Chapter 12— A personal vendetta
1578 Words
Chapter 12— A personal vendetta
Kyra
The warmth of something firm pressed against me like a shield grounding me in place. My lashes fluttered open, my mind foggy struggling to claw back memories through the haze of sleep.
It took me a moment to remember where I was.
The letter.
The terrace.
The drinks.
Tristan.
It all came rushing back and my heart gave a traitorous thump. I shifted slightly, and that was when I realized that the warmth was not a blanket. But Tristan.
He was wrapped around me.
His chest rose and fell against my back, his arm draped around my waist pulling me closer despite how hard I tried to pull away.
For a long second, I lay frozen not trusting myself. Something about this position screamed intimacy even though we'd only fallen asleep over long conversations and drinks.
I turned my head just enough to glimpse his face.
Sleeping Tristan was... different. The angry, brooding Alpha mask was gone, the harsh lines of his brows were soft, lips slightly parted, the constant tension in his jaw was gone. He looked... Peaceful. Like a man with nothing to worry about. And goddess, handsome.
My stomach tangled with something I refused to name other than nerves. My fingers burned to trace every curve on his face but then I reprimanded myself.
He might be my mate but he wasn't some dream to marvel at. "Don't be stupid, Kyra." He was still the man who chained me, ordered that I was to be dragged across the Banewolff pack for all to see. A man who was willing to do anything to see my pride broken.
But seeing him like this, vulnerable, for a moment I almost forgot what he was like.
"Well, isn't this cozy?"
My head snapped up.
Callie stood at the edge of the terrace, arms crossed. Eyes blazing with anger shooting at me. Her gaze flicked to Tristan's arm around me then to my face. Disgust curled her lips.
Tristan stirred behind me, his arm shifting away as he woke. I sat up quickly wanting to put some space between us.
His eyes opened slowly and then he stiffened as soon as they settled on Callie. Then on me. Then back again. He rubbed a hand over his face then dragged himself upright slowly.
"What?" That deep morning voice sent butterflies dancing in my belly.
"Nothing!" Callie’s voice was sharp, filled with restrained anger but I wasn't sure who exactly it was directed at. "Just that our 'Prisoner' has made herself quite at home... comfortable in the Alpha’s arm."
Each word was thick with anger and disdain.
My jaw tightened as heat rose on my cheeks. "It's not what you..."
"Save it!" She dismissed not even bothering to look at me.
Callie strode forward, grabbed my hair and forced me to my feet.
"Up." She pulled me forward. "You've got work to do."
For a moment there I'd forgotten what I was to the Banewolffs. I looked at Tristan hoping he would put a stop to her cruelty but instead he looked at me with a cold blank stare as if he wasn't the man who had made a thousand funny and unfunny jokes last night.
As if he wasn't the man who had shared the bottle of whatever the f**k it is he'd drank with me.
I let Callie drag me away, her nails biting into my skin. "If you think f*****g Tristan is going to protect you here, then you're dumb as I thought."
A little laugh broke out of me. I thought there must be a reason, a personal vendetta Callie had against me but it was clear now. She wanted Tristan and unfortunately for her, somehow the moon goddess had paired me with him instead.
"I know your kind, Callie. Just drop it. He doesn't want you. He didn't choose you, I'd stop embarrassing myself if I were you."
She dug her fingers deeper aiming to hurt me. Blood dripped out of the punctured wounds but I didn't flinch. “A little advice? Quit while you still can. Love yourself first."
The sound echoed before I felt it.
My ears rang, my hand quickly holding the side of my face where the b***h had hit me. Under different circumstances I would have hit back but I smiled instead, looked her dead in the eyes and strutted away.
I have got the b***h hook, right and sinker. She could inflict as much pain as she wishes on me but I knew exactly where to hit to hurt her back.
"Nah uh. Today isn't kitchen duty!" She yelled from behind. I paused, partially rolling my eyes then turned with a sweet smile on my face.
"What duty is it today then, Callie?"
She blinked in surprise before a smirk appeared on her face. "Cleaning duty. I think you will like this one. Come with me."
I was led to the eastern part of the pack. Towards a semi detached bungalow that stood separated from the pack. The building looked slightly old, deserted. like a place where no one lives.
A strong stench hit me before I even stepped inside.
My stomach clenched, and for a second, I honestly thought I would throw up right there at the doorway.
"There. Every toilet and room needs to be cleaned up properly. Failure to clean it properly you start again. You're only allowed to leave here once it's approved." Callie smirked. She stood far away from me, a handkerchief over her nose.
I watched her walk away. My eyes settled on the door and my heart dropped with the thoughts of what inside might look like if I was already smelling that horrible stench.
The floor was slick with things I didn’t want to name, wet stains that had seeped into every crack. I pulled my sleeve over my nose, but it did nothing. The air was thick with a heavy smell, like a hundred rotten eggs were cracked open at once.
I forced myself forward, the soles of my shoes sticking to the ground with a squelch that made my skin crawl. The walls were splattered, streaked with smears of brown that had dried in uneven patches. I couldn’t even bring myself to imagine how they got there.
The toilets themselves… Goddess. They weren’t just dirty, they were overflowing, clogged with wads of tissue soaked and bloated, piles sitting on the rim as if people hadn’t cared whether it went in or not. Flies buzzed lazily around, landing and lifting, their wings making that irritating hum that drilled straight into my head.
I gripped the mop handle so tight my knuckles whitened. “Just get it over with,” I muttered under my breath, but even the thought of touching anything in that room sent shivers of disgusts down my spine.
The moment I dipped the mop into the bucket, the water turned a murky brown before I’d even touched the floor. Every drag of the mop released a fresh wave of foul odor, making my throat gag and my eyes sting with tears. At one point, something soft and unidentifiable brushed against my ankle. I yelped and jumped back, bile rising in my throat.
How did people live like this? How could anyone walk in, do their business, and just… leave it this way? I wanted to scream, cry, run anything but I had no choice. So I kept cleaning, swallowing back vomit with every stroke, praying the nightmare would end soon.
By the time I was done, my hands ached, my fingers blistered, I couldn't smell anything aside from the horrific smell in here and the stench of poop clung to my skin like body scent.
I wanted nothing more than to collapse, to sink into whatever dreamless void might take me. But when I stepped into the courtyard I found the pack already gathered.
Tristan stood on the podium, Kallum stood next to him and then Callie and the sharp eyed female.
"...In five days," he announced, his voice carrying easily over the courtyard. "The Banewolff pack will host the Alpha gathering, Alphas from allied and rival packs will stand here. Irrespective of what the convention stands for we shouldn't be ignorant that these Alphas are also here to weigh our strength, our unity." Nod of understanding went through the crowd.
"So I need y'all to keep it together. Show them what the Banewolffs are made of. We need them to see our strength, our discipline, not weakness."
"I know we are in a state of mourning but we still have to prepare to host our guests."
A low murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd.
Tristan unwrapped a slip of parchment. "The following are lists of those whose sentences would be reduced based on how well they serve."
"Amelia Anderson. Mia Brown. Madison Brown. Logan Martin...."
The lists went on and I tuned out.
The Alphas Convention, I'd forgotten it was that time of the year again. The time of the year I always accompanied my father to the convention as his plus one and his heir.
My heart grew heavy. If things were different, if I hadn't allowed James to brainwash me with his lies. I would have been back home preparing with my father.
“And lastly, Kyra Ferguson."
My head snapped up.
Was this what I think it was?
Was Tristan finally going to relieve me?
- Writer
