Beta Romeo And His Rogue

Chapter 03: The Woman with Strange Eyes

"Mom, they said my eyes are weird." The thirteen-year-old girl pouted at her mother. She was upset because she was always teased by her playmates in the village.

Her mother could only smile as her hand picked fruit in the garden.

"What's so weird about them? Aren't my eyes unique, huh." The fruit that her mother had picked in the basket was occasionally eaten by her.

"Your eyes are unique, Rena. Because you have eyes like your grandmother. I'm Asian. You know that, right?" Rena's mother walked looking for ripe grapes, her hand carefully cutting the fruit stem. Rena who saw her mother took the scissors in the basket and tried to help.

"Take the purple ones. Leave the green ones." Instructions that were immediately obeyed by Rena without any objection.

"But Ben's eyes are not like mine, Mom?" The problem continued.

Yura who saw her daughter's back could only sigh. The little girl with black braided hair covered by a straw hat always had a problem with her eyes, even though not everyone could have eyes like that. But many people insulted and mocked her as proof that she was not normal. Shouldn't that be a blessing in itself?

"Enjoy what has been given, Honey. Be grateful that we can still live without any lack."

Little Rena could only mumble. The ego that was always in her was disturbed again. Her school and home friends always insulted her, some said she had weird slanted eyes, some said she was a vampire because of her pale skin. She's not a vampire but a were ... oops! Rena hit her mouth angrily. Her parents had warned her not to let the family's identity be known to people.

They chose to live in the village and avoid all kinds of groups—packs—and mingle with humans. Because her mother often said, humans are more fun than werewolf groups.

"Mom, dad and Ben haven't come home yet?" Her hand held her mother's clothes until she reached the yard.

"Apparently not, maybe they haven't collected enough wood."

"Do you want to go with mom to Uncle Gill's house to sell grapes?" Her mother brought a cart full of grapes that had been harvested since yesterday.

Rena who was feeding her beloved animal with leaves shook her head. "I want to take care of Didi first, Mom." The long-eared animal kept chewing what Rena gave him.

"Then, you wait here Rena. Don't go to the river, it's dangerous."

"Mom has told me a thousand times, if Mom forgets." Rena carried the white-furred animal. Actually, she really wanted to bathe on the riverbank, especially since her brother Ben always invited her even though it was only an empty offer.

Rena looked ahead at the flow of the Rhein river which was quite far from the yard of her house. The longest river that crosses several European countries.

Sankt Goarshausen, precisely in the village of Wellmich, Germany. A village with a population of about a thousand people with a still beautiful scenery and high hills. One of the incomes of the villagers here is grapes. Grapes that will later become one of the most expensive drinks that Germany has.

"Rena!" A girl of the same age approached Rena and joined her squatting to give Didi leaves. "Have you done your homework?"

Rena opened the straw hat and put it on the grassy ground. Put Didi in his cage and close it tightly. "Of course, I'm smart." With a grin that made her eyes look like a line, Harriet pursed her lips.

"Can you teach me, Ren?" Harriet begged for pity while shaking Rena's body who was already sitting on the long bench.

Rena who heard her friend's request thought about it by tapping her chin. "But there's a condition, how about that?"

Harriet who also sat on the bench nodded in agreement. Anything would be fulfilled as long as the annoying teacher didn't scold her.

"Stay my friend, Harry." Rena raised and lowered her eyebrows. Making Harriet stare in disbelief, was it that easy?

"I'm your friend anyway."

***

On Monday morning. Who likes Mondays? Where everyone has to start activities. Rena grumbled annoyed as she ate the bread that was already on the plate.

"Bro, later I'll go with Harriet, okay, Rena begged.

"Why don't you want to go with your brother?" Ben added chocolate jam to his bread.

"I just want to talk to Harriet. Yeah, talk to her."

"Okay."

Without waiting any longer, she immediately said goodbye to her mother and father and took her backpack.

"You know, Ren. Brandon said he loved Ursula yesterday." Rena who heard the story from Harriet stopped and was shocked.

"How could that be!? Brandon is the same age as my brother, while Ursula is our age. They are very different, imagine Harry, five years. Brandon is like a pedophile, right." Rena couldn't figure out how her brother's friend could love a girl who was far underage. They were indeed small teenagers who would grow up but it still felt weird.

"It's called love, Rena. Just let them fall in love at a young age." Yes, Harriet was one of the melancholic humans. Rena agreed with that.

Don't let my mate be older than me. Rena shuddered in horror remembering it all.

***

"Hey, weird eyes. You should have surgery to make your eyes like normal humans." Elisha laughed happily greeted by her friends.

Rena who saw and heard that only rolled her eyes and turned the page of the book she was still reading even though she was not focused.

"Don't you have the money to have surgery?" Elisha twirled her wavy blonde hair. Actually, she was annoyed if she had to do this, but if she went berserk she was afraid she couldn't control herself.

"Elisha the Drama Queen, can you be quiet for a moment. My ears hurt hearing your nagging mouth since forever. Besides, the one who should have surgery is you, seeing that you never can memorize the lessons correctly."

Slam.

The screams, whistles and taunts of the classmates made Elisha silent. She couldn't believe that Rena could embarrass her in an instant. With emotion and a red face, Elisha left the class accompanied by two helpers—uh, her friends.

***

Rena smiled faintly as she remembered the incident, the incident that she never forgot in her life. Her childhood that made her look selfish because of her words without meaning to offend Elisha at all. After the incident, Elisha never wanted to talk or even mock her again, but not the other friends. They still teased her. Annoying.

She should have apologized to Elisha and made a good friendship at that time. But after remembering that Elisha was the first person who always aggressively insulted her, she never made that apology until now.

Rena sighed, the beautiful memories were not where everyone still wanted to play with her but in a different way.

"Luna."

"Come here, dear." Luna Irene brought Rena to sit on the sofa and opened the pink package.

A beautiful white dress adorned with a ribbon at the waist was displayed. Making Rena amazed by the sight in front of her. "It's so beautiful, Luna." She couldn't hold it and just looked, not wanting the dress to get dirty because of her.

"Do you like it?" Luna Irene was happy to see Rena's reaction. Rena nodded without shifting her gaze.

"Then, this is for you." Luna Irene put the dress in a paper bag and gave it to Rena. Rena who saw the paper bag just shook her head and didn't accept it. How could her Luna give her such a luxurious dress.

"Accept it, Rena. This is an order!" Firm. Luna Irene spoke like that to her for the first time, making Rena startled and trembling.

"Wear this dress tonight, there will be a birthday party for my marriage. You know that, right?!" Without accepting any refusal from Rena, she stood up and walked arrogantly leaving Rena who was still staring at the empty clothes.

Irene was not angry with her, she just didn't want to see Rena who always closed herself and cornered herself every day. She always observed the girl, the girl who was loved like her own child. If only Jonathan allowed Rena to be adopted as his adopted child, Rena would definitely always be happy.

When Rena came into his pack territory and made a commotion in the palace because a rogue was allowed to live in it. But that was an absolute order from Jonathan and approved by Christopher. If Rena didn't want to be killed, she had to be a servant for this palace.

"But she's still young, Jo." Irene sobbed seeing Rena's ragged clothes that were very unfit to wear.

"Yes or no, Irene!" How could a little child make him and his wife fight.

Irene held Rena's shoulder and saw the empty beads of her eyes as if she was ready to be executed at any time.

"We don't know what will be done in a future day, considering she is a rogue." Jonathan always thought maturely. He didn't want any problems in his territory.

"I can feel that she is a good child, Jo. You can feel it too, right, Honey." Irene's tears broke, she couldn't believe that her husband would make Rena a servant at her young age, Rena should have an education.

Jonathan sighed tiredly, as an Alpha he was assigned to protect his belongings from all kinds of dangers. But if seen from the parent's side, he couldn't bear to let Rena be a servant at a young age. "Let her learn like the other servant children. Tell Morin not to be too hard on Rena because she is still young. You can monitor her from afar Irene. And also don't show any injustice between Rena and the others."

"When she grows up, make her a personal servant for Nickholas' couple." Without accepting any objections from his wife, he left Irene who hugged Rena's body.

Irene couldn't argue anymore, Jonathan's order was fair for Rena.