Victoria ducked into math class fifteen minutes late. She had spent the whole day prior locked in the bathroom as Asmund talked to her through the door. It wasn't until Kathy made him leave the room entirely that Victoria dared to wander out for food. She had been adamant that Calvin was not allowed to be in her room ever again.
Derik had reassured her that he had taken the key from his father. She couldn't understand why he needed one in the first place.
Now she rushed to the teachers desk and grabbed a blank test. "Are you okay, Luna?" He asked gently.
"Yeah. Sorry I'm late." She mumbled. If she hadn't needed to pee every thirty minutes she would have been on time but she didn't tell him that. She vaguely wondered if she was getting a bladder infection or something. Fifteen minutes after her arrival her leg was bouncing uncontrollably as she whimpered softly. She needed to pee again and what was worse was that she really wanted to finish her test.
"Luna, go." Derik said quietly as he crouched next to her desk.
"I'm almost done." Victoria reassured him.
"No Luna. Go. It's okay you can finish the test when you get back." He was smiling up at her gently. He looked like an amused older brother.
"I can hold it." She muttered.
"That's not good for you. Just go. It'll be fine." She wasn't budging and neither was he.
"Luna?" Carl asked as he flipped her paper over. "You seem distracted. How about you go for a walk to clear your head. You can take five minutes and finish when you get back."
"Yes sir." Victoria mumbled and half ran out the door to the restroom. It was like that all day and by the time she got home she was exhausted. She made her way up to the Alpha's office, too tired to go all the way to the fifth floor where their room was located. She tapped on the door and quietly entered when Asmund gave the okay.
"Hello love. How was school?" He greeted her and she gave a quiet moan of fatigue before lying down on the deep comfortable couch in front of the warm glowing fireplace.
"She's really tired." Derik said by way of greeting. "Fell asleep in her last class." The two continued to talk but she didn't care enough to listen. She snuggled deeper into the cushions and watched the fire's hypnotic dance as everything else faded into darkness.
Victoria was standing in a dark forest. She could hear a river close by but couldn't see it. She hated this place. It was still and smelled of rot. Not a healthy forest rot but a rotting corpse kind of rot. She wanted to run, but to where? Asmund wasn't here to protect her.
Suddenly Victoria could hear a baby crying just beyond her field of vision. She knew she had to find the baby. Every part of her screamed to save the baby. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't find the baby. The darkness was oppressive. It made it impossible to see anything outside of shifting shapes and shadows. They seemed to mock her efforts.
Finally Victoria reached a clearing and saw a cradle in the center. It was white and seemed to omit a radiant light that banished the demons from the place. The strong clear wails were coming from inside the cradle. As Victoria approached slowly with caution she wondered who would leave an infant in this hell.
The baby was covered by blankets. As she dug through them she couldn't help the feeling of dread. She could tell that something wasn't right. It started as a slight pink tint to the beautiful pure white of the thick fabric but got darker and darker. The endless blankets were soaked in crimson blood and there was no baby. Her hands were covered in red sticky blood and the wails had turned to laughter.
Victoria sat bolt up right screaming in terror. "Hey! Hey!" Asmund said gently as he rushed to her side. "What's wrong baby?"
"Blood!" Victoria wailed. "So much blood! It's everywhere! The baby! Oh gods the baby!"
"It's okay Victoria. It was just a bad dream." Asmund soothed as he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "Now gentlemen, where were we?" He spoke to the five elders as he carried her back to his desk.
"We were talking about the possibility of you stepping down for a time." One of them said with a sleezy grin. "You're just so busy these days and you just found your mate."
"We're sure you would love to spend more time with her." Another interjected. "She needs you to put a pup in her belly." By this time Victoria was calmed down enough to understand what was going on. They wanted Asmund to sign over control of the pack.
"Of course you would still be showing up to important events." Yet another said. "You would still be Alpha after all."
"But you wouldn't have to worry about the pack. We would be taking care of the nitty gritty for you.". Asmund thought for a couple of seconds before responding. Victoria knew he was gauging his response.
"So I sign over control of the pack to the council and I would get it back in a couple of months or would it be years? Would I get control back at all? I don't think I can do that without a guarantee that I would regain control at some point."
"Alpha please try to listen to reason. We only want what is best for everyone. Including you." The fourth tried desperately.
"You four have tried to use reason and logic. There is still one man that has not said his piece. Fredrick?" The man looked up and Victoria couldn't help but like him already. "What do you think about all this?"
"If I were you I'd rip out a throat or two in order to send a clear message. If you sign over control of the pack you affectively become an Alpha in name and nothing more. You would be their puppet that dances on command if they ever decided to give you control back. It would never be full control." He said calmly. "Weather you rip heads off or not is up to you but do not sign the papers." He leaned back in a relaxed manner as the other four glared at him.