Luna's Pov
If there was anything worse than serving people who hated your guts, it was eating with them. Knowing that malicious eyes are following your every move is a sure recipe for a loss of appetite. I managed to force down some food which went to sit at the bottom of my belly like a couple of bricks. After that, I just turned the food in my plate, my cheek propped on the other hand as I stared at it like I was looking for something that was embedded deep within it. "Ahem!" I was pulled out of my revelries by the Beta clearing his throat. I looked up at him, blinking as I tried to come back to the present. "Breakfast is over. You all can leave now." My heart soared with joy as I rose to my feet, the chair skittering noisily. Great! Another reason to make them hate me more. Already, I could see them pinning their gazes on me as if to say, "we get the point. You are dumb. Now, could you stop making it so obvious?" "Not you!" My heart plummeted to the bottom of my belly about as fast as it had risen. I looked toward the Beta and sure enough, he was referring to me. "The rest of you can leave now." He ordered. I bowed my head and fiddled with my fingers as the others made their way out of the room. The maids came in at this point and cleared all the used utensils. Finally, the room was empty except for myself and the Beta. "Come closer." He called, patting the chair from which Leon had just stood up. I frowned as I walked toward it, certain that the owner would not would not like the idea. The table was made with thick mahogany which was painted white as well. The chairs were probably made of the same material as well but it was hard to tell with them being decked all over with felt. I arrived beside him and took my seat. "You know why I brought you here?" He questioned as he daubed at his lips with a napkin. "To eat?" I replied, growing tired of being played around with. He met my eyes and for a moment, his black irises glittered making me think he would actually break a smile but that was not to be as the twinkle disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He carefully folded the napkin and placed it on the table then got out of his chair and walked over to the first one on the right that had remained empty on which he rested an elbow and locked his fingers before meeting my eyes again. "You noticed that this place remained empty, didn't you?" I blinked wondering if that was supposed to be a rhetorical question but his curious eyes that remained fixed on me told me otherwise. I shrugged. "Then you should know who it belongs to." His eyes seemed to burn through my skin to my very soul which he seemed to be looking through inch by inch. I squirmed. "How should I know?" I practically groaned already growing tired of his endless questions. How was it my problem if someone decided not to show up for breakfast? It wasn't like it was very noticeable in a room as huge as this anyway. He nodded then pinned his eyes on me for so long that I felt a hole must have been burned through me this time. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded distant, "it belongs to Indrik." I scrunched my eyebrows as I took in his features. Hair that barely managed to kiss his ears just like his son's, a strong firm face that managed to convey sadness about as well as it could convey authority and.... He had finally stood up. Wasn't too short. He would still hold his own against the many tall men I had met since I had arrived in this place even if he was atleast a head or two shorter. He had a big body, evidence of the strength that lay within. His hair was starting to gray at the edges but that only served to enhance his features. "Indrik is like a son to me." He continued, his eyes shifting to something above my head, his voice low and almost mournful. "Ever since he was born, it has been my responsibility to look after him. Watching him grow has not been easy especially because," he paused and his eyes drifted to me, like he was trying to figure out how much I knew and how much to tell me. "because of his weakness. He has been known to break out of line several times to satisfy an innate need to be seen." His eyes had drifted from me again. "I wish I could tell you that this little thing with you was unique but frankly, no." I wondered where he was going with this. "He is not going to stop until he gets what he wants which begs the question, why did he bring you here?" I recalled Indrik's words to me in The Haven but somehow, I felt he wouldn't want me sharing that. For whatever reason, I felt a strange urge to protect him. "I don't know." I replied. He narrowed his eyes with suspicion as though try to figure out if I was lying or not then his face relaxed. "I hope you are telling me the truth." His voice was heavy, threatening. I met his eyes, refusing to flinch. Finally, he relaxed. "I will be watching you. You can leave now." He didn't need to tell me twice as I bounded from my seat and left the room that was a beautiful as it was suffocating. Luckily, I had a good sense of direction as I weaved through the palace. Bursting out, I inhaled deeply, glad to be free from that place.Luna's PovOutside the tall rooms and passageways of the palace, the world looked large, golden and endless under the touch of glowing sunlight. Or perhaps, it was just my happiness at being free that was tainting my vision. Outside the palace, the courtyard sprawled before me, all a glowing shade of white. Apart from the three main buildings that took main focus in the palace, there were a couple other buildings on the other end of the enormous courtyard. Smaller and less impressive but beautiful nonetheless. Most were honorary buildings, only ever used when some guests visited, Jamil would not tell me who. Others though were used by the part of the army that was not stationed at the borders, a fancy term for palace guards really. "I see you are finally out and would you look at that. You are in one piece!" My eyes widened as I wheeled into Jamil who seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. "What are you doing here?" I hissed breathlessly, the breath knocked out of my lungs from
Blaire's PovI was sitting in my favorite spot in our hangout spot. A swing that was made with a log of wood with two long ropes running out of both sides of it which were tied to one of the tree's sturdy branches. I sat on it, gently swaying it back and forth, my eyes seeing nothing as I wandered in the world of thoughts and worries. I still could not get the horrible condition Indrik was in out of my head. "There you are!" A voice that sounded like it was coming from somewhere deep within the tree called. I was slow to respond, partly because I was still lost in thought and partly because I did not want to speak to the owner of the voice. "Scoot!" He ordered but I ignored him, treating him like he wasn't present. "Hey!" He called again, snapping his fingers before my face. Seeing that there was no way I could send him off with the silent treatment, I stopped the swing and gave him the coldest look I could muster. "Have you seen Ulo around? I couldn't find him in his room." Jamil
Author's PovBeta Green wandered around the dining room long after the girl had left. First, he stood behind Indrik's chair, then got into his seat, then walked round to the other end of the room, pondering his discussion with the girl. He stroked his cheeks over and over as he wondered what he was missing. Indrik might be impulsive but he was not crazy. There was no way he would just choose to bring a random girl into the pack unless there was a reason. That was what he had to find out.He recalled the time he had asked her the reason why Indrik had brought her. She had told him she didn't know but before that, there had been a slight hesitation which was more than enough to confirm his suspicion."Beta Green?"He turned around as fast as lightning, having been startled out of his wits. The new arrival was lucky to not be within arm's reach or he would have hit her when he spun. "Gamma Victoria!" He sighed when he finally recovered from his shock. "My gosh, you startled me." He exhal
Indrik's Pov"Hey, dirt bag! You think you are better than everyone else that is in here, don't you?" A voice yelled from far up the row of cells. It was soon lost in the crowd of voices that cried in its wake."Don't waste your breath on the fool. Let's see if he is still going to be so cocky when we tell the guards about the romance he has going on when they are not looking." Another voice growled, the voice echoing so much that I could not figure out exactly where it came from. Again, murmurs rose in the corridor."That is the problem with all of these royal dogs. They think they are superior to the rest of us. Damned imperial piece of shit." A voice cursed from somewhere close by."Wait, royal? That can't be true. Whatever would a royal be doing here?" Another voice questioned."You had better believe it. That girl from earlier? I would recognize her anywhere. She is the daughter of the Gamma. And this moron here, I heard her call him Indrik, is the son of the Alpha. Little spoilt
Blaire's Pov"You are still here?" A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts and I raised my head. I feel disoriented as I look around, trying to figure out where I am. I am still sitting in the swing, with it swaying back and forth. Looking up at the sky, I realize that the sun is sinking into the sky in a brilliant mix of colours very quickly. I turn my eyes to the owner of the voice but am unable to see the face very clearly. Still feeling very lost and confused, I peel my eyes off the person and focus them on my laps. "Tell me you left earlier and came back." Jamil exclaimed then whistled as he came closer and picked some leaves out of my hair. "No, you did not. Did you turn into a tree for a while then?" My eyes finally clear as they settle on him. My eyes fill with tears as I recall what I had just seen."Hey! Hey! Are you okay?" Jamil questioned, alarmed at the tear drop that rolled down my face. He covered the distance between the door where he is still standing and the swing
Blaire's PovJamil did not like the idea of us breaking the rules because despite the fact that he was the most outgoing of all four of us, he also happened to be the most rigid. Weird combination, right? But with the two of us on his case, he had no other choice than to join us in our prison raid. I had returned my mother's bunch of keys before she would notice they were gone but that was only after I had removed the keys to the dungeon. With their help, I had been able to secure more supplies which was more extensive because Jamil insisted I bring a gift or something as an act of goodwill to the other prisoners. According to him, bringing something for one prisoner, especially when it was against the rules, would make the other prisoners mad which might make them pick on the prisoner or worse, report the prisoner just to spite him. The simple cure to that, is to bring something for them as well. They would be pleased with the thoughtfulness and voila, all would have been saved a lo
Indrik's PovI had been hoping that Blaire would take my advice and not return. So, what if my fellow prisoners had made their threat good and informed the guards? They had no proof to show that it really was her who had come. I could easily have convinced the council into buying that it was someone else. At worst, they would have worsened my punishment but at least, she would have been saved. But all of that went flying out the window or in this case, iron door as I looked up at Blaire, her tender face framed by the flickering flames. "You shouldn't have come!" I groaned, knowing that there was no escaping the clutches of the prisoners now. Obviously, I was not the only one who realized this as they all started to speak at the same time. As expected, they had all made illogical requests. Like asking me to help break them out of prison or to help them speak to the council to offer them some leniency. Like I would be here if I had that much power. I told them as much and they had pai
Blaire's PovHaving treated Indrik's back, I handed him a jar of water which he gulped greedily. I grimaced as I watched him. He had never been one to joke with his belly and now, he was restricted to eating only once in a day? Keeping this in mind, I had packed lots of energy food like legumes and whole grains. I watched contentedly as he gulped them down. Soon, he was done and he grinned his thanks. A fuzzy feeling consumed me and suddenly, all of the stress was worth it. "I'll just go attend to the others." I muttered half-heartedly. Even in the semi-darkness, I could see his eyes grow darker but I had to, for his sake. Picking up a sackbag, I headed out. Reaching the first cell that was not his, I was hit in the face by a horrible stench. A mix of dried sweat, rotten food, and a whole lot of other things that I felt much more comfortable not thinking about. "Hey!" He drawled and it took everything in me to not kneel over and puke all over his face. His breath stank like rotten