IN THE DEN OF THE LYCAN PRINCES

Chapter Two: Wild Wolves in Sheep’s clothing

ADALYDE

I had never been to the Farroway Mansion before.

So, having Melanie invite me over for the party in her parent’s mansion shocked me in more than one way; first, it was the rare opportunity of having to be amongst the selected few that the most popular girl in school invited for her party – an opportunity that millions of Prestige wannabes would literally cut their skin and crawl while bleeding on their hands and knees for Mel to give them.

There weren’t many people here. Mel made sure to make her party guest list so little and special as though she were inviting for an exclusive gala event where only the one percent of the one percent were acknowledged. With ease, I could count the number of people inside, outside, and around the building and we were exactly twenty two in number, including Melanie’s guest ‘celebrity’ friends who didn’t even go to Prestige.

So, yes, first, it was the shocker that I, of all people, made it into such a narrow list.

Moreover, I couldn’t be more awed to be stepping foot into the forbidden Farroway Mansion – a location that no other girl from the Sanctuary, not even me with the special treatment from Gertrudia – was allowed to enter.

And needless to say, something about the insides of this elite, luxurious multi-billion Victorian House mansion made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

I thought at first that it was just the fact that I was not used to being in a place that reeked of stinking, sinful money, so I felt a bit agoraphobic in the midst of such a wide space, my eyes surveying all round the fancy decor interior, eye pleasing vintage souvenirs, giant spiral stairways, extravagant chandeliers, fancy Italian couches and furniture, and that gigantic soundless screen TV that caught my eyes against my will, all inside their Living room.

It wasn’t just that, really.

It was also the variety of people my age – give or take a few months – parading all around the place recklessly with the boldest fashion statements; the lights from the glowing light bulbs of the fancy chandeliers that nearly blinded me too, spreading dotted multi colours of neon glows – red, purple, blue, and gold– all around the place; not to talk of the loud, aggressive music that pounded relentlessly into my brain and the soundless obscene videos of rated 18 scenes that flashed on that giant screen TV at the centre.

It suddenly felt like I was suffocating in here, my social battery was dying out rapidly by the minute.

And, for some odd reason, it seemed as though as I stepped foot in here, there was an odd attention diverting towards me.

It was subtle, but it was there. I wondered why gazes were being cast my way all of a sudden. However, I decided best to not pay them any mind so that I wouldn’t get too anxious and end up accidentally ripping up a blackhole right in the middle of the Farroways’ fancy living room.

“I wonder why they are staring.” I said to myself, shuffling my hands deeper into my parka hoodie pockets and dismissing all the attention on me from focus.

Two girls walked past me giggling, but I chose to ignore them. I didn’t understand the humour of Prestige students; they laughed at the most basic things.

“Yo! Sanctuary girl!”

Reflexively, I turned towards the direction where my infamous tag was shouted loud enough to be heard through the banging music.

Narrowing my eyes at the exact spot – a high table in the centre of the room, filled with champagne, that was surrounded by a bunch of guffawing jocks and giggling half-naked girls whom I recognized from school to be cheerleaders – I looked directly at the ripped dirty-blonde haired jock, Connor, who shouted out to me. I also didn’t fail to pick up the suspicious grins and stares that transferred, conspiringly, between him and the rest of them at the table.

However, I stared at them, unamused, not bothering to even venture into wondering what was tickling their fancy.

“Looking good, sis!” Vivi shouted to me, feigning mock cheers with her martini glass. I needed no one to help me pick up the smugness in her sarcastic tone. “What’s up with the hoodie and everything? This is a Mel Farroway party, not a Salvation Army, the f**k?” And again with that chorused laughter that I never understood the basis of.

I stood there, watching them with hands in my pockets, the deadest, blankest stare on my face.

“Ou, she’s kinda scary!” One of the guys taunted.

Grayson threw his head back, cackling. “Wait, but it's kinda hot though!” His seemingly annoyed girlfriend, Sierra, slapped him across the shoulder, but the mountain sized jock barely flinched from the petty assault.

“No wonder Oscar wants to bang her!” Smurf came in, guffawing loudly, “I’d smash too!” And for some reason, they found the short guy so hilarious that they were bursting into yet another round of uncontrollable laughter, while I remained unamused.

A half of me thought about giving them something to laugh about. The urge to split one of them in half and watch their insides burst in a bloody pulp into the cigarette-contaminated air was beyond me.

And, I wanted to do it, just for the sheer fun of watching them lose their mind. At least, that would be something worth laughing about.

Suddenly, however, a newcomer joined in with them.

My eyes should have lit up on seeing him – Oscar Mitchell – but for some reason, I was rather neutral and undisturbed about his sudden intrusion onto the high table.

“Watch it, asshat!” He shoved Smurf aggressively, a subtle look of annoyance on his face. “And, her name is Adalyde, not ‘Sanctuary girl’, you bastards!” He threw at the rest of his friends as he snatched a bottle of champagne from Connor, ignoring the hooting and cackling from them that showed that they clearly didn’t take him seriously enough.

“We’re just joking, Oscar! Calm your titties!” Bella with the rainbow-streaked hair teased, riling up the entire table of jocks and cheerleaders with laughter, but Oscar seemed to remain unamused, rolling his eyes at his unserious friends’ ‘playful’ jabs.

It was so obvious that he wanted me to notice he was standing up for me. And, as if on cue, his gaze met mine, rizz lingering in those light brown eyes as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair in a deliberate bid to impress.

Unfortunately, there is no kinder way to put this…

I felt nothing.

My heart didn’t fluster, my eyes didn’t even blink for a second. I hated how bored I felt, yet, I didn’t know how to pretend. With hands unmoving in my pockets, hood hovering over my forehead, eyes looking emptily at him and my entire expression in a solid deadpan, I stared right back at Oscar Mitchell.

Completely unmoved.

“Oh there she is!–”

My staring contest with Oscar was cut unexpectedly short when Melanie’s upbeat voice came ringing behind me.

I barely had the chance to turn myself fully around when she caught up with me, shoving her iPhone in my face, and without having a chance to comprehend what was happening, I saw my face on her phone screen along with her beaming wide grin as she spoke to invisible people that I couldn’t see.

“Hi, 6.2 million followers and a hundred and seventy eight thousand viewers; this is my best friend, Addie, the star of the show and we are LIVE at my exclusive party in Mummy and Daddy’s mansion!” She bubbled, green eyes wide with elation as she yapped. “And these are my other besties, Stacie and Precious Valerie! Say hi, Chicas!–”

She was like a fairy high on drugs, jumping and beaming with mad excitement while her besties flipped their hairs and made pouty lips at the camera and I stared at all of them, discombobulated, wondering if I was supposed to join in on this madness.

It was ironic though how I was supposed to act like I was besties with Stacie and Precious Valerie who were two girls who had never spoken to me directly.

No, really. Everytime Mel had something to say that connected them to me, it always went along the lines of –

“–Stacie told Precious Valerie who told me that you had arrived at my party, Addie!”

Exactly. Something like that.

I couldn’t help but cast a look at Sophie who barely even looked at me. In fact, the brown haired girl had a thick brow raised, popping gum rudely as she made half glances at me, giving me uncomfortable side eyes. The other Ariana Grande carbon copy, Precious Valerie, was more interested in swaying her ponytail back and forth on Mel’s i********: live; she would rather swoon over herself than spare me a second’s worth glance. Mel, however, seemed oblivious to her friend’s attitudes.

“And, ou! I see you! Making googly eyes already with Oscar Mitchell, right, Addie?” She rather teased me.

“Um, what?–No, I–er–Actually, I wasn’t–”

“Quick!” Melanie cut me of, effectively dismissing all I was about to say as she turned her head back to Stacie and Precious Valerie, “Tell Oscar to get the guys over here with the cheerleaders and join my live, so that we can keep the views up. I want at least three hundred thousand people watching in time for the opening stunt!”

Politely, I cleared my throat. “Excuse me.”

And without giving a further warning, I shoved my hands into the warmness of my pockets and quietly stepped out of the forming social circle.

Heaven forbid I be a part of that caricature.

Frankly, I was starting to regret coming here. The excessive social gatherings, the noisy atmosphere, the weird looks cast my way, I didn’t bargain for any of this s**t.

“I need a f*****g drink.”

Finding the Kitchen was easy. I couldn’t explain how I knew everything about the house even if it was my first time being here. All I knew was that I wanted a drink, I needed to find the kitchen, and instinctively, my legs carried me a direction up the stairs and stopped in front of one of the rooms; the first thing my eyes caught was the large fridge in the decor glass tiled kitchen.

“Looking for an excuse to get yourself out of that suffocating circle?”

I stopped, suddenly noticing that there was another presence in the Kitchen with me.

“It’s a freak show downstairs, I know,” the voice was euphonic and regal, even though surprisingly solid with a deep feminine tone, “I’d rather drown myself in a sea of witches’ blood than be here too, Adalyde.”

I couldn’t stop the urge to look up at her and the second I did, the first thing that slapped into my sight was the blinding aura ray light of Indigo shining all over her Indie goth aesthetic.

She was the first person to have an aura ray light on her tonight, and whatever pulled me to initiate conversation with her, I couldn’t explain.

“Then, why are you here?” I asked.

“Fulfilling all righteousness,” she answered with a shrug, whipping out a cigarette stick and fixing in between her plump, black-darkened lips, “As a ghost member of Melanie’s clique, refusing to show up to the queen’s party is the unforgivable sin. Outright abomination.” She flicked the lighter on and set her cigar on fire, inhaling and holding it in before looking at me to ask, “I hope you don’t mind?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Nice necklace.” She commented, surprisingly me with how she was able to detect the shell necklace I had around my neck that was hidden inside my hoodie, even without turning my direction. “Where did you get it?”

I fondled the strings of the necklace, slightly nervous.

“Not sure,” I answered, sincerely. “I’ve just always had it, I guess. Since my first day in The Sanctuary. ”

My vague answer hardly even fazed her.

“The name’s Emery,” she said to me; she still hadn’t exhaled the smoke that she inhaled. With a lazy pose, she leaned back against the wall, staring boredly into nothingness. “And, what the f**k are you doing in this house, Adalyde Sanctuary?”

I wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something about her straightforwardness that got to me. It could have also been the way that aura light ray shined like a bright star over her perfect, glowing dark skin. Or maybe it was the way she coolly leaned back in a standing position, black kinky hair pressed against the white walls, after throwing me the most random yet blunt question, looking like she could not give a f**k if I answered it or not.

“Mel invited me.” I answered her.

Her thick, pierced brow arched, her light chuckle humourless. “And, you trust Melanie Farroway.”

It sounded like a statement, but it challenged me like a question. A heavily uncomfortable question.

“Yes.” I answered again.

“Ait, bet.” She smirked, backed off the wall as she stuffed her hands into her dark leather jacket, grey eyes turning to meet my gaze. “Well, have a fun time tonight.”

She mock-saluted, before brushing past me as she walked away.

“Should I not trust Melanie?” I asked behind her back.

Emery spun around, her gaze seeming to say the obvious.

“Babe, I know you’re wise enough to answer that question yourself,” she answered me.

I sighed, exasperated. “Just tell me.”

“No, you shouldn’t trust Mel Farroway,” she answered bluntly, “She’s an evil, conniving b***h who would stop at nothing to be the worst version of herself to anyone and everyone around her. Want a piece of advice? Run for your f*****g life while you still can, Adalyde Sanctuary.”

I stared at her, utterly dumbfounded.

And I wasn’t sure what made me more uncomfortable: the fact that Emery was supposed to be one of Mel’s friends, or, the fact that there was the slightest chance that she could have been right.

“Come on, Addie,” she said with a high-pitched voice that parodied Mel. “I know you knew something was awfully wrong from the very moment you stepped foot into this party.”

The coldness in her voice scared the living s**t out of me.

…And she wasn’t wrong.

Emery said nothing more than that, unfortunately. She turned her back again on me and attempted to walk out of the Kitchen.

“Wait.”

I didn’t understand what prompted me to call out behind her, but on my sudden request, she paused.

Only when she turned back around to face me did I catch the fine ring of smoke that she had been holding in, throughout our entire conversation, puffing out smoothly from her nostrils.

“Quit smoking.” I told her.

She chuckled; it was impossible to get her offended.

“Your heart is failing.” I further said, bluntly.

A streak of confidence was lost from her grey eyes, her prideful demeanour relaxing with a subtle drop of her shoulders.

“I can see it,” I revealed. “Your heart. I can see your heart. It’s failing, Emery Moore.”

My revelation seemed to take her off guard. There was an unreadable expression on her face, but in the slightest, I picked up the subtle, nervous fluttering of her eyes. It wasn’t enough to falter that badass exterior on her, but it was there.

“I see.” Was all she said in response.

And, Emery didn’t look back once when she turned around to walk away the second time.

***

Mel found me in no time and was at the verge of explosion, her excitement tipping over the edge now more than ever before.

“Oscar wants to see you! I think this is your chance, Addie! Get the most relevant guy at school and climb the popularity ladder!” She squealed.

Truth be told, I was not very interested in being ‘popular’. I just wanted a shield around me, a reason for people to not constantly make me feel abnormal for petty reasons like the way I look. If pretending to like Oscar was going to get me there, then, it was a shot I guess I was willing to take.

Mel had the entire crew bubbling in excitement with her. Stacie and Precious Valerie were surrounding me with other girls that I knew didn’t even like me at all like Vivi and Sierra. Even guys that made constant s*x jokes about me like Connor, Grayson and that short bastard, Smurf and parraded the school hallways with their countless mean cheerleader girlfriends, were suddenly high on matchmaking me and Oscar as well.

I was thrown into a room and with giggles and wild laughter where they locked me in, alone, with Oscar Mitchell.

“Hi.”

He smiled when I didn’t smile first, his brown eyes lighting sweetly as he waved at me.

I stared at Oscar, who genuinely didn’t seem to be a bad guy. He was fairly good looking, and given the fact he was the star quarterback of the school, his body was quite impressive s for his age. Still, I wondered in earnest why I could not bring myself to feel a thing for him too.

“Hi.”

The least I could do was answer back. But, that was the fastest way to increase the tension and awkwardness in the room – giving one worded responses.

“So…”

He sounded nervous, laughing softly under his breath as he ran a hand through his thick, light brown hair.

“So.” I bluntly said back.

His eyes seemed to crinkle at my response, an adorable smile crawling onto his face. He did look a bit more attractive when he smiled like that, and those eyes seemed to strangely do something to my body when it’s gaze travelled from my face and moved downwards...

I gulped.

“You’re cute,” he said to me, the corner of his lips lifting in a sexy smirk. “You know that, right?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond, but I couldn’t deny the subtle fluffiness I felt in the pit of my stomach.

“So, Adalyde, it’s just me and you alone in this room,” he said to me, still smirking, “What are you thinking?”

“What are you thinking?” I asked him back.

His eyes lit up with my question, an unreadable look registering in those orbs of brown.

“Let me show you,” he suggested.

I gulped. Nodded. “Okay.”

And, that was how it happened. One minute, I was engaging in his small talk and the next minute, he had walked over to me and wrapped his hands around my neck, pulling me into him via his grip and having his lips and tongue claiming mine like it was his talent.

I had never kissed a boy before…

Frankly, I had no time to think, and everything was happening too fast. His hands were like electricity on my skin and I kinda liked how this felt; maybe, I may have gotten carried away a bit. His lips wandered like he was in a curious urge to find out how everywhere around me tasted, and by the time I felt him on my neck, my senses were off…

And, unfortunately, so were my clothes.

He may have dumped my parka hoodie somewhere on the floor and in no time, he had me effortlessly in his arms, carrying me while kissing me – the only thing in front of him was a half naked virgin only wearing a bra.

“Adalyde?”

“Yeah?”

He broke contact off his lips, a suspicious smirk playing on his lips as she said;

“Say Hi to Mel’s five hundred thousand live viewers.”

It felt like needles were pierced into the sides of my head, the moment that his words slapped into comprehension.

Only then did I notice it…

The dozens of phones in the air, held by the countless numbers of people who were all invited to Mel’s party. All of them were in the room, phone cameras’ on, restraining laughter as they videoed me, naked and making out with Oscar Mitchell.

Sirens were going off in my head, and the wave of humiliation was creeping in slowly, threatening to run me mad by every second of realization.

Leading them was Melanie Farroway…

And, with a manic smile on her sickeningly pretty face, she held her iPhone camera in front of me and Oscar.