Chapter 5 - Mystery Girl

Anya POV 

Another day working at the castle. The city surrounding it is all fuzz and buzz with the upcoming nightlife. Our king is one of the greatest kings that this realm has had, but unfortunately for his son, he is turning a blind eye to the kid. 

Sonia, my mate, is the kid's teacher and yesterday she told me how the kid has grown up without a loving and caring environment. The former king, King Maurice has done everything he can to give that to the child, unfortunately, he is not the one he needs. 

I feel sorry for the kid, especially when I see him sneaking out and listening outside his dad´s door, only to have a minute with him. As the head cook, I get to the castle super early and get out of there as soon as dinner is served. I love my job, and the pay is really good, but the long hours are exhausting, to say the least, and tonight is no exception. 

As I made my way to the bus stop, the one that I take every day to drop me off on the outskirts of the city, I can't help but admire the clouds that are starting to form. It looks like it is going to rain. 

I let out a deep sigh, hopefully, the storm will come right after I get home. The castle is at the center of the city, and then there are neighborhoods that hold the higher-ranking families, everything surrounded by amazingly well-planned commercial areas. We, the working class have our living space outside the city, in the woods. 

I was one of the lowest ranking members in my society, but thanks to my mate being a school teacher we were allocated not that far from the city. A good 20-minute walk inside the woods and one of the first cabins was ours. 

The lighting was relentless and I just kept praying to the goddess to be home safely. Unfortunately, rain poured right the minute I stepped off the bus. s**t, I will arrive home smelling like a wet dog. 

I tried to rush my steps back to our home, I knew Sonia would be waiting for me to be back. Several claps of thunder and lightning struck around the woods, thankfully not too close to our home. I rushed in, and then lightning struck several yards away from my path. This lighting was different, after it there was no sound of thunder. 

I was frightened and when I saw the spot where it hit, my eyes widened. The heavy rain didn't allow me to see further, but apparently, there was a girl walking through the woods, and the lighting hit her. 

I wanted to turn a blind eye to the fact that there was a girl injured, but my soft heart for the defenseless gave way to my following actions. I walked towards her and noticed that she was heavily bleeding. I would assume she was dead, but the faint beating of her heart announced otherwise. How did she survive? is beyond me, but the fact that she did, is amazing. 

I leaned over her and try to make her gain consciousness to no avail. So I mustered all my strength and surprisingly I was able to pick her up. She was a full-grown woman, but she was light as a feather. 

I quickly made my way to our place. Sonia sensed my arrival and she met me at the door, she was holding a towel. 

“What the hell are you carrying around?” She quickly asked. 

“I just found her, lightning struck her… Help me out.” I briefed her, and Sonia´s eyes snapped open. 

“Dear Goddess… Put her over the couch, and for goodness sake dry up, you are no good to me or her if you get sick.” Sonia instructed, and as usual, I followed her lead. 

I quickly went to our room and changed, when I heard Sonia yell. 

“Good gracious, what happened to her?” Sonia said, making me rush back to our tiny living room. 

Sonia pointed out to me the big bleeding scars over the girl's back. I honestly don't believe those scars were generated by the lighting. Something was odd and off about that mysterious girl. Hopefully, when she regains consciousness we will be able to find out. 

The whole morning I stood up watching over the mystery girl. Sonia woke up and got ready to head to her job. Earlier I called in sick, someone has to take care of this defenseless girl, so we agreed I would do it, after all, I took her in, and my job at the castle can be handled by my assistants. 

I made myself a good cup of coffee and waited for her to wake up. I knew she would be back with us soon by how strong her heart was beating. It was about time to find out who this mystery girl is… 

Sonia POV 

Anya is crazy and that is why I love her. Yesterday when she arrived at our cabin with an unconscious girl in her arms I got jealous at first, but when she explained that she found her injured around the woods, I couldn't help but feel pity for the girl. 

Despite all our survival instincts, I allowed my mate to bring the girl into our home and she took care of her during the whole night. At one point, I was terrorized by the cuts she had over her back.  

Deep gashing cuts that were not easily healing. Something was off with her because any Lycan or Werewolf would be able to heal those within minutes, despite its rank. Also, another thing that felt off was the strange tattoo over her entire back, it looked different, the ink shinned with glistening sparks, silver and gray. It was something I have never witnessed. 

The next day I got ready to teach my class, while Sonia stayed behind looking after the mystery girl. I just hope we don´t get in trouble for helping a complete stranger. 

I arrived early as usual and started greeting my students with loving hugs. 

Two tender small arms wrapped around my shoulders. “Hi, Miss Sonia!” The loving voice of Matei boomed in my ears, warming my heart. 

“Hey, kiddo!... How are you?” I asked. 

To my surprise, he beamed at me, “Great, Miss Sonia… Yesterday I got the chance to speak to my daddy for a whole 5 minutes!” He said elated, making my heart clench. This poor kid is happy with the scraps of attention that he gets from his own father. 

I know I should not mess with the King´s business, but it seems to me that pinning his mate´s death on innocent souls is not the way to handle his grief. 

With my heart squeezed, I plastered my best smile to show Matei how happy I was for him. “That is wonderful… Matei”

“Miss Sonia, I told my dad everything about you and my class.. He actually listened… Isn't it great?” He said again excitedly. 

“Sure, honey… you know your daddy loves you so much, but he also has the responsibility of all the people around the realm. It is amazing he made some time for you…”I gave him a hug, doing my best to hold my tears for him. 

“I love your hugs, Miss Sonia…” He whispered in my ear making me silently sob. 

“I love your hugs too, Matei… You know, I think you are one of the best huggers out there…” I pointed out. 

“You think so?” he asked me and I nodded. 

“I know so…” I softly replied. 

“Great, I am sure my dad will love my hugs too…” He said triumphantly, making me fear a blunt rejection from the king of Matei´s affection. 

The day went by, and the buzz of the kids made me forget about the mystery girl that lay unconscious in our home. By the time the school day was over, former king Maurice picked up Matei. 

“Miss Sonia, how was Matei today?” He asked. 

I gave him a courtesy, and then said “King Maurice, he was great, he is such a kind kid, and super smart…” I praised Matei. 

“I am sorry, but I might have messed up…” I suddenly said, getting the former king´s attention. 

“Why do you say that?” King Maurice asked. 

“Well, I pointed out that he was one of the best huggers I have ever met, and I saw him adamant on trying my theory with his dad…” I mumbled the last part. 

“Thanks for the heads up… I will handle it… and thank you for caring this much for him…” the former king patted my shoulder, making me feel less guilty about the whole situation. 

I took a deep breath and looked around me. Every single kid was properly handed to their parents, and it was time to call it a day. It was time to go to my mate and find out more about the mystery girl.