Everything is more beautiful,
Because we are doomed.
Achilles
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The day hadn't gone exactly as planned like Vera had hoped.
Instead of getting actual time to bond with the prince — subtly in suit, he followed out with his enforced promise. For her to spend the rest of the evening in her room, alone.
Vera didn't know whether it was his sultrious tone, or the mate bond, but either way it left her to obey. She hadn't gotten to see Mavis like she had hoped for or to check up on the impregnated Eve, who Vera couldn't fight to be fond of.
Any moment now, Alexander said someone would come to collect her and yet as time fleeted, she had not saw a single person. Rubbing the aching gape between her forehead, it was time to take matters into Vera's own hands.
Groaning aloud, she releases a growl out of pure aggravation before climbing to the edge of the bed. Vera kicks her feet off.
If anyone ever asked what spoiled happiness, Vera would tell them, she was her own self destruction. Even then, she couldn't keep living in solitude.
Vera thought about what her adoptive family were doing at a time like this. Was school going on around this hour? Her mind couldn't help but drift towards her twin sister Andy... because half admittedly, Vera missed her endless torment right about now and senseless bickering.
Did Andy miss her?
She missed her afternoon English lectures and learning about mates—werewolf biology. Hell, there was still a lot she didn't know about them, about herself. Like for example she's on the verge of turning seventeen and yet she still has not turned.
Vera proposed her wolf made short lived appearances now and then, but not as often on the regular female. Along with the thought of adulthood and maturing, Alexander abruptly drifted into her head, and just as easily as his physique appeared, did Vera straightforwardly get pissed off again.
That's it! I refuse to get treated like an adolescent! As if a light bulb had popped out above her head, Vera marches down stairs determined and quietly without making a sound.
The floors creaked beneath her feet as she started to slow down. Where exactly was the exit? Where around these torture chambers were her friends? Vera facepalms herself at the plan she created to act like an adult, but it lacked any solid detail.
Vera sighs turning sharply down a hallway to come to a silver door, the one she had once saw blood— no! smeared strawberry juice on—during the day of her tour, then she presses her ear against it to detect any voices.
Vera could not make out any familiar voices.
pushes the door once or twice before it finally came open after her consistent pounding and she takes a look passed the threshold.
"Yes!" Vera shouted, taking another daring look around the door to see no one in sight. She's found her own way leading outside. She could finally escape.
Vera thought quickly, closing the door behind her when instantly she breaks out into a sprint. She's panting like hell pushing her chubby legs forward. Adrenaline coursed through her body like electricity giving her the jolt of confidence to accelerate forward.
Vera stumbles forward falling flat on her face. Then she hears something. So many differentiating laughters coming from the opposite direction of her, it made her tummy compress at the embarrassment.
Whining lazily while somehow being able to rub her forehead. "Ouch.. that really really hurt." She admits to no one in particular.
More laughter erupted, causing for the tiny brunette to hurriedly turn in the direction of the voices. Vera pans her neck at the audience, letting the frown overtake her lips with her furrowed eyebrows.
Suddenly Vera's eyes squinted into sleets,staring a death stare at all of the males she saw scattered in the front of the mansion. All of the men were giggling like teenage girls while pointing accusing fingers at her.
"Hey! Don't you guys dare laugh at me!" Vera finds herself yelling at them.
Vera knew all too well at least one out of the sixty guys could simply take her down for good with one mean tackle to the grass and yet she bargained for it.
"That's so rude of you all. Im in the middle of an escape plan here and you ass hats are cackling like the ass hats that you are!" Like a grumpy old lady, Vera sticks out her tongue.
"Luna what are you doing out here! Get back in the manor." Vera flinches at this statement being instructed of her. She snaps her head around at the male who charged toward her with two fingers pinching his nose.
"And you! My good sir." Vera points her finger accusingly, "You are a terrible person!" Running out of insults she stomps towards the guy she's been dreading to see.
Here stood Hector, shirtless with sweat beading down his face who stared blankly at his alpha's female.
Hector sported black gym shorts that hung loosely around his hip with his v line on full display but he didn't mind it. The only thought on his mind was why and how exactly had his Luna gotten outside of the manor while his Alpha was in the middle of a pack meeting.
"What are you doing out here without the prince, if he finds out you are here he'll be furious." Hector scolds Vera, who only shrugs.
"I don't give a shit."
"Now what I will do is engage in whatever it is you guys are doing." Vera doesn't stop herself from winking at one of the guys in the crowd, standing behind Hector. He shies away from his Luna while a low growl rips from the throat of Hector at this action. Disgust wavering onto his face.
He gives in. "You a fighter?" The beta asks a little in question at her attire.
Vera was wearing a pair of Alexander's shorts and a random tee shirt she had found. She didn't mind how she looked, she worn this daily. Vera's hair was also pulled back into a loose ponytail getting frizzier by the second. The new style, Vera recalled herself saying as she brushed it in the mirror.
"Not really... it was usually Mavis who did all the fighting back at home. But I could learn." She raises her shoulders this time suggestively.
A guy shorter than Hector stands at his side waiting, while also giving Vera the eye. Muscles bulging under his white tank top. Before he spoke, his lips morphed into a chipped tooth kind of smile.
"Well I usually assist in training with Alpha Bane, but as you can tell he's absent. I will be helping some guys over here, so you'll just have to make due with Beta Juliard." The guy beside Hector began to smile harder.
"Okay go ahead. I'll be walking around over there spectating to see if you need me, just yell." Jogging rather hastily, Hector leaves Vera alone with the guy she notes is Juliard.
Vera admires the unknown beta's course brown hair, which went up in curls. He also had alike eyes of a golden retriever. They were anointed, sharp and shaped into beautiful roundness. This beta was much taller than Hector and kind of lean with big arms. The beta's charisma was very noticeable along with his rare features,
He was handsome and seemingly friendly, the smile tugging on his lips supported that.
Juliard stepped closer towards Vera with this particularly boyish grin, it would have been a challenge not to be infected by his naturally outgoing gestures.
"So what do you wanna do first? You take me as a mean right hook kind of girl." Instantly, Vera is beaming with giggles while Juliard chuckles whole heartedly.
"Listen I gotta be honest. I haven't partook in any real combat a day in my life." Vera admits.
"Wait.. unless fighting with my sister count?" Juliars looked to be thinking for a second until he shook his head in affirmation, with Vera looking all too serious.
The sun shined in Juliard's eyes momentarily, making his brown orbs flicker brighter than any murky lake. They reminded Vera of summer in a swamp.
"No. Not exactly." Juliard reaches for Vera's hands, before fisting them up. "Yeah you look like you've done some damage in the past."
Catching Vera off guard, Juliard parted her legs by kicking them apart from underneath her.
"Wow you're Scary. Be sure to go easy on me." At this point, Vera is hunched over in fits of laughter. Her poker face has morphed into a shiny smile.
Vera's laughing harder than before as Juliard only stares at her. " I should be telling you that, Mr tattoo husky guy." Unaware, she just retorted she had been checking him out. But it was true. Juliard's beefy skin was tainted with tattoos running up and down on his back and chest. Symbols Vera wasn't familiar with, some she couldn't entirely decipher.
If she hadn't known any better she would've thought he was one of those business mafia type guys she's heard about.
"Hey! These tattoos you've pointed out. Are customary. Okay? I've gone threw literal hell in order to gain them." Juliard stands offended however the smirk on his face only grew.
The beta couldn't stop Vera from laughing no matter what he said so he only assaults her by punching her in her stomach. She whines gripping her stomach before eyeing him from her position as she were kneeling, "Customary? What do you mean by customary?" She barks out in between laughs.
With the smile never learning from off of the beta's face, "In my pack, let's just say you go through a series of trials to earn them-"
Vera raises her eyebrow. "From your pack? For a second I just thought Prince Alexander just had two betas."
"No. I'm visting from a far off place, witch my own alpha. Your alpha's brother, actually." Juliard goes in to swipe at Vera's foot placement again in between his words.
"He's also in the meeting with your Alpha right now. Discussing the throne between themselves, on who should become next king..."
Vera giggles again at her failed attempt at punching Juliard square on his jaw, he catches her throw, tossing her arm to the side.
"Interesting..I never thought about other packs around here. I just assumed my Prince was the only alpha with a pack beneath him." Vera says this and suddenly her mind became clouded with images of her mate again. Alexander had a way of capturing her mind sometimes that it was almost like a switch that flickered on and off.
"You do realize Prince Alexander is not the only alpha born? Which means all of the king's sons have packs to lead..." Juliard explained this to Vera as if it was so simple, with a single eye brow raised.
Yeah this girl had no idea how to fight, Juliard thought but decided not to tell her that.
Vera staggers back taking a blow to her back as he kicked her from behind. She thought she was doing pretty well in keeping up with him but that's because Juliard was going lightly on her.
Remembering his question in between movements, Vera stuttered on her forming statement, "Erm- Yeah. I'm not really from Alexander's direct pack so I didn't know that. I'm from the town. I haven't even shifted yet." Juliard pauses as he's listening.
He takes a deep breath, shoving past Vera who tried to attack him while he was down hunched over. "That explains the human scent." Juliard teases.
"That doesn't explain why you're here though. Did you just call your Alpha by his first name?" The beta squints his eyes at this, out of disbelief.
Vera simply shrugs.
Of course to any other pack member, calling the alpha anything other than his title would be accounted as disrespect, but Vera didn't see it like that. Maybe it was because the alpha was her mate, and that's why she got away with calling him things other than his political status.
"I'm the Beta of my pack and rarely ever do people say my Alpha's name. Prince Adonis would rip my heart from out of my chest if he heard me say it." Juliard responded with a furrow eyebrow cocked.
Vera soon jabs at Juliard, which he dodges taking the perfect opportunity to kick her abdomen.
"Oh bring it on.." Vera lurches forward successfully landing a power kick to the beta's stomach like he had did to her. "Now your really gonna get it!" Juliard growls playfully diving onto Vera.
Her back hits the grass as he's committing the worst assault of all.
Tickles.
Juliard leaned down, mumbling domineering words
Suddenly during their childish banter, everything and everyone halted to a stop when a rippling growl begins to ring, invading Vera's ears. She couldn't help but to whimper and stop what she was doing.
The once warm presence of a body on top of her is being lifted and she turns her head to see Juliard being thrown — discarded away like paper weights.
Vera could feel her heart beat inside of her ears once again, pounding louder than any bass or drum. She recognizes the wine coloured eyes instantly. Something pools between her legs which forces her to clench on instinct.
"What is this. What is it that you think you are doing." A rumbling sound comes from her mate's chest. Failing to respond this only seems to make him squeeze her source of life in his hand rather harshly again.
"Alexander it's not what it looks like. I swear."
The lycan clutches his chest while a smirk was painted upon his lips as he chuckles darkly. "You always have enough oxygen to say that...right. Until you won't, What will you say then." He yells rupturing her ear drum. He pulls her closer by the neck into his chest. Breathing heavily into her hair.
Vera was struggling to breathe until finally a savior stepped in for her defense. "Bane put her down! This is not the place and the time to act out this way." Hector stands beside his alpha pulling at his iron grip he had around the nap of Vera's neck.
"Let her go!"
After moments had passed with Vera struggling to breathe Alexander finally releases her with a grumble. Gasping for air if he heard any debate against it —he ignores it picking Vera up bridal style flush into his chest.
"Yes. There's more important matters to attend to." He remembers taking heated steps toward the castle's gated doors.
Before he fully disappeared along side Hector he snaps his head at the disheveled Juliard who looks defeated. "After today if I catch you on my territory near my mate again. I won't. Will not hesitate to end you." He literally barks out.
"Alpha Bane. The visiting Alpha requests for you in your study now. He's about to leave. He says he's done here." Taking a lingering gaze at Vera — Alexander sighs dragging his hand in his hair.
He nods at the Delta pushing him forward farther into the door way, He gives her another look before placing her in the arms of Hector.
"There's gotta be something I can do. All this time wasted. What is the cost for peace." He questions to no one in particular slamming the door shut. "Hector take my mate to my room. And keep her there until I say other wise."
"Alpha we need to talk about this." Hector proclaims, daringly aware at Alexander's fully dilated wine coloured eyes and elongated fangs poking from underneath his frustrated lips.
"Go! I don't have time for this. Lock her up like I said!" In finality, this was the lycan's last order and he left no room for debate.
There was a blood thirsty Alpha in his study. Ready to rage war upon his land and Alexander couldn't risk it.
He couldn't risk her.
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