wrong." "It's nothing important," I quickly replied,.wanting to end the conversation quickly. I didn't want to burden him with my problems, especially since he has already done so much for me and given me so much more than I deserve. "But thank you for worrying about me. You know, I think you need to go back to your clinic." "I guess I do," he mumbled quietly. "See you around, Kris." And then he was gone. The last thing I saw was his retreating figure. It pained me to see him like that, but I'm sure he can handle himself without me for a while and I don't intend on burdening him anymore with my personal issues, especially since he's already made enough sacrifices for me. In reality, I was still struggling to come to terms with what Nathan had told
KRISTINA'S POVShe glanced around before returning her attention back to me. Her eyes had become glassy. "I will never forgive myself. I just want to ensure you don't get hurt or taken away because of other wolves." "But... They say things like this all the time" It felt weird, hearing my own voice in this woman's mouth, but it was also oddly pleasant. My hands were beginning to shake again, I noticed, which made me wonder how much of this was real and how much was a hallucination. "They talk about being lonely... about how they wish to go home." I looked down. "What if they're lying to us, Alliyah?" I could tell that tears were starting to well up in my eyes. This wasn't happening, right? None of it was possible? "Why don't we believe them?" My voice shook. Alliyah squeezed my hand again, softly but firmly. I didn't even realize she'd released it. "Because none of that is true." She stood and walked over to a overlooking downtown. "We are safe here." She turned towards me
KRISTINA'S POVMy own voice sounded odd, almost like I was being strangled. I felt tears threatening to escape and blinked them back as quickly as they came. Now wasn't the time to cry. I wouldn't lose this battle so easily. No matter what happened. Alliyah sighed heavily. She stood up and took a step forward but paused before taking another. "Kristina, come on–" I crossed my arms tightly against my chest. "No, I don't think so," I said firmly, shaking my head, "Not right now, anyway." "Look, you can't seriously expect me to believe that you're okay with me telling people the truth," she said calmly. "It's not like this is the first thing I'm supposed to do." "No, it really isn't. I know." I replied quietly. And that was true. It wasn't. It hadn't been since the day we left our loved ones. We were both too young to understand the consequences, yet we had both seen those consequences first hand. And they'd been devastating. But… That didn't mean Alliyah was right. I shouldn't fe
KRISTINA'S POVAfter a few days...As I looked at the void, I was still thinking about the mistake I had made. And my wasted love that cannot be reciprocated. I still wonder to this day why Alpha Laurence turned his attention to Alliyah, instead of me. Why is he so attracted to Alliyah?Maybe because Alliyah led the Black Fangs. And I knew that her father only trained her with the basics, which surprised him as she surpassed his expectations. Alliyah was famous for the way she lures a lot of men to go to her pack and serve her. This was the reason why Black Fangs became the pack with the most number of skilled wolves. She tends to have an innocent looking face but is actually brutal inside. Now I know why Laurence is attracted to her. After Alpha Laurence rejected me, he married his fated mate, Alliyah. "Kristina, are you alright?"I looked up to see her concerned eyes, and immediately felt myself calming down. "Yeah, I'm okay." As if I'm telling anyone else what really happened to
KRISTINA'S POVI think I've had enough fear for a lifetime already. Besides, I'd like nothing more than to escape from this place. I hate how everything here reminds me of him, and every second that we spend together makes it worse. I know it's irrational, especially considering that we were intimate once. But my mind won't leave him, no matter how hard I try to block him out. Carl studies me for a few minutes, his dark eyes piercing into mine. Then he sighs deeply. "Fine then. If you're sure." "Yes. Thank you." "Don't thank me yet," he says as he walks away. "We still have to meet with the pack leaders and discuss your new responsibilities." "O–okay.""And you need to change your clothes. Don't forget that." "Right. The meeting first, after I change," I say, feeling slightly annoyed. "Of course," he agrees as he turns around, giving me one last look before heading out to wherever he goes when he leaves my room. He doesn't bother changing before leaving. He must be really eage