I moaned in pain. My head ached badly. What happened last night? Turning over, I found a glass of water with two medicine tablets and a note. "For your headache, buttercup." A smile tagged at my lips before I took the medicine, shuddering at the bitter aftertaste. Throwing the sheets off my body, I dragged my feet, stumbling into the bathroom to freshen up. I made my way downstairs only to find my mom crying hysterically, my dad trying to console her, Xerxes staring helplessly at Clarissa while she cried and Cyrus looking unconcerned, no, rather angry.
"Is everyone okay? Where is Xavier?" I asked cautiously. Mom stood up, stormed towards me and raised her hand, about to hit me when Cyrus let out a deep dark chuckle. "I wouldn't want to try that if I were you, mom." He growled out. What did I do? Was it because of the party? Mom cried, her hand slowly dropping as she turned towards Cyrus. "Or what would you do? Hit me for me to fall into a coma too?" Mom broke down, wailing loudly. My eyes widened. Who did Cyrus hit with that big hand of his? "What's going on? Someone please tell me, I'm lost." I pleaded. "Alpha King Cyrus hit your brother, Xavier, for calling you a -" Xerxes began but Cyrus interrupted him. "Finish it and you will also join him." The warning was strong enough to make Xerxes shut it at once. How am I going to know what happened now? I glared at Cyrus.
"Xavier insulted you and now he's in a coma because brother Cyrus slapped him." Clarissa reported, wiping her tears. My breath got stuck in my throat. Cyrus did what? I slowly walked to him and stared at him but he refused to look me in the eyes. I stared more and the moment he stole a glance at me, I raised my hand and landed a loud tight slap on his face. His head whipped to the side but he remained quiet. "How dare you?" I whispered, my eyes, turning teary. I held him by his shirt and pulled him down so we could be of the same height. "How dare you? He is my brother!" I yelled at him.
"Oh what's the point in yelling at him when it's all your fault to begin with?" Clarissa asked. I let go of Cyrus and turned to look at her. "I thought we were sisters. I thought I knew you but was I wrong. While I told you everything about myself, trusting you with my darkest secrets, even I told you about my love for Xavier because I thought you were my best friend, you deserved to know, not knowing that you were also busy whoring yourself around with your elder brother behind our backs." She yelled at me. "Clarissa." Cyrus growled. "You shut your mouth! You both disgust me. If anything happens to Xavier, I will never forgive you both." Glaring at both of us, she turned around and ran out in tears. Xerxes ran after her.
Mom and dad shook their heads in disappointment and walked to their room. Tearfully, I fell on the ground. I had destroyed my family. But what happened at the party and how did things end up like this? "Aelia," Cyrus called out. When I didn't mind him, he growled, "get up. A Queen's place is certainly not the ground. A Queen does not break down. She breaks the problem down. I seriously hate what you're doing right now." I looked up at him and stood up. "You are an insensitive animal! We're both at fault here but you are not showing any form of remorse." He retorted, "which kind of remorse is there to show when it was Xavier who started it all? If he hadn't insulted you, I wouldn't have laid a finger on him even when he had insulted me too." Glaring at him, I ran upstairs.
On Monday at school, it was hell. Everyone was literally judging me. The video of me grinding against my brother, calling him my boyfriend and telling Clarissa about us kissing was out. Apparently, they were under the impression that I was sleeping with my brother who so much happens to my teacher and principal too. A forbidden love.
"Wow, you're wild, girl. Fucking your brother?" A student passing by asked, looking at me and shuddering as if disgusted by my presence. I ignored him.
"Such a slut."
"Can you imagine? All this while, when she was acting all innocent, ew."
"Never knew she was into older men."
Oh come on, Cyrus was not even that old. Six years interval wasn't much, was it? Why were they even acting that way? It's not like they came to catch us making out or fucking. I decided to ignore the negative comments but they kept jabbing at me. Clarissa was also ignoring me. The last time I saw her was in the hallway while she was shouting at Xerxes to leave her alone. Not being able to hold it anymore, I ran to the pool area. No one was around. All the pain I had been trying to suppress came rushing into my head and I burst into tears. I used just one drunken night, my first drunken night to ruin everything. My family, my friendship and my reputation.
I sobbed loudly, completely letting go. "Such a shame that the so called Luna Queen is a cry baby." A deep unpleasant voice filled my ears. I turned around to see an unfamiliar man staring at me with an ugly smirk plastered on his face. I didn't feel good around him. "Who are you?" I glared at him. He chuckled. "Everyone is eager to see the Queen, even I used to be curious until I found out that you're barely an adult." I retorted, "you clearly do not belong here in this town to begin with yet you are trespassing this school's premises. I'm not so sure Cyrus is going to have the pleasure of meeting your undesired acquaintance, sir." I stared into his soul while talking.
His eyes turned red at the mention of Cyrus. He began to growl at me. Before he could attack me, a body jumped between us. "Beta King is here to protect Luna Queen." Xerxes growled, shifting into a massive brown wolf just as the man shifted into a grey wolf. The two began to fight with the grey wolf attacking first while I stood back in fear. The grey wolf seemed strong because he was able to bite Xerxes' hind leg, causing him to yelp and bite the grey wolf's front leg hard. Just then, Cyrus ran into the room. "Xerxes, stand back." He ordered in a deep animalistic voice. Xerxes did as told, limping towards me to shield me with his hairy body, whining and whimpering.
The grey wolf growled at Cyrus. When Cyrus growled back, I realized at that moment that he wasn't himself. Someone else was in control, someone powerful. Leaping from one bench to the other, Cyrus got down and ran towards us. Okay? So the leaping was for warming up. Right. The grey wolf jumped and Cyrus did too. The wolf didn't get to touch Cyrus because he gave him a painfully hard kick that sent him flying into the walls. That kick was powerful enough to kill the wolf. It had destroyed three walls; the wall of the room we were in and the walls of the next room which happened to be the male swimmers' dressing room.
I was still in shock, I didn't even realize Cyrus hugging me. "I've got you, buttercup." He let go of me. Going down on his knees, he began to pet Xerxes. "Stay with me, buddy. You will be fine. You have done well protecting Aelia." He said then picked the wolf up and rushed out, probably to get help. After what Xerxes had done for me, I could only hope that he would be fine.