Chapter Two
Lilly
It is such a bittersweet feeling for me when I learn that the Alpha is coming back. I feet happiness all around me the whole day, as the people anticipate the return of their leader. No one even bothered me after Ron, the Gamma's son, who forced me to kneel before the start of our class. My day has so far uneventful except for the situation we experienced in the room earlier. After we felt extreme sadness, everyone called their love ones and checked if they're alright. As far as I know, everyone has been fine. The Beta is also fine. I don't know the reason why his beta-order upon me was broken. I also don't know if it was broken permanently. I am just too afraid to check.
The pack, all in all, is in cheerful mood. Mrs. Harley even gave me a bonus which made me smile. It's not much but I will be able to buy two free lunches.
Who knows until when will I be able to eat lunch? When the Alpha arrives, he might order me to be killed immediately, which is alright. I guess. I'm not a masochist, but maybe I will be reborn into someone normal. Of course, the Alpha might be kind and will take pity on my situation. I doubt it, though. All of the higher ranking members of the pack are more cruel and do not recognize mercy. It is how things work in the pack. Our warriors are merciless in the battlefield. It is one of the reason why the pack is the most feared in the world.
I roll over my makeshift bed and look at my old and beaten alarm clock. It is almost midnight. They told us the Alpha is arriving on midnight and he doesn't want a celebration. Only the high ranking officials are up and waiting for his arrival. Most of the pack are ordered to be in their house. Although I doubt that they will be sleeping tonight. I feel excitement everywhere. I know that everyone in the pack are up and are waiting for his arrival. After all, we have been waiting for him for years.
The pack has been alpha-less for 13 years now. The Alpha has been taken by the Council when he was just five years old. His parents, the former Alpha Ernest, and former Luna Susan, were ambushed in a wedding held outside the continent the day before the Alpha was taken. There was an army consisting of one thousand rogues which attacked the small wedding of the Luna's cousin. Alpha Ernest was said to have killed at least fifty rogues when a traitor attacked and killed the Luna from behind. The enemies knew that our Alpha's only weakness was his Luna. When the Luna died, Alpha Ernest was devastated. He seemed to have died with his love that he stopped fighting and just held the body of his Luna as the rogues attacked him. Their little son was there and witnessed everything.
But, the next thing that happened is not known to anyone here. The only thing that was told to us was that the neighboring packed arrived to help, and they saw a thousand dead and burnt bodies and the little Alpha crying in front of the bodies of his dead parents. Not even a small burn smeared their clothes. It is not known who killed the rogues. After that, the Council went and took our Alpha, and told us that he needs to be protected, and that he will come back to us when he is ready. After that the Beta stepped up to rule on the pack until our Alpha arrives.
The clock ticks, indicating that it is already midnight. Suddenly, I feel a shift in the air. Then, a feeling of immense joy and completeness fills my chest. Almost simultaneously, I felt a very powerful aura. Its power is so great and terrifying. After a few moments, I hear a thousand howls by the pack members. I knew then for a fact that the Alpha has returned.
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It feels different the next morning. Everyone is so organized and the excitement is in the air. There is a very powerful aura radiating in the air. Fear is also present. The Alpha, is after all, coming to the school today.
I did not get any breakfast again today. I have money to buy food, but I was not able to buy anything because the store where I was supposed to buy food was full of officials. I am not allowed to be in the same room as them unless I have their permission. So, I just ran to the school. For now, I have no choice but to wait for lunch time, go to the cafeteria and buy food.
And this is what I am doing right now, waiting for lunch time. I am sitting in my chair, which thankfully is not missing again today. No one also bothers with me today. I guess the students are afraid of committing any infraction when the Alpha just arrived. This makes me smile to myself.
However, I should had known that my peaceful morning is going to be short lived.
I am just reading my notes when I hear an angry noise. Almost instantaneously, I hear angry footsteps and a noisy sound which resembles an object being thrown in the floor. I am very curious to see who came in with such a terrible mood. When I woke up, I am almost certain that the beta order placed on me is gone, so, I want to see my surroundings once again. Still, I can't just risk it. I can't just risk to be caught.
The room is very quiet and I feel that everyone is observing whoever came in. A few seconds tick by, and the nervous tension in the air becomes more and more apparent. I cannot take it anymore. I am becoming more and more curious by the second. I very subtly lift up my head and find out that the order is really gone. I mentally rejoice. Unconsciously, I try to lift my eyes to see my surroundings until I see a body of a man facing me. I gasp and quickly look down.
Oh no.
Not a second later, I am forcefully thrown in the wall with a hand strangling me. I feel my body choke and I feel the air inside of me coming short. My eyes are starting to see black dots. A few seconds with this and I know that I will not be able to make it.
"Whoa dude! You can't kill her. Calm down!" Someone from my class says as another hand tries to separate my neck from his hands.
"Ron! Stop, you're killing her! Beta will punish you!" Another one shouts. I subconsciously feel more hands trying to stop the gamma's son from killing me. Their efforts seem futile because the future gamma is without a question more powerful than any wolf in this room. Fortunately, the collective efforts of my classmates eventually became effective as I feel my body falls on the floor. My body tries to breath so hard as my throat burns. It is really.. really painful.
"You little shit. You're tryin' to look at me? Since when you are allowed to look at me?" Ron's voice is full of menace and hatred. I cannot help but feel more fear. He almost killed me. I was almost killed.
"I am the future Gamma of this pack. You are but a soil that I step in." He then takes a threatening step near me. "Don't you forget it. You're worst than a slave." He states those venomous words as he kicks me in the stomach. He is about to kick me again but, thankfully, the door of our room suddenly opens.
....
I am pretty sure that my teacher knows what happened in the room when he walks in. But, he turns a blind eye on it when he realizes that it involves Ron and me. I feel my classmates go back to their seats. I, on the other hand, is left on the floor. I am still gasping for air and my sight is still darkened. My throat still feels like it is being strangled. I have no energy to move.
Right now.. I feel like a rug, I feel so weak and so dirty.
No.
I can't let them leave me at the floor. Yes, they can step on me, but I will never be willing.
I force myself, even if it takes most of my energy, to crawl back to my seat. It feels like an eternity to get back on my seat. Of course, everyone still pretends that I am not there.
After a torturous period of time, lunch time is finally here. I know that I badly need a drink. I am mentally and physically exhausted. My throat is burning and I am still having hard time breathing. I need water badly.
Unfortunately, the nearest place that I can get water is in the cafeteria. At the condition of my body, I cannot possibly go the the drinking fountain in the other side of the hall. Besides, I am banned from drinking there.
With all my strength I am able to walk to the cafeteria. I keep my head down all the time as I try to ignore my painful neck. When I am right outside the door, fear overwhelms me.
But what can I do? I am desperate for water. I need to have it, otherwise, I will pass out. And I cannot afford to pass out. It might finally get me killed.
No one can attack you there. Just go in.
I hear a voice said. Huh? I feel no one is near me. This is not good. I am starting to hear things. Maybe, I am truly going to die today.
Don't worry, you'll be safe.
I hear the voice again. Is that my subconscious? Maybe, I am desperate enough to reassure myself. Thus, I make up my mind and grab the knob of the door of the cafeteria. I am gasping for air now, I am truly going to pass out. I am becoming more and more desperate for water. Breathing is also becoming more and more difficult, and my eyes are starting to darken. I need to breath hard, I need to keep breathing.
Please, I need water. Please, body, you need to breath air.
Suddenly, I feel something stirred inside me. It is like a warm feeling that slowly creeps from my inside to my chest. I can feel my breathing is becoming better as the pain in my throat becomes less.
However, before I start to feel relieved, an unexpected thing happened again. It is so fast, I don't know what exactly happened but I am suddenly thrown to the wall. I hear, more than I feel, my bones crack.
"Bitch, was that you?" Ron asks in a very threatening voice.
Oh no. Am I really being killed now?
I cough blood. It is very painful. Does dying really needs to be this painful?
"The trash? It's impossible!" I hear a girl's voice said. "It cannot be her."
"Then how do you explain that aura?" Another voice asks. "All of us are familiar with all of our auras. The aura I felt earlier was different."
What are they talking about? It's very painful, please I need to tell them to finish this fast.
"Tell me what's going on." Another voice, who seem to just arrived, asks. I wonder who is this, his voice is strong.
"Tristan." Everyone greets him. Ah, the beta's son.
"We felt a strange aura a few seconds before I kicked this trash on the wall. There was no other presence near the origin of the aura but her." Ron explains to Tristan.
"What's more? This whore looked at me earlier in the class. She defied the beta order." I hear a collective gasp from everyone around me.
"This all happened when the Alpha arrived. Maybe she asked a witch to give her powers to endanger the Alpha." Ah, I know that voice, it's Victoria.
I cough blood again. Right now, all I see is my own blood in the floor as I keep my head downcast.
I hear footsteps nearing and I prepare myself for the worst as I close my eyes. It surprises me that I am calm in this situation. Maybe, dying is not really terrifying. A hand yanks my head up, forcing me to face my attacker. I know it's Ron, and I know that he has the very intention to kill me. I keep my eyes close and just focus on my breathing.
"I asked you, whore. It was you. Admit that you conspire with the enemies to attack us from the inside." He is pulling my hair more and more. I feel my scalp being torn away from my head.
"Answer him." Tristan orders me. This is it. They are not allowed to kill me before, but now that they have something to accuse me with, I cannot escape death anymore.
I breathe one deep breath before I open my eyes and look at Ron's eyes. I see him visibly flinch.
Suddenly, there is a shift in the air. I feel a very strong and terrifying presence approaching us. I feel that all of the werewolves present in the area is very affected. In the corner of my eyes, I can see them looking very uneasy. Ron gasps and let go of my hair and my face falls into the floor.
The footsteps abruptly stops. Then slowly continues until I can see two pair of shoes in front of me.
"Please...I just... wa...ter" I manage to say from my hoarse and broken voice. I should be afraid considering my impending death, but strangely enough, I am very calm.
The person in front of me seems to be frozen for a few second. Everyone is very quiet, and not even a single sound can be heard. I can feel that everyone is very scared of the powerful presence in front of me. The only wolf who can demand this kind of reaction from the pack members is the Beta. But I feel that it is not the Beta who is in front of me right now. This aura is much more terrifying, much more powerful.
I know for sure that this is our Alpha.
"Raise your head." A velvet voice states. This voice, it comforts me.
I gather all of my energy and slowly raise my head. From his feet to his legs to his stomach. I feel a great pleasure seeing our Alpha. I risk being impertinent and look past his shoulders to see his face. Then, I stare right into his eyes.
I see an endless emotion in the dark orbs staring back at me. It is truly beautiful.
"Mate." A soft sound whispers into my ears.