Chapter Six: The woman between

For three months, I stayed in an unknown place getting trained by a shadow. It was funny at first but it did teach me a lot. I got free from Raquelia and the first person I went to see was Mindy to have her fill me in on everything I'd missed. Her house was a little duplex near a forest. Her husband was a botanist so living close to a forest was understandable. Plus, Mindy loved living in a forest area and said it was her nature or something like that.

Mindy opened the door. A frown hitched up her face when she saw me. "Good evening, how may I help you?" She asked politely, false politeness that is. I chuckled nervously. I left after forwarding her a message to cancel my contracts and gave her access to my accounts to pay the companies back for the inconvenience. I didn't see her in person because I knew she would skin me alive and I deserved every bit of it. Mindy won't understand and I didn't want her to. It wasn't just ditching problems on my manager, it was also ghosting my closest friend.

"Mindy, hi!" I chirped nervously. She stared at me with confusion. I pinned my lips and stared at her face, quietly. Why was she pretending to be confused?

"Ma'am, really, how may I help you? And why does your voice sound so familiar?"

"Oh come on, Mindy!" I exclaimed. "I know I acted like an ass but please, don't pretend as if you don't recognize me. I'm sorry about ghosting you and everyone…” Mindy's eyes widened with utter disbelief as she stared at me. She looked like she saw a ghost. "Mindy?"

"Arabel?!" She exclaimed quizzically. "Oh my goodness! What happened to you?!" She looked genuinely confounded so she wasn't toying with me. It was then I remembered that I changed completely. The more I learned how to wield my powers, the quicker my appearance and aura changed. My hair had turned pale white and my skin was as white as snow white. I thought Snow White was a joke until I looked at myself in the mirror. I, however, lost my red lips and found myself with lips exactly like Covergirl’s lipstick in the shade blue. I still prefer my red. Aside from my appearance, my body temperature was colder than a normal human, like hugging an iron pole that was left out overnight. And the cherry on top, Jena said my charisma and aura have turned frightening cold so my presence will always scare or intimidate people. Like an ice queen.

I hate it.

"Did you undergo surgery without my knowledge? Is that why you went radio silent on me?" She asked quizzically.

"No, I found out I was severely sick a few years back. It's the reason why I've been so cold toward everyone. I didn't go into hiding, I went for the only solution to my illness at a temple in China. The side effects of the treatment since it's not perfected is this."

"As if I'm going to believe that," she scoffed, but when she saw the look on my face, she gasped. I'm an actress so it was easy to convince her with my look. I didn't like lying to her but it was the only excuse I could come up with. "Oh my goodness! Why didn't you tell me? You were sick?!"

"I didn't want anyone to worry about me. The sickness was a result of the accident and after how terrified everyone was, I couldn't bring myself to tell anybody," I wrapped my hands around my body, pretending to be sad. "I was able to find the temple by chance, and since I'm going to die anyways, I volunteered to be a lab rat. I'm fine now but I have this as a side effect." I looked at my body and I had to admit, my body got sexier. I looked up and saw the suspicion on Mindy's face. Damn! This woman is like Amabel. She's impossible to deceive.

"Why don't I believe you?" She sneered. "Never knew you could go for artificial instead of natural. I'm disappointed in you," she said upsettingly. "You disappeared for months and come back looking like a white-haired Snow White with a bullcrap backstory! Ara, what is your problem?!" Clearly, she's not going to buy that lie.

"Am I fired?" I asked with a humorous wink.

"I'm being serious here!!!" She yelled angrily.

"I didn't undergo any surgery," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "Will I lie to you about something as serious as this? Mindy, I'm serious."

"And your eyes? Don't tell me it's contact lens because I know it's not," she said adamantly. Geez! Mindy and Amabel should be twins. They are impossible. Ama is the worst.

"Okay, it's not. I can show you the lab results and every other thing." I don't know how Raquel did it but she did. I'm not even sure if the disease was genuine, but she said I shouldn't worry about it. Mindy opened her mouth and closed it as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to say it. She sighed and leaned on the doorframe.

"I know you are lying but I won't argue with you. The whole world will think you did the surgery." She shrugged.

"I can just show them the result or explain. Or you're right, I can stick to the surgery story. Still, I really was sick and I went through changes that I still find it hard to believe that is real." Serious changes.

"I believe you but they won't." Mindy gave me an evasive smile and pushed the door open further before walking in. My legs were starting to hurt so I was more than happy to skip in after her. The block heels of my clear jelly shoes hit the wooden floor loudly, but thankfully, not annoyingly. The sun was too hot outside and I forgot to bring my umbrella. Heat couldn't kill me, but it did weaken me.

"Tell me, this temple you went to," she started, "how did the people look like? How did you locate the place? Did they use technology or something?" I scrunched my nose as an unfamiliar and disturbing scent reached my nostrils. My sense of smell had gotten stronger but it wasn't that great either. Identifying auras, however, was easier. While my nose told me the house smelt like a dog, the skin at the back of my neck stood erect as if alarmed by an unfamiliar presence.

"There were a bunch of odd-looking men, most of them were monks or something like that," I blurted out, distracted. Mindy hummed while I looked at the house, trying to ease my sudden uncomfortableness.

"You look neat, dear,"

"Thanks," I smiled. The house was wooden to the core. Mindy and her husband had a thing for wooden houses but I didn't like it. To me, wooden houses mean higher heat. I inhaled and sat on the single cuddler sofa in the living room and crossed my legs.

"Need something cold to drink?" She asked calmly.

"Extra cold," I said happily. Mindy nodded and left. She returned a few minutes later with a glass of juice. She gave it to me and sat down opposite me. She crossed her legs too and started sipping from her glass, her eyes on me the entire time. She's still suspicious.

Mindy finally dropped the glass and smiled sweetly. "Why are you back?"

"There's no fooling you, is there?" She smirked knowingly. "Well," I said with a tut of my tongue, "I want to call it quits on my career. The spotlight is no longer for me. I'm not completely healthy and there are some things I want to focus on. Maybe find a good man and settle down."

"It's about time!" She exclaimed suddenly, surprising me. "I was waiting for you to tell me this for years now, since that accident. Ara, this star life is no longer for you." She's not angry? Did she hit her head against a rock? Mindy rolled her eyes. "Don't look at me like that, it's true. Acting might have helped you meet a lot of people, but you are clearly miserable. I wanted to tell you this for the longest time now, you know."

"I know that now," I muttered, but of course, sharp hearing Mindy heard.

"It hasn't been easy for me these past few months. At this point, your career is almost over so it will be easier to quit. I better get my résumé ready. I'm jobless," she joked. I giggled. "And you? What will you do?"

"I already have enough money to start up something for myself and I am thinking about opening a school… DANCE SCHOOL, yes! That's the one!" I said excitedly. I've always loved dancing since I was an infant like dad always said. I don't even remember how I lost touch with what I really love to do.

"Sounds good. Guess I'm still not jobless because you are too lazy to do anything on your own,"

"So not true! I just love it when you do it. Yours is always better," I defended. It was the truth and also a lie. I'm a lazy ass bitch. Or at least, I was.

"I'm blushing. Now let's prepare to announce your retirement. I will advise you to go see your family. They have been worried. It took a lot out of me to convince them that you were on vacation. Well, that smart-ass sister of yours didn't believe me, but she didn't push it either. Have I ever told you she creeps me out with her smile and eyes? Well, I'm telling you now." Mindy must be talking about Amabel.

"I left them all a message, don't know why they would overreact," as if they cared. I rolled my eyes and scoffed. I'd not been talking to Isobel and Amabel, even when they were in the same room with me. It didn't affect them that much because they didn't notice as their husbands were always there. I know love is beautiful but give me a break!

"Arabel, they are your family," she scolded. "Even if not for your sisters, for your younger siblings. Kevin especially. That guy is a mess without you."

A smile crawled up my face. I did miss him the most. "Where's your husband?"

"Traveled," she whined. "He'll be back soon, I hope." Well, that explained her extra sauciness.

Cyrus's POV

"Alpha, the beta male and female of Jin Ju Pack are here to represent their pack." Dandy, my beta, said with a bow.

"I will be there in a few minutes. Tell my mother or sister," I replied with a low voice.

"Yes, Alpha,"

"What about the other packs? Did they honor the invitation?" I asked staring at my dad's portrait on the wall. It was his death memorial, his fifteenth death anniversary. I always held it every year to honor his great reign over death. He was a great Alpha, the best by the record and to me.

"They are here as well," I couldn't see his face because my back was turned to him but I could feel his every move and smell his emotions. Someone was lovesick. Ugh!

"Even the Alpha of Imperial Moon Pride and Night Waver Pack?" I asked calmly.

"Imperial Moon rejected as usual but Night Waver sent his beta and his younger brother," he replied politely. I nodded. I wasn't expecting any response from the cocky alpha of the world's strongest pack, but just like my father, I continued the tradition of sending them invites to occasions they never bothered to attend.

"You are dismissed,"

"Okay, Alpha." I sighed after he left. I loved and still love my father I did everything the exact way he did and ruled the exact way he did because there was no flaw in his laws. I earned greater respect than he did and built my pack to be the second strongest but the largest. Still, I felt unfulfilled and hopeless. The feeling of emptiness in my life was huge, like a wormhole sucking every ounce of happiness and zeal I had left to continue living. A mate is one of the most important parts of a werewolf's life and to an alpha, it held more importance. An alpha without a Luna loses respect and is regarded as a pup by other mated alphas. It makes him a laughing stock and I was starting to become one because I hadn't found my mate.

Usually, my pack wolves find their mates at the age of sixteen to nineteen, the least being twenty-three. It wasn't usual for every pack. They found their mates at the age of eighteen to above, the least being twenty-five. So to be the alpha of a mate that always finds their mates earlier than others, was a bigger disgrace. At thirty-two, I was mateless. The only saving grace I had was that my pack loved me too much to condemn me and that no one could say it to my face. I better leave before mom comes over and pulls me there by my ear. Really, she will. I walked out to the big ballroom heaving with people; werewolves.

"You're late," mom said frowningly.

"Five minutes late," my sister, Cyra, said with an eye roll.

"Five minutes is very important,"

"So says the queen of punctuality," I murmured sarcastically. Her ears twitched. Here it comes.

"Can you perceive your mate yet?" She asked eagerly.

"Oh come on, mom!" Cyra exclaimed. She was twenty-three and already mated but recently. Mom gave her hell before she finally found hers so I was the only one left. She didn't get along well with mom, no one does. Sometimes I wonder how dad coped with her. She was incredibly and unbelievably annoying and unavoidable! They say love is blind and my father loving her is a good example of that.

"Cyra, have you seen Mindy?" I asked, changing the topic.

"Is Mindy your mate? She's already happily married and you are here worrying about her?"

"Mom! I'm only worried about my best friend. Give me a break!" I exclaimed, dragging attention to myself. Not like they couldn't hear our conversation already.

"Your so-called best friend abandoned our pack after she was married into another," she said irritably. She hates everything and everyone. Gets irritated and annoyed by everything and everyone but herself. She's a caring mother but her bad qualities outshine her good.

I sucked in air between my teeth and smiled. I couldn't yell at her, she was my mother and Luna-Mother. "Mom, for once in your life, learn to let us be," Cyra whispered. Cyra, however, was a brat so she always blurted out her thoughts.

Mom gasped and gave her a knock on the head. "Don't talk to your mother that way," she snapped.

As I said, super annoying.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Cyra apologized rudely and stomped away. I sighed and walked out on her as well.

"Hey! Both of you, don't move!" She shouted. We are in the middle of a memorial service! Can't she behave herself for nine seconds?! I need a break away from her before she drives me crazy. Before I lose my sanity!

I'm going to see Mindy.