Act 2 - Tea Party
1356 Words
Omegas were milling around my winter garden as they prepared an afternoon tea for the ranked she-wolves of the pack. I figured it was about time for me to get to know the other families within this pack who held power, and what better opportunity to get to know the ladies better than using Orphelin’s birthday as an excuse.
A few she-wolves had already arrived and their chattering reminded me of the high born ladies in our Clan. How I hated those tea parties and formal dinners!
“Good afternoon, Luna,” they greeted me in unison, bowing their heads in submission as amusement tickled my heart. They were definitely as fake as I had remembered them.
“Let’s not be strangers now, ladies,” I chided playfully before gesturing at them to take their seats. “I should apologize for not hosting a gathering for us sooner and I really do have to thank Orphelin for giving me the perfect opportunity to do so.”
Before I could continue my Oscars worthy act, an Omega came over to me and whispered into my ear. Her words didn’t surprise me but it made me even more certain about my guess regarding Kono’s parentage.
Plastering a thousand watt smile on my face, I turned back to the she-wolves and let out an exaggerated sigh, earning me the full attention of the nosy she-wolves.
“Such a pity,” I lamented while shaking my head. “Orphelin won’t be able to join us this afternoon as she isn’t feeling too well. I guess we would have to postpone her birthday tea but since everyone is here today, why don’t we continue?”
A few of the she-wolves had knowing looks on their faces, confirming another guess of mine. My husband’s dislike of his own son was no secret, at least not among the elites of the pack.
“That’s indeed a pity,” remarked a Gamma female, Zoe. Her voice lacked any hint of lament, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I could almost say that she was gloating over whatever she thought was the cause of Orphelin’s absence.
“It must be hard on her, to have her son return to our pack so suddenly,” Zoe explained quickly as my quizzical stare at her made her eyes shift nervously.
“Sudden? What do you mean? I thought that Chadron is free to come and go as he pleases. Isn’t he a member of our pack, not to mention Jesse’s son?”
My voice was laced with curiosity and to be fair, I was really curious as to how much these she-wolves knew through their fathers, husbands, brothers and sons. Scanning the faces around the table, I knew that I had asked a difficult question.
“It’s complicated,” another she-wolf in a bright yellow dress explained. “You see, Luna, none of us are allowed to leave the pack unless the Alpha permits it, and the same goes for those who left and want to come back. Even the Omegas who work in the mines have to be accounted for when they come back at the end of the work day, and if anyone goes missing, they’re automatically presumed to have run away. If they dared to return, it’s up to our Alpha to decide their fate.”
“I know,” I said with fake annoyance, as if I really knew that. “What I meant to say is that Chadron is no Omega miner or a Kappa werewolf tasked to go to town to get supplies. He’s literally the son of my husband, so shouldn’t his case be slightly different?”
The air was so tense that you could cut it with a knife and I decided not to push it any further, lest the fake smiles of the she-wolves around me cracked.
“Anyway, enough about my family,” I said apologetically while gesturing at the Omegas to start serving the cakes and finger food.
“Tell me more about yourselves! I know I’ve been really slow at finding my way around our pack and I beg your pardon for being such an absent Luna for the past two and a half years. It was quite a major change for me, if I were to be honest, but I’m much more settled now and would love to learn more about all of you.”
I smiled my warmest smile at the she-wolves and noted with satisfaction as the gossipy atmosphere returned to the winter garden.
“I believe you already know me, Luna,” Zoe chimed in immediately, like she was afraid that someone would steal the limelight from her. “We met briefly before your Luna Initiation ceremony, when my husband and I picked you up from the airport. We are the Gammas of our pack and we work together with the Beta to run our businesses with your Clan.”
“Indeed, I do remember, now that you’ve mentioned it,” I exclaimed like I had found an old friend. “How very kind of you and the Gamma to personally pick us up from the airport.”
“My sisters and I were the ones who prepared the grounds for the ceremony, Luna,” the she-wolf in the yellow dress added quickly. “I’m Jade, daughter of the Delta couple and these are my sisters, Ruby and Pearl.”
“Oh my, I’m so sorry that I didn’t thank the three of you earlier. I do remember that the decorations on that day were marvelous!” I waved my hands around wildly like an impressed country bumpkin before tilting my head and frowning slightly.
“I thought that the Delta couple has 4 daughters,” I mumbled uncertainly.
The three sisters blushed uncomfortably before Ruby spoke up.
“Mica is born of our father’s Parvus, so she’s not actually a ranked werewolf. In our pack, pups conceived by a Parvus are not eligible to inherit their father’s rank.”
Disgust crawled up my throat as I thought of how these werewolves abused their power to acquire harems for themselves but didn’t even have the decency to take care of their supposedly low born offspring.
A few other Gamma and Delta she-wolves introduced themselves, as well as two distant relatives of the Beta siblings. It was quite a lot to take in and I was getting bored, not having learned anything of much value so far.
Ensuring that my most genuine looking smile was still plastered on my face, I turned to the remaining she-wolf who hadn't spoken with an expectant look. She had been quiet for most of the afternoon and there was something about her that felt a tad different.
Her dress was simple, an A line navy blue dress with pockets at the front. Practical. Though she was also making small talk with the other she-wolves before my arrival and the smile on her face never wavered, there was something in her eyes that looked all too familiar.
She looked bored out of her mind.
“Pleasure to meet you, Luna,” she said politely, her tone completely lacking the servile flattery of the other she-wolves. “I’m Aino, niece of the current Gamma. My parents passed when I was young and my uncle raised me. I’m learning the ropes from my uncle now, mostly around our mining business.”
My eyes lit up at her introduction and true admiration flashed in my eyes as I took a better look at the she-wolf. Unlike the other she-wolves, she was born into a position of privilege but instead of living in the laps of luxury, she had chosen to earn her keep.
“That’s really interesting, Aino,” I said with genuine interest for the first time this afternoon. “Would you mind showing me the mines sometime? I’ve always been curious about how it works. Only if that’s ok, of course.”
Surprise etched across Aino’s face but it quickly disappeared as she nodded enthusiastically at my request.
The tea party wasn’t a complete waste of time after all.
- Writer
