"You're lucky, it's not deep, only a scrape." A woman told me, she has frizzy long brown and almond skin. She was taking care of me when I woke up and continued to do so. "I was sure Sir Garnet would kill you." She shrugged, "But he knew Lucian would probably kill him. He couldn't kill you as it is unacceptable to kill someone in your pack."
She tapped the wet cloth along my chest, "You were indeed lucky girl, but next time if he is disrespected again the consequences may be deadly though he can not kill you." She dipped the cloth into the bucket of water and squeezed it of blood. She was about to clean the wound again but I shook my head.
"Stop." I tried telling her but she didn't listen. "I'm fine."
She continued on, "However I think you were deserving of this wound."
"Excuse me?" I flinched away from her second attempt but she ended up pressing the soaking hot cloth against my skin either way, the heat that stayed for too long caused me to gasp. "I said I'm fine!" I grabbed her wrist and pushed to her chest, "Just leave."
"But alpha Lucian said—"
" Look, I don't care about what he said, okay? I don't care."
The woman stood quickly, lifting the bucket with her when she left through the door.
Jason entered the same time as the woman was leaving and looked down at the woman who hurriedly left. "Woah, how cold." He pointed over his shoulder at her, "Are you going to chase me away as well."
"Why are you here, Jason?"
He stepped in front of me and tilted his head. "Is it too soon if I say I like you, tiny."
"What do you think?"
"Friends…maybe?" He saw my deadpan expression and pouted. "No…okay…no." But as I expected, he sat next to me either way, "Friends it is, hooray…" He wrapped his arm over her shoulder, "Why so upset."
I shrugged his arm off and stared down at the slash against my chest. "Is that even a question?" I asked, "And was that woman even here to help me or is she Garnet's accomplice?" I pressed the tips of my finger at the swollen skin around it and winced, it was numb to the touch. "Gosh…" I hissed.
"She is not a person to hold grudges, I'm sure she has nothing against you, however she did know Dash, you spoke upon a dead man."
"I—"
"Forget about it." He said. "Phelicia's succeeds greatly in pushing people's buttons. However people don't usually push back. She was definitely surprised."
"I see… she purposely wanted me to anger the big bad wolf."
"Phelicia doesn't like you," Jason chuckled. "You know, making enemies with the princess on the first day isn't a good start, tiny."
"Enemies. The princess. Hearing her title, can she afford to spare me. I may be shorter and she may just about be six feet but that won't stop me."
"That's interesting. I have a feeling you know a lot more than you show, Lydia." He raised a brow at me, "Am I right?"
When I didn't answer he nodded and stood from the bed. "Well then see you around." He saluted before he left and a deep sigh exited my throat. I pressed my back flat against the mattress and focused on the feeling of the warm sheets rather than the length of the scrape on my chest.
The door creaked open without a knock and I knew instantly who it was. I lifted myself on my elbows and stared at him from across the room, propped against the door.
He closed it behind me and advanced toward me. I didn't have enough time to react as his finger had already grasped my chin and his hand on my shoulder, tilting my neck up so that he could examine my chest.
"He never listens, he just never fucking listens." I listened to his murmuring. "Dare he make such a scene. After everything I've done for this pack yet he wants more. Perhaps his time of respect has expired."
I tilted my head downward from his grip and looked at him, "Aren't you supposed to be mad at me? I offended your brother, you're going to tryna kill me now, right?"
"Regarding blood, Garnet is not my brother. But yes I address him as my brother, family isn't always determined by blood. I have known Garnet for a very long time. I've always given our relationship beyond titles, though for the others I am only known as their Alpha. I made that acceptant only for him but seeing how he acted today, I should proceed to that title. He disrespected me. Disrespected you as well and my words."
"Right, you knew him for a long time so you're gonna kill me."
"You did cause ruckus at my table but fortunately for you, my anger currently is greater towards my brother. Why should I rid of a valuable asset from the outside world so quickly?"
"It doesn't matter if you won't kill me now. I'm sure Garnet wouldn't hesitate on reaching for my throat next time."
"Tell me why?" He said suddenly, focusing on every inch of my face.
"Why what?"
"Why did you react despite knowing that you were vunderale around a table of wolves."
"I'm not telling."
He licked his lips and removed the strands of hair that were covering my eyes, forcing me to look directly and only at him. " You lost someone to a wolf…a shifter?"
Chills ran up my arms and my heart decided to react in my chest though I tried to keep my expression stone. "Screw off." I tried looking away but he gripped my jaw again and kept my face line with his.
"Don't." He said seriously. "Answer me, Lydia!"
"You're gonna force me if I don't." I scoffed out a laugh, "That's really considerate. Is that how things are done here? You wolves hurt people when things don't go your way?"
He sighed and released his grip, "Discipline. Here you need to decide whether you want to or not. Especially to me if you ever want to survive. You should try to stay on my good side, little sheep. You claim to be brave but sometimes that alone isn't enough. I cannot hold back when I am angered."
Silence followed for a while until I decided to speak up about what's been at the back of my mind. "We both know that I am no wolf." I told him, referring to him calling me that of an ally to their pack at the table.
"You're not, you're simply human. Why must I not you, wonder? Put it together, a human under shifters territory, afraid and alone. Show her to attack…" He snarled at me and I flinched from the unexpected.
He smirked. "See," He said. "Take what Garnet did as an example. You will learn to respect this pack, that or they find out you are but a human. From here on you are surrendered to me. Try anything stupid and you're dead, I'm sure don't want to experience a wolves canines."
"You may have made humans talk in the past but I am not weak, there is not a word you will get out of me. Lock me here as long as you like but you'll only end up with a dead corpse of a woman that remained to be useless to you to the very end." I held his aggressive gaze.
"You're weak in my eyes. Under this soft skin of yours," He brushed the skin of shoulder with his thumb. "There's a heart that beats and reacts quickly even though you pretend to be as cold as ice. In the end, Lydia, you are only human."
"Yet we still bleed similarly." I crunched my nose, my eyes squinting with it. "Don't we both bleed?"
"So you want to challenge me. Challenge over respect, you're difficult." He laughed, "Go on sheep, run, let's play."
"So I should let Garnet scrape me again? Be nice? Beg him? Should I beg you. Is that what I have to do?" I went onto my knees. "So then…you'll do this too? Is what you're saying…you'll hurt me?"
That was how it usually went with them. Wolves. They attack your ankles first and get you crawling on your knees before they finish you off.
"Go ahead then if it'll satisfy you." I felt the rage brewing in my veins and stomach and tears started to cloud my eyes from a neverending dreadful memory that remains to hold me down by my throat and wrists. It's impossible to escape it.
I stared up at him. "Go ahead."
Lucian continued to look down at me. I watched closely as he straightened his palms and cracked his neck, his human features turning into a wolves', starting at his arms and then down to his feet, his clothes tearing as he did, until he fell on both front and hindlegs in front of me. A wolf. His fur was a light grey colour and shimmered under light, the same was with his dark mischievous blue eyes that I couldn't stop staring into.
He slowly stalked me until our faces were directed. I closed my eyes, preferring them to be close when I die. His warm minty breath tickled my neck when he tilted his head and I waited for his sharp fangs to sink into my skin but instead a different sensation rushed over me. It was wet and cold on my wound and my eyes widened, a gasp leaving my lips, he was licking me.
I fell to my buttocks with my arms supporting me. "You just licked me!"
He sat in front of me and we both exchanged eye contact. His fur was being brushed backward in small movements caused by the gentle breeze in the room and I felt a sudden urge to touch him.
Folding my bottom lip into my mouth I went onto my knees again and arched forward, my fingers nearing his fur and just inches away but I couldn't.
[Continuing] Flashback:
My fingers slid up its body and went to hold its neck. There were more hairs below there and I took a fistful of the creature's black beard and used the grip to keep its fangs from tearing my face to streads.
Its fur was warm between my fingers and the blood that was already on palms made it difficult to continue to hold the wolves body up. His legs continued to crush my stomach. I screamed, my skin was ripped by its paws. I started to lose hope and though I continued to hold him, I was losing blood, too much of it. My eyes started to close with only the sensation of a wolf's fur between my numb fingers.
[Flash back ends.]
I stopped myself and shook my head, staring down at my palms. 'Wolves are monsters.'
Trapped in my thoughts I hadn't seen when Lucian turned human again. I only saw when he pulled his shirt over his head and remained in his undergarment.
He looked at his hand and placed his thumb to the tip of his tongue. "Tomorrow you will learn and pay close attention to how things are done. You will learn to work amongst us." He said before he left, almost in a hurry.