CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 17

Mawee.

The rest of my second week in that pack was spent thinking about the name. It appeared as though everyone heard Storm call me that right away. I revealed to Tinley that Storm believed my name to be Mawee, and she remarked that the name suited me perfectly. It turned out to be the ideal name for me, and ever since that day, the few individuals in this pack who had the audacity to call me by my name have referred to me as Mawee. If only I understood exactly what Mawee meant. In my entire life, I had never heard of that name. I was hesitant to ask Tinley what Mawee truly meant, though, for some reason. I was hesitant to ask Storm even more. I questioned him about why he had claimed my name would be Mawee, and he just responded that he had assumed it would be because of the initial on my Assassins' ring. Because of the way the cursive twisted into itself, I could see how he might have mistaken the 'R' for an 'A' when I looked down at the ring. I was then told by Storm that I resembled an Mawee. He stated he had to leave because there was unrest back at the mansion before I could inquire what exactly Mawee meant or, even better, what looking like an Mawee meant. The entire walk was hurried, so I missed the opportunity to say goodbye to him at the mansion. I wasn't sure if I liked the name "Mawee," but I did enjoy the way it sounded. It sounded nice, which I was occasionally, maybe, but had to become if this goal was to be successful. I was often reminded of what it meant to be truly sweet whenever I saw Indigo. She brought back vivid memories of the awkward etiquette lessons I had to take as an Assassins' recruit. I was aware of how to be gracious, refined, and sophisticated, but I had a hard time finding the sweetness needed to bring everything together. My teachers frequently remarked that my attempt at sweetness was, at best, sardonic. I guess even Ava, the great, had her shortcomings. I couldn't help but admire Indigo's mannerisms as I sat across from her at breakfast and dinner. She carried her cutlery with nothing less than grace, but I found it annoying that her hazel eyes were usually cast downward. Girls should have self-assurance, but its girls like Indigo who forced us to accept the story of tenderness that warmed a man's heart. Yes, there were some sweet girls, but in my experience, they weren't the majority. Rare was the color indigo. She always had a modest, non-exaggerated smile on her lips, and my instructors would have adored the way she smiled with her eyes. The way she would flush when you gave her a compliment or just smiled at her. She always spoke to me in the nicest possible manner, using words like "please," "sorry," "thank you," "I hope you don't mind," and many other connotations of politeness. She was, however, the person I thought I had to resemble in order to "fit" in with this group. I always had to assume an identity based on my target as an assassin, but with Storm, I wasn't sure what to think. He was a funny man who enjoyed telling and laughing at jokes. Despite his way of life, he wasn't a stuffy or uninteresting person. He was undoubtedly lovely and thoughtful as well, but he was also a clever man. It was as though he was faster than his own intellect. He gave me the impression of a man who, in a manner, yearned for adventure (which Ava undoubtedly provided), but who was so constrained by his customs and his responsibility to his people that he would never allow himself to actually experience that adventure he so desperately desired. Because of his habits, he would take precautions. This was probably who Mawee was intended to be—safe but also adventurous. Storm would be beyond reach for Ava, but Mawee could. I only had to demonstrate to Storm the beauty of giving in to temptation without being overt about it. But it won't be simple, and it would take a long time. I've been here for two weeks now, but I already feel so slow. But in order for this to succeed, more time would be needed since, in addition to Storm being busy, I would also need to instill a sense of desire in his mind. Time and a lot of communication will be needed to figure out how I'm going to do that. He placed a rose at my bedside, and I'm sure it confused me. Although it hadn't yet started to wither, it was. Does giving a girl a flower, particularly a rose from this bouquet, have a different meaning here than it does elsewhere? Because it is a nice romantic gesture where I come from, but Storm's manner in which he offered me the rose felt more like a helper than anything else. He gave it to me with the attitude of, "Here, have it. I can see you want it." It confused me and said, "Its fine." Why do so many people in this group keep giving me flowers? The black wolf came first, and now Storm Is this pack from a different culture in some way? Despite the fact that I enjoy flowers, my pack sees them in an entirely different light. I made an effort to mentally map the house as I strolled through the hallways. It had three stories, two attics, a basement, and two distinct attics. The only thing that set the first floor apart from the others was a long, prolonged hallway in the middle. The hallway was amazing, especially with the way that on the right side, there were big glass windows, and on the left side, paintings upon paintings. There was also the kitchen, front room, dining hall, Storm's office, and other places that I had yet to visit. The majority of the second floor, where I lived, was made up of apartments. It was characterized by Tinley as having space for guests, but not only outsiders like me who were new to the pack but also insiders from the pack who resided in the mansion, such as Indigo and Fleur. My room was a few doors away from theirs. On the other hand, Tinley resided on the third level. Members of the Alpha family, truly significant guests, or those with the most reputable links to the Alpha family resided on the third floor. I was intrigued by that floor because I had never been there, but I never had the perfect time or reason to go up there. I always assumed that the rare blue moonstone would either be kept under tight security or kept hidden in plain sight, based on its owner, Alpha Storm. My initial assumption would be that Storm's bedroom must contain it. The only other option was to climb into his bed, which was the only other method to enter his bedroom besides breaking in. What a doozy it would be, by the moon. The freezer was kept in the basement; I had no idea how they kept a freezer running without electricity, but once more, we moved. There were at least forty people who lived in this mansion, and all the food needed to feed them was kept there, along with old furniture, books, and anything else that needed to be stored. Therefore, with so many people coming and going, I highly doubt Storm would leave a valuable moonstone there for anyone to simply knock over. The attic was another option. There were two, and I had no idea how to find out what was stored up there by asking Tinley or Indigo. Finding a blue moonstone in this enormous house is like looking for a needle in a haystack, so I had to be as stealthy as possible. I have no idea what the dreadful stone looks like. It's size? Small? Atypically shaped? Oval? Circular? I only knew it was a blue stone. So in essence, Nessa sent a small rock in search of a blue rock? It's the ideal irony. I continued down the hallway, mentally planning the best hiding places or how to get out of this house the fastest if necessary. There's no denying that the mansion was big. I heard a shout in front of me, "Eni's, stop!" and as I looked forward, I wanted to leap. It was the young child who sat next to me every day at dinner and breakfast. He was an unruly kid who cried whenever his mother tried to feed him, ran around the room, and occasionally threw food at me. Now that his mother was pursuing him down the hallway, I was surprised to hear her yell out, "Stop, Eni's!" This was an improvement from the place's deafening silence. The young child then slammed against me and promptly collapsed onto his diaper. He began to sob. His mother arrived at the child's side right away, picking up the child while her long, black hair, which was pulled back in a single braid, flowed over her shoulders. The child sobbed. His hair made me think of Storm. The curls were identical, but his were tighter and shorter. The mother of Eni's turned to face me. She whispered into the child's ear, "Dearest moon, I apologize on behalf of my son," and then the youngster stopped sobbing. She was charming. She had gorgeous brown skin and doe-like eyes. Her baby hair curling across her face was maybe the finest feature about her. While the remainder of her hair was braided into a single braid, the smallest, most delicate spirals encircled her face. Every time we ate together, she sat next to me and a man I thought to be her partner, but she never talked to me—at least not until now. I replied with a smile, "its fine," and her son appeared to calm down. I was surprised by how quickly she talked when she stated, "My son, Eni's, is a handful. Take it from me, don't have kids," she said with a mocking look. She spoke more quickly than Tinley did. People in this pack were so accustomed to speaking in their thoughts that when they did speak, their sentences were occasionally choppy and disjointed. The only other two who occasionally spoke aggressively to me were Tinley and Storm. The other people, including Indigo and Fleur, paused awkwardly and used 'uh' sounds between their remarks. As she kissed her son's cheek, I grinned at her humor. I told him, "Eni's is very cute," and she proudly grinned. He was. Her offspring were stunning. His black doe eyes, which seemed to be filled with mischief every time I gazed at them, and light brown complexion gave him a radiant appearance. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you," she added in a tone that more closely resembled an inside joke. Her blue skirt was cleaned with a handkerchief. Since you arrived here, I've constantly wanted to talk to you, but Eni's keeps me too busy. I cried out, "Oh!" Yes, that kid really was a nightmare. He only cried, pulled his mother's hair, and threw food all over the place. Despite how adorable he was, he actually made my ovaries swell. She said, "Let's sit," and led us both to the chaise lounge next to us, which was beneath a sizable mural of a white wildflower. She placed Eni's on her lap as we both sat down. He sat still next to her for once. It all made sense after she identified herself as "Erica," Storm's sister. The same eye color, hair color, and curl pattern, as well as the same skin tone. My gaze immediately shifted to Eni's. He shares Storm's hair color because of this. His nephew is him. Erica also has a name for a flower. No doubt. My only response was, "I didn't realize that Alpha Storm had a sister. I nodded and said, "I know the whole mind connection thing must not be easy for you. In this realm, no one tells you anything until you demonstrate some interest in knowing. She said, her doe eyes genuine, "But yes, Storm's my baby brother," and I stared back, pushing a hair out of my eyes. "Mawee, you really are so beautiful." I told her, "Thank you, and so are you," and I meant it. She was also really attractive. Her eyes were so beautiful that I could stare at them for hours on end. She also had something special about the way her full, pink lips curled after each sentence. She shook her head with a bitterness that seemed strange coming from her. "You know, when Tinley first told me about you, I thought that Tinley was exaggerating. Tinley finds every girl pretty. She's good-hearted that way, always seeing the best in everyone and trying to help everyone, but when I saw you for the first time at breakfast, that was the third time in my life that I cursed the moon," she said. She took Eni's hand out of the top of her braid and gave him the bottom, which was tied with a blue ribbon, in response to my question, "Why did you curse the moon?" He fervently tugged at it with his tiny hands, likely in an attempt to untangle it. You're the most stunning thing I've ever laid eyes on; you're delicate like a flower in full bloom, and I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I sincerely wished that the moon had given you to my brother. I blamed the moon for not making you my brother's mate. Erica, please stop being so agitated. You don't want me to be Storm's mate, I assure you. Even I am opposed to that. You're requesting curses rather than blessings, Erica. An alpha of the wolves who are more holy than thou and a serial killer? Dear Erica, the moon would never pull such a cruel joke on your brother. Nevertheless, I grinned, pleased to be praised. Who, after all, doesn't enjoy having some elbow grease applied, especially by a total stranger? I do, and if you convince yourself otherwise, you are deceiving yourself. I force modest lies out of my tongue to sound kind: "Thank you, but don't say that. I am sure that your brother's mate is even more beautiful than I can ever aspire to be." I don't really care if she is or isn't, though. Erica adds, "She's supposed to be," with a hollow expression on her face. It's just that when I first saw you, you reminded me of my mother, who was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She was more of a dream than reality, and none of us even had a quarter of her good looks, but you are even prettier than my mother was, which something I never thought was even possible is. She suddenly extended her hands and touched my hair without any prior notice. She answered me by asking, "May I?" I reluctantly nodded, and she felt my hair before I could react. She said, "A bit rough, and your hair is so short. Mama's hair reached her feet," and I wanted to tell her that typically my hair was also long, but I refrained from saying it. But I've never allowed it to extend from my mid-calf region to my feet. Wow, that's absolutely crazy! This group is big on long hair. Never once did I see a girl in this pack with hair shorter than her waist, which leads me to believe it's an obsession. They all had long hair, which seemed unnecessary to me. My own short hair was a source of happiness for me. I'm Ava, baby, so no. I can't possibly blend in with these impressionable pack girls and their ingrained prejudices. I have to be noticed. Erica yanked her hand away and said, "I think longer hair would suit you better." Your name suits you so beautifully; I don't believe that any other name could have been more appropriate for you. But truly, Mawee, your skin glows so effortlessly and naturally that I'm genuinely envious. I questioned, "What does it mean?" "I mean Mawee," Erica scowled down at Eni's as he abruptly grabbed at her hair with great force, saying, "Oh! It means..." The young child proceeded to cry happily and pull even more, showing no signs of being alarmed. Eni's sobbed as Erica yanked her hair out of his grasp. Frustration could be felt at the top of Erica's temples as she sighed. She placed the kid on the ground. She lifted him back up when he started crying again. He continued to sob. Eni's became a little more subdued when Erica began to gently shake him. I'm sorry, but anytime my son is hungry, he gets cranky. I tell her, "its okay. Perhaps you should go feed him then," and she nods before getting up. Eni's didn't stop sobbing. She spoke unexpectedly: "Mawee means radiant beauty," but before I could respond, someone arrived to greet us. The man who normally sat next to Erica was there, and as he kissed Eni's on the forehead, I was able to confirm my first suspicion that he was Erica's partner. As I continued to look at the duo as they spoke over the link, the man's eyes caught mine. His eyes had a tired appearance to them that bothered me, especially the way they slowly scanned my body from head to toe. I had seen that expression much too frequently to ever miss or even misinterpret it. That was lust. Erica introduced us: "Mawee, this is Jude. He's my husband," and I nodded as Jude continued to stare at me with a strained expression. Erica advised me, "You should find Tinley and get ready," and before I could inquire as to why, she said, "It's a full moon tonight."