Part two- Chapter 26

“The best mirror is an old friend.”

― George Herbert

ORSELINE P.O.V

“Stop, stop” Miss Karen said and then her daughter who was in the class today paused the music. “I do not want your back to be stiff Lisa. Just let your body flow with the music” she said sternly and I looked at Lisa who rolled her eyes.

“Again” Miss Karen said and the music played. We were currently practicing for the dance performance to be held in a nearby theatre. It will be organized by a NGO and the money from the entrance fees would go to the old age home. There wasn’t any competition, just dancing and I was glad, it was so.

“Stop” Miss Karen said and her daughter music stopped. “So, we have practiced everything we have learnt so far. Let’s choreograph the last thirty seconds of the song tomorrow. So, you girls can pack up and I will see you in the next class, which is tomorrow” she added and all of us nodded. “Bye” she said as I walked over to pick my bag. I was actually tired of dancing. My legs were aching and I so badly wanted to slump on my bed right now. I knew I was getting weak but this… it was irritating.

“Are you busy tonight?” Malory asked me while she was wearing her red hoodie. I envied her right now because she still looked energized even though she came here after a whole day in college.

“No. Why?” I asked her.

“Can you come to my place tonight for a girl’s night?” she asked me.

“Will your mom be with us?” I asked her and she nodded. I smiled and shook my head. Malory’s mom, Jenny was a complete sweetheart. She was so fun to be with. Even when we were kids, I used to go to her house. I was home schooled and didn’t knew how their schools were. Malory and Cristina used to share their story with me. Cristina was a lot like me, boyish and fighting all the time, but Malory was the shy and funny one amongst our group which also includes Twin bro’s and her cousin, Zach. Jenny, her mom would guard us standing outside her room door, not letting Twin bro’s who used to always be wearing masks and coming to scare me, Malory and Cristina because we weren’t letting them join us, in a girl’s sleepover.

“I am definitely coming” I told her and Malory grinned. “Tina?” I asked her

“She will be there too” Malory said and I grinned lowering my head. She then stopped smiling and looked at me. “Still not talking to each other?” she asked me and I knew she was talking about Duncan.

“Nope” I said and gulped down the water from my bottle.

“Just call him and see?” she suggested and I shook my head. “You guys are mates and mates don’t fight” she said and I laughed.

“Mates do” I told her.

“No. I have never seen my parents fighting, only seen them making out” Malory said and then shuddered as if she badly wanted to wipe that memory.

“They do. When one of them is pigheaded” I said.

“Look who’s talking” she muttered and I growled.

“Hey, I am not pigheaded” I stated, even though I knew I was a little stubborn.

“You are” she said chuckling. “But that’s okay. You are only 10, no… 20% stubborn” Malory said and I gasped. “Look, it’s your fault right? Why don’t you go and talk to him?”

“I did. I went to talk to him but he behaved rudely with me” I replied.

“And then you gave up? Didn’t try talking to him?” she asked skeptically and I shook my head.

“He… he behaved badly and I got angry and I-” said but Malory cut me off.

“Still saying you are not stubborn?” she asked me raising her eyebrows and I growled at her.

“His sister went and spoke to him, okay? He should know by now that I am not the one to be blamed for everything” I said and growled.

“Alpha Duncan has a sister?” she asked me and I nodded slowly.

“He has… but nobody knows because they were not brought up together” I said. It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Oh” Malory said. Using my fingers, I pretended to zip my lips and she repeated the action. “Got it” she said. “Now, I think, he should call you”

“Told you, he is stubborn” I said and Malory pinched her lips together. I realized that Duncan’s anger was because we had killed his father but Darya said she had already told him why we had to do that. I never knew Duncan’s father was one of the five Alpha’s when I had gone to meet him that day. It was only after I heard what he said; I realized that his father was also involved.

When Duncan came to Supreme Pack, I wanted to tell him the truth, the same day I realized he was my mate. But Darya stopped me. She wasn’t ready for him to know the truth. She was scared that he would be just like his father. Even though I kept repeating that Duncan wasn’t like his asshole dad, Darya wasn’t ready to let him know everything. It was understandable from where she was standing because she had just realized her father, the man she desperately wanted to get to know more about, wanted her dead. She had thought her brother too wouldn’t want her and so she asked me not to.

There was something about Darya that made me want to accept whatever she was saying. It wasn’t just me, Tyson, Cortez and Granel too used to feel the same but the connection between her wolf and mine is a lot stronger than theirs. I feel my wolf is very protective of her. One call from her and I would go to help her.

Nine months after she shifted, Darya still didn’t receive her gift and it was troubling us. How could that be possible? I mean, Orion and others had received their gift sooner, at the most three months gap. I had asked Alpha Peter and others to not to meet Darya because I didn’t want her being terrified about all of this. She was living a calm life and I wanted it to be that way for her. Plus there was a big possibility of her getting to know that her parents are Alpha’s which Jane didn’t want her to know. So, Darya was always kept away even though she was our main topic.

Alpha Peter and others agreed to it because Darya was just a child who might not be able to take everything well, once she comes to know about it. However whenever I used to visit Moreland Pack, I would often tell them everything about Darya. I knew everyone in my pack was wondering how Darya was different but due to my orders they always kept quiet.

It was a week after Uncle Grier’s death, and there was a rogue attack in my pack. The rogue attack used to constantly happen in our pack. I don’t know what the rogues want but once in a year, the rogues used to come and attack my pack.

When the attack happened, Ma and Pa had gone to Grier Pack, to console Aunt Lily who was distraught after Uncle Grier’s death. It hurt seeing her like this. The poor woman didn’t deserve it. I knew twin bro’s too were hurt looking at their mom but they didn’t let it show.

I still remember that day very well. The fucking rogues dared to attack the pack in the broad daylight. I was in my house, watching television when Zach came and informed me about it. The worst part was the rogues had attacked some pack members whose houses were close to the outskirts of the territory. As soon as I came to know about it, I shifted into my beige wolf and rushed to the attack scene. Me and my pack had fought and killed around ten rogues. Two of them had managed to escape and they had gone running into the town. Cristina and few other fighters had gone after them while I and Zach, along with few others were killing rogues here.

I was ripping a chunk from a dark brown wolf’s neck when I heard someone calling me. “Orseline” a girl’s voice called me. It was Darya, what surprised me was that she didn’t mind link with me because I didn’t feel her presence in my mind at all.

My wolf became alert all of a sudden. She knew Darya was in danger. I was furious with the attack and so my wolf was angry about it but still I had some control over my wolf but after Darya called me, my wolf without thinking rushed somewhere. I actually didn’t know where I was going but my wolf knew and I let her guide me.

I came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the woods when I saw the scene in front of me. Of the two rogues who escaped, one was already dead, his body on the ground ripped and I knew Cristina had killed him, judging by the way she had blood on her muzzle. The other rogue, very much alive, held Darya by her throat, his claws slightly digging her skin.

“If you don’t let me go, I will kill her” the rogue growled out when he saw me approaching towards her. My gaze met Darya’s who looked relieved to see me. She had definitely called me to come here, but I still didn’t understand how I was able to listen her considering I was out of hearing range from her.

‘Don’t panic’ I said to Darya through the link, in a calm voice. All I wanted to do was kill the coward who was using Darya to escape.

‘What do we do Alpha?’ Cristina asked me through the link.