LYNEXIA
Zephyr walks in and I roll my eyes. She is my best friend but now I wish she isn't.Her eyes are wide and her mouth is agape. "Dimitri, what on earth are you doing here? It's bad luck to see your bride before the wedding. How many times must I remind you both?"A smile remains on Dimitri's face, his lips tantalizingly close to mine. "Luck be damned." He whispers against my lips."And don't even think about kissing her. You've caused enough trouble already," Zephyr chimes in with her usual dramatic flairBefore I know it, Her hand grasps mine, yanking me away from Dimitri. A surprised laugh escapes me as Zephyr dismisses Dimitri with a wave of hand. "Now, shoo."Dimitri allows me to be led away because he chooses to. If he didn't let go, Zephyr wouldn't stand a chance with his strength.Dimitri chuckles softly as he backpedals from the room, his gaze never leaving mine until the door clicks shut.Zaphyr's brows furrow into a scowl. "Seriously you two? You have the rest of your lives after the ceremony. Can't you bear to wait a few more hours?" Zaphyr's scowl turns into a beaming smile. "Look at you, radiating with love."Zaphyr's hands smoothly adjust my styled hair, tucking a stray strand to the side of the bun. Stepping back, she looks at me with tears welling in her eyes. "You look absolutely perfect."Her emotions overflow yet again, and I can't help but chuckle inwardly. I may be the one getting married but she is the one who has cried more than she should. She is so emotional."I can't believe how much you've grown. I remember when you were just a child, and now look at you." My best friend says. I roll my eyes at my best friend. "Zephyr, we have been through this, I'm older than you."She sniffs, wiping away the tears with her forefinger. "Your mother would have said that if she were here."A wisp of air leaves my lips.Orphaned at ten, the Shadow Pack welcomed me, raising me as their own. From the Alpha King to the Luna Queen, and the wise elders, they weren't just a pack to me, they were a tightly-knit family of werewolves to me."She would be so proud," Zaphyr's voice trembles as her hand hesitantly rests on my shoulder. A choked sob escapes her, and she pulls me into a crushing hug, her scent, lavender, and unshed tears filling my senses. Now, I am the one patting her back. "You know I'm not going anywhere, right? After the wedding, I will still be here.""But you'll be married." Zephyr sniffles. "I won't have you to myself anymore."A wry smile tugs at my lips. "You will ruin my clothes with snorts.""Oh sorry," Zephyr says as she steps back, dabbing her tears with a tissue.We are both a bundle of nerves, me in my wedding dress and her with mascara smudged beneath her eyes."I can't believe my bridesmaid looks like this and the wedding is just about to start," I say but before she offers a reply we are interrupted.Julianne, Zaphyr's twin sister comes in. "The bride." Her smile is brighter than the sun itself.Right behind you," Zephyr chirps, expertly pulling the veil over my face.With a final, shaky breath, Zephyr and I leave the dressing room. The world dissolves into a swirl of well-wishes and cooing guests as we enter the hall. The hall is decorated in elegant white and ivory, shimmering under the soft glow of candles that should leave my jaw hanging but I don't see all that.My gaze cut through it all, landing on Dimitri at the altar.Even though I saw him just moments ago, it feels like the first time all over again. He is breathtaking, his dark suit framing his broad shoulders. In my eyes, he will always be the most handsome man in the world.Then his gaze met mine filled with love, anticipation, and a shared happiness.We lock eyes, holding onto each other's gaze as I walk down the aisle. The air is filled with the hushed whispers of the guests, but they are mere background noise.When I reach him, his voice drops to a husky whisper, "You are breathtaking."A blush creeps up my cheeks. His hand extends, fingers reaching for mine, but before we touch, Elder Richard, our officiant, clears his throat.Elder Richard's voice fades into a distant hum as he goes on about love and commitment and the sanctity of marriage. My eyes are lost in the warm pools of Dimitri's eyes. There was no word shared between us, just love and affection.Then Elder Richards begins to recite the vows."I, Dmitri Hunter, I vow to.....".Dimitri says the words with conviction and I follow suit, pledging my vows wholeheartedly."I, Lyn Silver, I vow to...""Now you may kiss your bride." Elder Richards announces.My chest swells with joy as Dimitri leans in, his lips are a hairbreadth from mine.Suddenly, a man burst through the door. He looks barely older than Dimitri. He has a blood stain on his toga and a knife lodged in the middle of the blood spread on his chest. The man is clutching the knife's hilt. Life is draining out of his face, leaving a pale white face.A collective scream ripples through the room, my own joining in too. Dimitri tugs me behind him as if to shield me from the horror unfolding."The Barbarians." The man's voice is filled with pain. "They are here." Then he crumples to the ground with a heavy thud. His eyes are wide open and vacant.This was supposed to mark the beginning of my happy ending but it marks the beginning of my tragic start.LYNEXIA They say you can sense when someone is falling head over heels for you, but never when they start falling out of love for you until it's too late. One moment, Dimitri and I were so in love and hopeful about our future filled with dreams, laughter and joy. Then the war wreaked havoc, destroying and tearing the shadow pack apart, and the love me and Dimitri shares. Perhaps our love wasn't destined to withstand the test of war. Our love was born to fail from the beginning without the war.Everything started to go down the hill when I was taken captive by the Barbarians. I lived amongst them in captivity. The Barbarians were also with werewolf blood in the nation of Aethelgard that houses territories of Four werewolves pack. The shadow pack. The mooncrest pack. The moonstone pack. And the Barbarians, the blackstalker pack But while the Shadow pack was raised to see the good in everything and appreciate the nature, The Barbarians were raised with violence and unquenchable thirst
My numb fingers tremble as they clutch the pregnancy test strip in my shaking hand. The bathroom mirrors reflected my disheveled self—dark circles under my eyes, my hair sticking out because I haven't washed it in days and exhaustion in my eyes. The nausea, my aversion for the morning lights, the insatiable hunger, the bone-deep exhaustion—. I'm no child and I know what this symptoms are pointing at. I understand the changes happening to me that I desperately wish it isn't true. I turn the tap, letting the sound fill the silence around me. My shaky hand lifts the test strip to eye level. Two lines. Two stark lines stares back at me, confirming my suspicion. A strangled gasp leaves my mouth and my hands goes to my belly. "No...no..." I whisper and shake my head to deny the truth right in front of me. I can't be pregnant. No. Not when the war is still raging strongly. Not when Dimitri, the love of my life, stripped me of my title and ripped me from his side. My mind swirls to my
LYNEXIA Upon getting to the human world I was able to blend in. It was just like the werewolf world but without fangs and furs. A kind family, the Millers took in me and offered me a house in exchange for me working at their restaurant.Dimitri still haunts me up to this moment. I have come to terms with it that though our love didn't last forever, my love for him will never dim. I still think about my best friend, Zephyr. At the beginning of the war, we were both taken while the Barbarians returned me, they didn't do the same for my best friend. I hope that she has been found by now. Deep down, I hope the Barbarians aren't wreaking havoc anymore. Each day, my belly keeps growing and I keep counting down to my delivery day. It fills me with joy and happiness that I will meet my unborn child soon. Now, in my third trimester, every movement is a struggle. A groan escapes my lips as I lift a tray due to the pull in my swollen belly."I told you no more work!" Sarah, the woman who save
Present time. LYNEXIA I lurch awake in terror, gasping for air. Cold sweat slicks my hair to my forehead and chills the skin under my sleepwear. On reflex, my hands extend across the empty bed in search of Felicity. Relief washes over me when my fingers meet with the familiar curve of her small frame. I pull her close and bury my face in her soft hair. The same nightmare of someone taking my daughter away from me has haunted me since the day I gave birth to her up until this moment. I have a foresight power which is an ability to see catastrophe before it happens. My gift is both a blessing and a curse. Because though, I can see the future, I can't avoid the future. I can only prepare ahead for when it comes. Just like the dream I had five years ago about the Barbarians invasion. At the time I had the dream, it wasn't clear but when the Barbarians came knocking on our doorstep, I knew it was the manifestation of my dream. So the dream of someone taking my daughter away from me
DIMITRI Another day, another string of bad events. Or, rather, this is the norm for me now ever since...I shake my head, forcing the unwelcome memory from my mind. No thinking about her. Not going to spare a thought about her. I didn't for five years and I won't start now. Keep deceiving yourself. A voice in my head clamors. Clenching my jaw, I force my attention back to the meeting. The meeting between Moonstone and Shadow pack. Five years ago, desperation drove me to ally with the the alpha of moonstone pack, Alpha Henry. Ever since then, there hasn't been a day I didn't regret my decision. Alpha Henry is notorious for his greediness and selfishness but I didn't have a choice then. It was the only way to drive out the barbarians. Henry's assistance came with a price. A quarter of the Shadow pack's gold.I fulfilled his demands immediately after the war ended. But Henry's request didn't end there. He started by making minor requests like relocating a few moonstone families into
LYNEXIA Never in my life did I think I would step foot into the Shadow pack again after I left five years ago but here I am. In the shadow pack and in front of my dearest husband—wx husband. I convinced myself that the only thing I felt for Dimitri was indifference but the way my breath catches in my throat and the pang pulling at my heartstrings says otherwise. The shadow pack has changed from what It used to be. And Dimitri isn't the same either. He got bulkier and bigger. His piercing blue eyes only hold coldness and he now has a scar that draws down between his left brow. Scar is supposed to diminish beauty but it does quite the opposite in Dimitri. A slideshow of memories hit me but I choke it down immediately.I'm here for my daughter. Only my daughter. Dimitri holds my gaze with an intensity that steals the air from the room. Heat prickles my skin at the emptiness behind his gaze. His jaw is set tight and his face holds no emotion. The silence stretches for what seems lik
LYNEXIA I jolt upright, my hands balling beside me into fists of rage. "Are you insane?" The fact that he has a condition attached to this appalls me, not to talk of the condition itself. Dimitri scratches his jaw leisurely as if he can't be bothered by my sudden outburst. His calm gaze tightens around my gut. He is so unfazed, almost bored while a stream of anger begs to be let out from me. He sighs and says with a bored tone. "Take it or leave it." My mouth falls agape in disbelief, and the space between my brows creases into a deep furrow. I can't believe that I'm witnessing this. "Take it or leave it?" I repeat. The words roll on my tongue like black tar. "This is your daughter, Dimitri. Our daughter. How can you have a condition tied to saving her?" A vein ticks in his jaws and briefly a flicker of something I can't decipher creases his face before his mask of indifference slides back into place. "Are you doing this to punish me? Teach me a lesson?" I ask, my voice cracking
LYNEXIA "I never would have thought shadow pack territory would ever look like this again after the war," I say. The territory of the shadow pack moved from a primitive infrastructure to a more modern one. However, it is still interwoven with nature which is one of the landmarks of the Shadow pack. We connect with nature and seek guidance from it. Gavin's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Well, all thanks to Dimitri's grand vision." His tone holds something I can't decipher. The mention of Dimitri's name is enough to make my stomach churn. "Shit. I shouldn't have mentioned his name." "It's fine," I mumble, digging my shoe into the pebbles beneath me. I may despise Dimitri at the moment, but he is Gavin's best friend. Gavin asks "Want to tell me why you were crying?""I was hoping you won't ask." I focus my gaze down as if the pebbles are the most interesting thing I have ever seen. "Is it Dimitri?" I hear a sharp edge in Gavin's voice prompting me to raise my head. His jaw is clen