Chapter 2: Late to the party.

I clutched the hospital files the doctor handed to me as I departed the area and refused to glance at my numb legs.

The scenery blurred into each other as the car sped down the road and tears filled my eyes.

I sniffed and blinked them off before they had a chance to fall down.

I wasn't going to wallow in grief over my lost legs.

Not until after I had the chance to see the elders and explain my absence.

I gritted my teeth as the frustration of losing my cell phone gnawed at me.

The hospital lines to the palace barely got through and when one eventually did it was brutally silenced.

Uncle would be so worried and even more shocked when he sees the state I was in.

I pressed the ball of my hands against my eyes and stifled another stream of tears from coming out.

The doctor said there was a thirty percent chance I was able to recover my legs.

Thirty percent was too little to hold on to but I clung tightly to that h]ope.

And if I didn't regain my legs, I was just going to make do with life that way.

I was going to survive. I always did.

My grip on the papers tightened, my back ramrod straight as the car sped through the gates of the palace.

I tightened my jaw, my heart pounding against my chest and sweat coating my forehead.

A layer of calm settled over my skin as I took in the serene surroundings, lush flowers that flourished all year round thanks to my expert care and waterfalls placed at strategic areas of the house and letting out a melodious stream of flowing water.

A smile bloomed at the corner of my lips but froze as my eyes dipped downwards.

The car screeched to a half before the tall staircase that led inside the palace and the driver stepped out.

The sound of an object hitting the floor hard slammed itself into my head followed by the gentle lock of the trunk.

I sat straight, a chill in bones as the turning of wheels reached my ears and my door was pulled open.

"Let me help you, Miss Sera.”the driver offered

I didn't move. I looked past him to the dark chair with silver wheels. The new addition to my bleak life. I couldn't help but imagine how things were going to turn out.

For worse definitely.

“Miss Sera?” The driver waved a hand in my face.

I shut out the stream of thoughts and unbuckled the seat beat before letting him lift me into the chair.

The heavy double doors of the palace swung open and a maid walked through.

She rubbed her hands hastily against her apron and hurried down the steps.

I held her gaze as she approached.

The emotions in her eyes changed from derision, to shock, to realization and finally settled on mockery which she did a bad job at hiding.

I swallowed and looked away.

I was used to this. It's the same look they had always given me only this time, pity was mixed in it.

Like I wasn't expected to become any worse. But I did.

“Welcome home, Princess Sera.” the maid said in a tone tinged with disdain.

“Open the ramp gates.”

Once again, I should thank my parents for their insights when the palace was getting constructed.

Who could have thought their daughter would be the one using the ramps one day?

The maid made no move to help me up the ramp and I was damn well prepared to go myself but the driver held on to the chair and pushed till I reached the entrance.

“Thank you.” I mumbled with a smile before turning and wheeling myself through the doors.

For a moment, I began to question if I was invisible as I wheeled into the house.

It was still the same as I left it, there didn't seem to be an atmosphere of panic over my absence.

It was calm.

Too calm.

I went down the hallway, through the corridors, ignored the stares that were pinned on me,the forced greetings and the subtle chuckle that drifted in my ears after I had passed.

I held on to the wheels so hard I could feel my knuckles turn white and continued to press on till I reached the hallway that led to my Uncle's office.

“Well, look who's back and in a position that finally suits her.”

My hands hovered above my wheels.

I stiffened and slowly turned towards the voice.

Mirabel.

“Hello Cousin. Nice to see you too.” I said in a voice that dripped with false sweetness.

“I wondered for a moment what happened when you didn't show up but I would never have guessed it was to make yourself more pathetic than you already are.”

“Thank you for your concern, Mirabel.” I answered and tried to turn away but my wheels refused to budge.

I looked down to find the wheels held down by an inch of earth.

I looked at Mirabel, at her fingers twirling slowly with earth pieces floating above them and making a small whirlpool.

A flash of envy skittered over my eyes which I hid immediately.

“ We aren't done talking, dear cousin.”

“I have nothing to say to you. Let go of my wheels now.”

“Or what? You'll strike me back? Oh pardon me, I forgot you weren't able to manifest your powers when you came of age!

So tell me Sera, what will you do if I don't let go of your training wheels?” She barked, her voice rising with every scream.

I closed my eyes, letting the sting of the jab settle in my heart before looking at her.

“Nothing Mirabel. I just need to see Uncle immediately. Let me go.”

A crazed look of triumph danced in her eyes as she stared at me and stopped the twirling gesture with her fingers.

“Good thing you still know your place. Go on, run to daddy dearest. I'm sure you'll love the news he has for you.” She said with a wide grin.

I nodded and turned the wheels around, sending it racing down the corridor.

Compared to how many times I had been buried alive and almost died in the past,I got off quite easily with Mirabel yet my heart felt sunken.

The unworthy royal. That was the nickname I earned after my powers refused to manifest on my 16th birthday.

But I refused to let it weigh me down. With my Uncle's constant reassurance and kind presence, I have been able to help the pack in ways even a power holder would be unable to.

The pack had flourished ten times more than it was under my parents rule and I was determined to keep it that way.

Losing my powers hadn't stopped me. Becoming a cripple wouldn't either.

I wheeled past the throne room, to the next room which served as my Uncle’s office when my chair came to an abrupt halt.

The throne room was usually empty.

Empty until a new king or Queen had been crowned.

So why was I hearing voices drifting from within?

I reversed, stopped before the doors and gave them a gentle push.

They groaned beneath my hands and slowly swung open.

The figure seated on the throne was the first thing my eyes took in.

I entered the room slowly, the rules of the pack coming into mind at once.

‘One who hasn't been appointed by the elders and given the mantle of power is forbidden from sitting on the throne.’

But the seat was occupied. And given the chair I was currently in, it wasn't by me.

“Sera.” The voice that had comforted me since the day I found my parents lifeless body soaked in their blood on their bedroom floor reached my ears.

I lifted my head and gazed at my Uncle’s smiling eyes. The man who had treated me like his daughter after the incident, protected me in any way he could and defended me to the elders after my powers were lost.

“What are you doing there uncle?”I asked in a worried voice as I approached.

Flanked on each side of him were the elders of the pack, exchanging looks among themselves as I approached them.

“No one sits on the throne except the chosen king or Queen! You shouldn't be there, uncle! There are repercussions.”

The gentle smile on his face dissolved into a laugh that had goosebumps appearing over my skin.

“You're late to the party, my dear niece but trust me, I’m exactly where I'm supposed to be.”

I gripped the handle of my chair, my eyebrows furrowed as I struggled to process his words. My gaze drifted to the silent elders who had begun to avoid my gaze.

“What do you mean?” I blurted, my hand trembling.

My uncle’s eyes blazed as he reclined further into the chair and his smile turned menacing.

“It means that I have been crowned the new king of Ravencourt pack.”