67 The Awakening
Selma Payne’s POV:
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
I looked at my ashen self in the mirror and heard Kara’s worried voice.
𝑓𝗿𝐞e𝑤𝚎𝗯n𝗼ν𝙚l. 𝑐𝒐𝓶
I wanted to tell her that I was fine and had no problem. I wanted to tell her not to worry, but I failed.
Because I was in a very, very, very bad state right now.
Was Aldrich to blame for this? Should I blame him for hiding the truth?
I thought I should because I was his girlfriend. We shouldn’t keep any secrets between us.
However, I didn’t think I should, because I was his girlfriend. There shouldn’t have been any secrets, yet, I lied to him from the beginning.
‘Selma’ was only a shadow of the past, a forced disguise.
‘Madeline’ is the current me, the princess of the Lycan Pack, the future Queen.
The real liar was not Aldrich but me. I used a fake identity to gain his love from the beginning, and I couldn’t even show this love in front of everyone.
A strong sense of nausea hit me again. I retched but could only spit out bitter bile.
Kara’s voice became louder and louder. Finally, she said that if I didn’t open the door, she would have to get the spare key and asked me to forgive her.
I washed my face and forced myself to smile. I opened the door and said, “It’s okay. I’m just a little nauseous. Maybe I’m too tired from training.”
My shoddy performance did not fool Kara. She did not listen to my orders for the first time and forcefully invited my parents and Tracy.
My mother hugged me as soon as she entered the room. Her eyes were red as she pressed me into her arms.
This strong woman could deal with the difficulties of the Council of Elders with a poker face. No matter how busy the state affairs were, they could not shake her. However, she was unusually weak when it came to me. I always made her cry and turned her love into a sharp blade of worry that stabbed her.
And my father, this powerful and magnanimous King would only lose the calmness he was so proud of when he had to deal with me.
I’d always been lying and hurting others, be it, my lover or family.
This made me hate myself even more. Finally, I gently moved away from my mother’s arms and lay on the goose feather pillow.
“Don’t worry, Father, Mother. I am just too tired from training. Kara is too nervous.”
I laughed and spoke, but soon I couldn’t laugh anymore. I saw my stiff reflection in their eyes. Their expressions were so strange as if they were afraid that they couldn’t see my abnormality.
My parents didn’t say anything. Instead, they simply held my hand tightly.
Tracy rushed over and did some basic checks on me before using a special test paper to test my blood. She said solemnly, “I think Your Highness will have to shift your awakening in advance. Your hormone changes are too chaotic, which may disrupt your normal growth pace. Your wolf will wake up early.”
My mother exclaimed nervously, “Will there be any negative effects?”
Tracy shook her head and said, “This is a very rare occurrence. There are no conclusive cases. I can only say that there are pros and cons to this. The best case scenario is that the princess is safe and sound. The worst-case scenario is… a failure in the awakening and her Highness’ wolf will go into eternal slumber.”
This time, even my father couldn’t remain calm. He immediately gave Tracy an order, “From now on, you will receive the highest authorization from the medical department. You have the right to mobilize and use any resources you think are necessary. You must ensure Selma’s safety.”
Tracy’s brows furrowed as he accepted the mission and immediately went to prepare.
While they were talking, I felt my nausea getting stronger and stronger, so much so that my consciousness was being tortured to the point of blurriness. My control over my body weakened. Someone was replacing my soul and controlling this trembling body inch by inch.
Was someone calling me?
I heard my mother’s voice, my father’s, Kara’s, and even Aldrich’s…
Wait, were the girls here too?
And my adoptive parents, Rhode…
Benson…
Why were they here? Was today the public opening day of the palace?
I didn’t know why I was still in the mood to joke around. The feeling of losing control was so strange, but I felt an inexplicable sense of joy for some reason.
It felt like family members smiling at each other or old friends reuniting at the same time. Everything was so strange, but at the same time, so familiar.
All of a sudden, the noisy calls in my ears disappeared. Instead, I felt warmth all over my body, as if I had returned to my mother’s womb.
My umbilical cord was connected to another person. I couldn’t see her nor touch her; only the umbilical cord that tightly connected us was saying, “This is your closest half, your most trusted friend.”
I struggled to open my eyes to see what she looked like; the girl connected to my blood. However, I had already lost control of my body. All I could do was try my best to move my eyelids as if seeing her face was the only thing that kept me going.
Soon.
Just a little bit more.
It’d be done soon.
Finally, I used all my strength to open my eyes a little.
Then, I met a pair of dark eyes.
She said, “You are me, and I am you. Hello, I’m Maxine.”
