*Selena*
The Moonglow pack was having a big celebration of the Yellow Moon festival today. Everyone was there, but Eden told me to stay back at the packhouse. My job was to clean the kitchen and get things ready for breakfast tomorrow. I scrubbed the kitchen until it sparkled, putting all the kitchen tools in their proper places. I even chopped up some vegetables and got things ready for the next day if I still stayed till tomorrow. The packhouse was super quiet and empty because everyone had gone to the party spot far away.
After completing my tasks, I retreated to my room, getting ready to perform the final task.
Just as I was about to power up my laptop, the world outside my thoughts was interrupted by a gentle yet insistent knock at my door. Surprise mingled with uncertainty as I approached. As I opened the door, the door’s creaking hinges breaking the solitude that had enveloped me. Before me stood Lola, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Without a word, she embraced me. I was momentarily taken aback. My hand found its way to her back, gently caressing and conveying my comfort.
“What happened, Lola?”I spoke softly, breaking the silence in a voice laced with concern.
“Jason-he… he fought with me,” she managed to say between sobs, her voice quivering with vulnerability.
Jason was Lola’s mate.
“It happens, honey,” I murmured, offering her reasoning. “When we love someone, we fight. But we still love them.”
Her tear-stained face turned towards me, her watery eyes searching for reassurance.
“No, he doesn’t love me,” she replied, her voice trembling with a mixture of hurt and resignation. The vulnerability in her eyes tugged at my heartstrings.
“When I told him to stay away from Sabrina, he said I couldn’t order him,” she continued, her voice quivering with a mix of sadness and frustration.
Male ego.
“He was angry, Lola,” I said softly. “You should try to talk to him when you both calm down. Fighting isn’t a solution.”
Her brows furrowed as she struggled to balance her anger and longing.
“But right now, I am very angry, and I don’t want to talk to him,” she confessed, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
I offered a soft smile, my hand tenderly caressing her head. She was like a younger sister to me.
“Okay then, don’t talk to him,” I replied, smiling gently.
I smirked as a flicker of mischief crossed my mind, a plan forming.
“Go and enjoy the festival,” I whispered conspiratorially, “and make him jealous.”
A glimmer of hope danced in her eyes.
“Thank you, Selena,” she said, her voice carrying a newfound lightness. “Now I am feeling better, but I won’t go to the yellow moon festival because I can’t see him with Sabrina,” she added with a pout.
I nodded in understanding, acknowledging the depth of her emotions.
“That is a really big problem,” I replied, sitting down beside her.
“Can I stay here in your room?” Lola’s question hung in the air, catching me slightly off guard.
Oh no!
No! No! No!
That would be a problem if Lola stayed here because I was on the brink of completing this task tonight. I had to do it tonight. I couldn’t miss this great opportunity. But she was upset, and I could not throw her out.
Pausing to gather my thoughts, I replied, “Okay, but I have to go and clean Luna Avery’s room. So I have to go for half an hour.” I shrugged, trying to sound casual while my mind whirred with calculations.
Lola’s face brightened with a helpful offer, “It’s okay. I can assist you.”
Oh no! I couldn’t afford for her to come with me. Thinking on my feet, I quickly fabricated an excuse.
“Lola, you know Luna Avery doesn’t like everyone to enter her room,” I explained, hoping to deter her gently.
“Okay, I don’t want you to get into trouble, so I will let you go and do your work. Come back fast, and we can have a girl’s night,” she suggested with a warm smile as her expression softened.
I nodded, grateful for her understanding. As she settled back, engrossed in videos on her phone, I seized the opportunity. Sneakily, I concealed the laptop under my clothes. The timing seemed almost serendipitous; it was as if the stars were aligned in my favor. Eden’s instructions had confined me to the packhouse while the rest reveled in the yellow moon festival, allowing me the perfect cover.
With cautious steps, I left the room, the door closing silently behind me as I made my way through the dimly lit corridors toward the data room. It was that time again-the changing of the guards’ shift, the opportunity I needed to enter the room where the world’s most secure system was kept.
I inserted the key into the lock and turned it slowly, the metallic clink echoing softly in the narrow corridor. I looked around attentively as the data room’s heavy door swung open, revealing a realm of secrets and possibilities. I stepped inside, the cold air washing over me, accompanied by the faint hum of machines that seemed to pulse with otherworldly energy.
I took a deep breath and approached the central terminal, my fingers dancing over the keyboard with practiced ease. This was the culmination of countless hours spent crafting and refining a program designed for this very task. As the code began to execute, a flicker of anticipation lit up within me.
However, my hope was short-lived. The program hit an unexpected roadblock, halted by an inbuilt countermeasure. It was as if an invisible hand had intervened, thwarting my efforts. My brow furrowed in frustration, and a sense of unease crept over me. I had accounted for every contingency-or so I thought.
Gritting my teeth, I unleashed a program that I had dared to use only as a last resort. Desperation fueled my actions, each line of code a calculated risk.
Fuck!
The outcome remained the same-failure. It was as if someone was actively interfering, bypassing the safeguards I had meticulously put in place.
I pushed my frustration aside, replacing it with a more ruthless determination. My fingers flew across the keyboard, each stroke carrying the weight of my urgency. The programming grew brutal, a digital battle fought on an invisible battlefield. I was on the brink of success when, once again, the system rebooted, mocking my efforts.
Time was slipping through my fingers like grains of sand, and the guards’ return loomed like a sword over my head. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I gritted my teeth and tried one final time. The seconds ticked by, each one carrying the weight of my hopes and fears.
A flicker of triumph surged within me as the screen displayed progress. 89%-a tantalizing promise of success. A spark of euphoria surged through me, only to be extinguished moments later as the program faltered and crashed, leaving me with nothing but a string of expletives.
“No!” I hissed, frustration and exhaustion merging into a single, bitter emotion. Time had betrayed me, slipping away like a thief in the night. I cast a final, longing glance at the terminal, a silent promise that this battle was far from over. With a heavy heart, I turned away and made my hasty exit.
I stealthily exited the data room, my senses were on high alert as the distant sounds of voices, raised in concern or panic, immediately seized my attention. With a sense of urgency, I traced the source of the commotion, my footsteps quickening.
As I neared the Omega quarters, a sense of foreboding settled over me. The sight that greeted me was surreal-everyone had congregated, their faces etched with worry and shock. Instinctively, I concealed my laptop near the kitchen, ensuring it was out of sight and safe.
My curiosity led me to the center of the gathering, where the emotional energy was the most concentrated. My heart raced, a mixture of apprehension and concern flooding my senses as I approached the scene. Everyone was gathered in my room. Gasps and cries punctuated the air, creating an eerie symphony that gripped my attention.
And then, I saw it. Blood. My breath caught in my throat, a shiver of dread running down my spine. Panic surged through me as I took in the scene before me. There, on the floor, lay Lola. Horror gripped me, my mind racing to grasp the reality of what had transpired.
Her once vibrant form was now a haunting tableau of devastation. Her head was ripped apart from her body, her limbs torn and mangled- evidence of a brutal attack by an animal. The sight was jarring, a nightmare made real. My mind raced to find answers, my thoughts a whirlwind of disbelief and shock.
Rogue attack?!
“Lola!” A desperate cry escaped my lips, a guttural sound of anguish that cut through the air. My eyes brimmed with tears, a flood of emotions overwhelming me.
Amidst the chaos, the sea of faces turned towards me.
“She is the murderer! Selena has killed this omega!” Avery’s voice rang out as her finger pointed in my direction, the accusation searing through the air.