Adriel POV
Amelia, my best friend and coworker, rushed to me, examining my hands, now red and throbbing. "Oma told her that you had given her the package and left to meet one of the guards". She blew gently on it making the pain bearable.
"Amelia," my voice shakes, "I can't do it anymore, the pain in my hands barely masking the deeper ache in my heart.
"Everybody hates me and wants me gone". My eyes are red as tears flow freely.
"It's okay". Amelia wiped my tears with her hands. "I am here, and I love you like my family; it is impossible to leave me here; you are going to survive this. You and me forever; come, let me put some ointment in your hands before it gets worse".
I followed Amelia out from the kitchen to her quarters. Her room was cozy and spacious, much better than the cramped quarters I shared with the other maids.
Amelia went to the left wing of the room, removed a tube in her drawer from "Come sit Adriel," and she pointed to the bed, neat and tidy. I sat down, and the bed dipped. My tears have already dried, but the pain is still alive in my heart. She takes my hands and lays them gently on her lap.
"Where did you go? You took so much time that I can't cover for you" she said softly as she rubbed the cream on my swollen hands.
I hesitated, my stomach churning with guilt. "I got lost..... Didn't realize it until a guard saw me."
She sighed, shaking her head. "You can't keep putting yourself at risk like this."
"I know," I whispered. But how could I tell her the truth? How can I admit what had happened between the prince and me? Instead, I blurted
"I want to go to the human world,". Amelia froze, her eyes wide with fear and she looked at the door to check if others were close by.
" Are you crazy? Do you want to get killed before your time hmm? She said in an angry tone
I stood up and walked toward the door. "My decision is final, Amelia. These people want me dead, so it is better to die outside than here. I will also look for my parents. Their death looks suspicious"
"Adriel, why are you so stubborn? We can't go into the human world. Our powers are not strong enough to cross the barrier path, you know what is going on, and you still want to go". Her face was laced with fear.
"My decision is final, and nobody, including that barrier, will be able to stop me; either you help me, or you forget about it. "I don't want anybody to know until I am gone; if you are coming, you need to keep quiet about it." My voice shook, but I was determined.
She stood up and walked to me. "I love you, but I can't help you, Adriel. It is too risky, and if you get caught, you will end up dead rather than alive".
"I can't get caught, I will sneak away during the mating ceremony. Nobody is going to notice that I am missing."
"What about the mating ceremony? Are you not going to participate in it?" She looked at me.
"What is the use of it? Nobody is ever going to mate with me, I am the weakest person in our pack, going to get rejected before knowing who my mate is," I said.
"It is better I escape than face such the humiliation of being mateless or rejected".
Amelia looked at me, her skin pale due to the beating she received from me a week ago. One of the major reasons I want to go. She has suffered enough, and I don't want anybody to get hurt for my sake.
"Then this is goodbye, right". She hugged me knowing that my decision was final. "You are my best friend. Of course, I am going to help you escape this pathetic place. Remember that I will always love you more than myself"
"Finally, some common sense". She laughed. We hugged for a minute before we separated. Tears have already soaked my clothes. "Why are you crying? Not like I am going to die or not coming back", I said.
She quickly cleaned her face. "Well, I am not going to miss you if that's the case, stubborn".
"How are you going to escape? Have you started planning on how to bypass the guards and vigilantes?" she said, her face looking serious.
"Woah, Detective Amelia, I already packed, and the ceremony is not today but in 2 days".
"What, of course, needs proper execution chance is a 50/50 chance, and you need to make sure you succeed or else I am denying you when you get caught"
"O ye of little faith, I am a werewolf, and you know we always survive anything thrown at us, and no, I am not going to get caught."
"Okay, Luna Adriel, your words are my doom," she said.
I laugh till tears prick my eyes. "Luna will look good on my name, Luna Amelia". I tease her back.
"You still haven't told me where you have been all day, hmm, the guard room," she said, her voice laced with laughter.
"I was in the guard room, I took the wrong package, and Oma had already delivered it, making me delay it before I was told that the package was delivered". I lied. I couldn't possibly tell my best friend that I had slept with the prince. We gossip about him every time we have a chance. If she heard I slept with him, god she was going to collapse.
"Alright then, I didn't know you had a crush on Davi hmm"
"I don't have a crush on anybody, especially Davi; he is too mean for my liking." My face twisted with disgust.
"C'mon, let's get back to what we were doing before the witch comes for our heads," she laughed.
We made our way to the kitchen.