~YULIA
It seemed like a dream or perhaps a slight detour from reality. How Issa saw, yet ignored me.
In my wildest dreams, I hadn’t imagined him doing something like that. I was hurt and my wolf was on fire, we were literally in a mess- emotionally mostly.
‘How could he fucking do this to us?’ Yara- my wolf yelled from within my head.
I had wanted to have the upper hand, to give the silent treatment and make him beg but he had beat me at my own game and it made me mad.
Or, was this part of his Lycan abilities too? Seeing the future?
“Fuck!” I screamed, banging my fists on the table.
The maids around looked at me. Their heads had been bowed while Issa walked past, he was feared among his subjects.
I stood up in haste, unable to control my emotions any longer. The sight of the food on the table suddenly made my stomach rumble in disgust. Eating was impossible now as I had lost my appetite.
“Stupid!” I ranted, kicking the foot of the chair after. Pain didn’t hesitate to do its job, racing from my brain to every part of my body as I crumbled to the floor, holding my foot.
“Ouch!” I winced, my hands on the spot where it hurt the most.
Low chuckles floated around the hall and I looked up to see some of the maids, trying to hide their faces as they laughed.
“Spoilt brat!” I heard one say and would have confronted her but I decided against it.
It wasn’t their fault, Issa was to be blamed. Still in pain, I managed to stand up, limping towards the door.
“I’ll make him pay for this,” I whispered.
I made for the stairs, with a million and one ways to deal with Issa whirling in my head. I groaned heavily not just because of the pain, but because I couldn’t think of anything suitable that would hurt him just as he had hurt me, or even more.
“Do you need help climbing the stairs?” A familiar voice filtered softly into my ears from behind me.
I turned back and came face to face with the beautiful lady who came to my room earlier. She had the gentlest of smiles and helped to calm my raging soul to an extent.
“I’m fine,” I breathed, my voice almost like a whisper. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
She came close and made to touch my hands but I flinched, surprised by my actions also.
Rather than get angry or flare up, she simply sent me a reassuring gaze, one that meant she understood how I felt.
“You didn’t touch your breakfast, don’t you like the food? Should I get the maids to prepare something else for you? If you want, I’ll do it myself,” She suggested, her eyes wide open in expectation.
“I’m not hungry,” I sulked, limping up the stairs.
“Are you sure you are not hungry?’ She asked again, her eyes dropping in disappointment.
“Yes, I’m not,” I replied, a hint of guilt in my voice.
“Alright,” she began, “I’ll let you be. Lunch would be ready by 2 pm, is there anything you would like me to help you with before then?” She asked again, making me stop right in my tracks.
I knew she was trying to help- to make me feel at ease in this place and not feel the absence of my mother but it was becoming unbearable and suffocating, I just couldn’t take it anymore.
“I don’t need anything from you or anyone here!” I screamed, regretting the sharpness of my tongue right after.
“But, Yulia…” She hesitated and gave up on it in the end. “Fine. I’ll be here if you need me.”
I immediately hated myself. Why had I done that to her? She was only trying to help.
The guilt in my heart was spreading all around my body, it was only a matter of time before it consumed me. Unable to take it any longer, I ran down the stairs, blocking her path as she turned to leave- despite the pain in my foot.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I shouldn’t have spoken harshly to you. I don’t know what came over me.”
“You are forgiven my sweet child,” she beamed. “You should come back to the dining table to have breakfast,” She insisted.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” I whispered, remembering how Issa had treated me not quite long. Suddenly an idea clicked in my head.
“I would like to go out!” I informed her as excitement began to rise within me.
Leaving the house and not coming back for a while was just enough to make Issa go mad. He would be worried sick and would regret his actions towards me.
Who knew? He could get so worried that he could come looking for me- to have me in his arms again.
Yara instantly came alive and started moving with a new form of energy as the thought crossed my mind.
“Unfortunately, I cannot allow that, the Lycan forbids!” she said firmly and just like that, the energy that had started to rise died down.
I frowned at her.
For the first time since I had seen her, her face turned serious, almost as if there was no sign of life on it. I wanted to scream and yell at her but I restrained myself, keeping my emotions at bay.
“Not you too. . .” I whimpered, on the verge of tears. “You can’t refuse me this wish just because of a man who cares nothing about me. You can’t keep me prisoner here!”
“It’s not as you see it, Yulia,” she whispered, her expression morphing back into the sweet and comforting one I had come to know. “Issa loves you and would do anything to protect you, no one is keeping you prisoner here, we all just care about your safety.”
She held her hands out as if to hug me but I stopped her before she could. “Safety?” I yelled. “You call keeping me locked up in this place safe?”
“I need you to under-”
“I hate every one of you, just let me be!” I roared and ran up the stairs into my room.
The moment I got in, I slammed and locked the door behind me before beginning to pace the floor of my room. I was about to catch my attention when a strange sound caught my ears.
I frowned as my wolf came to a stop within me and I listened attentively, to be sure it was not just in my head.
That was when I heard multiple whispers. They were faint at first but they grew louder, and I realised they were coming from the wall right beside my closet.
Curious, I approached the wall and pressed my ear against it.
“Yulia!”
I gasped and backed away immediately. My heart began to hammer hard against my chest as I glared at the wall.
“What the fuck was that?” I demanded in shock.
“Yulia. . . I know a way out. . .” The voices echoed.
I furrowed my brows and told myself that it was best to ignore them but I could not help myself.
My eyes began to scan every inch of the wall. And then I saw it- a small, hidden button that blended perfectly into the stone.
Not sure of what to expect, I pressed the button, and a section of the wall slowly slid open, revealing a narrow passageway.
“Yulia. . .” The voices were louder now and I could no longer stop myself. As if my legs had a mind of their own, I entered the darkness.
The air grew cooler and damper, and my heart raced with excitement- strange, I was supposed to be scared but I felt safe.
It led me downstairs and I borrowed my wolf’s night vision to make my way forward. After walking for a while, I saw a glimmer of light ahead and increased my pace.
The passageway opened up into the woods and my mouth came open in shock. That was when the same feeling of safety and courage that had lured me into the tunnel and out here left me.
I stepped out into the woods and the opening of the tunnel came close.
“Shit! I can’t go back that way. . .”
I turned to face my fate when I spotted a black rose lying on the floor. I picked it up and tilted my head slightly. For some reason, it felt familiar.
I was still in the middle of analysing it when a low rumble took over the entire woods. I flinched and dropped the black rose. Then I looked in the direction of the sound only to gasp.
A pair of red glowing eyes were watching me. It belonged to the largest and most rabid wolf I had ever seen in my entire life.
Just when I thought I had digested enough horror, the large beast charged toward me in all its fierceness.
I screamed.