Theon. The words tumble out of my mouth before I know it. As soon as they do, I know that I said the wrong thing. Again.Kelin blinks for a moment, and I see the exact second, he processes my words and the anger rises again.“You don’t have any right to judge that even if they did like each other!” He fumes, “But no. They’re only friends, and friends care for each other. Especially when one of their mates tries to forcibly mate them.”I stand still, “She’s not my mate.”I might be able to see that I did her wrong, but that’s something I do not believe in. It cannot possibly be true, because if it was, then the crime I had committed is going to have much more gravity than it did before.I’m almost afraid of the possibility that I do not want to consider that at all.“That’s not what your wolf said.” Kellin is suspiciously calm about this.“He’s confused. I’m a widower now so-““You’re not a widower, you never mated with Ruelle,” Kellin points out, exasperated. “Are we still doing this
Callista. “We meet again, Callista.”I sit in front of Elias Rexellen in a separate room, staring at the older wolf with equal degrees of fear, pity, and curiosity. I didn’t think I’d get to meet up with him again, at least, not like this.Elias looks alright for a feral wolf. His ankles are still bound to the wall with heavy chains, but he looks showered and groomed, and above all, clothed. He’s wearing a special mask, which was not faulty this time, I made them check that multiple times. He’s weak, I can clearly see it from his hunched posture and the pallor of his skin. If there’s one wolf in this pack that I truly feel for, it’s him. We are both similar in the sense that we’re both imprisoned in this tower because of one man, and neither of us really wants to be here.And neither of us has a choice in this whatsoever.We’re occupying a sitting room in the tower, below both of our rooms. As always, the fireplace is well-lit, and there’s a cup of tea in front of both of us on the t
Callista.“Well, you must be well aware by now that your brother doesn’t have the best opinion of me. So, after you attacked us, Ruelle convinced Theon that I was trying to kill her.”“I presume it was the other way around, given how I remember her dragging you in here.” Elias muses.“I don’t think she wanted to kill me, but she wanted to do something. But Theon thought I was the villain in that situation as well. So he had me taken to the dungeons.” It takes considerable effort for me to sound nonchalant about this. Because the accusations are still fresh in my mind, and given what happened today, smarts like a newly inflicted wound. “But the dungeon master thought that I was sent down there to be tortured when in reality, he just wanted me to be held for interrogation.”For a moment there is silence. Elias blinks, looking like he’s having a problem believing what he’s hearing.“Oh, wow,” Elias sounds baffled. “I can’t believe he did that.”“Me neither, honestly.” A great sense of sa
Callista.So, life is a joke.I’m a maid once again. That is the thanks I get for going through a shitfest without losing my sanity. I’ve been kicked out from my safe room in the tower and had been thrust into the midst of the rest of the castle staff. Apparently, I had been pardoned for everything except for my fault of trying to get Ruelle killed the first time, because apparently, that was an actual punishment, not the Alpha King raging at me.The mental gymnastics everyone had to jump through to give that verdict were a mystery that I did not think I’d be able to solve.Not that his majesty comes up to tell me all this himself. He’d been missing in action since I ran from him. Haden acts as his mouthpiece, delivering all the orders and news, and commenting on them each and every time. From his mumblings, I gather that Theon is at least apologetic for what he did, and maybe he can’t face me just yet. It’s hard to believe that the Alpha King is shamed, although he ought to be given
Callista.The maids still don’t like me, but it’s different. It had been less than three days when I noticed it, and more than five when I finally acknowledged it because I don’t let myself think things would get easy. Expecting disappointment is much easier than expecting success after all. But once I notice the difference, there is no going back.There isn’t any loathing towards me. There is dislike, certainly, because I’m the stealer after all. At this point it’s customary to be mad with the stealer, so it’s not bothering me as much as it should. But the general negativity is toned down to such a degree that I can afford to ignore it most of the time.Perhaps my sordid tale of being the Alpha King’s punching bag mellowed their attitudes towards me a little. Maybe Ruelle was being more of an influence than I thought, and not just with Helen. Not just the servant, but the entire castle seems different. Like after the sea after a storm, there is calmness in the air. Everyone seems t
Callista.It takes a moment for the words to register. My feet remain planted to the ground, I don’t dare look, not yet. There are a lot of questions circling in my mind, it takes some time for me to settle on one.“So, I can go out?”For a moment, there was only silence. I don’t know why Theon hesitates to answer the question. It’s a simple yes or no.“Yes.” Finally. “You’ve finished your service for the crimes you’ve committed. Now, you can be a free member of the pack as our agreement states.”Oh, for the sake of the Goddess.“Agreement? Are we still working according to that?” I grip the edges of the sink, trying not to let the anger rise.“Look, I understand that there are some issues but there’s nothing I can do about it. It was sworn on the Moon Goddess. Such an agreement is binding until one of the parties mentioned dies.” He replies, still in that nearly apologetic voice.Not apologetic enough though.“My mother cursed me in front of the whole pack.” I snarl, gripping the sin
Callista.Two weeks after the ankle monitor is removed, I decided that it is time.Kellin and Haden make noise about making me an official member of the pack, sending me to school again, and helping me graduate, so I can attend the Rexellen University, and maybe even get a job. I nod at them, agreeing with everything. At least their sentiments are nice. I wish I could expect to live that ideal life.But I can’t.My mind is set, and I have somehow talked myself into leaving Haden and Kellin. After all, without me around, even their lives would change for the better. There would be no tension between them and the Alpha King, and they would once again be able to run the pack like they’d done before.With no stealer polluting the passages of the Rexellen castle, everything will be right again.So, after my second plan is complete, I lock up everything that’s hurting my heart in my mind and start to act.At the very beginning, before my first attempt, I had only one plan, but now I have tw
Callista.The city is huge.I’ve seen them before, but only on TV or videos. Before escaping, I made sure to do as much research as possible into living as a human, especially a homeless human who had no identity outside the werewolf. There were so many articles and forums that gave me the information I wanted, and I noted them all in my head. I had somewhat of a foundation of knowledge of what I was getting myself into.But knowing facts about the human world and seeing it for the first time are different experiences.The moment I enter this place, that’s what I register. How damn gigantic it is. The buildings rise so much that they nearly touch the clouds, and the light…there is so much light. And vehicles. I’ve never seen so many vehicles before.Also, the people. Even at this time of the night, the streets are so busy.With normal humans, who didn’t believe in the Goddess or mates. Who didn’t care for stealers. Who weren’t in packs. No one spares me a second look, and all of them