CHAPTER FIVE - NEW ENEMIES

VALENTINA

PACK OF LORE

I sat on my bed, tracing my fingers up and down my sore thigh, the motion acting like both a physical and a mental massage, one that helped me cope with the stress.

It was afternoon, though the clouds in Lucean’s pack always hung moody with a promise to snow, maybe not immediately some time later in the day.

Once I felt my thigh was strong enough I pushed to my feet, my ankle popping with a crack but the pain had reduced far more.

‘I wonder if that’s because of Lucean… wolves are always strongest around their mates…’

The thoughts went as quickly as they came, my wolf returning to it’s dormant state within my mind. I inspected the short hallway, two able bodied sentries that had been stationed out my room straightened at my appearance.

My had my fingers curled around the door frame before I walked briskly past them. But stopped when I realized they had been following me.

“I need to be alone.” I said, pausing between each word. “Please I added.”

“We have been ordered to make sure you are safe.” The sentry whose fangs constantly peaked out from his lower lip said.

“By who? The Alpha?” I asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

“Yes.”

“Well I’ll be fine, you can tell your Alpha I’m within his prison!”

“Our orders remain.” The sentry said simply and I sighed in defeat. It was obvious sentries would never break a direct order from the Alpha.

“Just keep your distance… please.” I said to them, making my way out of the front door. Outside, the grounds was covered with snow that reach up to my shin. I took in a deep breath before trudging forward through the thick icy cold snow. A few people stood outsides their houses, while some simply stared others cared less and pointed.

I kept my head low, my eyes scanning white snow as I walked until I got to away from the all the onlookers. The section that divided Lucean’s pack mansion from the rest of his pack community had a small garden of trees. I supported myself against a tree bark, my guard sentries standing a few paces behind me.

“Is there anything you might need miss?”

I ignored the sentry. I could see Lucean’s pack mansion, a little small from the distance ahead.

“It’s already ten o’clock, there is anything you might like to eat but only available to you in the Alpha’s manor—”

“Did he pay you to sound like that?” I asked, cutting the sentry off and seeing astounded look on his face as he exchanged looks with his companion.

“Like I know you have orders! And you don’t like me because of where I’m from but at least you don’t have to sound like the bloody grim reaper when you speak gawd…”

I sighed, turning my gaze back to Lucean’s manor, it was like everyone in his pack shared a similar hate in their gaze when they looked at me, I knew it was because of what had happened with Lucean’s mate and his unborn child. Somehow they found it easier to blame me for the loss of their Luna than their crazed Alpha who had initiated the war in the first place.

My stomach tightened at the mention of food. I was very hungry, but accepting meals from these sentries who be accepting sole form off their aid. I instead shook my head once more, swallowing the rise of frustration that began to build up in me.

“I apologize if my tone had offended you Miss.” The sentry said and it was surprising how  even in an apology he still sounded he wanted to rip my head clean off my shoulders.

"I would like to visit the Alphas home." My voice was steady, puffs of cold mist swirling from my lips when I spoke as the surrounding cold has started to make me shiver.

“And I would like to be alone from now on.”

The sentry was quick to shake his head. "We have been instructed to follow you ma'am by-"

I lifted my chin. "The Alpha?"

His head dipped in a firm nod. "The Alpha."

My teeth gnashed together and my fingers lifted to itch irritably at my arm. "Fine." I pushed on, their heavier footsteps following behind me.

I got to the front of the manor, the sentries suddenly stopping and turned back in time to catch them as they suddenly lowered their heads knee low in a bow.

“You two are dismissed now.” The voice came from the female that had been in the room before. Teira was her name if I remembered correctly.

How she had managed to appear at my front so quickly I had no idea.

The sentries scurried off immediately, walking away so fast and I was sure I could hear them sigh in relief. They really didn’t like being around me.

“Ahh yes. Valentina.” Her voice was calm and calculated, it lacked the hostility from before but now held a predatory tone.

“You’re just the person I was looking for, if you would follow me please…” she gestured that I walked into the manor, stepping aside and creating space for me to pass.

My eyes held hers for a moment, her gaze emotionless and void of the mutual hate everyone in the pack had for me. I walked past her, my skin tingling at the sweet warmth that soothed my goosebumps from the cold outside.

 “It’s important you get a tour of your new home as I would very much like mine all to myself again—”

“This is not my home and I do not intend on staying here long.” I said, cutting her off but averting my eyes when she flicked hers to mine, I might have ticked her off a little but she did not show it, not even a little bit.

She simply nodded, not saying anything about the topic or indicating anything in disapproval which is even what scared me most, it’s like she knew my opposing them was already a lost cause.

I flinched when Teira began speaking, telling me all the specific details about the grand entrance room of this grand manor though I hadn't asked.

Though the interior of the manor was in all opulence and grandeur, it impressed me not as my pack house, before Ryker, had just been as splendid.

Teira’s hands would touch everywhere as she explained the many ornaments in the sprawling living room and I raised my brows questionably at the prices she so easily recalled for each item, the pieces of the furniture and huge hanging portraits, as if the information was meant to impress me.

All the while, Teira spoke in the same cold formality sort of tone the guard sentries has also spoken to me in which somewhat made me uncomfortable.

We got to the first floor of the Manor and she explained that this was were the commanding sentries and other Betas were accommodated.

“—all second to me of course…” she added, and it only made sense she was of high command as I had seen the sentries from before now to her and obey the command she gave them instantly.

Someone stepped into our way. He wore tactical pants and a tight fitting jacket.

“Hey Teira…”

“Jayme.” Was her response, cold as usual but with different motivation behind the tone.

“Unfortunately you’d have to continue her tour some other time, Alpha needs her.”

They exchanged a long silent look before with a small nod Teira walked past, brushing hard against Jayme with the more aggressive demeanor. I raised a brow, but had no intentions of asking any questions about it.

Once she had taken a bend at the far end of the corridor Jayme spoke.

“Don’t worry about it. She’s always in a bad moon…”

I said nothing.

“You know the others are talking about you.”

That piqued my interest.

“I don’t need to ask, I’m regarded an enemy in this pack.”

Jayme pinched the bridge of his nose until the skin turned a pale pink.

“Well, yes and no.” He proceeded to walk in the opposite direction and I followed beside him.

“While your presence here isn’t the most warm, the fact you’re brought here directly by the Alpha has given people a second thought.”

I said nothing, my mind wondering to where Lucean might be in this huge manor and something inside me fluttered at the thought of him. I shook my head, cancelling out the thought immediately even though I liked it.

“You know when my pack attacked yours that night—”

“Lives were lost! It was a meaningless, babaric and unmotivated attacked!”

I casted him a glare and was surprised to see a smile on his face.

“Whoa whoa… slow down tiger! I was going to say I was in full opposition!” He chucked and I liked the way his voice did not own the cold and murderous tones the rest had, he spoke like he was actually speaking to a person.

“But you are his Beta, it’s unusual a beta would not share the same motivations as his Alpha.”

“And while that’s true Lucean is not only my Alpha, but he’s also my cousin. Our bond goes deeper than uniforms, collars and armies. We’re blood, it’s give me a kinda umm, cheat code that the rest don’t have. I can call him out, in private of course, scold him sometimes…”

I gave him a like hard look. “Cousins? You look nothing alike.”

“Yeah we get that a lot—point is I was never in support of his attack. My father, his uncle, wasn’t in support of his attack either.”

“Yet he went through with it anyways.”

“It’s hard to stop an Alpha when he’s made up his mind for war. You know I tried to stop him really, and when I failed and he marched off then my father went after him.” His voice had gotten softer as he spoke now and I failed to figure out why.

“It’s as I said, pointless blood shed that had almost taken my fathers life at the time. Once the war was over my father hung the head of an enemy sentry above his throne.”

He went silent before he stopped walking, his head hung low.

“That was no ordinary sentry. That was my father!”

I watched his face contorted with rage. Fear rising in me when he moved, his fists that had been balled at his sides taking my the throat and croaked when my back hit the wall, hard.

There was no way for me to breathe, Jayme had his hand so tight wrapped around my neck I could feel my pulse struggle under his grip.

“My father had gone there as a diplomat and your father killed him!” He seethed, rage making his eyes water with a pain I knew all too well.

“Why do you think Lucean stopped the attack huh?” He spoke between grit teeth and I could tell he was struggling to keep himself from yelling.

My fingers pulled at his muscular arm, my eyes glasses with tears, my head getting dizzier by the moment. My feet were off the ground, he was fifty times stronger than I was, a hundred times as angry and I felt myself slipping away as he had cut off all flow of fluid through my throat.

“It’s a debt he owes me, one he knows he can’t repay. But you owe it to me too Valentina! So don’t come here thinking it’ll be all merry and fairytales for you, there are people here that still feel the loss…”

At this point his voice has become a distance echo, I felt strength drain from my body as my consciousness dwindled and my thrashing heart fell weak.

“You’re not going to even beg huh?”

I struggled to breath, a small breath filling my lungs.

“Beg me to let you go…!”

At this point I had no choice. It was either I died with my pride or I begged him and got to live.

“Please… go fuck yourself bitch!”

I saw the flit of rage that flash in his eyes before it disappeared.

“Huh, as expected from an heir.”

When he released his grip I fell on my face. Air filling my lungs, my throat burning as I choked on my own saliva and I croaked out as I turned on my back. A fog of tears obscuring my vision but it was clear he was standing right there above me.

“Do me a favour Valentina… don’t say anything stupid, it might get you killed.”

I braced my arms aghast the floor for support. Tears induced by suffocation rolling down my cheeks.

Someone walked in, Teira. She looked from me on the floor to Jayme who now held an absent expression.

“What the heck?” She asked, hands on her hips.

“I and Valentina were just having a friendly conversation… now weren’t we Val dear?” He offered a mock smile. But there was no need for his pretense, I would rather that I dealt with him personally than to make this become a public matter.

“Yes!” I said, pushing to my feet. My eyes on his. He had caught me off guard today but I knew next time it won’t be so easy.

“Well whatever, Lucean. He’s asked I immediately show you to the eating room.”

I walked past Jayme, Teira leading the way. My fists balling at my sides but a fear rising on me at the uncanny gaze Jayme had on my back.