The Truth III

Hayley

Miranda and I practiced for a while, but it was to no avail. I couldn't manage the easiest spells, and I was getting discouraged with every attempt. Maybe she was wrong after all, perhaps I had no affinity for magic or anything great at all.

"It takes some time, only prodigies are actually able to manage a spell on their first day, so don't be discouraged yet." Miranda consoled me. I could tell she was lying, but I didn't want to argue with her, especially in a topic I wasn't versed in. This was my first time witnessing magic, so I really couldn't disagree with anything she had said so far.

"I'm getting exhausted, we can pick up another time." I said in a dismissive tone. I was done with magic for the day, it was frustrating, and it only got me annoyed as the time passed. It reminded me that I was nothing special once more. If I hadn't gotten lucky with Damian, I would have spent the rest of my life being a slave. Words didn't matter, bloodline didn't even matter if there were no results to show for it. For now I was still the ordinary Hayley I'd always been.

"If that's your wish, then we can continue another day. I'm sure you'll be able to pick up soon." Miranda replied before rising from her seat. "I'll be on my way then, have a good day, my lady."

"Don't call me that, I told you to call me Hayley." I cautioned her quickly. I still hadn't gotten used to being referred to as royalty, and in some sense it made me feel awkward. I could tolerate the guards and maids calling me by that name, but I didn't want Miranda to be so official with me. What I wanted was a friend, and I didn't plan to intimidate her with my status as queen.

"The Alpha will kill me if I don't accord you the due respect." She chuckled, but I waved it off quickly.

"We both know he won't, we're friends, so let's call each other by our names." Miranda flashed me a kind smile before picking up her bag from the bed. She walked towards the door and without another word, she disappeared into thin air. I was still amazed by that spell, and couldn't get over it. It was a convenient way of transportation, and would save one a lot of time.

I left to get some food after Miranda's exit, and afterwards relaxed on my bed with some heavy thoughts. I wondered how Zion and Emily were doing. I wondered if they were happy that I was gone, or if they were mad that they didn't have a slave to pick on anymore.

I had promised myself that I was never going to forgive the both of them. I had loved Zion, and he had repaid my affections with humiliation and rejection. And Emily, she made me feel less of a person than anybody in the world. She made me feel worthless, and gave me suicidal thoughts on more days than I could count. They were horrible people, but somehow they always managed to get away with the bad things they've done.

Taking in deep breaths, I steeled myself away from those thoughts. I didn't want to get myself angry over irrelevant people like them, but it was impossible to get over the mental trauma they'd caused me.

"Think of something nice, Hayley." I said to myself. When I was still a slave, all I could think about was the day I'd leave that wretched pack, and now that I was gone, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I wanted them to pay for what they did to me. Why had they treated me so differently, I wasn't the only maid there, nor was I the only omega. Yet, I was treated with another level of cruelty, when I did nothing but obey them.

"Is something bothering you?" A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see Ethan's figure towering over mine, and I immediately rose from the bed at the sight of him.

"Ethan?! When did you come back? Is Damian with you?" I asked while trying to not turn red from the embarrassment I felt deep inside.

"Just a minute ago, Damian is at the dining hall, he wants to have lunch with you." Ethan informed before raising a suspicious brow. "You look pale, is anything the matter?"

I covered my face with my palm before turning away from his gaze. I was probably pale with rage, but I wasn't about to tell him that I was thinking about Zion and Emily. They were my problem to deal with, and I had no intention of dragging Ethan into my personal issues.

"I'm fine, I was just bored." I lied before rising to my feet. "We better get to Damian, I don't want the food to get cold." I said with a mild chuckle to ease the tense atmosphere.

Ethan didn't seem convinced, but he didn't pry any further. He merely nodded to my words before leading the way to the dining hall. I wasn't exactly hungry, but I was not about to miss out on an opportunity to be with Damian. Besides, I had some questions I wanted to ask him about Miranda. He had kept secrets from me, and I wanted to know why he did so.

Damian's face lit up with a smile the moment he caught sight of me, and my face reflexively mirrored his expression.

"You didn't miss me too much, did you?" He asked as he rose from his seat to meet me. Without warning, he pulled me into his embrace, and for the first time since our meeting, he kissed me on the lips.

I was frozen to my bones, unsure of how to react to what had just happened. I didn't know if I should kiss him back or just stand still and let him do what he wanted. This was new to me, and I didn't want to make it feel awkward for the both of us.

Damian noticed my confusion and finally pulled away. He had a light smile on his face, he closed in on my ear, and whispered. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Chills ran down my spine as his hot breath brushed against my bare skin. His presence had a way of making my body freeze up involuntarily. Damian didn't like that reaction, and I was still working on how to not stiffen up each time he came close to me.

"The food is getting cold." Ethan announced, finally pulling Damian and I back to reality. We had completely forgotten that he was standing less than two meters away. My face turned red from embarrassment, while Damian merely brushed everything away with a smile.

I didn't speak until we had been served, I wanted the atmosphere to be calm before I asked my question, and I didn't waste a second in utilizing the moment the second it came.

"Miranda came by today." I started, grabbing the attention of the two men beside me.

"That's nice, did the two of you get along well?" Damian inquired in a neutral tone. He didn't seem excited, nor did he look disappointed in any way.

"Yes, we got along quite well." I answered before taking a deep inhale. "She mentioned that you too almost got betrothed to each other, is that true?"