Chapter 3 Sweet Lys
Before I could speak, a knock sounded on the door and a deep voice announced the President.
The door opened immediately, giving my family zero time to react or clear the room.
His scent walked in before him, rich sandalwood and musk, all human. The President was the only human in his family, but looking at him you would never know.
From the doorway, his eyes travelled around the ward in surprise, then he flashed a smile. “A full house? Even better.”
His aide walked in behind him bearing a large bouquet of roses, and a custom sized gift basket.
The President caught the crimson wine stain on the wall and the shards of shattered glass on the floor. A small smile tugged the corner of his lips. “You wolves," he muttered.
I stared past him outside the door, but Fentone was not there, and did not appear till the presidential aide stepped out and closed the door behind him.
“Beautiful Lys.” President Miller turned his eyes to me and in three long strides was standing over me. Unlike mom and dad’s disgusted looks, he stared at me like an intriguing spectacle. I shrunk under his gaze.
“I am sorry about the Grand Ascension.” He placed a cool hand on my hair and caressed gently, and although I should have been flattered that the President of the country was favoring me with special attention, I burst into fresh tears because I knew this would be the last time.
“Don’t cry, sweet girl.” He shushed. The ward stayed silent for a while before he moved away.
“Well, you should know that Lys and Fenton’s wedding cannot work anymore.” He crossed his hands behind him, and my heart sank all the way to my toes.
I expected it. I was not even in love with Fenton, but it still hurt. They were rejecting the cripple, when just yesterday he threw a party in my name, one of the many attempts to convince me to be their bride.
Dad cleared his throat now, “It’s the only right thing to do. We will begin getting Gianna ready for the…”
My jaw dropped as my eyes travelled around the ward. It appeared everyone except me knew about this.
Gianna? This was the plan all along.
My gaze found her still by the door and from the satisfied smile she was trying her best to hide, I confirmed two truths.
She was indeed responsible for my accident, it was just not my imagination. And she did something so cruel not because of her decades-long hate for me being our parents' favourite, but because she wanted Fentone for herself.
“I’m sorry, Jonas. I really wanted you Gaunders as my inlaws. You know how important it is to finally seal this divide between men and wolves. However, Fentone does not like your younger daughter.”
He winced.
“As his father, I did my best but he is a grown man and I cannot force him to marry a woman against his choice.”
He glanced at me with a regretful headshake and I fought back misreable tears, sniffling hard.
“So long.” He turned towards the door when Mom said, “Mr President, there seems to be a misunderstanding here.”
He stopped half way to the door and turned around again. “What’s that, Mia?”
“Our Lys will walk. We have already made arrangements with the specialists who will handle her case. As soon as she is discharged tomorrow, she will begin therapy.”
Authur groaned. Dad hurried to him, and threw an arm over his shoulder, smiling.
President Miller squinted suspiciously, looking from Mom to Dad. “Is this true, Jonas? Why did you not tell me?”
“I did not think you would be willing to wait, or trust us.”
“Of course I’ll wait. This is Lys we are talking about. But hold on, who are these specialists? I spent my morning speaking to doctors and they were certain there was no medical solution to this.”
My mother walked forward, all high society charmer, “You forget we are not all human, Mr President. We have those who have broken through the walls your scientists keep hitting.”
President Miller nodded, looking genuinely relieved. “Keep me updated. This is good news, Fentone would be ecstatic.”
He had barely left when Authur roughly pulled away from Dad, “I'm gonna create a scandal so big it will cost your buddy his seat.”
Mom and Dad turned to him with nervous eyes.
“Why did you say that, Mia?” Dad questioned her decision for the first time ever, and she wrung her hands.
“We cannot afford to lose out on the Millers. It will work.” She stared up at Dad with doll eyes. “It will work right?”
I stared at my family as they acted like I wasn’t even there when this was in fact my life. Being a slave to the sex gods, marrying the president’s son, or going on to compete in the Grand Ascension, it should all be my decision to make.
“I have never seen a pair more foolish than you two,” Grandma pointed a finger at them. “Do you realise your disgusting solution means she dies at the end of the year? It is bad enough that you can even conceive such depravity for your own daughter, but at the end of the year, those men would perform the ritual to extend their immortality with her youth.”
“What then?” She yelled, “Tell me, what then? What would you tell your president if she dies right around the wedding?”
“It only matters that she is his wife.” Mom paced the ward in agitation as she shrugged off her tweed coat. “Even if she were married for a day, the deal would have been done. And who says she has to wait one year? She will wed Fentone as soon as she is healed.”
“Good grief.” Grandma staggered, and Arthur rushed over, gently pushing her into a couch. “You would have her cheat? And with two…” She paused, nose wrinkled in disgust, “I cannot even believe I am having this discussion.”
“Fucking speak!” Gianna yelled. And I blinked, startled to find she was referring to me.”Have you no voice? Why sit there like a bloody moron? What do you want to do?”
“Gianna!” Dad thundered, and a pin drop silence fell. “We will come back to the fact that you did this to your sister, spoiling the plans we had carefully made from the day she was born.”
She gasped, and Dad glared.
“You think we’re stupid? I already have your accomplice in the silver cage, and we’ll deal with that later. But stay out of this. Not every child is as worthless as you and your brother. Lys would never disobey us.”
And long after they left, I stayed awake in bed, thinking about that last statement.
Lys would never disobey us.
No one took me seriously. Every single person who walked in here today did so with the intention of deciding my fate. Not once did they ask me what I would like to do.
My mind travelled to all the nasty rumors I'd heard about the sexcapades of those men. They were not men, actually, a 250-year-old Alpha, and over-500-year-old dragon. They were gods now, and the thought alone made me dizzy.
I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes, Ginna was standing over me.
My eyes widened, and she smiled darkly.
“You’re back to being the center of attention, beautiful Lys.” She stressed sarcastically, “Everyone wants you even though you’re a goddamn lettuce.”
I looked around the ward. Grandma must have gone to the bathroom, and Authur must have gotten bored and wandered off to a bar, even though he'd vowed he would never leave my side.
I was all alone, helpless against the sister who hated me but wanted to be me. And I couldn’t dare shift for self-defense after Grandma’s warning. I would be useless in permanent wolf form.
“I’ll not let you keep walking all over me!” Gianna shrieked suddenly, her eyes shining a dark blue, her wolf furious. “We both cannot be on the same planet, you take up too much damn air, sweet Lys.”
The thought of her viciousness pushed me to tears, terrified of what sinister plan she could have for me. She confirmed my fear.
“Shift!”
“No, please no.”
“Shift, dammit!” She growled, barring her fangs and the windows rattled from the power in her voice.
“Grandma!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Grandma, help!”
“Shift, bitch.” She struck me across the face, and Rhea raged, rearing her head up as my eyes started to burn, changing colors.
“There you go,” Gianna punched me on the chin this time, “I’ll beat you bloody if I have to. What’re you going to do about it, big sister, shift and fight me!”
Rhea, no, I begged from far, far in the corner of my mind where my human essence was receding while Rhea took up more and more space in my body, bringing my blood to a boil.
“Fight me, Lys!” Gianna threw her head back and howled to the ceiling in challenge as the doors slammed open and shut, windows shaking like they would blast any second.
A growl tore out of my throat.