CHAPTER 8

Analise's POV

The room was big for a dining room just for the royal family. I still remember that the castle had several dining rooms. One just for the royal family, another one for when other kings and queens came and lastly one for big feasts.

Even if the castle looked the same from its exterior, the interiors had changed. The once dull, brown walls of the dining room were now painted white with beige borders and beautiful golden designs carved giving it a more modern look.

On the opposite side of where I stood, there were two big arc windows with curtains secured to the side, allowing the moonlight to enter the room. Between the two windows, there was a fairly big fireplace. On the mantel, stood several candleholders with lit candles. Behind the candles, the family sword was displayed in all its glory as it has been for the past years. Higher on the wall hung a portrait of my family, making a wave of sadness rush over me.

On the left side of the room, there were two doors which I would be guessing lead to the kitchen or other hallways to get here. The right side of the room was void of any decoration except for an ancient grandfather clock.

In the middle of the room, there was a table with around 10 chairs arranged around it, all perfectly spaced with two at the head of the table and the remaining evenly spread at the side. Food was yet to be served as only cutleries were placed on the table along with a few small flower decorations in the middle, on a long table runner with a few candle holders. On top of the table hung three chandeliers, the middle one bigger than the ones at its sides.

I diverted my gaze from the decorations only to be met with several pairs of eyes -my family- staring back at me. Different emotions- shock, anger, loathing, hatred and even disgust- swirled in their eyes which they did not even try to hide from me. At that moment, I did not know what to do but I did know that things were not what I had been hoping for.

At the head of the table, sat my father. On his left sat my grandmother who I was shocked to see, followed by my mother. On his right, sat Rayan followed by an unknown girl but I was guessing she was his mate and lastly, Rayna.

Seeing them all sitting as one happy family, I could not help but feel like I was intruding. My father still looked like he did all those ago with the same blue eyes, black hair and sharp features except for a few more wrinkles. As for my mother and grandmother, they looked even more gorgeous than they were. The people who did change were my sister and brother.

Rayan was no longer the short, meek boy. He was grown with a well-built body and his brown hair which he inherited from my mother was perfectly styled with not a single strand out of place. His face was no longer chubby and his hazel eyes were now of a darker brown.

Rayna was no different. She grew up to become a beautiful woman. Unlike my brother, she had inherited my father's black hair but my mother's hazel eyes. However, her hair was now dyed auburn with a few blonde highlights and her eyes had turned a bit darker too. Sitting there with the perfect posture and etiquette, she looked like the perfect princess unlike me.

The unknown girl was pretty too with her ash blonde hair, emerald eyes and soft facial features.

None acknowledged my presence except for my father who just nodded at me and motioned to the empty seat which was next to Rayna. I felt like I could throw up at any moment. This whole situation was frustrating to me.

As I sat down, I could feel Rayna glaring daggers at me but I decided it would best to ignore her. My mother who sat on the opposite side, looked at me up and down, taking in my appearance. Ignoring her, my eyes met that of my grandmother and all of a sudden I felt guilty but a gentle smile from her made me a bit at ease.

'At least someone who has a bit of manners in this room' Crescent commented

Nobody spoke as the doors leading to the kitchen opened and maids entered the room, bringing in dinner. Once it was served, they retreated to the kitchen except for two who stood by the door in case we needed anything. Despite the feast on my plate, I had completely lost my appetite. While food could always lift my mood, it did nothing.

Everybody started eating. Not knowing what to do, I took my fork and just played with the food on my plate. The sound of cutlery clashing against the plates was interrupted as Rayna started talking to father about things I had no clue about. Soon the others joined in too, chatting, laughing and joking around. With each passing second, the food on my plate turned into a disaster -a mush of meat, potatoes, peas, rice- after the constant stabbing of my fork. They completely cast me aside. They acted like I was not even present in the room.

I felt like I was in a museum and I was the art piece consisting of a single stroke of paint that people ignored to view the more complicated and bright work.

But, I was not letting that happen.

Bored of their small talk, I dropped my fork on my plate with a cling sound. Everybody stopped talking and all their attention shifted on me. Despite the nervousness and slight fear I was feeling, I cleared my throat and leaned back in my chair.

"Now that I have your attention, may I know why you called me here," Not being able to stop myself, I added, "King Gabriel?" I was just as shocked as he was upon hearing what I said but it was too late to take it back. I just raised an eyebrow at him, praying I did not look nervous,

Before he could answer, my mother intervened. "Have you forgotten your manners? What would people say if they heard you talking to your father like that."

Her words took me back to when I was five, freshly learning about etiquette from her.

A princess should not sit like that

A princess should not eat like that.

A princess should walk like this

A princess should dress like this

A princess should do this and the list was endless.

"They would probably say that I had a death wish talking to him like that." I pretended to be in deep thought. "That's all because they do not even know who I am." I motioned to one of the maids who stood near the door, listening to the conversation. "Right?" She just bowed her head, confirming my words. "How would they? I mean it's not like my parents cared to tell anyone that I was coming back." I said, not even trying to hide the distaste from my tone.

"It's not like your arrival is a great thing." Rayna muttered beside me.

"Did anyone ask for your opinion sister?" I glared at her and was surprised to see her quiet. Something about her reaction made me smirk.

"Mother, you were talking about manners but it looks like you forgot to teach her first. 'Don't speak unless spoken to'. Princess Etiquette rule 15 if I am not wrong. Right mother?" I quoted the words of when she taught me etiquette. I heard someone let out a small chuckle but ignored it.

"I know what I should teach my daughter." My mother said, glaring at me but I just brushed her off.

"Don't think that by wearing new clothes, make-up and twisting words you will become more powerful. Deep inside you will still be the same weak girl, always living in my shadow." Her tone was full of hatred.

'Remember who you are Lizzie' Crescent encouraged me and Rayna's words did not hurt as much as I thought they would.

"You are right, it will not make me powerful," I started "Because I am already powerful." The image of Crescent and my magic was in my mind.

Instead of replying to me, she turned towards our father, a helpless look on her face. My father's face contorted in one of anger before he spoke. "Watch how you talk to my family girl." I scoffed at his comments, not believing my ears while Rayna smirked at me.

"Family." I muttered under my breath, chuckling darkly to myself as they all stared at me. "Well, why did you call me back then because it looks like I am not welcomed here and that I am intruding your family moment."

"You have turned into a spoilt princess." Rayan spoke up, shaking his head.

"Spoilt?" I said in disbelief. "Can you tell me who was with me to spoil me all these years?" He remained quiet. "Mom? Dad? Grandmother? Wait, they were not with me all this time." I said, the hatred in my voice becoming stronger. "Or that nanny you gave me, huh?" I scoffed. "My teachers?" None of them spoke, knowing very well I was telling the truth. "And please, don't start throwing that stupid princess tile at me.

"You are the princess. You might as well behave as one." My father glared

"You can't be serious." I laughed. "You just told me that I am spoilt, mannerless, disrespectful. Are those the new qualities of a princess?"

"You are so ungrateful." My mom said.

"Of what?" I glared at her. "Your non-existent love and care? The old clothes and toys you gave me? Or should I be grateful that you sent me away?"

"You are crossing your limits, Analise!" Rayna exclaimed.

"Fuck off!" I said, shocking myself and the others in the room. I had no idea where I got the courage to speak to them like that but I had no remorse for what I was saying. It was nothing compared to what I endured.

"Talk to him with respect! He is your future king." The mysterious girl spoke.

'Another girl needing etiquette class' Crescent snickered

"Who are you again?" I asked nonchalantly.

"She is my mate and you better speak to her with respect. She is your future queen." Rayan defended his mate.

"Future queen. She is not queen yet!" I reminded him.

"Besides, what will you do, future king?" I challenged him, stressing on the last part. I could already feel the agitation of his wolf as his authority got questioned. "Going to send me away again?"

"Enough!" My father shouted, standing up and slamming his hand on the table, shocking everyone. Just like Rayan, his wolf was agitated as everybody submitted to him, bowing their head as they felt his powerful aura in the room but I did not. Somehow, his authority did not work on me as I kept my head high, staring right at him. If he was shocked, he did not show it.

"Enough of your disrespectful behavior now! It's good that you do not want to be called the princess because you don't deserve that title. Your sister is right. You might have changed but you will still be that weak, useless girl from all those years ago." He said as if it was nothing.

"Gabriel!" Grandmother shouted at him but he ignored her.

"You were never part of this family and will never be one. It would be better if you were not born." He spat, smirking at me, an evil glint in his eyes as he relished seeing me break.

'You are strong Lizzie. You saw it' Crescent reminded me.

"I don't want to be part of your family" I nearly shouted as I stood up, making my chair fall with a loud thud. Everybody else stood up and my father's eyes were already starting to glow. "You want me gone? Great! I want to leave this fucked up place too!" I exclaimed, not giving him a chance to say anything. "Just tell me why you called me here because I know very well it was not a damn family reunion."

"You-" My father was about to speak but grandmother beat him to it. "Analise, why don't you go rest? This dinner is clearly not going as expected." She said in a surprisingly gentle voice, looking at me proudly. "We will speak about this tomorrow."

Shaking my head, I stormed out of the room and went back to my room, ignoring the stairs of the guards. I rushed to my room, keeping my emotions at bay. I masked the pain with a cold expression hoping I did not look as shaken as I was on the inside.

As soon as I got in my room, I slammed the door shut, releasing a little of my frustration. I did not find the strength to walk to my bed as I slumped on the floor, leaning against the door. In a matter of seconds, I broke into tears, all their words replaying in my head like a broken record.

How could they? How could someone treat their own daughter, their own blood like this? A family was supposed to be there to love you, cherish you, support you, take care of you, fight for you and protect you from the horrors of the world but what if the family is the horrors of my world? What if they neglect you, hate you, break you and abandon you? Then what?

'Lizzie calm down'

Nothing seemed to calm me down as I hugged my knees closer to me. I did not bother holding back my sobs. Crescent tried her best to comfort me but I just could not. It was too much to take at once. After being in the same position for an hour, I finally got enough courage to get up. I cringed as I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

A broken version of me stared back at me. I saw the reflection of the little girl but this time, the hope was gone and her eyes were dull. My eyes were red and my cheeks flushed with tears. Sighing, I washed my face before changing into some sleepwear.

As I lay on the bed, I could not help but think about their words. I was stupid for thinking they could change. How foolish of me to think that I would get a happy family. I almost wanted to laugh at how dumb I was. Maybe they were right- I was weak.

'Analise shut up!' Crescent said. 'I am your wolf and I am not going to just let you drown in self-pity. If you don't believe in yourself, how do you expect others to do so? Are you seriously going to let their words get to you? The same people who neglected you all these years? They know nothing about you, about what you went through in life while they were here living their best life.' For the first time, Crescent was so angry and she used my full name. 'You are saying that you are weak. That implied that I am also weak and I am not letting anyone call me weak. Not even you. You saw what we are. We are not weak. You are not weak. You are strong and powerful. Don't let them drag you down. Know your worth!'

"Crescent" I replied, feeling guilty. "I did not mean to say you are weak. I am sorry" I sighed as I contemplated her words. "I promise I won't let them tear me down anymore. You are right. I am powerful and it's not only because I have you with me but because of what I went through. Everything I am today is because of my own work. They did nothing and they don't have the right to question me. All this time, I have been on my own and I survived. I will get through this. Besides, I have you and Evelyne with me and Malcom too. Only you three matter to me. Nobody else. I will be strong. Not for me but for both of us. I will not fail you."

'That's my girl! They won't even know what hit them' I chuckled at her.

"Goodnight Crescent. I love you" I said

'Love you too.' She said as she retreated.

Despite being exhausted, I could not sleep. I knew it would never be the same anymore. The little hope that was left was now gone, leaving behind it a void and cold place. Today they crossed the line.

The old me was gone. They killed her through their words and actions. Deep inside I knew I would get through this. I would finally put them in their place once and for all. I will make them regret all of their actions. They brought this on themselves. That was a promise from the new me.

"Don't forget that you are a fighter Analise and you can do so much more than you know." Malcom's voice played in my head.

"You are not alone Ana. I will always be with you. Don't let their words affect you anymore. This is your life. Their opinions don't matter." Evelyne's words floated around in my head

I am a fighter.

I am not alone.

I am strong.

I am powerful.

They might not have changed but I certainly will.