[Erica]"I am your what?" she asked, bewildered. Mates? the only meaning of the word 'mate' that she was acquainted with was when people addressed each other jovially. "Mates are supposed to be our soulmate who is just made for us," Jade clarified before either of the two men could speak. She was done with them fumbling and flailing with half-baked explanations. Erica was thankful to her for her prompt replies."I am his...what?" she repeated dumbly. Drake made an unhappy sound in his throat before settling back into the chair. She turned to him and glowered at him. Here she was, being told things that she believed existed only in fairytales and her brother was already getting impatient."I think...we should let Xavier take from here?" Jade suggested quite uncertainly. Erica's eyes flickered to the said man, she saw his jaw clench. He acquiesced eventually, "Yes, I shall explain everything to her."Jade sprung up from her seat and tugged Drake's hand who seemed a little reluctant to l
[Erica]You being my mate was not something I had hoped for...The sentence had been repeating in her mind in a loop, like a broken and unwanted record. She sniffled drawing up her knees closer to her chest and resting her chin on them. Her room was shrouded in darkness. She was immensely relieved when she came back to an empty apartment because had either Josh or Lana been present, they would have bombarded her with questions. What a chaotic day. First her breakdown after hearing voices and now learning something equally bewildering and shocking. Her phone trilled once again, maybe for the 10th time but she could care less. At the back of her mind, she knew it might be from her parents or Drake but she could not bring herself to receive the calls. Never had she imagined that she would hear something like this. How long were her family planning to hide the secret? Would they have sent her away once she was old enough to live on her own? She was a...human after all. A humourless laug
[Xavier]"You can sometimes be a total buffoon!" Jade all but yelled at him making him flinch slightly. Jade seemed beside herself, her eyes flashing red with fury. "Why was she crying, Xavier?" she growled. Leikos gave a warning growl, 'She is disrespecting us!' Xavier did not deign to reply. He gritted his teeth but did not talk back.Jade had the right to be angry. He had fucked up and now he had to solve this."I might have said...something which she might have been misinterpreted," he muttered averting his eyes from his aunt's icy stare."And...what did you say?" Jade asked, staring daggers at him."That she was not someone I expected to be my mate," he replied ruefully."Damn it, Xav," she groused."Most people who have been told that they are different take an ambiguous statement negatively. Erica did too. I cannot fault her. Imagine heari
[Erica]The classes were getting hectic, she walked wearily towards the cafeteria. Another round of emotional talk. she thought warily. She had not spoken to Drake last night. Drake had not called her either after she had texted that she was fine. As soon as she entered, she spotted her brother but her eyebrows furrowed when she saw him talking animatedly to another guy but what stopped her in tracks was his eyes. His eyes held fondness and...something else. This kind of look...she had never seen it before.Even though the person he was talking to had their back turned towards her, he appeared familiar.Without waiting any further and observing from the sideline, she decided to meet the person who managed to bring out that kind of look in his brother."Hey!" she greeted enthusiastically. Drake seemed startled but whatever Erica was about to say died on her lips when her eyes landed on the person, "Axel?" she looked surprised, to
XavierHis head was throbbing. He could not get a wink of sleep last night, his mind reeling with the facts he read about Mages last night. He was yet to read that book, already knowing most of the pages by heart yet he knew that if he read the book now he would definitely see it from a different perspective."...Our queen could control elements of nature...She could foresee the future. But 'they' killed her... 'they' made her sacrifice Her life...Goddess will never forgive them..."These lines kept on swirling in his mind. He massaged his temples, the headache was getting worse. Want to go on a run?He offered to his wolf who yipped his consent. He was thinking too much, he needed to unwind. Running through the woods would let him think and relax. His phone vibrated, Ava's name flashed on the screen. He had been avoiding her calls all morning, sending her a quick text instead. He turned off his device in
Erica"Can you...describe...the wolf once again?" Xavier said slowly. Erica glanced at him, he looked tensed all of a sudden.Don't tell me...this too was related..."Uh...I just told you. His fur was black and he was tall, like not similar to a normal wolf, it was taller than an average human actually and its eyes were black and..." she trailed off, uncertainty lacing her tone. Should she say what it told her? What if...Xavier reacts badly?She decided to just get it out of her system, "Uhm...it called me 'mate'. But well...then I ran from there", she mumbled in low voice. She side-eyed Xavier and as expected he was clenching his jaw."Look, its just dream. It's not like-" but Xavier cut in, "It is something Erica. You wouldn't have dreams about such a wolf...a werewolf who also calls you their 'mate' just like that", he gritted. His nostrils flared a little. Erica placed her other hand on
Erica"So you are already getting cosy with him, huh?" Drake asked with a knowing grin. Erica shot him a withering look, her cheeks heating up. "Nothing like that...we just talked", she muttered as they walked leisurely towards the town. The guards had let them out surprisingly and as she stepped out of the gate she felt as if she had come out from another world.She already had a glimpse of the place outside the campus when she had first arrived but at night it looked different. The streetlamps were designed to look like the ones in the Victorian era, the bulbs throwing a soft glow on the path. The trees loomed darkly, like silent protectors of the forest, not letting anyone get a glimpse of what was beyond."It is forbidden to go outside the campus after 10, right? Erica quizzed, she really did not wish to cause trouble for Xavier or anyone. She disliked favouritism and this was bordering onto that.Her brother chuckle
XavierHe was almost near the mansion when his phone ringed. Stopping the car, he answered the call. A breathless voice informed, "Alpha, I am Drake Morris. Could you please come immediately near the edge of the forest, outside the campus. We are not very far from town. It is urgent". Balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear, he manoeuvred a turn, "I'll be there", and hung up.As he was driving his mind chalked up the worse reasons for the call. Drake had not given any specifics and that could either be that Erica was alright or she was not. He was keyed up through the entire journey which felt far too long, his foot pressing hard on the accelerator to diminish the distance. He felt Leikos brooding.Finally, his eyes spotted the siblings. Drake seemed to be injured and Erica's face was ashen. His heart drummed as he killed the engine and got out. He jogged towards them. His eyes made a cursory check on Erica for bruises or scratch