Murid Kesayangan

"I gave up on every single dream to be with her, but unfortunately… I am not the one she dreams of or will ever dream of!" -Asmitha (Whirlwind Marriage to a Bully Alpha)

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Dressed in a white off shoulder dress, a woman stepped out of her car to look at the Civil Bureaucracy office in front of her. 

She had pearly white skin with a small face. Her wavey, raven-like black hair fell carelessly on her shoulders. She had big brown eyes and heart shaped lips; even with just minimal makeup she managed to look breathtaking.

It was her big day today and this caused an uneasy stir of happiness and nervousness within her. Maybe she wasn't ready yet, her marriage was just decided this afternoon in a flash because she needed the money offered on this relation to save her father and his falling company. But unlike other women who would be devastated about getting married in a hurry, she was rather calm and happy because she was getting married to the man whom she had been loving since she was a teenager.

…

"No, there must be some way! We can't go bankrupt." Harold Smith screamed over his phone, even though he was in his study he was loud enough for the woman in the hall to hear him clearly. She was the 23 year old Kiara- the foster daughter of the Smith's who was getting worried sick seeing her father blow up in his office. She bit hard on her lower lip thinking about how suddenly her father's business went down the abyss overnight without a warning. This business was the sole source of income for the family of four and if it were to fall apart they won't have any other option than to move to the streets.

Her thoughts were shattered when she heard a loud cry of her mother; she darted her eyes towards the study to see her father collapsing to the ground. "Father…" she screamed before dashing upstairs.

…

In the hospital…

Lidia Smith was crying her heart out in the arms of Venessa, her eldest and biological daughter, while Kiara was nervously waiting for the doctor to finish their check up on her father. The man fainted without a warning sending horrors to the rest of the family, they immediately brought him to the hospital but they were yet to hear any news from the doctors. The girl could only steal glances of the two women and keep shut because they loathed her and never welcomed her as their family.

The door was finally pulled open and the doctor came out; the three women immediately rushed to him. The middle aged doctor simply asked them to follow him to his room as he had something important to discuss.

"Mrs Smith… Please brace yourself!" The man said before explaining, "He just survived a major cardiac attack; the sudden shock had made his health critical and we need to perform an immediate surgery."

"S- surgery?" The family was shocked to hear this and Lidia couldn't help but weep more. The doctor nodded and said, "Since it is a critical condition we will have to bring in specialists. The surgery will be expensive."

Vanessa, who was consolidating her mother, said, "Doctor, our company is going bankrupt. I don't think we can afford an expensive surgery now."

The doctor sighed and closed the file in his hands, "Then I am afraid we can't do anything to save him."

Lidia started to call everyone she knew to arrange for the money but no one was willing to help as they were unsure if the Smiths could ever pay them back given their current condition. The time was running and the family could only think of one way, Lidia said, "I am going to meet the Vurons."

"But mom…" Vanessa was dreaded by this idea; Lidia understood her concern and said, "We have no other option, dear. They are the only ones who could help us."

Kiara was never acknowledged by these two women so she was not with them when they were discussing but she did hear what her mother said from the other room.

The Vurons… The oldest and most influential family of Vensecov were worthy of the fear that everyone in the town had for them because they weren't just regular people but shifter wolves. These supernatural beings had been human's sheer nemesis with a huge forest separating the two settlements once upon a time but a pact was signed promoting peace and harmony between the two communities. Today, the humans and wolves lived together; many of them even married humans deepening their friendship. The Vurons were one of the oldest families in this town and thus were rather powerful and wealthy than the rest.

Being pure blood with no humans ever crossing with their lineage, they were powerful and were considered as the ruling clan of their pack- the Reed Hunter Pack.

There were very few families in the town who were acquainted with them and Smiths were one of these families because of the friendship between the older generation of these two families.

Kiara and Vanessa were waiting for their mother and watching over their father when their mother walked in. Seeing her beaming, the girls could say that the meeting went down successfully. 

She announced, "I met the Alpha himself. He was merciful and he has agreed to pay for your father's surgery and even help us revive the company."

"What? Are you serious, mom? This is great news. We are saved." Vanessa cheered, she had a very poor impression of the Vurons as the members she had met were very cold and ruthless.

"The Alpha?" Kiara asked, slightly interested in the conversation.

The woman nodded and said, "Their son! He is back in the country and has taken charge of the pack and their family business just two days back." Kiara felt butterflies down her stomach- he was back!

She was walking down the path of the memory lane when she suddenly remembered something. "What did they ask in return?" Kiara asked as she knew no one was kind enough to help anyone for free without a chip on bet. Lidia froze, "That…"

…

"Are you nervous?" Sophia, Kiara's best friend since middle school was the one accompanying her today as her mother and sister didn't bother to even be present at a marriage which was happening for their well being. Kiara nodded, "I have been in love with Darren for so long. I thought it would be just another, tragic one-sided from my side. Who would have thought fate would make us end up together."

Sophia, being her best friend, knew very well that this girl liked Darren, the eldest son of the Vuronsa family and manifested to be with him all her life. Although she was head over heels for him, she never dared to tell him that she loves him over some reason that she refused to talk about. 

"If everything is perfect then why are you this nervous?"

"That…" Kiara dragged under her breath as various images of her screaming and getting grabbed by someone flashed in her mind. She nodded her head to push back all these memories and said, "Nevermind. It will be all good this time."

The girl smiled and hugged her shoulders, "It will as it has always been. You were the only girl in the whole school who was allowed near them; Darren was friendly but his brother was so…"

"Sophia! I am feeling a bit cold so I am going to pick up my jacket from the car." Kiara suddenly said before dashing towards her car to pick up the jacket. Sophia found this sudden interruption odd but she didn't mind it.

The cold breeze swept across her skirt; the office would have shut down by now but the staff were still there to register their marriage at this hour of night. This reflected the influence of the Vurons; they could even make a government office function after its closing time. Kiara looked at the time, it was already 7, Darren would be here any moment now. Her phone indicated an incoming text, it was from her mother.

Someone representing the Vurons was here and the surgery would start as soon as the marriage was registered. Kiara was typing back when Sophia nudged her, "Kiara, look. It's him."

The girl lifted her head to look at a limited edition black Rolls Royce coming to halt just a few metres away from them. Kiara's heart started to beat faster, it was him.

Four years back after that night, Kiara transferred herself to a whole different country not wanting to face this man anymore. She thought she was unfit for him anymore and staying away would help her forget him but it was all in vain. Even after she came back and tried to find him, she was informed that Darren too had left the country for higher studies.

Today, they were finally going to meet and she had no clue how it would be.

The back door of the car clicked open and a strong figure came out of it. Kiara smiled brightly thinking it was Darren but her smile froze when the familiar silhouette stepped out in the light, revealing himself to her.

"I- Icarus…"