CHAPTER 10

Analise's POV

After two hours of indecisiveness, pacing around and arguments with Crescent, I was finally ready. The meeting was about to start in around 10 minutes and I had no other choice but to wear what I already had on.

The outfit I chose was definitely out of my comfort zone. I always went for the same casual, soft, pastel or nude- colored and comfortable clothing but this time, I decided to try out something different. Something new.

I was wearing an all-black outfit.

Earlier today, after getting into an argument with Rayna and the others, I left the palace to grab something to eat. It was also the perfect opportunity for me to test out my new car. While I should have been feeling guilty about just using other people's things, I did not. On my way back, I made a stop to get myself a new outfit.

When I had stepped into the shop, on instinct, I went towards the beige, formal dresses. I had already settled on one but while I was paying, something else caught my eye. The clothing on the mannequin just screamed perfect. Even if the beige dress was my style, I could not help but want the other outfit. I was a bit skeptical about the idea of wearing such an outfit for the first time in front of a lot of people- strangers- but in the end, with a little help from Crescent, I ended up buying both of them.

I stood in front of the mirror in my brand new clothes and a totally different style. Instead of my usual soft dresses, I had a black suit on- black pants, a black lace top underneath it and a black blazer.

I smoothed the blazer for the millionth time, turning to the sides and looking at the outfit again. My hands hovered above the middle button of the blazer, itching to just button it up and hide the lace top underneath it.

'Don't you dare!' crescent warned me. 'It looks great. You look great. You look hot. We look hot. End of discussion.'

I let out a sigh, dropping my hands to my sides. It was not a scandalous outfit but the laced top showed bits of skin here and there through its design. I caught sight of the beige dress I had on minutes ago, now all crumbled up on the floor only a few feet away.

I shook my head and started putting my accessories on before all the second-guessing made me change my mind. I paired the outfit with a silver chain ear cuff and a watch. I slipped on my nude stilettos and did a last check on my make-up. I tried to do something different with my makeup but after several tries and failing horribly, I decided on just simple golden eyeshadow, soft winged eyeliner and nude lipstick. My hair was done in a loose half-braid.

"It looks great. I look great. I look hot. We look hot." I repeated Crescent's words as I grabbed my phone and made my way to the door.

The hallways were heavily guarded, especially after yesterday's attack. The guards bowed to me as I made my way toward the study room. The hallways were clean with no signs of yesterday's massacre.

As I entered the room, everybody went quiet. They were all seated on the couches, all dressed formally. My father and Rayan both wore navy blue suits with pocket handkerchiefs matching their mate's dress. Rayan was the spitting image of my father as they stood next to each other with the same posture, same expression and not a single hair out of place.

As for the ladies, my grandmother wore a long sleeve maroon dress with a boat neckline that ended above her knees, minimal makeup, a neat bun and heels. My mother wore a white, one-shoulder dress ending a bit above her knees with her hair in a twisted low braid and minimal makeup except for her red lips which matched her shoes. As for Rayna, she wore a red asymmetrical neckline dress that flared from her waist before stopping a bit above her knees along with black heels, minimal makeup and a half-crown braid. Lastly, Ivory was dressed in a fitted, blue off-shoulder dress stopping above her knees with white heels, nude make-up and a similar hairstyle to Rayna.

Overall, they all looked classy and just great. They really painted the picture of a perfect family.

"Can't you cover up the top?" My mother said as she eyed me up and down before resting her eyes on the laced top. It was the question I awaited with dread from the moment I put this outfit on.

"It's not appropriate for a princess to dress like that." Rayan added.

'Stand your ground Lizzie.'

"Yeah. The outfit is great. I look great. I look hot. We look hot." I chanted in my head.

Finally, I spoke. "Did you already forget about what I asked yesterday? Let me refresh your memory." I said. "Second thing I asked." I put two fingers in the air. "I will do what I want and you won't interfere. At all. I hope that answers your question."

"Not a word from you two." Grandmother glared at Rayna and mother who were about to share their opinions. "If the others hear you all fighting do you think they would still be keen about working with us?" She asked. "As for the clothing, she can wear what she wants."

"Your Highness," A guard entered the room. "All the guests have arrived." Father nodded in acknowledgement and the guard left. Everybody stood up, mother and Ivory going to their mates and ensuring their clothes were on point.

"Let's go." Father said as he and mother exited the room, hands linked. Rayan and Ivory were next to leave and then Rayna, who glared at me in the process. I was about to leave the room when someone pulled me back by the arm.

I looked at the person to find my grandmother looking at me apologetically. Ever since I got here, she never treated me like the others. She never said hurtful words or held me responsible for anything but neither has she defended me. She did not speak up when the others went on their rants about how bad I am. Well, it could be because she was the one who suggested they needed me.

I could not bring myself to look her in the eyes. Everybody blamed me for what happened that night and she had a better reason- if not, the best- than anyone else to hate me. My eyes rested on the floor as her hands drifted down my arms until they held both my hands in hers. Slowly, I felt her pulling me towards the couch near us. "Sit." She said as she sat down, pulling me next to her.

"Don't you think we should get going? The meeting is starting." I said awkwardly glancing at the door, hoping a guard would barge in the room and tell us to hurry up.

"Honey, do you think they will start the meeting if I am not there?" She said somewhat cockily with a small smile.

"Not really." I said under my breath. "So, you wanted to talk about something?" When would this be over?

"Yes." I felt one of her hands under my chin as she lifted my chin to meet her eyes. "I know this is difficult for you Analise. When I suggested the idea of calling you back, there were some disagreements regarding the matter."

"That's definitely putting in a nice way." I said and let out a small laugh.

"I thought that maybe these years were enough for all of us. I got a little moment of peace. Gabriel and the others would move on and everything would get back to normal. But clearly, that was not the case." She continued. "I never imagined that their hatred for you would grow so much that they would be blinded to see the truth. I am really sorry about they treated you not only yesterday but during all these years."

"It was not your fault" I mustered enough courage to look her in the eyes. "If anyone should apologise, it is me. I am really sorry for that night."

"That's in the past dear and I don't hold you responsible for anything. Not now. Not then."

"Then why did you leave?"

"Emotions." She simply said. "Anyway, you most probably want to leave from here and get back to the life you had planned but I hope you stay Analise. I know what I am telling and we need you. Don't let what they say discourage you."

"I am not doing it for them." I said, referring to my family. "For all I care, they could all die." I admitted and I felt no shame in doing so. It was truth and it was obvious now. What was surprising was the smile pulled at her lips at my words. "I am doing this for all the other werewolves. The innocents. I have issues with my family. Not the thousands of innocents who never harmed me in any way. They should not suffer because of my personal issues."

"You have grown so much over the years Analise." She smiled at me with pride in her eyes. "I wish I was there to help you all these years but-"

"Like you said, it's all in the past." I intervened, not wanting her to feel guilty about anything. "You had your reasons for what you did and I understand it. Besides, even if you were here, I don't think they would have treated me any better."

"You never know." She tried consoling me.

"I am sure about this." I said firmly. "They never liked me since the beginning. I might have realised this a bit late, but it's the harsh truth and I have come to terms with it now. What happened that night was just an opportunity for them to finally send me away." I shrugged.

"Don't worry about them Analise. Sooner or later they will realise their mistake." I did not answer to that because I knew that the chances of that happening were equivalent to that of hell freezing over. "You have grown into a beautiful, independent and strong girl Analise. Just like a leader should be. Don't let their words or actions affect you."

I gave her a small smile, not knowing how to react. A specific part of her words kept replaying in my head.

Just like a leader.

She sighed, getting up. "Let's go." I followed her out, not getting the opportunity to ask the new question arising in my head.

"Crescent, do you know what it meant?" I tried asking Crescent but received no answer which was very weird of Crescent.

"There you are." Father said, relieved as he saw both of us. "We thought something had happened." He looked at me for a split second.

I mentally scoffed. Did he really think I would attempt any stunt right now? When the palace was properly guarded and full of other creatures who would be ready to separate my head from my body at a simple command?

If I was actually going to attempt doing anything, it would be during the night when I would use my spells to disguise my scents and put the guards under some sleeping spell. Then I would most probably tie my dear family up somewhere in a cell with silver chains and slowly torture them every day, relishing the feeling of watching the light fade from their eyes. Under no circumstances was I going to give them a quick death. Also, if I was going to kill anybody, I would start with my father first. After the talk with my grandmother, she was out of my list.

Someone cleared their throat, distracting me from the murder schemes in my head. I looked at Rayan who was awaiting an answer. "What did you say?"

He rolled his eyes. "Stop dreaming. We are going in." I sighed as I straightened my blazer one last time. I heard the guard on the other side announce our presence to the other guests. This tradition has been going on since I can remember. Whenever there would be any events taking place in our castle, the arrival of each member of the royal family would be announced by the guards. It was no different in other kingdoms too. I remember whenever we went to other kingdoms, their guards would always announce the arrival of the leaders.

First, they announced the arrival of my grandmother who entered the room at the same time. The guard continued and it was already Rayna's turn and after her, mine. Most of the people- if not all of them- did not even know me. I am sure over the course of the years, they have met the others but not me and I was sure they never heard of me either. For the first time in many years, I was not feeling nervous about stepping in front of so many people that all the attention would be on me, even if it was just for a few seconds. Without any doubt, the speech at graduation coupled with the confrontation with my parents and the talks with Crescent, Evelyne and Malcom had a play in it.

'I am a fighter.'

'I am not alone.'

'I am strong.'

'I am powerful.'

'I am beautiful.'

'I am independent.'

'My outfit is great. I look great. I look hot. We look hot' I chanted what had become my new motivational anthem in my head with the addition of my grandmother's words.

"Princess Analise Royal." I heard my name being announced and I entered the room, feeling the curious gaze of everybody on me, eyeing me up and down. I maintained a straight face as I advanced towards my designated seat- the seat to my father's left. I could see the confused looks of the others as they looked at me.

I thought their attention would be on me only for a few seconds but I was wrong. The fact that I was seated to my father's left instead of Rayan – the future king- only increased their curiosity. Tired of their burning gaze on me, one by one, I met their questioning looks with a glare and they all thankfully looked away from me.

The table was bigger than the one in our regular dining hall. It accommodated around 30 people. I identified a lot of the leaders due to the classes they made us take at school. All the leaders were accompanied by their mates. The rest were the most powerful werewolf packs along with their beta and gamma. Before I could identify each pack, my father cleared his throat and spoke.

"I am grateful for your presence here today despite such short notice. My family and I are pleased to have you all in our midst and without any delay, let's start the meeting and discuss the more pressing matters."

The meeting continued as they all engaged in a discussion about the attacks from the vampires. Only 10 minutes in the meeting and I could no longer concentrate which I found odd. I was not easily distracted, especially not if important matters were on the table.

This time it was different though. It was not the usual boredom you felt in class. It was not the need to just think of something else to distract yourself from the boring talk because right now, what the leaders were discussing was anything but boring. It was not even that their voice was not enough to grab your attention- they were leaders who spoke with confidence.

Not only was I distracted but I was also uneasy. I felt my body start to heat up starting from my toes and spreading all the way to my fingertips. My toes curled in my shoes as I felt my stomach churn but not in an unpleasant way. It was a mix of excitement and anticipation. I fisted my hands to calm myself. I felt my heart starting to palpitate and my breathing turned ragged.

If this was a few days ago, I would think it was nervousness. I would associate it with the presence of so many strangers judging me since the moment I set foot in this room. But I knew better.

Crescent started getting agitated too as she paced around my mind, mumbling incoherent things. If I was not wrong there was a small wolfish smile. My mind clouded with Crescent's words and my own thoughts. Her pacing did not slow as I heard muffled footsteps in the hallways approaching the room.

I looked around but nobody seemed to be aware of it, not even my father. I guessed it was because of my enhanced werewolf abilities. I did not know who they were. They could be other guests but everybody was already here. They could even be vampires about to attack.

However, at that moment I could not concentrate at all. I just wanted out of this place and get some fresh air. As the footsteps got even closer and clearer, a strange yet warm scent- wood, spices with a hint of peppermint- filled the room but it looked like I was the only one being affected by it. My mind went haywire at that time and I could not process anything happening around me. I gripped the sides of my chair, keeping myself under control as the feeling got worse.

Maybe these past few days were finally taking their toll on me and I was losing my mind.

I did not even realise that the footsteps were right outside the door except when it busted open and it felt like I could finally breathe.