Chapter 101: Still In The Library
"She is gorgeous, right? Wait till you see her wife, you are going to melt to the ground," Sasha said. She had caught me staring, and honestly, she didn’t even have to try. I wasn’t the only one. Even though this was a quiet library, I could see other people around the room shifting their eyes, following the beautiful lady in the glasses as she walked past the rows of books.
"How is it possible she did not spot you first? You have been taking pictures since we arrived," I said. I was trying to deflect, hoping to stop the forever stares I was giving Kiara’s mom. It was getting embarrassing.
"Well, I am lucky," Sasha said with a shrug and a tiny, mischievous grin.
I checked the time and felt a surge of panic. Fuck it, I really need to get to work. If I was any later, Uncle PP was going to have my head. I swung my backpack over my shoulder and zipped it up, preparing to finally get out of there. Malo was already set to go, standing by the table and waiting for us to move.
"Come on, let’s go," I said, turning toward the exit.
But as I started to walk, my eyes stopped on one of the portrait paintings hanging on the wall. It was different from the others. The painting showed a massive, white furred wolf with eyes that were a sparkling, vibrant white. Everything about the creature was white like snow, standing out against the darker background. But the color wasn’t what actually made me stop and look in the first place. My breath caught in my throat when I saw the name printed on the little gold plaque underneath.
The Moon Wolf.
My heart did a weird heavy thud in my chest. That was exactly what Bruno had said back at the hotel when he was boiling my blood. I moved closer to the portrait, my feet moving on their own as I tried to take a proper look at it.
"Do you guys remember the kid, Bruno Cruz, saying these words?" I muttered.
Sasha and Malo moved up to stand right behind me, both of them staring at the portrait with the same confused look I probably had.
"This is a very uncanny wolf. I wonder how it will look in human form. The hair will be all white," Sasha muttered, leaning in to see the brushstrokes.
"Well, obviously, since our hair colors represent our fur color. Just like your purple hair," Malo muttered back at her.
"You know my hair is not originally purple, right?" Sasha said, sounding offended.
The two of them were at it again, talking back and forth at each other, bickering over hair dye and genetics. I tuned them out because my eyes stayed locked on the portrait. I had thought Bruno saying Bloody Moon Wolf was just some kind of weird chant or a random insult he’d made, but it turned out he was actually giving me a name. He knew something I didn’t.
I felt a strange pull toward the canvas, like I needed to know what it felt like. I was just about to reach out and touch the portrait when a hand clamped down on mine, stopping me mid air.
It was Mrs. Petro.
I jumped slightly. She was unexpectedly fast. I had seen her at the other end of the room just a second ago, and there was no way she should have been able to get to us that quickly.
"That is a very rare portrait, just like the wolf. No one is allowed to touch it," she said. Her voice was cold, and her grip on my wrist was firm.
I pulled my hand back and looked around the room, feeling a flare of heat in my cheeks. I looked at another person just a few feet away who was touching the frame of a different portrait. I wasn’t the only one who had been using a phone to take pictures earlier, and neither was Sasha. But she had only come for me. For some reason, I had felt her eyes on me since the moment we stepped into this library. It wasn’t just my imagination.
Why do I have a feeling she has beef with me? I don’t even know the lady.
"I was just admiring the white wolf. Nothing much," I said, trying to keep my voice steady even though my heart was racing. "Do you have something against me? Why do you see me as some nuisance?"
I had to ask. I knew if I walked out now without saying anything, I wouldn’t have any peace of mind. The way she was acting unfairly toward me was too obvious to ignore.
"I am just watching my library," she said, her expression like stone. I didn’t find her voice charming anymore.
"Watching your library or watching me? This girl beside me was taking pictures earlier and you didn’t act on that. That guy over there is touching that portrait and there is no action. Have I offended you or what?" I let it all out. The words just tumbled out of my mouth because it had to be said. I was tired of being singled out.
Mrs. Petro narrowed her eyes, and for a second, I thought she might actually kick me out right then and there.
"Yes, young lady, you want to know why? My little Bablu hasn’t been herself since you snatched the love of her life. And now she is being homeschooled because she couldn’t bear the breakup," the lady said, folding her arms across her chest.
The fuck? How is it my fault that Kiara....
"I never snatched anyone from anybody," I said, defending myself. My voice was rising, and a few people at the nearby tables looked up from their books.
"Really? Then what was the viral video all about? You seducing the Princess while she was intoxicated and getting pregnant. Is that not what you omegas do? Seducing alphas and then controlling them with pups."
My blood went cold, and then it started to boil. The words hit me like a slap to the face. Just like that, this woman entered my list of people I need to punch before I die. She didn’t know me, she didn’t know the truth, and she was standing there judging me based on some lie her daughter told.
"Wait, no one seduced anyone. Faye is innocent," Malo said, stepping forward.
"Maybe you should ask your little Bablu about the whole story. She is not as innocent as she seems," Sasha added, her voice sharp.
I appreciated the fact that they were jumping in to defend me. I had told them everything about Kiara being the one to upload the video and not Beam. It felt good to have people in my corner, but it didn’t take away the sting of what Mrs. Petro had just said.
"Mrs. Petro, I did not seduce Princess. We were both victims of Beam and Kiara. You should ask your daughter to tell you the whole truth. Just because I am an omega doesn’t mean I am a loose one," I said, my voice trembling with anger.
I swear to the moon goddess, when I lay my eyes on that stupid bitch Kiara again, I am going to punch her fucking guts out. She was letting her mother believe these disgusting lies about me while she played the victim at home.
"Come on, guys, let’s get out of here," I said, not wanting to spend another second in that building.
I turned my back on Mrs. Petro and headed for the doors. Malo and Sasha followed close behind me as we all left the library, the heavy doors swinging shut behind us.
