Bella calmed herself as she descended down the stairs. Hear head was still hot in anger at the nosy rogue. She didn’t mean to yell at him. She just couldn’t handle the fact that he was right. Everything Axel said was right, and she disliked the fact that the rogue could see through her. No one was ever bold enough to try and pierce through her cold heart. Axel was the first one, and she was afraid that something terrible would happen if her ice walls would melt into mellow pieces of snow.
“Young lady, were you talking to someone when I called you?” Melinda, their only slave and housekeeper, asked. “I heard another voice when I arrived in your door.”
Bella hid her surprise as the both of them arrived at the first floor. “I was talking to an acquaintance on my phone,” she lied. “Oh, nana? I haven’t seen you since this morning.”
Melinda smiled apologetically upon hearing her comment and Bella felt relieved inwardly. She just successfully changed the topic of their conversation. If she hadn’t, Melinda would certainly ask who that acquaintance was until Bella would have no hole to pitch in. Melinda was the nosy one, Bella thought, not annoying Axel.
“Did you need anything, young lady?” Melinda asked worriedly. “Your father allowed me to visit my family in Camp Clover. So, I went there this morning and forgot to tell you. It was so nice of the alpha for stopping by the boundary to pick me up. We came in together with your grandfather.”
“That’s just normal, nana. You worked for us for more than forty years. It’s only right that we give you these simple benefits,” Bella told her as she pushed the door to the dining room open. Melinda only smiled at her gratefully and said nothing as they were now in the presence of the alphas. It had been forty years, but Melinda was still intimidated by the presence of the former alpha, Sevrio. She was more eased in the presence of Apollo, the nicer and less terrifying alpha.
“There you are,” Apollo said as soon as he saw his daughter. “I see you haven’t changed into your pajamas yet. You must have come home late from your date.”
Bella mentally rolled her eyes. How could she change when there’s a man in her room?
“I just arrived,” she replied and sat down the chair beside her father. “I’ll just have some milk and go to bed. I already ate with Seth.”
Sevrio lit up upon hearing the name of the beta’s son. “So, how was it? When will the next date be?”
Bella gritted her teeth. “There won’t be a next date. I rejected him.”
Sevrio curled his hands into a fist and slammed it angrily on the dining table. “Why did you do that? Seth is a good man. He is the perfect man for you. He is your hope of becoming less cold-hearted and arrogant. Why can’t you see that?”
“My hope of becoming less cold-hearted and arrogant?” Bella sneered as she clasped her hands together on the table. “Or maybe YOUR hope in putting up a dynasty of male alphas? Isn’t it why you have always been forcing me to go on dates, grandfather? So there would be a chance for a male to be the next alpha? I know you don’t want me to become alpha. I will prove that I have what it takes to become the next leader of our pack. What’s wrong with having a female as the alpha? Women can lead, too, and I’ll show you that myself.”
“You!” Sevrio pointed his forefinger at Bella as he snarled at her with his creased forehead and flaring eyes. “It’s because a cursed alpha isn’t what this pack needs! I’ve been forcing you to go on dates so that you can find your mate in order for an heir to be born. I’m doing this for the pack and for our family. Your curse is your weakness and it will put us all in danger. I’m doing this to protect you!”
“Ha! Protect me?” Bella shook her head as she laughed mockingly. “Then, you should’ve made it clear to me. You shouldn’t have let my hopes up. I dedicated all my life to training and studying just so I can prove myself worthy of becoming alpha. And now, I just heard from you, my own grandfather, that I’m not what our pack needs. Wow! Why couldn’t you have told me that earlier so I could have at least enjoyed my childhood and teenage life? Earlier this evening, you even threatened to take away my instruments. Take it all away! The throne, my music, my future – I don’t care! You never once cared about my happiness anyway.” Bella harshy stood up and walked away. Sevrio was taken aback by her last words. It struck him like lightning that it made him think about his past actions. Had he really neglected his granddaughter’s happiness? In most cases, he did.
“Bella!” Apollo called her as he stood up. “Sit down, honey, let’s talk this out nicely.” Bella stopped on her tracks, but was too stubborn to even face them.
“We’ll talk tomorrow, dad. I’m too upset to talk,” she said in the calmest way she could at the moment. “Good night.”
Bella stomped her foot on the flight of stairs as she walked up to her room. She turned the knob of her room door, but it wasn’t opening. She tiredly sighed, remembering that she locked it because Axel was inside. She knocked three times on the door and a low whispering voice replied to her.
“What’s the password?” Axel whispered in singsong. He had his eye on the peephole and he grinned nervously behind the door upon seeing Bella’s unhappy face glaring right through him in the small hole.
“Open up, idiot,” Bella muttered under her breath, suppressing her urge to take the door down. Axel quickly opened the door for her and even motioned her to come in like he was a waiter gesturing a customer to its table. Bella only rolled her eyes at him as he closed the door. After all that yelling, she had no more energy to banter with the annoying rogue.
Bella flumped her body onto her bed, her arms folded on her head as a pillow. She sighed heavily as she stared at the empty navy ceiling. No – it wasn’t practically empty. It had glow-in-the-dark star stickers plastered all over it. However, since the lights were on, they were just stickers staring back at her sullen beauty.
Axel switched off the lights and turned on the bedside lamp. He sat down beside Bella and smiled at the glowing star stickers above them. “I thought you would like to look at the stars,” he said. “This will do since there aren’t any real stars tonight. But, the sky is sympathizing with you. So, the rain isn’t so bad after all.”
Bella turned her head to look at him. He was really something, she thought. Bella found it unfair and annoying that Axel could see through her while she couldn’t even understand his nature. One moment he was mischievous and annoying, the next he was being a nosy talker, and now he was being gentle and understanding.
“Who are you?” Bella asked as she stared at him.
He smiled and looked down to face her, his dimple popping charmingly from his left cheek. “I’m Axel Jay Beethoven, your new roommate.” He grinned at her and stared back at the ceiling.
Bella tsked at him and also turned her head to look at the star-covered ceiling. “Roommate? I’m kicking you out before you know it.”
They both laughed quietly as they stared at the night-sky-like ceiling. It was the first time in many years that Bella laughed genuinely with someone. It was surreal for her. She was somehow grateful to Axel for showing her that she wasn’t made of ice after all.
“What are you two doing?”
Both of their heads jerked towards the door upon hearing that familiar voice. Bella quickly got up from lying on the bed and Axel stood up, both were startled at her sudden appearance.
Melinda stood by the door, holding a plate of cookies and a glass of milk on a platter. Her mouth was opened agape as she stared at the young man standing sheepishly beside Bella. Her head turned to the young lady as she slowly closed the door with her free hand.
“Who is he?” Melinda asked, still overwhelmed in surprise.
“Oh, hi,” Axel muttered nervously. “I’m Axel Jay Beethoven, her new roommate.”