The table was adorned with a silky gold table-cloth and stretching from one end to the next, were dozens of wine glasses. Plates with a variety of food filled the rest of the space and in the very center, was some kind of wine dispenser. A severed head sat at the top, attached by hooks that dug into the pale skin, and from it, blood trickled down like a fountain, mixing with red wine. It was encased in a glass cover, drowning most of the stench.
Brittany was in absolute horror. Her stomach churned and she twisted on her feet, doubling over. Her lips split open, but nothing came out aside from her desperate gasp for breath. Her trembling hands loosened on the vase and it slipped, falling to the floor with a loud crash. All attention was on her, she could feel their stares digging into her back with so much intensity. She knew what they were thinking. Pathetic. Weak. Helpless.
They weren't wrong.
She didn't belong amongst them at all.
"Are you alright?" She felt Nathan's hand graze her neck as he gathered and pulled her hair behind her shoulders. "Is it too much for you? I was honestly expecting to see you spill your guts, but you're handling it better than I thought."
Brittany looked back at him, glaring. The proud glint in his eyes wasn't hard to decipher. He already knew she would react in this manner, and yet, he still brought her. She must have forgotten…that people like them got off others' distress. A lunatic. And a womanizer. Double trouble.
With the snap of his finger, a woman came rushing towards them, a small broom and a dustpan in hand.
"I'll get you some water." He offered.
"No." Brittany grabbed his arm when he turned to move, but only held it long enough to say, "I'm fine. Lets just go in."
"Actually, you can have some fresh air outside for a bit and until you're feeling better, I---"
"I'm fine, Nathan." She straightened her back and tucked her hair, mimicking a composed bearing.
But who was she trying to fool? She was scared to death and he knew it too. Still, as if humoring her, he didn't go on to say anything else, instead, his eyes swirled with amusement and he gave her a nod.
He reached for her hips, but she wrapped her arms around herself, stepping pass him. He paused in place for a moment then she heard the click of his tongue followed by the lingering of his footsteps close, too close. As she walked further into her doom, he stayed like a shadow behind her and yet, with his eyes glimmering a bright golden, his presence was far from faint. The flicker of his wolf's consciousness was a silent warning, a command to stay away or face their wrath.
The crowd parted like the red sea and aside from their eyes that judged and condemned her with every step, no one dared say a word.
Oblivious to his animosity, Brittany's face twitched as she stopped by the table, staring down at the lines of wine glasses. Every single person had one in hand, a concoction made from wine and a man's rotting remains. Her stomach did another disgusted twist, but she swallowed the feeling and trembled as she reached for a glass. She held it loosely in her grasp, but did not bring it to her lips.
Her whole life had been nothing more than a constant cycle of pretense, whether to hide her true self, bury her hatred, or mask her fears. She could do it again. This was nothing.
"Oh! My dear Brittany~ We have been waiting quite a while."
Her eyes snapped towards the wooden stairs and climbed to the top, transfixing on the figures that lingered there. Alpha Denzel stepped out from behind a large chair where a figure sat and moved closer to the railing, gripping it as he smiled down at her.
Brittany's gaze slipped by him. The woman, whoever she was, was flawlessly beautiful. Radiant skin, thick brows, beautiful auburn hair, rosy lips and most importantly, her peculiar eyes. Her red dress which cascaded down to the floor, matched the exact shade of her blood-red eyes.
There was no mistaking it. That woman was the one lurking in the forest that day.
And just as Brittany thought, her scent was not that of a wolf's but rather, some kind of strange anomaly. She had never smelled anything like it before. It was unpleasant, both her smell and her eyes.
The curving of the woman's lips was a quick reminder to look away. She clasped her hands together, bowing her head slightly. "I'm sorry." She said, barely above a whisper.
"No no. Do not apologize. Come. Say hello to your new family."
'Family?' Brittany glanced around. They were nothing more than a pack of deranged fools, devils with no humanity and not even a stench of a soul.
They dressed pretty, and on the outside they were normal to some extent. But she couldn't help but notice that their skin was as pale as a vampire's and most of them barely had much flesh on their bones. The women especially were underweight. She could see the slight protrusion at their hips and the prominence of their collar bones.
It couldn't be that their Alpha was depriving them of food. Perhaps it was the goddess' way of punishing them all for their sins.
Gulping, Brittany gathered her courage and stepped forward, only for her wrist to be grabbed from behind. It was Nathan. She couldn't help the breath of relief that slipped through her lips.
"Father, just get it over with."
"Hmm. Why?" Denzel grinned. "Did we disturb your precious time with your wife?" He wiggled his brows.
Ever since she first saw him, Alpha Denzel behaved different from what the rumors said. Everyone near and far knew what he was capable of. They said he was an emotionless rock, a man who's eyes always remained an endless abyss of nothingness.
Was this the same person?
"If you're already aware of that, shouldn't you get on with it?"
"Sure sure. As you wish." His gaze ran over Brittany's figure, and his grin widened as he took steps backwards, looming over the woman from behind. "Now that everyone's here…shall we commence the celebration?"
Following those words, in an instant, all heads were bowed and their knees had touched the floor. Brittany glanced around, her heart racing. Her mind immediately nudged her to do the same, but her eyes first looked to Nathan, searching for any signs of his disapproval. As if feeling her gaze, his attention shifted to her and he took a step closer, brushing their shoulders. He leaned over to her ear, his breath fanning her skin. "You kneel to no one." Was all he said.
Nodding, Brittany shifted from foot to foot, feeling little puddles of sweat on her skin. She felt extremely out of place. But what bothered her even more than that, was failing to understand just who all those Alphas and high-ranked wolves were bowing to.
The woman sat like royalty, while Denzel stood behind her like a bodyguard. Were they bowing to him, the strange woman or both? Did they not have pride?
"You may rise."
Everyone returned to their feet.
"First, we shall raise a toast to our newly-weds!" Denzel hoisted his glass in the air, grinning from ear to ear. "But if I may ask, why have you worn a veil, dear? Geez, no one would dare lust after a married woman. Let us have a look at that pretty face."
Brittany hesitated. Before they came, Nathan had told her not once but multiple times not to remove her mask. But to disobey the Alpha, would lead to an even greater consequence.
"I…" She gripped the end of the thin veil, stammering. "I have a r-really bad rash so I----"
"Nathan!" In the midst of her words, the door suddenly swung open and there came a woman, another beauty. She beamed. "You…You're back!"