History repeats itself,I think to myself as the crowd breaks out in hushed voices and angry stares.
I remember my father speaking out impulsively against my grandmother during one of these family meetings. My sisters and I were still kids then, but we were permitted to participate in these meetings and meet with other pack members.
I can still see how he was dragged out of the room, how I followed him out into the courtyard, where he was whipped for his insolence. How my cries were unanswered, how my sisters begged our grandmother, how our own mother sneered at the image of my father in pain and afraid.
I remember now why I stopped attending these meetings in the first place. “Your Highness, I don’t mean to be rude but—”
“But you were. How dare you question my place in the pack? My crown? My duty?” I feel my voice rise a couple of octaves in anger. “Have you forgotten who I am? Have you forgotten who YOU are? Where your place is in this pack?” I look at the man straight in his eyes. He immediately puts his head down. I’m not entirely sure why I’m so angry at this point, when all I’ve ever wanted is to leave this hell house in the first place. But the way this man questioned my authority, the way people looked at me in disappointment, and the way my sisters held both of my hands in support made me feel a little overwhelmed.I also can’t afford to lose even more of the trust people have in me, no matter how little that may be. I need them if I’m going to help Gregory.“Wait. Still, I can understand where you’re all coming from,” I say after calming myself down a bit.
“What would you suggest we do? Who do you want as an alternative if not Isabela?” my grandmother asks the man.
“We want her Highness Katarina, Queen Mother.” A collective gasp leaves everyone’s throat, including mine. I glance at my sister who squeezes my hand. She seems unfazed but I feel her palms start to sweat.
Just then, another sentinel stands in solidarity with the man. “Princess Katarina has shown exceptional skill as a leader and as a guardian. Even as a child she has managed to outshine both Princess Katya and Princess Isabela in their studies, and she shines even more now as an adult. All of them here agree,” she states while gesturing at the crowd, “whether they voice it out or not, that Princess Katarina is who we all need, the one who can lead us to victory should there be a need for it.” The room falls silent.
“We don’t mean to diminish Princess Isabela as the heir to the power of the crown, but we cannot dismiss the leadership potential of Princess Katarina and what it means to the future of this family,” she finishes her statement with a bow. My grandmother has an unreadable expression on her face, appearing almost catatonic.
“Isabela, do you have anything you want to say?” she asks pointedly.
“I have made mistakes in the past brought on by my own refusal to see things and do things the way you want me to, and for that, I do apologize.” I bow my head and continue talking after a beat of silence. “But I am the rightful heir to the crown and the chosen one to lead this family. Allow me to earn your respect and your trust. Let me show you what I can do and the lengths that I will go through,” I inhale sharply, “to protect this family.”That’s a lie. But why did it feel right to declare to the crowd that I’m unafraid to prove who I am and what I’m capable of?Snap out of it, Isabela. “I’ll take care of the new Omegas.”
“A royal-born, taking on the responsibility of training the weakest links?” someone shouts but I ignore it.
“I’m aware that we have no more room for Omegas in the estate, but we cannot kick them out just like that. They’ll get killed if other packs find out that they came from this family.” I let go of my sisters’ hands and stare at my grandmother. “If I succeed in finding places for them in this family, I will continue to be the chosen one and the future leader of this pack. If I fail,” I sigh and look at Katarina, “I will personally endorse my sister as the future matriarch of the Raging Demons pack.”
I glance at the faces of the Omegas in the corner. They seem scared and upset at the turn of events. People are leering in their general direction, but I hold all of their gazes.
“Fine, I like that idea, Isabela.” My grandmother smiles menacingly at me. “Let’s settle it at that, then, and revisit this topic once again in the near future.”
The meeting passes by in a blur after that.
“I feel like I’ve just declared war on half of my family,” I tell Eliza once we’re back in my room. She’s brushing my hair soothingly and laughs at my whining. “Eliza, I’m serious. I don’t know what came over me today, I felt like a child,” I cry out.
“In many ways, you still are, Mistress.” She chuckles.
“Stop, you’re not helping.” I pout.
She puts down the hair brush and takes out a piece of old parchment from her sleeves. “I found something that may cheer you up.” She hands it to me and I unfold the delicate material on top of my dresser. “I was cleaning the upstairs master bedroom earlier and saw this slipped in between a pile of old paintings.”
Staring closely at the paper, I realize that I’m looking at blueprints of the whole estate. But not just ordinary blueprints. There are several highlighted rooms on the parchment paper, some of them have folded papers attached in areas, and some are blacked out.
“Holy hell, Eliza! These rooms,” I say, pointing at the blacked-out ones, “are ones enveloped in dark magic.”
She smiles at me and nods. “Yes, Mistress. I remember those silly little ‘adventure’ games we used to play.”
“Remember when we played scavenger hunt for a whole day and grandmother almost had us whipped because we were missing?” I laugh at the memory. “This is great! I can’t believe you found—” A sudden thought interrupts my nostalgia. “Eliza, I can come look for Gregory’s father with this!” I gasp.
She pauses. “If you were your grandmother, where would you hide your captives?” she asks me as I study the blueprints closely. I feel the adrenaline pump through my veins as I stand and pull Eliza outside.
“Come on!” I say and jog through the dimly lit estate.
“Where are we going? It’s almost two a.m.,” she whispers.
“Shh! Just follow me,” I instruct her and continue down the stairs and travel all the way to the western wing of the estate. Grandmother’s room is located at the center of the western wing, and she doesn’t share this part of the estate with anyone.
“If your grandmother sees us here, we’ll both be in trouble,” she pleads with me. Finally, we reach the end of the west wing, where a lone bookcase stands. “It’s a dead end,” Eliza states and starts pulling me back.
“No. Come look at this.” I point at the paper in my hands. “It’s a room, shrouded in dark magic.”