[TAMIKO]
'May the day be kinder to me,' Tamiko said to himself even though he wasn't sure what it would be like.
The morning did come by so fast, perhaps because Tamiko had been unable to get some sleep. He had thought that if they all left him alone, he would be okay and sleep peacefully, but strangely, he was bothered by the bond the goddess had given him.
He wanted to understand what had happened or if the fates had made a mistake. Granted, it had given him the perfect opportunity, but that didn't make it any easier for him to face his new reality.
He wasn't sure what was waiting for him when he walked through the doors of the mating hall.
He wondered if he would be okay, if he would hear the wolves talk differently about him, or if they would hate him as usual. He wondered what was in store for him and as he sat up, Tamiko tried to think of anything that would make him feel better.
But there was none.
"We need to clean up and lock this door early before the assembly. The alpha wants to address us, apparently, Gabe didn't find a mate. Poor thing has been hoping for years and still managed to get none," a voice said outside the mating hall and that got Tamiko's attention.
He couldn't have heard it right, yeah? Gabe didn't tell them that he had a mate? The Gabriel Grealor, the man who had an ego the size of the long lands was laying low and letting people look at him differently for being mateless.
Surely that couldn't be right, yeah?
Well, that was new, and Tamiko felt a smirk creep up his face, oh but he was going to enjoy seeing Gabriel Grealor suffer this time. And he would always make sure he didn't miss the sight of his pain, oh the fulfillment would be great.
Maybe Tamiko was sinister for thinking like that, but Gabriel had done worse to him.
This was just the beginning anyway.
"I feel bad for him. We all know how much he loved the idea of a mate. I must admit, that his mate will be the luckiest of them all," another voice said as they pulled open the door to the mating ceremonial hall.
"Yeah. Gabe has always prepared for his mate, and has always been proud of the idea. He had promised that his mate wouldn't suffer. Whoever mates him, will truly be the luckiest, and not just because Gabe is the pack prince, but because Gabe has a heart of gold.
"Sometimes I wish my kid would be his mate, but then my children are way too young," the first voice said and Tamiko held back a scoff. These people were ridiculous even with their beliefs. The same Gabe that had been torturing Tamiko his whole life?
That was insane of them but then what could he expect of a pack that worshipped their royals and did whatever it took to make them feel better for some reason? They had some blind loyalty to their alpha and the damn alpha's son, and right now, was just proof of that.
"Don't we all wish for that? Anyway, let's clean up, the others will join us and then we can hurry to the assembly," the wolf said as they walked in and began working on their task. Cleaning the mating hall was going to be hard and Tamiko knew it.
This place was littered with rubbish of all sorts thanks to the wild night the previous day, not that it would make any difference, but they would need more than two people to finish it up.
'I should run before they give me more work,' Tamiko said to himself as he got up slowly, like he didn't want to be seen, but then in an empty hall that only had the three of them, seeing him wasn't going to be difficult, unless he had invisibility spells under his sleeve.
One foot in front of the other, Tamiko walked towards the door, while he covered his head with Danny's coat. He hoped that they wouldn't pay attention to him, but that was just his wishful thinking, besides, he was here and they probably needed more help.
"If it isn't Tamiko. You really thought you could sneak away?" one of the wolves asked and Tamiko let out a sigh of defeat. The one time he wanted to disappear, was also the time they noticed him. He was never lucky and he just needed to accept that.
"Oh hi. Good morning. I see you're well," Tamiko greeted awkwardly as he held the coat in his arms, seeing as there was no need for him to keep on pretending that he wasn't here.
"The morning sure is good. Come along, take a broom, and start sweeping. We'll tell the others not to come, since you're more able-bodied than most of us. This shouldn't be hard for you, right?" the wolf asked and it took everything in Tamiko to not growl at her.
He knew he had to submit and keep on submitting until he got his answers and while it sure did seem like it would be a really long time for him, Tamiko hoped that the universe wouldn't keep being cruel to him.
"But I need to—"
"You can do whatever it is later. Besides, we found you first, so you will help us first. Get on with it, will you or should I remind you?" the wolf said, her tone going from a soft requesting tone, to a hard one that was determined to make Tamiko's life hell.
"Alright, sure. I'll help," Tamiko said, even though he knew he didn't have much of an option.
Now that he looked at the damn hall, this place was big and huge, and from the smirk on the two wolves' faces, Tamiko had a not-so-nice feeling that he would be cleaning his place, alone and they would just be watching him.
Maybe he should have agreed to be Gabe's mate and then save himself the slavery and torture, right? But then again, where would the fun be in that, when all he wanted was to torture Gabe to insanity?
"I knew you were smart," the wolf who had been addressing Tamiko said as she sat on one of the seats. She wasn't going to help and neither was her partner.
And so as they watched Tamiko scan the room, probably to see where he would start with first, they sat there, indulging themselves in last night's gossip. Maybe that would be better for them. But what of Tamiko?
'Okay, Tamiko. You've done things like this one too many times. This might take longer but it's no different, yeah?' Tamiko said to himself in a bid to get the morale to work the hall, but none of that seemed to be enough.
He was disgusted at the sight and wished that he could have been assigned somewhere else, but then again, it wasn't like the deities would ever listen to him, the orphaned outcast who had nothing to live for other than vengeance and anger, right?
However, just before he could bend and start sweeping the floor, he heard footsteps headed in the direction of the mating hall, thanks to his newfound hearing. It was in times like these that he wished he could show his powers, but he couldn't.
So instead of waiting for them to come and give him more work, Tamiko rushed to the farthest end of the hall, to start cleaning from there. It would be easier that way.
"Morning Snaida, I'm looking for Tamiko the freak. Someone told me he was here at the mating hall and well, that bastard needs to fix my clothing before the assembly. Have you seen him?" Gabe asked and Snaida just pointed to the farthest end of the hall.
She had no objections because this was the alpha's son.
"Tamiko, Tamiko. Did you get a mate too? Is that why you're hurdled up in the mating hall? Damn, you clean up pretty well too, who knew you'd look this good?
"Maybe you can pass by my chambers for a test run for your mate, no?" one of the warriors who were with Gabe spoke, and Tamiko could have sworn he heard Gabe let out a low warning growl, one that seemed to shut the warrior up.
And Tamiko arched a brow, knowing so well that what he was about to say could make the alpha's son go feral.
"Sure, why not? I might as well get laid like the mated ones, right?"