MELVIN'S POVThe night went on longer than necessary soiling my mood further.I could hardly sleep as I thought about my father and his sick beliefs. What he did to Ariel and her family was worse than any of the things he had done. I couldn't let him continue. I had to talk to her.I was certain that together we would be able to come up with a solution. A good plan to stop my father once and for all.People didn't have to live in fear anymore. Jada didn't have to stay so far away from the rest of the pack anymore. By the time Ariel and I were done, everyone would live in peace and harmony.By the time morning came, I was dressed and ready for the day. I stepped out of my room and headed straight to the exit."And where do you think you are going so early in the morning, boy?" My father's deep voice thundered, cutting through the room.My heart squeezed as the rage I felt all through the night returned. I clenched my fists and turned to him with a forced smile plastered on my face."Go

MELVIN'S POVAriel closed her eyes as if to calm herself and register what I had just said. She opened her eyes again and said nothing. I could tell she was thinking hard about this.She wasn’t so hard to read, after all, I thought with a smirk on my face.She got up from the couch and turned around. She took a few steps before turning to face me again, “Fine.”Then just as quickly as the words left her lips, she disappeared into the cabin. She needed training and she knew it too. This was war and her A-game had to be more than excellent if she wanted to win.I heaved a sigh and crashed back into the couch. I clutch my stomach as it growls in protest. I frowned. The close run-in with my Father at the market made me forget for a while that I still hadn’t eaten anything.“Jada!” I called into the cabin, “I’m starving!”“We have some leftover Spaghetti and meatballs from this morning,” she responded from within the cabin almost immediately.That worked for me.I got up and hurriedly ma

ARIEL'S POV Jada held my hands as we waited for him to finish chewing the Borito in his mouth. His expression went from a frown to a scowl and slowly —ever so slowly, a smile formed on his lips."So, how did it taste?" Jada blurted, unable to wait any longer.The smile quickly faded and he replaced it with a fake scowl. "It was terrible. I don't know what you guys enjoy about it!" He said, dropping the portion he held back onto the tray.Jada's face fell as she bought his lies but I saw the way his eyes lingered on the piece of Borito a second longer than necessary. He wanted it. He just didn't want to admit it."I was so excited thinking about how we were finally going to have a feast together even when Ariel leaves! You are no fun Melvin!" Jada hissed."Whatever..." He said with a roll of his eyes. He got off the couch and straightened his t-shirt then turned to me. "I should go check on Adonis. He almost died because of me. It wouldn't be right if I didn't go visit," He said.Ther

ARIEL’S POVI walked on ahead with a little smile after successfully landing that kick on him.I stopped to call out to him again because I didn’t know the healer’s house, “Hey! you are falling behind and you’re supposed to be leading the way!”“Well, I didn’t kick myself,” he shot back from close behind me, “besides, we’re already here.”He stopped beside me and pointed to the brown detached bungalow that sat in front of us, “That’s where we’re headed.”I didn’t wait for a second and just sauntered off in the direction of the house he pointed to. I was determined to get Adonis to train me and maybe eventually have him on my side.This was war and there were many different ways to win a war. While I tried to play catch up in terms of combat and physicality, there was more I could do. Being here in Joharres’ haven just played more to my advantage. I could destabilize them from within.And I planned to wreak enough havoc.I got to the house and knocked on the black door immediately with

ARIEL’S POVI waited for Melvin in the living room just like I told him earlier. I was starting to get impatient so I turned my attention to one of the wooden statues that stood with me in the room. I ran my hand across its armor feeling the little carvings and inscriptions on it with the tip of my fingers.“Hey!”Melvin’s voice resonated throughout the room startling me. I turned and frowned at him.“I’m sorry,” he said chuckling, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”I corked my head sideways and pursed my lips, slightly annoyed, “So what’s funny?”He quickly put his hands over his mouth in an attempt to hide his smile, “Nothing, I’m sorry,” he muffled through his hands. His gestures only pissed me off more.Just then Tahira appeared behind him from the hallway. She had a pair of black leather gloves and a dirty white apron on. The apron had dirt stains all over it and only a few portions of the apron were clear enough to deduce its original color.“Are you about to leave?” She asked behind