REGINA

21. Traitor

I walked on the cool sand near the beach with my bare feet, fresh breeze making my hair fly with it.
Andrea had convinced me that I should spend the day with her and the first thing we came up with was to visit the beach near her high school. It felt like a private beach cause there were not much people around, mostly young couples who came to relax and they were in their own world, keeping their distances from everyone out there. I was preparing for my competition, or I would say the day I'd be proving my worth, for a long time now and tomorrow was D-Day. I was tensed up and was all worried then Andrea came up with the idea of spending a day of relaxing before I jump into the tournament. Marce was willing to come too but Andrea strictly told him that it was just two of us. So Andrew drove us to the beach and promised to return in the evening to pick us up. We settled down in a small room in a cottage which had a beautiful beach vibe.  Putting our things away we got ready for our outing.
"Are you ready?" Andrea asked as she pulled her beautiful black hair in a high ponytail.
"Yes I am!" I said excitedly. She laughed at my innocence and handed me some sunscreen which I put on generously before changing into my swim suit. I wore a white swimsuit which was a decent one ( well how much of a decent a swim suit can get but still it was decent to a level) and went out with Andrea for a swim. I was a city girl and swimming was not something that I had ever done. I clearly depended on Andrea and she was kind enough to stay with me in the shallow waters. We spend the day swimming and sunbathing as the weather wasn't harsh for us. It was cool and soothing.
After some time we sat down on the sand to have some refreshing drinks and snacks. Swimming was fun but it surely was tiring. Wiping the salty water away, we sat down for a chat. Andrea talked about how Zack and Marce took care of her and how luxurious her life was, thanks to her brothers.
"I have never had a sibling or a loving family to be exact. But I have a very close friend who is almost like a sister to me. Her name is Laila. She's my family and I miss her. But I can't tell her about myself. Firstly she won't believe me, secondly she'll panic" I smiled as Laila's face popped up in my mind.
" I can understand how it feels to live without parents. I don't even remember how my parents looked. I was too young when we lost them." Andrea said, looking down at the beach sand that had clung to her legs. We were seated on the sand and the sun was just about to set. Cool breeze was persistent and we relaxed as we loosened our body.
"I am sorry."
"No it's fine. They sacrificed for the pack, Alpha. It's a proud feeling for us." She smiled at me.
"Andrea."
She looked at me .
"You have me. I am your friend and also a family. You can share anything with me and I promise I'll be there by your side." I smiled at her which she reciprocated, squeezing my hand gently in assurance that she believes me.
"Me too."
We retrieved back to our room and got showered before having a meal. I got dressed in a white dress with full sleeves as we were ready for the
departure. The evening cool weather made everything feel fresh and happy. My hair was wet and I let it loose to dry. I looked at myself in the mirror and I was happy with my progress. I had gained some lean muscles, my skin now a bit tan because of the sunbath. I looked at my reflection and I told myself that tomorrow it will be a lock on those people's mouth who said I was weak. I proudly lifted my chin. I was ready.