Nineteen

Nineteen
Carmilla POV

I slowly opened my eyes and the morning sun fell on my still-sleepy face. I wondered how long I had been asleep, slowly sat up and yawned. I’m not not a morning person, I stared into space for a while before I noticed the box on the floor. A small note was attached to the box. I picked it up and read the note.

“Good morning Princess. I would be gone before you wake up. Check out the dress in the box, it would look nice on you for your big day. Love, Roland” it read.

I opened the box and I was faced with the bridal dress I had seen a few days ago. It had the complete accessory. I ran my hand over the dress and smiled. I removed it from the box and admired the long white gown. He would have heard about the dress from Lila, I knew something was up when Lila insisted I wear bridal dresses. I lazily stood up from the bed and went to the bathroom.

After bathing, I went downstairs for a late breakfast. The house was quiet so I guessed Lila and Lucy were not around. I returned to the room, and each time I saw the dress I got this high level of excitement. It’s been days since I heard from my father which was unusual for him to do. I dialled his number and waited for him to pick me up.

“ My Princess,” he said as soon as he picked up the call.

“ Dad! How are you?” I asked.

“I’m good. You sound fine. You are good right?” he said.

‘Yes, I am. Roland asked me to be his Luna” I said excitedly.

“Oh, that’s great news,” he said, sounding less surprised than I thought he would be.

“You knew about it?” I asked, judging by the tone of his voice

“Papa.. you knew and you didn’t tell me. Why??” I can not believe that he would know about the wedding and still not let me know about it. I’m his only daughter for God’s sake. I humped angrily.

“Roland had asked me to keep this a secret from you, my love. I’m sorry princess you know I would never keep a secret from you willingly.”

“hmmmppphhh. Since when did you know about the wedding Dad? I just found out not too long ago, but you already knew for quite a while. That is not just fair”

I should have known that Roland would not have made all these plans on his own. He must have had lots of help, Lila had helped him with dresses, Dad kept his secret, and who else knew about the wedding.

“It was not intentional sweetie, Roland had just come to seek permission to wed you and have a ceremony. He’s already your mate and we all know it, keeping this secret about the ceremony was just…. You know. …”

I smiled at how Dad kept taking Roland’s back. It’s so nice to know that he’s approved of our ceremony. I am so excited about the big day when it’ll finally be announced before the entire clan that I AM HIS LUNA.

KDad and I talked about lots of things and he kept telling me how proud he was of the woman I was becoming, proud of my strengths so far and how he’s blessed to have me as a daughter. I got teary at some point and laughed hard at some point.

We had talked and laughed and shared memories of old and it was time for him to go back home.

“Ohh lest I forget, Ashley is back. She came back two days ago from her training in the United States She kept asking about you when she returned and wanted to follow me here, but she had loads of things to do. So give her a call okay?”.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Ashley was back ???... Oh My Goddess. I cried a whole lot of tears when I found out she had to go for Pack training in another state just because she wanted to become a state pack warrior.

And now she’s back. I thanked Father for staying with me for so long. After he had left, I raced up to my room and went ahead to go and make that phone call.

Riiiinnnnnngggggg. Riiiiiinnnnnngggggggg.

It rang once, it rang twice .. my heart held its pace inside my chest as I waited for her to pick up the call.

“Hello”. She had picked. The voice I had missed for many years .. “Hello? Is anyone there?. Who is this?”

“Ash!?”.

“Camiii!! Oh my goodness… Carmilla how are you?” she said. “I’ve missed you so much. How are you doing, it’s been so long, how come you never left messages for me when I travelled”

“I’ve you too Ashley, I’ve missed you so much. I’m sorry I never sent messages, it’s been a hassle handling everything going on while I was still at home and even now that I’m with the blue orchid pack.”

“Wait… what???... You’re in blue orchid now??.. How come? OH MY GOD!!”. “You found your mate!? Who is it??”

“Calm down Ash. Yes, I found a mate. Dad didn’t tell you??. I’m mated to Roland Millian and we’ll even be having my coronation ceremony very soon. I thought Dad would have told you all about that.”

“Wooooowwwww. That’s amazing Cami.. You’re mated to the ALPHA of the strongest pack in the region that’s amazing. I didn’t know anything about that, All your dad told me was that you weren’t around and he was going to go see you and you’d get in touch with me soon enough and we didn’t even have space to talk as much”. She said

“It is so lovely to have you back Ashley. You have to tell me all about your stay in the United Kingdom. I heard that most of the packs in that area are led quite differently. How was training? Did you find your mate ?, Did you go for adventures, How’s it been going for you?”

“It’s just been good and hectic. The packs are more fierce, the weather there is so different than what we have here in L.A. And …. Yes, I found a mate.” I could hear the slight blush in her voice as she talked about her mate and her stay in the U.K. It’s been so weird without her around all this time.

It was only a few years back.

I had seen the other children running around in the pack estate and pack house chatting, playing and having the time of their life. Then I noticed a reddish brown-haired girl sitting all alone in the corner of the room watching me closely from the window of my room. Ashley…yes her name was Ashley Woods, daughter of my father’s second in command. She had looked away immediately when she noticed I was staring back at her.

It started with tiny talks, constant play days and many sleepovers. We had met countless times but finally talked to each other by just staring at each other through a glass window. With time our friendship grew, we went everywhere together, same pack school, same school programs, same training classes. We attended the same preschool and the same middle school, and we were inseparable. Every time that things seemed down for any of us we’d always be there for each other.

Ashley was the closest thing I had to company since I was little and even after my health started deteriorating she kept coming to see me, after everyone started to experience their shifts and I didn’t, she’d always assure me that I’d eventually end up shifting and having a wolf of my own. She was always there for me every time I needed her the most. Until she had to go for Pack training in an entirely different state just so she could graduate and become a pack warrior just like she always wanted.

She’s always meant the world to me and has been one of the best things that kept me going even when my strengths couldn’t hold me for much longer.

We talked about lots of things and caught up on old times, she explained how she met her mate during pack training and how he was from an entirely different tribe and was a descendant of the tribid wolves which was rare. They had found their third and instantly claimed each other as mates and kept going till they decided to finish pack training and have a ceremony to celebrate their union. We talked about our favourite memories and places to visit while we were younger.

How the times passed fast. It had only been a few years since she left, but it seemed like forever. We’d only been 10 when we’d fallen sick from eating too much junk food in middle school and how we’d found a frozen river during the winter that we’d go and pretend to ice skate to only end up falling face flat in the cold. Or wasn’t it the summer times that we’d have my father build swings in the packed garden just so we could climb on top of it answering our legs from up above? Or how we’d end up eating the pastries made in the packed kitchen and running away with half of them to share with the rest of our friends in the pack.

“I can’t wait to see you Ashley,” I said to her admitting her talks.

“I can’t wait to see you too Carmilla,” she said.

“I don’t know exactly when my ceremony is going to be but given the fact that I’ve already gotten a bridal dress. It might be sooner than expected, I’d love you to be a part of my handmaidens at the ceremony Ashley.”

“I’d be greatly honoured Cami. I can’t wait to see you in the gown.” She sounded genuinely happy for me and for that, I was so glad. Ash is one of the little people who knew what I actually went through and is still standing strong with me. It is an honour to have her as my friend.

“You had better come visit me before my ceremony Ashley Carie Woods else I’ll have your head for best friend treason!!” We both laughed at my threats and she promised to come around very soon. She had told me she’d call me back later saying she needed to go and attend to some more work that awaited her arrival.

“Have a lovely time working Ash. My regards to your parents, I’ve missed them too.”

“Bye, cami..”

I dropped the phone and noticed the high perch of the sun in the sky, It was already a little bit past noon and if been on the phone with Ashley and spoken with Dad too.

It was almost time for lunch and I hadn’t realized that the house was fully back to life than it was this morning with pack warriors training at the ground area behind the house, the kitchen maids busy with lunch, some few children probably returned from schools and were having fun around. I got out of my comfort space and clothes and dressed in something more presentable and stepped out of the room to go out and check if things were looking okay in the pack house.

It felt like my breath had left my lungs as I walked into the common area and through the corridors I noticed the intense decorations going on in the pack house with Lila ordering maids and guards around with some other officials on some certain things.

I responded to the greetings of the members of the pack house. The decorations being done were so beautiful and I was so amazed by the way everyone seemed so in sync.

Not wanting to disturb any of the preparations going on. I made my way to the garden situated at one of the far ends of the pack house that I had stumbled upon while reading on the balcony a few days back.