MY ENEMY, MY WEAKNESS

DEMONS

ELARA

What was my father's younger brother doing here? The question swirled in my head, my eyes roving from one gentleman to another in askance. I knew all of them—from my Uncle to Tobias his Beta, Elder Fredrick the Kingmaker, Arnold the most powerful warlock and voice of the goddess, and Sage, the newly crowned Vampire King. I knew them because they all used to be by my side.

These men were my friends and family. My allies! My father's best friends! What were they doing drinking and dining with my enemy? Why were they not telling this beast off for having their Queen chained and tugged along like a dog?

"Oh, Sweetpea." My Uncle stepped forward, a crooked smile on his face. On his left hand was a glass of wine, and he reached out the right to brush my hair like a little puppy. "I told you she would be hard to tame, this one." He was saying. An explosion went off in my head.

WHAT!

"Uncle Bernard." My voice was shaky as I took an awkward step forward, eyes panicked. But Gerald yanked the chains, stopping me in my tracks. What was going on here? "What are you doing?" I hastily asked my Uncle, whose face distorted as he let out a dry, throaty laughter, flaring his free hand.

"She still calls me Uncle, gentlemen," he addressed the other men who had joined in the laughing party, except Gerald, whose expression remained unreadable. "Oh, Sweetpea…naive little girl." His laughter ceased. "I told your father that you could never handle the weight of this burden placed on your shoulders, but what did he do?" He shrugged dismissively. "In his foolish words, 'My little princess is more powerful than ten men!'" He taunted whimsically. His comment somehow seemed comical to the others, who shook with mirth. I felt utterly humiliated. That was when it ultimately dawned on me: My Uncle, these men, they all betrayed my family.

"Traitors!" The word left my mouth faster than I could stop it, accompanied by a heavy flow of tears. "How could you, Uncle?" My body was starting to shake. "How could you after everything my father did for you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, and immediately, heavy silence fell in the room.

"Ginger..." Gerald hushed brashly.

"I trusted you!" I kept screaming, my shoulders leaned forward towards the men whose eyes were alight now in mortification. "I trusted all of you, and you betrayed me! My father would roll in his grave, ashamed he ever placed his trust in men like you!"

"You would not dare embarrass yourself any further, Sweetpea!" My Uncle snapped in a hushed tone, his eyes skidding about frantically. He turned to move away, hesitated, and looked back, his forefinger jabbing at me. "You could never rule in a world of men; you are pathetic!"

"So, that was why you chose his side!" I blasted, not giving up. My resolve to remain unaffected and not cry in front of my captor was already out the window, so noticing how uncomfortable my outburst made Gerald and the men, I couldn't stop. "You side with this monster over your own family. Shame unto you!" I reeled, my statement followed by a well-aimed spit at my Uncle. "You will regret this!"

"Take this b***h out of here, Gerald!" My Uncle whisper-yelled, walking off.

"Shame on you, Uncle!" I howled at his back.

"Happy now?" Gerald unexpectedly leaned down to grunt in my face. My breath hitched from the scent of his breath mixed with his aftershave. Abruptly, my eyes fell to the chains on my leg, quieting my shameless lust. "I told you how important this occasion was to my clan, yet you embarrass me."

"You are a monster," I snarled at his face, tears clouding my vision I couldn't see properly. But I could sense the extent of his rage and knew I had the upper hand. "You will never break me, you hear..."

"I don't need to, Hellcat, because either way, I have the loyalty of your family and remaining allies, which leaves you at what?... Nothing." It wasn't about what he said but the way he said it. My stomach twisted, my wolf unhinged, and before I could stop it, my face wolfed up, and I released a ground-shaking growl to his face. Everyone screamed in shock, uproar breaking out.

Gerald leapt back and in the process let go of the chains. I didn't think twice to seize the chance. I took off down the pew, not sparing a thought to my action. All I knew was that I was an enraged girl, and having discovered that my only family and source of hope for salvation from here had handed my head on a platter to the enemy, I knew I was all alone in the world. So, now more than ever, I needed to run.

"Don't let her leave the premises!" I heard Gerald scream, his voice contrasting with the clang of the chains against the concrete with every flight I took. My heart pounded fiercely, internally wishing the entrance of the building would materialize right in front of me.

Unfortunately, just as I was about to leave the building, at the same instant, something swished in the air and landed around my neck abruptly cutting off my air stream. I found myself lunging in the air and then crashing back to the floor, a primal cry of devastation erupting from down my belly to rock the building.

Wolfbane!

I lay supine on the cold floor with my vision upward, unable to move, pain, confusion and madness occupying my entire being. I perceived him even before I caught his reflection from my peripheral view, matching forward hence he leaned in and mocked, “Well done, Ginger.”

Darkness was fighting to drag me under as my wolf continued howling in pain. Tears gushed from the sides of my face down the floor, yet, somehow, I could make out his face amid other shadows.

My enemy.

He flickered his fingers on my face as those full lips continued moving, but I couldn't make out what he was saying.

Suddenly, two large hands gripped me from the sides, lifted, and hauled me out of the room.

📍

I needed to retch.

That was the first sensation I felt when I recovered consciousness. I winced as a stab of pain crackled through my skull, and broke into a crusty cough. After the cough subsided, I slowly parted my lids and realized what the first sensation stemmed from—I was hanging from the ceiling.

My eyes widened in apprehension as my body dangled precariously, and I frantically surveyed my surroundings—an empty room devoid of windows, its walls splattered with black paint in a hauntingly familiar pattern. The ceiling loomed high above, my hands chained tightly to its surface, while the only light source flickered randomly, casting an eerie, irregular glow over the unsettling scene.

However, the worst of it all; I was stark naked.

"Helppppppp!" I screamed. "Somebody, please help me!" I started bawling like a pup, unmatched terror crawling up my naked body like goosebumps. I closed my eyes and imagined this was all in my head, that I had one of my nightmares from the past. No one except my immediate family knew about my cursed weakness. There was no way anyone here could have—"Help me!" Sweat broke out all over my body as shadows from my dark past crept in.

They triggered the vicious voices in my head. They began laughing at me.

"Oh, look at her, squirming like a little rat," one of them jibed.

"You are so pathetic!"

"You can never be a Queen!"

"Please, stop," I cried, trying to fight them but couldn't as a result of my bondage.

"You stupid little wretch!" My mother came forth, her voice distinct from the rest. "I hate you so much and wish you could die for everything you did to me!"

"I'm sorry, mother..." My throat ached, my body trembling as the voices kept pulling me back, reminding me of all my inadequacies. "Please, make them stop," I sobbed, shaking my head. "I'm sorry, please just make them stop," I begged no one in particular, my eyes still closed, fearing to encounter my demons if I dared open them.

"How would I make them stop?" My mother sneered, seized me, and pushed me up the stairs, not stopping despite all my cries of pain. She stopped at the balcony, picked me up, and placed my feet on the rail. "You took everything from me!"

"Please, Mother!" I clamored, flaring my hands. I sneaked a look down the balcony and, at spying the depth, I screamed at the same time Mother let me go.

"Magdalene!" My father materialized from nowhere, his hand circling my tiny wrist and catching me on time.

"Father..."

"It's going to be fine, Hellcat."

Father never called me Hellcat.

Only a monster I know.

…