I decided that I was angry.
After the events of the day had finally sunk in, I managed to settle on one emotion. Men in black ran around Jewel House once we arrived, one of them opened the door for me. I threw off the layers of unnecessary clothing such as the jacket and boots. They had all become soggy, now were weighed down on my shoulders and made my feet feel weird, and one of them hurt to step on. I glared at the couple of maids that had rushed down to meet me with some towels as if that could help.
Barbara was busy yelling orders, making the various girls drag me inside. It was quite the walk to my room on my bad leg. There were so many winding passages and stairs that I was dizzy. We made it to the Alphas court and to my room, where I headed for the shower. I made sure the water was scorching hot and dunked myself in a lot of soap and shampoos. I scrubbed my hair clean, grimacing at the dirty water around my feet. They wrapped up my foot after applying a cool salve that gave me a bit of relief.
I glared at anyone who dared to call me out for wearing burgundy shorts with a cream top that revealed a sliver of my stomach. It was a little chilly so I found thick grey socks and a hoodie that I left unzipped before I was ushered out. Midas had called for an emergency meeting. When Barbara told me about it, I had to try and figure out who the Alpha was before I remembered it was Midas. Driven by anger, I refused to wear any shoes and insisted that I be led to where the meeting was being held. This place should have teleportation elevators because it was too big. It took an extra ten minutes to get the boardroom where Midas was, along which a couple other people.
"People threw garbage at me today. Is that a twisted Northern tradition?" I yelled after I started the door behind me. "If it is, it explains why you people smell like shit."
"Lady Amaya, I understand that you are angry but please, take a seat." Midas was the one who spoke, leaning back in his chair and looked at me with a serious expression on his face.
I scoffed but took the empty seat next to him anyway. I looked over the table to see who was there. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces and some of the people I might have talked to once before. One face stood out sitting at the other end of the table. All in all, there were about twenty of us, including six women.
"The incident that occurred today-"
"Incident," I grumbled at the word, earning a sharp brief glare from Midas for interrupting.
"-was not a mistake. I know it. It was an insult to Lady Amaya and I and I don't take kindly to insults. I want to know who had a hand in this," Midas finished, his eyes dark and forbidding.
An with thick brown glasses cleared his throat as he squirmed in his seat, earning himself a grown from me. "As Mayor of Jewel City, I am ashamed over what happened to Lady Amaya and am tremendously aggrieved-"
"You little piece of-"
"There is no need to use abusive language, Lady Amaya," Midas scolded sternly but I just huffed.
I slammed my palm against the wooden table we were sitting around. "I'll do more than that if he thinks an apology will suffice. I want to know what the hell happened."
"The people of Jewel City, or just the Northlands in general, are not happy that the Alpha King chose a Southsider for a wife. She is not suitable for the Luna Queen position, nor can she produce an heir," a woman with jet black hair pulled up in a tight bun and with icy blue eyes said as she stared me down.
Midas ran a hand through his hair in frustration and the action distracted me as I watched his curls move around his head as his thick biceps flexed. My mouth filled up with saliva and I swallowed then ran my tongue over my lips. His eyes flicked to my face and he seemed to be taken off-guard as shock and surprise filled his face but he quickly recovered by clearing his throat.
"Lady Amaya will only be recognized as my wife, not my mate or the Luna. She also will not be the one to bear the royal heir, she can't either. All alphas were instructed to explain this to their packs," Midas stressed.
"But that means there will not be a Luna Queen. A Luna is very important and crucial for a pack, and you are depriving your people of that. This is why they felt the needs to express themselves so strongly," the blue eyed lady said, her voice quivering as she fought not to raise her voice.
Midas curled his fingers into tight fists. "Whatever the reason, it does not justify what happened. Beta James is will be handling the punishments for those who have participated in this act. It will be done publicly to show everyone that I will not accept this behavior or else they will force my hand."
I kept quiet as they continued to talk about what had happened and all they said didn't really leave me satisfied. I kept a close eye on the woman with blue eyes and black hair. She was vocal and quite confident. The other women were just as headstrong as this woman but she ticked me off. I just didn't like her.
Then there was the man at the end of the table. He only said a few words but his dark brown eyes bored into the faces of everyone at the table, including me, which creeped me out. He seemed important and everyone called him Beta James. His words held a lot of weight and no one dared interrupt him when he began to speak.
After an hour, I noticed that everyone had begun to wrap up. I stood up, earning a wary look from Midas as I walked around the table. Midas kept talking as his eyes remained on me. It drove me on knowing that he was watching.
"I never got your name," I said as I stopped by the woman with black hair and blue eyes, placing my palm on the table next to her and looking at her with a smile.
She was tall even as she sat but I stood an easy foot over her. I hated feeling like a giant back home but here, I was close to medium height for a woman. I had one less thing to worry about so I was very confident.
She returned my smile with a fake one, her voice condescending as she spoke. "Lady Grace Emmett, Luna to Alpha Alfred Emmett. I am representing he Ladies' Court today. I'm surprised you forgot already. We spoke on your wedding yesterday."
"Ah," I hummed I recognition. "That makes sense."
She did not see my next move, well, no one did. My fingers were buried in her soft dark locks in an instant and I was slamming her head on the table with all my strength, satisfied by the loud bang as her skull made contact with the wooden surface. She screeched as I stand away from her, walking back to my place but not taking a seat. I had too much adrenaline in my blood to sit down. I gave a satisfied smirk when I saw crimson trickling down her face as she glared at me.
"What was that?! Are you insane?!" a man yelled. I'm sure his name is Lord Ryans.
"She can't assault a member of the board like that, Alpha!" Lady Red added and I rolled my eyes.
Midas caught the action and glared at me, hissing out through gritted teeth. "Amaya."
"What?" I looked back to murderous glares. "How am I insane? I was just expressing myself."
"What are you talking about?" Midas asked, confused.
I shrugged. "I felt like expressing my feelings strongly because she is a bitch."
Midas huffed out an exasperated gasp. "Get out of here, Amaya, and don't make me repeat myself."
I wanted to fight him on it but I could already feel the animosity in the room. It would be a battle I would lose. I also felt very furious. These people did not take me seriously. They looked down on me as if I was insignificant. They seemed to forget that I was like a princess where I'm from. I would not let them treat me like dirt. How dare they think what occurred was alright?
As I stormed the hallways in my shorts and socks, I got even more furious at the fact that Midas kept telling me off. He was treating me like a child, not his wife. He let those people walk all over me as if I was no one important. The nerve of the whole lot of them! Well, I'll show them my worth.
I finally realised that I was lost after I had come up with a plan. I surprised myself with how smart I am. I get so excited thinking about how it would come out. I look around and find everything so unfamiliar. Once I had turned back to where I was coming from, I find a girl standing a few paces behind me. She had pin straight red hair that she had pulled up in a messy bun. Her hair matched her eyes and lips which had the same crimson shade. Freckles dusted her cheeks, neck and bare forearms. She wore her blue uniform in a different manner from others. Her royal blue pencil skirt was longer, going past her knees. She wore thick stockings underneath which then disappeared into some white tennis shoes. The collar of her crisp white shirt wasn't straight and some of the top buttons were undone. As I took a closer look, I realised that her attire was a little big for her and it hung over her figure weirdly.
The pop of bubblegum drew me out of my thoughts and made me realize that she had gotten closer to me. We stared at each other for a minute until she broke the silence.
"Nice outfit," she commented with a quirked brow.
I grinned when I realised she was being sincere. "Thanks. I was worried that people here don't have a sense of fashion. It's not an insult, it's the same back home, except, in the Southside, they don't actually have a choice."
She smirked. "They got me to follow you in case you got lost. Which you did. I kept my distance though. I heard you are violent."
"I'll take that as a compliment," I say, smirking with her. "I like you. What's your name?"
"They call me Red," she replied.
"They weren't very creative," I comment.
"Exactly."
"Okay, Red. How do I get back? I'm kind of hungry," I tell her as I walk past her, looking at portraits on the walls.
"It's this way," she told me as she headed in the opposite direction without waiting for me to follow.
"So," I started as I fell into step beside her, "what are people saying about me?"
Red does not answer at first, focusing more on maneuvering us through the halls. I also become distracted by how different some places are from the last and how huge the place was. On this particular floor, ceilings were high and were designed with beautiful rainbow colored rocks. The light bounced beautifully from the ceiling.
"They're saying you're stupid," Red finally answered. "And dumb. Apparently, you believe in magic."
"What's wrong with believing in magic?" I asked, getting defensive.
She did not try to hide the eye roll. "You do you."
"Werewolves are the last people who should think believing in magic is stupid. I mean, how is your existence even possible?" I pointed out.
She nodded. "I get that but in school, there are two theories we are taught pertaining our existence. The more religious one claims that the Moon caused our existence to come about. The other one is that we were created… by humans. There are records which have indicated that but the Historians are all hush hush about it."
I chewed on my lip as absorbed the new information. "You people talk a lot about this Moon. Morgan wouldn't tell me much. He said someone else would be sent to teach me. Do you worship the Moon?"
"Some do. Those who don't, have a level of respect for the Moon. After all, it's the reason why we have mates," she explained as wee began heading for a more familiar part of the palace, making me heave a breath of relief. "We still hold a lot of festivals and rituals to the moon. Your union was also moon blessed."
"Excuse me?" I say, referring to the last term she said.
"The guys who crushed your wedding were the Moon's priests and guardians. They are a really big deal. They live isolated from the rest of the world and the fact that they came here for you makes it a big deal."
I stopped walking, Red halting with me as she looked around. A smile creeped onto my face. Red looked worried when I turned to her. She frowned but waited for me to speak anyway.
"What?" she finally snapped, slightly annoyed at how I kept staring at her.
"How important are these priests?" I inquired
She paused to think, lipping her lips before pursuing them. "High Priest Zekiah is the most powerful. He communicates with the Moon directly. He also trains the other priests and guardians."
"Does he have as much power as the king?"
She looked unsure. "I don't like where this is going"
"Don't worry, just answer the question," I urged, shaking her shoulders.
"No one is above the Alpha. His word is law. His bloodline makes him the most powerful man in the kingdom, if not the world. Priest Zekiah stands no chance against him," she firmly responded.
I shook my head and began walking forward. "I'm more interested in the political and social aspect. I get that Midas tops all that. Where does Zekiah stand?"
"After the Alpha, there is the Beta. He is second only to the king and is honestly the most terrifying man in the kingdom. Zekiah has never actively participated in political activities but his words hold a lot of weight. I'm sure he might be one of the more powerful leaders since he does speak to the Moon."
"Where is Midas?" I ask excitedly.
"I have no idea," Red said, shaking her head. "Can I please just take you to your room? I don't want to lose my job."
I frown. "But I want to meet Midas."
"I will ask the Alpha to meet you," Red said, now bored. "Please, Lady Amaya? I was following you around for an hour. My feet feel terrible."
I pouted. "Fine."
The rest of the walk was silent. I was sure Red was already exhausted from entertaining me. I also had a lot to think about. From the couple of times I met up with Morgan, I understood that as Alpha King, Midas was the sovereign of the entire kingdom. As the strongest werewolf, he was able to maintain order around the packs. We had yet to discuss the role of a beta but I could imagine that he was the second in command to the king. It explains a lot. From just seeing him today, I could tell that Beta James was someone very important. Red had only confirmed it for me
I liked Red. She understood my fashion taste and she was informative, which was something I needed to survive this place. After today's meeting, I had one goal I wanted to achieve. Respect. It is easy for these Northerners to look down on me because I am not a werewolf. I had a physical disadvantage. What I lacked in muscle I had to make up with wit and intellect. This is my new life. If I didn't do anything about this, they would all walk over my entire life
I had lot of work to do. I had a lot of obstacles as well. I had to start within the court. The first I would deal with would be the servants, followed by the Ladies' Court and work my way outward. My last obstacle would be Midas. He looks down on me and does not really care about what I have to say. However, I would make him respect me, no matter what.
"Lady Amaya requested to meet the Alpha," Red politely muttered when we made it back as she fell back by Barbara's side.
The elderly woman eyed me with distaste and chose to ignore Red. "How great of you to finally join us."
"Where is Midas?" I asked, disregarding whatever she had to say.
"The Alpha is busy. I heard there was a disruption of peace within the court and he has to take care of it immediately."
"Where is he?"
"He is very busy, Lady Amaya."
"I asked where he is, not what he is doing."
"I can't tell you that, Lady Amaya."
This woman was getting on my nerves. I could feel my eye twitching as I glared at her and she stared right back. My fingers curled into my palm as I tried to control my anger.
"I've had right about enough of you, Barbara. You must have some misconception that you have some right over this court. I want to meet my husband so I can discuss important matters with him. Will you take responsibility if something goes wrong?"
She kept staring at me, deciding not to respond. That only infuriated me even more. I could feel myself tremble with fury. I stalked towards her, standing at the same height but straightening my back so I was taller than her. I sneered down at her but she kept glaring at me. The next thing I did was impulsive, like my muscles moved on their own before my mind could register it. Like how your subconscious made decisions for you when you were asleep. It was something like that. That was how my palm had connected with Barbara's cheek. The sound from the contact resounded around the halls we were in, followed by the gasps from the maids around us.
The handprint slowly forming on her smooth skin made me calm down slightly. My hand tingled from the force I put into that slap but I was still breathing heavily, my chest heaving with pent up frustration.
"Look at me like that again and I swear I'll do worse than that," I forced out through gritted teeth. "You don't want to try me."
She took a step back, glanced to the floor for a brief second before looking up to me again. She was obviously angry but she held a calm demeanour. There was still that daring look in her eyes and I surprised both of us when I backhanded her. It caught her off guard and she stumbled, some of the girls around her stopped her fall.
"Lady Amaya," one of them said. "You need to stop."
"And you need to shut up," I sneered, taking a step back and crossing my arms over my chest. "Take Barbara to her room. Let her rest for the rest of the day. I need to know where Midas is."
They all stare at me, their faces an array of emotions. I just stare right back and smile.