Chapter 24
POV: Shahara Vikesh
She was nervously biting her lips and pacing back in forth to the receiving room where they were asked to stay while waiting for Tamara, who was asked to the study room after the announcement of her being part of the top ten for the competition for the next Regina.
She was totally nervous and astounded.
Tamara was really in the top ten!
Top ten!
Gosh! She was hyperventilating. She has already passed the screening, and the real competition will begin. She was so happy as well as worried about her.
She heaved a deep sigh.
She needed to pass.
Well, she must be.
She was destined to be.
She let out another deep sigh as she moved to the other side of the room for the nth time.
“Will you stop fidgeting, dear? It was quiet distracting. I wouldn’t want you both to transform into your wolf form, right here, right now.” Her father, Alpha Lorenzo, who was busy reading a magazine, shot them back with his serious statement.
She and her mom gave her a loud snarl, but he didn’t even flinch and just shrugged his shoulders and continued reading.
Shahara looked at her mother, who was also having this concerned expression all over her face and she let out a deep defeated groan.
“I think I need to breathe a bit of fresh air. I’ll be back soon.” Shahara didn’t even wait for her parents’ approval and immediately kissed them on their cheeks, then went out of the room.
She was eagerly walking down the hallway. She’d been in the castle many times, and she memorized every path well, just on the first and second floors of the palace. Visitors weren’t allowed to go to the upper part of the castle. She knew where the way towards her sanctuary is, which she loved to go whenever she was in there.
The stunning greenhouse garden.
She wanted to visit the majestic place her favorite dwelling part in the palace.
The moment she turned her tracks towards the left side, she almost got bumped into a woman wearing dark crimson red lipstick. Shahara couldn’t help but raise her brow with too much irritation.
The woman was gritting her teeth as she looked at her with devilish eyes.
Her fitted asymmetrical high-waist maroon dress only reached her mid-thigh that she wanted to roll her eyes at her, but she tried not to.
She was about to pass her when she grabbed her arm causing her to immediately snarl at her.
“What a pup.” A smug smirk escaped her lips.
“Let me go.” Shahara raised her brow and clenched her arm an intense annoyance that embraced her for her inner wolf wanted to take over.
“Na ah! Not so fast, dear, Shahara.” She said as her eyes narrowed down into thin slits scrutinizing her.
Shahara let out a derisive smirk. This woman wanted war then she would give her, her own set of medicine.
Right.
This was one of those moments that she wouldn’t want to let it pass.
She would love to infuriate her into the depths of hell!
Shahara forcedly withdrawn her arms caught by her which the woman also let her.
“What do you want this time, Lamina… Oh my bad, it’s Luna Lamina. I apologize.” Shahara said in a mocking tone as she covered her mouth with her left hand her face was filled with her ungenuine apology.
Yes.
It was Luna of the Dark Wood Pack Lamina who interrupted her way towards the garden.
Lamina gritted her teeth in deep annoyance her smug smirk vanished into thin air.
Serves her right in crossing her.
What did she think? That she’ll be taunted by her being the Luna of her pack? No way!
“So, what do you want now? Are you going to congratulate our park for having Tamara? At last, she was already her, right? And now, she was already in the competition and in the top ten? What a surprise, right?” Shahara said, pushing Lamina into deep aggravation and giving her an evil smirk.
Lamina remained speechless as her eyes mirrored her pure disgust and ferocity. Shahara could see her growing anger as she clenched her jaw making her smile wider.
“Don’t worry, I would announce your message to our pack. Especially to Tamara.” Shahara told her as she gave her one last innocent smile to mock her then she moved to her side to walk pass her.
Shahara stopped when she remembered something.
“Oh, and by the way, don’t pushed yourself too much. Even Leah, who wanted the crown so badly, too. For we all know who among the candidates is most deserving to be the next Queen.” She stated full of venom and repugnance for she knew, their pack was the only one who had the reason to want Tamara dead.
Her words were met with intense warning hopefully, they stopped now. Even though she knew it was close to impossible. She was still hopeful, though.
Shahara was feeling so dreadful the more that she desired to go to the garden. She needed to see the greenery of it as well as its bountiful flowers. She wanted to smell the freshness and fragrance of the azaleas the dark to pale pink blossoming flowers which are funnel like in shape.
That is her favorite flower simple yet lovely. The greenhouse garden was full of azaleas the reason why she loved that place. It made her at peace, and it calmed her nerves.
Shahara excitedly ran towards the garden, the moment she saw it.
The greenhouse was more enormous and wider than usual. It was made of glass from its roof to the bottom that regulates the heat and humidity inside.
She eagerly the glass door the moment she was in front of it.
The fragrance of azaleas filled her nose as she walked along the narrow concrete path towards the linden tree which was the center of the greenhouse. It was smaller in size compared to the usual linden tree which completes the vibrant ambiance of the garden.
She stopped a little bit as her eyes glittered when her gaze was struck by the dark pink and white azaleas, which were remarkably placed in a huge clay pot. A sweet smile escaped from her lips butterflies glided freely from one flower to another.
What a majestic view she thought as she continued her tracks towards the tree.
Shahara let out a deep breathy sigh as the aromatic and sweet-scented trails filled her nostrils. She felt calmer now as she sat on the concrete bench under the blossoming linden tree.
All the stuff that kept on bugging around her mind slowly evaporated. Her head felt lighter; and so, did her chest she needed this kind of relaxation.
Shahara closed her eyes and took in a deep inhale but a familiar sweet scent filled the air. Obviously, it wasn’t a kind of flower scent. It was an addicting one. Her heartbeat quickened as her breath stilled for a second. She unconsciously bit her lower lip as she tried to keep her inner wolf from taking over her.
She tried to sniff once again maybe, she was just hallucinating but the scent was more intense now, making her eyes immediately turn wide open because of shock.
Her mouth slightly agape, for there he proudly stood in front of her the owner of the scent who was making her wolf restless.
Prince Raven Pierce.
But concern rushed through her chest when she saw his bruised left cheek it was healing, though, but her worried eyes still linger upon her.
Shahara heaved a deep sigh. She didn’t want to do anything with him anymore for she knew he didn’t give a damn when he saw she still cared for him.
She could feel her trembling knees his effect on her strengthened as the years went by. No matter how much she tried to stop she couldn’t.
She just couldn’t do it.
Even with a bruised cheek, he still was the most handsome man she had laid her eyes on. She tried to tear her gaze on him and tried to ignore her apprehension towards him. She didn’t want him to see the longingness and grief in her eyes more on the love that rooted inside her for this man.
She tried to collect herself and gather her strength to stand up and leave him in her chosen sanctuary for it wouldn’t do her any good if she stayed there a second more.
His sharp words were still spinning through her mind and slowly killing her. She didn’t want any more complications right now.
She wanted to regret visiting the greenhouse garden, but she couldn’t in in her heart the remorse she was trying to find.
She was about to walk pass beside him when he caught her arm. Millions of electricity flooded through her veins making her gulp hard, and immediately pulled her arm, which he instantly let her.
Shahara unconsciously touched her arms that he held trying to ease her intensifying emotions, for her eyes were now turning into its lighter shade.
She looked at him full of exasperation and rage as she clenched her jaw.
“What do you want now?” Shahara asked as she gritted her teeth still keeping her wolf at bay.
“Nothing.” He boringly said as he shrugged his shoulders and put both of his hands in his pocket.
Shahara pressed her both lips she wanted to go out now, but her feet wouldn’t let her as if they had their own mind.
“So, you already found Tamara Davis, huh?” Prince Raven said as a few seconds passed with an unbelievable expression plastered on his face as if he was insulting her.
She gritted her teeth as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“So, what? Were you expecting me to be part of the competition instead?” She furiously asked.
She saw how his eyes turned pitch black, but a conceited smile escaped his lips.
“I wouldn’t mind. It is your decision, though.” He arrogantly said, while shrugging his shoulders as if telling her that she wasn’t affected by her irksome statements.
Agony instantly pounced on her chest. She could feel the scrutinizing pain slowly creeping her whole system making her eyes blurred with unshed tears. She bit her lower lip hard until she could taste a bit of blood in her mouth.
But she wouldn’t let this man see how affected she was. She wouldn’t let her tears stream down her face not a million times, and most significantly, not in front of this man.
She let out a slight scornful chuckle.
“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry, I forgot. You never had feelings for me, for I am just your biggest mistake.” She clearly stated as she intently looked at him and let out another chuckle with no ounce of humor.
His face remained stoic and blank making Shahara look more savage towards him.
“You don’t have any reason to care for me because marking me is just a mistake, right? I am just a mistake, that you wanted to forget. But you know what, after everything that happened, I was silently hoping that at least you tried to approach me, or even talk to me, but no. You just leave me and treat me like a stranger. I don’t know what to do or what did I do? Did I offend you? What did I do wrong that made you turn cold towards me? Why only me? I was trying to find out what went wrong between us. But then I realized it was, you! You’re the one who crossed the line! You’re the one who suddenly marked me!” Shahara heatedly exclaimed.
“You were my friend, and I was hoping that even you crossed the line ”
“Fine, then, I was just a man. But you also had your fair share, right? You also wanted it to happen.”
Prince Raven interjected her litany with his words his tone was full of boredom, as if her nagging had nothing to do with him, making her grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Her eyes turned red because of her penetrating wrath.
Shahara heaved a deep sigh as she looked at the green ceiling and let out another implausible breathy sigh and shook her head roughly.
This man was surely unbelievable!
He was a jerk!
A cold-blooded jerk!
“Alright.” Shahara seriously told him while looking intently at his blank and plain pitch-black eyes.
“I admit. I had my fair share of letting you mark me that time. I let you mark me because I was so into you… because I love you.”
There!
She finally confessed.
“Shahara…” Prince Raven called her name in a low breathy tone.
Shock was now visible on his face.
She gave him a sad smile at least for once, she heard him say her name again.
At least for once she finally saw that expression of him again, and not just that plain stoic blank face that he always wears whenever she’s in front of him.
“I was so in love with you that I let you do that to me.” She sadly confessed as a gloomy smile pasted on her face.
“I thought you felt the same way. I thought you did it on your own volition. That you also love me and that you have already accepted me as your mate. But I was wrong. I was very wrong.” Shahara shook her head disappointedly and immediately passed beside him as her precious tears streamed down her pale face.
Then she halted, their backs facing each other. She swallowed roughly as she swiftly wiped away her tears.
“But you know what? I am wide awake now. I would try to erase this mark; no, I would find a way to remove this from me. So, if you think I’m your biggest mistake then, I believe you were my sweetest nightmare…”
Shahara paused to stifle her aching sobs.
“You were my sweetest nightmare that I’d rather forget.”
She heaved a deep sigh before finally uttering the most hurtful words she had to say to the man she had ever loved.
“Goodbye Raven.”
Shahara finally said it before leaving him behind together with everything about him that she wanted to detach herself from.
The moment she was out of the greenhouse, she let out her raw sobs.
She leaned in the corner of the greenhouse as she plopped down to her knees ignoring the muddy ground.
She covered her quivering lips with her hands as she tried to stifle her miserable cries escaping her mouth.
Because saying goodbye is the most extremely painful thing, especially if it was the only option you had to choose.