Chapter 12: Follow thy Heart Mikalya’s P.O.V “My name is Kashmira Shaw and I’m from the DawnFrost pack in Jammu.” It was later afternoon, after we had returned to our hotel room with Kashmira and her son and helped dress her wound that she had gotten while trying to cross a fence this morning. The wound wasn’t infected and her healing had already kicked in, so she should be fine in a few hours. We had ordered room service and had our lunch together and it was only after she realized that we weren’t out to hurt her that Kashmira finally decided to tell us about herself. Now, we all sat on our bed in a circle and sipped on some karak chai (strong tea) as she breastfed her baby, whose name we learned was Kushal. She had gotten rid of the clothes she was wearing earlier, since they were torn and dirty, and now she had one of Ruksaar’s ghagras on and her face was uncovered. Now that I could look at her face properly, I could tell that she was very young, too young to be carrying a bab
Chapter 13: Firangi Abhay’s P.O.V It was snowing again. The ground was completely white. This part of the valley didn’t usually get much snow, but it was unusually cold this year. And I knew that it would only get colder, winter only a whisper in the air and yet it howled with a ferocious chill all around me. I looked at the waterfall in front of me, untouched by the winter chill. Jharna, that was what we called it. The literal Hindi translation of a waterfall, but it just sounded right to us. It was freezing outside but I knew it would be nice and warm inside the pack house. It would also be noisy with the new packmates. But I liked that noise. It was welcoming. It was home. And so was she. Something dropped to the ground at my feet, distracting me from the view. A sense of déjà vu threatened to overwhelm me as I looked down to see what it was. It was only a speck in the vast sea of snow but it stood out amongst the white. It was in the shape of a tiny droplet but the warmth comi
Chapter 14: Getting to know you Abhay’s P.O.V I stood in the middle of the market place, admiring a couple who stood in front of a colorful bangle shop. The man wore a white tunic with loose fitting white cotton trousers and a rainbow coloured turban on his head while the woman was wearing a bright yellow and red ghagra choli. Her dupatta was hanging off of her head and that’s how I knew she was unmarried. The man was courting her and he was buying her a set of yellow and green bangles to go with her ghagra. Taking my camera out of my bag silently, I turned the flash off and took a few quick snaps of the couple as the man placed the bangles into his girlfriend’s awaiting hands and she accepted them with a delighted smile. Surrounded by a backdrop of so many colours, they looked magnificent. “Shouldn’t you be asking permission before you take someone’s picture?” I nearly jumped out of my skin at that half-whispered question by my ear and my camera slipped out of my hands. I yelped
Chapter 15: Entitled Mikalya’s P.O.V “Hey! How’d it go?” Ruksaar bombarded me as soon as I entered the hotel room, just like I had expected her to do. What I hadn’t expected was that Kashmira and her son would be in the room with her, having dinner and gossiping away like they were long-lost sisters. I frowned at the arrangement but didn’t comment on it. Ruksaar and I would need to have a long discussion soon. “It was good.” I told her truthfully as I went into the bathroom to freshen up and change. I wasn’t used to ghagras and dresses, but Gujarat had a strict dress code. Anything remotely ‘modern’ was highly frowned upon. “Good?” Ruksaar raised her eyebrows at me as she looked me up and down. “Says the woman who got all sparkly for the date.” “It wasn’t a date.” I gave her a glare as soon as I saw that stupid smile on her face. “And no, I will not hear any more discussions on this topic.” “Fine.” She puffed her cheeks before turning to Kashmira. “Why don’t you put your son do
Chapter 16: Realization Mikalya’s P.O.V “Where did you get this?” I asked Abhay as I took a sip of the alcohol and felt the sting right down to my stomach. Damn, this was potent! “Some locals were sipping on it and I got interested.” Abhay shrugged his bare broad shoulders, his eyes a bit unfocused as he looked at the fire burning in front of us. “I was pretty sure I got riffed off but that’s alright, I guess.” Yup. He was hammered. But I found out that it was a good thing. His speech was continuous and he was no longer stuttering nervously in front of me. Alcohol gave him the confidence to push past my Alpha strength. I’d lived almost a hundred years, seen and experienced several lovers, but there was just something about Abhay that I couldn’t shake. He was adorable yet masculine; nervous yet brave and shy yet forward. He was a mix of contrasting characters I’d never experienced before and yet, they all seem to come together very nicely. Was I feeling this way because he was my
Chapter 17: Leaving Mikalya’s P.O.V The first rays of the sun woke me up from a deep slumber, causing me to groan out in irritation. I tried to shift into a better position without opening my eyes, but found that my bed had turned into granite. The cool morning air felt good on my skin. After enduring the heat of the desert for so long, I was glad to be back in the mountains where I could once again enjoy the cold weather and ditch those god-awful skirts for good. But why was there sunlight inside my room? I brought my hand up to cover my eyes and discovered there was something grainy on them that were irritating my skin. Snapping my eyes open, I finally realized what was going on. I wasn’t back in the Himalayan mountains…I was sleeping in the desert sand with Abhay next to me. The small blanket that had been thrown over our bodies wasn’t enough to keep the cold away and Abhay’s curled up body beside me was proof enough that the temperature had dropped considerably this early in
Chapter 18: A Stolen MomentAbhay’s P.O.VI got to the hotel where Mikalya was staying, earlier than expected because I wanted her to see me as someone who was serious and intentional about our relationship, and not some player who just wanted to be with her for her beauty alone.Already, I could feel my heart rate spiking up with every minute that passed which just told me that she was close by. I couldn’t explain it, but there was this special connection I felt with Mikalya that I hadn't felt with anyone in my entire life.And just then…I heard it…the sound of her footsteps as she descended the stairs down to the lobby.My hands instinctively went to my camera that I had strapped to my neck just in case. And now, I knew that it was the best choice I ever made.How was it that every colour she wore made her look even more gorgeous?Yesterday afternoon, it had been blue. Then last night, it had been black. And now, she was wearing a red ghagra-choli with a white dupatta and I felt lik
Chapter 1: Aazadi Mink’s P.O.V I wasn't dead. Not yet. But it sure felt like it. When is a person supposed to die? I didn't know. I'm not literate. Women aren't supposed to be. At least that's what he says. Is it when we stop breathing? I don’t know…because it felt like I had been holding my breath for years, afraid that they would hear me. Is it when your heart stops beating? I don't know. Because mine stopped the moment I saw my partners set on fire in front of my own eyes. Their flesh melting from their bones…their screams echoing in the desert mercilessly for all to hear. And no one came to help. My mother had been different. She'd cared for me. Fed me. Brushed my hair. Told me I was special. That the Goddess of Wolves had created me to destroy all those who torment us. I had believed her, just as I had believed in her stories of a beautiful world outside the confines of my door, which I wasn’t allowed to open…ever. But I had made that mistake…I had opened that door…when