Chapter 3: Speaking of Birthdays and Anniversaries

Valene

When he spoke, I left it up to Harlyn to speak first. Had she not, Master Wade surely would have known that something was the matter. Although, due to the long pause and silent stare, he no doubt knew something was up anyway.

“Hello, Daddy,” Harlyn said in a spritely manner, her eyes still on me and her expression stoic.

“How was our day?” Master Wade asked. His expression seemed normal, but his tone was subtly apprehensive.

Harlyn took her time answering him. By the time she finally did, the Alpha was visibly well past the line of suspicion concerning whatever it was that we were talking about. 

“It was great!” Harlyn finally answered, her eyes steadily on me before finally standing up and walking toward her father to embrace him. “Had to put Penny in her place for disrespecting Vali, but otherwise, things were fine.” She glanced back at me. “Right, Vali?”

Without hesitation, I simply nodded. Reluctantly answering would only cause more drama, as far as I was concerned. I had already done…something to offend an already easily offended Harlyn; I just wasn’t in the mood for further discord. I stuffed another sweet treat in my mouth and picked up my novel again.

“It’s been a great day,” I replied.

“What did Penny say?” Master Wade asked, his countenance becoming suddenly offensive. 

“Nothing that I couldn’t handle, Dad. Don’t worry.” Harlyn replied. “It was small-nothing for you to be concerned about. You’ve already got a lot on your plate. This isn’t worth your time.” She looked at me, and I knew that she wanted me to back her up.

“Harylyn’s right.” I agreed. “It was nothing.” To be honest, I did agree with Harlyn on that front. What Penny had said earlier was part and parcel of what I had to deal with daily. In truth, I’ve had worse things said to me growing up as a vassal when Master Wade and Harlyn weren’t around.

“See?” Harlyn returned her stare to her father. “Now! Let’s move on to something more important!” She expressed giddily and grabbed the Alpha’s arm, escorting him out of the room. Master Wade stared at me with concern furrowing his brow, and for some reason, this, in turn, concerned me. I tried to ease weariness by smiling brightly at him-maybe…a little too brightly. I pulled back a little on the smile, and as he disappeared from the view of my room door, my smile dissipated.

 Why did I suddenly feel like I may have made my life a little harder to live than before? And all because of a disagreement over a human boy.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Isn’t that always how it starts? A man?

I was suddenly not in the mood to read anymore. Saving the page that I was on in my novel, I closed the book and hopped out of bed, now feeling frustrated. And what better way to combat frustration outside of my favorite pastime of eating sweets than releasing it through physical combat? 

As soon as I got out of my bed, I went over to the corner of my room where a large punching bag was stationed, but I didn’t start my abuse of it just yet. Instead, I decided to do one-arm pushups first.

 I hadn’t realized that I had been going for so long until I looked at the clock on my wall and noticed that ten minutes had gone by. Sometimes, my stamina surprised me though it was easy to lose track of seconds, minutes, and sets when my mind was cloudy with worry. Master Wade swore that the extent of my tolerance for exertion was a level above the human kind. I only attributed it to the fact that I had been trained by an Inhuman to withstand such things. As far as I was concerned, most, if not all, vassals who were trained to give their lives for their Keeper were like me. According to Master Wade, however, they weren’t.

 I stretched a little afterward, and then I wrapped my hands, not wanting the fuss of a bruise. It seemed to irk Master Wade when I bruised myself and Harlyn even more; she’d comment about how unladylike it was-that no fellow vassal would want a bruised and battered human. As if most vassals really had a choice in the matter of being bruised and beaten. Regardless, maybe some truth rang in her words, considering I don’t think I ever noticed a guy ogling me. Then again, it was hard to notice anything when one’s gaze was limited to floors and empty spaces.

The thought of Harlyn’s insensitivity seemed to rev up my aggression as I slammed my fist into the punching back so hard I broke the skin.

“What did she do this time?” 

When I heard his voice from behind me, I stopped hitting the large bag and acknowledged Master Wade. 

“Oh,” I paused. “Master, Wade. Didn’t hear you come in.” I ignored his question and kept slamming my fist into the punching bag.

“She must have really gotten under your skin this time.”

 “I’m sorry?” I took another break. Acting as if I could not hear him was the best stall that I had so that I could figure out how to answer him.

Master Wade saw right through my ruse, however. He served me with his usual knowing expression before walking further into my room. “Valene.” 

When he said my name, I didn’t say anything at first. I turned around and started pounding against the punching bag again. “Master Wade, there is really nothing to report.”

“And yet, your knuckles are bleeding.” He suddenly appeared before me, and within the blink of an eye, he not only moved my extremely heavy punching bag out of the way but stopped my fist. “You’re not holding back either. He said and looked down at the fist that he now had in his grasp. The bandages were completely soiled and unraveling.

I hadn’t noticed until he made this comment that his eyes were dilated, and his fangs had begun to protrude from his gums. Shaking his head, he allowed the punching bag to return to its dangling settled state before his regard turned to my hand again.

“I-I’m sorry, Master Wade, I-” He lifted his hand, cutting off my apology.

He led me to my bed and gestured for me to sit before he sat across from me in an armchair. With his powers, he sent an invisible force toward my door, closing it.

“You know that your blood is special, Val.” He said to me, pulling the first aid kit from under my nightstand. He cleaned the wounds that I had caused by hitting the bag too hard, his eyes steadily darkened by bloodlust as he did. “You must be cautious. Harlyn does not have the restraint that I possess.” He looked at me as he said this, making sure that I was paying attention to his warning. When I could no longer hold his gaze due to shame as well as the intimidation of seeing Aziz, his wolf, he returned his attention to my hand. “Luckily, your room is practically on the other side of the house and in the basement. Still, your scent has gotten stronger, so we must be careful, yes?”

I nodded. “I apologize for my recklessness, Master Wade.” 

It was hard not to notice the grimace that played across his face when I addressed him. I didn’t know if it was because of my exposed blood or because of how I addressed him at this point. My Keeper didn’t really like the idea of my calling him Master, especially in the privacy of his home; he had told me as much many times before. In my defense, however, I didn’t really know what else to call the Alpha. 

Dad felt…inappropriate, and I got the sense that Harlyn had begun to think ill of the idea as well.

 Alpha was also an unacceptable term to use. A human calling an Inhuman anything outside of Master or Mistress was forbidden. Addressing someone with that status meant that you also had a status-no matter how lowly it may be. Vassals, of course, were the exception; humans were not allowed to feel respected in the world of the non. The safest place a human could be in the world of inhumans was their mind. No one could ever judge them there.  

All in all, it was simply easier not to address Master Wade with any sort of formality at all. There was just more comfortability in addressing him amongst the public. There were no complications in the public eye because I knew the role I was to play. There, I could do no wrong. There, I had no choice in the way that I addressed him; he was my Keeper, and I was his vassal.

“Now, are you going to tell me why you’re so upset?” he asked, pulling me out of my reverie.

“I’m not upset.” I insisted.

“But you’re bothered. I know that you are. What happened between you two before I came in?” He asked.

“It was nothing!” I chuckled, but he still wasn’t having it. His wordless demand of truth forced me to avoid his gaze, and I finally resigned. “Would you believe that it was over a boy?” 

“A boy?” 

I could tell that Master Wade was thinking that maybe we were disagreeing over a boy-that maybe we both liked the same boy. In what world? I laughed at the thought itself.

“She thinks that Master Slaughter’s vassal and myself would be a great fit. I disagree.” I clarified.

By the look on his face alone, it seemed that the Alpha did not agree with the match-up either. I couldn’t help but find this amusing. “Even his name is pompous.” 

I laughed, shaking my head. “You really think that he’s that bad?”

“You don’t?” Asked Headmaster Wade.

Again, I chuckled. “Everyone seems to like him.” 

“Well, I don’t.” The Alpha quipped without hesitation. “The boy’s been involved in far too many scandalous rumors.” He said. “Bloody dangerous game that lad plays with his life if you ask me.” 

“Do you think that any of those rumors are true?” I asked, simply because if he did consider them true, I had to wonder why nothing was ever done about it. 

“Unfortunately, whether they are truthful or not, nothing can be done without proper proof, and whoever is using the human boy is very careful about it. Though I must say that I am surprised that a human belonging to Slaughter would be up to such things.”

Up to such things, that was an…interesting way of putting it. Humans could not be “up to” their own devices in hardly anything if they were serving inhumans. So, if Tobias was up to anything, it was because another inhuman was behind it. I didn’t tell Master Wade this, however. He’d no doubt think that my assumption would lead to the culprit being Master Slaughter by default. It was not my intention to cast Master Toran in a negative light. 

“Well,” I finally said, “then maybe that is why no one acts on this rumor or even whatever proof might be carried behind it. Such things can only be considered slanderous gossip where Master Slaughter is concerned. He is a very respectable pillar of your community.” I reminded Master Wade, though he needed no reminder of how great his beta was.

“He is.” Master Wade agreed. “So, Tobias is not your type, huh?” He returned to the subject of boys, to which I simply chuckled.

“He is not,” I replied. “In fact, I prefer strong and silent-like Master Minken’s vassal.” 

If Harlyn would have allowed me space to finish my thought earlier, she’d have known this. Harold was just as handsome as Toby, but he was older, quiet, and many considered him without character. Maybe this was true, but how much character could one have as a human serf? Tobias got away with the little things because, regardless of the rumor, he was considered top of the line in his duties as a vassal. Delta Minken’s human, on the other hand, was simply considered ordinary in comparison.

“Anything belonging to John Minken is probably more trouble than it's worth having.”

“You really disdain him, don’t you?” The words escaped before I could catch myself. I used a harsh word to describe Master Wade’s feelings because ‘dislike’ just didn’t seem to live up to the venom heard in his voice whenever he spoke about the Delta.

Instead of outright answering yes or no, Master Wade averted his gaze from me. Immediately after he had done this, I felt that I had crossed a line.

“Apologies, Master Wade, I-I didn’t mean to intrude on your thoughts or make such callous assumptions-”

“I don’t trust him.” he blurted out before I could finish my sentence. “John Minken is a great Delta, but…I question him as a wolf.” 

At this point, Master Wade had lured me in. I was curious. “I-I don’t understand.” I glanced at his neat, handy work in wrapping my hand for but a moment before I my curiosities returned concerning his tension-filled relationship with his left hand. “Forgive me for asking but…why?” 

The look in Master Wade’s eyes revealed a lot about his reluctance to speak further on the matter. I could tell that he regretted going this far about the subject with me. 

“He’s a wolf of the old ways, Valene. Some things that we did in the old days are okay, but…other things….” He shook his head. “Not so much.” 

“Keeper Minken leans towards the more unsavory parts of the old heritage, I take it.” I found it amusing simply because it wasn’t surprising in the least.

Master Wade seemed to force a smile that turned into a dry chuckle. “Yes, of course. You don’t look surprised.” 

“Not really,” I replied. 

He seemed to find this amusing, but only for a moment before he, in turn, said. “Steer clear of him, Val.” His caution was backed up by a serious expression bordering on grim. “And his daughter, too, if at all possible.” 

“Hard to do that. She’s one of Harlyn’s closest friends, and since she is, I can’t be-”

“Well, at least avoid being alone with her.” Master Wade interjected.

I laughed; the idea of there even being a remote chance of me and Penelope Minken being alone together was funny.

“I don’t think that Penny and I being alone is possible unless Harly sees to it herself.” I chuckled. “And if that ever happened, I could only assume that Harlyn herself meant me no good.” It was a joke…or at least it was meant to be. I even followed with a small chortle,  but I noticed that my Keeper did not find humor in my comment at all. I immediately regretted what I had said. “I-I apologize, Master Wade!” I let slip. “I meant no harm.” so shameful was I that I was forced to adjust my gaze to the floor. “I know that she means me no harm. Please understand that.” 

He didn’t respond, and when he didn’t, I dared to look at him again. Although Master Wade had never raised a hand to me-hardly a voice even-I still knew that he could have a bit of a temper, and he was very protective of his own. I didn’t want him to think that I had insulted his only fleshly daughter. I didn’t want to give him a reason to become cold towards me. He was the only symbol of a father that I’ve ever had, and as pathetic as that may be, it was the truth, and I didn’t want to spoil it because of some ill-gotten joke.

When he finally replied with a small chuckle, I realized that I had been holding my breath for the greater part of that lull in our conversation. I breathed a subtle sigh of relief when he smiled.

“Relax, Val.” He said to me, “I know that you would never mean any harm towards Harlyn.” 

Somehow, although his words were probably meant to reassure me and make me feel better, I found myself becoming slightly uneasy. Was he insinuating that, in some way, Harlyn did?

It was evident that Harlyn Wade and I did not see eye-to-eye at the best of times. However, I greatly attributed that hiccup to the fact that there was a large barrier between us; the fact that I was simply human while she was ‘the superior species.’  And well, I was serving as her vassal. Nevertheless, despite our differences and even despite what happened between us not so long ago, I could never imagine Harlyn stooping so low as to harm me. But apparently…Master Wade may have felt differently, but I wouldn’t dare inquire about his doubts.

And apparently, he did not want to dwell on the subject any longer than I did as he moved on to another. 

“So, have you thought about…what you want to do about your…anniversary?”

He always hesitated when he said that word. I didn’t know whether to laugh or furrow my brow at his confusion. Either way, this was another subject that I did not wish to linger on for too long. 

I hated talking about my ‘anniversary’ because it was only a reminder of a life that was chosen for me as an infant. Did I necessarily hate my life? No, of course not, because in all that I had to go through, I did love the Wade family as my own. Nevertheless, it did not stop me from wondering how it felt to be a part of a family that saw me as their equal and not just some delicate human. Although, it could be argued that Master Wade knew that delicate was one of the few things I was not. All that aside, this anniversary was just the birthday of my servitude to the superior species.

“I haven’t thought much about it!” Now I was speaking a little more excitedly than I had intended. Obviously, I had, but not in the form that Master Wade was thinking.

“Okay, so you’re really going to sit there and tell me that the idea that Harlyn had to spend time at a cabin wasn’t something that you had originally thought of?” 

I sighed. “How did you know?” 

“She told me that you had this great idea.” He emphasized the last part, and admittedly I found it funny. 

“She told you, huh?” I shook my head. 

“So, was that what you wanted to do for your special day?” He asked.

A small smile played across my lips, not because of his question but the words that he used to describe the question, special day. With a sigh, I replied. “I was just giving her an idea.”

“Sounds like a pretty well-thought-out idea.” He said. 

I knew that he was still trying to figure out whether I was just simply giving my adopted sister/mistress an idea or whether I wanted it myself. 

“Really..well thought out.” He added. 

“Was it?” I said after a little chuckle because of the way that he was going about trying to figure out what I wanted to do for my anniversary. My response only slightly hinted at sarcasm but was far more amused than anything. 

“Definitely was. More thought out than anything my Harlyn would have come up with. Her answer for everything birthday is a big blow-out party of some kind…in town, at a club, at the community center,”

“Well, this is her mating year,” I said. “She wanted to do something different.” then I thought about the fact that she was still going to have a party-just a different venue than any place she’d ever gone before. “Or go somewhere different.” 

“And she will.” He said. “Which is why we are all going to have a talk about what her seventeenth will be.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’m sure you both should have a long conversation in length. I’ll definitely be on standby if-”

“When I say that we all are going to have a talk, that is what I mean, Val.” Master Wade said to me.  “You’ll not be on standby. You’re going to be at the table…with us.” 

“Oh,” I mumbled. “I-” Our eyes met, and immediately my stomach began to churn with anxiety as I realized how serious he was. Alastair Wade, my Keeper, wanted to have a family meeting. And he wanted me to be a part of it.