Reason(s) why I write: To escape reality. And because writing gets me to somewhere where I can do anything, be anything, and of course, my fantasies come true in some sort. My imagination blooms and I’m given more insights in life. Even if the fabricated events can never come true, lessons are told and we can avoid the same mistakes that the character creates. It enhances the wisdom of the writer/author and gives valuable guidance to the reader—it awakens them into whole new aspects in life.

WRITING ISN’T JUST A STORY, IT’S SUCCESS.

-Lovely Walter

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                                                                                (     <3        )
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Unofficially Yours

Chapter 5

Akira stared disbelievingly at the wolf in front of her. The guy who previously had the body of a human, now has a body of a wolf. Her mind jumbled for possible explanations, but nothing seemed to come out right. The clothes he wore a while ago were torn to shreds, leaving fragments of fabrics on the floor.

      A scream was threatening to escape from her throat, but she absolutely positively recognized that wolf in front of her. The marbled colors of his fur were strictly familiar. And she began swearing curses under her breath as memories of that night began flashing back inside her brain. Of course! That man and that wolf was one! How could she be so stupid? No. She isn’t stupid. There were just no possibilities that a man could shift between two forms.

      Akira didn’t know what to do. Whether she will run, scream, grab the nearest thing and throw to that wolf or . . . she ran out of options. The situation was so uncalled for, she found herself staring into space with wide eyes.

      That wolf didn’t seem to have any intention to hurt her. But she needed more answers—or know nothing at all and go back to her father in one piece. She was afraid that knowing more would give them more reason not to let her go.

      The wolf took a step closer and Akira took a step back. “Don’t even think of coming near me you savage beast.” she warned. The wolf stared at her with its sterling grey eyes, hurt crossing its expressions. Despite the urge to run out of the door, Akira stood her place and began taking deep breaths to calm her beating heart. “Okay, this is crazy.” No matter how much she wanted to believe, her mind kept rejecting the truth.

      She burst out laughing. “You got me . . .” she gasped. “Okay, you got me. You got me.” she laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. She then seized her fit of laughter and stared seriously at the wolf before her. “So, where are all the projectors here? They’re somewhere, right? You totally got some talent. Your effects are incredible!”

      No matter how she tried to make the situation laughable, the wolf remained still and didn’t budge from its position. “Oh, come on!” she threw her hands in the air in frustration and raked her hands through her long, brown hair. “You gotta be kidding me!”

      “You aren’t fainting? Crying? Yelling? Screaming?” A voice echoed in her mind. She yelped in surprise.

      She yelled, “What the f*ck is going on?! Please tell me I’m the only one going crazy!” she cried. “I must’ve bumped my head on a tree last night. I have to be dreaming.”

      “You are NOT going crazy, love. I know it’s a bit too overwhelming for you, but you asked for it. I planned in going easy but you’re too demanding.”

      “Asked for it?” she asked in incredulity. “I didn’t damn ask for anything!”

      The wolf trudged towards a wardrobe and pulled its doors open with its jaws. It grabbed some random boxers between its teeth, and hid behind the desk. Akira heard the snapping of bones and came upon the conclusion of him changing back to his human form.

      “Cara madre di Dio,” she muttered, spinning around wildly and turning her back against the scene. She placed both of her hands on her head and tried accepting the distressing, unbelievable matter inside her brain. “Wake up, Akira.” she told herself. Hoping to have herself awakened, she reached out to her left arm and pinched herself. Hard. “Oh, ouch.”

      “This isn’t a dream.” Adam told her calmly, closely watching. His chest was bear—for a moment—and it showed his sculpted figure. Akira noticed that he was putting a shirt on. Just the jerking of his arms made his muscles flex.

      And that was oh, so, very sexy.

      He pulled down his shirt and smirked. "I heard that." he said.

      Blood rushed to Akira's face. "I didn't say anything." she denied, crossing her arms stubbornly across her chest.

      "You didn't," he grinned. "You thought of it."

      "Now don't tell me you can read minds, too!" she clenched her fists on her sides as she glared threateningly at the man before her. He casually sat down on his leather seat, staring intently at the female before him.

      "Nope. I can only read my pack-members' minds, or my mate's." he answered.

      Akira took a deep breath and exhaled through her mouth. "Please, let me go. I swear I won't tell anyone, not even a fly about this."

      Adam's curiosity intensified. The way she reacted made it obvious that she doesn't know anything at all. It appears that her father kept everything about his kind a secret, and his real work. Her violet eyes were filled with hope. It almost broke his heart when he knew he couldn't do as she asks of him to.

      "I'm sorry." he sighed. "I can't let you go."

      "Okay, that is it!" she growled. "I don't give a damn about you werewolves. I already asked through the easiest way, and I'm sick and tired of people telling me what to do." she said through clenched teeth. Her breathing was starting to come heavy. "Well, sorry to inform you, buddy. But I'm not someone who would feel hopeless and wait in the corner until I'm told of what I'm supposed to do next. Keep in mind that I do things I want, when I want. You can never keep me here. Even if you keep me here, I will find a way out of this hell."

      Akira immediately reached for the door knob and walked out of his office. Adam felt angry and shocked at the same time. No one dared speak up to an alpha werewolf before. He was a bit proud, actually. The way his mate spoke up with courage, her words were coated with determination and certainty. He figured one thing—she wasn't going to follow any rules or anything he says. And that was what he was mostly worried about. If she goes against his plans, then everything will be put to ruins.

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As Akira slammed the door shut from his office, she felt her blood boiling inside her veins. The only thing that filled her mind was about escaping this . . . madness, and returning home safely. She doesn’t even know how she got into this trouble. But she was certain that this is the biggest mess that ever occurred in her life. The fact that some guy kidnapped her and began claiming that he was a werewolf and she was his freaking mate was something which a normal person could find believable. The worst thing about it was she believed him.

      Everything seemed all too real. Still, her mind refused to believe the irrational fact. But that isn’t her biggest problem. How was she going to escape from here when this mansion was like a maze? And include the fact that probably ninety-nine point nine percent of the population living in here is werewolves? She was starting to find herself helpless. Escaping would be an impossible mission.

      Nevertheless, she hoped it would be easier than escaping from a high-security imprisonment, right?

      “Akira!” she never realized she was walking to fast. Ann began having troubles catching up with her pace. “Could you please wait up?”

      “Ann,” she said, a bit surprised.

      “How’d it go?”

      Akira looked away, unable to find the right answer.  “I don’t want to talk about it.” she whispered.

      Ann reached out and comfortingly touched her arm. “You have no need to loathe them, really.” she told her. “They’re like humans . . . but not so humans. They have their own nature, their own ways. They’re just . . . unusual. And because they’re different, that doesn’t make them savage beasts.” she pointed out.

      Akira stared at her with cocked brows. “You don’t speak like a kid in your age.” she said. “Did you hear what happened?”

      “I don’t want to invade your privacy, really.” she raised her hands in front of her. Her forefingers quirked up in an instant, their tips colliding with each other. This gesture did not only show her embarrassment, but also her nervousness. She chuckled nervously, watching Akira with innocent eyes. But then sighed when she saw her efforts were futile. “I guess acting like you don’t know anything won’t work on you, huh?”

      “No.” Akira answered honestly.

      “Well, I was just across the door of the alpha’s office. So, I guess I heard . . . something,” she stared at Akira. “Or everything.” she grinned sheepishly.

      “Wait, wait.” she raised her palms up in a ‘halt’ gesture. “You said ‘them’ when you are referring to werewolves. Aren’t you one of them?”

      “What? Oh, um . . . actually,” she looked down at the floor. “Well, I always felt like it.” her voice lowered, seeming ashamed of the words she was currently stating.

      “What do you mean?”

      She stared up at Akira with her brown eyes. “I’m . . . I’m a hybrid.” she said.  

      “A hybrid?”

      Ann’s expressions changed and she looked up at Akira with a smile.  “Oh, don’t worry about it!” she said cheerily. “I’ve volunteered to help you out, actually. Just until you can navigate anyway around your own. “

      “Actually, Ann,” Akira smiled sweetly. “If you would be kind to show me around, I’ll be delighted.”

      Now, that face meant something’s running on her mind.

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Ann pointed on the door to their right. “That’s the door that leads to the kitchen!” she said, her voice pitched on a tourist guide-like tone. “Jamie’s one of the best chefs we’ve ever had actually. Do you want to stop by and get some ice cream for refreshment?”

      “Mm, comfort food. I guess I’m in need of that right now.” she said.

      “Of course, come on.” Ann grabbed her hand and dragged her into the kitchen.

      The heavenly aroma of a certain delicacy curled up under their noses. Akira’s primary instinct was to sniff and lick her lips. Her mouth watered and she stared to blindly follow the smell. She took a swift turn around the marbled counter and spotted a woman working on a frying pan filled with beef.

      “Oh, hello there deary.” her Italian accent rolled around the tone of her voice.

      “Penso che odorava di qualcosa . . . delizioso.” she stated in rich Italian.

      Despite of her constant dilemmas at school, Akira was actually a smart student. She only doesn’t take her studies seriously. She excelled in learning languages, especially French and Italian. Her last language teacher was actually her favorite, making her pay more attention to the lessons favorably. It was actually a great agitation to the teachers—that regardless of Akira’s continuous troublemaking, she still manages to get herself into the honor roll.

      The lady looked at her and laughed aloud. “Ooh, cara, finalmente!” she grabbed Akira into her arms and hugged her tight, still laughing. “Qualcuno può effettivamente parlare questa lingua.”

      “Non mi dica che nessuno può parlare italiano qui, oltre a te.”

      “No, nessuno, in realtà. Solo tu, indovinare. Ed è abbastanza solitario.”

      Ann stood awkwardly between the two girls, unknown of the next thing she’ll do. She can’t even understand a single word they were both saying.

      “Uh, Jamie, I was here to take Akira for an ice cream.”

      “Oh, così il tuo nome è Akira? Un bel nome per una fanciulla bella come te.”

      Akira smiled kindly at Jamie. “Grazie molte.”

      “Vi sono i benvenuti, deary.” Jamie then turned to Ann and smiled at her. “You have to excuse me, Ann.” she chuckled. “I’ve never spoken Italian much more than a sentence before. I was just . . . savoring the moment, if you would say.” she sighed. “Now, didn’t you two say that you wanted ice cream?”

      Ann beamed and clasped her hands together. “Yes, please.”

      “Well then, both of you have a seat!” she nudged both girls into stools in front of a marbled counter. Akira and Ann happily obliged. “I’ve just got to finish this up and I’ll give you girls the best ice creams you’ve had in your life.”

      Akira laughed. “We’re looking forward to that.” she said.

      “Just a minute, dears.” Jamie moved towards the stove and finished her ‘cooking stuff’ like Ann began discussing with Akira. Akira started a casual conversation with Ann as Jamie prepared a serving plate and placed her finished product on it.

       “Wow,” Akira stared at the plate with watering mouth. “What’s that?” she asked. Jamie started pouring a bowl of black sauce on top, making the meal look more appealing—especially with the heavenly smoke that curled from the food.

      “I don’t really know what it’s called.” Jamie answered. “But it’s red wine with black pepper sauce and fried beef. Although, it’s not really simple. I mixed some complimentary ingredients on the beef and the sauce while cooking. So that I can make it really tasty.”

      “Mind if I get a taste?”

      “No, not all. It’s a new dish that I cooked, so I’m going to need a lot of critiques.”

      Akira lifted herself from her seat and hurried over the dish placed on top of the counter. The kitchen was big and luxurious, so it was pretty much easy to move in. As she reached the spot where she was standing in front of the meal, her stomach growled. Jamie laughed behind her as she handed her a fork to use. Akira wasted no second thoughts and cut a piece of meat, shoving it straight to her mouth.

      As the piece landed on her tongue, the taste exploded in her mouth. She moaned in delight. “Mm, It’ll take a whole lot of will power not to eat this all.” she muttered. “This dish is spectacular. You’re a legend.”

      Jamie laughed. “Why grazie, Akira.”

      “Hey, don’t forget me!” Ann grabbed a fork and joined a long, rushing towards Akira’s side and slicing a piece of meat for herself. “This is amazing.” she mumbled through full mouth.

      “Okay, then. That will be the dinner I’m serving for tonight.” Jamie moved forward with two plates in hand. She placed an equal amount of the dish inside the two plates and placed it inside Ann and Akira’s hands. “There, there. I’ll be preparing more. And before I do so, you sit there and I’ll prepare your ice creams. You just eat. I’ll handle everything.”

      “Thank you so much, Jamie.”

      “You are very much welcome, Ann.”

      Akira took her plate and sat back down on her seat. She shifted on her stool and began digging in. Ann did the same, wolfing on her food like there was no tomorrow.

      “Here you, go ladies. Ice creams. Banana splits with three different scoops of ice cream, chocolate sauce, marshmallows, nuts, whip cream, and a cheery on top.” She slid two bowls of yummy-looking desserts in front of Ann and Akira, making both drool at the sight. Jamie chuckled at the girls’ expressions and took the empty plates away. Winking at them, she turned and placed the dishes on the sink.

      “This is heaven.” Ann gushed.

      “I second that.” Akira quipped. “Really, Jamie. You should consider serving the royal family of England or something.”

      “Been there. Been that.”

      “Really? Why didn’t you stay?”

      “As much as I wanted to, every wolf without a pack is a rogue. And even though I’m under the protection of the royal family, there is nothing I can do with wolves that hunts rogues down. And good or bad, there is no exception. So I joined this pack in favor of Alpha Adam. He saved me when I was being hunted down.”

      “How exactly did you get . . . hunted down?”

      “Oh, believe me it’s a long story.”

      “Ok. Anyways, what were you saying a while ago with you being a hybrid, Ann?” Akira dropped into a whole new topic. Ann shifted uncomfortably on her seat and swallowed a spoonful of banana and ice cream. She wiped a dribble on the corner of her mouth and prepared herself to answer the question.

      “Ann! I know you’re hiding her.” A voice echoed from outside the room. It was a feminine voice, full of demand.

      “Oh my goodness.” Ann said, suddenly looking frightened. “We should probably leave.” She jumped out of her seat and grabbed Akira’s wrist.

      “Why? Why is she looking for you?”

      “It’s not me she’s looking for. You.” she pointed out.

      “What?”

      “While you were inside the office with Alpha Adam, Jessica came to me asked me where you are. She must’ve received the news of you being the alpha’s mates . . . I’m not going to lie to you, Akira. Jessica’s interested with Alpha Adam ever since she joined in this pack. And with you getting in the way of her plans . . .”

      “Ann! Where are you! Show her to me, now!”

      “We-we have to go!” she tugged on Akira’s wrist and began pulling her to the opposite door.

      “No. She wants me, right? Then let’s get this over and done with.” Akira pulled her arms back and popped her knuckles.

      “No! I’m going to get in trouble with Alpha Adam if I let her hurt you!”

      “You’re not going to get in trouble, Ann. I’m going to. I’m actually a magnet to it.”

      The door suddenly burst open and a raven-haired girl walked in. Her nostrils continuously flared. Her eyes were sharp and turned into slits.

      “What is this again, Jessica? Please don’t bring chaos to my kitchen.”

      “Shut up, Italian b*tch.” she hissed.

      “Okay,” Jamie moved forward with a frying pan in hand. Her motives were clear. She was going to smack Jessica in the head with a pan. “What an ungrateful girl. You have no respect for the people older than you. Let me on her, let me on her!”

      She then turned back and looked at the two girls, standing behind her with surprised looks on their faces. “You aren’t stopping me?” she asked.

      “Why should we?” Ann asked.

      Jamie frowned and stomped back behind the counters.

      “You’re looking for me?” Akira haughtily stepped into the scene. If this girl was looking for a fight, then a fight will she get. Akira had already gotten herself into numerous troubles and she wouldn’t let a spoiled werewolf girl ruin her happy mood. Especially when the kitchen is the place where it looked like no trouble will come. But of course, trouble’s always after her. She’s gotten herself into many fights before, and she isn’t afraid to use her black-belt now.

      “You.” Jessica took steps forward. “You’re the reason why Adam isn’t interested in me.”

      “Oh, shut it.” Akira rolled her eyes. “I bet on my high-heeled stilettos that he isn’t even interested in you in the first place.”

      “How dare you!” her high-pitched remark rang. She lunged for Akira, but Akira swiftly dodged her attack. She stepped to the side and kicked Jessica on the rear, making her stumble forward and fall on the floor with a great thud.

      “I do.”

      Jessica rose from her fall and gave out an animalistic growl. “You’re gonna be sorry for that.”

      “Really? Or your ass is the one sorry?”

      “Now, I’ve had it.” she lurched forward and grabbed Akira’s shoulder. Using her immense strength, she mightily threw her across the room. Akira banged against the wall dividing the kitchen and the dining room, creating a great tremor. The objects inside the room clattered in their position. This scene caused a gasp to escape Ann and Jamie’s lips.

      Akira was glad no bone broke on her back, or she probably would’ve been in the hospital. Blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth. She stood from her position and wiped off the stain messing the side of her lips.

      Jessica stared at her with wide eyes. “Impossible. Not a human would’ve survived that blow.”

      “Think again.” Akira glared at her under her lashes, her violet eyes appeared to be glowing with anger. “I’m not your ordinary girl.”

      She dove forward and swung her foot. She used all her remaining strength and kicked Jessica’s face, causing her head to whip to the side. Blood escaped her mouth and splattered against the floor. Akira didn’t allow her to recover from the blow and punched her in the guts. Jessica yelped in surprise as she was forceful bent forward.

       Akira yanked her hair. “It’s time for you to learn your place!” She then kneed her in the chest and threw her towards the direction of the door. The hit was massive that it was forced open and the girl landed on the floor with a loud thud.

      “Bloody hell!” someone yelled.

      “Hey! No one’s allowed to fight inside the pack-house! You’re going to have to pay for the repairs!”

      Akira stepped out of the door and watched Jessica’s limp form on the ground. A crowd started gathering around her, people calling for the so-called pack-doctor for help. She spun around and looked at Ann and Jamie, they were frozen in shock.

      Her mind jumbled.

      Maybe this is the right time to escape. The trouble that just occurred will be a major distraction to everyone and no one will even notice her leave.  She headed straight for the door. Ann’s touring gave her directions and she immediately turned towards the arch leading out into the sitting room.

      People stared at her in alarm.

      Akira instantly made an excuse. “There’s trouble in the dining room!” she said.

      The people scampered from their places and ran straight to the direction where she came from. She gave out a small cry of victory as soon as the room was cleared.

      She continued on her tracks and pulled the front door open—the way to her escape.

      “I’m sorry, Ann.” she murmured. “I just don’t belong here.”

This is actually the longest chapter I wrote in history.