Analise's POV
"I never intended to hurt you"
His words have been replaying in my head for the past week non-stop. I did not know how to interpret his words. Ever since the incident I have not talked to him again. In fact, I barely left my room, afraid I would lose control again. On the rare occasions I did leave, it was either for meetings or to eat after which I immediately retreated to the comfort of my room. I wanted to talk to Alexander again but I could not find it in myself to do so. I was embarrassed that he witnessed my panic attack. I could not even imagine what he could be thinking about me and I was not eager to know about them.
I was surprised by his attitude towards the entire situation. He did not leave me as I was. Instead, he helped me get over my panic-stricken state and took care of me even after I had gotten myself under control. I did not know how but he knew exactly what he had to do in order to help me. I was grateful for his help. As much as I hated to admit it, if it was not for him, I would most probably have done something dangerous or stupid. It could have dangerous for me as well as the others.
What was most shocking though was waking up and seeing him next to me as he held my hands. I was surprised that he stayed by my side all that time. Even if he said it was not long, it was. I clearly remember the time the meeting ended. It was around 8 at night and when Alexander left my room, I had checked the time. It was around 2 in the morning. Just the mere thought that he sat by my side all those hours watching over me, made me feel flustered
After all this time, I finally felt like someone cared for me and it felt good.
However, it did not mean that all his previous actions would be forgotten. He still had his explaining to do because he said it himself- he had came to clear some things with me but we did not get the chance and the past few days were not exactly in our favour. Thankfully he has yet to break our promise.
At the reminded of our promise, I felt my cheeks heat up. Due to Malcom, I have this habit of doing the pinkie promise with almost everyone while making a promise. I was so thankful that he went along with it and did not make any comments or worse, ignore it.
With my mind clouded with these different thoughts, I did not even realise where I was going until I found myself on the quieter side of the castles. This area was unkempt compared to the rest of the castle.
The usual cream coloured wall were covered with a rather thick layer of dust, giving it a dirty, grey colour. The familiar golden details along the wall were hidden. The hallways were slightly dim due to the closed curtains. Tiny dust particles floated around, making the air sooty. The corners were adorned with spider webs as little insects crawled over the place. The hallway was deserted apart for the dust covered tables and artefacts here and there. The vibe in the hallway was enough to give me the goosebumps.
Without thinking, I advanced down the hallway as if an invisible force was pulling me. I did not know what it was exactly. I let my hand trail on the wall, leaving a trail in the midst of blanket of dust on the wall, revealing the original colour of the wall in the process. Dusting my hand on my jeans, I continued walking.
A strange sense of familiarness hit me at once, making my heart pick up its pace. All of a sudden I just wanted to run away from this creepy part of the castle and never look back. Somehow I felt connected to this area. Gathering my wits, I forced myself to keep walking. A gasp escaped my lips as I reached a beige double door. My breath hitched in my throat as I realised where I was.
My clammy and shaky hands found the doorknob and I twisted it slowly. The door creaked open to give view to a dark room- my room. I stepped in, closing the door slowly behind me. My heart hammered in my chest as I took in its state. Everything was left as it was that night.
The beautiful room that once belonged to me now resembled an attic. The broken furniture were all swept to one side of the room, covered by a big white cover. The bed was a mess with torn covers, the once white stuffing of the pillow now grey and scattered all over the bed. Pieces of glass and wood were still on the floor. The room smelled mouldy due to the lack of aeration. The windows were closed as well as the curtains. Little light managed to stream through the thin material of the torn curtains.
Sighing, I used my magic to open to curtains and windows, letting soe fresh air and light stream into the room. I moved to the walk in closet which was no different. A huge pile of my old, torn clothes sat in a corner, dust covering them as well as little spots of blood. It was just like I remember.
Swallowing the lump forming in my throat, I moved to the far end of the closet and moved another pile of clothes, revealing a pink – now dirty pink- box with my name scribbled on the lid. It was one of the only – if not the only- memories I had of when my family was actually my family. I opened the box and took the photo frame in my hand.
It was a simple wooden frame that Rayan and Rayna had apparently made for me. In side it there was a picture of all of us- my mother cradled me in her arms while my father had his arms around her shoulder, the twins in front of them, all of them beaming at the camera. I could not believe what my family turned into today.
It would have still been the same if not for the prophecy a seer told my parents on my first birthday:
'She will be responsible for the doom and the rise. She will bring death but also a new life. With her dark, black shadow inside her and the devil next to her, she shall bring chaos along with peace. She will be the light guiding some but also the dark for some, bringing their doom.'
Since then it all went downhill, leading us to where we were today.
A bitter smile left my lips at the memories. I removed the photo from the frame, holding it in my palm in front of me. Sparks lit in my palm before giving birth to a fire, consuming the photo. I watched as the fire quickly reduced the photo to ash and dust, falling to the floor and getting lost among the other dust particles.
I left the room, putting a magic spell on the door so that no one would enter it again. I thought that seeing my room again- reminder of everything that happened that night- would make me feel guilty but none of it happened. Instead, I felt lighter. Somehow, facing the room again and seeing the results of that night, removed a bit of the weight off me.
A few feet down the hallway from my room, I came to an abrupt stop. My eyes lingered everywhere feeling a slight magic in the air which was weird. Nobody else was here and the magic did not come from the spell I put over my door.
I placed my hand on the wall, inspecting it. My fingers found an unevenness on the wall, a small dent. I applied some pressure and then suddenly, the wall disappeared and I fell right through.
Groaning, I got up and dusted my pants as my eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room. There were no windows in this room. I created a few balls of light in my hands and let them float to the corners of the room, casting sufficient light around the area.
It was not a bedroom, more like an office or even a library. It was not pretty big with stone walls on every side and the ceiling was also made up of stone. A stale and mouldy smell lingered around the room, causing me to scrunch my nose.
In the middle of the room, there was a big table littered with ancient scrolls of paper. Some of the scrolls had fallen down from the table. The other three sides of the room had big shelves against them, packed with different ancient books. They were all still neatly arranged with their spines facing outwards, though they were covered with dust.
To my left side, there were two closed chest next to each other and on my right side, there was a small seating place consisting of old sofas and a coffee table.
I decided to check the chests first. I blew off the layer of dust, revealing its golden brown colour with the werewolf sigil on top. I carefully opened. It was filled with several scrolls. The other chest was no different either. I let out a sigh at the sight of so many scrolls. I chose one randomly and read it s content. The first scroll piqued my interest and I found myself going through the others.
Apparently the scrolls in the first chest dated back to when there was a war between the demons and werewolves. Some of the scrolls were letters written by Alexander great-grandfather or maybe grandfather. I was not sure. During that war, Alexander's grandfather died but instead of backing away, Alexander's father, being prince at that time and sole heir, took over which ultimately led to the doom of the demons.
Due to my grandmother's strategies, we came out victorious. In the midst of all the chaos, Alexander's father somehow managed to live. I wonder how I never heard of him or saw him but since Alexander is now king, I am guessing he either died or maybe is back at their kingdom, taking care of matters in Alexander's absence.
The scrolls of the second chest were from another war. This one between the werewolves and vampires. I never knew about this. In fact, nobody even brought this up in meetings. These must have been from a very long time ago since I did not recognise the werewolf king who wrote some of these letters. As curiosity got the best of me, I headed towards the table, inspecting a few of the scrolls. These ones were maps with strategic markings.
There were many good strategies and plans and I was guessing that we won. Maybe that's why King Knox was attacking us presently. He wanted revenge.
I moved to the other side of the room, my fingertip grazing the spines of the books before halting on one- The female black wolf
Curiously, I took it off the shelf. My jaw dropped to the floor when the shelf slid open, revealing another hidden room.
This castle was home to many secrets.
With the book in my hand, I descended the spiral staircase. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I let out a surprised breath. This room was even bigger than the one upstairs. Despite the lack of windows, the room was illuminated. The room was clean with not a speck of dust in the air. The presence of magic in the room was clear.
The room has a magical and soothing glow to it. It was like a warm blanket of comfort and peace that engulfed me the second I set foot here. Light rays were created by the magic in the room and they swirled around the piece, forming different patterns and leaving a trail of shining particles behind them. The two sides of the room had packed bookshelves.
What caught my attention was the beautiful golden lectern with a book sitting on top of it. The lectern had a glow to it as a serene energy radiated from it. The black book was enclosed in a thin glowing bubble, completely contrasting the golden lectern. On the sides stood different artefacts ranging from weapons to armours, all displayed on simple lecterns but instead of a glowing bubble, they were enclosed in glass boxes. Right behind the golden lecterns, there was a huge portrait.
"Wow." I said as I looked at the portrait of probably the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. She was tall standing proudly as her brown hair fell over her shoulders beautifully. Her tall and slender figure gave her the looks of a goddess. Her skin was glowing and her grey orbs held a plethora of emotions.
Pride
Happiness
Fearlessness
Power
Confidence.
All of It just made her more beautiful. In the background, there was a reflection of a black wolf with glowing gold eyes. My eyes widened a little realisation dawned upon me. She was the black she wolf. I did not even know her but I already admired her. Just one picture was enough to know she was powerful and definitely a great leader.
Could I be like her someday?
I moved towards the glowing lectern and reached for the book. The bubble disappeared as my fingers touched it. Beautiful golden letterings- Amelia Del Rosa- contrasted the black cover of the book. Opening it, I found myself face to face with Amelia's diary.
A few hours later, I was sitting against the wall, going through the endless pages consisting so many interesting and aspiring information. I was not even done reading, yet I was dumbfounded. I could not wait to continue reading this diary.
It contained her entire life. She wrote about how she learnt about her powers, how she learnt to control them. Her training. Her highs and her lows. How she played a part in the war between werewolves and vampires. She was on our side and helped us. The last thing I wrote made many questions pop in my head.
'I accomplished what I came here to do. Now, when it will be the time, another one will come and complete her destiny. Until then, I will leave. On a journey where I hope to find myself.'
When she said she is leaving, did she mean she died?
What journey was she talking about?
Who was the next one after her?
Are there more female black wolves except me?
She never mentioned about having a mate in her diary.
As I got more confused with new questions, I got up and kept the book back in its place and the bubble enclosed it again. In hope to get some answers I read a few of the books from the shelves. I found out that the vampire king was killed by a strong female who I was guessing was Amelia.
As tiredness got to me, I decided to leave. I took her diary back and ascended the stairs. I was about to leave when a piece of green paper peaking out from under the white table cloth caught my eyes. I placed the book on a nearby shelf and approached the table. With one swift movement, I removed the white table cloth along with the green one as the scrolls fell on the floor.
The table had an entire map carved into it. The different kingdoms were represented by their sigil. It was very detailed from werewolf packs to even rivers and mountains all intricately carved into the wood. There were various markings that formed a pattern on the map.
It must have been used for the war.
At the far corner of the map, a strange mark grabbed my attention. It consisted of a circle in the middle of a triangle and a square combined together and finally another circle engulfing the previous shapes. The sides of the triangle stuck out of the bigger circle. It was placed in the middle of a forest but it was not the only one. There were two other same symbols on the map. Taking my phone out of my jean pocket, I took a picture of the map and stuffed it back.
I took the diary and left the room, using my magic to close the door and leaving a small mark on the floor so that I would not get lost trying to find this later.
A million thoughts raced in my mind as I returned to my room
What happened to Amelia?
Why did she left?
What did she mean by another one will come?
Where is she?
Is she alive?
What did that symbol mean?
Should I try to find her?
Could she help us again?
Should I tell the others?