Born Enemies, Fated Mates

Let's Get The Beta Angry

The door opened. She hurried in, looking beaten and anxious. Looking for something, she ignored the maid who was bent over, cleaning her room. I watched silently as she paraded.

"It must be here somewhere." She said.

When she had walked over to the huge shelf of valuables on the opposite end of the room, I started to find my way out, making sure that my face was never in her direction. With the cleaning basket and the water mop, I guarded my identity. The violet cat stared at me in suspicion. When I made it to the door, Lysandra called.

"Hey you! Stop right there!"

I could not turn around. Frozen still, eyes against the open door, I heard her steps come from behind.

"You are the one who is cleaning this room, aren't you? Have you seen my necklace?"

"No... I haven't." I tried to hide the part of my voice which suggested familiarity.

She had stopped paying me much attention again, the search being so important to her. Maybe this was my chance to walk away.

"Where are you going? You have to help me to find it."

I stammered. If I turned around, Lysandra would recognize me. She would know that I was up to something and it would only be a matter of time before she found the key in my possession. I had to do something, and I had to do it as fast as possible.

"Did you not hear? Help me find my necklace."

I had no choice. I had to turn around. When I did, Lysandra was distracted again, engulfed in her vicious search. Quickly I took to the opposite direction to conduct a fake search. That stupid cat followed me around up and down, trying to scan my face.

"That necklace was gotten for me by Vermin." She continued. "He took me to the mountains in the presence of the red moon and wore it around my neck. You are mine and I am yours, he said. I have to find it. It is the testament of our bond."

I didn't ask her for such information. Why was she telling me all that? Vermin used to be my childhood friend. He betrayed me and my family. I could never forgive him, yet at the same time, I could never imagine him together with anybody else. Especially this woman.

"Vermin has been mine ever since we were children. His father had always known that i was destined to be the next luna. Nobody can come between us. Anyone who dares would be crushed like the little mice they are."

She spoke with such assurance, such confidence, as though their bond was blessed by the moon goddess herself.

"The moon goddess?" Lysandra responded in shock, I did not know when I thought out aloud.

"This is the Sunfyre pack. We do not worship the moon goddess here. Where are you from?"

"Urhhh... Havenmoon pack." I stammered, knowing I might just have gotten myself in trouble.

"I know all the girls from havenmoon pack, how come I don't know you?" Her suspicions were rising. I could feel it in her voice, I could hear it in her tone. "Turn around and let me see your face." She demanded.

I opted to ignore, but I knew better than to make her demand twice. It seemed that this was the end of the road, and all my plans have been thwarted just with a single slip of the tongue.

"Why are you wasting time? I asked you to turn around."

"Right away." I responded, eyes closed and mind ready for whatever was to come after. If she was going to find me out at this point, I was ready for it. Yet I was determined to keep the key hidden as much as I could. No matter how much I would be tortured, she would never know my true intentions for being in her room.

Slowly, I began to turn. When I had almost faced her completely, the expected exclamation came.

"Oh my! There you are!" I felt a fast wave pass me by. Opening my eyes, Lysandra was jumping away towards something. It was her precious necklace gifted to her by her betrothed. She cherished it, she caressed it like a jealous pirate. And even when her violet cat screamed noises at me to alert her of my identity, she was too busy to pay attention. As she rushed out of the room, I dodged her sight again. The car ran after her. Her footsteps receded as fast as it had come the first time and that was it... I was free.

"Goodness..." I heaved relief. Making it out of the haunted bedroom, I clutched the prize of contest save and secure within my clothing. All I had to do was to find Eliora and show her the key. She was the one who knew what to do with it. When to escape, how to escape, the route to escape. She was my one true ally in this war, she was the only one I could trust on the slave island.

"Eliora?" I called, hearing footsteps behind me. She definitely fled when she heard the approach of Lysandra the other time, but I doubted she could have gone far. She would still be in this building somewhere. She must be the owner of those footsteps. I mean who else would it be?

I hurried towards the direction. Jumping out into the open, "Eliora, I have the k..."

Vermin was all alone in the centre of the hall, having a glass of a weird liquid which must be wine. I had made the most terrible mistake. I turned around to flee but it was too late.

"Oh Yeneffer, be my guest. I have been drinking on my own." He called like a friend, but I knew he had his dark thoughts.

"No, thank you. I have work to do, duties from Mistress Lysandra." I hurried to leave yet somehow his hands grabbed mine from behind. How could he be so fast? How could he be so strong?

"Oh is she your mistress now? Just sometime ago, you were standing against her, swearing you would never bow to her." He smelt my body in the most pervasive way. Was he searching for something? For a weakness? For fear? I was not going to show any of that.

"Let me go." I frowned.

"You threaten me now?" He laughed again. "I know you are not supposed to be here, Yeneffer. Lysandra is not the type to trust easily, especially someone like you. You have come here for a reason, haven't you? Who is Eliora? And what is the K you have?" His firm grip was becoming even more painful and he was not planning to let go.

Then suddenly, we heard a pair of footsteps approach us, accompanied by a few voices.

"Oh shit." Vermin said. "Guess what, Yennefer. That is the blood beta approaching. Yeneffer's father. If he finds you here, cuddled in my arms, he is going to get really angry. And quite frankly, I want to see him get really angry."

Before I could protest, he wrapped his hands around me and waited calmly for the door to open.