CHAPTER 227: Enid Drakewood - 2

CHAPTER 227: Enid Drakewood - 2

It was past midnight and the Drakewood mansion was at its peak of activity. All the guests had already arrived: nobles, influential merchants, and important figures of the lycan world filled the great hall amid soft music, contained laughter, and raised glasses. However, in a secluded corner, Enid remained seated in silence, observing the scene with evident displeasure. That atmosphere felt heavy, artificial, as if she did not belong to that place.

While she distractedly played with the edge of her glass, a shadow stopped in front of her.

—May I sit down? —a young voice asked.

Enid looked up. In front of her was a boy her age, well dressed but without the haughty air of most of those present.

—If you want —she replied indifferently.

The young man took a seat and sketched a calm smile.

—My name is Bruce Whitmore —he said—. My family arrived tonight from the north.

—Enid Drakewood —she answered—. I suppose you already knew that.

—It was hard not to know —Bruce admitted—. Although you seem to be the only one not enjoying the evening.

Enid let out a brief nasal laugh.

—I don't like these kinds of dinners. Everyone smiles too much and talks as if every word were a hidden agreement.

Bruce looked at her with genuine interest.

—Then I'm not the only one. I came forced by my father. He says these gatherings are important for the future.

—Our parents always seem to think about the future —Enid replied—, but they never ask if we want to be part of it.

Bruce nodded slowly.

—I suppose they expect us to accept what's ours without complaining.

Enid observed him for a few seconds, surprised.

—You don't talk like the others.

—I'll take that as a compliment —he replied—. You don't fit in much with the rest either.

For the first time that night, Enid smiled for real.

—Maybe that's why we're here, sitting in a corner.

—Maybe —Bruce said—. Although it doesn't bother me. It's nice to talk to someone who isn't trying to impress.

—Same here —she answered—. This night was becoming eternal for me.

The music continued playing in the distance, but for Enid, for the first time since the dinner began, time seemed to move a little faster.

From that day on, Enid did not know it, but that small casual encounter would change the future forever. What began as a simple conversation, in a forgotten corner of the Drakewood mansion, was in reality the beginning of something much deeper. That night, without realizing it, Enid met her first love.

A new feeling, silent and persistent, began to take root inside her, growing over the years until it became inseparable from who she was. However, what was born as something pure and sincere was not destined to remain intact.

Because from that love, in a still distant future, condemnation would arise for someone else.

The next day, the Drakewood family's countryside stretched under a clear sky, bathed in soft, warm light. The air was clean, and the distant song of birds accompanied the stillness of the place. Enid was sitting under a leafy tree, her back against the trunk and her gaze lost among the leaves swaying in the wind.

Isabella appeared shortly after and, without asking permission, sat beside her. Barely a second passed before she let out a contained laugh.

—So… Bruce —she said, stretching out the name in a mocking tone.

Enid turned her face immediately, frowning.

—Don't start.

—How can I not start? —Isabella replied, smiling—. I heard you all night. You didn't know whether to look at him or run.

—You're exaggerating —Enid replied, crossing her arms—. We just talked.

Isabella observed her for a few seconds attentively, as if she were sizing her up.

—I don't see him as your soulmate —she said at last, shrugging—. He's nice, yes, but he's not… that.

—Not what? —Enid asked, amused—. Are you an expert on destinies now?

—Maybe —Isabella answered with a lopsided smile—. I think you won't end up with someone calm, or predictable. It will be someone broken, dangerous even. Someone carrying too many shadows… and even so, you won't be able to pull away from him.

Enid let out a laugh.

—That's absurd —she said, shaking her head—. You sound like an old fortune teller.

—Laugh all you want —Isabella replied, glancing at her sideways—. When that someone arrives, you'll remember me.

Enid rested her head against the tree again, still smiling.

—If that day comes —she said lightly—, I'll invite you to remind me. Until then, let me enjoy the present.

Isabella did not respond. She only observed the countryside in front of them, with a calm expression, as if she had already seen something that Enid could not yet understand.

Everything had been peace in Enid's life… until that day.

It was night when she returned from the village. The road was silent, too calm. Upon arriving at the Drakewood mansion, something did not fit. There were no lights on. None. The house, which always shone even in darkness, now seemed like a dead block.

Enid pushed the main door.

The smell hit her first.

Blood.

Her steps stopped dead. In front of her was an authentic feast of death. The bodies of her parents lay scattered on the floor, destroyed, unrecognizable in some places. The walls were stained, the furniture overturned, the floor covered in footprints and remains.

The world went dark for her.

She did not scream. She did not run. She did not react.

Then she saw her.

Isabella was on the floor, propped against a fallen column. She was barely breathing. Her dress was soaked in blood and her chest rose and fell with difficulty.

—…Enid… —she murmured in a thread of a voice.

Enid did not move.

Isabella, gathering strength she should not have had, dragged herself a few centimeters closer. She was trembling. Her hand sought her sister.