WITCH’S EYES

05

The world around me faded into the periphery as the intensity of that gaze enveloped me, creating a heightened sense of both desire and trepidation. It was as if those alluring eyes held secrets and forbidden knowledge.

But a powerful emotion in those green eyes affected me, and it told me that the fawn was very fearful. I snapped back to my senses then, and the fawn put her head back down. She struggled to get up and I could smell a faint scent of blood, and it must be because she had just fallen.

As if compelled by those green eyes, I crouched down to be level with her, bracing my arm on the left side of her body, enveloping her in the shadow of my body, and lifted her chin.

She saw me crouch down and immediately shielded her eyes with her hands. I removed her hand gently and then ruffled her long hair that had been covering those eyes.

It was so beautiful, and I examined the face carefully. I had never looked at her seriously because she had grown up with her hair covering half of her face and everyone thought she was ugly. Unconsciously, my hand traced the outline of her face, the eyebrows, the eyes, the bridge of her nose, finally, my fingers slowly brushed over her lips, which looked kissable.

It was not until she struggled up in my hands that I realized that I was lost in thought because of her. "Did you just try to kiss her?" Amo said with a flirtatious tone in my head.

"No, not at all...I am just...trying to get a little closer to see how ugly her face is."

"Sure." Hell knows why Amo was so smug.

Then the fawn rushed off and I did not react to stop her. I was still caught in a trance because of those green eyes. My instincts told me that there must be a secret in those green eyes that she was trying to hide so hard.

**

Melany's POV

I ran all the way back to the basement, my heart still pounding hard. Those green eyes that I inherited from my grandmother were the most striking thing about me, so I have had to cover them with my long hair since I was young.

I used to talk back to my mother about it when I was a kid, "Why do all the other little girls get to show their eyes and pretty foreheads and I have to show up with half my face covered?"

My mother always stonewalled me then, saying that she would tell me all the reasons when I became an adult. Until she and my father were executed, she did not tell me why I could not show my eyes, but just admonished me, "Always hide your eyes."

Since I became a slave, I had been more afraid to show my eyes. To the uninformed common eye, those eyes were also too beautiful, and a beautiful slave would suffer more miserable treatment.

I tried to put myself to work, but that feeling of anxiety and fear was still haunting my mind.

What if my secret was found out?

One time I overheard my mother talking to my father when I was a child and they mentioned my eyes. Unable to sleep late at night, I tried to seek my mother's company, and I walked to the door of my parent's room to find the sound of arguing coming from inside.

My dad said, "She is just a child, and she deserves to have a child's life, not spend it hiding. And sooner or later this will be discovered."

My mom's reaction was intense, "It's because she is still a child, she is not capable of defending herself yet. Think of my mother. Melany inherited her eyes and you know how tragic my mother's end was."

I was so young at the time that I could not understand a thing they were talking about back there. And my father's wolf sensed me right away and father asked me what I was doing, hiding outside the door. I said, "I was just looking for my mother to come to bed with me, and I heard you two arguing." My father stroked my head dotingly and said he would never argue with my mother, they were just discussing things. Then he told my mother to carry me to my room and that was the end of it.

With my dirty clothes still crumpled up in the basin, I never dared to go to the river again. My stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought of the river experience. And Dominic's inexplicable behavior. Was he trying to poke fun at me? Or... I could not believe I was blushing just thinking about it.

God, I was thinking of something inexplicable, he was the next Alpha and Victoria would rip apart any woman who dared to compete with her for Luna.

I shook my head, trying to put all the strange thoughts behind me.

As the rain poured down with relentless fury, I recognized it as a rare opportunity. It was my chance to escape the confines of the suffocating basement. Clutching my clothes tightly, I stealthily made my way through the shadows, navigating the labyrinthine corridors to avoid any prying eyes.

In a secluded corner shielded from gazes, I seized the moment and began washing my garments as diligently as the circumstances allowed.

The raindrops acted as nature's cleansing agents, rinsing away the accumulated grime and despair that clung stubbornly to the fabric. Despite the urgency of my situation, I remained focused, striving to restore a semblance of cleanliness to the only possessions I had.

However, as the rain continued unabated, I realized that the downpour showed no signs of relenting. Anxiety welled up within me as I contemplated the prospect of facing the next day in damp attire.

The chilling dampness would surely seep into my bones, leaving me vulnerable to the merciless clutches of a cold. In this oppressive environment, a simple illness could prove fatal, for I lacked the means to seek medical care.

With a heavy heart, I resolved to hang the damp clothes in the basement, hoping desperately that the stifling air and limited ventilation would aid in hastening the drying process. It was a desperate gamble, a precarious bid to stave off the looming threat of illness and its potentially dire consequences.

As I clung to the tattered threads of resilience, I prayed silently that the garments would dry in time.

**

The next day, I woke up from my dream and my clothes were really not dry. The basement was dark and damp, and I had to go to work in half-dried clothes. It was nothing really, and my biggest fear was Dominic spreading my secret around.

If anyone knew the secret, they would banish me from the pack. Or worse, they would have me executed. God knew what my grandmother's tragic end would have been, but it must be painful.

I walked towards the kitchen with dread, keeping my ears open to hear what was being discussed from the mouths of all the people who passed me by. Luckily, they treated me like they always did, just bullying and hazing as usual.

I walked into the kitchen and the maids left all the work to me as they all went off to chat and have breakfast. Luckily, Dominic was not one for gossip, or maybe he did not know the secret of the eyes either. I could only guess in a good direction.

The weight of exhaustion settled upon my weary frame as I diligently fulfilled my morning tasks. Making breakfast for everyone and tirelessly attending to the aftermath of the maids' mess left me drained, both physically and mentally.

A sudden wave of dizziness engulfed me, as if the world around me were spinning out of control.