chapter 22
A/n: Filler chappie and excuse my mistakes.
The night in the cells felt endless. I missed my granny and grandpa- Nana and Papa.
Ferial had lost count of the hours. It was probably Sunday. The holding cell was cold, the concrete floor colder, and the thin blanket they’d tossed at her might as well have been a napkin. She had curled herself tight on the narrow bench, shivering, stomach aching with hunger.
They hadn’t given them water, either.
Not that humans ever got anything generously.
Somewhere far down the corridor, she heard Abdie shouting again. At first, it made her smile—his stubbornness was legendary—but eventually the sound only made her chest tighten.
He sounded scared.
And angry.
And very, very tired.
Then silence.
The entire command building seemed to sink into a thick, quiet heaviness. Ferial didn’t sleep—she drifted in and out, her thoughts looping between the video interrogation, the Alpha Heir’s roar, the way his father had to grab him—
—and the kiss.
Her skin still burned with humiliation.
And with something else.
But mostly confusion.
She tucked her head under her arm and forced her breathing steady.
Just survive the night. Just get home.
---
The metal door scraped open, loud enough to make her jolt upright.
The same wolf from before—the one who’d delivered their fate—stepped inside. He didn’t look sympathetic, but he didn’t look angry either. Just… exhausted.
“Human,” he said. “You’re being released.”
Ferial blinked against the sudden harsh light from the hallway. “Released?”
“Yes.” He didn’t bother adding details. “You’ll be taken home separately. Your punishment will be decided in the coming week.”
Her mouth went dry.
“Punishment?”
His jaw flexed. “The Alpha will decide.”
She wanted to ask questions—wanted to know what would happen to Abdie, what would happen to her—but she bit the inside of her cheek hard and kept silent.
As she stepped out into the corridor, she heard it:
“HEY! LET ME GO! I can WALK, you don’t have to—HEY! Don’t push me, you flea-infested oversized chihuahua!”
Abdie.
Ferial winced.
One of the wolves ahead sighed. “Why do we still detain this one? He’s been here more times than criminals with actual charges.”
Another responded, annoyed, “Alpha of our district keeps delaying his sentencing. No idea why. Kid should’ve been dealt with years ago.”
Ferial’s stomach twisted.
She knew Abdie got into trouble—everyone in the district knew that—but she never knew why he wasn’t exiled, or imprisoned, or worse.
She thought he was just lucky.
Now, she wondered.
A guard nudged her toward the exit, and she walked silently, heart pounding.
Whatever this was… it wasn’t normal.
---
Once she was escorted to the apartment complex, she knew what was awaiting her. Infact she tried to linger in the hallway until she saw Mrs Dawood storm towards her.
As soon as Ferial stepped inside, Granny exploded.
Her grandmother—usually soft-spoken, warm, and gentle—stood rigid in the middle of the living room, face flushed red, hands trembling.
“FERIAL!”
Ferial flinched.
Her grandmother never shouted. Not with this much anger in her voice. Light heartedly, maybe.
“What were you THINKING?” Granny cried. “The patrol came here at dawn! They told us everything! EVERYTHING!”
Her grandfather glared from the bedroom doorway. “Stealing livestock? Disrespecting wolves? Being detained again? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
And then—
Mrs. Dawood’s voice drifted through the door from somewhere in the hallway.
“I told them she must be possessed! Who steals a chicken on a SATURDAY morning—”
Ferial groaned. It wasn't even a Saturday morning, afternoon? At this point she didn't know anymore when it happened.
Granny continued shouting, nearly in tears. “You think we can SURVIVE another incident? Do you know what the wolves could do? What the neighbors are saying?”
Ferial lifted her hands helplessly. “I—I didn’t mean to—”
Her grandfather snapped, “You never mean to!”
The words cut deeper than she expected.
She swallowed hard. “Let me explain.”
Granny crossed her arms. “Explain why you and Abdie thought it wise to commit a crime? Explain why the Alpha Heir himself had to get involved?”
Ferial froze.
She hadn’t told them that part yet.
She took a shaky breath. “Something… happened in the interrogation.”
Her grandparents fell silent instantly.
Ferial’s fingers twisted tightly around the hem of her dress. “Abdie… he said something stupid. He told the Alpha Heir he wanted to test something. And then—he… he grabbed me and kissed me.”
Her grandmother gasped, hand flying to her chest.
Her grandfather stepped forward. “He WHAT?”
“It wasn’t—” Ferial stammered. “It wasn’t my idea. He just—he did it. And the Alpha Heir—”
She swallowed.
Her heart thudded painfully.
“He roared. Like—like he was going to break through the screen. And his father had to grab him to stop him.”
Her grandmother’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her face drained of color instantly.
Ferial blinked. “Granny?”
Her grandmother stared at her—truly stared—with a fear she’d never seen before. A trembling, haunted fear.
Then she whispered, barely audible:
“No… no, no, no… Goddess have mercy.”
“Granny?” Ferial whispered. “What’s wrong?”
Her grandfather immediately stepped between them, taking Granny by the shoulders. “Come. Sit. Don’t upset yourself.”
“I—” Granny’s breath hitched. “Not her. Not my granddaughter. Not with him—”
Her grandfather shot her a look—a warning one.
Together, they guided Granny toward the bedroom.
But Ferial had had enough.
She stormed after them, pushing the half-closed door open.
Granny was sitting on the edge of the bed, hands trembling violently. Her grandfather knelt beside her, whispering in rushed, agitated tones.
“Tell me!” Ferial choked. “Tell me what you’re both thinking! Why would a wolf—an Alpha Heir—react like that? Why would he roar? Why would he be… be ANGRY?”
Her grandfather stood up sharply. “Ferial, leave it.”
“No!” she shouted, voice cracking. “I want to know! What are you hiding from me? What does it mean?”
Her grandfather’s face hardened. “It means NOTHING. It was an inappropriate display from a wolf. That is all.”
“You’re lying.”
His nostrils flared. “Enough.”
“WHY WOULD HIS FATHER HAVE TO HOLD HIM BACK?” she screamed.
Granny flinched.
Tears spilled down Ferial’s cheeks.
“You’re scared,” she whispered. “Both of you are scared.”
Her grandfather snapped, “You don’t understand anything!”
“THEN HELP ME UNDERSTAND!”
He slammed his palm onto the dresser. “THERE IS NOTHING TO UNDERSTAND!”
Ferial stumbled back, sobbing, breath breaking apart in her chest.
She fled the room, collapsed onto the couch, and buried her face in her hands.
Her body shook—anger, fear, confusion, humiliation, all tangled painfully.
Behind her, she heard her grandparents’ muffled voices.
Fearful.
Panicked.
Hiding something.
Something big.
Ferial curled tighter, tears dripping through her fingers.
And for the first time since this all began…
She was terrified that her life was no longer hers at all.