Marisol seethed angrily as she followed Cedric's wolf back to the hidden castle. Every step felt like an eternity, her frustration and resentment boiling beneath the surface. She wanted to scream, to lash out at Cedric for his reckless behavior, but she knew it would be futile. Cedric was in his wolf form, and her words would be ignored.
As they entered the throne room, Marisol's rage finally peaked as the wolf sauntered in with an air of smugness, lounging on the throne as if it owned the place, an exact copy of Cedric himself. Marisol clenched her fists, resisting the urge to strike out at the creature before her, nails digging into her palms as she fought to control her temper. How dare he play such a cruel trick on them? She distractedly wondered how Lily was doing, concerned making her lips' downturn as she lifted her head to find the wolf's eyes on her. Marisol was not mistaken when she saw a swirl of amusement in them. Her annoyance boils over.
"You think this is funny?" Marisol spitted, her voice trembling with anger. "You think it's amusing to terrorize innocent people?"
The wolf offered no response. Its gaze is now fixed on some invisible point in the distance. For some reason, Marisol's rage grows at being ignored, her berating words pouring forth like a torrent of fury.
"You have no right to treat people like pawns in your twisted game," Marisol continued, her voice rising with each word. "You have no idea the fear you instilled in Lily, the pain you caused her. And for what? Your own selfish amusement?"
The wolf remained impassive, but Marisol did not miss how its eyes shifted to meet hers, as if daring her to continue even though its mysterious gaze betrayed nothing. Another surge of frustration courses through Marisol's veins, her anger threatening to consume her whole.
"You're heartless," Marisol said through clenched teeth, her voice thick with emotion. "You're nothing but a cruel, heartless beast."
The wolf's response came in the form of a low growl this time. This conversation was obviously going nowhere, and Marisol felt herself tethered right on the edge of a mental breakdown.
"Ugh! I hate you! You and your stupid wolf, I hate everything about this place!" she cried out, her chest heaving.
What followed after was silence, one so thick that you could almost breathe it in. Then, without warning, Marisol collapses onto the floor, her anger spent, and her body wracked with exhaustion.
She laid there, spent and defeated, for a while before her eyelids grew heavy with sleep. Despite her anger and frustration, Marisol couldn't fight the overwhelming urge to rest.
With a weary sigh, she closed her eyes and surrendered to the darkness, her mind finally finding solace in the embrace of sleep.
When Marisol stirred awake the following day, soft lights filtered through a window, casting a gentle glow over the space where she lay. Disoriented from sleep, she blinks, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It took her a moment to realize where she was, and for a quick second, she wondered how she'd gotten there. Her gaze darted around the room, searching for any sign of Cedric, but he was conspicuously absent. At once, the memories of the previous night come flooding back, bringing a surge of irritation with it.
She groaned as it played out behind her lids, over and over again, like a broken record, and before she knew it, Marisol was up and out of bed in search of him. She briskly made her way out of the room and headed straight for the dining area, where Cedric was waiting for her. Thankfully, it was human this time.
As Marisol nears, her eyes narrow into accusatory slits when he raises his head to look at her. Instead of immediately taking a seat, Marisol used the added height advantage to stare him down, arms coming to fold across her chest, "What was that stunt you pulled last night?" she demanded, her voice tinged with frustration.
Cedric, looking relaxed in his chair, merely shrugged in response, his expression unreadable. "You broke your end of the bargain," he answered calmly as if the previous night's events were of little consequence.
Marisol's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Bargain? What bargain?" she all but cried, her incredulity palpable.
Ignoring her question, Cedric gestured toward the vacant chair beside him, inviting her to sit and join him for breakfast. Marisol, however, remained rooted to the spot, shaking her head adamantly in refusal.
"You look hungry, Marisol. Your food has been waiting for quite a while. Sit." He demanded, and Marisol had to suck in a breath to rein herself in.
"That's not the answer to my question, Cedric." She reminded him, keeping her tone firm and slow. Cedric rose from his seat, a determined gleam in his eyes as he started to close the distance between them.
Marisol felt her pulse quicken as he drew nearer, commanding attention and igniting a whirlwind of conflicting emotions within her. His scent and warmth overwhelmed her senses, sending a pleased shiver down her spine. Despite her anger, despite her resolve to keep her distance, she couldn't deny the pull she felt towards him, a constant at this point.