00003

Nyxana

Hot and fat tears streamed down my face as my mother and brother kept throwing hateful words at me. All my life, I had been subjected to being hated by people, but hearing these words come from them hurt so much. It pained and my heart ached. It felt like they even hated me more than the rouge wolves that I came across in within the forest where I lived.

“It’s enough. You are hurting the poor child with your words. Zethra calm down.” Azmera, my grandmother intervened and she came to stand beside me, placing her hand on my shoulder. The air had become suffocating for me to breathe in and I just wanted to leave.

“Do you think that we care? Rayne is dead and why are you looking so unaffected by it?” Kael asked, referring to my grandmother who looked so calm. Everyone was crying and looked sad, but she was calm. She looked so unaffected with the news and had not reacted to Rayne’s death. The only reaction that had come from her was surprise and that was when the servant passed the news.

“Nyxana did not kill Rayne.”

“But she died because of her!! Rayne committed suicide because of her. I'm not going to have a sister again and I did not get to see her one last time. Her body was burnt to aches.” Zethra's cries increased and she fell to the ground, and her body shook with sobs.

“I don't want to even imagine how much my princess suffered in there.” She cried even harder.

“I will never accept you as my sister!” Kael said coldly to me and I winced in pain when he finally released me. The area in which he held me was red and there was a trail of blood coupled with the marks from his fingertips.

“It’s okay,” Azmera assured me but I knew fully well deep within my heart that it was not. They would never accept me.

“I can't believe that you are consoling her. Who cares if she cries? I should have injured her more than that. I should kill her—”

“Kael, that's enough.” Father's deep voice rang for the first time and absolute silence enveloped the room. The silence was deafening and it felt like the sharpness pricked into my skin.

“It's not entirely Nyxana’s fault. It is just her first day here. Don't scare her. She doesn't even know Rayne.” Kael scoffed.

“But Rayne killed herself because she was coming. It's fucking the same thing. This thing is not innocent!!”

“This thing is your sister. Your real sister. The same blood flows in your veins. If I had not gone to CresantFall pack for their Alpha’s retirement party, I would never have found her and we would have not known that the doctor deceived us.”

“Thanks for bringing Nyxana back to us, but I think this is not the right time for all this. Take her away and give her a room to stay.” Dad dismissed us, his mood sullen. I was glad that he was at least calm with me, but Mom and Kael did not hide their hatred for me even as Azmera took me away from the room.

My legs felt stiff as Azmera walked me back to a room. My eyes were cloudy with tears and I had my head held down. I didn't even know when we got to the room until she made me sit on the bed.

“Why do they hate me so much? I really did not mean for things to go this way.” I couldn't help but ask as none of it was my fault. I didn't even know Rayne in person but I was getting blamed for her committing suicide.

“They don't hate you dear. They are just devastated at Rayne’s death. They've raised her for 20 years, so they definitely will be affected by it. No one hates you here.” She tried to assure me, but I knew that was a lie. They did. My mother did not want to look at me, Kael kept glaring and it looked like he would strangle me if he laid his hands on me, my father looked calm but he still gave me that look a few times. Like I was not supposed to come back into their room.

“I don't think they will ever accept me. I think it's best I leave here.” I said to Aznera but she shook her head as she came to sit beside me.

“You are not going anywhere. This is your birthright, this is your family. You've suffered too much Nyxana and I will not allow a suicide fiasco to send you away. If anyone is to leave, it's Rayne.” She stated her voice stern and I was so glad that I had her support.

“Rayne did not know the right time to kill herself, but she had to do it now. If she was so keen on burning herself to death, why did she not do it a long time ago? You are not leaving this house.” She repeatedly sternly and I sniffled, hugging her. As I hugged her, I wondered about the kind of relationship that she had with Rayne.

She was the only one who was not crying and was Rayne not her grandaughter as well? Then why was Azmera so calm and unaffected? I didn't ask her about it as I just hugged and cried in her arms.