Vespa
Nothing prepared me for the killer headache that attacked my head when I forced my eyes open. It sounded like someone was beating rumba drums inside my skull. It was so bad that I couldn't keep my eyes open.
Groaning, I rubbed my temples with my fingertips in an attempt to stop the ache, Then I lay still, trying to take in my surroundings.
The headache vanished like a mist when I realized where I was; my bookshelf that had my favourite book collections, the familiar cream shade of my room, my cat…
Fear trapped the wind in my chest. I was at my parents' house. I was supposed to be in school.
This meant that my parents were aware of the disgraceful incident at the airport!
Raw pain washed over me as Donovan's rejection replayed in my brain. That jerk swore his undying love to me two days ago and even told me sweet nothings about how he couldn't wait to see me.
Grabbing my phone from the nightstand to call Ria, I realized my battery was drained. Just as I was cursing my luck, My seventeen-year-old sister, Astrid, walked in with a tray of food.
Her almond-shaped eyes, small nose, and black, curly hair, resembled Disney's Mulan. It always struck me how different we looked and how strange that I was the only blonde-haired, green-eyed person in my family.
"How are you, sis? I made you chicken soup."
"My body hurts," I groaned, managing to sit up. Astrid handed me the warm china bowl filled with chunks of boiled chicken floating in a broth.
"Thanks," I murmured, then stopped her before she left. "How did I get here?"
She shrugged. "Your friend brought you home. Mum is pissed at you, though."
She took out her phone and played the video of Donovan rejecting me in front of everyone.
"You're trending for all the wrong reasons. They have turned it into memes. Even the polar bears in Antarctica must have heard. Mom is mortified because her friends and neighbors haven't stopped calling."
Burying my face in my pillow, I groaned. "Oh, fuck."
"Shut the video," I pleaded when she began reading mean comments. Most of them labeled me "desperado," "pathetic," and "stupid." Only a few of them blamed Donovan. I never was one to take hurtful words to heart, but this one made me burn.
Donovan repaid my love for him by getting someone pregnant. With the amount of shit I'd endured, I was on the verge of ending up a spinster.
Snowy, my Persian cat, meowed, announcing his presence. Smiling, I stroked his white fur and stared at his ice-crystal eyes and pink ears.
My stomach trembled with dread, wondering how my parents took the news. Gathering courage, I padded down the stairs, taking a little time to prepare myself.
My tired-looking dad and angry-faced mom sat in our chalet-style living room, sipping tea while watching the news. Mom glared daggers while my father's expression remained neutral.
Luther, my younger brother/ Astrid's twin, was never interested in anything and typed away on his phone without sparing me a glance.
"Glad you're awake Vespa," Mom said with a flat tone. "Your carelessness needs to be studied as a course."
Apologetic, I bowed my head. "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry. I thought Donovan liked me."
"You thought?"Mom spat, her voice going several notches higher and her face turning bright red. "You idiot! I've always known you were a problem, but this takes the cake. You deliberately dated a werewolf to go against our wishes! For God's sake, Vespa, what were you thinking?"
"Mom, I beg you to stop. It was a mistake."
She shot me a dirty look. "A mistake you say? How dare you call this humiliating, public scandal upon my family a mistake?"
My temper rose, alongside my voice. "It's my family too! Aren't you listening to my side of the story? You always nag about having grandkids and I thought getting married early would make you happy but in reality, I don't owe you any grandbabies."
Mom and Dad had me in mid-life after struggling with infertility for over twenty years of marriage. One of the reasons I proposed to Donovan was to settle down early and give my parents grandbabies.
Her wrinkled face softened a bit. "You have no excuse to fall in love with a werewolf , Vespa."
She insisted that I accept George Sandcastle's proposal because he was willing to accept me and that I should be happy for his generous spirit.
I got up and was this close to telling them that George was a coward who hadn't come out of the closet. Instead I swallowed my words.
Days turned into one week. Staying at home was hell because my mum couldn't stop heaping blame on me for everything. Ria encouraged me to return to school and not miss more classes, as staying away from school without a tangible reason was risky for a finalist.
On Monday morning, I brushed my pixie hair, styled it in my signature side part, and wore a black hoodie on jeans.
My hands couldn't stop trembling as I drove to school. Bypassing the gates and parking near my faculty building, I broke into a cold sweat.
Scandal was bad for a popular figure like me. I held notable positions, including the Vice President of the Students Union, hosted a show on campus radio, was the powerhouse behind the school's editorial, and ran a feminist network, where we empower ourselves to become bold and daring.
I felt the opposite, scared like a chicken. I expected the campus to buzz with the news of my failed proposal and some sort of monster attack when I drove past. Surprisingly, nothing in the air felt malicious.
Shaking off my nervousness, I quickly went through the empty corridors towards my lecture hall.
My ears caught a giggle when I walked in. The suspects sat at their tables, glancing my way. The rest of the class ignored me as if I had the plague. A few stares here and there from people weren't going to stop me.
Ria rushed in and hugged me fiercely. "Please don't waste your energy on hateful talk."
I responded with a nod, changing the topic.
The second I left the lecture hall, everyone began speaking at once. Some were brave to say nasty things to my face, like a tall girl with frizzy hair.
"... delusional. A joke to her so-called feminist movement."
I ignored them. Ria however wasn't having it. She used to be dangerously timid in high school. Now, she faced the girls, giving them the insults they deserved.
"You know you can't defend me from everyone, right?" I smiled sadly, but her concerned gaze drank me up. "The girls are reacting to what they saw."
"There are cruel memes of you online…"
"I've seen them all and honestly, I'm fine."
At midday, I headed to the Student Union Secretariat. My to-do list was full; meet my project supervisor, work on a story for the student newspaper, anchor my slot at the student radio station…bla bla bla.
I couldn't bring myself to do anything.
The dean of student affairs, a short man with a beer belly, summoned us and announced that over a hundred werewolves were on their way for the semester's exchange program, where humans and wolves would study together, some cultural appropriation shit.
Kaden, the student union president grumbled under his breath. "Weren't we trying to get rid of the few werewolves in our midst? Why is the school allowing for more?"
"I'm not the vice-chancellor," the dean chuckled. "Go sue him and not me. Ensure that your people coexist with the werewolves and make them settle in nicely in the spare hostels. Failure to do so means you're asking for trouble."
When he left, Kaden turned to me with a dark smile.
"Those freaks must have paid the Vice-Chancellor a lot of money. I'm glad you like them so much to fuck one, so knock yourself out with their registration."
My response was usually very nasty, but I was too sad to argue. I walked away instead. Ria joined me later and volunteered to help out.
About five long buses containing werewolves killed their engines right in front of the building. Tall and imposing werewolves began climbing down one after the other.
Ria poked me with a pen to get my attention."Holy fuck, Vespa. Your saviors are here."
"Saviors?"
"Yes! The three guys from Donovan's apartment. You don't remember them?"
Vespa Stunned, I watched the guys step down one after the other, and like ants to sugar, lots of girls were swooning over them. My eyes photographed them and the best adjective to describe them was 'perfect.' Well-muscled, they carried themselves with a commanding air of self-confidence very close to arrogance and stepped down one after the other, causing a frenzy among the girls. My mouth thinned with envy. I dabbed sweat off my forehead, hating myself for getting provoked by these abnormal freaks. Donovan's public embarrassment had taught me enough lessons for a lifetime. No more werewolves. "Vespa, these guys are freaking hot," Ria's eyes widened with excitement. "I almost fainted in the airport when I saw them trying to help you. You should thank them specially." "Sure. Will washing their feet and patting them dry with my hair be enough?" Ria laughed. I pitied the stupid girls who'd fallen right into their trap. "Look at that one in a white shirt rocking a blond man-b
Vespa "Ten minutes max and I'll bounce," I warned him. "Copy that," he mock-saluted. His smile broadened and I headed out, creating a distance between us. From nowhere, his brothers appeared, blocking us on the road. "What's going on?" I asked Ziah. "Where are you taking her?" The grumpy one (Kai) spat with the same arrogance as the previous day. Was he always this insolent? "None of your business," Ziah started to say, but his brother raised a brow."We're just going for lunch. What's wrong with that?" "Everything," Zeke, the beautiful one said with a much calmer tone, tossing his hair to the side. "You can't go out with her." "Why not?" "Because I said so." He tried to move closer, but man-bun stood in front of me. I stood there, wondering what these three rascals were up to. "You know what?" I raised my hands, tired of the back and forth. "I'm going to turn around and head in the opposite direction. Please do not follow me, else…" "Fuck off, Kai!" Ziah, my classmate, yel
KaiAnger was an understatement of how I felt after Vespa walked away. I was inflamed that my one chance of being with my mate was ruined by my overbearing brothers and my spoiled cousin."Get the hell out of here, Nebula." I snapped at the silly girl. "You're so infuriating."Nebula rolled her eyes, looking smug. "C'mon, Kia, I'm still your favorite cousin and you shouldn't dump me over a worthless human."Then she sat on the same seat Vespa had vacated, placing her manicured nails over my clenched fist and trying to pry it open.I pulled away, glaring at her.Hissing, she leaned back, drinking some of Ziah's water. "This isn't what you should be focused on. Grandma said keep your eye on the prize. But here you are, acting like simps. I'm most surprised that you're acting pussy-whipped, Kai.""Shut the fuck…""You're the serious one," she continued, ignoring me. "If it were Zeke or fuckboy Ziah, I wouldn't bat an eyelid."She was right. Vespa's presence made my skin prickle pleasur
Vespa Starving, fatigued, and utterly drained from the whole drama, I was relieved to be in the comfort of my room. Without wasting a second, I yanked off my boots, tossed my backpack on the bed, and flopped down on the single couch in the room. Ria, who was sitting at the desk and working on her laptop, looked up, her eyes roaming over me. "Something wrong? You look like a horse pissed on your leg." "Is there some Universe diety I need to bribe to cease these back-to-back calamities?" Ria's face turned serious. She shut her laptop, sprang up, and rushed to my side. "What's wrong?" "You don't want to know," I said, gulping some water. "My unwelcome lap dogs are driving me crazy." She frowned, trying to figure out what I was talking about, but when she understood, she burst into crazy laughter. "What's funny?" I glared at her. "Sorry, sorry. How so?" "Would you believe it if I told you that they continued with their charade, each of them trying to warm up to me but fighting e
Vespa There was a very thin line between love and hate, and this had been my case ever since Donovan dumped me. I thought I'd found 'the one,' when I met Donovan. I thought I loved him and could die without him. Now, all I felt was the need to throw up, cold indifference and the fires of hatred flare up inside me, so much that I felt like banging the door in his face hard and pounding his brain cells into a pudding. After the public humiliation, I was hurt and my heart fell apart, then I transitioned to existing on autopilot. Tonight, my eyes opened to his flaws. I must have been blinded by his dick to not notice that he wasn't even all that good looking. Seeing the pig in a new light showed all his imperfections. His stupid face bronzed by the sun looked like baby poo, his lips were too wide, his hair looked like it was styled by a child, and the veneers in his teeth looked so fake. "Look who you fucked for over twelve months," my inner thoughts mocked me. "You're tasteless."
Zeke My favorite place to while away my time at Brookstone University was the hiking trail. The surreal view was enchanting, thanks to the moon and stars reflecting on the water below and providing illumination that no artificial lights could ever hope to match. Unfortunately, noise pollution disguised as a party disrupted the peace of this place. My lycan enhanced hearing worsened the loud bass from the speakers, making my eardrums ache. No sleep tonight. Holding my acoustic guitar, I fixed my gaze at the constellations. The moon was at its brightest, fueling my body with lunar energy from the Moon Goddess and relaxing my body into a state of calm. I let out a sigh and tipped my head back, connecting to life and appreciating its beauty, while my fingers danced along the guitar strings, producing the familiar notes I hold dearly to my heart. The ones my Mama taught me. Mama's soft face and her long, blond plait akin to a thick snake, filled my head. Her eyes, bright grey and spa
Vespa Snowy purred from the slightly chilly wind. I wrapped my jacket around it as I ascended the hiking path. No words could describe the pain I felt discovering that the man I once loved was a phony all along. Donovan was a first-grade piece of shit for threatening me with my hard-earned work. The hiking trail was never empty. Friends and fuck-buddies strolled in pairs, the latter assaulting innocent ears with moans and grunts. A loud moan like a baby's cry, drifted over the trail, enough for me to lose the remnants of my sanity. I wondered if fucking like rabid dogs outdoors was a new trend. I made a mental note to ask Kaden, the president of the student union. There must be something about students dumping the privacy of their rooms to defile this beautiful little place and turn it into a sex zoo. Other than that, the peace, fresh air, and my spot under an oak tree were a welcoming respite from the crappiness of Donovan's visit. Fuck Donovan. May his socks remain wet f
Vespa "Can the night not get any worse?" I asked my cat, on our way to the room. Snowy purred in response to my fingers stroking his fur. I couldn't deny that some things Zeke said sent shivers down my spine. The mating bond, for a start. If the bond was real, and the three boys could scent me, then there was a big problem. He seemed so serious and I knew there was no way he made his statement up. Other girls would probably feel flattered by the attention of three hot brothers, but I worried about my peace of mind if they all began hanging around me. I was glad I was human and couldn't feel any weird bond. Also, one of them could turn out to be a jerk like their in-law, Donovan. Zeke looked harmless, Ziah was sweet and flirty, and Kai seemed to have a possessive complex. I couldn't tell if they were genuine or just playing with my head. I would've dismissed Zeke's claims if the guys were ugly and not devastatingly handsome like Greek gods. But no, the freaks were too attractiv