~Ezinne~
As I ran from my concealed position behind the tree, my heart pounded furiously. Garrick, having spotted me in my hiding spot, approached with a look of bewilderment etching his features. As the others followed suit, I knew I had to run to save myself from humiliation. I couldn't quite decipher the expression that washed over Garrick's face, but the confusion was unmistakable. Without hesitation, I kept running, my legs threatening to give way beneath me, and my chest tightening as though on the verge of fainting.
My heart raced, overwhelmed by the uncertainty of how Garrick would see me. We had never exchanged words before, and the thought of being rejected on the very first day of my transformation was unbearable. Thankfully, high school was behind us, sparing me the torment of encountering him in those familiar hallways as his destined mate or as his rejected. I sprinted back to Louisa's house, spending a few minutes outside to catch my breath. If I rushed in gasping for air, she would interrogate me relentlessly until she uncovered the reason behind my panting. And I would be the last person to tell her what had just happened.
Louisa sat in the living room, her gaze fixed expectantly on the door, awaiting Candice and Canice's return with stories of their first shift and newfound mates. Her eyes, however, narrowed with disdain as I entered and greeted her.
"You've shifted," she stated flatly, her eyes not meeting mine. It wasn't a question, but a declaration. I nodded in response.
"Yes, I found my wolf." I couldn't help but wonder if she secretly hoped I hadn't shifted, to enable her to continue ridiculing me and my late mother. Fortunately, fate had other plans. I began making my way toward the staircase.
"What about Candice and Canice?" Louisa called out, her voice halting me in my tracks. "Did they find their wolves?"
I hesitated, relishing the thought of keeping her in suspense. "I-I didn't notice—"
"What do you mean, you didn't notice? Weren't you at the Moon Plain?" she pressed.
"I-I didn't participate in the festival," I admitted, my voice barely a whisper.
"So, you didn't find your mate then?" Her tone was probing, almost hopeful.
I kept quiet. I couldn't tell her that I had the hottest boy in Eclipse Pack as my destined mate. She would kill me before her children came back and before the news could spread. There was no need to let anyone know about it anyway; Garrick was obsessed with Elara and wouldn't even choose someone like me, over Elara. She took my silence as affirmation and relaxed back in her chair, a smug satisfaction settling over her.
"I suppose I'll have to put up with your witchcraft for a little while longer," she muttered. "Or, now that you're of age, perhaps you could serve as a cook in the pack house. It's the only thing you seem good at."
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of the pack house. Facing Garrick again was a prospect I dreaded. I couldn't allow Louisa to find out what was going on.
"I-I'll g-go to college instead," I stammered.
She shot me a sharp glare and sat upright. "And what college would that be? Did your witch of a mother leave a hidden fortune for your education?" she scoffed. "I won't stop you, but if you have the means and resources, then by all means, go." With that, she reclined back into the sofa, her attention drifting away from me.
I was aware that my father had left behind some money for me before his passing. Although I never truly knew him, I had heard a variety of stories about him— the good, the bad, and the ugly. My sentiments toward him often revolve between deep-seated resentment and a faint sense of his love. Nevertheless, as the Beta of the pack, he had set a standard that demanded all his offspring receive an education.
At that moment, the twins arrived, pulling into the driveway. Candice was the first to step out of the car, and her mother couldn't contain her excitement, embracing her daughter warmly as she noticed the extra clothing she had taken to the Lunar dance.
"My precious, you've shifted!" Candice confirmed her mother's excited exclamation of her shift with a mere nod, though her expression was tinged with melancholy. Her mother's brows furrowed in confusion. "What's troubling you, dear?"
Canice sauntered in, his hands nonchalantly tucked in his pockets. "She wasn't Garrick's mate, as you had predicted, mother," he declared indifferently, plopping down onto one of the room's sofas. Then, he turned his gaze toward me. "Hey, you there. Fetch me a glass of water; I'm quite thirsty."
"I'm sure you know where to find water," I replied dismissively and began ascending the stairs.
Canice had a penchant for such behaviour, always seeking to demean me. I was not a servant, but he consistently treated me like one. There had been an incident in the kitchen where he had made unwelcome advances towards me. That night, I had responded with a fierce slap, and when I reported the incident to Louisa, she had blamed me and accused me of seducing Canice. Among the twins, I harboured a stronger dislike for him. At least Candice, for her part, barely acknowledged my existence. She simply regarded me with indifference, only speaking when necessary.
Canice abruptly approached and seized my hand, forcefully spinning me around to face him. Felicia, my wolf, stirred within me, ready for a confrontation.
"I'm still speaking to you, lady," Canice hissed, pushing me roughly.
Instinctively, my wolf's reflexes surged through me, and I reacted with a sharp slap across his face. Almost instantly, Louisa materialised beside me, her hand striking my cheek with a stinging force.
"He merely asked you for a simple favour, and you dare to slap him!" Louisa berated me. "Is it his fault your witch mother met her end through her own misdeeds? Do you intend to kill him as well? Apologise this instant and fetch him his water."
Felicia's growls echoed again within me, but I exerted all my restraint to keep her in check. The last thing I needed was for Louisa to fulfil her longstanding threat of using a silver whip on me, a punishment she had ominously reserved for my so-called rebellious nature when I shifted.
Swallowing my pride, I muttered, "I'm sorry, ma. I apologise, Canice. I'll get the water now." I walked away, leaving them behind. As I headed toward the kitchen, Canice's voice reached my ears.
"She doesn't even know I'm her future Beta. I'll deal with her eventually."
~*~
I jolted awake from my bed, drenched in sweat, screaming and gasping for breath. The relentless nightmares were haunting my sleep once again. I had been plagued by these nightmares since I turned fifteen, and they showed no signs of relenting. Louisa and her children had labelled me a witch due to the incessant and inexplicable dreams and screams.
This time, the ominous pounding in my dream morphed into an insistent knocking at the door. With a heavy sigh, I glanced at the wall clock, realising it was still early in the morning. I couldn't fathom who could be at the door at this hour. I reluctantly climbed out of bed and descended the stairs, only to find Louisa had already answered the door. I paused on the stairs when I heard her utter the word 'Alpha' in a tone of utter astonishment. The presence of Alpha Icarus in our home at this hour set my mind racing with anxiety. Had they come to officially reject me?
I stood at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping on their conversation as Louisa welcomed them into the living room. The sweet scent of cedar that reached my nostrils confirmed that Garrick was here with his father. My heart raced faster as I listened to Louisa engage in pleasantries with Alpha, Luna, and their son, wondering why they had graced her modest abode so early in the day.
Alpha Icarus wasted no time in coming to the point. "Louisa," he began, his voice firm and direct. "I'm not one for beating around the bush or wasting time. We're here because Garrick's mate is one of your daughters."
My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. Garrick had informed his father about me, and they had come to reject me. I turned to retreat to my room, preparing to face the agony of rejection, but Alpha Icarus' next words froze me in place.
"I'm delighted that it's your daughter, Louisa. Laurie was a dear friend of mine, and the moon goddess seems to want this friendship to continue beyond his passing."
I could almost visualise Louisa's expression of shock, fully aware that her own daughter, Candice, was not the one in question. Meanwhile, my own jaw dropped in disbelief. Was Alpha Icarus actually acknowledging and accepting me?
"Garrick has come to accept the hand of his mate and our future Luna, Ezinne Stone," he declared.
