5.
1161 Words
They're a handful too," Lista retorted.
"Our room is soundproofed, so nice try with that one. And what can I say? Mia and Max do their own thing, it's not on me," Celeste shrugged.
"Mates!" Lista shook her head with a playful smile.
me out," Celeste shivered.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you. But you know, there's a chance he may be nearby. Wouldn't it be crazy if we met him? Imagine, we could become the queens of Helsinger and live happily ever after," Lista mused, her eyes twinkling.
"Yeah, because he's the type to fall madly in love with someone the second he sees her. Besides, you're not looking to have any kind of relationship right now," Celeste pointed out.
"I'm just saying, it would be a fairy tale ending, and I'm not completely closed off to the idea of finding my true mate," Lista defended herself.
"Yeah, but you'd have to marry into royalty, and there's no chance of that," Celeste reasoned.
"There's always a chance," Lista retorted.
"Okay, maybe, but I doubt it. You've seen the royals. They're a snooty bunch," Celeste shuddered.
"True, but at least I can breeze through airport security without a care and let others handle my luggage," Celeste chuckled.
"So after this, fancy taking a stroll around the pack grounds before training?" Lista proposed.
"Yeah, sounds like a plan. I wonder why Prince Jovan couldn't meet us. Not that it bothers us, neither of us are fans of all the formalities and ceremonies," Celeste mused aloud.
"Not sure. He's known to be a bit of a recluse and apparently looks a bit under the weather. His mother's quite worried about him, from what Mam mentioned a couple of times. I'm not sure why though. It does seem odd for a werewolf to be unwell," Lista remarked, shrugging.
"Perhaps he just needs a magical healing kiss," Celeste playfully suggested, waggling her eyebrows.
"Or perhaps not!" Lista shook her head. She knew Celeste was just joking, but deep down, she had no interest in pursuing a new romance, especially not with a second-chance mate.
"Who knows? Let's get these plates cleaned up," Celeste suggested, grabbing Lista's finished plate and cutlery before heading to the sink.
"Zephyra might think we're trying to put her out of a job," Lista chuckled, taking the tea towel to dry the dishes after Celeste washed them.
"Bless her, she probably thinks you're quite the character," Celeste grinned.
"Well, she wouldn't be entirely wrong," Lista laughed.As they strolled through the Helsinger pack lands, Lista let out a rare sigh of contentment.
"I can't get over how serene I feel here. It's like a sense of peace washes over me."
"It's the forest, I guess. And the fresh air. You can't get much fresher than that," Celeste agreed, inhaling deeply.
"And the company," Lista smiled.
"It's beautiful," Celeste sighed, taking in the scenery as they strolled past the river and towards the waterfall.
"You said it," Lista agreed, her gaze on Celeste.
"You're such a flirt," Celeste snorted, blushing.
"And proud of it. But come on, look at yourself! You're the gorgeous one," Lista pointed out, her arm sweeping the length of her friend's body.
"Stop that. We've both got our unique charm," Celeste replied.
"Oh, charming is what we are. And the most beautiful women in the land," Lista stated, nodding confidently.
"I can't argue with that," Celeste laughed.
"Come on, let's explore the waterfall. There's a cave behind there, isn't there? Perhaps we'll find some ancient werewolf treasure," Lista suggested.
"We are not going exploring," Celeste protested, looking dubious.
"Why not?"
"It's dangerous, and besides, I'm pretty sure Prince Jovan is exploring somewhere," Celeste said, pointing in the direction of the waterfall.
"Let's follow him then. Maybe we'll get a chance to say hi," Lista said.
"Lista," Celeste warned, narrowing her eyes.
"Celeste," Lista challenged, meeting her gaze.
"Fine. We can go, but only because you'll keep bugging me about it if we don't," Celeste grumbled.
"That's my girl," Lista smirked, triumphantly leading the way towards the waterfall.
"Do you mind being a little more quiet? You're scaring away all the wildlife," Celeste complained as Lista crunched a stick beneath her foot.
"We're werewolves. The wildlife is supposed to be scared of us," Lista whispered, sticking out her tongue.
"Whatever. Just don't get us killed or anything," Celeste warned, shaking her head.
"You're the one who's supposed to have better senses than me, but fine, I'll do my best to stay quiet. But you'll need to tell me which direction to go. I can't see a darn thing," Lista grumbled, feeling her way through the dark cave.
"I can barely see a darn thing either, and you're the one holding the torch. You're the one who wanted to explore," Celeste retorted, walking beside her.
"Fair enough. Keep following the cave, and if we can't find a way out, we'll turn back," Lista decided, her eyes darting around the dark tunnel.
"Good, because this place is starting to freak
"So you don't like the royals, even though one of them is a potential true mate? I thought you were supposed to be the diplomatic one," Lista joked.
"Just because one of them is a possible mate doesn't mean he's the one. For all we know, the mate is from another country. Who knows, it could be one of the guys we met earlier," Celeste suggested.
"Ew, no. Those were jerks," Lista exclaimed.
"True. I can't believe we're talking about marriage and mates and everything else. I'm so not ready for that," Lista shuddered.
"Well, I'll tell you one thing. We'll definitely need a lot more than a torch," Celeste murmured, squinting ahead.
"Why?"
"Because I think the tunnel's blocked."
"What?!"
"There's a wall. It's like we've reached the end. We can't go further."
"Damn it," Lista growled, rushing forward. Sure enough, the tunnel ended with a blockade.
"This is a dead-end. It must be an illusion or something. How are we supposed to get out?" Lista fretted, pushing against the wall.
"No, I can't smell anything, and the ground doesn't seem different. I think this is real. We're trapped," Celeste groaned, leaning against the rock.
"s**t," Lista swore, slapping her forehead.
"Hey, you're the one who wanted to explore," Celeste reminded her.
"Fjine. I'll take the blame, but I didn't expect a dead-end. Now we're trapped, and the prince probably doesn't even know," Lista sighed, sinking to the ground.
"I wouldn't count on it," a male voice echoed through the chamber.
"s**t, s**t, s**t," Lista whispered, grabbing hold of Celeste.
"Is that—?"
"Yes. Don't make a sound. Let me handle it," Celeste hissed.
"Prince Jovan, I presume?" Lista asked, her voice wavering.
"Indeed, the one and only. Or should I say, the ones and only," he corrected himself.
"Um, hi. My name is Calista, and this is my best friend, Celeste," Lista introduced themselves, hoping the darkness hid her nervousness.
- Writer
