Chapter six

She is by the sink washing a stack of dirty dishes I plopped closer to her doubting if she could hear my footsteps. "Fiona, I can't believe you do dishes."

"A soldier in the day, and-" she said.

"You surprised me, I came to get water, I couldn't sleep and thirsty too." I cut in friendly.

"That's the packhouse for you, creepy that sleep wouldn't visit. I felt the same way when I first came here." She said dropping the sponge in her hands and beckoning her elbow to the verge and deluding her eyes.

"Where has everyone gone, I can't seem to find them?" I asked, biting my lips, this is what I had always done, when I'm trying to get an answer to something.

"They had gone to practice, maybe even, I heard the traitors' power and influence grew day by day and threatened the Alpha position, it made him worry." She said briskly returning to the plate in her hands.

"I don't understand you." I was lost in everything she had said forgetting I'm a stranger and as at that knew nothing about the traitor she likely did mention.

"I'm sorry but I can't talk about him, it's considered mutiny and I can be banished for that." I saw the plead in her eyes and decided to let her be.

Two werewolves, recognizable by the colour of their eyes, stood near the carrier with a woman and a fair-haired man.

"Get in." He commanded as my trainer, and I did but obeyed him slightly.

"Did I do something wrong? there's been some kind of mistake. I—'' 

The warrior cut me off, "we don't have all day, and this is not a mistake." He said through gritted teeth. "Get in the carrier."

I wanted to ask why they're making use of carriers instead of modern transport. From the small town I come from, even the outskirts use a car, have I grown used to the big world, or are they sensitive to civilization? I pondered; this pack.

He lowered his head until his nose was inches from mine, and he spat. "The Alpha ordered you to be taken to the special trainer down the hills. So don't do anything stupid and stay still until we arrive there if you need anything let me know and one more thing do not panic, now get on the couch."

He shoved me through the door and followed me inside. The warrior threw himself into the seat opposite me. I saw the disgust on his face. If he didn't want to go, he shouldn't have followed, I thought to myself. The two werewolf guards joined him and settled on either side of him.

"So we're going down the hill?" He didn't reply; he sat there looking through the window as if there were a threat lurking around.

The two guards sitting by him looked at me with indifference, 

"Since the Alpha isn't around the packhouses, it's not safe for you."

"Why? I thought it was the safest." I said curiously.

"No the Alpha is the safest, Romanov will come for you, now that he's on duty."

"I have nothing with Ramanov, who is that by the way?" Sparks of curiosity, Fiona had told me earlier about the traitor, but his identity she was too scared to comment.

His face was unreadable, "pray you never find out."

The soldier ducked his head into the door. "We're ready to take off."

I scowled and slipped into the cushioned seat, then hissed in pain, barely slept for three hours. And this rickety road was going to give me nausea.

The beta warrior disappeared gliding the door behind him, and I wondered how respectful they are to their Alpha despite the traitors greener pastures offer. Maybe they believed in his rulership, with a cry and snap of the whip the horse whined and the carrier lurched forward. 

I felt an icy tremble of panic, I thought just about opening the carrier door and making a run for it, where would I run to? I can't shift and four legs are better than one either I get caught by them or the merciless traitor, Ramanov, Fiona told me she cut open his uncle and fed them to the wild werewolves he had locked up in his cage, they can't shift back to their human form again.

The female beta took something out of the satchel and a sharp scent filled the carrier, neither did she speak, as if she was following orders.

"This is to conceal your scent." She said and I was in awe. I shrugged off and returned to my relaxing position.

"Are you sure, this is enough?" He said to her,

She didn't say anything. Before I heard him command. "Give her your jacket." 

She hesitated before shrugging out of the black jacket and handing it to me. First the perfume and now her jacket.

"Why do I need this?" I asked.

"Just put it on." He grumbled.

She kept her face blank as I took the jacket from her, she was pained to part with it. Before I could wringle into the jacket the trainer tapped the top of the carrier, and the lady swung out of it.

"Why did she go? Where is she going?" I asked again, he pulled the door closed and we were on our way again, he didn't reply to me and I gave it a rest.

I stared at him, I've only known him as my trainer, I wanted to ask but his serious face always gave me a second thought.

 "What are you called?"

"Garrett." He said with a condescending grin.

I smiled slightly, if it was based on my theory I would say, it's either– and the looks on his face made me brazen immediately.

The carrier took up speed, in the time it had taken for the beta to take off, dawn was falling and we have left the packhouse behind, leaning to the window I saw the relative movement of the trees and the twilight blur, I felt tears threatening, with a pang I wanted to go home and settle with Collins. Maybe I should have given it a second thought as he told me before.

I shifted restlessly in my seat, uncomfortable with their stares, my pale reflection and the darkness was the only thing I saw looking out the window. I tried to quash my irritation and they were still staring at me.

"I don't do tricks, you know," I said and they exchanged glances at themselves.

Garrett seemed affronted. "Why did you go to the old woman?" He asked and I remembered how he had come to rescue me.

"Were those guys by any chance–" my eyes furrowed and I remembered how those guys marched towards the tent that night, how the ground cried to their matching.

"But aren't traitors supposed to be apprehended?" I asked again, they exchanged an amused glance, and I pushed myself into my seat trying to be comfortable.

"He has powers and his forces rise every day."

"What type of powers? Is it some sort of supernatural?" I asked parting through the lamp that was lit by the guard, flickering inside the carrier, the seat was heavily cushioned black velvet. The carrier hits a bump and jolted.

"Is it safe to be travelling within his borders?" I asked, thinking I would have been safe back in the pack house instead of wasting a whole day travelling.

"This is the fastest route unless you want to be ambushed by the blood pack."

"There also are other packs aside from the Elven?"

"Yes, more packs that choose to remain subtle,"

"Scare of the outside world."

"The woods and its scent can not be traded for what the humans called civilisations, although some packs choose to follow their path in everything it doesn't still make sense," Garratt said and I could see his eyes clustering in fury.

"That explains it, why you discriminate against me, my scent is of the urban and humans right," I said lowering my gaze, and he turned his face steering through the window to know where we were.

"Alpha Andrea, has the potential to do what?" I asked Garrett, was there when Andrea dragged me from the heart of Vienna into the mountains, that night he has told him about the treaty, 

"Every Alpha has special powers, Ramanov was greedy and had fed on other werewolves amplifying his powers but Andrea won't just stand and let him have his way, we believe he could bridge the diversity." He said. "I hope this answers your question." I gape at him.

"That's why you answer to him, you believe in your Alpha," I said I have lost hope in Alphas after our Alpha told me to bear whatever was inflicted on me.

"Yes, the Alpha before him and those after him are true breeds." He said and his words struck me how they had followed the traditions.