When I heard the locker room door slam shut, I turned to Lily.
"How do you feel?" I asked.
She grabbed a towel from the shelf on the side wall and wiped her neck with it. Her hair clung to her face, slightly raised.
"It's better now. I thought he was going to knock me to the ground." She wiped her face and rubbed her shoulders. "I think there will be some bruises on my shoulder tomorrow. Don't forget that my whole body will hurt so much tomorrow."
I waved her over. "Let's put some ice cubes on your shoulders. You did a good job. Keep doing this and you will soon become a Legionnaire."
She rolled her eyes. "Are they all like him? Damn. Some of your friends."
"Jason is a bit rude, but he is a loyal and brave friend. He always supports me."
She nodded, her eyes quickly fell to the ground, her lips frowned slightly.
"I have never had such a friend. I thought I knew, but..." She shrugged. "Oh, okay, right? I can't trust anyone." She walked to the women's locker room quietly, without saying a word.
"Wait. Why? What do you mean?"
When she stopped, I ran towards her and she still looked depressed.
"Look, it's nothing."
"Lily," I reached out and touched her shoulder, she frowned, and I pulled my hand out. "sorry."
"It's okay." She sighed and looked at me. "Do you know why I was banished?"
I nodded, but I still want to hear her opinion on this matter. "As the news says, not a lot. The royal family usually let this kind of news go away soon."
She rubbed her own hair with her hand, and pulled her fluffy hair back, looking even more depressed. I can see that she has something to say.
"Well, that's because... I lost my ** amulet. Just like yours." She picked up the pendant that was still hanging around her neck. "But it has only one rune and more topaz gems on the back."
This piqued my interest, but I didn't want her to notice.
"Do you know where you lost it?" I asked softly.
"I... I didn't actually lose it." She stammered and jumped from one foot to the other, fiddling with the corners of her shirt from time to time. "It was stolen from me."
"You know who got it, right?" I already know the answer. She is a terrible liar. Her guilt was revealed on her face like a billboard.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Then why don't you bring it back? If you find it, you may return to your original position."
She shook her head, her shoulders drooping. "My best friend Elise took it. I can't let anyone hunt her. I have to tell the committee that it was stolen. I don't know who stole it."
"But she did steal it. Why are you defending a so-called friend?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I can't let her be chased like that. I have seen how they treat traitors. I can't let her be thrown into the wolves. I can't just watch the person I love die because of my stupidity."
"But you would rather be banished and die there? Do you think this is right?" I walked to the dressing room angrily. Would she let her friend steal the attentive amulet? My amulet? What kind of person will let such a person get away with it? Because of her carelessness, my life is in danger.
I stopped and realized that she didn't know it was her lost amulet. "You know, wolves usually cannot survive without amulets. I mean, those who have these symptoms. They just become too weak to protect themselves."
"Yes." Her voice came out quietly, as if holding back tears.
If I look at her now, I will ask her to forgive my rough voice. I usually don't give in for anyone. That is, until now. I risked a peek at her, and my heart was breaking. "We will find her."
She blinked, and the salty sweat and tears made her eyes sting, and nodded at me. "I know." She stared up at me, her eyes gleaming. "You will help me, right?"
Even if I want to say no, now I can't refuse her. She looked at me like that.
Damn it.
"Yes. Of course. I'll help you."
Lily studied me for a while, and then gave me a smile that could suck my soul and never let it go. There is no denying that she has a subtle power that can disturb anyone who talks to her. I'm pretty sure she is used to it. Even then, I was convinced that she was more vulnerable than she admitted.
I am a fragile vampire.
"You can't hide it from me. We are partners, remember?" I lowered my voice, because I knew the wall had ears, even in our bedroom.
Jill sighed long as he tore off his boots. The silence that followed angered me even more. Our ceremony went very fast, nothing special. Usually, the wedding is a large and luxurious ceremony, we will have a real celebration, once I set it up, but on the eve of burying our leader, the ceremony has been abridged.
couple? In any case, I feel that I am not an equal person. In fact, after yesterday’s humiliating announcement and the subsequent funeral, I didn’t have time to surround Jill without telling me that his father had passed away. This is unacceptable, and if I let it pass, I will be cursed.
"From now on, my husband must tell me everything. Did you hear that? We are no longer children, we are rulers. Both of us."
"I see." Jill sat up, staring at the wall intently, with his back to me. "Sorry, I didn't tell you. If I knew you were going crazy about it, I would rush to tell you that my father is dead. I thought you could hear it as quickly as everyone else."
"You can't expect me to discover the truth when everyone knows it. It's not like this. You tell me these things first. It's not the second, not the third, and it's not the masses. First of all. It has always been."
I hate the job that sounds like my mother, who is now the Queen Mother, because Jill’s own mother is not up to the task. She is no longer there, and I know that my mother is going through her own ordeal. Her position keeps everything in the castle in order. Mainly to help me solve the problem.
The only person who can't help me is Liliana. If she hadn't been expelled for losing the fanatical amulet, and subsequently lost another artwork, then she would be my right-hand man. If her source of power falls into the wrong hands, that stupid girl may die. When I was still angry for my new husband, she was the only one I could think of now.
"Jill?"
"Okay! I told you. I won't do this again. You will always be the first to know everything!" Jill's voice returned in the room, I was afraid that someone would hear our quarrel .
"Be quiet," I hissed. I raised my hands in the air. It's no use arguing now. It's all over, the past cannot be undone. I know this better than anyone else.
"I'm sorry, Rafaela. Really... I am." Jill is facing me now, and I collapsed on the ground. Even though I won, I was defeated.
"All right."
Slowly peel off the clothes, we are ready to go to bed. I put on a tight-fitting tank top and let the cool silky fabric calm me down. I have been exhausted in the past few days, unbelievably exhausted. My fighting spirit was extinguished, and I don't want to be angry on the wedding night.
"Tomorrow, everything will be different," I said to myself more than Jill.
Jill turned to me, moved to the fuck, and pulled me into his arms.
"Hey, it will be okay. You will understand. No one can manage this team like we do. You know, right? I'm by your side, you're by my side. We'll keep going."
"I know. It's just... Lily went crazy after walking here. We have enemies in and out of the group. There are too many things to lose. I need her. She is my sister."
"It's okay. I support you. Lily is a strong girl. If anyone can succeed in Orland, it is her. You know."
"Can't we forgive her?" I sat up, begging with my eyes.
Jill closed his lips tightly and frowned slightly.
"If I can, I will. You know. No matter what we want, the elders won't allow it."
I shrugged, slid back to ***, and turned around. He is right, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. "Sometimes I hope we are not members of the royal family. The burden on our shoulders feels like the value of the ocean that floods us. It's impossible, isn't it? What if she can get the amulet back?"
"Of course, one step at a time."
I leaned back and nestled in his arms. Anyway, he made me feel safe and loved. These are the reasons why he keeps coming back for more. We are partners, better than ever, we must be united. especially me.
"Raphaela?"
"What's the matter?" I turned my head and stared into Jill's eyes. They always fascinate me. Even when I think I can't learn more about him, he always shows me something new. I am eager to be immersed in it and forget all the things that went wrong.
"The amulet stolen from Lily... we must find it."
"I know. I already have a team investigating this."
"No. I mean, this is the second one stolen from wolves in the past ten years. You know what it means if someone uses it against us, right?"
I frowned and sat up, thinking about the question he just asked.
"Yes. If others use this amulet against them, they will die. But the owner of the last stolen amulet is dead."
"Yes, they didn't use it against its owner, but Lily is still vulnerable."
"We shouldn't expel her."
"I have no choice. The person who stole it from her is related to my father's death. The elders created me." (to be continued) (end of this chapter)