“Yes,” he says, as if that was an obvious fact. “You’ll be keeping my wife company while I create agreements with the nearby Alphas.” He gazes down in disdain at me. “That way you or her won’t ruin anything…again.”
He leaves with that cheery note, his heavy steps clopping down the hallway like an overweight horse. The thought of Alpha Banastre as an overweight horse makes me chuckle, but this time, I make sure to keep my head down when I smile, just in case he’s decided to see if I have bled out yet or not.
Speaking of bleeding out, my wounds have already healed, which I would like to attribute to the magic of being a werewolf, but ever since my wolf stopped communicating with me two years ago, my wounds have never healed on their own, not like they used to. I guess it was something Alpha Banastre was holding – maybe his watch? Either way, I’m able to fully stand up now, which is supposed to be a good thing, but I wish I bled out on the floor and died. That way I could haunt Alpha Banastre for the rest of his life and hopefully give him a heart attack, but who am I kidding? Even in ghost form, being ten feet near Alpha Banastre would probably scare the sugar out of me.
Mopping the blood is what I do first. Ever since Luna Hailey berated Alpha Banastre for making me bleed, he’s forced me to clean up my mess first so that he doesn’t have to listen to his level-headed wife. Why Luna Hailey stays with Alpha Banastre still beguiles me to this day, but I’ve never asked her about it. Her husband seems to be a topic she isn’t too fond of, anyway.
The glass is stained red by the time I sweep it into the trash can. With everything clean and done, and the sun beginning to set, I think my day is almost done, but then I remember that I have to help Luna Hailey with preparing for the ball. I don’t know when it is, but from listening to Darcy and Amanda gush about the Alphas there, I think it’s a meeting of sorts for all Alphas – regulars, Heads, Lords, and the Alpha King. Just thinking about all the other Alphas that I will probably meet tomorrow sends a jolt of fear that electrifies my guts, but I calm myself by thinking that if I go there, maybe Alpha Banastre won’t see me escape. I can finally be free. A rogue, but free nonetheless. Free from the constant beatings and chores. Free from the abuse I’ve lived through for what’s felt like millions of years.
“Anvi?” A horrified female voice says my name from behind me, and I whirl on my heel, my eyes connecting with the warm dark eyes of Luna Hailey. Her cheeks are flushed, probably from the horse riding she had been doing earlier, but her eyes are wide and her pupils are small as they take me in. My heart relaxes and a breath of relief leaves me.
“Luna Hailey,” I bow, hoping I’m doing well at hiding the wince that accompanies my movement, but Luna Hailey can see right through me. That, or she’s seen the blood that stains my body. Either way, she runs towards me, dropping her things on the ground that I’ve just cleaned (like, seriously, can nobody just set their things on the table for once?) and taking me into her arms. Immediately, I relax in her embrace. My knees wobble, and I collapse again on the ground, dropping the broom and dustpan.
“Who did this?” Luna Hailey demands ferociously. I look up at her, and with one glimpse of my face, her expression changes into one of fury. “Don’t tell me – Banastre?”
“I…I can’t say, ma’am,” I say hoarsely. My head knocks against her shoulder, once, twice, and she helps me to my feet, keeping one arm around my shoulders. She’s taller than I am, and much stronger. Unfortunately, she’s not nearly as strong as Alpha Banastre is.
“Oh, Anvi,” she sighs sadly. “Why do you suffer through this? Just let me talk to Banastre.”
“N-No,” I mumble. “He’ll take it out on me again, Luna, please. I don’t want to come between you…”
“You need to stop worrying about other people and start worrying about yourself,” Luna Hailey tsks. She takes slow steps out of the kitchen, stopping when it looks like I’m going to collapse again. She leads me to her bedroom and straight to her bathroom, where she mops my face and arms with a damp washcloth and gives me a cleaner dress to wear.
“I can’t help it, ma’am,” I say, giving her a small smirk to show her that I’m not completely fazed by Alpha Banastre’s beating, even if it has hurt me. Luna Hailey’s kindness towards me has always been something that I’m cautious about, but I enjoy spending time with her, especially because she reminds me so much of my own mother.
“Well, you should,” she smiles, planting her hands on her hips. “I have a dress out for you all ready for the ball tomorrow, er, well, tonight, I guess. The meeting house isn’t far from here.”
“I had no idea about any of this,” I say, spitting blood into the sink. “And please, don’t worry about my fashion. Alpha Banastre will probably have me working the whole time anyway.”
“Nonsense,” Luna Hailey says. “I already told Banastre that you’ll be with me, and you will wear the dress I have for you.” She claps her hands. “It’ll look extremely beautiful with your eyes, and who knows?” She smirks suggestively at me. “Maybe you’ll find your mate there?”
I blush, biting my lip bashfully. “I don’t know,” I shrug, smiling shyly. “I doubt my mate will be an Alpha, Luna. I mean, who would want me?”
“You mean who would want a strong, intelligent, beautiful young girl?” Luna Hailey asks pointedly.
I flush, looking down at my body and touching my cheek. “I’m not very pretty,” I mutter, which I think is true. My face is round and my jaw isn’t very defined. I’m slim but also kind of chubby. My arms are like sticks and so are my legs, though. Everywhere I’m littered with bruises and scars. I’m just a broken, disproportionate mess.
“Now, don’t go saying nonsense like that, or I’ll beat you with my flip-flop,” Luna Hailey threatens playfully. She cups my cheek, pinching me like I’m a child. “You’re a gorgeous young woman, Anvi, and any man would be lucky to call you theirs.”
“I doubt it,” I mumble. She glares at me, and I laugh, putting my hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay! I’ll let you know if I see any cute boys.”
She grins. “Good.” Then, she glances around, leaning closer to me. “And if you do find your mate, Anvi, run. Do you hear me? You take that boy’s hand and you run.”
My smile fades. “Luna…you know I can’t…”
“Who’s telling you that you can’t?” She asks fiercely. “Anvi, my husband is going to make the rest of your life hell if you don’t leave. I…” she hesitates. “Banastre can fight anybody below an Alpha’s status. I’m telling you, Anvi. When you find your mate, you run.”
“And how do you know he’ll be an Alpha?”
“I…” she pauses. “I just know, okay? I had a vision – a dream.”
“A dream?” I deadpan.
She mocks me. “Yes, a dream,” she swats me with the bloodied towel. “I saw you with a man. He was an Alpha, I know I’ve seen his face before. You were both happy, and I want you to be happy. So when you find that man tonight, you run. Leave Banastre and my daughters and run.”
“What about you?” I ask.
Luna Hailey rolls her eyes. “Banastre is my husband. As much as he’d like to, he knows he can’t raise a hand on me. I’ll be fine.” She touches my arm. “Anvi, in the two years that we’ve known you, you’ve been the closest I’ve had to an actual daughter, not two Barbies thinking they own the place.”
I snort, then quickly cover my mouth. “Sorry,” I mumble.
She shrugs. “Don’t be. It’s the truth.” She lets her hand drop. “I only trust you and my son. I have nobody else.”
“Now that makes me want to stay more,” I say playfully, but really, her words have touched me. Luna Hailey has been nothing but gentle and kind to me ever since I met her, and after losing my parents, I too thought of her as a second mother, so hearing her call me her daughter (or, well, close to) sent my heart flying.
“Don’t you dare,” she growls fondly, making me smile. We laugh quietly so that Alpha Banastre doesn’t hear us, and she’s going to say something else to me, but his voice cuts hers from outside the bathroom.
“Are you ready yet, Hailey?” He snaps. “It’s almost time, and you know I already got in trouble last time for being late with the Alpha King.”
“Almost done!” Luna Hailey calls back, and my heart stills. My blood runs cold and my mind goes blank, but I wait for Alpha Banastre to leave before panicking.
“Packing!” I yelp. “I forgot to help you pack!”
Luna Hailey frowns and shakes her head. “No, you didn’t,” she says, opening the door to the bathroom. By her bed, I can see two fully packed luggages and an extra bag beside them.
I gape at her. “But…Alpha Banastre said…”
She smiles. “I know,” she says. “I knew Banastre would tell you to help me pack, so I did it beforehand.” She helps me down from the sink. “I wanted to spend some time talking to you and telling you about my dream and…” she lowers her voice. “And promise me that if you do meet your mate, you’ll run with him? You’ll live your life the way you’re supposed to, promise me that?”
I bite my lip again, looking from Luna Hailey to the bags, to the open window. The moon beckons me closer, enticing me, pleading with me to escape. I close my eyes. The idea of finding my mate and living a new life with him is tempting, I’ll admit, but I can’t be sure he won’t reject me. He has good reason to, anyway. Besides, I can’t leave Luna Hailey. No matter how painful Alpha Banastre’s abuse is, not only to me but also to the entire pack, abandoning them wouldn’t be fair.
But Luna Hailey won’t take no for an answer, and the guarantee that my mate will be at the meetings, much less be an Alpha, is pretty slim, provided he doesn’t reject me.
So, I take a deep breath and close my eyes, pondering for a moment even though I already know my answer.
“Okay,” I say, nodding. “I promise.”
****
Hey!
What did you guys think of the first chapter? Will Hailey’s premonition be correct? How will Banastre react?
Pride and Prejudice
Ongoing