Freya and Lucille lounged in Freya’s room, the remnants of their training session evident in their relaxed yet slightly weary postures.
They huddled together, glancing at Freya’s phone with hesitant expressions, silently debating whether to disobey their mother’s order to call their sister Emma first.
Lucille had been the one to see the message at first. Due to Derek’s comatose state and her role in it, she had been unable to sleep-she had kept turning and tossing on her own bed. And unable to take it anymore, and not wanting to disturb her mate whose sleep was to too necessity to be ignored, she had crept into Freya’s room, to sleep with her sister.
Freya had awoken once Lucille’s foot had gone past the doorpost of the unlocked door. And though Freya was shocked to see Lucille in her room by that hour, she had welcomed the latter with open arms. They had cuddled themselves, about to return to sleep, when the phone had dinged. Freya hadn’t cared for it, wanting to return to sleep, but Lucille had picked the phone from the night stand. And when she had seen that the texter had been Emma, when she had seen the content of the message, she had woken Freya for the second that night.
All through last night, and this morning, the sisters had been thinking about the absurdity of Emma’s message-especially on her late arrival to the academy. It had taken her more than two weeks, and they had wanted to find out why. They had told no one. Not until they had figured out what to do. Reply the text or call back Emma.
“Should we reply?” Freya asked tentatively for the hundredth time, her fingers hovering over the screen as she scrolled through Emma’s text.
Lucille chewed her lip thoughtfully, her brow furrowing. “Mom did say Emma shouldn’t be disturbed,” she murmured, uncertainty coloring her tone.
“But Emma texted first,” Freya pointed out, her eyes scanning the message again. “She’s probably waiting for us to respond. We need to check in on her at least. We also need to find out what had happened. I know you are very curious about this, Lucille…”
Lucille nodded. She was only scared at being found out by their mother. The woman seemed to have eyes everywhere.
But their bond as sisters tugged at their hearts, the unspoken understanding between them a testament to years of shared experiences and unbreakable loyalty. They exchanged a look, silently agreeing on their course of action.
****
The shrill ring of her phone pierced through the peaceful haze of sleep, jolting Emma awake. Blinking against the morning light filtering through the window, she found herself momentarily disoriented until she saw the figure of the prince sitting by her bedside.
His features were strikingly handsome in the soft morning glow-sharp, yet softened by a hint of gentleness that belied his royal stature. His dark hair fell in tousled waves, framing a face that exuded a quiet strength.
She watched with eyes that gained clarity with every passing second as he reached for her phone to check the caller ID. She watched as he bit his lips softly, whilst his eyes perused the content of her phone. And she wondered at the texture of the softness, she wondered if it would taste how it looked.
Emma shook her head, and shook off the remnants of a fleeting crush, partly annoyed with herself, and her flimsy emotions. Such distractions were inconsequential compared to her purpose here. She had no time to be swooning over a Prince. She shouldn’t be swooning over Princes. Derek had taught her that.
At the advent of Derek appearing in her thoughts, Emma cussed. She shook her head in anger and sat up on the bed. Don’t think about him! She mentally tasked her mind. She couldn’t think about him, whilst thinking of the Prince. Next, she would start comparing them. She shook her head. Not Derek.
When she noticed that the prince was now staring at her, she withheld another profane curse from escaping from her lips.
“Bad dream?” Prince Shiloh asked, checking out the vitals of Emma, only by scanning her face, down to her neck.
Emma who didn’t know of this, was lost for words at the intense perusal. She settled for shaking her head, when the question lingered for long.
Prince Shiloh regarded her curiously, rechecking her vitals for the second time. And when he was sure that she was okay, he handed her the phone with a respectful nod.
“It’s your sister…” He informed her softly, his voice carrying a warmth that surprised her.
Emma nodded in acknowledgment, her mind swiftly shifting to the reason for the call. “Thank you,” She murmured, her voice still husky with sleep. She took the phone and peered at the screen. Freya. Her sister had probably called because of the text she had sent last night.
Prince Shiloh’s act of getting up from the seat, got her attention however. She wondered how long he had stayed with her, by her bedside. She didn’t think that was a good question to ask.
“You are leaving?” Emma wanted to slap herself for that question, but she piqued her eyebrow, pretending aloofness, when the Prince stopped and stared at her with hooded eyes.
“Yes.” He answered after a few beats. “You need some time to talk with your sister. We can talk later.”
He waited after he was done, staring at her with such intensity, with such gentleness, that Emma concluded that her overblown magic was still toying with her senses. She believed she was seeing everything in an exaggerated sense. It made her glad that the Prince was leaving. She didn’t trust herself or her mouth if the Prince should stay any longer.
“Okay then. Thank you for staying and caring for me.”
A short smile slithered across the Prince’s lips. “You’re welcome, Emma. You know where to find me when you are done.”
Emma watched as the Prince left her room, his ever attractive gait staying in her mind long after he left.
‘You have to be careful girl…’
She sighed, hearing Eden. But her wolf was right. She had to be careful, or else she might be ousted out of the academy before she even accomplished her mission here.
Sighing deeply, she unlocked her phone’s screen and called Freya, needing to be in touch with reality.
Freya didn’t let the phone ring for more than a second, before picking it up.
“Hi sis…” Emma greeted, sinking her fingers into her hair and ruffling it, straightening it.
On the other end, Freya and Lucille’s voices greeted her with concern and relief intertwined. “Emma, are you okay?” Freya’s voice rang out, filled with sisterly worry.
“Yeah, we were worried sick,” Lucille chimed in, her relief palpable.
Emma moved to the edge of her bed, the phone pressed to her ear as she tried to quell the giddiness that came with hearing Lucille’s voice which was tinged with familiarity.
“I’m fine, Lucille. Everything just went south for a while. How are things over there?”
There was a notable pause.
Emma chuckled softly. “I will tell you guys everything, when you done with your story. I promise.”
That appeased Freya and Lucille.
“Well, there was a small battle…” Freya and Lucille updated Emma on the escalating tensions within and without the pack. They spoke of the conflicts, the power struggles, of the alliances forming and breaking, painting a picture of a pack on the brink of turmoil. They spoke of the trap set by Legardo and the shadow warriors, and the role of Arnold of in it. They spoke of Claire and her magic. They spoke of Clem and his mate. They spoke of their powers which had spiraled out of control. But they didn’t speak of Derek, or the fact that he was in a coma.
Emma’s emotions were a tumultuous mix of concern and guilt. She had left her family to seek answers and training, hoping to return stronger and more capable of protecting her family. Now, hearing about the strife that hee ensued in her absence, she felt a pang of unease.
“I didn’t realize things had gotten so bad,” Emma murmured, her voice tight with emotion.
Freya’s voice softened, filled with sisterly reassurance. “Emma, you did what you had to do. We understand. We just need you to be safe. We just need you to keep training.”
Lucille chimed in, her tone echoing their shared concern. “We’ll figure this out together, Em. We’re family, no matter what.”
Emma nodded, grateful for their understanding and support. “I know. And I’m sorry for leaving like I did. I promise to find a way to help. I promise to come back soon.” Never mind her dilemma with Derek. Her family came first. And if the war was already brewing, she needed to out of this place as soon as possible. She couldn’t let her family fight alone.
“So tell us, Em… how’s it that you got to the training just yesterday? Give us all the details. Don’t leave anything out…” Lucille spoke, causing Emma to chuckle. Hearing her sister’s voice which sounded so much like hers, was amusing. And the latter calls her Em. She liked it.
“It’s been intense, guys,” She began, her voice suddenly tinged with a hint of weariness. “A lot has happened….”
Then she went into the story proper, starting from the two weeks journey which should have taken at most four days. She told them of the reason why it had taken so long, but she didn’t tell them the identity of the mage, or that they had fought. She didn’t want them worry, or going after Slediv. As much as she had easily defeated the dark mage, she knew that there was more to the latter.
She spoke of her first run in her wolf form, and about the beings she had fought before she reached the academy. The she spoke of her reception at the academy, the truth serum, and her overview of the elders.
As she recounted her battle with the professor-cougar, Freya and Lucille gasped in unison, their disbelief evident. “You fought a professor who turned into a cougar?”
“Yeah, and it was crazy,” Emma admitted, her breath catching at the memory. “But I managed to subdue him.”