Luna's Pov
"And there is the entrance to our pack." I could barely contain my excitement as I stared at the huge golden gates that looked on the top of a hill. The gates that were the key to my freedom. I imagined running up and out of this cursed place but his next words dashed my hopes completely. "It always remains closed unless we have urgent business to attend to outside. That is to prevent outsiders from finding this place." "You mean to say you have no dealings with the outside world? Like you don't trade or..." I let my words hang in the air between us. He chuckled. "Of course, we do. There are trade routes." I waited for him to say more but it soon became obvious that was all he was going to say. I gritted my teeth as the gates that had looked so pleasing to me just a moment before now seemed like an evil machination intended to keep me bound in here forever. The gates stood atop a hill. A design that was as strange as it was effective. Strange because most of the territory was spread out on flatlands and effective because no one could sneak up on them. Not unless you could make yourself appear invisible and that wasn't a thing, was it? I sighed. It was one of disappointment but Jamil read something else into it. "The tour must have gotten you tired out. We should get you back to the palace so you can relax and have something to eat while you are at it." He muttered as he turned. We had come to the top of a hill which afforded a bird's eye view of the entire pack. I followed him with not half as much enthusiasm as I had when we first started out. As we walked past farms, houses and passersby, everyone greeted Jamil with the respect you offer to someone that cannot be trifled with while they stared at me with an equal mix of dislike and distrust. I couldn't blame them. From what Jamil told me, a human had not been in the pack since forever. "Humans and wolves do not mix." He had said. Whether it was curiosity or perhaps it was just an innate desire to annoy him but I had asked, "I am human, aren't I?" To which he had grinned. "One brought by Indrik. That is the only reason you are still alive and kicking." "You would forgive me if I don't think Indrik is highly valued amongst your people." I had tweaked my nose to show just how much I didn't think it. He had sighed which I had noticed was the first time he had since I had met him. "We should go." He had proceeded to brush it off, the way he had for a lot of things that morning. Back to the present and I ignored all the wolves which didn't take much effort because everyone, children included was making sure to stay out of my way like I had a plague or something. By the time we got to the palace, the sun was already starting to burn and I was glad we didn't have to walk under that. "You must be hungry. You should go freshen up while I do the same." He muttered when we arrived before the slightly open door that led to my room and left before I could respond. I wasn't feeling very hungry but the other day had thought me a lesson so I went on to my room to do just what he had suggested. Luckily, I did not run into any more hostile faces. I splashed some water on my face and decided I was good to go. It wasn't too long before a knock came on the door. Opening it, there was Jamil as I had expected but he had dumped his black top and trousers in the favour of blue ones. Looking at him, my eyes widened as I had a sinking feeling. "You are not dressed?" "Dressed? What for?" I gestured at my dress to which he slapped his forehead. "Of course!" He groaned. "My bad! I forgot to inform you that we would be eating with the Beta today. He requested for your presence." My heart jumped into my tongue and almost nearly slid out from the narrow end when I replied. "What do you mean by that?" I tried to keep my voice neutral but I was failing very badly at it. His hand suddenly found something interesting in the back of his neck as he started a back and forth rubbing motion. "Are you ready?" "No! Of course not. Haven't I already faced the council? What do they still want with me?" I questioned, feeling like a rat that was stuck with fire in a hole. "Not they. He! And you don't have to worry about him. I am sure he only wants to talk." "Beta Green. That is Ulo's father, right?" He nodded. He sure wanted to talk. The same way his son spent all day talking. I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth as I stepped out of the room. "Alright! Let's go then." I muttered. I had many conjectures in mind about how this our glorious second meeting would turn out but as it usually is with imagination, none of them played out in reality. Walking into the dining room, I did a double take as I wondered if Jamil had mistakenly led me into the throne room or something. If not for the chairs that were arranged around the round table and the food that was currently being dished out by one of the helps, I would have turned back immediately. The room was huge for one. Apart from that, it was an immaculate white, a feat that would have been totally impossible back in The Haven. "You are late!"Luna's PovI turned to look at the man who had spoken. I recognized him instantly from his role in passing judgement on us. Just like the first time, he was sitting down which prevented me from seeing just how tall he was. He still seemed pretty intimidating though as his eyes blazed, commanding respect. I remained at the door from where I had been admiring the room but even from here, I could feel his displeasure washing over me in waves. I shuddered subconsciously as I noticed that not only his but all the eyes in the room were focused on me. Us, I had forgotten Jamil was still standing beside me until he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room. We arrived before the Beta at the head seat and following Jamil's lead, I bowed. "You are late." Up close, his voice sounded deeper and more intimidating. "You didn't tell her that we do not condone lateness here?" He asked and I raised my head a little bit only to return to my former position when I saw that Jamil was still bowing. "I
Luna's PovIf 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 fa
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