T W E N T Y - T H R E E

Nova

"You keeping tabs on me Little Star?"

My eyes widened at his words sudden nickname for me.

"What?"

"I said," he leaned into those blue eyes lighting up as he gazed down at my face "You keeping tabs on me little Star?"

Was he...was he flirting with me?"

"Who the hell are you?" I blurted, catching him off guard as he blinked at me "And what have you done to the asshole that normally inhabits that body?"

"What?" he asked on a laugh, taking a step away from me "What kind of question is that?"

"A sane one" I said seriously "Considering that the only human emotion you've ever shown me is hate."

"I don't hate you."

I snorted "Could have fooled me."

"I don't hate you Nova" he remarked sarcastically, with a roll of his blue eyes "I just hate what you stand for."

I reared my head back in shock "What in the ever-loving hell does that mean?"

"Nova..." he sighed.

"What does that even mean Phoenix?" I growled "You don't hate me but you hate the idea of me?"

"You stand for so much more than you think little Star" he said, his voice solemn and earnest "Haven't you noticed the uproar you've caused since you've arrived?"

"Yeah" I deadpanned "It's because I'm new here and people tend to get excited when a shiny new toy enters the picture, especially one that's from a land that y'll barely interact with."

His lips twitched.

"People around here are used to new things or things changing all the time" he said "They usually go back to normal within the hour, not gawk or avoid eye contact for a whole month and a half."

"Of course they gawk" I growled "After Atlas' little stunt the other day, I'd be scared and weary of the new girl too."

He shook his head, stepping into my personal space a tad bit more than what I would usually be comfortable with.

Except, this was the only time, where it wasn't completely unbearable to have someone crowding my personal space.

I squirmed at the sudden heat his skin was radiating, and I swear to god it felt like I was feeling his warmth though the thin material of my uniform.

And I was definitely not liking the way my body was responding to said heat.

"They gawk at you not because of the stunt that idiot pulled" he uttered as I gasped, his fingers somehow sneakily working their way on my right hip and gripping it tight "Nor do they ogle at you because you're one of the most gorgeous women they've ever seen. They gawp at you because of who you are and what you stand for, something not every wolf in the world is happy about."

"What do you mean?" I whispered, my breath catching at the sudden fire blazing in his eyes.

An emotion I've never seen on his except for that sparing glance at the old photo on Saoirse's phone.

"The Lupines were the epitome of what an Heir and ruler should be" he whispered, those long fingers traveling from my hip and to my wrist and then up my arm until they gently grazed my cheek "They ruled fairly and went above and beyond for their Packs. They never used their status or rank against the other Heirs, even if they absolutely were in their right too"

"My mom used to tell me stories about the Lupines" He said, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear "She used to say that out of all the Lupines, your dad was the bravest and most fearless Wolf she'd ever seen."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to know that my family and yours has butted heads since the beginning of time" he said, cupping my cheek in his large hand "And since your father's disappearance and ultimately death eighteen years and a half ago, mine has been in charge. A title he enjoys very much."

My eyes flashed to his "He won't give up without a fight, will he?"

"No."

"And where do you stand?"

"On the winning side" he answered truthfully "Whether that be yours or my father's, is still yet to be determined."

~~~~~~~~

Phoenix

It was late at night when my sister's ringtone blared throughout my room, making me snap upright and reach for my phone.

"Inx?" I said frantically into my phone "What's wrong? What happened? Are you okay?"

A sniffle sounded from her end of the line, making me flinch at the sound.

"Sphinx, what's wrong?" I pleaded into my phone, begging her to tell me what the problem was so that I could fix it "Tell Nixie what's wrong."

A small sniffled chuckle came from the line, making my rapidly beating heart calm just a fraction.

"Father called" she whispered "He called to congratulate me about the play."

I swore, running a hand through my hair "I never told him a thing Inx."

"I know that" she said "And I'm sorry for bothering you so late. It just...the call just caught off guard."

"What the else did he say?"

She stayed quiet.

"Sphinx?"

"After the small commendation he hinted that it would probably be in family's best interest if I considered moving home and transferring back to Crescent Academy."

I swore again, louder and more profane than before.

"Don't listen to him Sphinx" I said "I swear to you on my life that you don't have to worry about transferring back."

"I believe you" she said softly "However, what I want to know is what he has you doing in order for you to keep that promise."

I winced, knowing better than to try to lie to the one person in the world that probably knew me better than myself.

"Don't worry about it" I said dismissively "It's my cross to bear."

"Phoenix" she sighed "I can guarantee whatever he has you doing is not worth it."

"It is" I remarked.

"It isn't Nixie" she said seriously "You know how he works. He uses what you love most against you, making you do unspeakable things that slowly gnaw away at your soul until all that's left in its place are broken pieces."

She wasn't wrong...

Tÿr Fenrir was the King of Mind Fucks.

The worst kind of monster out in the world, the one that no one suspected because of the gentle facade he put on a daily basis, manipulating his victims in such an intricate way that had them questioning if whatever they enacted on his behalf was really their idea and what they wanted.

"I know what I'm doing Sphinx" I muttered.

She sighed "Phoenix..."

"Are you happy?" I blurted out, interrupting her before she could try to talk me out of my decision "Be honest Inx."

She was silent for a brief moment.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice so timid and small that it sent me back to a time where I used to comfort her when she cried during one of our parents many, many arguments "I'm so very happy here that sometimes I feel guilty for leaving you."

I let out a small laugh, leaning back against my headboard "You don't have to worry about me baby sister."

"But I do" she argued "I worry about you so much. Especially since that monster is so close to you."

I closed my eyes, my grip tightening on my phone so hard that I was afraid I was about to break it.

"I'm okay sister" I reassure you "I'm not alone."

I swear I could hear the smile in her voice when she said "How are those two idiots?"

I snorted "They're still idiots."

"And the new Heir?"

"You've heard about her?"

"The new Heir is a girl?" she asked excitedly.

"I'm surprised you don't know" I rolled my eyes "Isn't that best friend of yours the gossip queen?"

She laughed "Surprisingly Ariel knew very little about the whole situation."

"That's a first."

"Is she pretty?"

"I..." I blushed, freaking BLUSHED at her words, as I searched for the right answer "Uh..."

"Holy Crap!" My sister squealed laughed "YOU TOTALLY LIKE HER!"

"NO!" I shouted, wincing when I realized just how loud I probably was "I mean...she's okay looking for a Lupine."

Sphinx laughed.

"You can't lie to me big brother" she said in a sing song voice "I know when you lie."

"Shut up" I grumbled "Or else I'm fly out there and embarrass you in front of that Fabio look-a-like you're fawning over constantly."

Her loud gasped made me snicker over the phone.

"Yeah, you didn't think I knew about that, did you?"

"How did you find out?!"

"I have eyes and ears everywhere little sister" I snickered harder "How was that turkey sandwich you had at lunch?"

"Sonofa..." she swore with some very unladylike language "I swear to god, when I find those spies of yours, they'll be begging for mercy."

"Careful sister" I teased "Your inner Fenrir is coming out."

She growled, promptly hanging up on me.

Maybe today wasn't such a bad day after all.