MY DRIVER was about to close the car door when I saw Iris running out of the manor. It was almost twelve midnight. I didn’t stop by in her room because the servant said that Iris was already sleeping and I didn’t want to wake her.She was running in her big mickey mouse dress and with her bare feet. I stepped out of the car, met her halfway, and immediately lifted her with one hand. My other hand was busy wiping the sweat off her face with my hanky.“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?”“I set an alarm. Grandpa told me that you will arrive at around ten in the evening that’s why I was awake when you came, but I couldn’t visit you in the hall because they said you have a meeting. I went to the kitchen and waited there for you, Daddy. But you took so long. I got bored so I ate a little while waiting.”‘Little’ was an understatement. I know my daughter like the back of my hand. Her ‘little’ was a lot for humans to take. She must have raided the fridge again. She smelled like pizza and yogurt. T
THE WOLF staggered. I may have lost my memories, but I was neither blind nor deaf. My senses still worked just fine. And I knew how to read between the lines.“I told you I’ve been watching you on TV. The way you looked at me with pain and longing as you talked about your wife, the way you held me close to your heart while we were dancing as if you didn’t want to let me go, the way your voice would shake a little every time you would call me by my name, and the way a tear fell down your cheek when you turned your back on me after dropping me off my cabin, I’d seen it all, Luther.“Then you told me about your wife coming back in this town after so long and without any memory of you. And now, you are here at an ungodly hour, quietly waiting for me outside my door. I’m sure you wouldn’t have done this for anybody. And I wouldn’t have felt like this for anybody. How long have you been waiting?” I rubbed my palms together and when I gathered enough heat in my hands, I pressed it against hi
THE TRIP from New York to San Antonio was incredibly long, but the trip from the resort to the pack house seemed longer. Luther and I had spent the last few hours talking. He told me about my past as a Luna and my current situation as a human which explained my strange affinity towards the wolves. I thought I was just fascinated by them, obsessed even, without knowing that it was because I actually belonged to them. I was one of them all along.“With my wolf injured, do you think the pack will still accept me? Would they acknowledge me when I could not even acknowledge my own self? The Luna you all loved and cherished was the past version of myself, Luther. This was the new me now: weak, powerless, and without a single memory of any of you.”There. I finally got to voice out my insecurities.“You? Weak and powerless? How did you even come to that conclusion? Alexandra, you have complete power over me. You could either build me or shatter me with your words. And you still have influenc
“YOU will be staying in this room. The servants also took the liberty to put your things in the closet. If there is anything you wish to change, please tell me. We will change it according to your preference,” Luther told me as he and Iris took me to the biggest room in the manor.The father and daughter stood on my left and right, both were firmly holding my hands. The entire time they toured me around the manor, they didn’t let go which I found heartwarming and amusing, too. It was as if they were worried that I might fly away once they released their grip.I scanned the master bedroom. What was there not to like? The room I had in my condo unit in New York was already big, but this room had the size of my entire unit, even bigger than that. Everything about the room was big, especially the chandelier, one where I only used to see in five-star hotels and in Valerian’s mansion.The walls were hand painted. It had the scenery of the woods, with the sunlight peeping through the branche
‘I’M SORRY, Val. I swear I will find a way to talk to you somehow. Just not now,’ I whispered.‘I must have interrupted you. You must have been very busy with your upcoming exhibit. Remember, I’m just here for you. I will wait until you are ready to discuss things, Cassandra. I love you,’ he texted after some time.I bit my lower lip before turning off my phone.Val would always be the gentle wind in my life. He would always be special. That’s why I felt so guilty, so selfish, and so cruel for being so happy, for feeling so complete even without him by my side.‘What have I done to you, Val? I’m so sorry,’ I said as I pressed my forehead.I didn’t know how long I just sat on the bed, completely frozen by all these mixed emotions, when I heard a knock outside the door.“Mommy?”I headed to the door and saw Iris carrying her big Mickey Mouse pillow. “What’s the matter, baby? Can’t sleep?”She nodded. “Can I sleep here with you tonight, Mommy?” She raised her right hand as if she was mak
IN an instant, Luther was able to reverse our position. My back wounded up leaning against the wall, his arms trapped me on each side. The emotions in his eyes rattled me and so did the kiss that we shared. It was only for a brief moment, but I still couldn’t calm my heart which had become so hyperactive all of a sudden. I was worried that my racing heart might disturb the people in this house.Yet, despite of how my heart reacted, I still wanted more.Luther ran his fingers through my cheeks. “Darling, it’s you. I missed you so much. How come that even when you’re beside me like this, I still find myself missing you? Is it because you don’t look at me the way you did before? Is it because you didn’t miss me the way I do? Or is it because you don’t respond anymore when I say anything? I know you need time to adjust. I was wrong. The problem is me. I’m rushing to go back to how we were before. I just feel like if I don’t rush, you would come back to him.”Those words slashed my heart.
THE NEXT morning, when I opened my eyes, I saw two pairs of green eyes looking at me. I was now lying on the center of the bed with Iris on my right and Luther on my left. Both of them had such glorious smiles on their faces.The sun was already shining so brightly outside. And when I glanced at the clock, it was almost ten in the morning. Thank God it was Sunday or else, Iris would never make it to school. I never got to wake up this late before. The nightmares loved waking me up crying and gasping for breath at either midnight or dawn. But today, I woke up with this certain calmness in my chest which just meant that I… was truly home.Luther and Iris looked like they just woke up minutes before me. Their hair was still messy, but they were just as beautiful.“Good morning, Mommy!”“Good morning, darling.”And then they showered me with kisses on both of my cheeks.“Good morning,” I replied, still surprised at how my morning had completely changed.The duo both motioned their cheeks.
“WHAT is going on here? Why are you hurting each other?” I asked, still dumbfounded. “Everything was fine before I left.” Iris clenched her hands. “Naddie started it!” “Why? What happened?” “She called you names behind your back,” Iris replied in a now meek voice. In an instant, the twenty students inside the room began talking all at once, eager to report what happened. Their voices were ringing in my head. And in a soft but firm voice, I said, “Enough!” Suddenly, the noises stopped. The kids turned to me, looking astounded, while holding their throats. I turned to Naddie, the little girl with braided amber hair. “And what are those names exactly? Say it in front of me.” The little girl held her head high. If only we were not in this situation, I would have commended her confidence. “I did nothing wrong. I just said you have no wolf and that makes you a useless queen to all of us. But that’s the truth!” I clenched my hands. I was not a fool. I knew about the antagonistic stare