Alora just came out of her room when she sighted the luna and her servant heading towards her in large strides. What business do they have with her?
"A beautiful day to you luna." She bowed when she was close to her.
"His luna." Her wolf whispered and her anger flared. "What did you say wolf?"
"Sorry, his mate!" Cinder's voice quavered.
"Quiet wolf! I'm his only mate!" She hurled a punch at it and it shrunk away.
Then her gaze fixed on Alora. "I've always known you're an animal! Imagine living in a stable!"
Her utterances tickled Alora that she almost laughed out. Aren't they all animals? Are wolves not animals?
"You smell like shit."
But she shielded her ridicule. How would she smell like shit when she bathed with a flowery soap and used body lotion sent over by Otto.
"Wolf-less creature!!"
Wolf-less? That was a common name, her name. The name she hated but not anymore.
Rather than sadness, she felt elated.
Whoever abused her would be abusing Selene, so Otto said and she believed it. She wouldn't react or respond, it was pointless.
Hera saw her words didn't stir her and almost choked in her anger."You're just a useless thing who wouldn't have been created!!"
"Is my luna by any means questioning the goddess for creating me?" She looked up at the sky.
"Mother Selene, the luna of Broln pack said you are unreasonable to cr......"
"Shut up!!" Hera interrupted her angrily.
Did she want to release Serene's anger on her. "When did I mention Selene fool?"
"Isn't she our creator?"
Annika was stupefied to see the once timid Alora challenge the luna in words.
"Alora, I'm the alpha's mate and the luna of Broln pack!!" Who was Alora to speak to her?
"Second mate you mean?" She felt a kind of satisfaction seeing Hera suffocate in rage. Perhaps if she stimulated her more, she would stop breathing. It wouldn't be bad to try Alora.
"Shut up!!" Hera thundered, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.
"Does the truth hurt Luna Hera?"
And she raised her hand to slap Alora but halted immediately.
"You hit her, that wolf will attack me!" Her wolf leaped in fear to stop her.
It heard the terrific howl that day and heard it tearing wolves apart, it wouldn't want to experience same.
"Let's get out of this nasty place." And she hurried away, with Annika keeping pace with her.
Back to the chamber, she was seething in rage. That wimp called her a second mate!! Even her wolf was unwilling to offend her!!
The luna of Broln pack wouldn't swallow such insolence!!
She left her chamber to the alpha's and met him reading a scroll. "Sorry to disturb you my love."
Despite how calm her voice was, the frown flickered across her forehead was crystal clear.
"Who's behind your vexation?"
"Isn't it that foolish Alora?" Only in pretence could she gain entrance into the alpha's pity zone, so she forced her tears out, but little did she know that her tears wouldn't move him.
He shot his probing eyes on her and discerned falsehood in her claim. "What did she do?"
But after waiting patiently for her account, silence was all he got.
He picked the scroll and continued reading, not paying heed to her.
If the purpose of coming to his chamber was to instigate him to hurt Alora, then she miscalculated. He hadn't forgotten what himself and Kylo went through three weeks ago.
"In fact, I want her as my servant and you must agree to it!!" Her once misted eyes suddenly dried off and her calm voice took a higher pitch.
Seeing he wasn't responding, she became more agitated. "You're saying nothing!!"
He slammed the scroll on the desk and hurled a frightening glare at her.
"Was Alpha Donovan too busy with unimportant battles that he forgot to culture his daughter?"
Dread curled up in her spine as his deep and murderous voice thundered.
"Or was Luna Caitronia busy picking slave servants that she forgot to tutor you?"
What intrepidity to stand in his presence and instruct him!!
He rose to his feet and took slow, aggressive steps towards her, his face twisted in rage.
She felt the murderous aura emitting through him and cold sweat hit her. There was a strong will to run but her feet were paralysed.
With trembling body, she watched him close in on her, her rapid breathing thundering in her head.
"Timid wolf!" Kylo whispered when it saw her wolf, Cinder peeking from behind, with fear in its eyes.
"I pardon you today for the sake of that seat!!" He pointed at the royal seat beside his, the luna's throne.
"Don't you ever, dictate to me!! Get out!!"
Swiftly, she left the chamber in intense fear.
Few days later, Hera tendered her heartfelt apology to the alpha and he finally granted her request. Alora would be her personal servant.
* * *
The two had been sitting in silence for more than twenty minutes. Floyd had initiated several conversations but his beta wasn't interested in any.
"What exactly is the problem?" Floyd finally asked his good friend-turned Beta, but got no response. His forehead was crinkled, his lips thin and firm.
"Buddy! Speak to me!"
They grew up together, attended trainings together. He knew him too well and could tell he was disturbed.
"Is it because of your mate? She will come."
At his age, he hadn't felt his mate bond. They've visited all the packs in Vlamwood in search of his mate but no trace. Perhaps, that was the reason he was brooding.
"I heard the luna requests to have her as a maid." Otto finally spoke.
Since he got the news, his heart had been throbbing with uneasiness.
Floyd drew lines of frown on his face. So his solemn mood was because of Alora? "You heard well Otto."
"She isn't an omega Floyd!" Why can't he understand the beta blood was coursing in her veins?
Flyod shot him a dubious look. He was beginning to suspect his recent attitude towards Alora was more complex than it looked.
Was he secretly into her? The goddess matched everyone but sometimes, the sexual will of human prevailed especially in unmated wolves.
"She isn't different from the omegas? They're even better than her."
"She's a beta Floyd!! Is it too complex to acknowledge?"
She had no wolf didn't make her an omega!!
Was it that hatred had eaten deep into Floyd's brain that he had refused to reason properly on matters related to Alora?
"But my luna's wish I'll satisfy."
An alpha wouldn't renege. He had promised Hera and would fulfill it.
"Floyd!!" He hurled him a dark stare, startling his wolf which sprung in alert.
"Don't expect my calmness when you hurt my kind!!"
Fed up with the treatment meted on Alora, he was willing to get on the alpha's bad side.
He was yet to understand why the care he was showed Alora suddenly disappeared. He hadn't forgotten how possessive Floyd was with Alora to the point he wouldn't allow her ride on Aztec.
Or the several fights he got into because she was ogled at.
He recalled the day his father, the alpha locked him up in his chamber for releasing his wolf on a boy who hadn't attained the age of shifting just because he held Alora's hand.
What then changed?
"She isn't your kind, beta, she has no wolf." Perhaps his beta was suffering from loneliness that he took liking to Alora.
"You lie Floyd!! Her has a wolf! It only delayed." He refused to believe she was wolf-less. Selene would not create one without a wolf.
"I'm the alpha, and my decision is final. Her new office is in my luna's chamber!!"
"Remember your promise three weeks ago, I swear Floyd, if she hurts her, I wouldn't mind if she's your luna!!"
What joy would he derive in tormenting a girl who did absolutely nothing to him!! It was deep cruelty!!
A contemptuous smile wriggled out of Floyd's face.
"Why don't you beg the goddess to make her your mate?"
"I wish Floyd!! I wish she would be my mate so I could shower her with affection, protect her and give he my all!!"
His words weren't what Floyd expected abd he suddenly shot him a suspicious look.
"You love her?"
"I don't hate her Floyd!"
Floyd gripped his hand tightly and forced him to look at him. "You love Alora!!". His heart began to beat rapidly.
Otto looked deeply into his eyes, he could swear he saw panic in there which suddenly disappeared.
"Why do you care if I love her or not? Don't you despise her?"
And Floyd released his grip on him and stared at his beta strangely. He felt something was wrong with his beta.
"You're beginning to speak like a less beta."
"Maltreating a beta's child whose wolf delayed makes you a less alpha!! Get that into your depreciating brain Floyd!!"
And in a spark, Kylo barged and growled at his beta who stood boldly.
"Did you just insult me?"
"Alpha!! Alpha!!" Aztec trembled but a knock on his head sent him behind. "Shut up Aztec!!"
"How dare you shut him up in my presence!!"
Kylo growled louder and charged at Otto who made no effort to retreat.
"Come at me Floyd!! Leave Alora!!"
Otto bellowed, still in his human form, and his dauntlessness halted Kylo, who swept its golden eyes on him.
"All this because of my mate!" Kylo's voice softened.
"The goddess doesn't make mistake Floyd. She's your mate, treat her well."
Otto jogged off, leaving Kylo behind to make its way back to the the royal house.