Issahil

“Mother of the Moon!”
I exclaimed in horror as I watched my grandfather’s most prized possession — an antique vase — hit the floor and shattered before I could save it. I was dead. I just knew it. Nothing could save me now. Tears welled my eyes and fear shook my whole being. What could I do? Oh! Why me? Why this?
“What happened?”
Another maid who had been cleaning his inner chamber came running. She halted as her eyes fell on the broken-beyond-repair vase on the floor, its shards were over the place.
“Issa, how did this happen?”
She whisper yelled.
“I…I don’t know.”
I struggled to talk amidst choking tears. My grandfather would kill me. I was done for. The rag I’d been using to clean were being wrung nervously.
“The Alpha will have your head for this, Issa. You know him.”
“What do I do, Phena? I’m not ready for one of his punishments today.”
Phena stood and observed the situation. She hurried to lock the door.
“Let’s hope he doesn’t need to use his room soon.”
Grandfather had gone out. No one knew when he would be back, but I hoped not soon enough for him to see this. The more I thought of the situation, the more hopelessness and despair twisted my insides. I crumbled to the ground when my legs couldn’t carry my weight anymore. Fear had seized every part of my body and taken control.
“Issa, stand up and let’s look for a solution to this.”
Phena felt pity for me but I was beginning to realize that even she couldn’t save me from this one.
“What solution, Phena?”
“Solution to this”
As if in a spell, my gaze followed the direction of her hands and when they fell on the broken shards, more tears blurred my vision and fell onto the just cleaned floor. Then I looked back at her.
“I am dead, Phena. I am truly dead. My grandfather’s been looking for a way to get rid of me, I have just provided him the right opportunity. He’ll get rid of me for sure, he’ll kill me Phena.”
The maid looked at me in helplessness and sympathy. It was no news that my grandfather, Elihas Morbelle, the stoic Alpha of Moonville pack hated me, Issahil Morbelle his granddaughter. He blamed me for a circumstance that was beyond my power.
“He might be hard, but you’re still his blood Issa, he can’t kill you.”
“You don’t know him.”
“I do know him. And we all know how creatively ruthless he can be with his punishments, but he’ll never do anything drastic to his own blood.”
I just stared at her. She would not understand. She would not understand how wicked Alpha Elihas could be. The man hated me. He loathed my very existence. Breaking his prized possession had given him the excuse to do with me whatever he’d always wanted to.
“Phena, you won’t understand.”
She stared at me for several seconds, then spoke.
“That may be true. But I certainly understand that sitting there and crying your eyes out will not proffer any solution. Stand up and be strong, Issa. Let’s try to find a way around this.”
I decided to do as she’d instructed. I had no solutions and she was providing one, even though I was yet to know how this would save me from whatever punishment my grandfather would have for me if he found out about this.
“What do you suggest?”
I sniffled and hopelessly walked closer to her.
She didn’t say anything. Just stared at the broken pieces. I also stared with her, the more I stared, the more I felt like disappearing from this world.
“Well?”
I swiped at tears. I was now looking at her, hoping she would tell me she had magical powers that could fix this, but she didn’t. Then slowly she raised her gaze to my face. I saw it on her face before she’d even said it.
“I just realized there is no way to piece them together. They are irreparably broken.”
I already knew that was the case but her confirmation just broke me more.
“Stop crying.”
“I…I…I’m..”
She came and wrapped me in an embrace. I was a very emotional person and too soft-hearted. I wish I was more like Lillian, my cousin. She was strong, I have never seen her show weakness. I wish I was more like her. I could already envision her pretending all was well and even daring to challenge even though she was at fault. But what gave me the guts to stand up to my grandfather? A man who saw me as his enemy.
“It’s okay, Issa. Let’s just accept it has happened. There’s nothing anyone can do about it. Let’s just clean up this mess and finish tidying up his place before he gets back.”
I nodded, accepting defeat and pensively await my punishment. I picked up the broom and started gathering the shards. I was just done when I heard someone trying to open the door from outside. My heart flew and my eyes became saucer-wide with alarm and fear.
“Phena”
I whisper-yelled, suddenly needing her by my side.
“Phena.”
I walked closer to the entrance of the chamber, but she was already coming out.
“What is it?”
“Someone is at the door.”
“Who?”
Her eyes darted to the door and came back on me.
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s go find out.”
“What if he’s the one?”
“We’ve already been through this, Issa. There’s nothing we can do. Let’s just hope for the best. I’m sorry.”
I understood her. There was nothing to do, really.
“Who locked this door?”
My chest constricted immediately and my hands went cold with nerves.
“He’s the one.”
Phena was scared too but she was trying not to show it.
“We can’t keep him waiting, it will only get worse.”
I couldn’t go near the door so Phena went and opened it. And true enough, there was my grandfather, the tall, strong Alpha of Moonville, his eyes as vicious as they were sharp. They landed on me and I didn’t miss the hatred I saw in them.