Mated With A Curse

A New Blasted Idea!

Ella hugged her pillow so tight against the side of her head that if the woolen stuff was human, it'd have 206 broken bones, decrepit muscles, and be at the surgeon's begging transplant for its bowels.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she felt so comfortable, until her phone rang, but briefly. Reluctantly, she looked up.

The black thing had been lying lifeless on the butter-brown coloured bedsheet since her last call. She read the text.

Drez: "Sup girl? Didn't see ya in class! Y'all missd the epic literal kickin-of-the-ass-by-a-junior of yor adversary today! Lmfao. Jus don't forget @Clayman's tonight... and my red shirt! Xo."

She read the text mentally, in the brown-haired Super-4 fanboy's voice and chuckled lightly where he'd mentioned her adversary.

That'd be no other person but Flora Xavier, Rudol's College's dumbest-ass leader of a group of girls who took pleasure in making life miserable for her, and maybe people like her, on campus.

But that's a lie, no one's actually like her.

Drez was deliberately baiting her with the half gist, he probably knew she'd want to hear the rest. It's Friday and they'd not see until Monday.

Though Ella wasn't so hung up on knowing what had happened to Throw-up Flora in Logic MTS class, but she might as well want to get out of Alpha Morrissey's prison called home tonight anyways.

She tossed the phone aside and turned to face her unamusing white ceiling. Her eyes now fixed on the golden luminaire.

Alpha Morrissey was the only person in that house she's not finding it hard at all to respect and fear. Not that he deserved it. She'd been brooded into becoming this timid taciturn girl all her life, and her rapidly increasing audacity just wasn't enough yet. She always lost all courage whenever he's home.

He'd been so hard on them, both her and Victoria, while growing up that she just despised his coming home early—or even at all—like any kid would an hostile dad. It's the only mutual feeling she'd have with Victoria.

She put the pillow over her head and clipped it down with her hands, and groaned.

About fifteen minutes later, there's a brief rapping on the door. The knocker would pause briefly between two hits and one. It's the Luna's pattern, as though somehow hesitant.

Ella was silent.

She'd not knock again, she would practically start speaking through the door now.

"It's your mom... You've been hoveled up since you came back. Dinner's ready downstairs. And your sister wants to apologize to you for all those nasty things she said."

Ella sat up and leaned back on the wooden frame of her bed. She's half-expecting her to add that her father was home, but she didn't. Ella's slightly enhanced ears could hear her receding steps now as she left without another word.

Indeed, the sun had now set, but Ella had no appetite at all. She'd no care in the world if her favourite was on the menu, despite having evacuated her stomach all day long.

But Victoria was apologizing to her?

She'd be there, even if it's just to gloat.

A few minutes later, Ella was on the last stair case downstairs coming from her room upstairs. Victoria was literally pacing, devoid of her usual strut. Her mother stood by and was gripping a chair firmly—Ella's most used chair whenever she decided to join them for dinner, in other words, every time she'd no choice. Every time the Alpha was home.

He sat there in his big chair, a burly man with excessive facial hair, stuffing his mouth greedily with different food chunks Ella couldn't entirely make out yet. Green, white, brown, dripping but smelling good as usual. The familiar scowl was also there in its rightful place, wedged between his brows.

"Ella." The Luna smiled, almost easily. Victoria stopped and looked up.

"Ella...!" She said with a loud sigh.

Surely, these two were up to something.

Ella looked between them frenziedly, panic creeping up on her. Had she foolishly fallen for their trick? Her head gears started turning.

The Luna probably knew saying Morrissey was home wouldn't have been enough to compel her to eat with them since Ella probably had immunity because of her recent 'achievement', so she could have stayed upstairs if she'd chosen to, provided it's not the Alpha himself that invited her.

However, she's also aware of her pride and desire and she'd used it against her.

"I'm so sorry, Ella. I didn't mean those things that I said. None of them. Every word." Victoria placed her right hand on her chest and fake-whimpered, pouting like a mischievous infant, without even another step forward.

Was this the apology Ella was hoping to receive? A fake unrealistic and probably rehearsed gesture? The words just sounded too unnatural escaping Victoria's mouth.

"You see, your sister is so sorry..." The Luna took it from where her daughter stopped. "Now, Ella, please, join us."

They're lucky her appetite had already crawled out of its hiding place. Even if they'd a hidden motive and Victoria's apology was insincere, she didn't care anymore, it's not everyday one got to eat her chicken and cabbage soup void of malicious gazes. Even if now pretentious. She's out already and wouldn't let them ruin her night. She shrugged.

In the middle of cutting her second chunk of the greasy meat and munching her cabbage broccoli salad, Morrissey dropped his cutleries, downed what's remaining of his red wine, cleared his throat and peered domineeringly at her.

"The Citeclaws wants Victoria to marry Luciano, their vegetative son, not the Alpha anymore." He started, receiving a hard glare from his wife that he ignored. It's probably not how she wanted him to phrase it.

"But since you're actually the Victoria they know, body and spirit, I would want you to continue that way." He submitted in a firm voice, while Ella's surprised she'd not yet looked away. Actually, she's just mentally transfixed. His first statement had frozen her brain, and her worry had easily translated into dismay.

After many seconds of just staring blankly at the Alpha, an effrontery that shocked her inside, she found her tongue.

"But... no one saw my—"

But the Alpha would not let her finish. He frowned and tilted his head and her voice caught in her throat again.

"Moreover, I heard you didn't leave until this morning... What happened?"

Ella's heart began to pound. She finally got to look at the Luna, the woman had also stopped eating, and her gaze were on her, solid.

"I—I wasn't—"

"The mask, did you take it off?"

"No."

Should she tell them now how she'd flopped and almost let Pierce see her face, they'd just laugh her to scorn at how she'd have sealed her own fate by doing that.

They'd be right in that opinion, but she's not stupid, she knew that too. Now she'd be wearing another's face but the body that's punished would still be hers.

"Good." He readjusted himself in his embroidered recherche chair. "You'll keep your charade tomorrow when you go to see that kid."

She couldn't object, not while the man held her gaze so. Her mind was made up, as the gears of a pendulum clock banged on an hour. But as usual, her heart, AKA emotions, worked so hard against the effect that the bang now meant little or nothing at all.

"Alpha..." She started, but no other word would dare follow.

Tears were in her eyes. Hell, she'd not even finished college yet!

And what about Drez? She's going to give him a second chance.

Last time she'd been drunk and he'd taken advantage and kissed her. They next day, she'd sworn off liquor, and him. However, they were still good friends and she's now trusting him again.

"Marriage?" She muttered to herself, her spoon clattering on the porcelain as her shoulders dropped, a splash from the spoon made her juice ripple on the surface. Her stomach growled in protest to the break in transmission, but her appetite swiftly melted away.

She couldn't look up, but she guessed Victoria was probably snickering, and the Luna with her fake concerned look.

However, her mind's set and insisted on one thing. She'd take the mask off this time around, and ruin their fun—have some fun herself. She chuckled in her mind at the idea. It's scary, but she hoped she could pull it off. And without second-guessing again like she did almost everything.

'Let's wait and see who's actually laughing... Morrissey, Luna, shall we?'

Her plan would definitely incite the Citeclaws, and since they're never on good terms with the Blackwoods in the first place, it might worsen their pack's situation.

The Citeclaws were the worst. If she gave in and married into that pack, how awful would they treat her, especially since she's not a true mate.

That Pierce too, although excited by him, she's also scared. And what about this idea for her to marry Luciano his vegetative brothe instead...

And who knew what else Pierce planned to do with her when she's with them.

In any case, her plan seemed to be the easiest way out, and seemingly the hardest too.

However, these were the very reasons she'd to escape this nightmarish house come nightfall. She'd to escape, even it if it meant defying Morrissey's rule of no night-outing. Weren't rules made to be broken by those who knew them, well?

She couldn't wait to do the 11-headshot liquor, and maybe Drez would take advantage of her again... Maybe she would. But in any case, she's not sleeping with these wolves tonight.

"Is there anything you'd like to say?" Morrissey asked, his gaze surprisingly gentling.

"No."

She clenched her teeth the umpteenth time and excused herself.