He watched silently as she stood there at the top of the staircase. Like an angel, her face was radiant, heavenly, so beautiful. A beautiful white dress hugged her slim body, ending just above her knees, and her dark hair was properly fixed up on her head.
For a moment, he was left hypnotized by her beauty. He had always thought of her as an angel in disguise. Up there, she was deity and everyone admired her from afar as if she was a goddess.
She was smiling. He stared at her and it seemed to him a broken heart was hiding behind that broken smile she plastered on her rosy plump lips. And still, she smiled, even as the speaker introduced her to the crowd, declaring her eighteenth birthday.
The grand celebration was taking place at the Kingsley Mansion. Werewolves from neighboring packs had come to see her. Not because she was of any importance per se but because she was human. This fact intrigued their curiosity.
Despite her beauty and innocence that stood out amongst all, she had werewolf blood running through her veins and just that was enough to welcome her to the werewolf world. It was where she belonged, after all, or so what her Grandmother had told.
People cheered and clapped their hands in the most graceful way possible as they watched her walk down the staircase. Each step she took was done with such grace and poise. People were left speechless as they watched her every step.
Anna felt her fast heartbeat throbbing inside her chest as she looked across the crowd. It was consisted of people whom she barely knew. Some of them however revealed familiar faces which she recognized. Although, she couldn’t exactly point out their names nor could she even remember if she had ever known their names.
She took long deep breaths to relax herself. The spotlight was upon her. Everyone was watching. A smile was frozen upon her lips as she tried to keep herself together. Although, she felt as if the end of her lips were stitched to be kept wide and smiling.
She kept her hands together just above her belly as she took each heavy step downward. Her white heels didn’t help either. She sighed and pursed her lips. Her eyes wandered to every corner of the large room. Once again, she roamed her eyes across different faces, searching for the same brown eyes that had always seemed to set her body on fire, sending her heart melting like an ice cream underneath the sun.
Her search was over no sooner than she liked to. She had reached the end of the staircase and John, her cousin, the Alpha of the Blue Wolf Pack, came walking towards her. They greeted each other in a light hug.
“Welcome to the Blue Wolf Pack, Anna,” he said in her ear.
She felt her smile grow wider turning into a grin. They pulled back and he was already stretching out his hand to her. She took it gladly. “Thank you.”
The music began in a soft romantic melody. She heard the sound of the piano and violins. The sweet music surrounded her immediately and the atmosphere of the whole large room became light and warm.
John dragged her to the middle of the room – the dance floor. With a respectable distance, people gathered around them with their partners. John held her hand and put the other on his shoulder whilst he placed his other hand on the small of her back.
She heard the music changing and then came a different music, much more romantic than the first. They began to dance then people around them followed after.
Anna looked around, awestruck. Everyone was dancing.
She looked at John and she noticed how he was looking at her – in a strange way. She raised an eyebrow at him and asked, “What?”
He was silent for a moment then sighed. “Look, Anna, I – I haven’t been very honest to you,” he said.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The reason why I have forbidden you to leave the land was because – because of Zach.”
Silence.
“We had a terrible past,” he continued. “Before, we were friends.. and there was this war going on. These rogues, lone wolves, were desperate for bloodshed. They wanted destruction among packs. Now, Zach’s father, Zachariah, was once a rogue. That was until he met Liana.
“You see, Liana is Zach’s mother and she was the Luna of the Black Wolf Pack. They were mates.. and the love between them grew instantly like fire burning the forest. Zachariah had loved Liana at first sight. Eventually, they ought to get together despite the circumstances.
“Zachariah betrayed the rogues and joined the Black Wolf Pack. He became the Alpha.. but also a traitor to his own family. He fought against his own blood, revealed the plot and hideouts of the rogues. It was because of him why in the end the packs won against the rogues.
“He was a hero but to his own blood he was considered a traitor. Now those bloodthirsty rogues who survived the war desired for vengeance. Months later, the first son was born. Zach was already a grown up boy when the rogues came back.
It was at the falls when everything happened. He was with his father and they came to kill him – the traitor of their own blood. And they were supposed to kill the son, too. But they didn’t… My father was there. He smelled the rogues and he sacrificed his own life to save the child – to save him.
“This is why Lola died. It was because of Zach – because of who he is. He had sought for revenge and had killed countless rogues. Now they were coming after him.. But he’s stronger now more than ever.. So they decided to target his weakness instead.”
John looked into her eyes and she gasped softly, lips parting in shock.
“Me,” she murmured in a whisper.
John nodded. “I can’t risk losing you, too, Anna,” he said. “I can’t risk losing any of my family again.”
“But Uncle William – ”
“Stepfather.”
“Oh.”
Everything that Zach had said when they were at the falls, she remembered suddenly.
Sometimes, I just want to forget everything. I want to forget terrible things.
His voice echoed in her head. Everything he had said was because of his father’s death. Because of everything that the rogues did.
I’m afraid of losing the ones I love. I’m afraid of losing you.