Six

Thalia's POV:

"Honey, the university you just completed the form for,will choose if you're fit for being the Alpha King's mate or not."

Those words.

They seemed to never leave me alone.

The talk with my mother had drained all the energy out of me.

I had wanted to shout at her,at everyone, kick everything infront of me, wreck those werewolves, but had ended up confiding myself to my room.

Mom said I always do it when I have to figure something out.

I say it's when I feel shit.

And this time?

I looked around.

My whole room was a mess.

It had been since the last two days.

Everything lay scattered, including all those precious items in my memory box.

I had thought I had planned my life out thoroughly when it turned out to be nothing but a lie and a disgusting one at that.

Traitorous tears escaped my eyes unwillingly,even when I tried so hard to not let them. my heart was in pain and it was aching all over and these mental tortures were wrecking my brain and I.

I had achieved everything,just to do things my way,live how I wished to but it was all foolish.

We were under their rule. I should've known better. Yet, I had mapped my academic life as if I were free.

I could finally feel the presence of those imaginary bars that caged me. I finally realized that while I considered myself free, in reality I was in a room instead of a cage.

All those sweet memories rushed into my brain,tackling eachother for me to witness them.

Back when I used to learn self defense with Alara. Her dad and mine used to make us work till we fell down, breathless. Our complaints were never ending yet there stubbornness knew no bounds.

I still reminisced those harsh words they threw at us so we could fight back.

"And that time when you won by throwing your dad off guard." My brain reminded me.

Then came those times I spent with my family. We were those who hardly jumped up at every chance for a vacation,so I salvaged all those we went to.

When mom taught me swimming and dad buried me in the sand.

Or when I was younger and my dad and I used to sneak out into the kitchen for some cookies but mom would always be standing beside the light switch.

When Aunt used to surprise me with tulips so that they became my favorite flowers. Or when I found out Nathan had a girlfriend and he had to buy me everything I wanted for a whole month just for me to shut up.

Something that ended up confusing mom and emptying his account.

And those trips I had with my friends were like a dream come true. We were the most immature group ever. We threw foam into random peoples shoes and acted like we were long lost cousins with random kids.

We rang the bell and ran numerous times,so much that we had come home to find four guests.

Four very angry guests.

And that one time when we wrote confession notes and put them in random bags, something that lead to two breakups and four relationships.

All those sleepovers; Hera and I studying while Alara used to snore in the background, Alara and I running off with Hera's food, both of them leaving me alone in the boys gym with a very questionable coach, me putting ice in their shirts when they were out cold, us forgetting about our history test while dancing in the rain and Alara getting upset because only she ended up failing.

And then the chat I had just a day ago with dad resurfaced.

I was still busy processing those words when he came home with that knowing expression. It had sorrow and pity written all over it.

I despised being pitied and he knew it.

When I could finally free my paralysed tongue,I turned to him.

He kissed me on the head and gave me that fatherly hug I'll never outgrow of.

Now that I was back in the room, I thought about all he had said.

"I know you're strong Thalia, and no, I am not here to make you feel better. YOU ARE STRONG because you made yourself work hard to achieve everything. I know what I taught you and I know my daughter will act sensibly. This is your life Thalia, and I won't stop you from making decisions. Just do whatever you have to."

After hours and hours of staring the wall,I finally decided to get up.

I take a bathe to soothe my muscles and think about it again. and again. Until I feel the words engrave my mind.

"This is my life and I can do how I please. I will form a plan and get out of this shit game. No one gets to control me." I chant it like a mantra.

With a new hope and thought, I finally change into something more comfortable and head downstairs.

My family is supportive during hard times.

Whenever anyone of us went through mental stress and torture, we let them confine themselves to their room until they decided to do something about it.

So when my parents saw me, it was our time to cry in a group hug.

I was a big grump to many,but the biggest softie for them.

"I'm so sorry." Mom chokes back a sob as she clears my tears.

"No." I clear my throat. No matter how much I want to curl up and sleep,I cannot escape things without moving a hand.

"No more tears and sobs. Two days were enough."I say, determined.

"Now I have to handle this situation practically. Dad is right. This is my life and I can do how I please. I still have a way out of this,I just have to focus and handle things better."

Dad gives me a proud smile,though I can see the sadness in his eyes.

It tears me apart to see him feel so helpless.

"You don't look handsome at all with that sad expression dad." I joke and he wheezes out a laugh.

"Fine. No more fake sadness for you." He replies and I roll my eyes while my mom snorts.

Then she turns to me and her eyes soften. "What did you plan?"

"Oh I do have a plan,alright. And the first step to it is a meetup with my besties."

Hera and I reach Alara's in about two hours. I had managed to coax her out but knowing Alara, she is way more stubborn.

Hera has a grim expression, but other than that she seems okay.

Well, atleast someone is handling the situation better.

Alara's mother opens the door,her eyes sympathizing with us as she checks out our expressions.

She sighs and looks outside the door.

"It's so quiet these days." She murmurs.

It's true. Since the werewolves got all the applications, hardly anyone has left their home. The only ones out are the juniors who go to school.

Now I know why it's always so quiet this time of the month.

Right now,there is no car in sight,even the wind is still as if the whole world has stopped to witness this.

"Yeah,well alot of us are still processing it all." Hera replies.

"You girls grew up so quick."

I don't say anything,preferring to gather my thoughts first,but Vanessa sends us upstairs to talk to Alara.

The stairs creak under our weight,but I'm pretty sure Alara is oblivious to our presence.

Sure enough, we see her sitting on the bed with her back towards the door.

"I'm not hungry mom." Her voice is muffled,and its clear she's been crying.

"Hey babygirl." I manage to say. "Not eating won't help."

The effect is immediate. Her face whips towards us and then she tumbles out of the bed and into our arms.

"I never wanted to go a college. I- I just wanted to work! Look at me guys! I was being trained for being a prey."

Her sobs break my heart.

It's clear she's still in the denial phase,unlike me or Hera. While I'm angry, Hera seems to have accepted it.

We manage to quiet Alara down, and then I proceed to tell her the whole story about human mates.

There is a five minutes silence before she speaks again.

"So they're cursed because they treated us like shit? And now they- ohmygod my head is paining so bad right now."

"Do any of you know anything about the university's criteria?" Hera asks,her voice so quiet that for a second I feel I imagined it.

"No." I admit. "But mom told me next week we'll be leaving. The town would think we're gone for the trip so none of the juniors suspect anything and well, alpha tone." I shrug.

"I don't want to do anything." Alara mutters in distaste.

"Yeah well,there goes my academic plans." I give a bitter laugh.

"What are you guys going to do?" Hera questions.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Hera gives me an obvious look. "What will you guys do? I know you won't be going along with it and I'm pretty sure Thalia has thought of a plan to defy them. I'm with you guys really, but I don't want to piss off the wolves."

Her explanation makes sense because we have to think of our families and all those around us.

You can't go out there and openly defy the wolves,it's against all rules.

And wolves don't appreciate challenges,infact they get rid of them as soon as they can.

"Yeah,I won't do something rash. I'll pretend to follow their rules and I will go to the university, pretending to go along with them but I won't be chosen."

Alara raises an eyebrow as a silent question and I sigh,then say the truth.

"I wrote lies on the application." I admit out loud for the first time.

"It's not my place to tell you this but one thing I'll be very clear about. If you lie, they'll know. They always know."

Blake's words ring in my ear as a warning.