Luna's Pov
The guy who had introduced himself as Jamil had led me to this room where he had told me to rest after I had told him I wasn't hungry. A comment that was now proving to have been too hasty. My tummy was rumbling angrily and more frequently now. I looked around the room. It looked pretty old and from the looks, it had not been occupied in a long while. There was a bed, a wall length mirror, a table beside it that had some facial and body care materials, a chair before it. On the wall opposite it stood a built in wardrobe which I had confirmed to have some clothes. A window stood open just above my bed giving me a view into a garden. All of these and nothing of mine. I still couldn't get over how that man had just uprooted me from my life like some plant and brought me here. He hadn't even allowed me to go back home to pick anything up. True, there wasn't really much to pick but still. I reached into my blue gown and exhaled in relief when I found that I still had my necklace. It would have broken my heart into million pieces if I had lost it. It was my only remaining connection to.... I looked toward the door as a knock interrupted my thoughts. Opening it, I found Jamil waiting. The aroma wafted into my nostrils drowning me in its bliss before my eyes could even drift down to it. In his arms, he held a tray of food that had an extremely alluring smell. I forcefully peeled my eyes from his hands and returned them to his face, hoping my eyes did not betray my desire to snatch the tray from his hands and slam the door in his face. "How are you settling into your new room?" He asked, his eyes warm with a smile. I wanted to tell him that I did not want a new room. What I wanted was to go back to the place from which I had been forcefully taken. I wanted to tell him that I hated this place and would leave the first chance I got. Instead, I said to him, "I'm settling in pretty nicely, thank you." "Here! I brought you some food." He muttered as he extended the tray to me. "I figured you must be hungry after being here so long. I hope you like it because I forgot to ask what kind of food you wanted." I would have eaten crab shells if they smelled so good and never mind that the hunger was starting to ring in my ears. I didn't tell him that though as I collected the tray with a smile and thanked him. "Once you are fully rested, we should take you on a tour. How would you like tomorrow?" He asked just before I could slide back into the room. I didn't want a tour. If I had a choice, I would have left here the very first time they had left me in the room but I might as well have been a headless chicken with how disoriented this place made me. Perhaps the tour would not be so bad after all. I nodded in approval as I made my way back into the room. Opening the tray, the scent seemed to grow ten times stronger, filling the entire room. I inhaled and cracked my fingers in preparation for the battle ahead. If Indrik saw what happened the next moment, I was pretty sure he would agree that I was not his master. Don't blame me. Hunger can make you do crazy things. When I was done, there came the discomfort of trying to figure out what to do with the plates. Usually, I would have gone to the kitchen and washed them before setting them in place for their next user. The only problem was that this wasn't my turf and I wouldn't even know where to step if I wasn't told. I sat there for a while, just staring at the plates and hoping they would get tired and get up on their feet, saving me the trouble of trying to figure things out. Unfortunately, they preferred to sleep. Finally, I gave up and picked up the tray. I had just stepped out of the door when I ran into the white eyed girl from earlier also coming out of her room. She had changed her dress and was now wearing a blue dress like I was except that while mine was plain, hers was elegantly designed, fitting for a lady. Apart from being plain, my dress still had several palm stains from my many encounters earlier in the day. Looking at her looking all prim, proper and pretty with her lemon scented perfume wafting toward me, I suddenly felt intimidated. Ignoring her dagger shooting eyes, I moved closer to her and smiled perfunctorily. "Could you direct me to where I am supposed to drop these?" I asked softly, gesturing at the tray that I held gingerly in my hands like they would break into pieces otherwise. She narrowed her eyes until they turned to slits and something told me she would have burned me with them if she could. "Are you trying to push me?" Her voice sounded calm, a total contrast to her raving voice earlier but something told me she was anything but calm. "What? No! I only want to know where I can drop these!" I replied, hoping we wouldn't get into an altercation again. She pursed her lips as she moved closer to me, so close, I could smell the faint smell of her bathing soap, which somehow reminded me of apples. We probably were around the same height but her heels gave her an advantage. "You can drop them in the trashcan or gobble them up for all I care. Just make sure to stay out of my way! The next time I see you won't be so jolly, I promise!" With that, she turned around and walked away, her shoes echoing in the silent corridor. 'Great hospitality!' I wanted to yell after her but something told me she would not take well to sarcasm. I wonder what.Luna's PovWatching her leave, I was torn between the choice of going back to my room and waiting for my friendly host to return or going after my nemesis. I chose the later although I made sure to not let her know. I figured she would probably be going there or I would run into my host on the way. I must have looked ridiculous, bearing a tray and sneaking after a gorgeously dressed woman. I guess it is true what they say. You can kidnap the waitress from the serving tables but you can never take the serving away from her. The saying is something like that, I guess. I have never really been too good with quotes. Nor with much else, I'm afraid. I sighed as I remembered home. It seemed like an eternity since I had been turned out and now it was starting to seem like I might never be able to go back home. "Look who we have here!" A voice boomed, followed by laughter. I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't realized I had been surrounded by a group of men. I looked up at th
Luna's PovI stared at Jamil like he had suddenly grown a set of horns. "Brothers?" I muttered, almost bursting into laughter at how strange the word felt on my lips. I mean, sure, they had slightly similar hair and eyes (which by the way were worlds apart in the world of color) but did that qualify them to be brothers? I was certain that at least ten people within this premises would share that color with them. Apart from that, they were as different as night and day. Indrik was slender while Leon was a giant and that wasn't even the beginning of it. "Believe it or not but that is the truth. They are half-brothers." Jamil said like that was supposed to explain why Indrik looked like he forgot his family gene in his mother's belly. "That still does not explain why Indrik looks like his elder brother drained him of all his essence." I blurted before I could think. Jamil stared at me with a look of amusement and what looked like pity. I blinked in confusion as I wondered what was goi
Indrik's Pov Cold! Pain! And even more pain! That's all I could think of as I drifted in and out of consciousness on the cold dungeon floor. This room seemed to have been abandoned for years. I had fallen face first into a web of cobwebs, the tiny strands of which I could still feel in my eyes despite my desperate attempts to get them out. In here, I could see the reason why this place is so feared. It is a nightmare. The room is round and tiny. So tiny that I have to either stand on my feet or keep my body curled in a ball with my legs resting on the iron gate that secured the entrance, which I need not say was not very comfortable. Apart from that, the roof seemed to be connected to water of some sort, the source of which I was pretty certain I did not want to know. This water had been perpetually dripping to the rough concrete floor. Overtime, it had managed to crack the floor and algae had grown through it and then spread to the walls. Everywhere was practically covered with tha
Blaire's PovI knocked on the imposing mahogany door and waited. I rocked on my heels, wishing that the door would open as soon as I knocked on it. I raised my hand to knock again when I stopped myself, choosing to distract myself with the environment instead. I was in the main palace building. It was an impressive building that you couldn't help but be awed at. Like the outside, the insides were painted in glowing white. On both sides were different paintings that were so good, they almost looked real. Trust me, I knew how real it looked from experience. Just a little while ago, I had jumped back in fright when I had turned a corner and it had appeared that a wolf was attacking me. It turned out to be one of the paintings but you get the point. There were several paintings, each more impressive than the last. There was one of a huge wolf standing on a plateau and raising his snout to the moon in a howl while other wolves around him bowed. There was another of two wolves standing side
Blaire's Pov"You have to understand that rules are created for a reason. To keep us safe from harm. No one, not even Indrik can be allowed to break the rules." My mother had continued to speak when she realized I was not going to speak to her. "But mother, we both know Indrik's condition. He will not survive the dungeon. Could the council not have found something that was less likely to kill him?" I asked, my heart burning with indignation as I thought about how Indrik must be doing in that place. Don't be fooled by Indrik's show of bravery before the council. I wonder what must have gotten into him to have made him make that decision. All his life, he has been pushed to the back because he was powerless. A wolfless wolf in one of the strongest packs? You get the picture of what life must have been for him. But that also meant he was sheltered. Being a weak wolf, he could not be exposed to the conditions which wolves normally had to bear. Definitely not a dungeon. As a matter of fa
Indrik's PovHave you ever been in hell before? I don't think so. I haven't either but with what I am going through right now, I can say that I am about as close to hell on earth as anyone else. The smell of stale blood is harsh on my nose but even that fades into obscurity in the face of dried sweat that has turned my clothing into a sticky mess. And let's not even talk about human waste. I feel like a little infant who has been abandoned by his mother and has no idea what to do with himself. It seems to be night now because the rats that had showed a measure of respect were becoming bolder now and now marching all over like they were the lords of this domain. I had found myself having to kick my leg or throw an arm to stop a particularly bold one from chewing the skin off of my limbs. But then again, they really are the lords and I, the intruder. As if that was not enough, my body seems to have only now recalled the torture it had undergone earlier in the day and was now proceeding
Indrik's Pov"Blaire!" I repeated, my voice faint. "Indrik!" She called excitedly, the torch clattering to the ground as she reached through the bars and embraced me as well as she could. I did not return the awkward embrace as I was still wondering what she was doing here. The prisoners were not exactly helping matters either as they resorted to showing their displeasure by banging their fists on their prison doors. "Blaire!" I called again, confusion evident in my voice. "What are you doing here?" I asked unable to understand why she would be here. She would surely be in trouble if she was caught and it would not exactly help my case either. "How are you doing? My gosh! You smell horrible. Give me a minute, will you?" She avoided my questions as her words came out in a rush. She disentangled herself from me and groped around the floor for something. I soon discovered the something to be a key as she found it and inserted it into the keyhole and with a couple of turns pulled it op
Blaire's PovWalking away from the dungeon with all its filth and stench should have made me feel relieved but what I was feeling would probably be fittingly described as the direct opposite. Leaving left me feeling more awful than I had been before going. Seeing the unhealthy conditions that Indrik had to put up with made me feel sick to my stomach. Coming out from the underground cell, I was glad to find that my luck had held although I don't think I would have been scared if I had come out to find a circle of wolves. If they will, they could throw me in the dungeon as well. At least then, I would be able to be close to Indrik. Somewhere in the back of my mind though, a voice that wasn't clouded by my anger told me I would be more useful free than imprisoned. I shut the door silently and snuck out of the palace. For a moment, my eyes caught on the images from earlier and I blinked as the memories rushed in, fresh as when I first saw them. I blinked again as the images seemed to be