Chapter 26
POV: Tamara Davis
It’s been two days since she became part of the top six candidates for the competition for the next Queen. It was definitely fulfilling, yet it was more of an unbelievable luck for her. She was feeling pressure, too.
Tamara heaved a deep sigh and slightly shook her head.
It’s also been two days since she last saw Shahara. She was so worried about her whereabouts, but Uncle Lorenzo and Aunt Rania told her that she just needed to arrange some important matters but she knew better.
She could see their concerned faces and worried aura whenever she saw them at the study room. They were talking about something serious that she didn’t want to bother them.
Another was Kage who became her constant visitor and con trainer who told her that Doc Dreyson claimed that he saw Shahara crying in the woods and that it was just two days ago. He tried to get near her, but she immediately ran away from him which was quite odd because they were childhood best friends.
Until last night, when she visited her room she also heard her loud cries. She would have thought that maybe it was just a figment of her imagination, but she has her doubts. Besides, she wasn’t a fan of any spookiness or ghostly creatures; furthermore, she also could recognize Shahara’s tone of voice.
She felt awful by not helping her and not being by her side, now that she needed her the most someone whom she could rely on and someone who could just sit there and listen to her. She couldn’t take it any longer that she decided to pay her a visit to her room if she wasn’t going to join them at dinner.
She needed to make it up to her and be her shoulder to cry on.
Tamara let out a deep sigh as she stood in front of Shahara’s huge wooden door. She was internally deliberating whether or not to pursue her plan to talk to her for she doesn’t want to be branded as a nosy creature. But her inner desire to accompany her at this time whatever her problem was was more intense.
She wasn’t even joining the Vikesh Family during mealtime. And when she asked the servants who were preparing the food, they said that they hadn’t seen Shahara, out of her room, nor that no one had given her food to eat making her more worried about her.
She heaved a deep sigh once again and softly knocked on the door, but no one answered.
Tamara made a face as her brows furrowed.
She knew someone was inside the room, for she could hear the subtle sobs resonating in her ears as she put it at the door.
“Shahara, it’s me, Tamara. I know you’re in there.” She gently called her as she knocked on the door once again a little bit louder this time.
“Come on, open the door.” She gently requested, but not a single sound could she possibly hear inside the room but painful sobs, making her more eager to talk to her.
“Fine. I wouldn’t move an inch nor move away from here. I will patiently wait for you even though my legs are so numb now, and uhm-”
Tamara cleared the lump in her throat.
“I am now being bitten by these vicious mosquitoes here. Well, I will still stay here and wait for you.” She pouted and told her, while fakedly making a refined slapping sound with her both hands to prove her point.
A minute later and Tamara still knocked on Shahara’s door.
“I know you’re in there, Shahara and I don’t want you to face your problems alone. So, please, open the door. I’m so worried.” Tamara beggingly said to her.
A few seconds passed and she heard gentle footsteps moving towards the door making Tamara stand up straight and get ready to face Shahara.
A click on the door lock echoed and was followed by a creaking sound that meant the door was slowly being opened.
Tamara braced herself as she saw the awfully heartbroken face of her closest friend.
Shahara’s braided auburn hair showered messily and almost covered her entire face. Her eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles were now visible around it and now still blurred with unshed tears. But they were now directly looking at her in a plainly manner. Gone were the sparkles that usually mirrored upon it.
Her pale pink cheeks disappeared now and turned into paperwhite skin with evident tear stained. Her lips were pale white and dry.
She was still wearing her white one-shoulder strappy dress, but its hem was now dirty and muddy some had also been torn apart.
Her lips slightly wide open because of shock!
Shahara was a total mess!
What the hell had happened to her!?
“Oh, my goodness!” Tamara exclaimed in so much shocked as she saw Shahara in her broken-hearted state. Her hand flew in front of her agape mouth.
More fresh tears streamed down her face as she looked at her dead cold eyes.
“What the hell happened to you?!” She furiously exclaimed and instantly ran in front of her and enveloped her in a tight embrace making Shahara free her miserable and loud sobs.
Tamara’s eyes became blurry with tears and immediately flowed down her face as Shahara hysterically cried in so much pain and anguish.
A few moments later, she could hear her breathing become heavier as Tamara could feel Shahara’s elongated claws slightly piercing her arms.
“Ouch!” Tamara cried because of an abrupt pain creeping into her system.
She immediately tried to break their embrace as Shahara’s eyes darkened and her canines were now slowly being bare.
“R-run, Tamara…urghhh! R-run now!”
Shahara yelled at her her words were escaping from her mouth in a difficult and miserable manner.
Tamara was glued to the floor doesn’t know what to do. She was so shocked that she couldn’t run away as her heart beats at a faster pace because of mixed emotions thumping inside her.
Her fear was intensifying, making her wolf at bay.
She saw Shahara’s ankles break and hunched her back.
“S-Shahara…”
She softly called her as she went near her, but she just snarled at her and scratched her arm deeply with her elongated claws.
They were both shocked as Shahara whimpered in mixed fear and regret at what she unconsciously had done to her, for she was now being controlled by her inner wolf.
Shahara let out a loud growl as she completely turned into her wolf form. She instantly went near her huge glass window and before Tamara could even react she had already jumped into it, causing the glass window to break and create a lurid crashing sound and breaking the deep silence of the whole Lunar Pack Mansion.
Tamara with an injured arm, which she was holding with her other hand, slowly went near the broken glass window as she saw Shahara running towards the Southern Side.
Without thinking she immediately let herself be consumed and turned into her wolf form. She rapidly jumped into the broken glass as well and ran after her closest friend ignoring her injured self.
She was more concerned with Shahara who was in her wolf form, and for the first time since she went into the Lunar Pack Mansion couldn’t control it.
This was really, really gone bad she thought as she tried to follow Shahara into the depths of the dark woods going to the Southern Side.
Her adrenaline rushing through her veins making her run at a meteoric speed.
Tamara ignored her painful leg as well as the scratches and bruises on her whole body from the sharp branches and leaves in her way.
Shahara’s silhouette was far more important than that. She needed to stay with her and keep up with her. She wanted her safe like she did to her the first time she saw her.
The brightness of the moon in its almost full state illuminated the dark forest, but her senses were heightened more as she ran faster to keep up with Shahara she was silently hoping that she would not cross the border towards the Southern Side.
Her pink tongue danced with the cold wind as she jumped like a pro animal in the woods.
In a matter of an hour run Tamara could feel her strength being taken away from her. Her adrenaline rush was slowly disappearing, and her injured leg was now throbbing with so much pain maybe she had lost so much blood all of her running spree that her strength was now gradually leaving her.
Tamara still tried to keep up with Shahara’s wolf who was still on her verge of running at her full speed when she stumbled down with her snout first on the muddy ground as she tried to jump on an enormous log that blocked her way.
She whimpered in so much pain as she saw her left back paw being pierced by the thorns of a sturdy type of vine.
Tamara still tried to look at where Shahara could be, but she wasn’t there already.
She let out a loud agonizing growl three times.
And then, nothingness embraced her.
The dark silence in the depths of the woods was followed by the loud frightening snarl and howl that weren’t new to her ears.
Fear wrapped her entire system for she knew that kind of sound was echoing in the murky forest.
The sound of the rogue wolves who never left her ears and memory, the moment she had ever heard one.
And once again, she was facing it, with no one by her side but herself alone and miserable in the middle of the forest.
***
POV: Prince Raven Pierce
Meanwhile in King Hades’ castle, a loud knock on his door broke the deafening silence, so that the comfort that it brought him suddenly crumbled.
His canines bared as he viciously looked at his closed door because of deep annoyance. Whoever was trying to ruin his fleeting reverie would definitely pay.
He moved towards the huge door with heavy footsteps and a clenching jaw, which was visibly written in his face. His dark aura increased as he unlocked his door and opened it wide creating a loud banging sound that resonated throughout his entire room.
The dark face of the King welcomed him as well as his steel hard punched that solidly landed on his left cheek. He clenched his jaw as he held his neck with his bare hands.
Prince Raven let out a smug smirk and spit the blood out of his mouth on his side.
“What a warm way of coming to my room, brother.” He playfully told him and immediately turned into a cold and dangerous aura.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now, for I don’t have the mood for your nonsense bickering, so leave me alone.” He gritted his teeth as he seriously looked at his brother who, on the other hand, had the same expression written on his face as him.
Prince Raven tried to remove his hand from his neck, but the King was indeed strong at a higher level. He wouldn’t stand a chance most especially not this time that he saw that unadulterated fury in his eyes.
“What the hell is your problem this time?” He seriously asked him while raising his brow.
King Hades gritted his teeth before throwing him up to the wall, which he immediately stopped by leaning his hand on it.
“I don’t want to talk about you nor hear your playful antics. But your actions lead this situation to happen. Fix this, Raven or else…”
His brother ruthlessly told him as he turned his back on him and gently massaged his throbbing temple.
Confusion was visibly written on his entire face.
“What the heck are you talking about?” Prince Raven bewilderedly asked.
King Hades turned around and faced him. His both hands in his hips and towering him with intense authority and power.
His pitch-black eyes were giving him hints that he didn’t want to confirm.
“Oh, my virtuoso brother, that certain red head of yours uncontrollably went to the South, and you knew exactly what might have closely happened next, right. Apparently, she was with another red head who tried to be a great martyr and was trying now to save her. Now, they were both in danger and I wanted you to lead the rescue mission…”
King Hades patiently explained to him, while his growing madness made his claws elongated and his canines bared. His eyes turned into thin slits while intently looking at him.
While he felt a shiver down to his back as a swift image crossed his mind. His heartbeat quickened and his whole being filled with a sudden fear and worry.
“And if you fail, don’t ever show your face on me again…or else…”
He clenched his jaw and his hands into a balled fist, making his knuckles white.
“I will kill you myself.”
He ruthlessly declared as he curled his lips upwards evilness had engulfed his entire system.
“The clock is ticking, Raven Pierce.”
He could hear his brother said for the last time as he walked out of his room leaving him there, dumbfounded.