Chapter Two

The Monthly Dinner

With Caleb driving us both back to our home pack, The Sagar Wolf Pack, we past the local town which consists of the usual hangout places for young people.

“Shall we head out for dinner?” Caleb asks me.

“I can’t tonight, it’s the monthly dinner with my Dad and Henri?” I groan pushing myself down further into the seat.

“I’ll break you out early.” He smiles at me.

“No Saskia?”

“Oh she’ll be there, she can’t help herself and not be!”

Saskia is my brother’s, Henri, mate. Henri is four years older than me, he was sixteen with Mum died. I turned seventeen in May and Henri is now twenty one. Saskia is twenty four, a few year’s older than my brother which really grates on me. She acts the mother figure which he clearly needed otherwise fate wouldn’t have destined them as mates. Henri has been the alpha since he was twenty. Dad continues to provide him support but Henri has been the acting alpha since Mum died. To lose your mate, especially a fated mate, plays tricks on your mind. Dad hasn’t been the same since and I know my behaviour hasn’t helped with matters. I think Dad also worries for the alpha blood line. Saskia hasn’t fallen pregnant yet, which for being together since Henri was eighteen, is rather concerning. Saskia grew up in the pack but she moved away when she was sixteen to be with family in another pack. When she returned after graduating from university she was twenty one and Henri had just turned eighteen. He almost tore the place apart hunting her scent. Let’s just say he wasn’t subtle about claiming her.

Saskia is…a nightmare. She tries to make an effort with me but I know it is a fake attempt. Coming from the same wolf family blood as Skylar, I just can’t seem to trust her. She makes little digs at me, even in front of my brother, but he never comments or defends me.

“I’ll break you out extra early then!” Caleb beams at me as we pull up to the alpha home which sits in the middle of the pack grounds. Caleb lives with his parents in the beta home adjacent. We’ve spent many evenings creeping into each other’s bedrooms at night secretly through the windows. Our relationship wasn’t sexual yet but that doesn’t mean we haven’t got close before having to pull away. Naturally we werewolves are highly sexual beings but it is droned into us from an early age to wait for your mate as sex is part of the mating ritual. We’ve helped each other out on numerous occasions and I secretly hoped that when Caleb turns eighteen he will claim me and I can move in with his family. Which, if I keep behaving for the moon goddess, will be next week. They’ve always been very accepting of me and his mother Trisha has always been kind to me. She took me for my first bra fitting shop and helped steer me in the direction of the “sex” and “female functions” talk. Something every girl should have her own mother for.

“I’ll swipe some booze and bring it over tonight?” Tonight was Friday night, no school tomorrow but I will have to get up early for training. My Brother makes me train twice per day, thirty minutes at 7.00 am and one hour at 6.00 pm, before dinner at 7.30pm. I barely have enough time to freshen up for dinner, but I did learn early on that my brother was a prick.

“Great idea! Movie night?” Caleb suggests. I loved our movie nights, mainly because I got to sleep in his arms.

“Sounds perfect!”

….

“Fifty more!” Andrei commands.

“Andrei…I can barely move!”

“If you’re being attacked, they won’t let up until you are dead! Fifty more!” He yells at me.

The twat, who I swear secretly enjoyed watching me struggle, like he got a buzz out of it, was yet again pushing me to my limit.

“Healthy body, healthy mind!” He chants his catchphrase to me. Ever since Henri took on leadership he enlisted Andrei, an ex superior warrior wolf of ours, to train me every day. My brother is clever, it certainly exhausted me for the first year and I never had enough energy in me to back chat.

“Which is why we have warriors. Men and women specifically trained to protect us.”

“And who would want to protect you?”

Ouch, the prick sure knew how to hurt me.

“Pick those barrels up, carry them to the water tap, fill up and carry back.” He demands.

I stand there staring at him unable to move.

“What are you waiting for?” He scowls at me.

“I don’t see needing beer barrels in a battle!”

“No, but the weight of the barrels filled will be close to a wolf, injured in a fight, that you may need to carry to safety.”

I bite my tongue, he has a fair point so I do as I’m told.

I rush over to the barrels and pick two up and carry them over, easily to the water tap. I leave the water running, filling up the first barrel while I rush back to collect the last two.

In between my back and forth, my brother Henri walks over and starts to talk to Andrei. Andrei also trained Henri and I swear he makes him push me even harder.

As I wait for the first barrel to fill to the top, I listen carefully to their conversation.

“How is she doing?” Henri asks.

“She’s doing fine, when she stops with the backchat she’s actually not beyond hope.”

Nice to know, prick! I laugh to myself.

I switch barrels over and insert the topper on the first barrel to prevent the water from spilling out, and soaking myself in the process.

They watch me struggle to lift the barrel. I lift it for a few paces until the weight is too much and I have to drop it, barely missing my toes.

“Back straight, lift with bent knees!” I hear Andrei shout. I flip my finger at him, internally though.

This continues for a few more minutes until I’ve had enough. I roll the first barrel back to its starting spot before rushing back and switching barrels again. I roll the remaining three barrels, Henri and Andrei watching me with intrigue the entire time.

“She’s got good problem solving skills though.” I hear Andrei compliment me as I walk over to them.

“But, you can not roll an injured pack member during a fight.” He raises his voice to me.

“If it’s down a hill I can! Every life matters, I’ll do what I can to keep them alive.” I humour back.

Then the strangest thing happens, my brother actually laughs at my comment. He quickly catches himself before clearing his throat.

“Right your done for the night! Shower and change for dinner!” He demands as I head away from them towards the alpha house.

I don’t know why I can’t just eat in my room. Saskia talked throughout the entire dinner. No one even looked at me. I think I might print my face on a cardboard cut out and see if they even notice. I could probably skip a few dinners until they realised I was looking incredibly thin! I make a mental note to head to the art store in town next time I am shopping.

As promised, Caleb walks in with his father as part of the evening report. Knowing Henri would be preoccupied now, I slipped out and headed to Caleb’s place. On the way we snuck into the kitchen and took a few bottles of beers, before Kath the cook noticed.

As we were just about to head through the door my father calls my name.

“Aida?”

I spin on the spot. Shit! I rack my brain for anything I’ve done that might result in punishment…but I come up empty.

“Henri tells me you did well at training tonight.”

“No different then any other night Father.” He was trying to compliment me, but our relationship was so strained that I couldn’t take compliments. I worked hard like that every night, I pushed myself all the time, they just never took the time to see…or care.

“Our friends at the neighbouring Hansen Wolf Pack have been selected for the Lycan King’s banquet next month. As guests I expect you to be on your best behaviour.”

“Yes Father.”

The Hansen’s were the neighbouring pack to our grounds. We were a close alliance and often assisted each other in disputes with other packs. Every three months the Lycan King visited each pack in the country. The werewolf heritage we can read back as far as the Western European movement, when werewolf’s from different countries, afraid for their survival, migrated to Great Britain. They were granted access by the already present Lycan community which ruled the shifter kingdom, and have continued to do so going forward. The reason for the quarterly visits from the Lycan King was for political purpose, apparently. I personally think the King is desperate for his mate and determined to find her, even if she is an Omega servant scrubbing the floors of a dirty kitchen floor. If I were her, I’d keep hiding. The Lycans can be ruthless. I guess that’s how they have commanded power for such a long time.

“Good girl.” Dad smiles as he kisses my cheek. He turns away and heads towards his office.

“That was…” Caleb starts.

“Weird.” I finish as I place my hand to my cheek.

“Mmm Dad made a comment the other day.” Caleb drops his voice to me.

“Such as?” I whip around to face him.

Caleb shrugs his shoulders.

“Alpha Ike is acting differently, like he used to be, before your Mother died.”