"The afternoon is bright, don't you mind taking a walk?" Otto watched Floyd's slender fingers as he wrote on a scroll.
He stifled a yawn. "You're right man, a stroll will do."
Then folded the scroll, returned the quill pen in the ink bottle and stood up. His eyes were heavy and his bed calling him.
He rubbed his eyes tiredly and stretched his body.
"Don't you think I rather hit the bed?"
"Strolling it is Floyd." He pulled his hand and dragged him out of the chamber.
They ambled round the pack houses, responding to greetings and accolades.
"How is the mining going?" Flyod asked, his gaze ahead.
"I was there yesterday, all is good, you can take a look as well."
He bobbed his head in agreement. "Yeah, I'll take a look myself, let's go."
And they returned to the path which led to the mining site where only slaves worked.
* * * *
"Don't let that bag touch the ground fool!"
The voice of the delta werewolf, who was the mine inspector thundered. He was speaking to Alora, who was struggling with a bag of rock on her head.
She staggered as the bag weighed heavily on her neck.
Her veins were bulged and her posture bent, her eyes popped and her breathing decelerating.
"You can crawl as you wish but know you must carry ten of that today!"
She was at the verge of collapse when a whip on her back pushed her forward that she almost lost her footing.
Tears flowed down her cheeks and her heart was heavier than the bag on her head.
Her lips trembled as she sobbed silently, staggering to the pit where the bag was to be dropped.
It was the fifth bag she had carried and had five more waiting for her.
Wasn't it better they killed her? There might be joy and peace at the other side.
"She looks fragile already and not fit to work here." The assisting delta to the site inspector called his attention.
"If she dies here, her blood will be on your hands."
"I know my job Fergust!!" He roared, glared furiously at his assistant and walked away in rage.
"Treating a pack members as a slave is a crime against the goddess Theron!!"
He shouted after him, but he strode forward, not taking a glance at him.
The assistant sighed helplessly, then returned to his duty post.
Flyod and Otto had reached the mining site when they saw a slender, thin, weak and bent figure struggling with a bag almost twice her size which they guessed most contain rocks.
"Who allowed her carry that?" Floyd frowned.
Obviously, the bag was too heavy for her. Though his slaves laboured in the mine, he wouldn't subject them to such cruel condition.
Theron saw them and hurried over. "My Alpha, may the goddess keep smiling on you." He knelt and only rose when he allowed him.
"Who's that?" He pointed at the frail body.
"A slave, alpha."
"Mmh, that bag is too heavy for her, can't you see?"
"Her wolf attacked a scout who tried to stop her from escaping. It's her punishment alpha." He bowed.
"Okay, I see. Take us round."
But Otto's attention was on the figure. The dress on her looked familiar. Her wrinkled face was familiar too.
He furrowed his brow and turn to Theron who was about leaving with the alpha.
"Did you say she's a slave?"
Theron's felt an ache in his belly, he coughed and cleared his throat. " Yes, a slave from the last victory."
Otto didn't buy his explanation. His instinct told him otherwise. "I'm coming."
He began to walk towards the figure and Theron felt his muscles stiffen.
He shifted his weight from one foot to another and could hear his heart beat pounding heavily in his head.
Floyd glowered as several twines of irritation wrapped him up. "Otto!! That's a slave!!"
A slave? Not sure, until he confirmed. He raised his middle finger. "Whatever!!"
He was already close to her and just about tapping her shoulder, when in that instant, she slumped with the bag lying on her.
He rushed and rolled the heavy bag off her body then turned her over. His eyes reddened and his fist clenched.
He shot a ferocious gaze at Floyd and Theron, Aztec felt his rage and woke up. It smelt beta blood and stirred in aggression.
"Our kind!! They hurt her!! Where is her wolf?" It mumbled in a voice thickened with irk.
"Is she dead?"
Otto couldn't respond to his wolf as he tried to keep it at bay.
Floyd looked at the man who was trembling beside him with sweat dripping from his brows and realized something was off.
He hastened over to his beta and his eyes blinked with incredulity at the sight of the girl lying motionless on the ground, with several bruises on her body.
Otto bored his eyes filled with disappointment into his face, carried Alora and ran towards the royal house, his wolf forcing its way out.
Flyod felt a gush on uneasiness surround him, his stomach fluttered and his hands snapped like it was hit by a hot current. Was it the mate bond?
His shoulder hunched and he wrapped his arms around himself. "Mate!" Kylo whined painfully.
It could feel her pain and fear. Floyd's hands slightly trembled as an intense pain gripped his heart.
His eyes became painful, he blinked severally and fisted his hands. He fired a deep stare at Theron who was trembling in fear, then stormed out.
Inside the stable she was occupying, Otto placed her on the bed and summoned the salutory who came immediately to check her.
"She's too weak and malnourished and I can feel the beta blood running in her. Who's her father?" But silence was all he got.
It was at that point Otto noticed Floyd standing at the door, his expression complicated.
"Why should a beta's offspring be subjected to this treatment!!"
The salutory shifted his gaze on the alpha, expecting an account, but he walked away as his guilt began to eat him up.
After several herbs were administered to her, he packed his bag and left the dumb- stricken people.
An hour later, she woke up and scanned her surrounding. It was her room but her whole body felt like it was ran over by a heavy truck, especially her head.
She recalled carrying bags of rocks in the mine site, then saw darkness moving in great speed towards her, quenched the daylight and pushed her to stumble, then...
She saw Otto beside her with an ashen face.
"I'm sorry." Was all he muttered, then left and returned with a servant who carried food and water in a tray.
He helped her up and fed her. After she had eaten to her fill, she felt better except the pounding aches all over her body.
"It hurts a lot, my head aches terribly." Why won't her head ache when she carried five bags of rocks that weighed four times her own weight.
"Drink this." He gave her a mixture of bitter herbs which she gulped, then helped her settle on the bed.
Two hours later, she woke again. It was almost dusk but Otto was still there.
"How do you feel?"
"Better. Thank you." Her heart was full of gratitude to him, though she had no idea how he found her.
"Tell me what happened."
And she narrated everything to him not adding any sweetener.
The more she explained, the more his heart constricted, the more his wolf rattled. "Let me out! They hurt our kind!"
He could feel its eyes, crimson deep and its hackles raised in rage. He could no longer hold it off, as it bared its teeth at him.
"Lie down and rest, I'll be back in a jiffy." He stormed out of the room.
The servant quarter was lively with cheers and clamor when a deafening howl interrupted the bliss and drove all into panic.
It resounded through the pack, and sent shivers down their spines.
Did anything happen? Was there danger near?
They shouldn't be blamed for asking as that exact howl was only heard during pack wars.
In front of the omegas quarter stood the hefty black wolf with menacing limbs and red eyes, spouting fire.
At his presence, every wolf shifted and lowered in submission.
Rather than to accept the dew of placate showered on it, it howled louder and aggressively, bared his long canines, trotted around, his eyes darted at every corner.
At that instant, it pounced on a particular wolf which happened to be Peony's, pressed it under its huge body and tore its skin. Blood smeared on the ground
"How dare you hurt her you fuckin omega, she's a beta female!!"
It lifted the small wolf which was no match to it and threw it heavily on the ground.
Peony's wolf whined in pain as its body was smashed.
"How does it feel to be hurt, Lowly!!"
It sunk its protruding canine into the skin of the omega wolf, lifted it up and smashed it for the second time.
Soon the area was filled with wolves lying low in submission and whining in fear.
And just as he left the already wounded, if not dead wolf, it pounced on several others not leaving them without deep injuries until that powerful voice hit his ear drum.
"Enough!! Beta!!"
The attack ceased, Aztec backed down, laid low on the ground before Kylo, the muscular grey wolf with golden and blazing eyes which stood higher than him.
"They hurt her!" Its voice was sober.
Kylo trotted over to Aztec, and placed his forelimbs on its head.
"Lock your fury beta."
Another whine escaped from Aztec. It looked at Kylo and flickered its tail.
"She doesn't deserve this." Then loped away.
Kylo flashed his blazing eyes around, spotted the wounded, gave them a deep stare then turned around and left.
When calmness was restored, many shifted into their humans, carried the wounded and headed to the salutory.
The news spread like wildfire. The attack was because the wolf-less girl was accused and made to work in the mine.
Otto didn't return to Alora. He ran in his wolf to the mine were it attacked Theron's wolf and left it lying in a pool of its own blood.
Then it galloped to the river, destroying everything that obstructed its way.
How dare they hurt a Beta female!! Is it because her wolf had delayed? Even without a wolf, she had the beta blood flowing in her!
At the river, its furious howl could be heard in the pack and beyond. It uprooted shrubs and stumps, a show of its anger.
All who had abused Alora in the past were terrified, her parents were in panic while Duanne swam in the river of bliss.
Then he sensed the alpha's presence and rolled over on its back.
"Why are you so agitated beta?"
Aztec turned around and laid on its belly before Kylo. "Perhaps because, we are the same."
Kylo trotted to it, and nibbled its head. "You aren't the same beta. Be at peace please."
It rose and leaped around. "Then tell them to stay away from her! She almost died today. Have you ever thought about what would happen to you if she died?"
Alpha was silent, would any other thing happen?
The seer said at her death, the bond would be broken and his wolf would fall into the pit of torment and pain for several years.
He wouldn't want himself or his wolf to experience such searing condition. If not he would have planned her murder to be free from the bond.
"No one will hurt her again." If that would make his faithful beta happy.
"Remember this promise alpha." And they both left the wood in an elated mood.