Chapter 3

• "Open this door right away, will you!"
• A bang on my bedroom door and the sound of the commanding voice from outside my room jerked me out from my sleep.
• I opened my eyes, initially confused about where I was at that moment. There was a loud banging going on in my head that seems like it was wiping my memory away. As I sat confused in bed, trying to recall what happened and where I was, the bang came again.
• gbiii! gbii!! gbii!!! gbiii!!! gbiii!!!
• "Naomi, open this door this minute or you will have me to contend with this night!"
• My mother's voice at the other end of the door brought me back to real life. And I sprang up from my bed, and out of my confused state, and ran to the door and opened it.
• "How dare you this ungrateful girl? How dare you leave the party when the party was not over yet?!" My mother yelled at me.
• My mother's way of expressing anger and disappointment at someone or something was by yelling, and my late father had taught me to always be quiet, and calm whenever my mother was in that mood; she would come around when nobody was counter yelling or exchanging words with her, my father had said.
• And so I kept quiet, just watching my mother shout and just prayed silently in my heart that she would just stop yelling for the sake of the banging that was still wreaking havoc in my head.
• "Now can you tell me why you disobeyed me, and the Alpha's order by leaving the party half way? Don't you want to get married?!" My mother asked, now a little bit calmer, but I could still hear the residual anger in her voice.
• "The party was not organized for me to get married, mom, it was solely for the daughters of the Alpha-King".
• "The party was for every female member of this family.”
• "Which I am not one of them mom, I am just an orphan to them all!" I said firmly, almost yelling at this point.
• "How dare you call yourself an orphan when I, your mother, is standing right before you? Have you lost your mind young lady?!" My mother said, with her eyes narrowed as she searched my face for to find the possible reason why I could use such word on myself.
• "One of the guests from the Night-Shade City called me that. In his words, the Alpha-King took me into his palace out of pity!" I said that last phrase with a loud voice, more like a yell, as tears streamed down my cheeks.
• I stormed off to my bed, and flung myself into the bed and sobbed.
• My mother was shocked, and for some seconds she stood frozen at that spot, and most likely wondered why someone could call me that.
• Slowly, she walked up to me on the bed crying, and with an arm, held me by the shoulder and strokes my back softly.
• "It's okay my baby, stop crying. You are not an orphan and you know it.”
• "But that is what they think of me, I was not supposed to be here in the first place.” I sobbed.
• "Nobody dares think such about you here Naomi, the Alpha loves you just the way he loves his daughters".
• "Even Lucas thinks so mom, the other day he told me there is a secret hanging over my existence in this palace. Don't you think that could be what he meant by that?" I asked, now fully turned and looking at my mother for a full explanation.
• Maybe there was an agreement between my mother and the Alpha before he could allow my mother bring me in to the palace as a member of the family, instead of a maidservant like every other captives becomes.
• Maybe my mother agreed with the Alpha, 9 years ago, that I be brought in in the guise of an orphan in need of a shelter, just so she can have me live close to her, and have the opportunity of raising me herself.
• Maybe there was indeed, a secret hanging over my existence in the Royal Palace of Alpha-King Magnus.
• *************************
• I was woken up by the noise I heard coming from the outside of my room window. I sat up in bed, and felt a wave of dizziness sweep round my head, and I decided to sit still for a while to let my head cool off before leaving the bed.
• I had slept last night with a heavy heart, and on an empty stomach. I can't tell for how long I had slept, but I could remember my mother left my room late last night, after very long hours of conversations and sobbing.
• My mother had tried to convince me not to take Lucas serious, and never to take any of his words to heart.
• "Alpha Magnus had taken you in nine years ago as his adopted daughter, and never as an orphan". She had said, comforting me and doing all she could to make me cheer up and accept our sudden stay as the members of the royal family as our fate.
• "Hey, wait for me. Give me the camera, I want to take a picture of myself too". A voice from outside the window brought me back from my thoughts of last night.
• I stood up from the bed, walked over to the window and looked out. Right under my bedroom window, downstairs at the ground-floor was Cleo and her other siblings; Kiara and Anita, playing round the beautifully designed car from yesterday.
• "Cleo, I envy you; I wish I was the one who got this car gift.” Anita said, she was always the outspoken one.
• "I do not envy her, because I know my own suitor is going to give me a much more beautiful and romantic gift than a car." That was Kiara, the beauty queen. She always carried herself like the most beautiful and the most desirable girl in the whole world.
• "Well, actions speak louder than words. My own wedding gift is here already and nobody can deny the fact that it is a beautiful gift. And as such, I am not going to allow any of you girls take pictures with my car again". Cleo said, and with that she runs away playfully while her sisters run after her joyfully, shouting happily.
• I smiled too, as though I was there with them on the grounds.
• I have always enjoyed the company of Cleo, Kiara and Anita ever since we were growing up together as sisters.
• We did everything in common, and shared everything together. There had never been a day any one of them had discriminated me nor treated me like I was not their sister.
• "What is your choice of a future husband?” Cleo had asked me one day while we were playing together.
• "Come on Cleo, we are just fifteen and shouldn't be dreaming of men at this age." I had replied as I shied away from that question.
• "Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen…" She had counted with her fingers and said.
• "In just three years we will be having our coming of age ceremony, and become eligible for marriage. Don't you think we should be prepared, and dream of our future husband so that the moon goddess can see how heart desires and grant them?"
• "Nobody assists the moon goddess in mating two people who are destined to be together in marriage. She is a supreme being and does not need the help of humans to operate, so let's change the topic". I had insisted.
• "Okay then, what other thing should we talk about? I am just in the mood to talk today.”
• As I recall all those memories, I couldn't help but smile.
• Maybe my mother was right, maybe I was destined to be here after all. Maybe I should just ignore and avoid Lucas for the rest of my life in this palace.
• Or maybe I should just pray that the next battle he would embark on should take his life.
• A knock came at the door, interrupting my wishes for Lucas.
• "Who is there?!"
• "Excuse me my princess, lunch is served". A maidservant's voice came from the other side of the door.
• "I will be there in a jiffy." I replied, and quickly pulled out a simple pair of jeans and a medium sized T-shirt from my wardrobe.
• Then I got dressed and left the room, closing the door gently behind me.