Lyria POV
"Wow sis, I didn't know you had that in you." Mal teased me.
"Yeah, how long have you been doing that?" Liam asks.
"Well it started with making baskets with hide over them and when it's tight, it makes a deep hum when you hit it with a solid object. You could hit faster or slower and harder or softer and it makes a rhythm. Ryker and I came up with the rhythm and I moved to it. I talked to the head priest and he said I could make it a ceremonial dance to the gods."
Everyone looks to Ryker. He has no emotion on his face and says nothing.
"So why didn't you tell us what's been going on," Liam asks him.
"There's a lot I don't tell you all. She asked me to keep things a secret and I did." That was all he said.
Liam gives him an 'are you serious' look and crosses his arms over his chest.
"LYRIA!!" Mother screams my name. Oh no, she's angry. She storms over to me and harshly grabs my arm.
"Mother that hurts. Please let go." I cry out. Begging her to let me go.
"Dear there are others around still you don't want to make a scene do you?" Chief father tries to calm his mate down, and it works a little.
"Take her directly to the hut and if you let her go I'll reject our mating." She looks at father, threatening him. No one can go against mother especially when she is mad. I was terrified but I wouldn't let father, or the others get into trouble because of me.
I take a deep shaky breath and walk by myself to our family hut. I know the others don't want me to go or want me to run away but then they'll get into trouble as well and I won't let that happen.
The path back to the hut seems to take forever before I make it to the hut. The others follow behind not saying anything.
"You can stay out here. This will probably hurt you more than me." I try to speak in a confident voice.
I walk in and mother is already there sitting on one of her followers.
"You mocked me. Humiliated me. Made me look ignorant in front of most of the males there. You are MY little female. You do what I tell you and don't talk back or fight me on anything I say."
With every word she said I knew she was getting madder and madder. "And what was with that stunt you pulled at the end of the ceremony? How dare you try to seduce all the males there."
She finally gets up exploding with anger. She walks up to me and slaps me hard enough I fall to the ground with a busted lip. "Get up and look at me while I'm talking to you." I got back up and looked at her. I guess that angers her again because this time I'm punched in the gut. I quickly fell to my knees holding my stomach. "I am the female chief here and I demand respect even from you"
She grabs my face again and pulls me up. She snatches the veil off my face and throws it to the ground. My face hurts and tears are spilling down my cheeks now. "How dare you try to be strong in front of me." She throws me across the room and into the wall, hard. I collapsed to the ground. The air was knocked out of me. My whole body feels weak while the pain prickles all over.
Why is she treating me like this?