The Song Of The Wolf (Unedited)

Chapter Twenty-Two

If life was an ocean, then the revelation of the lycan existence and Maebh's place in their world, had launched her into the depths of a trench. For the past 3 days, Saoirse O'Sullivan had embodied a bioluminescent fish; a flickering light in the vast darkness.

Ever since her Mam had informed her of her impending departure, Maebh had been trying to milk every last minute she had with her. But now the dreadful moment had arrived and she held onto her mother for dear life. She peered over her shoulder at the queen –who had given them some room to say goodbye.

"Sneak me back to Ireland with you."

"We did for 19 years and look how that turned out." Saoirse murmured back.

"You did it once, you can do it again."

Her Mam sighed. "Mo ghrá... Even if we did, no good would come of it."

After the Introduction Ball, the moments mother and daughter had spent completely alone and amongst each other were rare and few. Outside the castle grounds, they were constantly shadowed by the prince's subordinates –under the pretence of safety precautions. Maebh played along but feared they had their suspicions. When they did managed to escape them, her mother provided her with more bits of information, ones that only added to the unravelling of her world.

"You'll be alright."

Noting the doubt on her daughter's face, Saoirse sighed heavily. "You will be, I promise. Trust in what's in here." She pointed at the place Maebh's heart was located and pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. And then, she left.

Her Mam left, and with her, the light as well.

Maebh stood staring at the winding road until the car had long disappeared from sight. Feeling a tear roll down her cheek, she quickly wiped it away and turned back to the castle.

Hèmène opened her mouth to speak and lifted her arms, presumably to offer some kind of consolation but Maebh did not feel like she could handle any form contact right then, instead she moved past her without uttering a word. Right before she re-entered, she shot a glare up to the window of the Fillin's library, where those gleaming, amber eyes were watching her from.

Maebh felt like a sad, asymmetrical pancake that had lost its fluff. Consequently, the days that followed were spent in bed; wallowing in self-pity. She was in the middle of a movie marathon when the crown prince himself barged into the tower room and came to a halt right beside her. Bewildered at his unannounced presence, she pulled the duvet up to her neck and instantly felt at a disadvantage. Whereas she had been in a state of gloom, moping about in pyjamas and refusing to tame the bird's nest one called hair –Fillin looked like the rugged protagonist of a perfume commercial.

"I heard you liked this." He announced rather grimly, retrieving a large plastic bag from behind his back and holding it up. "One of my gammas is bonded to a Japanese chef."

All at once, the smell of tempura shrimp hit her senses and willed her to snatch the bag from his grip. Lashing out into empty air, Maebh frowned at the retreating arm that now held the object in question just out of reach.

"You can't keep skipping out on your lessons with my mother." He said.

Maebh narrowed her eyes, not sure whether to feel offended or impressed. The man was bribing her with food.

"Fine. I'll go find her first thing in the morning."

With that, he wordlessly handed over the bag and caused Maebh to squeal with joy. Had she not been so absorbed by the food, she would have seen the little grin her eagerness triggered on the prince's face.