Chapter 5: Illusions
Abhay’s P.O.V
For a couple of seconds, I felt flabbergasted.
Yes, I was a healthy male of twenty seven with a proper sexual appetite, but I’ve never imagined myself naked and in bed with any women. I was brought up with parents who had taught me that in our culture, sex before marriage was not the right way to go about it. And I’d always believed in that principle.
Yes, I’ve had a couple of relationships in my life. Once when I was in high school, with a girl about three years younger than me, we had drifted apart after I left school to join college. My second relationship had been in my second year of college, with a girl in my class who had shared my enthusiasm for photography. But we too had drifted apart right after I’d landed a job at Lifestyle Magazine as an intern and she had left for Calcutta to work for The Daily Telegraph.
But I’ve never had any physical relationships with either of my ex’s. We had kissed, yes, I wasn’t that much of a saint, but we have never gone farther than that. And after landing my job I had been too busy with my job to actually get into any kind of relationship. There was a dream house that I wanted to built, a dream car I had to purchase and I had also planned several trips to foreign lands that would never be fulfilled if I didn’t have money in my pocket.
Five years of continuous work without taking any vacations, I was almost close enough to achieving my first goal and I also had some extra bucks in my wallet to afford a foreign tour; women had been the farthest thought in my mind. And then, in walks a foreigner with silver hair, and just like that…all my restrains fly out the window.
Never in my life have I ever had such a visceral reaction to someone. It was almost like the images that flashed in my mind after watching her were real...so very real. The touch of my fingers on her pale white skin, the feel of her plump, pink lips on mine…it was like I could feel her right now, as if she were a part of me…which was very absurd and creepy because I’d just met the woman…hell, seen her for the first time.
But there was something about her that kept nagging on my senses. As I watched a waiter drift t towards the women, after a hard fight at the back with the other waiters on who would take their order, he immediately took a couple steps back as soon as that icy blue gaze landed on him. There was an underlying sense of danger to her, to both the women. Like, despite the quiet demeanor, they were predators in disguise capable of unimaginable violence.
Once again, that thought left me stunned. I had hardly laid my eyes on the women and yet here I was, making ridiculous assumptions while sitting idly by and letting my food get cold.
“Bring us some laal maas and four thepla’s. And two glasses of Chaach!” The Gujarati girl ordered and my eyebrows disappeared into my hairline.
Thepla’s, a kind of flat bread made from various spices and herbs, was spicy all by itself. To add laal mass with that, a red meat curry that was marinated completely with red hot peppers before cooking, therefore gaining the name laal maas because of it vibrant red color…I took a couple sips of my chaach to cool myself off on their behalf.
Does the silver haired woman not know what they were ordering? Should I warn them beforehand?
But even as I thought that, the waiter was already on his way to bring out the dishes and my food had partially gone cold. I took another mouthful of the rice and daal, glad that the cold had taken away some of the heat from the cooking, although there was still a slow burn at the back of my throat.
I was down three more mouthfuls before the waiter brought out their order, still piping hot with steam rising from the food. I prayed to the gods above that they didn’t need to be hospitalized by the time they had taken their first bite.
But then, I, along with several others that had been fascinated by the two women, watched in astonishment as they tore away at their thepla’s and dipped it in the spicy red meat and ate them as if they did this every single day.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw a few people look impressed, a few bills exchanged hands as bets were lost and the two women took their time eating their fill of chilies and taking small sips of the chaach without bothering about anything going around them. They seemed to be lost in conversation. The black haired, caramel skinned woman gave a carefree laugh as the silver haired woman spoke to her and that too had a few heads turning.
But then I noticed the slight stiffness to the silver haired woman, it was so slight that anyone could have easily missed it. But I liked to think that I had a photographer’s eye and that’s probably why I’d noticed it in the first place. The uneasiness was clear in the slight stiffness to her shoulders, the rigidity of her spine and the slight crinkle between her brows.
Watching them nearing the end of their meal, I quickly gulped down my ice cold food, ignoring the burst of silent heat and sucking it up like a man, and drank the rest of my chaach, just in time to find the women asking for the bill from the waiter.
I lifted my hand and motioned for another waiter to get my bill and as our tables were cleared and bills paid, hands washed in the warm lime water that had arrived in small bowls; the women stood up from their seat and turning towards the exit, ready to leave. Swearing some colorful words under my breath, I tried to come up with an excuse to talk to the silver haired girl while snatching my camera from the corner of the table and readying myself to get up.
But just as soon as the women had stepped out of the hotel, the silver haired woman turned to look back at me, and the iciness of her gaze froze me in place.
Her eyes were like two shards of ice, sharp and unyielding, like a cobra winding itself up just before the killing strike. The underlying sense of danger magnified by tenfold and I could feel the hair on my nape stand in attention. There was something about her eyes that seemed different…almost inhuman.
I concentrated on her eyes, trying to figure out what was wrong with it now, even as I stood frozen in my spot. With a start I realized that it wasn’t the blazing desert sun that was playing tricks with her eyes, they seemed to be glowing from within, like a diamond does when light strikes the right angles.
And just for a second, my mind decided to cross the line and trip me into insanity, because it wasn’t the woman I saw standing in her colorful clothes and silver hair, but a white wolf with eyes of blue so pure, I could drown in them for all eternity. Just for a fleeting second.
And then they were just…gone.
Chapter 6: Reality Mink’s P.O.V No. NO! This cannot be happening and especially not now…not here! Ruksaar chatted on beside me without a care in the world as we both walked briskly back to our hotel. She was blissfully unaware of the torment that was going through my mind as I balled my hands into fists, my claws slicing out to pierce the delicate skin of my palm. The wounds would heal even before they were formed and I wished with all my power that my mind could work the same way. But his image was now imprinted in my mind and it’ll stay right there until the day I die. Mate. The bloody word tasted like poison in my mouth and I tried to suppress the shudder that raked through me, but to no avail. Wide almond shaped eyes the color of topaz, with more gold than brown; they were eyes of a cat. His hair had been a dark shade of brown that appeared almost black. I could picture it in the sun, however, with a brown tint to it. It would be soft to the touch- I reined back my thoughts
Chapter 7: Desert Snow Abhay’s P.O.V It was snowing. The ground was completely white. It had snowed overnight and now the tiny yellow blossoms that looked like miniature sunflowers were buried under three feet of fresh snow, their petals crushed under the heavy weight. It was going to be a long, cold year ahead and the snow has only just begun. I looked at the waterfall in front of me, untouched by the winter chill. Jharna, that was what we called it. The literal Hindi translation of a waterfall, but it just sounded right to us. It was freezing outside but I knew it would be nice and warm inside the pack house. It would also be noisy. But I liked that noise. It was welcoming. It was home. Something dropped to the ground then, at my feet. I looked down to see what it was. It was only a speck in the vast sea of snow but it stood out amongst the white. It was in the shape of a tiny drop but the warmth coming from it melted the snow a little, caused a slight dent as it was absorbed i
Chapter 8: Cruel Fate Mink’s P.O.V I watched four men approach us from the other end of the desert. Each one was wearing the traditional Gujarati dhoti-kurta along with the multicolored turbans. Their stance was rigid, their expression harsh. One hundred years later and the world hasn’t changed all that much from since I was a child. Shifters are still a male dominated species, not much different from the patriarchal society that humans live in. I often wonder what it was that made men so special that they thought they could rule every aspect of everyone’s lives. Be it humans or shifters, women were always looked down upon. I could understand the theory behind this discrimination with humans, but shifters? Shifters were strong and that strength didn’t discriminate between male or female. The highest I’ve ever seen a female shifter rise in rank was a beta in a deer shifter pack, which was pretty unconventional considering that most of the deer packs comprise of females with one big
Chapter 9: The Meeting Abhay’s P.O.V Since I had gotten up well before sunrise, I decided to first clean up and then quickly changed into some loose fitting comfort clothes so I wouldn’t boil under the sun like I had yesterday. After I was ready, I packed up my camera so I could head to the desert for some shots of the sunrise. I locked up and caught a motor van ride into the desert along with some other men and women who were heading to Jaipur. I was also able to get a cup of piping hot tea on the way, along with some biscuits that I enjoyed in the cool morning breeze as the motor van left the cemented town road and entered the bumpy desert road. I found a suitable place to get off and waved the other passengers goodbye as I hoisted my backpack over one shoulder and headed toward the desert to find a suitable spot for taking pictures. Once I’d found a spot, I set my backpack down and began taking pictures of the sun as it rose above the d
Chapter 10: Indefinable Attractions Abhay’s P.O.V “There you go!” Ruksaar skidded to a halt as soon as we entered the village perimeters. “We’ve helped you find your way back safe and sound. It was nice meeting you, Abhay! But I guess it’s time to part ways.” “D-do you guys w-want to go for lunch?” The words were out before I could stop myself. “Consider it a thank you gift for getting me here safely.” Ruksaar’s sister gave me an irritated glare from over her shoulders while Ruksaar clapped her hands together in excitement. I’ve never seen a woman as disinterested in me as Ruksaar’s sister, and yet, it felt like there was this invisible rope that was binding us together. The more time I spent near her, the more I felt drawn to her. And that was probably why I felt the need to stay near her longer than I had intended to. And what better way to spend time knowing them than to invite them to lunch? Or was it brunch? “Thank you, Abhay!” Ruksaar skipped over to me and linked her hands
Chapter 11: New Encounters Mikalya’s P.O.V “Mikalya?” Do you sense that? Ruksaar’s mental voice rang loud and clear in my mind. Yes. I told her. It’s definitely a wolf and a strong one. I’m guessing a Luna. But why would a Luna be here in the middle of nowhere? Ruksaar asked. Are you sure there’s no longer any packs living here? In this entire state? If there were, then the falcons wouldn’t be the only pack trying to confront us. I told her. This is another rogue. But with a child? That’s surprising for a Luna to be out and about with the future heir just hanging off her arm. But I don’t sense another wolf, Ruksaar said. How could you sense the child? Are they the thieves that just stole from the kitchen? I think so, I told her. But I can’t be sure. The child’s aura is very mild but I can sense it. I think it’s a submissive. There weren’t any wolves in town before today; I think they arrived just now. Let’s go check. I got up from the chair along with Ruksaar…and halted. Abha
Chapter 12: Follow thy Heart Mikalya’s P.O.V “My name is Kashmira Shaw and I’m from the DawnFrost pack in Jammu.” It was later afternoon, after we had returned to our hotel room with Kashmira and her son and helped dress her wound that she had gotten while trying to cross a fence this morning. The wound wasn’t infected and her healing had already kicked in, so she should be fine in a few hours. We had ordered room service and had our lunch together and it was only after she realized that we weren’t out to hurt her that Kashmira finally decided to tell us about herself. Now, we all sat on our bed in a circle and sipped on some karak chai (strong tea) as she breastfed her baby, whose name we learned was Kushal. She had gotten rid of the clothes she was wearing earlier, since they were torn and dirty, and now she had one of Ruksaar’s ghagras on and her face was uncovered. Now that I could look at her face properly, I could tell that she was very young, too young to be carrying a bab
Chapter 13: Firangi Abhay’s P.O.V It was snowing again. The ground was completely white. This part of the valley didn’t usually get much snow, but it was unusually cold this year. And I knew that it would only get colder, winter only a whisper in the air and yet it howled with a ferocious chill all around me. I looked at the waterfall in front of me, untouched by the winter chill. Jharna, that was what we called it. The literal Hindi translation of a waterfall, but it just sounded right to us. It was freezing outside but I knew it would be nice and warm inside the pack house. It would also be noisy with the new packmates. But I liked that noise. It was welcoming. It was home. And so was she. Something dropped to the ground at my feet, distracting me from the view. A sense of déjà vu threatened to overwhelm me as I looked down to see what it was. It was only a speck in the vast sea of snow but it stood out amongst the white. It was in the shape of a tiny droplet but the warmth comi