A Queen Among Snakes: Chapter Two - Mei

I’m nearly done cleaning up the stains left from my own blood when I pick up the yummiest scent in the world. It smells like dragon’s beard candy, just like the kind I ate as a child. I can taste it on my tongue making my mouth water – mostly because I pick up smells through my mouth better than my nose.

I can’t explain it, but this scent has tears pooling in my eyes. I feel what I think can only be described as hope, blossoming inside of me and something else. Something buried deep inside of me is stirring, as if it is awakening from a deep sleep. I should know what it is, but I can’t quite grasp it. I don’t get a chance to think about it because suddenly I look up to see the most handsome man I have ever seen.

Glowing green eyes with hazel around the pupil look down at me. His nostrils are flared, and his hands are balled into fists. He’s very tall, maybe 6’1” with beautiful olive skin, a neatly trimmed dark-brown beard and long, brown hair that he has tied up in one of those… man buns? I think they’re called. He looks so clean with navy blue slacks and a pale pink button-down shirt with three buttons left open. His neat clothing does little to hide the muscles that are underneath.

He’s looking down at me with a mix of emotions; there’s softness in his eyes, but anger in his jaw. I can feel a strong vibration coming from him and moving through me; it feels comforting though. I don’t know how or why, but something inside me just knows he is a part of me.

Slowly he squats down to my level and reaches his hand out to touch my face and instinctively I flinch back away from him, curling in on myself. My heart starts to thud, and I can feel panic spread through me as I break into a sweat. Inside I know he doesn’t mean me harm, but I can’t stop the fear I felt when he tried to touch me. I see hurt flash across his face, and it makes my heart ache.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he says in a gentle voice. His voice is so soft – like velvet – the sound of it is soothing, but the fear is much stronger. “What’s your name?” He softly asks.

Name? My name?

No one uses my name here. Some days I fear I’d forget it altogether. I’m so used to being called some horrible word that should never be part of everyday English – or any language, really.

Now tears are filling my eyes as I become overwhelmed by emotions. It was such a simple question, but he has no idea how much that question means to me.

“Oh Goddess, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare or upset you,” he says in a gentle rush.

His heart is beating so fast, and I can see it in the veins in his neck. I want to tell him he hasn’t done anything wrong, but I can’t find my voice. I want to speak, I want to use words, but they won’t come out. I was so lost in my panic I didn’t even notice them approaching.

“Hey! There’s the fucking chink! Why haven’t you done my fucking laundry yet?” Bellows the Alpha’s son; the future Alpha, with his future Beta next to him. I still don’t know what that word they call me means, but from the tone used when I hear it I know it is not nice.

Beating me is one of their favourite activities. Just last month they poured boiling water on me. It took days for my back to heal.

In a blink, the handsome man has the Alpha’s son by his throat and has thrown him through the nearby wall. I’m in a complete state of panic. Alarm bells are going off, my breathing is hard and shallow, and I feel dizzy as part of me tells me I’m in danger, but another part is trying to tell me I’m safe and it’s making me so much more confused.

“What. Did. You. Just. Call. My. Animai?” Growls the handsome man. His voice is low and instead of soft, it sounds deadly, but it’s directed at the Alpha’s son.

Animai? What’s an animai? I think I’ve heard that word before, but I don’t know what it means.

“Chris! What the hell is wrong with you?” Yells a man as he runs into the hallway.

Chris? Is that the handsome man’s name?

These men look very alike, could be brothers. This man is only an inch shorter, has chin-length brown hair, dark olive skin and dark blue eyes. They’re both very muscular, but that seems common for wolves. I can feel his wolf spirit is strong, so he must have a rank.

“You just attacked the Alpha’s son!” The man scolds in a worried tone.

“She’s my animai, dad. Look at what they’ve done to her, and this pathetic excuse of an Alpha Heir… I won’t even repeat the disgusting word he just called her,” he growls menacingly.

Oh, they’re father and son!

His growling scares me, but I know he’s not growling at me because he’s still looking like he wants to kill the Alpha’s son. The future Beta jumps in and attacks Chris and the sight of it has more emotions raging inside me. The fighting scares me, but I’m also scared Chris will get hurt, though I don’t know why, I don’t even know him.

There’s something unfamiliar bubbling up inside me, it’s… angry and it… it wants to protect Chris. How can I protect him when I can’t even protect myself?

I scrunch my eyes tight when I feel my eyes start to change. I can’t let anyone see my eyes. They can’t know what I am. The last thing my father said to me before he died was to not tell anyone what I was, to never let them know, and I have kept that promise.

I can hear the fighting; I can hear Chris fighting against the Alpha’s son and the future Beta.

Why is he doing this? Why is he so angry?

I feel a warm hand touch my shoulder and at a speed I didn’t know I was capable of in this state, I flinch back into the wall, my eyes meeting kind, and worried blue ones.

Oh, it was Chris’ father.

“Sweetheart, my name is Delta Xander and that is my son, Chris, we’re not going to hurt you, but please tell me; has this pack hurt you? Nod your head if yes, I promise I won’t let them touch you,” he says in a kind voice.

There’s so much gentility and warmth in his words that I know I can trust him; I know I can trust Chris. This might be my only chance to be free of this place, so with that thought in mind, I nod my head.

He takes a sharp breath, but then his brow furrows. He starts sniffing the air around me and his eyes widen in alarm, “Are you a member of this pack?” He asks me, there’s a wobble in this voice that I can’t understand.

Out the corner of my eye, I see Chris whip his head in our direction. He’s hurt but he seems to be the superior one in the fight.

I look back at Delta Xander and shake my head.

Delta Xander’s dark blue eyes start to glow, and it makes me shrink back further, my heart still beating so fast it’s making my chest ache. He takes a slow breath, and his eyes return to normal, but I suddenly notice Chris has shifted!

In the hallway now stands a large wolf standing at the same height Chris was, with full, glossy black and brown fur. His wolf looks so beautiful – intimidating, but beautiful. I’m scared of it, but at the same time, I want to reach out and touch its fur.

All these conflicting emotions are overwhelming me and making me dizzier than I already am, I’m not sure how much more I can take.

Delta Xander takes a defensive posture using his body to shield mine – though I don’t know why. He pulls out a mobile phone and calls a number. I watch as Chris now fights against the other two who have now shifted as well, but he is merciless in his attacks. My eyes are focused on him as I hear the Delta’s conversation.

“Xander, what’s up?” Says a happy, deep, gravelly voice on the other line.

“Elias, I need you to get someone from the Delegation on my phone right now. Chris just found his animai and the poor girl looks like she’s been horribly abused by this pack, she’s not even a member of the pack. I think she’s been abducted. Get someone on the line now, because Chris and Axel have gone postal and are fighting Zack and Aleks, and I’m sure Alpha Ivan will be here any minute,” he says in a rush though he remains calm.

“By the Goddess… hold tight. I’ll have someone call as fast as I can,” the man promises as the call disconnects.