You Rejected Me. Remember?

Cassy pov.

Months passed by. Everything went smoothly. However, ever since our relationship was found by our parents, we have been constantly advised to be careful, especially when in public. It wasn’t that we weren’t being careful already. However, being our parents, they never cease to stop caring and worrying about us. Yet we did manage to sneak out at times nonetheless. It was fun until I had to return home. Mom and dad would be very pissed off at me for leaving. Still, they would just brush it off in the end.

The connection between me and my Lycan increased. We trained well and everything was going how it should.

Five months passed. A few days were left for us to graduate. Just after another month, my friends and I will be graduating. It was exciting for more than one reason. One was that I would be graduating, of course. The other reason was, Elliot would ask for my hand in marriage. And there was one other reason. My parents had decided that they would announce my true identity to everyone, right after I graduated. Finally, everyone would know who I am and I wouldn’t have to pretend anymore. I just hope that Maya, Daphne, Zoe and Ava won’t feel too awkward being my friends despite being the heir to the throne.

One morning, I woke up, and for the first time since Izzy woke up, she didn’t start to chatter right away. At first, I was relieved. However, I soon noticed how silent she had been. She wasn’t saying much. Normally she would blabber so much that at times I would ask her to shut up. But today, things seem to be different.

My morning training and breakfast passed by with me not hearing from her. It was almost noon when I started to get worried about her. She was being too silent. And since it was the weekend, I didn’t have anywhere to go. Elliot wasn’t supposed to meet me that often, though we spoke and chatted on our phones. Darn royal etiquettes. At least I saw him during the morning training, though he had to leave right after the training was over.

I was bored and needed to talk to him. I looked at my phone and wondered if I should call him but he must be with the new recruits now. Ever since he had finalized the final selections, he had to spend the weekends training them. Yet, he made sure he attended my morning training and I was more than grateful for that.

Deciding against calling him, I sighed as I gave a bored glance from the balcony of the palace at the vast open ground in front of me. It was a beautiful sight, however, with Izzy being silent, Elliot being busy, I started to feel a bit lonely.

“Izzy?” I called. Hoping to hear from her. But nothing. “What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you saying anything?” I asked. I knew she was still there. I could feel her presence though she didn’t reply.

I started to get tired of waiting for an answer and just decided to ignore her, just like she was ignoring me. I looked at the afternoon sun that was blazing in the blue sky. Perhaps I should go for a walk. I thought. My parents were busy with their royal duties. Everyone seemed to be busy except me. Even Ava and Maya will also be busy since both of them were selected as new recruits. Daphne had opted to attend healing classes while Zoe had recently started to learn to engineer.

So it left me to entertain myself on my own. Usually, I wouldn’t mind, since I had Izzy, but today Izzy is simply being a bitch.

I walked towards the stairs to exit the palace. Perhaps a walk would kill some of my boredom. I was barely able to exit the main gate when I heard Izzy growl in my mind.

“Shift!”

Huh? I froze. Shift? Was she going to shift? Oh no! Worried, I looked around. The royal guards were standing by on duty. No one else was around. I knew mom and dad would be in the meeting room. I needed to inform them!

I ran in the direction where their meetings were usually held. I felt sudden waves of heat spread throughout my body, each more intensifying than the last one. By the time I was able to barge into the meeting room, I was panting and sweating from head to toe.

I knew I was looking like a mess, but I didn’t care. I was in too much pain and feeling too overwhelmed to care about the pairs of eyes that watched my demeanour. I wasn’t able to recognise the people in the room. All that I knew was, my parents were there and that was all that mattered to me.

“She is shifting!!!” someone yelled.

“Is it her first?” another voice.

“She needs help!” someone else said.

I couldn’t reply. Heck, I couldn’t do anything. I was lucky that I was able to rush to where I could get help. Wave after wave of heat washed over me. An unbearable pain originated in my spine, which slowly spread throughout each of my bones. I could no longer move.

The pain in my bones slowly intensified to the point that I could no longer bear it. The entire meeting room filled with my screams of pain and, to my surprise, it slowly started to change to a more animalistic growl. I watched in utter horror as white fur started to sprout on my smooth skin.

I was shifting! Oh, the agony!

We had been told that the first shift was always hard and painful. It gets better later on. I knew that it was sprouting all over my body by then. The heat in my body was too much for me. Yet, I knew that I shouldn’t fight against it. I should simply embrace it.

I tried my best to take deep breaths, despite the immense pain. I guess my feeble attempts to keep calm were in vain. I ended up screaming and growling with the unbearable torture of the first shift.

Finally, I squeezed my eyes shut and crouched down on the ground. I knew the people around me were going crazy, yet none of it was really helpful. I couldn’t hear anything they said. Nothing made sense. I could feel my limbs elongate and my face change shape. After what felt like an eternity, the affliction finally ceased. I crouched on the floor for a little while.

My senses were enhanced. I realised that my sense of smell and hearing was better. After heaving a deep breath, I opened my eyes.

Daaaamn! Everything was clearer. Every single thing. I looked around to see the different people staring at me in shock and awe. What amazed me the most was that everything on their skin was way too clear to me. Each of their pimples and wrinkles was way too visible now.

Cool! I thought.

Upon turning a little to the left, I saw my parents watching me teary-eyed. Were they proud of me? They sure looked like they were.

“Mom!”

I called, but no words formed.

“Welcome to my mind!”

I heard Izzy. Huh? Frowning, I looked around, only to realise that I was in her mind. I had shifted, so Izzy was now in control.

“Oh hey, Izzy.” I smiled. Now I understand why they said we had to work in collaboration with our lycans. We’re two people in the same body.

“Izzy?”

Mom whispered, her eyes glossed with tears.

“Yes.” Answered Izzy in her animalistic, yet feminine voice.

“It is an honour to meet you,” my father said.

“Good thing the palace is adapted to cater for the lycans to shift.” One person among the crowd chuckled.

“How do you feel?” Mom asked.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“Great!” Izzy answered.

“Izzy, meet my dukes. We are having a meeting.” My father explained. I looked at the five men in the room, among them Elliot’s father and the duke of the south that I had met before. So I guess they were the dukes of all the provinces.

“Men, meet Izzy, my daughter’s lycan,” he added. I saw their faces change. Everyone except Elliot’s father was surprised beyond words.

“Daughter?”

“Is she…..?”

All of them started to murmur and ask different questions. My parents cleared away their doubts and answered their questions. Elliot’s father bore witness to their statements and soon everyone was staring at me as though I was a piece of treasure.

“Izzy, shift back. We would go for a run later on. We need to introduce our daughter to my dukes.” My father said.

Huffing in agreement, she closed her eyes.

“Okay. Time to shift again.”

“How?” I asked.

“Just focus on being human,” she answered.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my human form. I waited. Nothing seemed to happen. Nothing except that my senses were slowly getting less sensitive.

I frowned.

“I honestly don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” I spoke out loud. Wait….that was my voice! My eyes sprung open to see all seven grinning faces looking at me. I realised that my sight was less sharp compared to Izzy’s.

“I like the Lycan senses better!” I exclaimed, making everyone laugh.

“You like to see everyone’s wrinkles better?” My father chuckled and came to stand beside me.

“Meet Princess Carina of the Great Lycanthroppe kingdom. The heir to the throne. Today she has completed her transformation and soon she will graduate from the academy. On her graduation day, we will announce her true identity to the civilians. After that, we would start preparing for her coronation ceremony. Is anyone against this?” he asked firmly, looking from one person to the other.

All of them glowed as they nodded. I beamed. One milestone was reached.

Oh yeah!