unfiltered

My eyes were groggy as I opened them. I was greeted with white walls and a beeping sound that was just as annoying as Aunt Mellory’s singing.

“Hey” Esme’s voice called from beside me. I froze, hoping that my brain was just playing tricks on me but as I looked around, she was there, looking at me with tears flowing down her cheeks. “Are you okay? Uncle Fletch said he found you outside your house. Are you good?” I looked at her.

She acted the part so well that I had to remind myself over and over.

“I made this for you” She said, going to the table to get me a steaming bowl of soup. I looked at it for the longest time.

“What is this?” I said, not taking my eyes off the soup.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” She said, her voice holding a bit of venom before she cleared her throat. “It’s the pork ribs soup that you love, now drink it before it get’s cold” The look of anticipation could not be shaken from her face. “Few hours to your mating ceremony love, you don’t want to look pale” I shrugged, pushing the plate away from me.

“I am tired right now, set it on the terrace I  will take it when I wake up.” I yawned for extra effect, facing the wall so I did not see her face.

It went quiet for a while, the door opening and closing but I stayed in place.

“Is she asleep yet?” It was Ethan’s voice this time around, I quietened my breath for a while, making sure that my body was as still as blade.

“She should be, went out like a light few minutes ago. What’s up? She did not eat it?”

I head a groan. “You worry a lot, she would be fine, I promise you. All I need to do is get even a little into her mouth and the curse would do it’s thing.” I felt my blood run cold at that, making me want to scream but I had to listen. “such a poor little fool. The same curse she taught me, I  would use it against her.”

I lay perfectly still as the mattress dipped slightly, a familiar weight settling at the edge of the bed, and I fought the instinct to react. To open my eyes and shove her the hell away from me

I didn’t.

Esme’s voice came first, hushed but urgent. “She should be awake soon. I sent the men to stay at in the room so our story can be correct. Remember” Her voice lower this time around. Wait at least ten minutes”

My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. They were planning to frame me after everything!!!

Another voice answered—low, it was Ethan’s his voice was filled with amusement. “You’re sure she taught you the full curse? It’s a one shot at this you know”

My blood went cold.

Esme hesitated. I could hear it in the way her breath caught, in the pause that followed. “She taught me enough,” she said finally. “Enough to bind her. To weaken her if she tries to fight back.”

The room tilted.

A sound roared in my ears, drowning out everything else for a moment. I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood, anchoring myself to the bed, to the present. She couldn’t know I was awake. Not now. Not when the truth was spilling out of her so easily.

She was going to use my curse.

I let out a breath, causing them to quieten for a minute. “And the body? Did you get rid of them?” My chest beating wildly

What body? I felt my memory jolt back to just before I passed out.

‘No, the stress just made me imagine things’ I thought to myself, trying to convince myself otherwise

“Her parents’ body has been discarded properly. I don’t know what the other guards were thinking putting it there in the first place”

I felt something in my chest tear open. Rage surged through me, hot and corrosive, burning away whatever softness I had left.

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Esme continued, and the lie sat heavy in the air, still oblivious to my building rage “But she is standing in my way so she has to go meet her sorry excuse of her parents” There was no doubt a smirk on her face as it was evident in her voice

“What if she found out?” There was a slight panic in Ethan’s voice. “What if she found out about her Parent and-”

“Baby?” She called, her voice filled it irritation. “I am going to need you to stop bitching at this point. We both know that Anya is not one to keep quiet if she finds out, besides, if she finds out before then, we just end it” She said, putting her hands on my neck.

I tried as possible not to flinch. “Let’s go. We would not want to keep Alpha Ronan waiting now, would we?” she said after a while, leaving me all alone.

I felt my body grow cold as beads of sweat appeared on my forehead.

I counted to thirty, making sure that she had gone before I opened my eyes as groggily as I could just in case she was still in the room and was watching me.

I made eye contact with the bowl, still sitting in front of me, making me take a deep breath. I did not think twice, taking the bowl and throwing it out of the window.

I let out a breath. Looking at the now darkening sky.

“I fucking had to act quick.” I muttered, standing on my feet and running out of the room..

I was basically running out of breath as I moved towards my mum’s hut. It was where she had kept her potions and herbal mix. My hands were shaking at that point, making it almost impossible for me to think straight.

“What are you doing here?” A voice came behind me, freezing me in place.