Chapter Eleven
1346 Words
Her words rang loud in my ear, but my eyes were latched onto the King. I had no idea what I was searching for or what I wanted.
“Proposed. Nothing’s finalized yet,” Melanie countered.
My heart continued to pound, and my skin grew hot.
I held back a wince at the most painful howl I’d ever heard, ringing in my head.
The King's eyes snapped towards me, almost like he also heard the imaginary howl.
That was most impossible.
“Mira, go to your seat.” The King’s gruff voice pierced through the hall. She looked like she was about to say something, but then she folded her lips into an enchanting, soft smile and cascaded down the table. She took her seat on one of the chairs meant for friends, beside the Elders—a particular man with the whitest blond hair I had ever seen.
Silence echoed in the hall for what felt like a decade. Once the Alpha King took his first bite of food, the rest of the pack followed, leaving only a chorus of utensils and plates scraping against each other, and soft chatter soon began.
My eyes remained on the most delicious-looking food I had ever seen. My stomach rumbled from the open aroma filling the air.
I chewed at my inner cheek. Everyone else was eating, but I didn’t know if I was supposed to.
“Valerie? Why aren’t you eating?” The soft voice of the female gamma pulled my eyes upward. She had a tiny frown on her face.
“Uhm—” I didn’t have to turn to know he had those heated eyes on me again.
“You don’t like it?” Melanie’s chirpy voice followed, and my throat tightened.
“No, I uhm—it looks nice,” I said in a small voice. I hadn’t eaten it before, but I was certain it would taste amazing.
“Dig in,” the female gamma—Aria—pushed, and I bit into my lip tighter, my eyes burning hot.
I didn’t understand why they cared.
I wasn’t worth it.
I picked up my spoon carefully and dug into the meal like she said. I put the food in my mouth, aware of the observing eyes on me.
I chewed slowly, and the burn in my eyes intensified.
This was the first time I was having a proper meal in years.
Lucas’s mother, Luna Isla, tried her best, but she couldn’t always be around me.
The women she ordered to take care of me were the same ones who starved me and said I didn’t deserve to eat.
When Lucas would sneak me a single piece of bread and say that was all he could find—even when he was the Alpha’s son—it meant the world to me.
The tastiest meal I’d ever had since the death of my adopted parents sat in my mouth, but my chest carried a heavy weight, and it felt like it was being stomped on.
“Valerie, your dress looks great on you, by the way.” My eyes snapped up to find a smiling Melanie wiggling her eyes at me.
I flushed red at her, unsure if she meant it or was just joking, but I searched for a good reply anyway. “Uh—thank you. The female gamma gave it to me,” I told her softly.
“Valerie, please—it’s just Aria.” I nodded at the insisting eyes of the female gamma—Aria.
“Okay,” I whispered, trying to get back to my food.
“So, Valerie, where’d you come from?” I looked down the table, and it was the white-haired man Mira sat beside, his eyes tight and hard.
“The Ravenwood Pack,” I muttered respectfully. He was an Elder, probably the youngest among them.
“The Ravenwood Pack?” he echoed, his voice holding surprise.
Another Elder sighed sorrowfully. “Oh goodness, do not remind me of that tragedy,” the woman said with a massive scowl on her face.
Unease crept up my shoulders.
Did they know I was accused of committing a grave crime?
“We heard Alpha Lucas killed his own mother and unborn brother and framed someone else—Did you see it?” Melanie casually asked, her drink in hand.
A chill ran up both my arms and neck.
“H-how d-do you know that?” I breathed out, and Melanie c****d her head towards her brother.
No one knew but me.
“Rumors have been flying everywhere, and Zurien went there to investigate some irregularities with the pack, came back with you, and is refusing to give us details.” Melanie took in a large breath, like it traumatized her to be missing out on solid gossip.
Zurien.
“I hear he’s to be executed,” the white-haired man spoke again.
The King engaged in the conversation for the first time while I sat in shock.
“Yes.” He grunted in displeasure—at what, we all had no idea.
How did he find out?
“W-what about my sister?” I whispered, horror filling my body.
The King didn’t answer. He returned his eyes to his meal, but his silence made me even more anxious than before.
I abandoned my meal and turned to him, my heart in my throat.
“What did you do to Joan?” I choked out, afraid to hear his answer. “You said you’d leave her alone,” I added, beginning to feel like I was floating.
I would never forgive myself if she was harmed.
“I didn’t say that,” the King’s dark voice rumbled, and I inhaled sharply, shaking my head.
“No, no, no—you cannot hurt her,” I echoed.
“Valerie.” I could hear Aria squeak from behind me.
The King’s nose flared, and my breath hitched. “She’s being banished,” he firmly said, his tight eyes on his meal.
My head shook even more. “You’re leaving her for the dead. She’ll go rogue,” I said, leaning back into my chair in horror as realization hit me.
“Y-you’re doing it on purpose. I-I promise Joan is not a bad person. She didn’t hurt anybody—s-she’s not involved in this. Lucas must have lied to her, I swear.” I cried out in a rant, crazy enough to think I could ever convince the Alpha King to change his mind.
He slammed his fork onto his plate, and I flinched hard.
“Eat.” He commanded with a growl, his eyes daring me to say one more word, and that was enough to force my trembling lips shut.
I was certain all eyes were on me. I wanted to collapse onto a bed in frustration.
I didn’t want to be here.
“You didn’t have to be such an asshole about it, Zurien.” I heard Melanie say from the side. I had only just met her, but I could already tell she would be wearing a glare.
A few minutes passed in silence with me just staring blankly at my plate, my mind reeling.
“She’s been banished to a pack in the north, not to be rogue,” the King suddenly said out of nowhere, tension rolling off of him in waves.
My head snapped up, but he was already out of his chair and almost out of the room like a ghost.
The north. I tried to rack my brain hard, but I couldn’t recall any pack in the north.
It was almost like she knew what I was thinking about—Aria’s soft features came into my blurry line of view. “The packs in the north are only few in numbers. It’s not only werewolves that dominate, but so many other species reside there. I’m sure your sister will be fine,” she tried to assure.
I nodded my head, still uneasy—because somehow, I knew she wasn’t saying everything.
- Writer
