I don't know why he's doing all of these. Why was he protecting me when we barely even know each other? He also does not seem to be close with Lady Karheel. I'd understand if he would protect her but including me? Impossible. But nonetheless, I was thankful.
We are now travelling into the city of Kiram. We will be travelling for a week or two to be able to reach the city even though we have horses.
“Let's have some rest for a while,” Lady Karheel said and jumped down. She walked towards my direction and helped me to get down on my feet—since I am too scared of heights.
We tied the horses on the tree before she murmured some incoherent spells.
“W-What's that?” I asked.
“It's a spell of invisibility. I don't want to risk us being caught once again. It still confused me how those weak humans broke into my house before, they must've brought a witch with them.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Come here, child.”
She motioned me to sit beside her on a log. In a snap of her fingers, a fire was created in front of us, warming us from the cold night.
She took out a piece of bread from her magic purse and gave it.
“Thank you, Lady Karheel.”
She smiled softly. “You're welcome, sweetheart.”
I happily took the bread from her and ate it. Lady Karheel always treats me like a child and she even calls me that. I didn't mind though. In fact, I love it.
“So, Sidrich... what was your life before we met?” she suddenly asked.
I stopped as my heart went cold.
I looked down and smiled sadly. “I... I'm a slave...”
“What?” she asked, shocked. I nodded my head. “But you're a werewolf, right? How is that possible you're a slave?”
“In... I-In my pack, I am labelled as omega. Omegas are the lowest rank, thus we were enslaved.”
“How could they do that? Were they the one who did those things to you?” she asked through gritted teeth.
I fall quiet.
I don't want to answer her.
I am scared someone in the pack might hear me and they'd come to punish me for telling things I am not supposed to be telling.
“How old were you when you were enslaved?” She could barely contain her anger. I saw the fire grow from the firewood.
I slightly panicked.
Is she mad at me, too?
“I-I was f-five... Please, d-don't be mad at me, Lady Karheel,” I begged as tears filled the corner of my eyes.
Her eyes flashed anger before it turned into confusion. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She pursed her lips as her eyes softened.
She caressed my cheek lovingly. “I am not mad, Sidrich—” she stopped.
She pulled her hands away from my skin as her eyes widened in shock. She stood up from the log and stared at me dumbfoundedly.
“Lady K-Karheel?”
“Oh, my deities...” she muttered as she covered her mouth through her palms. She stepped back, looking like a frightened deer. “Y-You!” she stuttered, pointing her fingers at me.
My heart suddenly beat fast in anxiety. I want to ask why her reaction was like that but before I could even open my mouth, she vanished into thin air, leaving me alone in the middle of the woods.
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as tears fell from my eyes.
**
I don't know when she will be back, nor did I know if she will ever come back. It's been a few hours since she left and I don't know where to find her. I refused to go and find her. I stayed in the place where she left me in case she'll back. But... it's already dawn and the sun was about to rise from the horizon. Yet, she's nowhere here up until now.
I stifled the tears from spilling out from my eyes. I'm used to being left alone. Why does it matter to me so much if Lady Karheel would leave me, too?
I should've already anticipated for this to happen, but still, it hurts me.
Maybe because she has shown me good things I've never felt with anyone before, that is why she has become an important person in my life. Even in a small period of time we knew each other, I could already see her as a family member of mine.
So to be left alone, my heart just broke. I've missed her already.
I stayed up all night, waiting for her to come back, but as time went by, I found myself drifting off to sleep...
And still, she hasn't come back.
**
I woke up around midday. I was now lying on a soft mattress and my surroundings were not the same as when I fell asleep.
Panicked rises up within me and I immediately sit up, looking around the whole room to find any signs of Lady Karheel being somewhere here. In this world full of cruelty, I found myself trusting her in an instant.
“Good afternoon, my lady.”
A voice suddenly rang out of nowhere and I jolted in surprise. Looking at my side, I saw a woman wearing a blue robe. She was bowing her head whilst her hands were stiffly placed against her stomach.
“W-Who are you?” I asked.
But she didn't answer me. Instead, she continued speaking, “Your meal is already prepared. The second prince will come to join you with your late lunch.”
She bowed her head again before she turned around and left.
I blinked my eyes.
Soon, the door opened and a familiar face of a man entered the room with 6 servants following behind him.
When our eyes met, he smiled and asked, “Did you sleep well, Lady Sidrich?”
“P-Prince Alastair...” I muttered.
His smile widened. “I am glad you have not forgotten my name. How are you?”
He sat on the bed, looking intently into my eyes. My heart began pounding real fast.
“I-I... I'm confused. Why am I here? Where is Lady Karheel? Is she okay?”
“She left you in my care,” he said. “She'll be back to get you.”
I sighed in relief.
“W-Where... she goes?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “No idea.”
The worry and fear in my chest increased. Before Lady Karheel left, she looked mad at that time. Maybe that's why she left me because she was mad at me...
He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I'm sure you're hungry. I brought some food for you to eat.” He flicked his fingers and the servants put down the meals on the table near the bed.
Prince Alastair stood up and extended his arm. I looked from his hand and to his face, confused.
“Come on,” he said. I blinked my eyes twice and instinctively held his extended hand. He guided me towards the table and pulled a chair for me. I sat down reluctantly and he did the same across the table.
“Try these famous cuisines. They are delicious,” he said gentlemanly and put some food on my plate. My cheeks burned.
“T-Thank you, prince Alastair.”
He just smiled.
We ate in silence all the while prince Alastair put a bunch of food on my plate from time to time. I was a bit shy but I eventually relaxed. I admit his presence is a bit intimidating but it also brought comfort in my system for some reason.
“You must eat a lot, Lady Sidrich.” He poured a fresh orange juice in my cup. “You're beautiful but you lack some nutrients in your body,” he said.
I could only lower my eyes on the ground in embarrassment.
“I didn't mean to offend you,” he quickly reasoned out. “I just... want you to be healthy.”
I nodded my head warily.
“Uhm...” he awkwardly cleared his throat as he caressed his nape. “The maids will be here to help you to shower and dress up. My mother said she wants to meet you tonight during dinner.”
My head snapped up to him. His mother? Does he mean the Queen?
I want to ask but I found my words sealed in my mouth. I nodded again.
We finished all the food surprisingly. Prince Alastair stood up and after he bid his goodbye to me, he went out of the room I occupied.
After a while, the maids got in the room and instructed me to strip down. My face flushed but I couldn't do anything but obliged. They motioned me to submerged myself in the tub and they started bathing me.
There are at least 8 people. Someone was massaging my head and my hair with some essence they put in it. Two people were removing the dirt on my skin through loofah, four people were cleaning my nails on my hands and feet at the same time, and the last person was doing the job on my face. She put some cucumber on my eyes and added some essence on my skin before massaging it gently.
When they were done, I suddenly felt... clean.
My dark skin has become light. My tangled hair has become smooth. I realized that my hair colour was actually dark brown and it was actually straight. My eyes were big and round whilst being surrounded with my long, thick, and curly lashes. My nose is small but sharp. My lips were plumpy red like a bow. I also saw some tiny freckles around my rosy cheeks.
“M-Me... this?” I pointed the mirror in front of me. The maids who assisted me giggled and nodded their heads.
“Yes, that is you, my lady. You are beautiful,” one of the maids said whilst looking at me with admiration dancing in her eyes.
I smiled sheepishly. “Thank you...” I said softly to them.
They giggled again and showered me with compliments.
“The princes will surely fall from your unworldly beauty, my lady,” someone murmured that everyone didn't notice her voice, but I did. I'm a werewolf, after all.
They picked a light blue off-shoulder dress for me that reached just above my knees. The lacy sleeve makes the dress even more beautiful. They also made me wear white flat shoes. Then, they put a ribbon behind my hair.
“Fabulous!” they complimented, making me feel over the moon.
I couldn't help but to admire myself. I've never seen such beauty until this day. They worked so well to make me beautiful. I wonder if they used some magic to make me look this pretty.
A knock from the door made all the maids quiet down.
I turned my head to the door of this chamber as it cracked open. I unconsciously held my breath as the person slowly revealed himself.
Prince Alastair's dark green eyes darted on me. He's ravishingly handsome wearing a linen shirt with open cuffed sleeves tucked in on his breeches, and a pair of boots to finalise the look. His hair was dishevelled and his face was bright as the morning sun as he looked at me.
I tucked some few strands of my hair behind my ear as his eyes scanned me from head to toe. My cheeks were burning.
“You're... beautiful,” he whispered as he approached me.
I smiled shyly. “Thank you, p-prince Alastair.”
He licked his bottom lip and gulped , his Adam's apple was bobbing. He took my hand gentlemanly and kissed the back of it.
“May I have the honour to escort this beautiful girl to the dining hall, my lady?” he asked, making everyone gasp and my cheeks to burn in embarrassment. My heart seems to burst in my chest at any moment due to his escapades.
Why?
Why... does he have to be flirtatious?
“Of course,” I replied to his question. His smile widened as he planted a kiss at the back of my hand before he stood up and guided my hand to hook on his arm.“Great. Then, shall we?”I nodded my head and smiled sheepishly. The guard opened the door for us and bowed their heads. I was so overwhelmed at everything. I could not believe there's a world like this. Everything seemed surreal. One minute I was in an abusive pack, and in a blink of an eye, I was suddenly beside the prince himself, walking side by side—comfortable with each other's presence.“Lady Sidrich, how were the maids assisting you? Did the maids make you, somehow, uncomfortable? Did they take care of you well?”I looked up at him and smiled sweetly. I tucked the few strands of my hair behind my ear. “They are so nice at me and they cleaned my body, just like what Lady Karheel did before we went for travel.”His eyes sparkled. “You like the shower?”I shyly nodded my head. “Uhm... I am not used to water that much becau
How did he know me? Have we met before? I can't remember what we did, but I'm sure it's my first time meeting him. After all, I just got out of a pack from the 18 years of my existence.I just smiled and greeted the prince back. They sat down on the seats across mine. They had a conversation which I tentatively listened to without joining their chats. They would ask me from time to time and I would answer them the things I just know. They seem to understand that I'm not quite a speaker, so they understood. I was grateful to them.After their little catching up, Erima was called by his father. So it left me with prince Levi alone at the table.“You hungry, princess?” he asked kindly. I'm not used to being called princess but I didn't tell him.I shook my head and smiled kindly back. “I am just fine, Prince Levi. Thank you.”“You sure? I'd like to take desserts, so if you want something to eat, I can get it for you instead.”“No need for that, brother. Lady Sidrich and I will grab our o
I held his hand as I said, “Okay...”His smile widened. In a flash, we left the imperial gate and went towards the woods.“I'm afraid I can't run freely if I shift in the palace,” he said and chuckled.“It's okay.” I gave him a reassuring smile.“Okay, uhm, would you turn around for a second?” he awkwardly scratched his cheeks. I am still able to see him since my eye sense as a wolf has heightened due to the dark.“Why?”“I would need to remove my clothes.”“Yeah, sure,” I smiled softly, seeing his facial expression. I didn't know that he's quite conservative and shy.He flashed an awkward smile. I turned around and waited for him to get his clothes off and shift. When I felt a low howl, I took it as a cue to look at him.And what I saw next made my jaw drop to the floor.An impressive beautiful golden wolf stood on all fours in front of me. He was a huge wolf. He shook his wolf head before he looked at me. Our eyes met.Under the moonlight and thousands of stars above, his eyes are t
We were now going back to the palace an hour after we strolled around the forest. I am kind of a little sad knowing that he doesn't see me as his friend, but it is fine and I quite understood him. I just... kinda feel sad.I've never had any friends before and I really wonder how it feels to have one. If prince Alastair would give me the opportunity to be friends with him, I would gladly accept it without any fuss.Prince Alastair and I decided to take our time walking back. I set aside my sadness and animatedly talked with him. He listens to every story I tell him and so I am with him. So far, having his company feels nice. He's comfortable to be with.“Can you really fly?” I asked.He chuckled. “No. I don't have that ability, but my flexibility is quite impressive. I could jump from higher places without injuring myself or making any sounds when I landed. It is a skill I got for being a vampire.”I nodded my head. “So... Do you drink blood, too?”“Hmm, sometimes. I rarely crave bloo
My eyes widened in utter surprise.I stepped back, bewildered, and watched as the wolf fell on the ground lifelessly.My lips trembled. Looking down at my hands, I saw it was soaked with blood.Blood from the rogue I killed barehands...My knees wobbled and I stumbled backwards.“My lady!” Alastair exclaimed and knelt down in front of me. He pulled my body to him and brought my face on his chest. “Hush... forget it.”“A-Alastair...” I said.Just... What happened to me?“We're now safe. Let's go back to the palace.” He stood up and carried me.I closed my eyes when it began to get blurry. Smokes has stopped emitting from my skin. Within my chest I could feel the turmoil and power trying to erupt. My insides are burning.Power...I can feel it within me...Before everything would draw upon me, my eyes closed its own. It didn't take long for me to lose my consciousness. My body has become too weak. My whole body was in pain, burning, begging. As if my soul wants to leave my body already.
I'm quite confused. It's been days since that night has happened. It always visits me in my dreams, and I have no means to even stop it. Two people. I've killed two people single handedly. In these two incidents, I find it strange to find similar things happen from different kinds of death.The first one I took life with, the woman flew across the room, which was the cause of her death. The second one was me taking the rogue's heart.All happens with dark smokes emitting from me.What was that?I stayed in the chamber for nearly a week now. I was unable to recover quickly. I feel so weak and the confusion didn't help.Prince Alastair often visits me in my room. However, there are times he needs to fulfil his princely duties and he can't visit me. It was okay and I understood him. But... for the next few days I started feeling too lonely. The maids don't want to talk to me and I feel so embarrassed to initiate the conversation, scared that they might reject me.I sat on the huge window
Prince Alastair, again, escorted me to the dining hall. I was nervous but Alastair always reassures me it's gonna be okay. I nodded my head and took a deep breath.When we got in the dining room, the empress was the first one who greeted me. I curtsey to the imperial couple and apologised for my actions from our last meeting. The empress said she understood and it was completely fine, much to my relief. I could not believe someone this powerful could be so kind and sweet. I used to see people superior to my pack acting rudely towards people inferior to them. So being smiled at by the empress and the emperor, I was surprised and touched.The dinner ended peacefully.Prince Alastair and I decided to take a few rounds around the palace. He toured me and explained everything to me. I was overwhelmed at how wealthy they are and how power they hold.“Hmm, what are you thinking, my lady?” he asked.“Hmm?”“You seem lost in your thoughts. Care sharing?”I shook my head. “No... uhm, I just won
“So you meant to say, you're tempted to get the wine?”“I-It's a wine?”“Yes, it is. My mother rarely drinks blood,” he said and smiled stiffly.I sighed. “I thought it was blood. For a moment, I felt like I was thirsting for it.”“Why would you?”“I don't know...” I quietly said.We fell into deafening silence until he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Come, let's go to the garden.”I accepted his hand and nodded. We went to an imperial garden which looked magical. It was very beautiful.The wind brushed against my cheek.“My brother and I used to come here when we were younger,” he started.“It must be nice having a sibling.”“It is.”“He's older than you...?”“Hmm...”“M-May I know why he isn't the crown prince even though he's the eldest? In Shadow pack, the person who will become the next alpha is the eldest child of the current alpha. Be it woman or man, there is no criticism when it comes to gender. But of course, it changed when the new alpha ruled our pack.”We sat on the wooden