AryaShock overcomes me. I gasp for breath as the pain starts to build around my shoulders. I try to buck Arthur off, but even the slightest movement is making my shoulder hurt even more.“Let me go!” I yell at him, trying to reach him with my foot but I can’t do it. “You’re hurting me! Let me go!”“You’re here to learn how to fight, not to beg for your life,” he whispers in my ear. “Now fight me.”For some reason, that makes my skin go all tingly again, and this time I’m pretty sure it’s not from being repulsed.With my shaking limbs, I try to elbow him hard, but then he just dodges me and pushes me harder against the wall.“Maybe this will be a good first lesson for you,” he tells me as he begins to ease his grip. “Always be vigilant. Always be mindful of what you’re opponent is doing. You got so distracted over making me leave that you didn’t even think of this happening. Now you’re stuck, and I can just as easily . . . end you. For good.”Damn it. It makes me hate myself to admit
Arya“You?” I stammer.Arthur shrugs. “Yes, me. Do we have any problem with that?”I do. That’s the truth. I have all sorts of issues with this arrangement, but what can I do? Complain to the King and Queen who are in a meeting right now? Would they even listen to me? Because it really seems that they like Arthur and they think he’s all that.I don’t answer. I just fold my arms over my chest as we stand face to face. For some reason, he doesn’t look teasing right now. There’s a certain tension in the air and I can see it in the way the muscles in his shoulders shift under his shirt.“Are you alright?” I ask.He brushes me off. “Let’s just go.”With that, some of the servants open the door for us and he leads me away, but then he stops when he sees a man standing beside a car in front of the palace.“Your Grace.” Arthur bows. “What are you doing here?”“Just making sure that you are doing what the King and Queen wants you to do.” The man looks at me and suddenly I’m struck with how muc
AryaI look into Arthur’s eyes and I’m struck by one thing. Genuine care.He looks like he means what he said, like he really will be there if something bad happens to me. That makes my throat loosen up, my heart returning to its normal rate slowly.“You mean that?” I ask in a vulnerable voice. “But I. . . .”“I mean it.” He lets me go and steps away from me to give me space. “Are you feeling better? Can you breathe?”“Yes,” I say, but my voice still sounds low. I look around me and realize that we are in some sort of a garden. There’s a group of tall white buildings looming beyond us. “Is that the academy?”“Yeah, but we don’t have to go there now,” he offers. “You still have so much time to discover all of that and you don’t need to do it now. We can just stay here and look around until you’re all good.”“Are you sure?”“Of course.” He smiles at me, and I feel something flutter in my chest. “I know this area too, though. And I can show you my favorite spot. Come with me.”I look at
AryaThe ride back home is quiet. At some point, I fall asleep as Arthur continues to drive. I woke up just in time to see that we were back in the palace and that the sky was starting to darken.“I’ll drop you off here,” he says. “Have a great evening, Miss Arya.”“Drop the Miss,” I tell him, flashing him a smile. “Have a great night, Arthur.”The sound of his name feels nice to say, and that makes him smile too. With a final little wave, he drives away and I watch him disappear before I run back to our quarters.The maidens tell me that the King and Queen are still occupied with the meeting, so I eat dinner alone and spend the rest of my night in my room, watching the stars from the window and eventually falling asleep.When I wake up, it’s already morning.And I surprise myself by feeling so ready and so energized to have another lesson with Arthur.I take a shower and get dressed in my usual workout clothes. I run down the stairs and head to the kitchens, where I see Queen Helena
Arya“What?” I splutter. I almost drop the schedule because of shock. “Why would you leave me? Where are you going?”“I have my own classes to attend to,” Arthur says with a small laugh. “I’ll come pick you up after school, okay?”“But. . . .”I trail off as he pats my head and leaves. I no longer have anything to say. I stare at my schedule and find that I have six classes containing the basics. I’m actually excited to learn and to participate, but this whole thing is making me nervous.I turn around and almost leave the office when a girl’s voice suddenly speaks behind me.“Hey! You’re the new girl, right? Arya Stafford?”The sound of a different last name makes me frown, but I turn around anyway. I look at my schedule again and see that my last name is indeed Stafford. I don’t know why I’m expecting it to be different. Maybe it’s because I had a different last name in my old life? But actually, I’m quite glad to see and hear the change.“Yeah, that’s me.” I smile at the blonde gir
LeviDays pass. Then weeks.Being declared the Alpha has always been my dream since I was young, but now it's turning into some kind of a nightmare that I can't seem to escape.I've been trained all my life for this. I know how the pack works. I know the financial side of things. I know how to protect our borders and to schedule things that the pack needs in order to survive as a group. I know our people's history and I know how to pass on traditions when I finally have to, but everything just seems colorless right now.My days are now the same. Paperwork, patrolling, more training, and then even more paperwork and inspections at night.I can't deal with this anymore. I need a break.I know that the possibility of me getting burnt out by the time the year ends is high, but I know I can't stop. I know I should prove to my dad that he made the right decision to pass the title over to me with everything going on.And by everything, I mean Arya's disappearance.No one found her yet. No on
Levi“It’s finally happening!” Theo cheers. He looks back at the girl and beckons her to come to him. She smiles and obeys. “I’m so lucky. . . .”I know that he’s just happy and everything he is saying right now is far from personal, but what I really don’t like is the fact that it has to happen right in front of me.I wave off Daniel as he starts to say something. “I’ll be waiting in the car.”I leave without waiting for anyone’s reply, entering the car and closing the door behind me. I want to rest my head and just close my eyes to forget everything, but of course, it doesn’t take long for Daniel and Theo to come running right back.And they brought the girl with them.She’s in the backseat with Theo, and they look so happy absorbed in their own little world. Something about it makes me feel very strange, but then again, everything makes me feel so strange these days.“Her name is Abby,” Daniel tells me with a little smile.I can tell that he’s genuinely happy for Theo, and so am I.
AryaA whole month passes.I find myself in whirlwind of emotions and events, all centered in the premises of the Red Star Academy.It’s a dream come true. All of it. Not just school, but my friends and my parents, everyone around me. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m getting treated as an equal and not just some sort of weak link or a casualty, the way I’ve been treated all my life in the Shadow Moon Pack.Here, I’m respected. Loved.I have many friends at school now. Mostly everyone, actually. But of course, the main people I still go out with are Daphne, Kate, and Marie, who are the best girls I have ever met.They’re nice to me and they’re not afraid to have fun with me. They’ve been friends since they were kids but they integrated me into their group with no problem.Now I spend every moment at school with them, laughing and learning and having fun.And the only time those moments end is when Arthur has to pick me up and drive me home.I never thought I would say thi