Blaire's Pov
I knocked on the door and waited. I was about to knock the second time when the door was opened. I could tell he was surprised to see me with the way his eyes widened. Behind him, I could see his room and truth be told, it was in a sorry state. I could see a boot standing at attention on his bed, clothes strewn all over, and that wasn't even the beginning of it. It goes without saying that Jamil is the worst housekeeper in the entire pack. He noticed my survey and grinned. "There was no rip!" I commented, hoping my eyes were as icy as my words. "Oh, you sure?" He asked, trying to hold back his smile. He finally gave up as he grinned, "alright, there wasn't but it was fun to watch you scurry like that." I huffed, holding back the barrage of words that came to mind. "I need to see you. And Ulo too. I will be waiting." His expression grew serious as he nodded. I turned my back and made my way down the other end of the corridor. This was a pretty impressive building if you excused the fact that it was cluttered with rooms. A relatively small building when compared to the one beside it but it was big enough to contain eight large rooms that stood opposite each other in four rows. Like I said earlier, only five are occupied but in reality, we only really use three rooms because well, Indrik and Leon seem to loathe this place. Probably because of the rumors surrounding it. Rumors that might be the reason why its other companion on the other side of the palace has remained locked up for as long as any of us could remember. Coming out of the back door, I am met by the rustling of leaves on a sunny day. Directly behind the white building is a large tree that is as old as well, everything old. Its bark is gnarled and its trunk is riddled with dried wounds. Points where it has had its branches broken off. These had long since dried but the scar remains, an ever present reminder of its loss. Far above, hidden out of sight by the thick cluster of leaves is our tree house but the last thing I want right now is to scale up a tree. I took a seat under the tree on one of the wood fashioned benches under it but needless to say, I couldn't stay still for long before jumping to my feet again, pacing around, my eyes frequently travelling to the door through which I had come. After what seemed like forever, the door finally creaked open and out marched Jamil and Ulo. It took all my energy to not run toward them and drag them along so they would move faster. Unlike me, they used the seats as they fixed their eyes on me, wondering what my plan was. They already knew that this meeting was about Indrik, but nothing else. "You should take a seat." Jamil offered but I shook my head, finally stopping my pacing long enough to speak to them. "What are we going to do about Indrik?" I asked, my voice coming out in a desperate whisper. I almost groaned as I watched the two of them bow their heads as though they had practiced it before coming. "Come on, guys. We all know his condition. And now on top of that, he has been flogged before being dumped in a dungeon. Don't you think that is a death sentence for him?" "Blaire!" I turned my full attention to Jamil. "I know you are worried about Indrik. We all are. However, there is very little we can do for him right now. Any attempt to interfere with his punishment will get us into trouble not to mention that it would probably make things worse for him as well." "So, you are saying we should abandon him?" I questioned incredulously. "Ulo, tell me you don't agree with him." He had remained quiet the whole time, a hand placed under his jaw as he stared into space. He blinked when he heard his name and turned to me. "Were you listening at all?" I scoffed in disbelief to which he nodded his head. "I agree with Jamil. Acting recklessly would only jeopardize Indrik's situation even further. The council is already mad that he would bring a stranger into the pack. Any further aggravation would not be taken lightly so, it is best we stay out of it." I stared from one to the other, totally horrified that they would say that. "The two of you are unbelievable!" I finally scoffed as I bounded away, ignoring their calls. There was no way I was going to leave Indrik there all alone. It was their loss if they would not help me. Somewhere in the far recesses of my mind, something told me they were probably right but I would be damned if I listened to it. I looked up at the sky. The sun was already starting to make its descent. It would be dusk in a couple more hours. With this realization came a thought which made me turn back toward my friends. Jamil had taken up my former occupation, pacing around under the tree with his features portraying his troubles. Ulo was still on his seat but he didn't seem any less troubled. For a moment, I regretted speaking to them that way. I knew they cared for Indrik just as much as I did, we were best friends after all. "Anyone hungry?" They hadn't noticed my return as Jamil spun toward me and Ulo snapped up his head so fast, I was afraid he would get a whiplash. Jamil stared at my smiling face, suspicion evident in his features but he shrugged and muttered, "I'm starving." Ulo rose to his feet as well as we made our way to the kitchen. Lunch time had long gone past but none of us had had anything to eat all day due to the Indrik problem. It wasn't until now that I realized how hungry I was. With this came another thought of how much more hungry Indrik would be. "Just a little more time!"Luna's PovThe guy who had introduced himself as Jamil had led me to this room where he had told me to rest after I had told him I wasn't hungry. A comment that was now proving to have been too hasty. My tummy was rumbling angrily and more frequently now. I looked around the room. It looked pretty old and from the looks, it had not been occupied in a long while. There was a bed, a wall length mirror, a table beside it that had some facial and body care materials, a chair before it. On the wall opposite it stood a built in wardrobe which I had confirmed to have some clothes. A window stood open just above my bed giving me a view into a garden. All of these and nothing of mine. I still couldn't get over how that man had just uprooted me from my life like some plant and brought me here. He hadn't even allowed me to go back home to pick anything up. True, there wasn't really much to pick but still. I reached into my blue gown and exhaled in relief when I found that I still had my necklac
Luna's PovWatching her leave, I was torn between the choice of going back to my room and waiting for my friendly host to return or going after my nemesis. I chose the later although I made sure to not let her know. I figured she would probably be going there or I would run into my host on the way. I must have looked ridiculous, bearing a tray and sneaking after a gorgeously dressed woman. I guess it is true what they say. You can kidnap the waitress from the serving tables but you can never take the serving away from her. The saying is something like that, I guess. I have never really been too good with quotes. Nor with much else, I'm afraid. I sighed as I remembered home. It seemed like an eternity since I had been turned out and now it was starting to seem like I might never be able to go back home. "Look who we have here!" A voice boomed, followed by laughter. I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't realized I had been surrounded by a group of men. I looked up at th
Luna's PovI stared at Jamil like he had suddenly grown a set of horns. "Brothers?" I muttered, almost bursting into laughter at how strange the word felt on my lips. I mean, sure, they had slightly similar hair and eyes (which by the way were worlds apart in the world of color) but did that qualify them to be brothers? I was certain that at least ten people within this premises would share that color with them. Apart from that, they were as different as night and day. Indrik was slender while Leon was a giant and that wasn't even the beginning of it. "Believe it or not but that is the truth. They are half-brothers." Jamil said like that was supposed to explain why Indrik looked like he forgot his family gene in his mother's belly. "That still does not explain why Indrik looks like his elder brother drained him of all his essence." I blurted before I could think. Jamil stared at me with a look of amusement and what looked like pity. I blinked in confusion as I wondered what was goi
Indrik's Pov Cold! Pain! And even more pain! That's all I could think of as I drifted in and out of consciousness on the cold dungeon floor. This room seemed to have been abandoned for years. I had fallen face first into a web of cobwebs, the tiny strands of which I could still feel in my eyes despite my desperate attempts to get them out. In here, I could see the reason why this place is so feared. It is a nightmare. The room is round and tiny. So tiny that I have to either stand on my feet or keep my body curled in a ball with my legs resting on the iron gate that secured the entrance, which I need not say was not very comfortable. Apart from that, the roof seemed to be connected to water of some sort, the source of which I was pretty certain I did not want to know. This water had been perpetually dripping to the rough concrete floor. Overtime, it had managed to crack the floor and algae had grown through it and then spread to the walls. Everywhere was practically covered with tha
Blaire's PovI knocked on the imposing mahogany door and waited. I rocked on my heels, wishing that the door would open as soon as I knocked on it. I raised my hand to knock again when I stopped myself, choosing to distract myself with the environment instead. I was in the main palace building. It was an impressive building that you couldn't help but be awed at. Like the outside, the insides were painted in glowing white. On both sides were different paintings that were so good, they almost looked real. Trust me, I knew how real it looked from experience. Just a little while ago, I had jumped back in fright when I had turned a corner and it had appeared that a wolf was attacking me. It turned out to be one of the paintings but you get the point. There were several paintings, each more impressive than the last. There was one of a huge wolf standing on a plateau and raising his snout to the moon in a howl while other wolves around him bowed. There was another of two wolves standing side
Blaire's Pov"You have to understand that rules are created for a reason. To keep us safe from harm. No one, not even Indrik can be allowed to break the rules." My mother had continued to speak when she realized I was not going to speak to her. "But mother, we both know Indrik's condition. He will not survive the dungeon. Could the council not have found something that was less likely to kill him?" I asked, my heart burning with indignation as I thought about how Indrik must be doing in that place. Don't be fooled by Indrik's show of bravery before the council. I wonder what must have gotten into him to have made him make that decision. All his life, he has been pushed to the back because he was powerless. A wolfless wolf in one of the strongest packs? You get the picture of what life must have been for him. But that also meant he was sheltered. Being a weak wolf, he could not be exposed to the conditions which wolves normally had to bear. Definitely not a dungeon. As a matter of fa
Indrik's PovHave you ever been in hell before? I don't think so. I haven't either but with what I am going through right now, I can say that I am about as close to hell on earth as anyone else. The smell of stale blood is harsh on my nose but even that fades into obscurity in the face of dried sweat that has turned my clothing into a sticky mess. And let's not even talk about human waste. I feel like a little infant who has been abandoned by his mother and has no idea what to do with himself. It seems to be night now because the rats that had showed a measure of respect were becoming bolder now and now marching all over like they were the lords of this domain. I had found myself having to kick my leg or throw an arm to stop a particularly bold one from chewing the skin off of my limbs. But then again, they really are the lords and I, the intruder. As if that was not enough, my body seems to have only now recalled the torture it had undergone earlier in the day and was now proceeding
Indrik's Pov"Blaire!" I repeated, my voice faint. "Indrik!" She called excitedly, the torch clattering to the ground as she reached through the bars and embraced me as well as she could. I did not return the awkward embrace as I was still wondering what she was doing here. The prisoners were not exactly helping matters either as they resorted to showing their displeasure by banging their fists on their prison doors. "Blaire!" I called again, confusion evident in my voice. "What are you doing here?" I asked unable to understand why she would be here. She would surely be in trouble if she was caught and it would not exactly help my case either. "How are you doing? My gosh! You smell horrible. Give me a minute, will you?" She avoided my questions as her words came out in a rush. She disentangled herself from me and groped around the floor for something. I soon discovered the something to be a key as she found it and inserted it into the keyhole and with a couple of turns pulled it op