I couldn’t help my smile. Luna Isolde, during her time, was a formidable Luna. She had ruled beside her late husband with an iron fist, destroying everyone who dared cross her path. I’d always wished to meet her.
“Please, come sit while we wait for Alpha Jaris. He’ll be joining us shortly,” she showed us to the couch.
Her version of ‘shortly’ turned out to be almost an hour later. Father and I were already exhausted and kept staring at the door, wondering how long it’d take the Alpha to arrive. Wasn’t he aware he’d be having guests? His… new Luna?
At a point, Isolde looked angry and left. When she returned, she reassured us he’d soon be here. And indeed, he did come.
The air shifted in the room the second the door opened, revealing a man and two others behind him.
The Luna drew in a breath of relief as she rose to her feet. Father and I did same.
It was easy spotting who the Alpha was as the two other men flanked him. But the moment I had a clear view of his face, my world shattered.
No. No.
Horror gripped my chest, squeezing it until I felt pain. This had to be some twisted joke. Because how in Selene’s name was I staring at the face of the very man that had ruined me five years ago?
“Jaris, you’re here.” Isolde said with relief. “Please, meet Alpha Bennett of Ravencrest. This is his daughter we talked about.”
I’d stopped breathing since he walked in. In that moment, nothing else, other than the pain in my chest seemed to exist.
Memories I’d been fighting so hard to stay buried reared their ugly heads at me. And the name ‘Princess’ echoed in my head, hauntingly, I wanted to scream.
He had been Jaris? Alpha of Darkspire? I couldn’t believe this.
Unlike that night, when he looked at me with those charming eyes and called me beautiful, his eyes were very cold now; devoid of emotion. He didn’t look like the man I’d wanted to spend an extra day with. He looked ruthless, like a man I wanted to run as far away as possible from.
Now it made sense. That night, he’d only been sweet ’cause he wanted to deceive me. Oh, how foolish I had been. And how he must have laughed at me when I laid my head on his chest. He must have been disgusted too.
I contemplated running. I didn’t want to be him; didn’t want to be his Luna. to with t
But before I could make a move, he walked away, not without giving me an icy stare.
Luna Isolde looked taken aback and embarrassed.
“Um. Ex-Excuse me.” She went after him.
Father and I returned to our seats. But unlike hm, I was battling to hold back my tears.
It hurt. So so bad. He had been a monster like everyone else and deceived me. I never thought I’d see him again.
I suddenly realized how disrespectful he had been to father. My father was an older Alpha, yet he hadn’t even acknowledged him.
My head was a jumbled mess. I couldn’t do this.
I rose to my feet and started toward the door.
“Lyric?” Dad’s voice halted me. “Where are you going?”
When I looked at him, I suddenly didn’t have the courage to tell him I was done with this.
“I-I just need to use the restroom.”
“I’ll show you, ma’am,” a maid stepped forward, wearing a warm smile.
I filled her up the stairs to the second floor where I was shown to a row of restrooms. As soon as I shut the door behind me, I burst into tears, my facade finally dissolving.
I leaned against the door and cried for a long time, letting it all out-the pain, the rejection. I’d only known him for a night, yet his betrayal had cut deeper than anything else. After getting my scar, he was the first man to ever make me feel loved, and the first to take it away so quickly. It’d have been better if he never said those words to me and made me think he was different.
I had to put it behind me. It was a thing of the past now. I shouldn’t let it bother me this much.
When I was done getting the tears out, I wiped my face and left the room. The maid was gone.
I was trying to find my way back to the ground floor when I heard tiny running footsteps and turned to see a little kid running toward me
My brows furrowed, and for a strange reason, there was a sharp ache in my heart.
She couldn’t be older than four or five years of age. She had familiar silver eyes, hair styled into a ponytail and was the most beautiful kid I’d seen in a long time. But she looked sad as she ran toward me.
She stopped in front of me, having to tilt her head back to stare into my face. “Aunty, can you help my brother?”
I stared at her in amazement. “Your brother? Is he in trouble?”
More to my surprise, she took one of my fingers and began pulling me toward the direction she had come from.
Okay; this was odd. I didn’t even know who she was or where she’d come from. But for her to come to me for help, her brother must need it. I’d be helping a little kid.
As I followed her, I glanced down at the part where our hands were joined. Why did I feel so at case with her touching me? Why did she feel so… familiar?
“Uh…what kind of trouble is your brother in, honey?” I asked.
“A serious one.” She sounded so sad. Now, I was curious.
We finally got to a door which she pushed open, and the moment I stepped into the room and saw what she had brought me in to see, my body froze.
LYRIC
On the bed was a young boy, just about the girll’s age, shaking profusely.
It wasn’t shivering-kind of shake. He looked like someone that was in hell.
His forehead was beaded with sweat, and his tiny hands were fisted around the sheets. I didn’t think I’d seen a little child in so much pain before.
“My goodness, what is wrong with him?” I asked, alarmed, as I ran to meet him in the bed.
His eyes were tightly shut, small grunts of pain escaping his throat.
“It happens to him often but it’s getting worse by the day. I don’t know where mummy went, and daddy’s busy. I can’t go to him.”
Touching the boy’s forehead, it was as hot as burning coal, I almost hissed. For the love of Selene, he was in a terrible state! A child like him didn’t deserve to go through this.
I should be finding a way to get him to his parents to take him to a doctor, but I think I might know what to do.
I turned to the little girl to ask her something, only to discover she was crying. A part of my heart fractured.
“Don’t worry, honey, he’ll be fine. I’ll make him fine,” I said, hoping that’ll assure her. “I just need your help gathering some things.”
With her help, I was able to get a bowl of warm water from the bathroom and some napkins.
I sat on the bed, lifted the boy’s head onto my legs and gently massaged his forehead with one of the napkins which I’d dipped into the bowl. I repeated the process for a while, the whole time, praying to the protectors of the moon to help him.
By the time I finished with the napkin, he was a bit calm. I moved to massage the back of his head, a spot in particular. This should do the final trick.
In a few minutes, the boy had stopped shaking and looked like he was in a simple nap. Being more calm, I was able to see how handsome he looked. His hair looked so lustrous and perfect that for a moment, I was tempted to tousle it.
“He looks fine,” the little girl said.
“What’s your name?”
“Xyla,” she blushed, amusing me.
“That’s a pretty name.”
More to my amusement, her cheeks became increasingly rosy. She was such a cute little girl.
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