CHAPTER 7

Analise's POV

It was dark but peaceful. I could not see anything and yet I felt like I saw everything. It was like I was floating in the air. Where I would usually be scared to find myself alone in a dark abyss, I felt as if I was in an oasis of serenity because I knew I was not alone. Not far from me, I saw a wolf. A black wolf with familiar silky fur and silver eyes- Crescent.

I could not help but smile at her as she headed towards me. I caressed her fur as she stood in front of me, placing my forehead against her head. Out of nowhere, the dark abyss was illuminated as streaks of colors floated around. I realised that it came from me. Streaks of colors escaped my hands into the surrounding as Crescent went ahead, playing, chasing the stripes. Soon, all of the glowing stripes surrounded her.

I watched with shock and awe as they entered Crescent, both of them blending. I could not believe my eyes as I saw Crescent's fur release a glow all around her body and her eyes were the brightest silver I ever saw. The power radiating from her was warm and powerful. Instead of coming back to me, she just sat there. "This is who we are Lizzie. Don't forget that." She said as everything started to fade away.

My eyes opened and I had not realised that a smile was playing on my lips. The dream was weird but comforting. It was the first time that Crescent and my powers were all in the same dream and it did not end up turning into a nightmare.

"What was that Crescent?" I asked her, the picture of her still in my mind. She looked so gorgeous and just powerful.

"You." She simply said before retreating.

"You woke up just on time." Richard's voice snapped me back to reality. My parents. I was going to meet them again. I looked outside and saw the beautiful castle as we pulled to a stop in front of it. Richard got out and rounded the car, opening the door for me.

"Thank you"

Several memories played in my mind at the sight of the castle. It's been years since I last saw it but It has not changed. Not drastically as least. It was still of the same color- a mix of beige and brown for the walls with dark brown borders around and a dark brown roof, giving it its ancient look and feel. The walls were covered with vines as they tangled with each other. Big beige towers stood at equal distances at the corners, dwarfing the rest of the structure. On top of each, stood the werewolf kingdom's flag with the same symbol that was on the car.

In front of me stood the entrance with big, white double doors. A cobblestone path started at the entrance and stopped a few feet away from mine. The entire path was covered by a roof, supported by pillars. On top of the door, there were golden lines carved, forming intricate designs as they merged to finally create the sigil. As Richard came by my side with my suitcase, I walked towards the door guarded by two guards.

They looked at me weirdly, a questioning look on their face but upon seeing Richard with me, they opened the door, allowing us to enter. Thanking them I followed Richard. As soon as I stepped into the castle, I felt nervous. The usual nervousness took over as my palms started getting sweaty. I did not know what awaited me here.

Was I right about my family or wrong?

I truly wished it was the former. For a long time, I wanted people to love me for who I am with all my flaws. I had Evelyne who I loved dearly but I wanted to experience the love of a family. My family.

As we stood near the entrance, a petite redhead approached us. As she got closer I realised she was a maid here. She was dressed in the usual elegant black dress with the golden werewolf sigil embroidered on the left side. She gave me a polite smile before addressing Richard. "Well, who would this beauty be?" I felt my smile drop at her words as Richard scowled next to me. I felt a pang of hurt but quickly masked it up with my smile again. I tried not to dwell on the fact that they did not remember me.

Before Richard could answer, I did. "I am Analise." I offered her my hand along with a small smile. She looked me up and down before realisation settled in. The shock was clearly written on her face.

"Sorry princess. I was not informed of your arrival." She bowed ahead of me. The hurt from mere seconds ago somehow got bigger.

'They are assholes Lizzie' Crescent said.

I did not know how to feel about the fact that they did not inform them about my arrival. No wonder those guards gave me those looks. Not only did they not know that I was coming but they did not even recognised me. I have changed significantly over the years. From the chubby seven-year-old, I was now a grown-up.

At eighteen, I had a great figure with the right amount of curves at the right places from several years of working out and training. My hair had turned darker and it went down to my mid-waist. My facial features were now sharper and my once blue eyes had turned purple when I shifted.

'I will never forgive them. They have clearly not changed.' Deep inside me, I was starting to agree with her.

"It's ok." I managed to say.

"My name is Lily." She introduced herself, taking the suitcase from Richard. "I will show you to your room." She turned around and started walking away. Before leaving, I thanked Richard. I quickly fell in steps with Lily as we walked through the familiar yet confusing hallways.

We stopped in front of a room. Turning the knob she opened it and entered. Keeping my suitcase in the middle of the room, she went ahead and pulled the curtains before opening the windows, letting light and fresh air enter the room.

At first sight, I knew it was not my old room. The room was bigger compared to my room at the school. On my right, a queen-sized bed was pressed against the wall with a nightstand on each side. On the far right corner of the wall, there was a door leading to the bathroom. Different pillows were arranged on the bed in different shades of beige and grey. To my left, there was a TV mounted on the wall and a small seating area with one chaise and two armchairs along with a coffee table in the middle on a big rug. A small fireplace was situated under the TV. On the other side of the TV, there was another door, leading to a walk-in closet. The most beautiful part of the room was definitely the small balcony opposite to where I was standing, enclosed by transparent floor-to-ceiling windows as it overlooked the gardens.

"Dinner will be ready at 8." Lily informed me as she started to leave but I stopped her.

"Where are my parents?"

"They are not here princess. They will be back tomorrow."

"Oh." I had nothing to say. "Okay." She nodded and left the room. Sighing, I rolled my suitcase to the walk-in closet and started unpacking and arranging my clothes to pass some time. I could not help but feel stupid. Evelyne was right- They most probably have not changed.

Firstly, they did not come to pick me up. Then, they did not inform anyone about my return. Lastly, they are not even here. It's not even been a day and their actions are proving me wrong. The thought of leaving occurred to me for a split second.

As appealing as that was, I would not leave. Not now at least. They called me here for a reason which certainly was not because they missed or anything judging by what they did and I would not leave without knowing why I was here.

Dismissing these thoughts, I changed into some more comfortable clothes- sweatpants and a hoodie. At 8, Lily came knocking on my door, informing me about dinner but instead of going to dine all alone in the dining room, I decided to eat in my room. Once I was done eating, I went to bed, dreading the next day when I would meet my family with the excitement and hope fading away with every passing second.

*The next day*

They were here.

This morning, when I had woken up, Lily had brought my breakfast to my room, informing me that I would meet my parents for dinner. To pass the time, I tried calling Evelyne but she would not pick up. I was starting to get worried about her but then I realised that she was one of the strongest persons. I met in my life and she was capable of taking care of her. The rest of the day passed by in a blur as I explored part of the castle under the scrutinizing gaze of the guards, nearly getting lost and missing lunch.

'You look gorgeous Lizzie.' Crescent complimented me as I applied the last touch of makeup.

"It is what I usually wear Crescent." I reminded her as I looked at the white sundress with beige flower patterns over it. A knock pulled me out of my trance. "Coming." I said, slipping on my wedges and taking my phone in my hand.

Opening the door, I was met with Lily waiting. "Princess you look beautiful. Your family is waiting for you in the dining hall."

"Thank you, Lily. Please call me Analise." I smiled at her, closing the door behind me.

"Bu-" I did not let her complete her sentence. "No ifs and buts because trust me I will convince you otherwise."

She gave me a small smile before guiding me to the dining hall. "They are already inside. Knock before you enter Analise." She informed me.

I gave her a nod as she continued down the hallways before disappearing at a corner. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself down. I was about to knock but retreated my hands.

'What happened?' Crescent asked

"Did they ever visit me in the past years?"

'No'

"Did they ever call me?

'Again, no'

"Ever since we got here, did they do anything relatively nice?"

'No Lizzie but why are you asking me this?'

"Since they did no such thing, should I follow their stupid rules?"

'Uhh no.'

"Great! No knocking then!" I said to her and took a deep breath, calming my nerves. Without knocking, I pushed the two doors open and entered the dining room where all several pairs of eyes landed on me.

Here goes nothing.