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
“DARLING, if you wish to win, you have to do it quickly. Do not hesitate. Remember, your enemy is a Vampire. He is as quick as a lightning, as sturdy as a rock. Even a second’s hesitation could lead you to death,” Luther advised while he was beneath me and was lying on the mat. I was sitting on his stomach and was already sweating and yet, he still looked so fresh as if he had just gone out of the shower.We had been training for hours. When I expressed my intention of wanting to relearn how to combat, Luther volunteered to train me personally. We trained for four hours every afternoon and I believe I was getting the hang of it. It was like a recap of things I already knew. My body knew how to respond to every attack, but with an opponent like Luther, I could only defend. I could not attack yet. I knew he was going easy on me but even defending was still hard.He looked so composed, he was not even sweating or panting unlike me. I bet I was the only one who looked untidy. I went to gy
“WHERE the hell is she? Show me that wretched human who had the nerve to do that to my brother!”“Luna Scarlet, you have no right to talk to the Luna Queen that way! Much more, to barge in here uninvited. If you don’t want to lose your noble status, then I suggest you and your pack to quietly go back to the guest house and reflect while waiting for the King and Queen’s punishment for this crass behavior of yours. The manor will not tolerate this. All of you have crossed the line!” I heard Richard say in a ferocious tone. Their voices were too loud which interrupted my dinner with Dad and Iris.I heard that Scarlet was Naddie’s aunt. They went to the manor a month ago to apologize, but an offense was an offense. There were evidences that the couple was among the wolves who were spreading rumors against me to incite conflict between the Alpha King and the rest of the wolves. There was a rule and they failed to comply. I couldn’t stop Luther from enacting the punishment. People like that