Give the humans fire ...and they will burn to the ground.
.
Although Vera, the maiden, the damsel, spent elongated hours alone— whenever the Prince appeared she felt suffocated and engulfed by affirmations of affection.
She went to bed in another dreamless chamber and she couldn't blame anyone but her overridden stress, which began to feel like a mental detachment from the outside world, burdened by solitary.
Mavis had her own room and it took hell of convincing Alexander to allow Vera to camp with her instead of with him - which he reluctantly agreed to, but as morning came, the two girls only stared at one another while also daring the other to break the ice.
Mavis finally did.
"Who would've thought." She awkwardly chuckles, "That rebellious act you pulled to sneak off during the orientation out of nowhere, saying there was something pulling you towards it,"
"Who would've thought it was that man." She finishes off surprising herself with being able to summarize it.
What felt to be two days, since they had no track of time, they have spent in the castle and the only person they've came encountered was the prince.
Not even Hector whom Vera has only seen once, had made another appearance. Why is that?
"You really think that pull I felt was the mate bond between him and I?" Vera bites back her lip nervously as Mavis nods surely.
"What else could it have been. My god, Vera don't tell me you are actually considering on staying here." Mavis desperately threw up her hands out of aspiration.
"Well Mavis, it's not like we actually have a choice." Vera soothed out her temples, slightly annoyed.
"Can we just please gather a plan or else you'll be rotting away here after being used by that creep." Mavis scampers out of their room, saying what she was burning to say all along.
Vera nibbles on her lip dejectedly staring off into space, all while relishing in the proposal Mavis had made. Vera never really planned on leaving.
Admittedly all to herself, it was a death wish. One that her mate would surely grant to anyone who went against him. So crazily, like Mavis decided on doing.
Alexander made it exclusively clear despite not wanting her near him, his wolf needed her. For she was far too valuable, to his meat head of an inner beast, to allow her to leave. It could not be bargained or negotiated, as he'd stated, it just needed to happen.
"Mavis, has it occurred to you even once that any plan we could master might end up being futile?"
Vera sighs looking out the windowpane, she admired the land surrounding Alexander's inhabitancy. From Mavis's room, she had a clear view of the back of the pack mansion, where few commoner people resided. On the gilded end of the castle, Vera could see the window to the shared room between her and the Alpha Prince.
Under her soft inspection, she studies the tree line, then the dirt paths marked around it. Even though she could hardly make out their figures, Vera knows at least seventy men decorate around the woods of the castle. Some would be in wolf form, some preferred to be in their fleshy skin.
The men hidden beyond the trees remained all fluently solid, and highly alerted.
"They are actual wolves Mavis. All of the time, and we are unshifted; practically human. Unless you know how to run like hell, I don't think there's a way out of here."
Mavis gets up to stand where Vera previously stood in the windowpane. Undeniably, they saw the most burly of men and on the opposite end of the fields, there were women. She noted some of the men were hunched over in a crouching position allowing the shift to take control of their hosts, this she questioned but shrugged at. The other group of men were in the middle of combat. Seriously doing damage onto one another.
The ladies were all fighting but not as harsh as the men.
"Hey I know someone that could help us!" Mavis's lips curl into a greedy smile.
"But first lets go over a few things so there won't be any mishaps."
Vera is listening intently to Mavis but her main focus was steady on the pack warriors and their domineering fighting technics.
How most of the men made no mistake and fought like they truly meant to kill each other but didn't. Currently there was one male who had fully shifted, with his sparring partner's neck between his teeth.
"The trip from the castle to the school was maybe about five hours I suppose. All we have to do is leave around twelve and be off the forest line into different territory before night fall." Mavis mutters more to herself as Vera looked consumed by the art of warfare.
"Vera I think I know someone that could help us." Mavis jolts Vera's arm a little with this grasping her attention.
Oh I'm sorry, what? What did you say?" Mavis rolls her eyes facepalming herself a little.
" I said." Bitterly disappointed having to repeat herself, "I think I know someone that could help us. Of course their working now in the kitchen but in the meantime, we need to be discussing a plan."
Vera still wasn't so sure of herself.
What if things were to go drastically wrong? Alexander would be so angry with her not only because she attempted an escape but gone to desperate lengths which held potential threats in harms way. Regardless of how sketchy the plan was, Mavis would have to be out of her mind to think they would get away.
As easily as the prince infiltrated her mind, her line of vision was replaced with his wine-colored irises and how they stared blamelessly into Vera's soul, seamlessly caressing her heartstrings.
It was sad, how her very being yearns by day and aches for him at night. Lost for words, Vera soaks into the pools of red which divinely fueled her hopes of being in some possible union with him. For now, her love would just have to suffice being unrequited.
The contours of Mavis's face scrunches upward as she became more disgusted at the sight of her lovesick friend, "Mate or not. He's not worth it."
Vera fell backward into the bed as her cheeks became warm. Alexander roamed freely inside of her head. Every intrusive thought, every desire all fabricated with lectures of her lover.
"I don't know Mavis. Alexander will lose his mind if I'm gone. You seen the way it looked like he wanted to bite your face off not even a full day ago because you were touching me?" She sighs aloud truly saturated in an emotional mess.
"What if he does something to you?" Vera rambles on and on with possibilities but Mavis still wasn't convinced. In her opinion, Vera was meek. Soft-hearted and a kindred person but... weak.
"Okay Vera tell me this, what exactly happened between you and your mate." Mavis climbs back on her bed with a slump. She held a confidence that Vera could not reflect, so Mavis got curious.
Vera sits on the foot of the bed trying to collect the words and how to say them.
"Why, Maves he's not at all of what I dreamed of. Seriously a nightmare. I mean at first I thought behind that possessive nature he genuinely cared and loved me at first but then he... said some things." Vera wouldn't go into full details - not only out of shame but humility.
Vera was reminded of how the prince kept calling her weak. Merely subhuman, and looked at her with those wine-colored eyes as if she were lesser than his kind.
Mavis shakes her head dwelling a bit on reality. How not even a full week ago Vera had been obsessing over this royal maniac, hell-like everybody else it seemed. Except her best friend ended up actually being the chosen one, receiving the short end of the stick.
"Come on," the side of Mavis's lips upturnned a little into a smile, "Its time."
•••
Vera and Mavis were trailing down the stairs quietly with no one in sight before they began their secret invasion of the kitchen.
The aroma of previously cooked meals made Vera realized she should've ate something when Alexander demanded for the two girls to come downstairs earlier but that was far too late now, stubbornly she should've listened to her damned mate.
All lights were dimmed except one leading into the backyard where Vera could see even in the midst of night, a prompt garden laid with different types of rose beds basking in the moonlight.
"Hey Vera this is the person I want you to meet-" Before Mavis could finish her sentence a girl just a foot taller than Vera struts out, with a brown wooden basket in hand.
The herbs poked out, almost smiling back at Vera who stared bluntly out of amazement. Dirt covered the girl's hands and the scent of roots and evergreen pursued from behind her. Vera grimaced silently when the girl eyed her down rather sharply.
Something about this woman made Vera uneasy to the point she couldn't decide if it was her essences shimmering with shadows or her smell, drenched in forest leaves.
"My name is Eve, gal."
"Fancy seeing my Luna on such occasion before the rest of the pack could see. In actuality, it's bad luck, and yet I feel so favored." The sarcasm leaked from her pores, but the smile she displayed shined as if she was truly pleased.
"Luna? I wouldn't call myself that. I'm far from deserving of such...title." Vera shies away.
Vera scolds herself when vivid images of her and the alpha yet again danced along in her head, but she pushed against it until it dissolved in the darkness.
"That you're right. Quite the opposite." Eve reassures.
"I mean as of now you are what... fifteen? sixteen? You're not wise enough to rule. However, all queens are like diamonds under the rough. Mending," Vera glared intensively as Eve cupped her hands between her own, "Taking shape ready to just burst!" Eve reprimands.
"And once they do their exactly that," Eve says this like a madwoman. Her hair frizzled over her head wildly indicating how deeply feral she was.
"Diamonds."
Vera doesn't make eye contact with Eve again and instead plays with her fingers while feeling mesmerized.
Unlike Vera, Eve had shiny gold hair and golden eyes. She dressed as a farm girl in a knitted dress, but Vera knew she held a more refined purpose in the pack. More than what she was lending on, but Vera didn't pry much like Mavis typically did.
"So what do you have for us Eve? We're on a tight schedule, if you didn't happen to notice." Mavis reinstates.
Eve starts to poke around in her basket. "What do you have?" Vera finds herself asking.
Eve stops fiddling around, finally pulling out a small stirring bowl and lays out a blanket to sit on. She gestures for the two teenagers to sit as well, not before grasping both of their hands to cup them into her grasp.
"First we need to cover our scents. It wears off almost instantly so exactly after combining the components, I need for you two, to rub it into your skin, lathering it." Eve instructed.
She rips off a few petals from roses, sages, and a couple more other urban flowers Vera didn't know of by name. Maybe if these flowers were picked from her garden at home, she could decide their families in categorizes, but these were far more exotic on foreign lands.
Vera takes the time to study Eve's exterior, while the golden woman mixed herbs into the flower petals until they were unrecognizable. Eve begins showing them the green paste they are to practically bathe in.
Eve had naturally red lips that Vera could imagine were unexplainably soft. Visible freckles hid under her crinkled nose as she concentrated. Eve sported a black scarf around her neck but didn't mind it. She looked so soft-spoken like Vera but goddess, she wasn't.
Her hazel eyes looked down upon the paste inspecting it. Finally, as it was done mixing did Eve place a palm filling into both Mavis and Vera's hand before telling them to rub it in, as if it were a lotion.
"Get it all over your chest then around your sex area since that's where your heavy scent lies most. Easily detected if not done correctly so really get it in there."
Eve turns around giving the girls their privacy as they performed what she insisted.
Vera never really touched on her body before. At all, and of course, she was a virgin despite everyone else she knew. That's when she took the time to wonder if Alexander has ever been touched. He was an Alpha Prince for god sake, of course he's been courted and fucked on before.
Vera wondered if the prince had allowed another female to touch him like she was supposed to.
She soothes the scented mask across her clit not before lavishing it over her inner thighs and breasts. Chill bumps ran through the valley onto her tiny small nipples. She looked around, feeling a cold breeze. The two teen girls were broadly naked for all of the night to witness, in fragile time that was already wasted.
Finally Vera hoisted up her jean pants and pulled over her blue tee that hung loosely around her shoulders. She prays a silent prayer to the moon goddess sending it up above.
Questions in her head lingered such as Do I really want to leave?
Do I really want to risk everything and for what? Her life back in the town wasn't crisp cookies and shiny cups either.
"Let's leave before the guards' awake for their early morning patrol around the castle. Hurry." Mavis whispered in a shout.
The three girls began to run barefoot in the murky mud while getting it between their toes.
Suddenly frightened, "Quick, I think I heard voices!" Eve mumbles as Vera walked silently beside her.
"So what's your motive behind all this. I know you aren't helping us by the grace of the moon goddess so what exactly are you gaining?." Mavis only further overwhelms the situation by pressing Eve now.
Eve cocks her eyebrow at the accusation. The rays of the moon giving her a more animalistic gleam. They ran side by side, as Mavis returned the appointed look but she calmly waited for a reply.
Now she does this?
Now Mavis decides to questions Eve's good fortune when their in the middle of the woods barefoot with the wild of night, caressing their lips into the bittersweet cold. Predatory animals were possibly lurking to make them a target.
Vera could hear the sound of rushing waters and that was all. No animals were heard rustling behind trees. Absolutely nothing.
"My motive is the same as yours, child. I'm trying to get away from this place the same as you. Are you not?" Eve sarcastically chimes while leading the way carefully, stepping over bushes while watching her footing.
Mavis still wasn't convinced.
"I want eagerly what the both of you two want." Eve growled ducking underneath elongated branches that scratched at Vera's skin.
"I just want it more." Eve persisted but Mavis scoffed more to herself, while pulling her best friend along.
"Oh yeah? What is that?" She shoved past Eve once again.
Vera's mind kept drifting back to Alexander Bane and where was he during their getaway?
"No there's something else. I'm asking why do you want to leave. Vera has a jerky alpha prince up her ass. I have a family back home. What's it to you.?" Vera growls lowly from behind the two.
"I have my reasons." Eve retorts. It was written all over her face she didn't want to explain herself to them and Mavis had question after question readily lined up for the asking.
"Maves that's enough. Stop pestering her, In fact, we should be thanking her for the guidance." Vera finally intervenes.
Mavis looks back at Vera with her lip raised but chose not to say anything. Vera could've sworn she heard a low whatever but chose to ignore it.
Vera held the gaze of Eve for a moment until finally Eve begins to falter in her steps, and her knees buckle, Eve face plants into wet soil.
"Eve! What is happening?" Mavis lets out a worried squeal when all of a sudden she hears loud panting and food steps.
"We are being followed. They know the Prince's mate is missing."
.