Accalia-Monday morning, I walked out of City Hall with Zy. I never had a chance to look at the marriage certificate, as Zy said he would hold onto it. We haven’t signed a contract yet either, but it didn’t matter because we had a verbal agreement.“I can’t stay long because I need to go to work soon, but why don’t I take you shopping to get everything you need?” Zy asked as we came down the stairs.I considered letting him take me shopping, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend alone time with him. This was the first time we had seen each other since the night I moved in with him. When I woke up to see my father, he hadn’t been awake. When I returned later that night, he wasn’t home.When I got up this morning, he left a note on the kitchen counter informing me to meet him at City Hall. I also planned to go shopping with Silica today to get a few things I needed and a few other things to help the apartment feel homier.“You don’t need to worry about that. I planned to go shopping wi
Accalia-My movements froze, and I realized I had already made a mistake. The bike alone was expensive; as far as he knew, I had just moved to the area and hadn’t started working. My thoughts ran rapidly as I tried to think of something that wouldn’t make him suspicious.“I had some savings from college, so I bought it today.”“I am guessing it is a used bike?” Zy asked as he joined me at the table and started eating.“Uh, yeah. It didn’t cost much.”“Well, if you want, I can take it out for a spin to make sure everything works.” Zy offered.“Thank you, but I am okay. I already had everything checked out.” I rubbed my now sweaty palms on my thighs, hoping he would change the subject.“Sounds good.” Zy dipped his spoon in the soup I made, and his face lit up after he tried it. “Did you make this?”“Yeah.” I nodded.“I almost feel like I need to pay you to cook. This is the best I have had in a long time.” Zy continued to shovel mouthfuls of food into his mouth.Relaxing, I started eati
Accalia-When I reached the second floor to check in, I exhaled slowly. I made it just in time, with a minute to spare. Laying my badge on the counter, I smiled at the girl behind the desk.“My name is Lia Turner. I am checking in for my first day as an intern.”“You're late.” The girl snapped without looking up from her phone.“I am checking in at nine exactly.” I turned my phone to show her, which was lit up with the time and date displayed on the screen.“You are going to find out that around here, being on time means you are late. Everyone else is already here, so obviously, you are late.” She emphasized the word late as she set her phone down and snatched my badge off the raised counter. “Whatever, I will get you processed.”She mumbled something else, which sounded insulting, but I ignored it. After she scanned my badge, typed on her keyboard for a minute, and returned it to me, she waved her hand to dismiss me. Frowning, I wondered if everyone had this kind of attitude here.I
Accalia-Once the crosswalk was clear, I drove forward until I reached a few parking spots on the side of the street. After turning off the bike and pocketing the keys, I got off the bike but left my helmet on. Eclipse ran over before I could put the kickstand down.“How is your first day going?” He asked.“What are you doing here?” I asked, flipping my visor up.“I wanted to give you the latest update on how the new base was doing.” Eclipse, thankfully, communicated using our mind link.“I still need to keep a low profile, so you will oversee setting the base up. When I have a chance, I will contact you about it.” I looked from side to side as many people walked past us. “If you and Silica keep showing up unannounced, everything I am working toward will be exposed.”“At least let me know if you have any requirements.” He spoke through his mouth this time.Taking my helmet off, I smoothed out my hair in a low ponytail. “You have been with me for years. Are you saying that you don’t ha
Zydan-I am glad I went to Jaxon’s office when I returned to work. I wanted him to find out about Lia’s situation, so he pulled her file. While he was looking, I noticed the monitors behind him. I witnessed Lia stepping out of the elevator and coming face to face with my unwanted fiancé.Without thinking, I grabbed my mask and rushed out of the office. When I arrived, I silently prayed that Lia wouldn’t recognize me and learn I had lied to her. More than that, I wish I had thought about the possibility of my wife meeting my fiancé so soon.As I stood a few feet from Arielle, I couldn’t believe this was the future Queen of our kind. Not to mention, wasn’t she supposed to be hiding her identity? Either way, I needed to do something to help Lia out of this situation without making it seem intentional.“Now, would someone mind explaining what the situation is?” I asked, my eyes deadlocked on Arielle.“She was supposed to return with our lunches.” Arielle dropped her whiney tone and turned
Accalia-Finally, I was on an official team and could start moving forward in the company. I was surprised that Alpha Hynes came to deal with the situation. I wondered if he disliked Arielle because she was pretending to be me or if it was just her personality.Not that I cared, but at least I felt that maybe he wasn’t as terrible as I thought he would be. At the very least, he seems like a decent boss. I just hope I don’t run into him any more than absolutely necessary.“I need you to get these taken care of before the end of next week.” Jason, my new team leader, put a stack of binders on my desk at least an inch thick.Picking up the top one, I skimmed over the contents. “You want me to handle this on my own?”“Look, I know you are new, but you managed to piss off my boss. Even if Arielle has no immediate control over you, she is above my head. I am only doing what I am told to do.” Jason sighed.“This is my first day, and you want me to handle an important contract.” I put down th
Accalia-When Jason announced that Alpha Hynes was having a meeting to discuss something with everyone in the company, my thoughts immediately went to Zy. I haven’t seen him in two days, since he brought me food. When I went home the next night, Zy wasn’t there. I considered calling him to ask where he was, but I didn’t want to impose on his freedom.For the last two days, I found myself thinking about him when my work slowed down or when I took a break. I had heard Alpha Hynes went on a business trip, so Zy likely went as well. Every time I thought about Zy, I would get lost in thought, but then I would remind myself that we were only married by name.“I wonder what this meeting is about. Interns are rarely allowed to go to meetings.” Diana, one of the interns on my team, said.In the last two days, I have met the team's interns. They weren’t the only ones on the team, but the others seemed too focused on their work to interact with the interns. They might answer questions if an inte
Accalia-After lunch, I had to meet with a client regarding one of the tasks I was given, but I took a detour before returning to the office. The building I stopped in front of was two stories tall and had underground parking. It was the new Renegade base for this region.On the opposite side of the city from Z.H Tech, the Renegade base sat in the center of a massive forest. It used to be an abandoned warehouse, but it was perfect for our needs. I purchased it online and then had Eclipse and a few other members start the renovation process.This was my first time seeing the base in person, but I was already impressed. The yard had been cleaned up and turned into an outdoor training area. It was equipped with an outdoor boxing arena and fighting dummies, all surrounded by a track.A few members were on the track doing laps while others were doing other things. Most of them were senior members of the Sector, but they were still trying to improve themselves. Smiling, I parked the bike by
Accalia-“I already told you that whenever you are ready, I was willing. All you need to do is say the word. I know you wanted to wait to become Alpha Queen, so there is no rush. I will wait until you are ready.”My smile widened. “I am ready now.”Zydan’s face paled, and I wondered if he had second thoughts about marrying me. “Wait. Are you serious?”“I have never been more serious.” I nodded. “I realized that while I was going through all my memories again, I have always focused on what mattered to me and what I wanted. I thought I was making the right decision by waiting until my project was complete and becoming Alpha Queen before marrying you again. I now understand that when I get married was never important. Even if I am married, I can still abolish the marriage law for the future generations.”“Then when do you want to get married?” Zydan smiled, and excitement sparkled in his eyes.“Now.” I stated bluntly.“What about the wedding?” My father asked when Zydan threw my covers o
Accalia-Ow, my head, I thought as I started to wake up. Opening my eyes, I took in my surroundings but didn’t recognize where I was. I was lying on a large bed with a dark purple comforter and black sheets. I also wasn’t alone in the room.The person sitting on the edge of the bed was looking at his phone and not me, so I tried not to move. I didn’t recognize the man, so I didn’t want to make sudden movements until I knew the situation. I was oddly familiar with the man and the room but couldn’t remember anything.“Good, you are awake.” A voice I didn’t recognize spoke as someone I didn’t recognize walked to the side of the bed where the man was sitting.“How are you feeling?” The man, who had been preoccupied with his phone, quickly turned on the bed to look at me.Without a word, I slowly sat up and flinched when the man tried to help me. He took his hand back, but the look in his eyes was filled with pain. Sitting on the bed, I rested my back on the headboard and continued looking
Zydan-Rolling to my side, I avoid Shaw’s attack, but it takes a moment for me to get onto my feet. My ears rang from the hit he delivered when I put myself between him and Lia. Once I was on my feet, I prepared myself for another attack.A sudden burst of energy erupted around me, and it took me a moment to understand that it was Lia’s wolf. Since I was between her and Shaw, I witnessed the moment Shaw was hit with a small lightning bolt. It zapped him but didn’t seem to do any harm.When Shaw’s attention moved past me, I realized she had only used enough of a shock to get his attention. Turning my attention to Lia, I witnessed her transformation into a black wolf with the most captivating violet eyes I have ever seen. It wasn’t until now that I realized this was the first time I had seen her wolf.More than that, Lia’s wolf, Akira, had purple streaks of lightning swarming her as if caressing the fur on her body. The power that rolled off her was nearly ten times more intense than in
Accalia-Staring at the computer in a trance, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It has been two weeks since I sent Arielle and the other test subjects out. I thought it would take more time to determine the results from the final phase, but the indicators on the screen didn’t lie.The full moon was three days ago, and every test subject had maintained excellent results. I could have ended the final testing a week ago, but I put it off until after the full moon. I wanted to be sure there weren’t any issues. For the first time since I began the project, I felt as if a lot of pressure lifted from my shoulders.“Is something wrong?” Emily’s voice pulled me from my trance.“We did it.” I mumbled without taking my eyes off the computer screen.“Seriously?” Emily asked and then shoved me to the side so she could look at the computer. “I don’t understand this stuff, but the indicators are the best I have seen.”“We did it.” I repeated as if I needed more confirmation.Suddenly, I jumped out of my ch
Zydan-Upon returning to the lab, I watched helplessly as Lia became busy again. It wasn’t like before. This time, it was as if she needed to keep herself busy in order to survive. Every time I tried to approach her, she would move on to her next task.When the volunteers Darnell sent to us arrived, it took away more of her freedom. I tried to help her, but there wasn’t much for me to do. Everyone was working hard to speed up the research results. Over the course of three weeks, we went from only having Arielle as a volunteer to having twenty more.We tried to see if the results from Arielle’s implant would be the same without the full moon. After the second volunteer was implanted and was able to shift and have the same results as Arielle, they continued implanting more volunteers. I couldn’t begin to understand what was going on with Lia or why she was pushing herself too hard, but I knew I couldn’t do much to help.I had a feeling it had much to do with the pressure she was under a
Accalia-“Forgive me! I didn’t know.” The man who had greeted us when we arrived said.Shaking my head, I smiled and turned to face him. “It has been a while since I have been here, and although my identity is no longer a secret, not everyone knows who I am.”“I still should have sensed you.” The man kept his attention on his feet, with his head bowed.“I was severely injured recently, so my wolf is resting.” I stepped forward and placed my hand on his shoulder. “Seriously, it is no big deal.” I dropped my hand when he lifted his head.“Well, now that you are here, I will report the most recent developments. I assume you were at the Kenyon residence?” He asked, and I nodded in response.“The members who went after the attackers just reported back.” The man continued as I turned to open the office door so that we could discuss things in private.He stopped talking long enough to sit on a chair across from my desk. Instead of sitting, I leaned against the desk, resting my hip on the edg
Zydan-When the fire finally started disappearing, I was overjoyed. No longer feeling the need to keep spraying the house, I rushed forward to help Lia. The fire wasn’t completely out, but the majority of it was, other than a few small areas. The biggest issue now is the smoke.As I ran toward the house, I saw a group of people gathered, anxiously looking at the house. It looked like they were all inside the fire, meaning Lia had helped them escape. Looking around, I hoped to see Lia, but she wasn’t in the crowd.“Where is Lia?” I asked the couple huddled together, leaning on each other for support.“She went inside to save my son!” The man said, who I recognized as Darrion Kenyon’s father.“She is still inside?” My eyes quickly moved to the house, and fear plunged into me, nearly suffocating me.Even if the fire wasn’t as bad, it was still dangerous. With how many she had already saved, I assumed her wolf was reaching its limits. I tried to sense her, but the signal was weak. Without
Accalia-“What is going on?” I asked as I glanced at Zydan.“I don’t have time to explain, but we need your help. We are under attack!” Darrion yelled, and not even a second later, I heard a crash, followed by the call being disconnected.I rushed into the lab and quickly informed Emily that I needed to leave. “What is wrong?” She asked.“I don’t know, but I believe the Kenyon family is under attack. Darrion called me, and it sounds urgent. Due to their distance, I have no choice but to go myself. Can you handle things until I return?”“Don’t worry about things here. I will take care of them. We have more than enough staff.”“Thank you!” I turned away from her to talk to the tech team and saw Jason.Although he wasn’t always in the lab, he was the one person I knew who could handle things on a technical level until I returned. I barely took two steps before he yelled out to me.“Don’t worry, I got it from here. You take care of whatever you need to.”Nodding my head, I turned to leave
Accalia-“Arielle told me what happened with everyone after I fell asleep.” I twisted in my seat to look at Zydan.“I admit that I have let my thoughts run wild. There are times I feel as if I am not worthy of you. I feel I haven’t contributed enough when I see how hard you work. If I had done more, you wouldn’t be working yourself so hard.” His focus remained on the road as he spoke.“You know, I couldn’t do half of the things I can do if it weren’t for you and everyone around me.” I smiled as I took his free hand in mine.“You are the future Queen, the leader of the Renegades, and in charge of a project that can change the world.”“My identity doesn’t define me. I might be the future Queen, but that has much to do with who my parents are. It isn’t like I came from nothing and worked my way up to that point. As far as being the leader of the Renegades, you have a huge part to play in that.”“What do you mean?” Zydan glanced in my direction briefly before focusing on the road.“When I