Chapter 10 | Oh My Goddess.
"His friendship alone has strengthened me in a way that no one else's has. He swept me from my room and showed me independence. In other words, he was exactly what I needed. I won't forget it. And I certainly don't want to lose it."
-Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss
Climbing into the driver's seat and catch my breath.
Why has she been glaring at me the whole time?
What have I ever done to her? It's not that I like her anyway.
As I swerve my car out of the driveway my thoughts drift off to him.
Maverick. We've grown together since childhood.
He was my best friend ever since. Well, Jake and Chris too.
I've never been a girly girl mostly a tomboy with three best friends whom were all guys.
But in my teens I felt something more for Maverick.
I tried to brush it off then as mere infatuation but a few years later did I realize that my friendship towards him had indeed blossomed into something more.
As I was aware I had no girlfriends to talk of this to.
I was too afraid to confess it to him either.
So I decided to let time decide the future.
I had to leave the pack at the age of sixteen to another pack to upgrade my healing skills and learn medicine. Maverick had assumed his duties at the age of eighteen. I was so upset that I couldn't be here. And when I returned five years later I was stunned.
Where was the cheery, friendly and flirtatious boy I left behind?
Who was this dark, mysterious and cold guy?
Where is my Rick? What had happened?
He had shut everybody out. He made only customary visits to the pack house. He was only present for short periods at the pack celebrations. And then I came to know of the reason...
Luna Charlotte, Maverick's mother had passed away.
Obviously not natural death. She was traveling to another pack to meet another Luna friend of hers. Some pack members, I repeat pack members not rogues had intervened and murdered her in a gruesome manner. There was no any filthy rogue scent nearby.
Her body was later found naked, scarred with bites, cuts and bruises with the bodies of her guards just beyond our pack territory.
A curfew had been announced for the following days. Later, Rick had announced that the murderers would be dealt with by him. But all traces of scent and evidences that were found blocked us at a dead end.
The matter was left on hold, not unheeded and definitely not forgotten. When I came to know of this, I tried to get close to him. Close as a good friend. I tried to help him return back to normal. But another tragedy wrecked us apart.
Have you ever had someone you totally depended on suddenly leave you?
Someone... Anyone.... Have you ever literally lived off a person and felt helpless when they weren't around?
Have you ever waited for that certain person to return when you know they are never going to?
Have you ever felt the sudden loneliness?
Have you ever felt as if there's no light, no warmth, no place to escape?
Have you ever had to hold on to that last string of life in you when your heart wants a release but mind wants to stay? Have you ever felt as if you were blindfolded in the depths of a forest and let lose?
Medical terms proclaim it as depression. Well, I call it aftermath of losing your one and only family.
My dad, the pack's chief doctor died.
Same sort of thing that happened to the Ex-Luna. Another pack had asked for our help regarding some disease they had come across. My dad volunteered to help, to which Rick approved. I still remember his lopsided grin when he waved at me from his car before leaving. That's the last I saw of it.
He never returned. Well his lifeless body did. I never had remembered my mom. She had died giving birth to me. My dad had always been my rock, my motivation, my inspiration, my strength, my guide and counsellor ever since. Losing him shattered me.
As I good friend I couldn't be, Rick was.
He was there beside me, when dad's body turned up.
He was there opening the closed door when I was there on the bedroom floor emptying myself through tears.
He had his arms around me at the graveyard.
He gave me a shoulder to cry when no one even acknowledged me.
He is the one who urged me to assume father's duties in the pack. For which I'm well grateful.
His attention towards me even when he himself was in a miserable state enlightened me. Though I couldn't understand our relationship, I understood one thing.
He was neither my friend nor a mere infatuation but more like family.
After I had visited my dad's grave this morning, I had felt so upset hence started tearing. Although Rick promised the day before that he would be there, he couldn't as there were some acceptation trials.
I don't know why meeting Blythe hurt me. I had never thought of Rick in a romantic way for the past year. Yet meeting his mate, I felt as if I'll lose my family all over again. After all he was my last hope. And then I realized....
When Blythe was unconscious in hospital, Rick was a mess.
He was so snappy, tense and impatient. The reason was he couldn't express his emotions openly.
He couldn't hover over her and be protective, as doctors we had our duties.
He couldn't talk to her and ask her thoughts.
Although he didn't admit it was because he was in love.
Call it the mate-bond, whatever. But that reverence and love in his eyes directed towards her was mesmerizing.
I wanted that sort of attention. Rick meeting his mate won't affect me, except that I guess he won't be family anymore.
But I guess his friendship is all I need.
If only everyone had such wonderful guy best friends. ...
But I needed to maintain my distance, especially because Luna wolves tend to be possessive much. I definitely don't want my head on a platter before I even meet my mate.
Just as reminisce much my phone begins vibrating. I pick it up to see one of my lab assistants calling. I put it on speaker.
"Ma'am, the results of the high security project you're are currently working on are ready.
The process was over a few minutes back.
Do you want me to check on it?" She chimes.
"No there won't be such a necessity as I'm heading there now.
Just carry on with your own project. I'll be there in a few moments," I say and cancel the call as she utters a yes ma'am.
I've been waiting for the results ever since I began working on it. Just from today morning, though. Well what can I say? This research was pretty much complicated as I could not derive much through our usual method. I'd paid more attention as I advanced the process more.
I park my car at my usual slot at the forensic department to spot Jake passing by.
As he notices me, I wave at him. He comes over and informs that he's arranging for the acceptation ceremony of Blythe.
He also asks me to drop in as our Luna might need our help because she's human after all and as the ceremony includes blood bonding with the Alpha which might get complicated.
I nod my head absentmindedly pondering on the fact. Jake briefly hugs me and leaves to complete his tasks.
He was right. Tomorrow might get complicated.
Blood bonding is when the new pack member to be accepted and the Alpha slits their wrist and bonds their blood by holding it over fire.
As the blood drips into the fire it burns with more flame according to his or her position in the pack and bonding with the pack.
This ritual takes place not only when accepting a new member but also when a person attains a specific ranking in the pack.
But tomorrow was not to accept her as our Luna. She was to be accepted just as a pack member. But, even before she assumes her position officially in the pack she is Rick's mate, our Alpha's mate, our Luna.
Therefore her designated position will cause a vigorous eruption of flames apart from the fact of not knowing how both of them especially Rick will react to the mate bond during the blood bonding. Oh Goddess....
It's a good thing that she's half-werewolf, it'll probably lessen the effect.
I walk in pushing the glass door to enter the office nodding at the receptionist who smiles politely at me.
I walk straight to the laboratories section and show my ID card for access into it.
All of my lab assistants seem to be at work.
The one who called to my phone walks to me and motions me to my lab. I nod at her and move towards my lab.
I halt in front of two steel doors and press my thumb at the finger print recognition as the camera above the door turns to me.
I show my face at it for face recognition too.
The steel doors open. Only I could access my lab and others could come only if I permitted them.
I settle down at my table and power up my iMac.
I had designed a special alarm system for my personal projects for the occasions when I'm not present at the lab myself. Because most of the time I'm at the pack hospital. This time too the alarm must have gone signaling the end of processing of the project as my assistant had informed me.
I hold my eyelids open at the webcam so that it could scan my iris. The wallpaper of some architecture appears. Without clicking to open the result file, I straightway select print.
The krrk-krrk sound of printing pierces through the dead silence. I rise, walk to the printer and collect the papers. Focusing my attention, my eyes skim through the words "blood" "unique" and "silver" and.... I hear myself mutter,
"Oh my Goddess..."
Hi guys,
Vote and Comment if you liked it.
Love y'all...... Mwah......
-Vishael