NovaI’m staring at myself in the floor-length mirror of my walk-in closet with nothing but a silk nightgown wrapped around my naked body. It’s Wednesday; it’s the day Nikolai finally claims me as his.7 pm now - Nikolai has been out with his brothers one a final run together before the ceremony, and I’ve been stuck inside all day. Not that I mind at all, though. I love being alone, especially when I’m feeling this way. An anxious, nervous, excited mess all rolled into one.“Is there a reason you’re staring at yourself like that, little Rogue?” Came the voice of the man I had just been thinking about. I turn around and raise my eyebrow at him.“I thought it’s bad luck for the bride to see the groom on their wedding day?” I say.Nikolai chuckles and walks toward me. “If you believe in that shit,” he says, wrapping his arms around me from behind and kissing my neck. “I don’t believe in luck, little Rogue; we make our own luck.”I can’t help but smile at his words. Even if he did call t
Nova There’s a black altar situated in front of a gushing waterfall and lake; on top of the altar is a thick woven red rope, black and red candles with obsidian crystals. A simple black blanket is placed to the left of the altar, undoubtedly where Nikolai would claim me. Marle indicates for us to stand in front of her, and when we do, she offers us familiar smiles and stands with her palms up, facing the sky. “Tonight, we’ve come to witness and bless this union between two souls that have been fated since their birth. Two hearts which will beat in synchronicity from this day forward, two beings becoming one now forevermore.” Marle starts, and then she takes both Nikolai and my left hands in hers, placing them on top of one another. “Nikolai, Nova, *these are the hands of your best friend, young, strong and full of love for you as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours as you build your future together. These ar
Nova “KAI!” Vladimir’s voice booms through the forest, and Nikolai and I jump up, rushing towards the edge of the woods to where our clothes were and getting dressed as fast as we can. A cacophony of voices resound in my head, the entire pack speaking, and when I focus, I can sense the Volkov brothers. /“Why the fuck is he here? Didn’t he say he would be leaving?”/ I hear Konstantin over the mind link and recall Nikolai’s discussion with me a few days ago. Vladimir said that he would be leaving New York for Russia; so why is he here now, calling for Alpha Kai? I see the brothers all rushing out of the mansion to see what’s going on, ready for a fight if need be. /“Something is wrong with him…he’s bleeding-”/ Just as I say this, we spot a figure hunched over in the middle of the clearing, and Nikolai growls. “KAI!” Vladimir calls out again, then gets to his feet and walks hunched over to where Alpha Kai stood. “The child… He’s coming for the child!” The gravity of what he has j
Arya /“There comes a time when you look into the mirror, and you realise that what you see is all that you will ever be. And then you accept it, or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors.”/ J. Michael Straczynski was correct when he said this; it is the only quote that resounds in my head as I look at myself in the mirror in front of me. Gone are the days of Arya, the beautiful; now I’m simply Arya, the monster. Four years ago, I was the most beautiful mafia princess; engagements came aplenty, and gifts scattered my bedroom floor often. But I only had eyes for the handsome Dante DiMaggio. An older mafia boss based in Chicago, and as luck would have it, he wanted me as his bride. Life was easier back then. Compliments were my prayers; I fed off the attention men would bestow on me and craved the dirty looks their women would shoot my way. Even at nineteen, I knew how beautiful I was and used my beauty as a weapon. But, oh how far the mighty have fallen. Vanity is a sin,
Dimitri I knew the guy was dead long before I landed the final punch, but I find lately that beating my fist against flesh helps relieve some of the frustration I felt. I look at the piece of shit on the floor and growl in annoyance; I wasn’t supposed to kill him, just get information. But the anger is just too fucking much right now. That full moon and its pull - coupled with the fact that I finally saw Arya tonight and she looked so fucking miserable. Her scars were covered and she was dressed up, but it didn’t take away the absolute sadness etched into her eyes. Sadness and misery that I caused. “Fuck,” I say through gritted teeth as I wash the blood from my hands. It’s funny to think that five years ago I never would have thought I could take a life, now I do it daily. I always used to be against murder, but ever since I betrayed my brothers and my pack, I have felt the need to make it up to them. Dimitri, the pacifist died a long time ago, and in its place stood a man devoid
Arya Dimitri Volkov. It sounds weird, but I have dreamt of this guy with the silver eyes before. Everything about him seems familiar and warm, like sunshine after a rainstorm. I didn’t want to act like a brat, I wanted to talk to him more, but then the pity replaced the amusement in his eyes and I backed off.The pity always pops up, and I hate it.Why did he have to be there? Why did he have to save my life when I was just about to end it? Of all people, it had to be the beautiful man who plagued my dreams when the nights got bad. He’s cocky as shit and when he grabbed my arm, I nearly jumped at the warmth of his touch.My mind drifts to him even as my father is shouting at me for making him worry and the whisky on his breath is palpable. I allow him to get out his anger and worry; he’s the only one who cares about me anyway.Besides being Russian Mafia, who is Dimitri Volkov?That’s when I remember something and turn to my father who is leading me inside the mansion.“What did you
DimitriI had to get out of there before I did something I would have regretted. I was so close to kissing her, so close to doing something I shouldn’t have and by the look in her eyes, she would have allowed it. The fact that she speaks my mother tongue and called me Mitya made me feel genuinely happy for once. My mate has a nickname for me, a nickname she had no idea held so much sway over me.Being so close to my mate is doing strange things to me, it's forcing me to let my guard down and forget what I did to her. Even as the makeup covered her face, I could still make out the four deep scars running down her face. The contact lens matched her other green eye, but I could see the milky film of the damage I caused. I don’t know why I gave her my number, or why I accepted her father’s invitation to this sham of a wedding. All I know is that I had to see Arya again, I had to smell her scent and feel that little sliver of happiness again.Fuck knows I don’t deserve it.The night I le
AryaI didn’t see Dimitri again after I sent those cringe texts, and he didn’t even respond after my last one. What the hell possessed me to send him texts about the stars? He must think I’m crazy now, right? The fact that I have scars going down my face doesn’t leave him running for the hills, but talking about stars does.What the hell.I walk out to my balcony and welcome the cold night air over my skin. After five hours of nonstop painting in my studio, I needed a breather. As much as painting is my beloved hobby, I can only do so much; my hand cramps up, and my brain becomes mush after a while. The cold air usually helps with that.It’s getting chillier out, but I couldn't stay inside as my room felt too stuffy. It felt too empty with all the materialistic shit in there; I should really consider donating the things I don’t use. Maybe someone else will have better use for my 50 pairs of Jimmy Choos.Leaning over the stone balustrade, I wonder if I should text him again to ask how