“Like what?” she asked, as if Mason’s suggested would be of good used.
“I can’t answer that, you know. It is you who should choose what you wanted to do with your life…” her older brother looked at her then smiled, “It must be something that interests you.”
Interest? I don’t have much interest on anything aside from human anatomy, she thought.
Yes, you do, her mind responded.
What?
Llewis Summers.
Oh, shut up.
“I don’t know…” she murmured softly.
The rest of the trip was quiet and Miranda was enjoying the scenery when she smelled something familiar. It was a mixture of a man’s after shave and perfume mixed with sweat. The scent she has been yearning for weeks…
“We’re here,” Mason announced when the cab parked infront of a cozy-looking townhouse.
She didn’t say a word and vacated the vehicle. She inhaled, letting the air fill her lungs. Llewis was stronger and more stable. She closed her eyes, letting the wind touch her face, breathing in the scent of the man she loves.
Pervert, her mind teased. But she didn’t care. She was glad he was somewhere near her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked the moment her eyes peeled open. Llewis was standing right by main door of the townhouse.
“Dude, I’m so sorry. My sister’s a bit perverted. She must have smelled something good,” she heard Mason, trying to make fun of her.
“Sister?” Llewis repeated.
“Shut up,” she hissed, glaring at her brother.
“Alright, alright,” Mason raised both of his hands in surrender. “What’s up with you two? Do you know each other?”
“No,” Miranda answered immediately.
“Yes,” Llewis’ voice was deep and as usual, it was giving her the creeps. Oh, how much she missed his voice.
Mason cleared his throat, sensing the heavy tension in the air.
“Well, you should sort that out. Mom’s not going to be so happy when she hears about this,” Mason commented, dragging her luggage out of the taxicab’s trunk.
“Is she here?” Miranda’s face brightened up upon the mention of her mother. She quickly followed Mason, leaving Llewis behind. Finding her mother was agenda in going to Italy. She would deal with him later.
Or maybe not. We don’t have anything to talk about.
“Mama Mia!” A woman in her late forties gasped in surprise when Miranda entered the living room. The woman was reading a book, sitting on the sofa with her legs raised on the center table.
The spark of happiness on the woman’s face was visible the minute Miranda appeared. The woman had brown wavy hair and sharp nose. Her lips were pinkish and she had a heart-shaped face. And despite the aged appearance, Miranda could tell that she was one innocent beauty. Her eyes were a bit bigger but the kind that looked friendly.
“B-Baby…” the old woman managed to utter, rising from her seat.
Tears welled Miranda’s eyes when she heard the word. The woman was her mother… there’s no doubt to it. They looked so alike.
“M-Mama…” Miranda spoke, feeling a lump on her throat. She was never able to see her mother ever since she was young. Now that she was finally standing right infront of the woman who gave birth to her, she didn’t know how to explain what she feels.
Taking a step forward, Miranda embraced her mother. She didn’t know what to say, instead, she found herself crying stupidly.
“Oh, come on,” she heard Mason protesting. But he joined them anyway.
Miranda’s first day in her mother’s place was the last time she had seen Llewis. She learned that Llewis was one who brings her mother and brother news about her whereabouts. He was her bodyguard, after all.
As much as she wanted to forget about him, her heart seemed to do the opposite. Day and night, Miranda find herself spacing out, wondering how he was or what he was doing.
Did I ever cross his mind?
Heaving a deep breath, she settled on the reclining chair and enjoyed the breeze. She was under the shady tree in the gazebo.
After spending a few weeks in her mother’s place, Miranda realized how refreshing it was to live away from the city. The air was fresh and quiet. She enjoyed nature and its wonders. She also found herself liking the view of every sunset.
Her mom enjoys sewing and cooking. Miranda learned to cook a few dishes but Mason would say she was far from getting better, so she stopped. Her older brother loved teasing her, making her swear to throw him into one of the dungeons when they go back to Wakerlin.
“What’s bothering you?” she heard Mason’s ever annoying voice.
“Nothing,” she murmured, letting the sunrays touch her face. The sun was starting to set.
Mason scoffed, making her open her eyes.
“You will never get yourself a boyfriend if you continue acting like that, Signorina,” he said before sipping from the cup of tea he was holding.
“Don’t call me that,” she growled, punching him on the side.
“You know, during this time of the day, I’m always reminded of Liza,” Mason’s voice suddenly became serious. There was a bitter smile on his face, as well.
“Who’s Liza?”
“Yeah, she was my wife,” Mason chuckled, shaking his head softly.
“You’re married?” Miranda gasped. Mason was married? “She must’ve been crazy for marrying someone like you,” she snorted, directing her attention back to the setting of the sun.
“Yeah, she was,” he agreed. His voice sounded lonely, making the younger sibling turn back to him.
“What do you mean ‘she was’?”
“She left me,” Mason voice started to crack. His eyes were focused to the horizon.
“Oh, that’s sad.”
“You see, people we love tend to leave us,” he murmured.
“Yeah.”
“Why is that? I always ask myself.”
“I don’t know,” she replied, watching the sun which has finally set. The orange sky seems to know the feeling they were having. And the sunrays were keeping them warm from the emptiness they were in.
“Maybe because I didn’t love her enough,” her older brother said in between clicking of his tongue. “Or maybe she never really loved me.”
“Or maybe love wasn’t enough to make it work…”
She heard him exhale rashly.
“But you know, I used to have that idea you can do anything together as long as you love each other,” he muttered then laughed dryly.
“You’re a hopeless romantic,” she snorted.
“I’m an artist, remember?”
“But in the end, it would still be up to those people if they want to work it out, right?”
Mason fell silent. There was a comfortable silence between them when he blurted out of the blue.
“Or maybe because I didn’t try hard enough! Thank you!” he kissed Miranda’s forehead and left the gazebo, leaving her in awe. Did she just give him an idea how to solve his love life?
Pfft. That loser.
She closed her eyes like darkness devoured the world. Enjoying her solitude, Miranda pondered the short conversation she had with Mason.
You can do anything together as long as you love each other, Mason’s words echoed in her mind.
He doesn’t love you. Stop dreaming, she reminded herself. She didn’t want to give herself false hopes. That would be the end of her.
Did you ask him? You did not. Did you give yourself a chance? No, you did not.
Feeling mad, Miranda headed back to her room and decided to sleep. She wanted to get rid of Llewis from her mind. But the more she wanted to; the more she feels broken. Forgetting him was harder than she thought.
10 Finale
Miranda snarled in irritation when she found herself rolling back and forth on top of her bed. She has been there for more than an hour and couldn’t get herself to sleep.
Get lost! She thought when ideas of Llew
is crossed her mind once more. She missed his voice and the feeling being wrapped around his arms. She missed the way he cooks for her and treats her. She missed kissing him and having him beside her day and night.
She missed him so bad she was about to go mad.
Damn it.
Wanting to get some fresh air, Miranda stepped out of the sliding doors in her room which was adjacent to the garden, leading a way to the woods and fields. She was very thankful when she learned about it. If she was in the city it would be really hard to transform into her wolf. Cameras were everywhere and people would be alerted seeing a big dog hanging around the city.
And she didn’t want that.
Stripping off pajamas, Miranda turned into a glorious she wolf. Her fur was silvery gray that shone under the light of the moon. She had a white patch on her chest, a mark of being born in the Walker family – her father has it too. Her paws were big but not as big as any male wolf.
Basically, she was just a normal female wolf – except for her color. According to Marco, her great-grandmother, an omega, was the last wolf he had seen having a color like hers.
Okay, shall we? She thought after letting out a long and loud roar as she let the moonlight kiss her fury figure.
The only thing Miranda was thankful of after turning into a werewolf was the ability to transform whenever she likes. At first, she was scared that she might turn into her animal form in front of people. But her father, Marco Walker, the leader of the pack, taught her some tricks that only wolves in their family can do.
Miranda learned to tame her wolf. Now, even if it’s full moon, it’s up for her to go out and hunt or not. She was not obliged to transform, thanks to her father’s genes.
And she didn’t really need to hunt because human food can suffice. Her food intake was the same and she never really had thirsted for blood – either human or animal.
She followed the path in the garden, feeling excited to go out. It would be her wolf’s first time to run in Italy’s fields. Jogging in her four legs, she enjoyed the breeze that touched her fury body. At least nature knows how to make her feel good.
Miranda stopped on her tracks, watching the thick and dark woods. The night was young and she wanted to return home completely tired and drained, that way she wouldn’t have any time to think about Llewis.
It wouldn’t kill me, right.
She took a few steps closer to the woods. She felt a little bit scared but curiosity was able to cover it up. She wanted to see what’s in it.
Will there be wolves here too?
Miranda hopped and skidded on the muddy ground, feeling ecstatic.
It’s not bad to meet new people.
After few more minutes, Miranda reached the depths of the woods. There was nothing but bunnies, birds and bats. She was expecting more of an adventure than these tiny animals.
Stepping lightly on the ground, Miranda leaned against a big tree. And to her surprise, she found herself enclosed in a net. Her legs started to elevate from the ground, causing her to panic. She just got herself trapped!
Great going, Miranda.
She wiggled inside the net, trying to figure out what to do. She couldn’t stay there until sunrise or even wait for the people who set up the trap.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy in her wolf form.
Looking around, Miranda made sure that there was no one around to witness her transformation back to her human form – not to count the fact that she didn’t want to be seen naked by anybody.
Starting to feel the pain of turning back, Miranda heard herself whimpering. She was stuck in a net and was forced to undo her wolf form. What a great time for her first run in Italy!
When she finally felt the strings of the net on her butt, Miranda let out a deep sigh. Being in her wolf form was so much better – thanks to her fur. Struggling, she started to move drastically inside the net. Her height was literally cooped up and she could imagine herself curling up like a fetus – except that she had boobs.
Minutes…
Hours…
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” she cursed when the trap refused to let loose. The net was made of strong strings and was tightly tied on a strong branch. She tried turning back to her wolf and bit the strings but it was no use.
You never should have come in here, you idiot.
She heard footsteps approaching and it was too late to turn back into her wolf form when the silhouette had approached her quickly. The figure had green eyes that glowed in the moonlight.
“P-Please can you help me?” she whispered after mustering up all the courage she had. Being seen by a man wouldn’t be something very embarrassing.
I have something to flaunt anyway, she tried to comfort herself.
The figure stopped. It was a man with a big build – a familiar figure. But something was bothering her; the man didn’t have the same scent – in fact, she couldn’t smell anything from him. And she was only able to notice his presence because of the sound his footsteps were making.
“P-P-Please…”
It’s human – one thing she was sure of.
The figure approached her and pushed something from the hole in the tree’s closest trunk, letting down the net she was in.
“Oh, so that’s why I can’t get out,” she mumbled, stripping away from the stringed trap. It can only be undone by pushing the button hidden on the trunk.
Silly.
“What are you doing here… naked?”
Miranda stiffened. The voice belonged to Llewis. The air was then filled with his familiar scent making her shut her eyes to make sure it was his. When the clouds moved, moonlight illuminated his familiar figure, revealing the handsome face she has been missing like a mad dog – wolf.
“W-W-What are you d-doing here?” she retorted, covering her nakedness with her hands. But it was useless.
“Too late for that, eh?” Llewis smirked, pinning her with an intense gaze from his jade-like orbs.
Miranda swallowed hard. She wanted to kiss him at that instant but she needed to restrain herself. She was not in the place to think that way. She was naked for goodness’ sake!
“Do. Not. Look. At. Me.” Pointing at Llewis, she moved around him and took the jacket he was wearing. She was still the Alpha’s daughter and she could be arrogant as much as she could be – well, at least in that kind of situation.
“I’m not,” he replied dryly.
She didn’t know why but she felt a bit disappointed.
What? You were expecting him to wrap his arms around you, kiss you and tell you he missed you?
“And it’s not like I haven’t seen that before,” she heard him say in a sarcastic tone, making her cheeks heat up.
“Yeah, right.”
Frowning, Miranda stomped on the ground and started walking away from him. She was frustrated. How did she end up seeing the person she wanted to forget so badly?
”How did you conceal your scent?” she asked out of the blue, looking back.
Llewis shrugged.
“Perks of being an alpha,” he replied proudly.
Rolling her eyes, she continued stomping on the ground, hoping that it would resolve the frustration she was feeling.
“Thanks for the help,” she mumbled angrily. With that, she ran as fast as she could, thanks to the moonlight which seemed to have understood her feelings, leading her path.
It wasn’t so long when Miranda stepped on a broken glass. Her foot bled like hell, making her cry in a mixture of pain and anger. She wasn’t crying because of her wound. She was crying because of her broken heart.
For a moment there, she thought of coming clean with her feelings for him. And it was a foolish idea seeing his empty reaction seeing her.
He’s no knight in shining armor, she thought while looking at her wounded foot.
“Why are you running when no one’s chasing you?” Llewis asked, pulling her up from the ground. He carried her in his arms and placed her on one of the large roots.
He
took off his shirt and placed it on the ground. His packed muscles which were hardly visible under the moonlight but Miranda found herself swallowing hard. He still had the same effect on her.
“When will you ever stop being such a klutz?” he mumbled in exasperation after taking a look at her wound. He tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and wrapped it on Miranda’s cut.
“That would stop the bleeding.”
Miranda watched him quietly.
“Why are you so nice to me?” she asked after a few moments of silence.
“Does anyone need a reason to be kind to someone?”
She paused.
So it was just me all along?
“No,” she replied, averting her gaze from his intense looks.
Llewis sat beside her and watched the moonlight being covered by the clouds once again.
“You just can’t help being nice to someone you truly care about,” he spoke in a husky tone.
“You have a point.”
They shared a comfortable silence. Miranda stole a glance of him when he moved, making her heart flutter when she saw his handsome face.
“Can I ask you something?” she spoke after a long time of procrastination.
“Go on.”
It’s now or never, Miranda.
“Do you see Marcella in me?”
“What made you think that?” Llewis tilted his head to meet her gaze.
“Because we look so alike… and… and she was your fiancée.”
“Silly.” He shook his head in with disbelief on his face.
“What?”
“Is that the reason why you decided to be distant?”
Miranda bit her bottom lip. She felt like a thief being caught in the scene of the crime.
“No,” Llewis mumbled softly. “I don’t see her in you. I’ve known you even before she wanted me to be her mate.”
“D-Did you like her?” she asked after swallowing hard.
You’re a masochist.
“Of course I did. She’s a fine woman, your cousin.” Llewis nodded, playing with a twig from the ground. “So, she’s the reason…”
Miranda looked away, struggling not to cry again. He was right. Marcella was the reason why. She felt guilty for her death. And she was afraid that Llewis would hate her for that. Marcella was his mate.
Romance: The Campus Player: A College Romance Page 70