194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leilani.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMerry Christmas everyone!\u201d Maya screamed, whilst holding up a wine bottle over her head as she sashayed from one end of the room to the\u00a0<\/p>\n
other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her beautiful pink hair gleamed under the light and her radiant smile illuminated the room, causing a smile to spread across my lips as I quietly watched her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was the first Christmas I wasn\u2019t celebrating alone but with the people I loved. It was the first in which I was having a quiet time with the family I had created for myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart filled with warmth as Maya came over to plant a sloppy kiss on the side of my face, chuckling aloud when I winced in feigned\u00a0<\/p>\n
irritation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:05\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMerry Christmas!\u201d She slurred again and this\u00a0<\/p>\n
time, when I winced, it was because of the stench of alcohol oozing from her mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was as drunk as a skunk and I couldn\u2019t tell if\u00a0<\/p>\n
it was because she was happy and wanted to let loose or because something had happened again between her and Gavin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jarek, on the other hand, who had been quiet the entire time simply hummed in agreement to everything she said, his arm lost behind my chair as he raised his own wine glass too. But I couldn\u2019t help but notice how stiff he still was and has been since the beginning of today. I also didn\u2019t miss the dark circles under his eyes that told tales of things I knew he would never talk to me about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yesterday, he had left in a hurry, after dropping a note to inform me of the reasons- his wolf \u2013 and I knew, without even being told that something must\u2019ve happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:05\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I was right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then there was me\u2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beautiful old me, who was still quite shaken from my encounter with the strange girl I\u2019d met yesterday. The girl who like Darius had silver hair and purple eyes just like me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another thing that stuck out to me about her was the way I\u2019d been so at peace with her, how young she was, how ominous that letter was\u2026 and how she had disappeared without a trace, leaving me confused and scared; and everything else in\u00a0<\/p>\n
between.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The letter had read:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hello Sister,\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is to inform you that I know you have questions, and I am ready to answer all of those questions now. If there\u2019s anything you wish to talk to me about, then all you have to do is\u2026 ask.\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:05\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meet me at the border of Shadowvane. In the\u00a0<\/p>\n
lobby of the hotel called; The Continental.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ps: come at night and alone. On You shouldn\u2019t be scared of me. I should be scared of you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These words repeated itself in my head over and over again, and no matter the number of times I thought about it, I couldn\u2019t shake off the ominous feeling it brought, twisting my guts until I began to feel nauseous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I also couldn\u2019t decide if I really wanted to go alone or not, seeing as I had no idea what I would be walking into if I did\u2026 but I knew that I would\u00a0<\/p>\n
I would because I had questions that needed to\u00a0<\/p>\n
be answered. I would because I needed to meet\u00a0<\/p>\n
Darius once and for all and to understand why he had single-handedly fished me out from every one of my siblings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
-And I needed to know who that so-called\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:05\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
dispatch girl from yesterday was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart raced at these thoughts and I was only snapped out of my train of thoughts when Jarek waved slowly in my face, his voice soft and velvety as he asked;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hell, I wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled. \u201cYes, I am. Are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At my question, he cocked his eyebrows at me, a small smile playing on the corners of his lips. He then leaned closer to tuck a stray tendril of hair\u00a0<\/p>\n
behind my ear, his eyes latched on mine throughout the entire process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just when I was beginning to get lost in the intensity of his gaze, Maya screamed suddenly;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou both should get a room!\u201dcausing me to jump in surprise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:06\u00a0<\/p>\n
5\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to her and smiled when I caught her rolling her eyes. But the smile on her face was contagious. She beamed; \u201cJust so you know, I am team Jarek!\u201d She squealed, throwing her hands into the air as she winked knowingly at Jay and I.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And goddess, my face immediately began to heat up. The tips of my ears and sides of my neck burned in embarrassment and excitement. And it didn\u2019t help that Jay wouldn\u2019t stop smiling, as if enjoying her teasing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His rich laughter floated in the air, enveloping me like the softest warmest cloak there is; and he snickered; \u201cWould you seriously not mind if we get a room?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh goddamit!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, it took all of me not to bury my face into the ground. I turned away from both of them, hating the way they laughed behind me as if mocking me; or the way Jarek now moved dangerously too\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:06\u00a0<\/p>\n
6\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
close to me\u2026 so close that I could feel the\u00a0<\/p>\n
warmth seeping from his clothes to mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He subconsciously twirled some of my hair between his fingers and damn, I couldn\u2019t control my smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, my smile soon disappeared so fast when suddenly, my doorbell rang. I froze and turned to both of them as if silently asking to know which of them was expecting any guests.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jay shrugged, and Maya\u2026 she dashed to the door before I could stop her, only returning minutes later with a young man following behind her\u2026 a young man who was hiding- or struggling- behind the largest hamper I\u2019ve ever seen in my entire life. He was none other than\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGavin?\u201d I spat coldly, and immediately making him go tense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He slowly turned to look at Maya then to me, and with the smallest voice I\u2019ve ever heard from him,\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:06\u00a0<\/p>\n
7\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
he muttered; \u201cMerry Christmas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I didn\u2019t feel merry with him being here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gosh, I didn\u2019t want him to be here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned before I even realized what I was doing, and when my eyes met Maya\u2019s, I couldn\u2019t help but notice the silent pleading in them\u2026 the\u00a0<\/p>\n
vulnerability, and the way she was quietly seeking my validation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed; \u201cSame to you, Gavin. Welcome to my house!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And as soon as I said that, the atmosphere in the room instantly shifted to something lighter. He set down the hamper which surprisingly was a gift for me and joined in the merriment, seeming as though he has always been- a part of us\u2026 like this was something he\u2019s always done for so long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I vaguely remembered that his parents- my parents must be serving their respective terms\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:06\u00a0<\/p>\n
8\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
at the moment, and it was almost shocking to think that even with that, he doesn\u2019t hold it\u00a0<\/p>\n
against me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That he wanted to still be my brother\u2026 that he still wanted to make up for all the lost years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time since like forever, I rose to my feet and pulled him into a hug for no reason, and when he said the words; \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Leilani,\u201d to me, I didn\u2019t feel the urge to hurt him, I didn\u2019t want to smack his head against the nearest pavement\u2026 and I realized then and there that I no longer hated him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\u00a0<\/p>\n
I also no longer feared him like I used to\u2026 and it was refreshing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMerry Christmas, Gavin.\u201d I murmured quietly into his ear, but he didn\u2019t respond right away. He simply squeezed me harder before resting his chin on the top of my head and whispering;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMerry Christmas, genius!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:06\u00a0<\/p>\n
9\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas..\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chalice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was the absolute worst Christmas I\u2019ve ever experienced in my entire life, and I am not saying this because I didn\u2019t get a single Christmas present from anyone or because I was now stuck in this unending Christmas lunch with the elders of the pack, my husbands\u2019 cousin and his father\u2026 and some other people whom I\u2019ve never seen before. I was saying this because despite all of these ugly events, Mom and dad were in still jail, all thanks to Leilani and her stupid antics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was saying this because once again, I have been adorned like a queen by my husbands whilst being treated worse than a slave behind closed\u00a0<\/p>\n
doors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I was saying this because even right now, Louis was still standing right behind me like a\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:06\u00a0<\/p>\n
10\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
freaking shadow whilst watching every damn move I made- courtesy of my husbands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands shook as I tried to pick up the wine glass, but just as I brought it to my lips, Zevran leaned close, his voice cold as fuck as he drawled; \u201cBe careful\u2026 there\u2019s a baby in your womb or is there not?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as I heard those words, my anger flared. I turned to meet his gaze and my breath hitched when I was met with a kind of coldness he only reserved for people he hated- and I was one of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hissed; \u201cWhy would you think there isn\u2019t a baby?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But as soon as I asked that question, I immediately realized how stupid it sounded. However, before I could take back my words, he beamed a smile at me, patted my head as if for show and spat; \u201cAre you really asking me that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:06\u00a0<\/p>\n
11\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I hated that he would continue to use this\u00a0<\/p>\n
against me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Subconsciously, I quickly glanced behind me and when my eyes met Louis\u2019, a sudden thought\u00a0<\/p>\n
flashed in my mind. And I realized then and there that my only ticket out of this decorated cage was him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was the only way I could get my hands on my freedom and Leilani\u2019s downfall\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
So I rose to my feet, knowing that he would follow and murmured; \u201cExcuse me gentlemen, but as you can see, I am a pregnant woman with needs\u2026 and I have an urgent need to attend to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I walked out, I couldn\u2019t help but smile to\u00a0<\/p>\n
myself when I realized that my plan had worked\u2026 that Louis, as expected was following me. Now, all I had to do was get him to a secluded place and\u00a0<\/p>\n
then fill him in on the instructions that I needed\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:06\u00a0<\/p>\n
12\/13\u00a0<\/p>\n
194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
him to follow to ensure my freedom\u2026?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026and my sister\u2019s doom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Healing Slowly But Surely By R. Joseph 194 194 Merry Christmas.\u00a0 Leilani.\u00a0 \u201cMerry Christmas everyone!\u201d Maya screamed, whilst holding up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chosen-by-none-feared-by-all"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23397\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}