Daughter of Luka (LGBT+)

Thirty-Six 🌑

Luka's statement did bring a concern of mine to mind, though. 

"I don't feel as though Mr. Z likes me," I admitted quietly. 

At that, Luka's eyes became a little softer with sympathy. 

"Zachariah has never truly got along with everyone," he admitted, "My wife- Accalia's mother, his sister, meant the entire world to him, before she passed. Even now, in death, she still means so much to him. She had always been there for him. She was his older sister, of course. I see a similar bond between Fenn and Accalia from time to time, when the two of them aren't arguing," he added, with a soft chuckle. "He may seem a little rough around the edges at first, but I promise you that he is one of the most loyal men I have ever known. He knows who to fight for. He works for good," he assured me. 

At these comments, I relaxed a little in my seat, though I had to come to terms with something- I knew Mr. Z a lot less than I had initially thought. 

Before I could ask any more questions, Accalia stepped into the room. 

"Hey," she said, with a pleasant smile. "Is everything alright?" she asked, as her eyes glanced from her father to me. 

They then remained focused on me. 

"Yeah," I said, as I managed to find my voice again even though her mere gaze made me feel as though I lost all previous coherent thought. God. This was such a bad crush. I wasn't even sure that I could call it that anymore. 

Luka looked between the two of us, this time around, with a subtly good-humoured expression. 

"I'll leave you two to speak, for a moment," he told us, as he walked out of the room. 

Accalia's jaw tightened a little, as her eyes scanned my face. I observed the steady rise and fall of her chest momentarily, before I glanced up to meet her golden gaze again. 

"What did you talk about?" she asked, as she folded her arms in front of her chest. 

"Luka mentioned your mum. Accalia...I am so sorry," I said. 

Accalia's expression became a little more gentle, then. 

"Don't be. You can't bring her back," she said. 

I believed that it came out a little harsher than she had intended because even she winced. 

She then came to sit down beside me. 

"My mother was always looking out for people and making sure that they were alright. I just want to do the same," she admitted, as she directed a warm smile towards me. "I can't claim to understand everything or everyone in this world but I really do want to try," she continued, as the gold in her irises seemed to grow warmer still, like honey. The dim light of the cave cast small silver circles on the pale skin under her eyes and I could tell that she was tired, even if she would never admit to it. She then began to place her slender hands together in her lap and I swiftly reached out to grab them in my own and give them a gentle squeeze. Accalia then reached up and rubbed under her eye, smudging some mascara as she did so. 

"She would be proud of you," I said quietly. 

Accalia's eyes widened a little in her surprise. 

"I know that I am," I said. 

"I'm proud of you," Accalia told me. 

We sat there for a moment and I soon realised why Accalia was fiddling with her hands, a white scar could be seen on the inside of her wrist, just under a soft pink palm. 

"What's that?" I asked her. 

Accalia swiftly pulled her hand away from me. 

"Alia..." I trailed off. 

"Ophelia, it's nothing," she said. 

"No secrets," I said abruptly. 

And I knew that she couldn't argue with that. 

"It's a birthmark. My mother had the same one," she said. "I'm not hurting myself, if that's what you were thinking-" 

"I didn't think that," I said. 

She could tell it was the truth. She relaxed a little and leant back in her seat. 

"I don't hate being a wolf so much that I would try to end this, so don't think that for a second," she said. 

"Good because I need you here with me," I said. 

I didn't care that I was being so open, now, every word was the truth and I knew that if there was anyone that deserved to hear it, then she did. 

"I'm here to stay," Accalia admitted, "And you do make me happy, Ophelia. I just..." 

"You miss your mother," I thought out loud. 

She looked down at the birthmark on her wrist. 

"I do," she said quietly. Her voice shook a little, as she said it. "I wish there was magic that could bring her back, but there are some things that magic simply cannot do," she told me. 

I reached out to comfort her but before I could, Uma stepped into the room and my hands fell back down into my lap. 

"Do you guys want some dinner? I'm cooking tonight," she said. 

"Should I prepare for the food poisoning now or later?" I asked teasingly. 

Uma sighed. 

"I'll have you know that I am a very good cook," she said. 

As Accalia and I set foot outside the room, I turned to her to verify this. 

She gave me a subtle nod of her head to show she supported Uma's statement, so now I could relax a little. 

The three of us wandered into the dining hall and sat down at the table with the others, where we could then dig in to a feast of chicken, bread, rice and vegetables that Uma had prepared for us. 

She was right. She was a good cook, and I had to make a mental note to myself to never underestimate her again. 

It seemed that there was a lot about people that I didn't know, including Accalia, but I was determined to find out more.