WATCHED.
1196 Words
~AMANDA~
It’s either Long or Alicia. If Long knew where we lived then Alicia could also find me. But why? Why would anyone still pursue me even after I was out of the pack?
No human knows and none knows me well enough to propose something like this.
“What’s that?” Noir appeared.
I quickly hid the photograph behind me. “Nothing.”
He frowned and folded his arms. I knew he would not back down until he saw the photograph. I was trying my best to exclude them from my life as much as possible. If they get involved in whatever this is, I fear I might have to depend on them when the time comes.
“It’s something I can handle and it’s personal.”
I tried running off but he was right in front of me in the blink of an eye. “How did you—”
He was staring at something in his hands. Then I noticed the photograph was no longer with me. “You can’t just snatch my things from me.”
He wasn’t listening. Instead, he was getting angrier. “Amanda…who is this?”
I rolled my eyes. “A customer at work. Why does it matter?”
I looked up at myself then. “I have two questions and you will answer me again. Who’s the human you’re smiling with and who took this photograph?”
I sighed, he was getting serious. “I told you, he is a customer at work. And I have no idea who took the picture. Someone slid it underneath the door.”
Soir walked in. “I always knew you were a problem and now you have tangled us with yours.” It’s the first statement he would be making the moment he came in.
“Who is the human!” Noir yelled at me.
I flinched in fear.
“Whoa,” Coir stood in front of me defensively. “Don’t yell at her. If anything, we should be looking for the person who took the photo and what they want with her. She was just doing her job.”
“She wasn’t doing her job, Coir. I saw him flirting with her and she was smiling at him. If Noir hadn’t made her our mate,” Soir glared at Noir. “We wouldn’t be in this mess. I want nothing to do with it.”
Soir went to his room.
If he hated me that much then why did he— I held back my tears, I won’t break down in front of them. I snatched the portrait from Noir.
“Coir you don’t have to defend me.” I glared at Noir. “Stay away from my business.”
“Amanda,” Noir blocked the stairs, his voice dropping. “I just—this is our business too. It’s our home. We own this together. A problem like this is also our problem and some humans aren’t usually what they look like.”
“Amanda,” Coir’s voice was what calmed me. “Let’s take a better look and find who this is.”
I took a deep breath and handed Coir the photograph then settled on the couch. Noir took it and examined it thoroughly.
“There is no fingerprint. It’s a professional crop. Whoever took it knew what they were doing.” Noir turned to me. “We are moving to better security protocols.”
“I don’t get it. Why would anyone bother surveilling an omega in the human world? I’m typically nothing with an absent wolf and scent. What could they possibly want?”
Noir’s jaw tightened. “You’re not an Omega,” he said. “You haven’t been for a long time.”
I almost laughed but he looked serious. “What do you mean?”
He looked back at the photograph. “Soon.”
Soon? Why mention something so stupid and delay the explanation? I grabbed a dish towel and threw it at him. He caught it without looking.
“What do you mean by soon? You can’t just say something like that and see soon.”
He looked at me. His Amber eyes pierced mine in a way that made me shudder. He flexed his jaw but kept the gaze. “Do you really want to know everything? Do you think you are ready for that?”
I nodded. “I’ve seen and been through the worst, nothing can break me anymore.”
For a second, I thought he was going to say something but then he went back to the photograph. “Did he tell you anything?”
“Who?”
“The man in the picture.”
“No,” I lied. “I was just serving his order.” I wouldn’t let them come in between my personal life.
We fell into a comfortable silence. “Why does Soir hate me so much?” I asked.
“It’s not complicated. He hates me as much as he hates you.”
“Why?”
“We are triplets. Amanda. We are bound by a chain, the same fate. We are like three sides of a triangle. Soir had someone he fell in love with. He was trying his best to make Coir and me accept her as well, but we disagreed. I knew if I had told them about you, it would have caused another disagreement.”
“That’s selfish of you,” I said. “It’s not even worth it. You put all of us in this furnace and it seems to only benefit you. Soir should be with the person he loves, and so should I…and you, and Coir.”
Noir nodded. “You’re right.”
“Isn’t there a way to break the chain that binds you three?”
“There is, but that requires black magic. And black magic requires a witch. And a witch means everything could go wrong and the pack could be at risk. I won’t let that happen.”
“You’re the most selfish person I’ve ever met.” I took the photograph from him and went to my room. I met Soir standing by the stairs. I felt pity for him for a moment then walked away.
Perhaps when he kissed me…he thought of her.
How beautiful it is to be so loved…to live in someone’s heart even when fate binds them to someone else.
I placed the photograph on my reading table before going to bed.
The next morning when I woke up, the photograph was no longer there. Someone came into my room while I was asleep.
Usually, I’ll dress up and go to work silently. I called all of them out. “Who took it?”
The three of them looked sleepy and confused aside from Coir who was just preparing to go to the kitchen.
“What do you mean?” Coir asked.
“The photograph. It’s gone.”
Noir frowned. “No one went into your room last night, Amanda.”
“N—no one? Then how?” The locks weren’t forced and I have checked every part of my room, it wasn’t there.
- Writer
