Chapter 44 Mondrian The rhythmic pounding of my fists against the punching bag did nothing to dull the frustration gnawing at my insides. Two days have passed since the fire that had almost taken Celene’s life—two painful days of sitting on my toes as I waited for her to wake up. I couldn’t shake the image of her, pale and unmoving as she lay beneath the concrete pillar in what had once been her room. “Dammit,” I muttered under my breath, as I land one final blow on the bag before taking a step back, my chest heaving. I grabbed the towel hanging nearby and wiped the sweat from my face, but the tension between my shoulder blades remained. No matter how hard I punched or pressed, I couldn’t let it go. Not unless Celene somehow woke up from what healer Eric had termed a much-needed rest—more like a coma. Something wasn’t right about the, and I wasn’t going to sit back and the pack brushes it off like a simple accident. As I moved to check the time, the door to my personal t
Chapter 45 Celene “Celene” I jumped at the sound of the familiar voice calling my name, my heart raced as I spun around, and my breath hitched in my throat. Mondrian stood by the doorway, his chest rose and fell with barely restrained intensity. “Gosh, you scared me,” I said, throwing him a small smile, as I stood wave of guilt for being caught ransacking his clothes flushed my skin red. His eyes hooded, with an emotion I couldn't not place. For a moment, both of us remained in silence. I pulled on a loose shirt I had found in his closet—his shirt. My cheeks grew red as I realized he had been staring at me. His gaze lingered on my skin, intense as it raked all over, as if greedy to take it all, it made my pulse quicken. I flushed under his scrutiny, as I battled not to let it affect me but I couldn't help but feel a pool on my lower stomach. It was excitement. “Mondrian, you are here” I breathed, the word escaped my lips before I could stop it. He stepped forward as he gr
46 Celene “Is he here?” I asked, no one in particular as I peeked from behind an oak tree not too far from my quarter. I had been on my way to the kitchen when I heard his familiar voice, within a spur of a moment I had darted behind the courtyard trees in my need to avoid him. I sighed a deep breath as I dropped to my knees, the thud of my heart, a small reminder that I was very much aware of him, despite my consistent insistent that I wasn't. Avoiding Mondrian had become a full-time job. Every time I heard his footsteps down the hall, I would duck into the nearest room or take the long way around the palace. Despite my insistence on leaving his quarters after I had fully recovered, Mondrian had refused to let me go. The Luna, my stepmother had seen no issue with this, according to her ‘I was his property and would do well to please him', and yet he made no move to take me—physically or otherwise. And still, I found myself cringing at my decision to back off, Every time the t
47 Celene “Celene,’’ she said, her sharp voice cut through the fog made denser by thoughts of Mondrian. I flinched, startled, as I looked up at her. She stood with her arms crossed, an unimpressed expression on her face. “You seem... distracted.” I forced a smile, though it felt awkward, ever since the issue with Cristoff I didn't want to be too close to her, not that we were ever close in the first place, “Just... a lot on my mind.” She raised an eyebrow, her gaze flickered over me as it shone with a strange kind of curiosity. “Is that so? It is understandable after all…” She trailed off as an odd glint flashed in her eyes, I grew uncomfortable with her stare as I shifted in my seat, “After all what, Ella?” My voice came much harsher than I intended. “ Oh, it nothing…. It is just funny, isn't it? You just survived a fire, and yet... not a single burn mark.” “Well, that's all thanks to Alpha Mondrian. I heard he called for the very best of healers for me. I am indeed grateful.
Chapter 48 Mondrian “Where did she go?” Arlen fidgeted as he looked around the vicinity, “ Alpha, I could have sworn she was around here. My powers led me hear.” I sighed as I watched the young Lycan panic over his miscalculation, Arlen who was quickly becoming some sort of assistant to me was sent by Alex after our last argument, “ Are you sure you made no mistakes, I know you are still young, it could be a glitch.” My hands ran through my hair, not believing a word I had said. Despite being considered young, Arlen was already more than two hundred and had already made a name for himself in the barracks. “My powers never lie sire. It's impossible.” He spat looking very offended at my comment, as he rightly should be, but the frustration I felt over Celene's action made me jittery. “Fine!” My jaw twitched as my eyes roved through the courtyard, “it looks as if she doesn't want to be found.” “Alpha, are we going to leave her like that? It's not safe! What if something happens to
49 Mondrian The talk with Alex had soured my mood, I couldn't bring myself to focus. Although the thought of pushing Celene, scared me, her current actions kept me worried. After her accident, I decided to put a stop to the attack on Celene, partly because the thought that my actions had created a ripple effect causing others to perceive Celene as an easy target bothered me and I didn't fully trust Ella. As I paced the floor length of my room the sound of the door closing alerted me of her return, without another thought I hurried after her desperate to catch a glimpse of her. The moment I reached her door, her scent enveloped me, warm and soothing as my wolf urged me to hurry, I hesitated for a moment before I knocked. “Celene.” No answer. I knocked again, louder this time, but there was still no response. “Celene. I know you are in there. Open the door we need to talk.” My hand hovered over the doorknob, as my wolf urged me to just go in. To take what was mine. I assessed
Chapter 50 Mondrian “Damn it all to hell” I muttered under my breath as I stalk away from Celene's closed door for the third time this night. Despite her non-committal attitude towards me I still had a small hope of her coming around. Realizing that I only wanted the best for her. For the third time, I walked away from her hallway feeling like dirt. The need to mark her became a steady pressure that rested between my shoulder blades pressing down on me, as the date to my impending death pushed on me at the top. My mind was a constant swirl of frazzled nerves until everyone around me could sense it. Just last night Luna Valerie had asked if I wished to take a break. My jaw twitched at the conversation she had one-sidedly had, where she had pushed that i take on a lover. At the mention of the word my mind flashed towards Pecan— Lovely pecan who was very willing to help me what whatever way she could, despite my interest, a feeling of guilt settled on my heart as our last conversat
Chapter 51 Mondrian Something didn't feel right. My Wolf growled in annoyance at the girl's words, I contemplated her words and couldn't find anything wrong with her promise or her words, yet I didn’t trust the gleam I could hear in her words, nor the upbeat of her words that she fought to push back, my ears had picked up on her heartbeat that had picked up slightly during the promise but I was out of options. “Fine. I'll choose to believe you, Ella, only because we are aiming for the same thing. You want Christoff to only focus on you right?” I asked, annoyed I couldn't see her face, I continued without waiting for an answer, “ Make sure you don't botch this up, Ella. I won't be held responsible for whatever happens to you. Understood.” “Of course, Alpha” she purred. “I won't fail. When I'm done Christoff will have no reason to leave me ever again.” As I ended the call, a sour taste lingered in my mouth. Every instinct in me screamed that this was a mistake—I shouldn’t trust
101 Celene The thoughts of the previous night kept replaying in my head, couldn’t stop replaying the moment in my mind. Mondrian walked away from me, his face a myriad of emotions that I could place, walking away from me after that hug that left me wanting him to stay, yet too embarrassed to do anything. What was that all about? It wasn’t like him to act so cold, Mondrian always made sure to savor every single moment of our time together. That hug should have lasted for quite a while before breaking it with a kiss. Although I tried not to think too deeply about his actions, I couldn't help but feel his walking away had to do with the promise he had made to me. Did he not want to do it or was he having second doubts? The thought ate at me all night. Twisting and turning in bed all night, pulling the blanket tighter, then throwing it off entirely. Sleep eluded me no matter what I did or how hard I tried. My mind kept circling back to him— his expression, him walking out without so
100 Mondrian I stepped into my office to find Alex my beta and best friend waiting for me, his arms folded and his face set in his usual calm and unreadable expression. Although It was his usual look, but something about it annoyed me. Maybe it was the tension in the air, or maybe it was the way my own guilt over Celene—walking away from her—still clung to me like a heavy cloak. Either way, I wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. “Alex,” I greeted curtly, nodding as I took my seat at the head of the desk. "Alpha," he responded, his tone even, but I caught the flicker of Amusement in his eyes. He knew something. Before I could say anything more, Arlen walked in, his boots clicking against the floor as he joined us. His young face showed none of the excitement he usually eluded instead the shadows under his eyes and the way he sighed told a different tale. It was not surprising, considering the mission I’d sent him on. "Arlen," I said, leaning forward. "Any News young one? Are t
99 Mondrian “What the heck was that?” Zara’s sharp voice followed me as I turned towards the stairs leading to my office. “Do you even realize how harsh you were?” she asked, walking in tandem with me, arms placed hastily on her hips. I stopped mid-step and turned to her, my jaw tightening. “I was harsh for a good reason.” My voice was cold and fiand rm, Zara’s eyes held mine, “She disobeyed me, Zara. She could’ve gotten hurt or worse.” “She didn’t, though,” she countered, her voice calm but firm, her arms crossed across her chest. “And yelling at her like that isn’t going to make her listen to you. If anything, you’re just going to push her further away. I thought you wanted her to fall for you. This isn't the way Mondrian.” Her words hit me like a blow to the chest. I hated to admit it, but she was right. The look on Celene’s, face when I had scolded her—hurt, betrayed, and shocked kept replaying in my mind. It made me feel sick to my stomach. The thought of Celene shifting
98 Celene I stared at her, my hand still raised, my chest heaving. The energy I’d felt when I had merged with Alera surged through me, I could feel the electric tension as my hands trembled from the rush. What the heck was that? My mind whirling as It struggled to process what had just happened. Pecan’s stunned face didn't change as she stared at me, and I couldn’t shake the image of her flying. Albeit satisfying that should have been impossible, I shouldn't be able to do that…not with Pecan who had a place in Mondrian's army, rumors about her slaying mountains of men had welcomed me on my very first day, despite her nasty attitude, she was someone Mondrian had acknowledged and I had thrown her with a flick of my wrist. The hallway grew eerily silent, for a second it all felt like a dream, but my heartbeat pounded loudly in my ears telling a different tale. Then, out of nowhere, Zara appeared, her face full of worry as she hurried toward me. “What happened? I heard a scream,” s
97 Celene I woke up to find Mondrian sitting by my bed, his head in his hands. His shoulders looked heavy like he was carrying the weight of the world. The dim light of the room made his dark hair gleam, and his expression, when he finally glanced up at me, was nothing short of pained. My heart skipped at his forlorn expression. “Mondrian?” My voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. My throat burning, and everything felt… off—dull. Still, I reached out to him “What’s wrong?” He exhaled slowly like he was relieved just to hear me speak. “Celene,” he said, his voice soft but laced with tension. “You’re awake. I'm glad.” But his expression still didn't change. “Of course I’m awake,” I said, frowning, as a soft groan escaped My lips. My head was pounding, and my memories were foggy. Before I could ask what had happened, a single memory turned sharp in my mind, and it made my heart leap, excitement fueled my voice looking towards him “I turned! Didn’t I?” His face fell fur
96 Mondrian “Why would you say that, Mondrian?” The voice startled me. In the chaos of trying to save Celene and then battling Maria's words, I had forgotten about the people around me. I turned around, and there he was, glaring at me like I’d just committed some sort of crime. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his expression was sharp a far cry from his usual expressionless face. “You think this is your fault?” he demanded, his voice harsh. “Celene turning and then her fever? You think you’re the reason she’s like this?” I didn’t say anything for a moment. How could I explain? He wouldn’t understand. “If I had been paying a little bit of attention, I would’ve noticed something was wrong,” I finally said, my voice quiet but firm. “if only I wasn't so selfish…I could’ve done something to stop it.” Alex shook his head, frustrated. “Stop it? Stop what, Mondrian? The fever? The turning? What exactly?” His voice rises with every question, “Celene is an adult, she can make h
95 Mondrian “Aren't you in love with Celene?” Zara's words replay in my head on a continuous loop, her words hit me like a punch to the guys, her eyes boring into mine as she stared at me with a look of assuredness. She followed up by stating her efforts towards bringing I and celene together. I had been too shocked to defend myself, too unsure of what was in store for me, I could only stutter, Zara had looked at me with a face tinged with a shock that I hadn't realized before patting my shoulder urging me to think about my next steps before leaving me to my thoughts, with a simple excuse. Too shocked to function I walked back into the room, and her pale unconscious face came into view. Was I in love with Celene? Had I been very obvious in my interest in her? Did Celene like me too? The thoughts ricochet around my mind, mixing in with my feelings of worry towards Celene, until it becomes a giant pile of nerves. With a huff, I fall back on the bed. “What am I doing?” I muttere
94 Mondrian “Celene!” Horror overwhelms me watching her wolf fall in slow motion after finally turning puts my heart in reverse, catching her fall, I pull her into my arms, “What's wrong with you Celene?” She doesn't respond. She had fallen unconscious. This was all my fault, I had no one else to blame, I should have stopped her when she wanted to try again, and I should have been more strict. Despite her being unconscious, her body begins the painful process of turning human. I winced at every crack, her weak body made even when she didn't acknowledge them. Pilling her close to my chest I waited out the turning process murmuring sweet meaningless nothings, while I prayed for it all to be over. At the last pop, I pull off my jacket to cover her semi-naked body, she had been in her underwear during the transformation, and she had feared ruining the sportswear she had walked in with. Her body flushed red from the pain and soaked with sweat, glistened under the sweltering sun. With
93 Celene My talk with Zara put my thoughts in line. To learn more information about my history I needed to ask my father, which I couldn't do on my own, so another goal was created— I needed to overpower Luna Valerie and my father to become strong enough so they respect me. To do so I needed power— more than I already had. Which could only be gotten if I learned to turn, the history book clearly stated the silver wolfs were blessed with powers, and even Alera could confirm, but for some odd reason she couldn't unlock it. Further solidifying my reasons to become stronger, I needed a teacher. I need Mondrian. There was no one more fitting of the role other than Alpha Mondrian. He understood my problem and wanted to help, moreover, I was comfortable a bit with him. I held my breath, my hands growing sweaty, waiting for him to give me an answer. His deep grey eyes bore into mine, holding me in place, “Are you sure Celene? I thought we agreed you should take things slow.” He asked,