A rite

Daphne’s POV

"Over my dead body!" I muttered but to his hearing in my defiance, I kicked my feet against the hard ground. I knew men could be so vile and irresponsible when it came to the body of a woman, but this was the most lewd thing a man had ever told me. I found myself revolted and I spat on the ground beside his feet.

"We shall see about that!" Darius retorted and began to move towards me with an evil look on his face, but I immediately got on my feet and took to my heels.

So much for trying to stand for something that seemed right. I ran away from the pack square, in the direction of the woods. I didn't even bother to take any of my belongings because I wanted to be gone from there as soon as possible.

As I ran, my mind replayed Darius's threat over and over again. He had wanted to take advantage of my body. And even considering that I was against that, he still didn't care. Because of his status as Alpha. I couldn't believe that he was capable of such a thing. Well, I never even knew him that well.

Darius had always kept quite some distance between those who were at the bottom of the hierarchy. If someone had told me he was kind and treated people with respect, I wouldn't have doubted that much. With his latest actions, I realized that he was just as manipulative as them all. He had probably wanted something from me all along, just waiting for the right opportunity to demand it. The realization made me feel sick to my stomach.

I stumbled through the forest, my mind reeling. I tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. At the same time, I couldn't shake the thoughts of Darius from my mind.

I turned my head to look up at the full moon. It reminded me of wolves running wild in the woods and I felt afraid. I walked past some trees that were lined up in a file and stepped into a clearing. I had not taken more than five steps forward when I realized that I was not alone any longer.

I counted four of them. Men. They stepped out from behind the boughs of trees at my intrusion.

"Well, well, well. Look at the mouse the cat dragged in," one said, and grinned mockingly.

"Where were you going to, lass?" asked another, a frown on his face.

"It looks like she is trying to run away from the pack," another suggested, folding both arms across his chest.

"Or maybe she missed the direction," the last man on my left assumed, while they all gathered around me.

I had not realized that the guards were stationed out there. I looked around, shaking in fear, and discovered that I had inadvertently walked into the territory of the SIRACUSA. It chilled me to the bone. I wondered what the men would do to a girl like me.

One of them held my hand tight. "Escaping from your maiden duties, are you now?"

"Duties? What duties? I am not one of you," I tried to explain while fighting to ease his grip on my hand. It was too strong.

"And she lies through her teeth!" He insisted. What was it with these men? No matter how hard I tried to tell them the truth, they still wouldn’t believe me.

"I said, I am not SIRACUSA!" I yelled, still struggling against the hand that held mine. "Please, just let me go. I do not know anything about your pack. I am just trying to get away from someone who is after me."

But the men surrounding me just laughed and stomped their feet.

"Do not take us for fools, we have already seen women like you. Do you expect us to believe that? You are running through the forest at this hour. What else would it be apart from the fact that you escaped?"

I tried my best to get them to see that they were making a mistake by tagging me as some runway from the SIRACUSA pack.

"Save your lies for someone who will believe them, girl," one of them sneered. "You are not fooling anyone. We know you are one of us, and you will be staying with us whether you like it or not."

My heart sank. Like a stone dropped into a dark, deep well. "I am not one of you," I bellowed, my voice trembling. "Why does no one believe me?"

The men remained unconvinced. They bound my arms and put a blindfold across my eyes. Then they dragged me along, deeper into the forest. I tried to dig my heels into the ground, but it was no use. I was being pulled along against my will, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

By the time we stopped moving, my legs felt weary and heavy. Like they were going to pop out of their joints. I heard a door open and we went through. The men later took the blindfold off my eyes. I saw myself in a room. And right before me, were several other young girls who regarded my presence with solemn expressions. What surprised me the most was that they were all half-dressed.

One of my captors pushed me forward. "Get to your peers. Where you belong."

"Someone give this one something to wear," one of them yelled and snapped his fingers.

I stood there as one of the girls brought a skimpy undergarment to me.

"What is this?" I demanded, looking at it in horror.

"What you are supposed to wear," she pointed out. "Take off the gown you are wearing and put this on. There is no time, we will soon go in to serve the king."

"Serve the king? With what? For what?" I quizzed, completely confused. It appeared like she had spoken in a different language even because I found it hard to understand most of the things she said.

"For a whine," she whispered and smiled at me.

The men laughed and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

Her words gave me no calming effect. How had my life just changed for the worse in just a spell? From running for my freedom to being held captive. What sort of fate had I found myself in?

"You better go change, girl. Or you'll be wiping the Alpha King's ass for a week.“

Some young girls came and corralled me to a dim corner. They drew the curtains close and left me alone. I had no choice but to take off my dress and put on the skimpy thing.

I came out and stood before them. Their eyes feasted and their mouths gaped open. I did not get why until I heard someone whisper, “Girl only your look will get the alpha’s attention.”

The one who had brought me the cloth stepped forward and eyed me like a thief.

She demanded to know my name and I told her that I was called Daphne Gaia.

"I am Amelia Earhart. The head of the maidens here. You are new. So you have to perform the rites."

"What rites?"

Lita looked back at the other young girls and evilly smiled at me. "The rites where you are to give orgasms to five girls."

My body shook with fear. "What?"

"You heard me, girl," she said, in an unkind manner. "So get on your knees and put your tongue to work.”

I could not believe it. I just stood there numb. But the rest of them were enjoying my discomfort. Lita placed her hands on my shoulders and roughly pushed me to my knees.

"Unbelievable, Lita! You are disqualified!" the deep voice of a man suddenly thundered.

Everyone in the room turned in the direction where the order came from. A man walked in, and from his swiftness, I could tell that he was someone of importance, maybe the alpha king himself.

All I could tell was that he had so much power in the pack, for him to make such a command. As if I was right, the maidens went on one knee and bowed their heads. It was just Lita and I that were left standing. I was too stunned at all that just transpired to even move a muscle.

"You cannot possibly have me disqualified, Beta Kiel," she challenged, her tone defiant.

"I am the king's beta, Amelia. You do not stand to dispute my orders. Know your place."

She was acting all fierce but I could tell that she was only behaving that way because she didn’t want to lose face in front of me.

"I do know my place. I am the head maid. And I say that you cannot just dissolve me."

"I just did, for what you were trying to make this young lady do. You were going to force her to do evil. That I will not condone, so leave." I could tell that he was getting angry the more he spoke. His mouth was set in a thin line and his eyes were hard.

"But.." Lita began to say before he cut her off.

"That is an order, Lita. And I will not repeat my words. Leave. Now."

She glanced at me, and the girls, then back at the beta. She folded her fingers to a fist and left the room, after hesitating.

The man turned to me, his hands folded across his broad chest. Those eyes of his roamed all over me like a starving person at a buffet.

"I certainly have never seen you before, your beauty in particular," he said, in a friendly manner.

"Thank you, sir," I appreciated, with a curtsey.

He smiled and kept touching me with just his eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was being friendly because of my beauty or because of his personality. But I just hoped that he had no sexual interest in me since my body was exposed in this half-dress.

"Do not thank me.”

"Not yet,” he added.