“Do you know them?” Diana asked, her hand still clasped to mine.
As Laura had kept repeating whilst we walked to the hall the first time, Diana was sticking to me like glue.
I held her hand tighter, for assurance.
When we had gotten to the hall, I had seen that the people we had come with had all dispersed to mingle; and watching the flurry of movements now, I could see that some of the witches and wizards already had friends here. I was surprised to see the queen’s daughter even talking to Cass.
Remember her? She had been one of my bullies; daughter to the pack doctor.
They laughed over something and held hands like best friends would.
Then, there was the son, the girl’s twin, with Naomi’s brother, Timothy. But I hadn’t seen the lycan boys yet.
Were they waiting for a special entrance service? I wouldn’t put it past them. Hooligans.
There was no sign of Claire too, not that I cared. The bitch had played a part in what I was facing. Who says she hasn’t been in on the big plan to lie against me, so that I would be put in the dungeon or holding cells?
Peter and Laura were with the queen, his brother and wife were there too with the convoy. They were speaking to the Lycan king who was showing them directly to their seats.
Okay, Peter was more than a farmer. I watched the way the king addressed him, with a mixture of respect and awe in his voice. It made me remember that I hadn’t asked Peter about his crown and his family-what they stood for in the community.
“Maya, you are doing it again.” Diana soughed, pinching my hand with her free one.
I sighed in mock pain as I looked down at her. Of course I knew what she was talking about. I had zoned out on her, and had forgotten her question. I was not sure if it was because I didn’t really want to talk about my mother so that I wouldn’t tear up or because I really forgot.
“That’s my mother, and that is Naomi beside her. Naomi was my best friend.” I answered, a short smile on my lips as I watched them talk animatedly about something. The dance was over now, and my mother looked better, more relaxed than she had been before.
I still wished I was with them to talk about whatever it was they were talking about, whatever it was that had their attention fixed. I wondered what it was too even as I felt my eyes watering. Immediately I felt inside my purse, for a handkerchief, feeling grateful when Diana squeezed my hand.
I would be fine. But as always, it was as if the forces of the universe were against me mentioning this clause, because the next minute my heart squeezed as I saw Noah step closer to Naomi and whisper something in her ears. He still looked the same, only more handsome and tall.
I didn’t even know that my hands were shaking, not until Diana dropped a pill in it, drafting my attention back to her, or rather the white substance in my hand.
“Take it.” She stated, before turning to stare at Noah. “Who is that?” She asked, her free hand holding mine steady as I took in a deep breath in and out, before popping the pill into my mouth knowing that if Noah was here, then the other two wouldn’t be far.
I was right. Right behind Noah was Daniel. As much as it hurt me to see them, it hurt me more because my mother seemed comfortable around them.
She was talking with them now, a little smile on her lips. But I didn’t blame her. She didn’t know what these sons of devils had done to her precious daughter. She didn’t know that they had killed her precious Maya. To her, they were the boys that stood up for her daughter when she had been accused.
The audacity of those brats! I screamed in my mind, fisting my hands, wishing I could stroll over to them and give them a piece of my mind, and my hand of course.
Speaking of these bastards, where was the third one? Having a quickie? I wouldn’t be surprised.
My eyes though went off, on their accord, to search for the brute. They went around to search for Adam, widening on impulse when they perched on him. He was with Claire, and their arms were connected together. A groom and his bride.
My heart raced as I caught my first glimpse of Adam in what felt like an eternity. The moment was surreal, a mix of emotions swirling within me. I had thought I was prepared for this moment, but the rush of feelings that assailed me was overwhelming.
First was the shock.
The shock washed over me as I saw him standing there, seemingly unaffected by the havoc he had wreaked on my life, as if he hadn’t just stamped and shattered my heart to pieces, as if he hadn’t beaten me and left me for death at the edge of the pack.
He looked serene as usual. Life was sure cruel. Life was unfair. Why hadn’t he gotten uglier at least? Wasn’t evil supposed to harden the edges of people?
My breath caught in my throat, and for a moment, I could hardly believe my eyes. The wounds he and his brothers had inflicted on me, both physical and emotional, had haunted me for months, and were actually still haunting me. The scars, visible and hidden, were a testament to the pain he had caused.
Anger surged through me like a wildfire, burning with a fierce intensity. I had carried the weight of his betrayal for too long, ever since I had woken up, and seeing him now, the source of my agony, ignited a fury that threatened to consume me. The anger was like a storm, a tempest of resentment and rage that raged within me.
Then there was the fear.
Fear also clawed at my heart. The memories of the violence, the terror I had experienced at his hands, came rushing back like a tsunami. It was a fear that was deeply ingrained in my psyche, an instinctual response to the threat he had once posed.
My body tensed, and I instinctively took a step back, trying to create distance between them and me, almost unaware of Diana still with me.
But amidst the anger and fear, there was a glimmer of something unexpected: sadness.
I had once loved him after all, and seeing him now, a shadow of the person I had known, filled me with a profound sense of loss. The boy I had cared for had become a stranger, and the realization was a poignant ache in my chest. I missed my Adam.
The thought shocked me.
Confusion muddled my thoughts. I had spent months trying to heal. Laura had tried her best to put the pieces of my shattered heart and body back together. I had convinced myself that I was stronger, that I had moved on. But seeing him now, all the unresolved feelings and questions resurfaced.
Why had he hurt me so deeply? What had driven him to such cruelty?
What changed?
Oh yeah, I remembered. It was all a cruel joke to him. The knowledge squashed the butterflies that erupted in my belly when our eyes met.
My pulse quickened as he stared at me with furrowed eyebrows. Would he recognize me?
I couldn’t decipher the emotions in his gaze. Was it a remembrance of something familiar? Attraction? Or was it just indifference? The uncertainty only added to the tumult of feelings inside me.
For a moment, I felt a surge of determination within me, especially as he took his lips in and looked away from me. Claire had beckoned him for something, whilst her eyes rested on Queen Aliana. She must be enthralled.
The determination welled up like a spring and threatened to burst forth. I smiled. I had survived Adam’s brutality and the aftermath. I had fought to live, and was still fighting to rebuild my life, and I would not let him have power over me anymore.
I thought of confronting him, demanding answers, finding closure, and throwing away the revenge. I took a step closer toward him, my determination growing, pushing aside the fear and sadness.
Perhaps this is why I have come here; to come face to face with the boy who had broken my heart and left me for dead. Maybe this was my moment to reclaim my strength, to find the closure I needed, and to finally move forward.
In that intense, charged moment, my emotions swirled like a tornado, a maelstrom of anger, fear, sadness, and determination. My heart felt as though it were caught in a fierce battle, a storm that would determine the course of my future.
In that second, I was no longer the girl he had hurt; I was a survivor, and I was ready to face the boy who had once shattered her world, I truly was, until
Diana brought me back to reality.