Arya
My heart flutters are Queen Helena’s kind words and the softness in her eyes. Right then I’m starting to believe that this woman is indeed my true mother, but the reality turns me away once again.
“But Queen Helena,” I begin, but she waves me off.
“Call me mom,” she says.
I swallow hard. I don’t think I have it in me to call her that just yet. “You have to know something.” I look up at the King too. “I remember that I’m a wolf. A weak wolf. That’s the only thing I can recall about myself, so that must mean that that has big significance to who I am. Therefore, I can’t be your daughter.”
He smiles. “You don’t know what you’re capable of, Arya. But you will find out soon.”
I try to be enthusiastic about that, but I only feel bad for them. They really have no clue. “You’re mistaken. I don’t have capabilities.”
“Oh, dearest,” Queen Helena whispers, touching my face again. “You are not a weak werewolf. You see, we Lycans have different abilities. I can tell that your Lycan is just there, dormant.”
I frown. “So it would come out soon?”
She nods and smiles. “Yes. I promise you, sooner or later, you will feel its power inside you. All you have to do is be ready.”
I look at the King and he nods at me encouragingly. “Do you wish to take a walk with us so you can see?”
I open my mouth to say yes, but something stops me. I’ve been fixated on worrying that they don’t know me, but I don’t know them either. As far as I’m concerned, this could just be a giant misunderstanding that will hurt all of us later.
“Maybe some other time,” I mumble. “I, um . . . I need to rest.”
They glance at each other, and I manage to catch the look of sadness in their eyes before I sink back onto the bed. My heart aches. For them and for myself. They seem to be good people, looking for their lost daughter for years, and they end up with me. A possible mistake.
“Of course, dearest,” the queen tells me, leaning down to kiss my head. “There will always be next time. Go get plenty of rest.”
They both stand and make their way towards the door, but before they can leave, they both whisper, “We love you.”
My throat closes up. The lights go out. The door closes.
And I cry into my pillow.
* * *
Days pass, and every day I expect the King and the Queen to storm into my room and demand me to get out because I’m a fluke, but that doesn’t happen.
They visit me every day, yes, but to give me freshly cooked meals and talk to me, try to bond with me. They both give me gifts, little trinkets like jewelry and journals, and small garments, things they have collected for me over the years in the hopes that one day I will come back to them.
Even though my days with them are good, my nights aren’t. I get plagued with dreams about being in a group of people my age, all with their faces blurry. They keep telling me that I’m weak, that I can’t defend myself, that I’m one failure away from becoming a mere human.
There’s one particular face that keeps reoccurring. One particular male voice that’s always there.
I always wake up in cold sweat, but the King and Queen will always come to comfort me.
Their sweetness never changed at all. Not once did I notice them looking at me strangely or like I don’t belong with them. They were nothing but kind and gentle and understanding.
And I find myself feeling good in their presence.
So today, I tell them, “I want to see the palace.”
King Samuel cheers loudly, and Queen Helena taps his arm with a laugh. They both beam and turn to me. “Let’s go!”
They help me out of the bed and get dressed in the fanciest silk robe, then off we go.
I stay in between them, looping my arms in theirs. We probably look silly walking like this, but none of the people we meet are laughing at us. They all bow, whispering among themselves and pointing at me.
But it’s not a negative thing. They all look . . . amazed.
I start to feel relaxed. I can feel my whole body deflating, my stress getting released. I’m beginning to feel comfortable enough to take in the surroundings.
The palace is massive. It looks like a fairy tale castle with gleaming white walls and smooth marble floors. I can see the towers and the turrets once we get to the courtyard, and more people dressed in white greet us on our way.
The courtyard is vast. There are columns looming above like fingers reaching into the sky, which is bright blue and cloudless. The sun is bathing the fine grass and the trees with yellow light, bouncing off the red-tiled roof.
I can’t help but gasp. For a moment I wonder how all of this can hide in the woods without being seen, but then I see all the armored guards roaming the area. They’re all tall and muscular, intimidating even without the weapons they yield.
“I see the place is well protected,” I comment.
King Samuel gazes at the field proudly. “My men do a good job in keeping everyone safe, especially against Rogues and enemy wolves.”
“Let’s continue,” Queen Helena beams, and together we head to the back of the palace where the training ground is.
I’m stunned. The place is massive, and it seems to have just about everything that someone in training can ask for.
There’s a rock climbing wall at the far end of the field, built into the edge of a huge boulder. There’s an Olympic-sized swimming pool beside an arena, as well as a stable full of huge horses. Adjacent to it is a huge array of weapons that gleam gold under the sun.
“Wow,” I say under my breath and the royal couple smile at each other.
Everything is impressive, but what really catches my attention is the group of people fighting in the arena.
At first, they’re still using weapons, trying to hit each other with their spears and swords. They are moving with a kind of speed that I have never seen before, dodging blows and hitting seamlessly as though they rehearsed it. They’re all so good that no one gets hurt, but suddenly, one of the men transforms into his Lycan form.
And before us, a huge wolf with silver fur appears.
“That’s a Lycan?” I blurt out.
King Samuel chuckles. “Yes. But you just wait, The Royal Lycan form is gold.”
My heart burns with yearning. I want to be that strong Lycan who stands out among the rest. I want to be able to fight and defend myself. I step forward, staring at the fighting Lycans.
“They’re beautiful,” I whisper.
“They are,” she agrees, then she shares a kiss with her husband.
Watching them softens my heart and makes me remember something. “How about my mate?”
“Well, we are different again in that regard,” he says, putting his arms around me and the Queen. “We can choose our own mates. Not like wolves, who have fated mates. But there are some rare cases where a Lycan is mated to a werewolf, and together they make the strongest bond.”
I look up at the King and Queen. My parents. “I wish to train as soon as possible to earn my Lycan.”
Levi“I will try to find Arya,” I tell Alpha Mathias. “No need to halt my coronation. I will find her.”This is exactly what I have feared, my father delaying passing on the title to me because of certain issues. That’s why I had to tell Arya what I knew. But it really seems that everything is just backfiring. By rejecting her, I condemned us both to a fate where we don’t get what we want.“You better get on to finding her, then,” he says sternly.I nod, and then I peek down the cliff. The currents are high, and the rush of the waters could be heard from above.Behind me, Arya’s brother Daniel says, “We should get down and see if her body . . . if she’s still there.”“Let’s go,” I say, but the mention of ‘her body’ sends chills down my spine. “This way.”With Daniel and our friend Theo, we scale the flatter side of the cliff to get to the shore of the river. The currents are almost deafening, and we find ourselves getting sprayed by the crash of the water.Still, we keep our eyes peel
AryaKing Samuel and Queen Helena look at each other as though they can’t quite believe what I just said, but I meant it. I want to train with them as soon as possible.“When can I start?” I ask eagerly. “Can I start tomorrow?”“Well, not yet.” King Samuel put his hand on my shoulder. “You need to heal first. I know you feel good now, but you need to be in peak condition when you fight with them.”He gestures at the warriors, who are still sparring with each other, but now with weapons. They’re moving so seamlessly and gracefully, but I can hear the weapons making strong impacts. Those elegant-looking moves are strong.I want so bad to be like them.I want to show everyone that I’m not some kind of weakling, like the people in my dreams tell me.But I look at the Queen and see her disapproving face. “Why don’t you come and meditate with me first?”* * *A few days pass, and things in the palace are going pretty well. I’m not allowed to roam on my own, and it’s because the King and Qu
AryaArthur. So that’s the name of this man.“Nice to meet you,” I mumble.I know I should say my name or something, but I really don’t feel like telling this man anything about myself. I don’t like the arrogant aura emanating from him, and that smirk looks like trouble.Although I must admit that he is extremely good-looking.Sculpted, chiseled face. Straight, angular nose with a little bump on the bridge. Deep-set blue eyes that seemed to be piercing right through me. Curved lips that looked like they were made so smirk . . . and do other things that I don’t want to name.“Pleasure to meet you,” he says, extending his hand for a shake.Reluctantly, I take his hand and shake it, but I quickly withdraw it when I feel him starting to trace circles around my skin.“Arthur here is the best warrior in our kingdom,” King Samuel begins to explain. “He’s the youngest leader of our troops, and he teaches everyone all kinds of combat skills.”Arthur smiles. “You flatter me, your Majesty.”The
AryaShock overcomes me. I gasp for breath as the pain starts to build around my shoulders. I try to buck Arthur off, but even the slightest movement is making my shoulder hurt even more.“Let me go!” I yell at him, trying to reach him with my foot but I can’t do it. “You’re hurting me! Let me go!”“You’re here to learn how to fight, not to beg for your life,” he whispers in my ear. “Now fight me.”For some reason, that makes my skin go all tingly again, and this time I’m pretty sure it’s not from being repulsed.With my shaking limbs, I try to elbow him hard, but then he just dodges me and pushes me harder against the wall.“Maybe this will be a good first lesson for you,” he tells me as he begins to ease his grip. “Always be vigilant. Always be mindful of what you’re opponent is doing. You got so distracted over making me leave that you didn’t even think of this happening. Now you’re stuck, and I can just as easily . . . end you. For good.”Damn it. It makes me hate myself to admit
Arya“You?” I stammer.Arthur shrugs. “Yes, me. Do we have any problem with that?”I do. That’s the truth. I have all sorts of issues with this arrangement, but what can I do? Complain to the King and Queen who are in a meeting right now? Would they even listen to me? Because it really seems that they like Arthur and they think he’s all that.I don’t answer. I just fold my arms over my chest as we stand face to face. For some reason, he doesn’t look teasing right now. There’s a certain tension in the air and I can see it in the way the muscles in his shoulders shift under his shirt.“Are you alright?” I ask.He brushes me off. “Let’s just go.”With that, some of the servants open the door for us and he leads me away, but then he stops when he sees a man standing beside a car in front of the palace.“Your Grace.” Arthur bows. “What are you doing here?”“Just making sure that you are doing what the King and Queen wants you to do.” The man looks at me and suddenly I’m struck with how muc
AryaI look into Arthur’s eyes and I’m struck by one thing. Genuine care.He looks like he means what he said, like he really will be there if something bad happens to me. That makes my throat loosen up, my heart returning to its normal rate slowly.“You mean that?” I ask in a vulnerable voice. “But I. . . .”“I mean it.” He lets me go and steps away from me to give me space. “Are you feeling better? Can you breathe?”“Yes,” I say, but my voice still sounds low. I look around me and realize that we are in some sort of a garden. There’s a group of tall white buildings looming beyond us. “Is that the academy?”“Yeah, but we don’t have to go there now,” he offers. “You still have so much time to discover all of that and you don’t need to do it now. We can just stay here and look around until you’re all good.”“Are you sure?”“Of course.” He smiles at me, and I feel something flutter in my chest. “I know this area too, though. And I can show you my favorite spot. Come with me.”I look at
AryaThe ride back home is quiet. At some point, I fall asleep as Arthur continues to drive. I woke up just in time to see that we were back in the palace and that the sky was starting to darken.“I’ll drop you off here,” he says. “Have a great evening, Miss Arya.”“Drop the Miss,” I tell him, flashing him a smile. “Have a great night, Arthur.”The sound of his name feels nice to say, and that makes him smile too. With a final little wave, he drives away and I watch him disappear before I run back to our quarters.The maidens tell me that the King and Queen are still occupied with the meeting, so I eat dinner alone and spend the rest of my night in my room, watching the stars from the window and eventually falling asleep.When I wake up, it’s already morning.And I surprise myself by feeling so ready and so energized to have another lesson with Arthur.I take a shower and get dressed in my usual workout clothes. I run down the stairs and head to the kitchens, where I see Queen Helena
Arya“What?” I splutter. I almost drop the schedule because of shock. “Why would you leave me? Where are you going?”“I have my own classes to attend to,” Arthur says with a small laugh. “I’ll come pick you up after school, okay?”“But. . . .”I trail off as he pats my head and leaves. I no longer have anything to say. I stare at my schedule and find that I have six classes containing the basics. I’m actually excited to learn and to participate, but this whole thing is making me nervous.I turn around and almost leave the office when a girl’s voice suddenly speaks behind me.“Hey! You’re the new girl, right? Arya Stafford?”The sound of a different last name makes me frown, but I turn around anyway. I look at my schedule again and see that my last name is indeed Stafford. I don’t know why I’m expecting it to be different. Maybe it’s because I had a different last name in my old life? But actually, I’m quite glad to see and hear the change.“Yeah, that’s me.” I smile at the blonde gir