Chapter-7

Cynthia

Age-14

No one loves me, cares for me.

Stop it, Cynthia! It's all your fault. You did this.

But they are my family! They should try to understand me.

Understand how you almost destroyed them?

No! fine, I am the villain here! Kill me! I left them now, didn’t I? They can live happily ever after without me. They can love Riley as much as they want while their good-for-nothing daughter is withering away in this scary and dark forest. Away from everyone. Everyone in the clan must be partying right now. I am sure Dad must have alerted the Beta force by now. He must have done that right? He at least would bother to alert the authorities, right? Even if he doesn’t, Mom would, right? God, Cynthia, you are such an attention seeker. Urghh! I am literally talking to myself for the past five minutes like a complete lunatic.

“What is wrong with me?” I groan out loud and hold my head in frustration. the dark forest doesn't reply me but someone else does.

“Even I would like to know that, little princess.”

Hearing that deep raspy voice, I look up in surprise, without even caring that my face is a crying mess right now. It's my mate, Aaron. My blood sings for him and my heart beats with joy. Mine! My beast screams.

“King Aaron,” I whispered looking into his beautiful blue eyes. He is standing tall, but his face is void of any emotion. I wish I could scream at him right now but I know it’s not his fault. I never knew my fate would be this cruel to me. Since I was old enough to understand the concept of love, fate, and mate, I had dreams, expectations and so many plans. And I know I have no right to complain, I literally have the best mate, any girl in Galsshorn could ask for but believe me he is not the best for me.

For me, he is forbidden fruit. He would have been the man I would have just cherished like a mentor figure but never this. This unrequited crush, this hopeless, dare I say? Love! I know at my age people won’t believe my claim of love for him but if it’s not love, then please explain this pain to me, this longing and this unbound happiness I feel whenever he is around now.

“Stand up! I am taking you home.” He orders, like the royal figure he is. his green shirt cladded chest is wide with haughtiness i never saw on him before. he seems like someone i don't know. 

“I-I won’t go back,” I reply and wipe my eyes. Just leave Aaron, leave me alone.

“I am not asking you, Cynthia!” He hisses at me as he moves toward me. After reaching me he removes a dry leave from my hair. acting like again the sweet, caring man i know, melts my heart for him.

“Enough of your dramatics, think about your parents for a change, huh? They are worried for their spoiled princess.” He bites and forces me in a standing position by holding my arm. the hold is little cruel. i never expected all of this which makes this situation even more miserable for me.

“Why are you so mean to me? I-I hate you.” I cry, forgetting everything. Just now his touch was not soft like before. It was hard and mean. Seeing him this nonchalant hurt me more than anything.

“Because you are nothing but a stupid girl who doesn’t even use her head! Only an idiot would run from home and won’t even leave the island.” My mate, oh so cruel mate, scoffs.

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I don’t like you right now!” I cry-scream. the tears blur my vision even more. 

“And I don’t care, let’s just go so I can go on with my evening like I had planned to.” He doesn’t even bother to meet my eyes now. I am just a spoiled brat to him. A stupid girl who is spoiling his evening plans. His every word was a punch of humiliation to me. I wanted to die. I was so hurt that I didn’t even bother to filter my next words.

“I am your Mate!! Do you hear me? I am your-your mate. And you are so mean to me, calling me names.” I cry, forgetting every reason I had in mind for hiding it. After blurting those words, I bit my lips in regret. Shit! I didn’t want to be the one to spell it out for him. Fearing his reaction, I looked up with hesitation.

His face was still void when I met his eyes but after a minute he started laughing. Laughing? Not surprise? Not anger? Laugh? It was not the reaction I was expecting.

“That was a good one, little princess. I know you are embarrassed right now, but lying won’t be helping you. Now come on let’s take you home so that your parents can breathe easily.” He motioned for me to start walking as his eyes pin me with a look I can’t fathom. Was that hurt there? I shake my head at myself. Why would he be hurt? I am the one who’s facing all this trauma. He is a King; his life must be perfect. I was hurt by his reaction but somewhere I expected this. At least I was right with this decision. This time only Aaron can help me and he will only help me when he realizes who I am and I just wish till then things don’t turn into even a bigger mess.

Cynthia

Age-16

“Thia, it's embarrassing! You should see the looks I get. Why did they have to have him this late that their own daughter could pass as her little brother’s mother” Riley blurts out on the phone making me chuckle at her dramatics. 

“It’s in your head baby sister, you don’t look like his mom. Calm down! And drop him to the day-care safely.” I reply and disconnect the call while shaking my head in amusement. Little John was the biggest surprise for us sisters but he was the outcome of that little earthquake we faced as a family when my secret came out.

That day when Aaron took me home, I was hurt and embarrassed but this time, instead of angry parents like I was expecting, I came home to sobbing parents who hugged me as soon as they saw me. The reason Dad burst out that day was bigger than my secret. When he got home that day, he had just found out he has much bigger debt that he could take hence, he took out his anger on me and Mom.

When I ran away, he realized his mistake and came clean to mom but mom was not having it and it took a year for Dad to win her over again, and then came our little John. But this time, Mom being the superwoman she is, she didn’t continue with her stay-at-home-mom status but instead took a job at Royal Villa to help Dad with his debts.

Since then, Little John is our duty as well and we love it, at least I do. I love pups, they are the sweetest and purest kind. They won’t judge and will always laugh at your poor jokes so its a win-win situation.

Since the day I have found out who my mate is has changed my life in more ways I can count. Even though Aaron still hasn’t recognized me but I know one day he will. I wasn’t always this confident about my mate but since the night when I told him the truth, no matter how he has reacted but I knew he has been shaken. Before this, I was just a kid to me but now, I have seen him guarded around me which means he feels the pull but won’t just accept. For now, even that is enough for me.

“Does Riley really get the looks?” Willa asked while petting our little panther friend, he’s a youngling, probably separated from his mother due to the recent unrest at jungles around us.

Some rogues have invaded our territory and the beta force has been on it since then. We are even advised to avoid lone runs until the situation gets better. Aaron has been personally surveying the whole situation but the packs are still scared with so much violence around the forests.

“She does!” I joke as Finn sneezes and both I and Willa bless him and then laugh for talking at the same time.

“Is Cole coming?” Willa asks nonchalantly, but I know she’s interested. Sometimes I doubt that again Cole is the reason for this friendship but then I scoff at it. No, I earned Willa myself. She doesn’t even go to our school. We met by complete coincidence.

“He is not Willa dear, who pretends to hate the very chap she is always inquiring to me about.” I tease her as I stand up and clean the dirt on my baby blue dress.

Willa gasps but stands up too, a little too fast perhaps because Finn, the panther backs away from us. “You know better miss! Cole? Me? No way? He is crazy about you and I would be crazy to make him my first crush."

“Careful Willa,” I say as I squat down to pat Finn reassuringly. He meowls in his language something but I can only understand him in my beast form, which is a secret too. Guess the color is not the only unique thing about my beast. As I am growing up so is my beast and honestly, I don’t care anymore. I am officially an outcast of wolf’s valley and I love it.

“I am sorry” she apologies to Finn and squats down in her purple coveralls to pet him. We were both busy playing with Finn when I felt some negative energy nearby and heard the wild pacing. My instincts screamed at me to shift and my beast was also eager to come out. Although they wanted a fight but I was not sure of my strength just yet. Instead of a confrontation, I opted for a safer bet.

“Let’s go” I alerted Willa and without waiting a minute we both shifted into our beasts. I tucked Finn between my teeth to make a run from here. Willa didn’t know I had gifts but she believed in my instincts. Before this, I used it only for fun but now rogues nearby, it helped us in saving our asses too. Because hell if I will let anyone take away my only safe place from me. These jungles, mountains, and sea have become my best friends and the only place I can be myself. I will not leave them until I am forced to.