Bound to the Lycan Throne

Chapter 2

After the morning rush, customer traffic slowed and I settled in to work on my thesis. It was a topic I was really interested in, The Social Hierarchies and Pack Dynamics of Canine Species: A Comparative Study, and when my project supervisor accepted the topic, I was elated. It gave me a chance to explore Wolf and Other Canine Species’ behaviors and understand their pack interactions.

Before I settled in, I went to the kitchen and took out the trash cans to the dumpster. The city was scheduled to pick it up and I didn’t want to miss them. I also cleared the counter tops and cleaned the coffee mugs. I checked to make sure there was enough water in the ice dispenser so it didn’t run out during the afternoon rush. I also checked on the temperature of the pastry holder to ensure the cakes and scones were still in good condition. Then, I settled at my workstation behind the counter.

The smell of the coffee and the cakes relaxed me greatly and that was my favorite part of working here. It cleared my thoughts and allowed me to reach a flow state.

About thirty minutes after I started working on my paper, I heard the front door bell ring, “Welcome to Scones and Bella, how may I help you?” “Hahaha, that is always going to sound cringe to me” I looked up, “Jacob, Oh hi”, “Hey, Annie, how’s it going?,” Jacob asked with a wide smile on his face. He wasn’t tall but was burly, with muscles for days and a laugh that filled the whole shop. He mostly kept his hair short now but I’d seen photos of when his hair was much longer. He was a really great guy and a cool boss too. “Where’s Bella,” I queried, “Oh she went to drop Reneesme at the baby care, She’d be here soon”, He replied. “I thought you did the school runs, Jake?,” I asked him. “Oh, I do, but Renee had a bout of flu through the weekend so Bella thought to take her today so she could be sure Renee’s fine,” He explained. “Oh my goodness, that baby girl, She’s fine now yeah?” I exclaimed, worried about Jacob and Bella’s last child, a very sweet girl with a quirky voice and a cheerful smile. Jacob laughed at my worried face, “She’s fine, Renee is strong”

Jacob settled in and I went back to working on my thesis. Bella came in a few minutes later and checked in with me. She also asked about my thesis and expressed her interest in my topic as well. I loved talking to her about it. It felt good knowing she tried to understand my work.

Soon, the lunch rush came and I went back to work, efficiently taking orders, packing take outs and attending to customers. The tips flowed in and I was grateful for them. Jacob continued to bake the pastries in the kitchen and Bella worked on the cash register. It was a great division of labour and it worked well too.

A while after, the evening crowd came and also got their orders handled efficiently. After the last customer left and I heard the door close, I just breathed a sound of relief. I loved my job and it was mind blowing how light I usually felt at the close of business. I felt normal here, with the cold air and the generous smiles, the warmth of the customers and the scent of the coffee shop. It was nice.

I texted Lyanna that I was done with work and I was ready to start closing up the store. She texted back saying she felt like running so she would be unable to take the bus home with me. It wasn’t the first time she’d be running home but somehow, unease settled on me and I was unsure why. I texted back saying it’s all good and closed up shop. Jacob and Bella had left earlier to pick up their kids from school. I walked to the bus stop, holding the extra scones and cakes Jacob had packed for me to take home in my hand.

The bus arrived and I got on. I smiled at the driver, paid my fare then walked to my usual seat and sat down. I noticed there were a lot more people on the bus than usual. I wondered if there was a pack event going on but the Lockharts didn’t usually participate in them so I wouldn’t know. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a group of young wolves getting on the bus as well, loud and rowdy, clearly from the MoonRiver Pack. I tensed up subconsciously but hoped they would ignore me and leave me alone.

“Move!” I looked up and saw the group leering at me wondering which one of them had spoken. They stood tall, clearly trying to intimidate me. I wondered if I should just move or stay in my seat. After all, it was my seat, and I got there first. I maintained eye contact and said “There are other seats”

The group stilled and I even heard a gasp. Humans didn’t talk back to wolves. The group cleared and I saw the Alpha’s son, Darius, step forward. He smiled at me, and I noticed the scar across his eyebrow. His eyes were cold, predatory and I wondered what he was planning. Before I could react, rough hands grabbed my collar roughly and yanked me up. In the same second, he tossed me to the bus floor like a rag doll. My shoulder hit first, then my head felt the impact from hitting the side of the bus seat, stars exploding behind my eyes. My bag fell open, my laptop and thesis papers everywhere.

My sight blurred and rage filled me. As I looked back at him, eyes watered with tears, he leered at me and the group laughed again. He looked at my laptop and thesis papers then grabbed me by the collar again and stepped on my laptop, crushing it underfoot. The cracking sounds echoed in my head and I looked away. He dropped my collar and spat out, “Filthy human” in my face. The group laughed again and he took my seat like it was nothing, the rest of the bus acted like I was nothing.

I gathered my papers and my broken laptop silently as my hands shook with rage and humiliation. One of my research notes had landed in someone’s spilled soda, the ink already bleeding. I picked it up anyway. I considered fighting back, yanking him up and dolling his face up with blows but the fallout would put the Lockharts at risk. I walked to the front of the bus, sat down and steeled myself, refusing to cry.

I caught the driver’s eye in the rear view mirror and realized he saw everything. He looked away and did nothing. I bristled at this, hurt filling me. His silence hurt even more than ever.

“Why do you think she smells like that? That’s not a human scent” I heard from the back. “How should I know, she is probably descended from a line of filthy humans” another retorted.

I stared at the bus floor for most of the ride home, my jaw tight from anger and humiliation. I thought about Lyanna then and it felt better knowing she wasn’t here to witness this. I’d been insulted and leered at in the past but it had never gotten physical. I felt like running away and starting a new life in a place nobody knew me but then, I’d be leaving Lyanna and the Lockharts. Knowing all they’ve endured from the pack because they adopted me, it just felt wrong leaving them like that. I felt stuck.

I got off the bus, the group jeering at me again. The hot air hit my face again. I was alone now. I walked up the mountain path and got home. I cleaned up my jeans that had been dirtied by the knees. I ran my scrapped palms under water, the sting settling. Then, I opened my laptop and assessed the damage. All my thesis and research work from four months back, gone. My graduation, my degree, my way out of this pack - all of it shattered with one cruel step. I finally crumbled and cried hard. I don’t know how long I sat on the floor and cried.

I heard Lyanna get home after a while and I quickly cleaned my face, tidied up my hair, hands and tried to debloat my eyes. I put on a smile and go downstairs to greet her in the sitting room. It would be better if Lyanna didn’t know. “Heyy, Lyanna, enjoyed your run”, I asked in a chirpy tone. “Hey Annie”, she replied and hugged me. I hugged her back and smiled into her arms. It was better if Lyanna didn’t know. I’d caused the Lockharts enough pain already.