ZINA
Zina's mind burned with how utterly foolish and stupid she had been. How she had thought she was something, whereas in reality she was nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The Abandoned One.
Thralgor.
Those words repeated itself in her head like a terrible sutra. The chant threatened to drive her to the brink of madness.
She didn't know how long she sat huddled in a corner of the room, her face buried in between her legs and her body curled into itself. She stewed in a tormenting darkness that carried on for long… or perhaps it was just for minutes. Honestly, she didn't know.
What to do next? She was no longer curious to take her life. Indeed, hers was a useless one. But why bother?
No, she would live. But going further it will be on her own terms. She won't allow any man, woman, fake affection, kidnappers, horrible original family who are apparently too rich for their own good, or equally horrible adoptive family to dictate her life anymore.
With the same courage she used to accept the Alpha King's command, she finally took two steps away from her horrible thoughts. Straightening herself, the first thing Zina did was to ask a servant to summon Seraph from the inn. Being that she knew nobody, it was best to deal with someone she at least knew.
Really, what drove her to think of Seraph was from trust. No, it was a familiarity issue
At first, the servant had been hesitant. Apparently, lowly slaves from outside the palace were not allowed in the palace without due authorisation.
But one icy glare from Zina had the servant scrambling to obey the Theta's command. An hour later into the night that was already giving way to early morning, Seraph stumbled into her quarters.
"Great Seer!" She cried out, "I see you're well!"
It occurred to Zina that Seraph probably knew nothing of the crime she committed that night. But the young girls next words proved her wrong,
"Seer Zina, I cannot believe that Prince Daemon NorthSteed will do such a thing! You must care for yourself! I hear he is a calm and gentle man, but that must have been a false personality he wears to cloak the true nature of his ruthlessness!"
So the news must have spread like wildfire.
Calm and gentle? Zina didn't think those were the right words to describe him. But ruthless didn't seem right either.
Without thinking about it, Zina asked the young girl, "Do you truly think he is capable of committing such a crime?"
"No matter what, you must be careful! People such as myself do not concern ourselves with the true hearts of our superior. If they can take our life whenever they deem it fit, what more about taking the life of their father."
The despondence in her words scared Zina who thought she had hardened her resolve. But she was finding out that it was no easy feat to harden her heart.
Seraph must have seen something etched to her face for she said, "Great Seer you must not be scared. The gods are with you, no one can touch you so easily."
Zina, internally scoffing at her latter words, thought hard about what she must do next, and it came to her.
"Tell me," Zina implored, her voice at a breaking point. "How do haughty people appear?"
"What do you mean, Miss?" Seraph quizzed, and Zina could very well hear the confusion in her words.
Swallowing hard, and hating that she would remind the girl of bad memories, Zina fired on, "The woman that beats you… how does she appear? What is her body posture?"
"Ahhh…" Seraph said as she realised what Zina was asking. Surprisingly, there was no sadness in her voice.
In a hate-filled voice, she started to describe, "Her shoulders are hunched up, her chin tipped up. Sometimes, she has a hand on her waist with her chest thrusted up in the air as if to make a point."
"And her legs? How does she stand?"
Seraph's voice did not betray any confusion she must have felt at Zina's strange line of questioning, "Her legs are spread out… just slightly. Enough to convey just how domineering she is."
Zina registered all the information, hoping it was not too late to perform her last duty to Daemon NorthSteed. The middle-aged woman's prophecy to her churned in her mind, and at the same time, the sound of a heavy bell being rung reverberated through the room.
Seraph fell to the floor, the sound startling Zina.
What had happened, she wondered.
In a trembling voice, Seraph spoke. "The Alpha King has passed away."
Zina froze as it occurred to her that the girl must have felt the bond with the Alpha slip away.
Filled with trepidation, Zina inquired, "Do you feel a new bond?"
"Indeed," Seraph cried out. Her voice particularly pained, she was just an omega afterall, "the Arctic Wolf has been reborn again."
Zina clutched at her dress, biting her lips. Was it Daemon? If it was him, then just like in her visions, he would certainly die. But one of Zina's excuses in telling the false vision was to avoid that very fate. She didn't believe it would be Daemon… not when his death that gave way to banishment had already been declared.
So who was it?
A knock sounded on the door, and the voice of a woman spoke, "Theta Zina, may I come in?"
Zina heard the unmistakable sound of Seraph sucking in her breath, "Theta?" She questioned, both glee and fear etched to her voice. Zina had an inkling that the fear was not reserved for her, and she confirmed it later when the knocking woman stepped in.
"Theta Zina, the former Theta summons you."
Titles were changing so fast that Zina had a hard time keeping up with them.
Glaring in the direction of the woman for the sole reason that it seemed she was the one responsible for the smell of fear that was emitting for Zina in droves, Zina said in the coldest voice she could muster. "If that is all, then you may leave."
The woman, of course, did not leave.
"I must take back the girl." She said,
Zina took a step in her direction, "Seraph now serves the Theta of the NorthSteed pack. Do you still wish to take her?"
In a much more placating voice that still held her former hardness the woman spoke, "If you're in need of a servant Theta, I will make available as much as you want. However, this girl won't be able to serve you well. She is disobedient, a cursed seductress, and a trouble monger. Allow me to take away this trouble from you."
Zina took another step closer. So this was the woman who beat Seraph.
"And I said she now serves me. If you wish to take her, then you must walk over my dead body."
The woman gasped, as if the idea that she must take Zina's life before she could collect Seraph was outrageous.
"Theta, it is true that you enjoy a high post. However, she is an official slave and can't be claimed without due authorization from the office of the Delta."
"Then you must be a family member of the Delta."
"Indeed."
"I shall remember you."
A foreboding silence fell in the room. Despite the woman's seemingly placating words, Zina could very well hear the undertones of haughtiness tucked in between them.
The woman obviously looked down on her, the girl she called Theta.
And without another word, the woman left.
"I am eternally grateful for your help, Great Seer, but you must not offend a family as prestigious as that of the Delta's for my sake."
"If I save you from her hands, can you be of any help to me?" Zina asked coldly.
"I… I." The girl stammered as if unsure of what to say.
"When I questioned you before, you sounded like you were more than you gave away. Even now, do you still wish to hide yourself away from someone such as myself who is without eyes to see?"
"I shall serve you! If you save me, I shall be your eyes! I shall never betray for I will be incapable of doing so." The girl declared solemnly like a warrior at the war front.
Zina smiled shrewdly, "Incapable of doing so?"
"I once made a vow. That whoever saves me from the torment I live in I shall owe my life."
"So I am to trust in this vow of yours? Is that yet another practice from the place you came from?"
"I… I."
"Fine." Zina said, because it didn't really matter. With the change of events that night, it was unclear whether she would survive. "I want you to step out and inquire for where Alpha Prince Daemon is at together with the location of Theta Amelia."
"I will do that right away!"
"You must be careful. If your former master is to lay eyes on you again, I might not be able to do anything for you."
"I will." Seraph declared solemnly, and with that, she bolted out of the room.
The wait was terrifying on Zina's side. With the bell continuously being rung, time passed like water. It was an hour before Seraph returned, and even Zina was unable to hide her immense relief that it seemed she made it out unscathed.
The smell of blood hit her, causing her to frown. "Blood?"
"Do not mind it Great Seer, I simply scraped at my knee." Seraph said, breathing hard. It didn't seem as though she was lying.
"Prince Daemon is preparing to leave tonight. I believe an hour from now, he and his retinue will exit the castle."
"And Theta Amelia?"
"She awaits you at the Pack's shrine. I shall lead you there if you must."
Zina nodded grimly, and together, they made their way to the shrine of the NorthSteed Pack to meet the woman she was to replace.