World’s Apart
Picking up two small daggers among the numerous ones displayed in the table drawer, Bella spun and dug one into her left boot and the other in the scabbard on the right hip of her leather pants. Her crop top, just like her pants, was also made of leather and sleeveless, leaving her flawless shoulders and flat tummy bare. She couldn’t take her signature weapon along with her, which was her beloved bow and arrow, as it would be too much baggage for where she was headed. And that was one of the disadvantages of it.
After fixing the leather half fingers she has on and tying her hair in a ponytail, she turned to face her cousin, sitting leisurely on her bed with her legs crossed. Bella’s outfit was all black from her hair to the combat boots she had on, though her hair was a dark brown that could
sometimes be mistaken for black.
“Not bad.” Bella nodded while also checking her outfit out.
Her cousin, Ruby, pulled her lip up in a grin with her eyes glinting in self-satisfaction. “I told you you were gonna love it.” Ruby had personally designed the outfit for Bella, and she was overjoyed by the outcome of it. She had always had a passion for being a fashion designer, but her duty as a huntress gave her little time to focus on it. And she always cherished every second she had a scissor in her hand, cutting through fabrics and stitching
them to her designs.
Bella was Ruby’s favorite model that she loved to work on. Her cousin had the perfect body that could bring any design to life and rock it. Healthy skin, high cheekbones, beauty, good physique, and long legs meant for runaways. Nothing could obviously look bad on her,
and Ruby loved the fact that she had free access to use her anytime she desired. She never
sold her works and preferred to just see them flourish on her cousin’s body. But she always
had a duplicate made that she kept.
“It’s perfect for a visit to the Palace. Girl, you’re so lucky.” Ruby sighed, standing up and walking over to Bella to adjust her top to the right position.
Bella rolled her eyes at her, “It’s the enemy’s ground, remember?” After numerous arguments with her father and brother, they had reluctantly accepted for her to come along with them to meet the Lycanthrope King for the discussion about the bill.
“A Palace is a Palace to me. Hold still, will you.” Ruby reprimanded when Bella kept shifting. The outfit wasn’t tight, so she could move freely in it. But it was also a perfect fit. Unlike Bella, who despised werewolves and beasts alike, Ruby had no such personal loathing against them. Her paternal aunt, Bella’s mother, might have been killed by one, but she didn’t
protect humans from werewolves that could be or were potential threats to them. But not all were the same. She actually was fascinated by the mythical creatures.
Ruby’s fingers brushed the skin of Bella’s stomach as she straightened her top. And when she stared down, she was surprised to see the skin smooth and flawless. Furrowing her eyebrows in surprise, she recalled the day she had seen her cousin bleeding out onto the snowy forest floor from the deep gashes on her stomach over four months ago. How then was it that there was no scar from such an injury? She thought but got interrupted when a soft knock sounded on the bedroom door.
They both stared at the door at the same time before Bella announced it okay to come in. And as the door swung open, in walked in a figure that made them both pause. Ruby felt the tension in the air between Bella and the man that just walked in, and she realized then that it was her cue to leave. Packing up her things, she bid her cousin goodbye and nodded at the newcomer, then left through the door. The man stepped aside for her to pass. But not once did he let his eyes stray from Bella as they had been on her since he walked in. His eyes drift down
for a few seconds to take in and appreciate her outfit before shifting back up.
The door made a soft click when Ruby shut it close, and her resounding footsteps were
next.
“Dylan…” Bella began, but he cut her off.
“Have you been avoiding me?” He went straight to the point while taking a step closer to her. She, however, furrowed her eyebrows at him in question. “You’ve been ignoring my calls and texts all week now. What’s going on.”
Dylan and Bella had been together for two years now, and their relationship had been
smooth until a few months ago. He was the typical “boy-next-door” type you could introduce to your parents, and the cherry on top was that he was a doctor. He was two years older than Bella, and they had started to go out only when she turned eighteen.
“No, I haven’t…at least not intentionally.” Liar. Her conscience judged her. “I’ve just been busy with work,” Bella added with a shrug, reaching for her phone on the nightstand and pocketing it. After a while of awkward silence where Dylan kept studying her, trying to break through her walls, he sighed and walked closer to her.
He took her hand between his and stared into her eyes, “Ever since your accident four months ago, you’ve been…acting strange. Is there something you wanna talk about? You know you can tell me anything.”
brown hair stood in perfect curls, and his dark brown eyes stared at her with pure love. Dylan we handsome, she knew. And every time they walked into a room together, she always felt the burning jealousy gaze around her. She had always dreamed about having a family with him, but now, it all seemed like a faraway thought. Her feelings weren’t the same anymore, and she wasn’t even sure when they had begun to change.
“I think…that we should spend some time apart.”
For a few seconds, Dylan froze, shocked by her words. He had been scared she would say something like that. And now that she did, he realized he wasn’t ready to let go, not now. And maybe he never will be.
“Don’t do that. Don’t push me away when you know how crazy I am about you.” There was
a time when those words made her heart flutter in her chest, and her cheeks turn red. But now,
it just felt awkward.
“Tell me what’s wrong?”
“I can’t…I can’t do this right now, Dylan. I’m sorry.” She hurried past him and out the door
before he could stop her.
“Bella.” He called after her but only met the door slamming behind her.
Her heart twisted in guilt at her actions, but the sound of a car’s horn downstairs notified her that she needed to hurry. Her footsteps were quick but precise as she made it down the wooden stairs. Her brother was already waiting for her when she reached the last landing, and he had an eyebrow c****d at her outfit.
“Ruby,” was all she said with a smile, and he nodded in understanding. Ruby tended to go a little bit over the top when it came to fashion. But Bella liked the outfit she had customized
for her.
“You ready, sis? Then let’s go,” Ethan stated after she nodded before heading towards the front door. He wasn’t living with them anymore but had his own apartment where he resided with his wife, Sharon. Sharon was also a werewolf hunter, and they had gotten married over a year ago. A lovely couple they made. And Bella couldn’t wait for a little niece or nephew who would take all of her brother’s attention. This way, he wouldn’t have time to fuss over her every
single time. Then she would just have only her father to deal with.
After informing their maid, Nora, to take care of the house, she dashed after her brother
before Dylan would make it downstairs and meet her. Her father was already in the driver’s
seat of his white Sedan, waiting for them both with the engine running. His deputy, Brenton, sat
They had sent a request to the king a week ago about having a possible meeting with him and his council members. And they were utterly surprised to see one schedule a week later.
She had thought it would take them months before they’re allowed to talk with their ruler since
he would be busy and all that.
“Nice outfit,” Brenton commented when they got in behind, and she responded with a smile. Just as Ethan adjusted in his seat, Bella caught a glimpse of a gun hid away in his pants and concealed by his blazer. Guess she wasn’t the only one prepared for anything. The daggers in her boot and by her hip were just for precautionary measures even though they weren’t going there for hunting. They were still stepping into the enemy‘s territory, so one can’t
be too careful. She was sure her father and Brenton had a weapon concealed on their body also. She only prayed they wouldn’t have to make use of them.
At the Lycaon Palace, pictures of different ladies could be seen sprawled on a table by the corner with ashes sprinkled all over them. A hand reached for a picture of a beautiful blond lady in a grey coat, and a lighter was placed underneath it to slowly engulf the paper.
Logan waited for the flames to almost get to his fingers before letting go of what was left of the picture. It fell on another, and the flames went off, leaving behind a tiny black piece. He sighed, leaning back into his chair while massaging his temples.
He was fed up with his father and mother constantly sending him pictures of ladies he should consider for a mate. Even though he had made it clear over and over again for them to stay out of his business, they had made it their mission to keep butting in.
His father was already thinking about the decision of stepping down from the throne. And Logan, being The Crown Prince, would be next to take up the seat. But he needed to do that with a mate by his side – one that had already been groomed to be Queen.
But what his parents didn’t know was that he already had a queen. Someone who could rule by side with her head held high. The only problem was that she wasn’t one of them…at
least not yet.
His mysterious huntress was a fascinating creature, it seemed – dark brown hair that
contrasted her pale skin and shaped her heart-shaped face perfectly, eyes as green as the emerald gemstone, and high cheekbones that suited her gorgeous face. In the few months he had spent away from her but secretly stalked her, he had found out some intriguing details about her like where she lived, her work, her position…and some of those things were the
reason why he hadn’t been with her yet.
an uproar among his people. They were practically worlds apart. And he wasn’t sure she would agree willingly to be his, but of course, she would be, eventually. It couldn’t be stopped no matter what. He had later realized after stalking her that she was his true mate given to him by the moon. He hadn’t realized it at first the day his beast placed his mark on her, and he had even thought about breaking the bond with her. But later, when he got a whiff of her scent for the first time, his beast immediately recognized her as his.
For Logan’s kind, the scent is the most important way of finding out one’s mate. Seeing them or even staring into their eyes might not be enough to realize this. And Bella had masked her scent the day he first found her. So he couldn’t know that she was his then. But she only masked her scent when she went hunting. And the first day Logan had gone looking for her, he had smelled her delicious scent and knew right away that she was his. The thought of breaking his thin bond with her vanished immediately, and he had been trailing after her ever since and even invaded her dreams sometimes.
Since she was his mate, he could get into her mind if he desired. It was a trick he had learned from an old friend of his, and it could only be done to one’s mate. Not everyone knew about it or could even do it as it was a very old practice. He doubted his parents even knew
about it.
“Your Highness?” Someone knocked on his door and brought him out of his thoughts. He announced for them to come in, and a maid poked her head in. She bowed her head low and
meekly shuffled inside.
“I am to inform you that the werewolf hunters are here.” She stated and bowed even lower out of fright for the powerful creature in front of her. With a sigh, Logan waved her away, and she scurried out like a scared cat.
Looking at the pile of ash and pictures on the table, he regrettably shook his head. He would have to burn the rest some other time then.