Of Wolves and Walls
1112 Words
“Your Highness!” Helena's shrill scream echoed through the hallways as Prince Pierce lunged at Jenson. His massive hand shot out straight to Jenson's neck and collective gasps were heard throughout the hallway.
“It seems like you have forgotten who I am?” Pierce growled, his voice low and dangerous. “How dare you mess with something that belongs to me.”
“Your... your Highness, perhaps there’s a misunderstanding.” Jenson stammered, his face turning to an alarming shade of blue, and he gasped for breath.
Pierce clicked his tongue in disdain. “Listen carefully,” he said coldly.
“Today, I will be taking this little white wolf back to my pack house. We won’t be staying for your engagement party. Who knows what schemes you might try to pull off now.”
Jenson nodded “Yes... yes, I understand your highness.”
Pierce slowly released his hand from Jenson's neck as the latter struggled for breath. He slowly walked towards Aviva and bent to pick her up, shielding her from the curious eyes of the on-lookers.
“Get a car ready for me.” He ordered as he walked out of the hallway.
Jenson blushed with embarrassment. “What are all of you looking at, huh?”
The remaining pack members scampered around, leaving Jenson and Helena alone.
“Are you alright?” Helena asked Jenson, half-heartedly, her eyes on Pierce’s back.
Jenson stretched his body. “Yes, of course, our plan worked. She wouldn’t survive a day with that monster.”
Helena kept quiet as she watched Pierce disappear from her eyesight. She had a nagging feeling that things might not turn out the way they wanted.
“Go and get cleaned up,” Pierce said as he gently set Aviva on her feet.
Aviva stared at him for a while. “Thank you.” She muttered as she walked towards the bathroom.
“I’ll get some of my clothes for you to change into,” Pierce said coldly. Just knock on the door when you are done, and I’ll pass them to you... okay?”
She nodded “Okay.”
The journey to the crescent moon pack was tiring, both physically and emotionally. Aviva clung to the hope that her tension with the prince would ease up a bit, but as they entered the huge gates of the pack house, the cold man beside her became even more unyielding.
A week had passed and Aviva was already adapting to the life of the crescent moon pack. The servants and pack members were quick to notice her presence and whispers and rumors followed her everywhere she went.
But Aviva had not seen Pierce since the day he brought her here. It was almost like he was avoiding her. Everyone here treated her well, she was given her own room and a queen-sized bed. She lived like a princess here.
She walked down the hallways which were bigger than the ones back at the silver moon pack aimlessly.
“Excuse me...” Aviva said as she quickly caught up with a maid. The maid bowed almost immediately, “My lady.”
“Please where can I find the Prince...” she asked shyly.
The maid looks at her warily before pointing out a series of directions. Aviva whispered a subtle thank you as she walked towards the room described for her.
She walked into the large room that looked like a study and immediately saw Pierce sitting behind a table.
“You can’t knock?” Pierce said harshly, without looking up from the stack of papers in front of him.
“Oh, I’m sorry...” she started, “the door was slightly open.”
“And you felt like you could come in?” He growled.
Aviva felt the harsh sting of his words, but she held back the tears in her eyes.
She ignored his question “You’ve been avoiding me since we got here... did I do something wrong?”
“You seem to be thinking of yourself too highly.” He scoffed, finally looking up from his stack of papers “What did you expect would happen when you came here? That we would fall in love, and you would be my Luna?”
“I... I don’t know.” Aviva stuttered as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Pierce clicked his tongue, “Truly a naive wolf.”
“It’s almost lunchtime...” Aviva replied, ignoring him again, “Let’s go eat.”
“Why? Is this another of your attempts to bond with me?” He mocked.
“Let’s go.” She replied as she walked out of the study.
Lunchtime was so quiet, the whole table was occupied by the higher-ups of the crescent moon pack but no one had dared to say a word. Aviva was placed at the far end of the table, and she ate her food quietly too. Everyone could sense the Prince's dull mood and didn't want to get on his bad side.
“Can you not eat quietly!” Pierce barked out to Aviva and everybody on the table held their breath as she met his eyes.
“My apologies to Your Highness.” She replied with a mocking tone, slicing her steak so forcefully that the knife screeched against the plate.
Pierce pulled back his chair so abruptly that it made everyone on the table, including Aviva, jump. “I’ve lost my appetite.” He hissed and stormed off.
Aviva managed to keep the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes intact.
The next few weeks were horrible for her as the whispers became louder, the members of the pack and the maids not bothering to hide their opinions of her anymore.
One time, she had overheard two maids talking about how Pierce reprimanded her for wanting to design her room.
“Did you know that his highness warned her against renovating the room he gave her” the maid whispered to her colleague. “He said she wouldn’t be there for long, so there was no need for her to feel at home.”
The other maid snickered. “I bet that puts her in her place. She walks around like she owns the place.”
Today wasn’t any different. Mumurs followed her as she walked around the gardens enjoying the cool breeze of nature.
“Did you hear!” A maid exclaimed, her voice shrill and annoying, but Aviva listened. If there was anything that kept her from losing her sanity in this place, it was the unsolicited gossip.
“The Prince has a mistress!” The maid chimed and Aviva stumbled.
- Writer
