Abnormal Little Me (Completed)

Chapter 99: The Future Is in Front of You

Hey guys! I know it's been a while but the exams just took over everything else. I didn't even think that I would be able to post a chapter before Sunday (I have an exam on Saturday) but here it is. It's also a bit longer than usual although I don't think anyone will complain about that ;) Also worth mentioning, this is the last chapter with 2 digits. Have fun reading it!  Don't forget to vote and comment :) Love you all <3

As the Northern halls became clearer, my anxiety threatened to take away my consciousness. Almost on cue, Rilos took my hand, calming me on the spot.
"Why are you nervous, sweetheart? It's not the first time you've come back here, although I didn't really like the reason why you were here the last time."
"Last time, I wasn't in my right mind. I didn't have time to understand where I was or what this place meant for me. Now I am very aware of everything."
"Feel free to hold on to me as tightly as you want."
"Trying to show them who they messed with?"
"Oh, I'm not trying; I am succeeding. They know who you are and how much it will cost them to hurt you. Beside, I wouldn't have to be next to you. The way your dress is cut shows that for me."
My eyes fell on my shoulder, the now-familiar mark visible. The length of the sleeves did not hide the ones on my wrists but luckily, the hems reached just above my knees or else there would have been a lot more shown. I glared accusingly at him but Keeshee had puffed up in pride at them. He knew I wasn't mad. I couldn't be since he had a few displayed as well. Damn this shirt fitted him too well.
"And I don't like when you wear clothes that don't cover your legs. Well, that's not completely true. I don't like it when others see you like with them. We wouldn't have a lot of choice of clothing if we followed what the other wanted."
Oh, so my thoughts are clearer for you now? Let's see how you react to this. I remembered what we did minutes ago, making sure that he received those images.
"Lyra, stop this right now," he demanded with a strain in his voice.
"Now, now, Elun. Stay in your own mind if you can't control your reaction. Isn't it fun? Seeing the forbidden without being allowed to act upon it?"
Desire hit me so hard that my legs gave in under me. Rilos caressed the back of my hand with his thumb, an amused smile stretched on his lips.
"What are you doing to me?" I panted.
"Me? Merely reminding you that this link goes both ways and that images aren't the only thing we share." He crouched and brought my hand to his mouth. "It's more intense when we both feel the same, wouldn't you agree?" He leaned to my ear. "If I kissed you right now, do you think you would come undone for me?"
I wanted to protest, say that there was no way he could just by kissing me, but, under the present circumstances, I didn't know if that was true.
"Stop, Rilos," I pleaded.
"What's the magic word?"
"Please..." I whined.
He blushed and covered his mouth with his hand, turning his head away. I would have found it adorable if I wasn't trying to suppress what I felt. That backfired quickly.
"What backfired?" I inquired once the desire subsided.
"I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine but your response is just too... Irresistible. I got caught in my own trap."
"My King, not that I want to alarm you, but I had to restrain some of my wolves who smelled your soul-mate's... disposition and we're ready to come and offer their help."
"You know, Sivir, I long for the day you will find a nice wolf to settle down with so you will finally give us some slack."
"Love is sweeter when you don't rush it, Rilos. You should know that better than anyone else."
"You spend way too much time speaking with Zynelle."
"Maybe, but am I wrong?"
"No," he answered, fixing me with his warmth filled gaze. "You are absolutely right."
"Well, now that you've acknowledged it, may I ask you why you are here?"
"I want to talk to all of the wolves who were at the castle while Lyra was too."
"I don't mind, but most of the guards who were on duty during that time are in jail for what they did. I've replaced them, and all of the higher ranked, with people who were not involved in what happened. A few went missing before I was installed, but I've heard Lyra took care of them. Very impressive if you want my opinion. I'll order those who are not in jail to come through my web. Go to the throne room while I'm at it. You both know where it is anyway."
"Unfortunately," I sighed, getting up. "Did I make a mistake?" I wondered when we arrived. "It is not the way I remember."
"It's the right place. Sivir had the castle re-decorated. He thought it would help you move on. He didn't want you to not visit him because of the memories."
"That's really nice of him. What did he mean by 'web'?"
"Do you recall that time I taught you to block Mikyan?" I nodded. "The links that branched out from ours are what we call the web. They connect us to those who swore allegiance to us."
"Does this mean we are connected to every single werewolf on the planet?"
"Yes and no. Since it would be a lot of pressure, we only are to the Neutral wolves and to each kingdom's Alpha, who are connected to their population. We are linked through them and can call and make every wolf obey because of that."
"Why didn't you call the Northern wolves yourself then?"
"Because I want to see the terror and shame on their face once they realize what they were convoked for."
"Still holding a grudge, uh? Are you going to hurt them?"
"No. Those who needed to be punished have been. I'm just going to present you and warn them about trying to imitate those who attacked us."
The door opened and wolves of all ages came in and sat down. Rilos must have made us invisible because no one noticed us save for Sivir and Liore who winked at us. One of the guard was also staring at us. He could probably see through magic. I spotted a few familiar faces and winced upon seeing them, remembering what they did to me. Rilos intertwined our fingers, squeezing my hand gently.
"Hello, everyone." Every pair of eyes turned to us, surprise and apprehension reflected in them. "I did not come here to punish anyone, if you all behave that is. I'm here to officially present your Queen to you. If you swore to Sivir, you swore to her. Treat her with the respect that is due or there will be consequences. I know that all of you knew her while she lived here and that you might have had to do things to her either by peer pressure, Alpha command or for some other reasons. I am willing to forget about that, as long as what was done wasn't damaging, if you feel remorse and go out of your way so something like this never happens again."
"Now, I want all of the Betas and Omegas as well as every children under 16 to leave immediately." His Alpha voice left no room for protest. "For the Alphas who are still here, this is a warning. You all remember your previous second, Olran." He raised his arm, his hand gripping Olran's hair, dangling the head. "This is what he looks like now. The rest of him is lying in pieces in my castle. He, along with seven other men, attacked my soul-mate and I. Guess who survived and guess who was turned to minced meat. They died fast. I won't be able to say the same for the next ones who try. As soul-mates, we can't control ourself if our other half is attacked and we don't really care anyway. If you think that attacking Lyra while she's alone will get you somewhere, you might want to rethink that. She's the one who killed them all. We have a system in place for a reason, people. Use it if you don't want to end up like him. You are dismissed."
"I wouldn't want to go after you with what you just pulled off," I whispered.
"Me neither, but there will always be some who won't believe me or will do it anyway. I didn't mind that much before but now I have someone I want to protect even if she doesn't need me to."
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. A couple of people had stayed behind, some speaking with the guards, Sivir and Liore. A group was on the opposite side of the room, discussing in a low voice. Most of them were Mikyan's followers when he was still here. One left the group and walked to us, swaying her hips and batting her lashes to Rilos' attention. I would have laughed since I knew she had no chance with him, but my mind had suddenly gone into full-jealousy mode. I grabbed Rilos' hand, crossed them around my stomach and leaned against him. It took me all of my strength not to uncover my teeth and rip out her throat. The one concerned had not noticed what was going on, but he was happily sighing and rubbing his cheek on my hair. Adorable.
"Hello, Lyra. You seem better than the last time I saw you. Do you still like to share as much as you did in the past? Because I wouldn't mind having a piece of that."
"Illene, I don't recall allowing you to use my name. You always preferred to called me Rishka if my memories serves me right. You were the one who gave me that nickname in the first place. And I didn't like to share; YOU liked to steal from me. He's mine so back off."
If Rilos had been amused by my not-so-subtle possessiveness, he was now furious after learning who was behind the nickname he hated. Jinary tried to take over, ready to tear Illene apart. She must have sensed his rage because she turned pale and took a step back. Smart choice. Rilos' grin had become icy.
"Illene, I strongly advise you to go away if you do not want to end up in jail. I said that I would forget about past actions but I might just do an exception for you. Drill that in your head: I am Lyra's and I will never be tempted to look elsewhere. Tell it to your friends who might have the same idea."
She went away, furious. She had been used to everyone granting her what she wanted. This time was behind us. The guards cheered and Liore hid behind Sivir, muffling a laugh.
"Now, that's the kind of love I want," smiled the latter. "Do you want to stay for supper? My chef isn't as good as Balio, then again, no one is, but she does an amazing curry."
"What do you think, sweetheart?"
"I would be happy to. I've never been in the dinner hall before." Everyone stopped talking and stared at me. "What? Come on, the only places I was allowed to go were my rooms, this room, the library and the jail. I don't even know what the entire castle looks like."
"Lyra. They didn't know that. They weren't there. The dinner hall is the heart of the castle. Not being allowed in is like being pushed out of the pack. Being part of a pack is essential for our sanity. Nobody can survive alone."
"But now you have us," intervened one of the guard. "You're not alone anymore so you can come and eat with us. We want you to."
"Thank you. Said like this and I have no choice but to agree. With people like you, the Northern pack will be able to be as gentle as I imagine it once was."
"She's right. Cyrian's father was incredibly nice and so was the rest of his pack. Every kingdom has a part of their history they would like to be forgotten. Don't let what happened shape your future and strive to be what you want this kingdom to be."