The Girl Who Never Shifted

Four

The next morning I am summoned down the winter garden to talk to who I presume is Jacy.

I pull a wool cloak over my shoulder and wrap the material around my body with the hood pulled up. My gloves are made of a fine silk that perhaps isn't the best for the cold. Outside my breath create huffs of a white smoke.

The puffy snow that sticks to the outside of my cloak seems to lovely to touch. Under a giant sagging willow tree I see someone standing wrapped in a cloak. The figure is much straighter and smaller than Jacy so I rule out the possibility of it being him. Large fluffy piles of snow sit balancing on the bare branches of the trees. My boots crunch loudly as I near the presence of who I presume to be Jacys sister.

"Clara?" I question stupidly when Mrs.Blather turns her face to me.
"Your not the child you used to be," she says vaguely and turns her head to stare down from the garden "call me Asha."
"Sorry," I state and cross my hands in front of my stomach.

I turn to look below the view of the gardens at the city that bustles with life. Old cars stiffly bustle from the roads and a large train that passes between every pack comes to a stop. The peaks of the sky scrapers have large piles of fluffy white snow. I take in a sharp breath of clean air and my lungs fill in appreciation.

"Do you understand why I summoned you here?" She asks and I shake my head.
"No," I remark honestly.
"Alphas are always playing games with one another. Or with rascals that tend to rebel against authority. Alphas are constantly fighting for their life."

She stops speaking and I glance at her face. It was no doubt to me that she gave her porcelain complexion to her son. Her cheeks were pink from the bite of winter and reminded me of the shade his turned when he was laughing. Her long blonde eyelashes were curled back. In honesty she was the most beautiful women I had ever seen.

"I would do anything for my children," she says "and my sweet dearest son is the one who needs to be protected the most. But I made a mistake when it came to his decision to investigate his fathers death."

She turns to face me and I turn to look at her. Her eyes grab ahold of my attention and strangles any opportunity for me disregard any words that come from her mouth.

"He trusts you more than he trusts me. For some reason there has always been a spot for you in his life regardless of how many times you seem to run away," Im so shocked by her words that I keep my mouth shut "I believe that you will help guide him. You will give your honest thoughts about his situations. But if you somehow turn your back on him ever again unless it is under his authority I will kill you."

I blink about three times to make sure I understood what she was saying. Asha turns back to the city and continues to watch it in thought. I back away from her to see her two guards watching me intently. I stumble over my feet in shock as I continue to walk out of the garden. When I look back Asha is still turned toward the city and the horizon of blue is swallowing her whole.

My hands stumble from the knobs of the door and when I pull it open I breathe out shakily. My destiny in life has ultimately pulled me back to this castle. This position and a possible warning from Deva herself for if I refused one more time.

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I have wandered off to the room of luxury's and I run my fingers over the glass display cases of different items. Gems, crowns, pins, and coins have all been placed in this room. In the back corner of the room my family necklace neatly sits in a position that makes me want to grab it.

The silver moon hangs from the display and shines confidently. I squint my eyes at the object and stupidly press my palm on the glass. For a blissful moment I imagine myself wearing the necklace. Having earned it with completing the ceremony to do so.

"It belongs to you," a voice ripples from the entrance of the room making me jump.

I turn around to see Jacy standing and leaning against the door frame. His head is resting against the frame and his hands are nicely folded in front of his body. His eyes flicker with amusement and I can tell that he's been watching me for quite some time.

"How long have you been watching me?" I state  and begin to walk up to him.

This brilliant dark eyes seem to push me back. Jacy goes to the display case that has my families necklace and puts his hand on the code to open it. The glass retracts into the case and the necklace sits in the open.

"Since the golden coin," he states and takes the necklace off the display. Jacy tried to holds it out for me but I clasp my hands together behind my back.
"I can't," I say to him and he frowns at me.
"It's yours," he says firmly "it will be yours until history says otherwise."
"I haven't completed the ritual. It belongs to no one at the moment."

Jacy rolls his eyes and just stares at me. His dark brown eyes seem to try and rack my brain. Try to understand what was going on in my thought process. His eyes seem to be begging me to take the object in hand. I begin to reach my hand out to take the object and when I almost grab it I turn around to storm from the room. I hadn't earned the right to the necklace and I would never earn the right to it.

Jacy unexpectedly grabs my hand before I can get to far and I turn back around. He squeezes the necklace into my palm and I flinch from how close we are together. Our noses are inches apart and his wolfly body heat is deflecting onto my skin.

"Celine," he begs "please help me."
"I don't want to be a burden-.." I begin but he closes and his eyes and interrupts me.
"You won't be," He promises "I'll send you to rule here in my place if you do."

The metallic feeling of the bunched up necklace in my palms makes me gulp. Everyone seemed to be begging me to take my place. I knew I didn't deserve the position and anyone in this kingdom was more capable than me. But the warmth between Jacy and I clouded my thoughts. Those dark but soft eyes had me captured.

"Ok," I say to him.