I scoffed loudly as I watched the elf girl walk away with her grumpy grandmother. It was funny how the old woman thought I was interested in her daughter. Though she had not said a word to insinuate that, I could tell from the nasty glares she had thrown my way that she wanted me to be as far away from Francesca as possible. I could not help but find this really hilarious as I watched the two of them leave. Though Francesca kept looking behind her shoulder to catch my gaze, the grumpy old woman was keen on pulling her violently as though she wanted to detach the poor girl's arm from her body. I scoffed again as I stared at their retreating figures. I wished I could tell the old lady not to worry about me because I had no intention of being around her daughter. Of course, Francesca was very pretty — if I was being honest with myself, I had enjoyed the little conversation we had had — She was quite intriguing too. Perhaps, this was one reason I did not want to be anywhere near her. S

FRANCESCAOf course, I knew what she was suspicious about. Ever since the incident with Rio, she had become more and more suspicious about my movement. She never wanted me to step out of the house anymore. I was sure she thought I was staying back to execute a plan I had under my sleeves.But where could I possibly go? I didn't know my way around here. I didn't know anyone. I had not even seen Rio in days. I had returned to the river, hoping to find him, but he was not there. He was nowhere to be found. Thinking about Rio made my heart feel heavy; It was like he had betrayed me somehow. I could not explain how but I felt betrayed nonetheless. I mean, he should have come looking for me — or had Madam Creese scared him that much to make him stay away completely? Now, I knew for a fact that I was only bothered simply because I didn't have any friends. I was sure I would not care about him if I had other friends. However, I had been greatly annoyed by his absence. Not knowing who to c

RIO"Nothing." He shook his head and smiled, but I could not be fooled by that. I could tell he had something on his mind but I chose to let it slide rather than push it."How do you know me?" I decided to ask the burning question in my heart instead."You don't remember?" Jake moved to sit next to me on the bed. "Remember what?""The boy who almost drowned. If you hadn't shown up, I would have died. I owe my life to you." I blinked at that, not because I could not remember but because I never thought to meet him again. I could remember the event vividly. I had gone with my beta and some of my trusted deltas to hunt. It was something we did occasionally: we caught hides and sometimes went fishing — all this just to take a break from the administrative duties in the pack and other serious engagements. It was always a time of fun; it was more like a boy's corner to me and I cherished those moments because those were the times I could truly be myself and not an alpha. Most people fo

FRANCESCA Though I did not want to show it, I was really starting to get afraid by her words. I found myself wondering what we would do if we got attacked by these beastly creatures in the middle of the night. Ava was right, there was a first time for everything. When she saw that I was quiet, she began to bounce on her feet. "Come on, don't overthink it." "I'm not. It's a no. I'll pass." I tried to remain stubborn. I would not easily give in. "Come on, Francesca. I know you don't want to spend the rest of your day lying in your bedroom." "I won't. I must save a land. I won't just be wasting away on my bed." I said before I could think. I looked up quickly to gauge Ava's countenance but she did not seem to hear what I had just said. "Why don't you come to visit us today? Hm?" She was negotiating. "You can return home later. I can ascertain that your grandmother is not in at the moment. I'll make sure you get back before her arrival if that is what you are scared of. What do you

RIOHowever, Owen stopped a foot away from us, his eyes fixed on Jake. He wouldn't come any closer. "Aren't you supposed to be training?" He asked loudly and Jake's head jerked up in surprise. "Owen." He said softly. "I asked you a question." Owen thundered this time and I rolled my eyes. He was being too dramatic. The men who had been talking happily stopped what they were doing to look at us. Since Owen was facing us, he could not see the scene he was making. "Training is yet to start. They are still welding the swords." "So what? Aren't you grown enough to join them? Rather you sit here with this. . ." He threw me a glance, then shook his head in irritation. "Eating apple. Since when did you become this lazy?" I was starting to get angry but I remained calm, chewing gently as I ate my apple. It would be better for everyone if I just ate my apple in peace. "You know I'm not lazy," Jake mumbled. "I'm only waiting for them to start our training. You just don't like that I'm sit