Chapter 03.

Rune.

The crowd went silent and parted at the sound of the voice, and chills ran up and down my spine. Everyone knew who it was; we knew his voice by heart because he was our Alpha. I, along with everyone present, turned our heads to the parted space as Alpha Kane appeared. Tall and mighty, with his thick dark brows knotted as his eyes roamed around us, taking in the scene.

Beads of sweat marred his golden tan skin, and I watched, mesmerized, as a streak of sweat ran from his neck to his collarbone, where it disappeared into the grey shirt he had on, which looked damp from the sweat, I suppose.

The muscles rippling under his damp grey shirt quickened my pulse, and I sucked in a breath. I knew, just like everyone in the pack, that Alpha Kane had a ripped body, but seeing him up close was a rarity because he was almost always away for meetings and wars. It must’ve been the reason I kept my eyes on him, taking him in despite the pain I felt in every fiber of my being. Deep down, I knew it would probably be the last time I’d have the pleasure of seeing him this up close again. Servants had no business being around the Alpha anyway.

I dragged my eyes from his body up to his face slowly. His square jaw tensed visibly, and it wasn’t until I guided my eyes upward that I knew why. A tiny gasp escaped my chapped lips as fright swept through my body from the weight of his angry green eyes staring down at me with a raised brow and an irritated frown.

I forced my eyes to the ground immediately, noticing my mistake. While other wolves bowed in his presence, I spent that time staring at him. I kept my head down until I heard the sound of his voice again, and even then, I still didn’t raise my head because he wasn’t speaking to me.

“I asked a question,” his voice was deep and heavy with authority. Wolves mumbled, but no one said a thing. I listened and heard his very sharp intake of breath.

“No one has an answer?” His legs moved, but I didn’t dare look up.

“Alpha, I—” that was Rachael. Her voice was tiny, the tiniest I’d ever heard.

“This servant was being disrespectful,” I didn’t have to look up to know she looked down at me as she spoke.

“I came to the medical house to get checked since I’ve been experiencing some issues with my health,” was she… crying?

I raised my head then. Rachael covered her face as her shoulders shook lightly.

“This servant was cleaning by the time I got there. I don’t know what I must’ve done to anger her, but she poured dirty water on me and wouldn’t apologize even when other wolves asked her to,” SHE'S LYING!!!

Zarah yelled in my head. Yes, Rachael was, but it was her words against mine, and mine was silence. None of the wolves present came to help while Rachael and Jummy beat me up, so I knew none of them were going to call out Rachael’s lie or back me up. It was part of the unfairness that servants had to live with. Some servants who couldn’t take the mistreatment ended their lives, and none of their lives were accounted for because the reality was that no one cared for them, and we were better off dead.

“Is that what happened?” Alpha Kane’s eyes held mine, daring me to say otherwise.

Alpha Kane was very strict. He ruled with an iron fist and gave no second chances to offenders. This attitude of his bred fear in not only members of the Shadow Moon pack but also wolves from other packs. We rarely went to war and lost, and if we did, Alpha Kane was sure to take his victory one way or the other. Shadow Moon pack became a temporary home for Rogues because they knew nothing from outside our territory could hurt them; it was why a lot of rogues, despite the unfair treatment of servants in the pack, stayed because, to them, it was better to be a servant in Shadow moon than a wandering Rogue.

I folded my lips, knowing no words would fall from them even if I tried to speak, and nodded.

“Alpha!“ Kimi sank to the ground beside me, rubbing her palms.

“Alpha, that’s not—” she started to say, but I placed my hand on her thigh, stopping her from saying her next words, which would send her to an early grave.

“End this,” he glowered at Rachael, and she took a submissive step back with her head down.

“Yes, Alpha,”

“You, come with me,” I gulped hard as fresh tears spilled from my eyes at the command. Wolves on every corner watched with widened eyes and their hands over their mouth.

I was a servant, a dirty, wounded servant who cleaned the public toilets and whatnot. I had no business of any sort with the Alpha except punishments, and I was punished enough.

“Do not make me repeat myself,” his words came out tensed.

Kimi whipped her head to me, her beautiful face stained with tears. I hated that this was the situation we were in. I didn’t want to take my last breath thinking about her crying face and how she’d survive alone since I wouldn’t be there to help her, eat with her, and tell her fake stories on nights she couldn’t sleep.

“Help me up,” I smiled at her, and she did. I stole a glance at Rachael and Jummy ; they had cocky smiles on their lips because they knew it was the end for me.

I ignored the pain that coursed through my body when I took one step, to which Zarah asked if she could take over and follow after our Alpha, who had already started walking away. I refused for more reasons than one. Firstly, I couldn’t shift in the presence of Alpha Kane unless he asked me to or there was an emergency. Secondly, my body couldn’t handle the shift because I was in so much pain.

By limping, I was able to catch up to Alpha Kane, which didn’t make any sense to me because he took large strides when he walked but I wasn’t dumb enough to think that he slowed down for me.

“Alpha,” our Beta, Jett, approached us. He opened his mouth to speak but paused, his brown eyes darting from Alpha Kane to me with confusion in them.

From pack tales, Beta Jett and Alpha Kane were born on the same day, and with both families being close, the two grew up together and were inseparable. They were the two strong towers of our pack, but the Beta was a few inches away from the Alpha, who stood at six foot seven, while the Beta was six foot five. One of the cool things about being a servant was the gossip we heard from careless wolves who couldn’t help themselves.

I took a good look at Beta Jett since it would be my last time. He had clear brown skin that glistened under the morning sun and neat cornrows on his head, which was rumored to have been done by his mate, who hated it when other wolves touched him. She was very possessive of him and was mean to others. I had never seen her, even from afar, but from what I heard, she was tall and rivaled the Beta in muscles. My eyes widened as the thought came because Beta Jett rivaled Alpha Kane in muscles, so if she rivaled Beta, then she must be very huge.

“What is it?” Alpha Kane’s voice seemed to pull the Beta out of his confusion.

“They’re ready,”

“Stall them. While you’re at it, have Chris come to the pack house immediately,” Beta Jett’s eyes darted to me again, raking his eyes through my tattered body, and then he nodded and went away.

I tried to act as though I wasn’t scared to my bones when the Alpha led us to the Packhouse. Even when my father was a high-ranking official, I only went near the Packhouse once, and I was very little then, so to enter the packhouse while a servant worried me endlessly.

Beautifully carved wooden furniture sat in every angle of the living area. The couches, the shelves, the tables, everything was made of wood, which wasn’t a new thing since it was the same for every household in the pack. Tall and thick trees surrounded us; it was only normal that we used a lot of wood.

“What do you think of an Alpha who cannot govern his people properly?” Alpha Kane brought my attention back to the matter at hand: my impending end. He sat on a single-seater couch with his arms spread on the shoulder of the furniture.

I blinked multiple times, trying to make sense of the question. I hung my head.

“Alpha, I’m not sure I understand,” I stuttered.

“Hmm,” I watched through my lashes as he placed his thumb and index finger under his chin.

“What do you think of a subject that blatantly lies to their Alpha?” I gulped hard at the realization of what he meant.

He knew I lied. He caught me, and he was going to punish me.

“I— I’m so…I’m so sorry, Alpha, I—” he chuckled darkly. Who was I kidding? There was no point apologizing because Alpha Kane was known to be merciless. My apology would only fall on deaf ears.

Alpha Kane stood up, and I was forced to take a step back with my head hung low. Any moment now, I’d take my last breath, and that would be the end of me.

The door was pushed open, and I turned my head to the sound. The pack doctor came rushing in with a bag across his shoulder, and his glasses hung abnormally low on his nose. He looked as though he ran here, and judging from his ragged breathing, I was right. I’d seen the older man earlier when I went to clean the medical house; he looked calm and collected then.

“Alpha, you called for me,” he placed his hand over his white buttoned-down as though wiping dust from it. I guess he was Chris.

Alpha Kane didn’t say a word; instead, Chris turned to me with wide eyes as he took me in. He must’ve remembered me from earlier.

“Sit,” Alpha Kane ordered. The thing is, I wasn’t aware he was talking to me until he closed the distance between us, grabbed my arm lightly, and pulled me to the closest couch to me, which was the one next to the one he sat on.

“She’s in a lot of pain,” Alpha Kane’s voice was resigned as he sat down on the one sitter and relaxed his back, his eyes on the doctor. I ignored the tingling feeling at the pit of my stomach from our contact and focused on the doctor, who inspected me like I was some new species of wolf before saying,

“The cuts on her face are not deep. They’ll heal quickly,” to which Alpha Kane said nothing. He just sat there, watching, like a predator waiting to haunt his prey.

Chris opened the bag he came with and removed a few items from it, placed them on the couch beside me, and then he started working.

My face stung from the methylated spirit he applied on the cuts, after which he covered them with small brown bandages.

“Do you think you have cuts elsewhere?” Chris’ kind brown eyes zeroed in on me. I nodded.

“Excuse me,” he stretched his lips into a thin smile, placed his hand on my ribs, and squeezed.

I winced and clenched my teeth. In a split second, Alpha Kane stood up, and a low, dangerous growl bellowed from his chest.

Chris’ eyes widened as some realization dawned on him when he looked from Alpha Kane to me.

“I’m sorry, Alpha, but she’ll need to come with me to the medical house so I can treat her. These injuries are—” he bowed his head.

“There are multiple rooms here,” Alpha Kane interjected, annoyed. Poor Chris gulped while I sat there with my lips folded like I wasn’t the one they were discussing, unable to say a thing.

“Alpha…” Chris stressed.

The door was pushed open again, and Beta Jett came in with a frustrated look on his face.

“Alpha, your attention is needed urgently. I can’t stall them any longer,” Alpha Kane furrowed his brows at Beta Jett, and then his eyes dropped to me.

“Take care of her,” he ordered Rutherford, and like that, he disappeared out of the living room with Beta Jett following closely behind him.