Hard Time Settling In
1440 Words
Sophie's Point Of View
My jaw clenches. “I am his spouse.”
Additional giggling.
Some people roll their eyes, some scoff, and one man chokes on his drink.
Mira stutters. “His spouse. That clarifies why he has not glanced at you since you arrived.”
I push my chair back, rubbing my legs on the ground. “I am not starving.”
I turn on my heel and head for the door, ignoring the whispered remarks behind me.
"I guess she stopped eating.
“Perhaps she finally understood where she belonged.” More voices mocked me from behind.
I clench my jaw and advance.
The corridor feels confining.
It is awful here; at least I could have ignored one person's sarcastic remarks at home.
But here, I now have several people to deal with.
With my hands shaking at my sides, I walk with my head downcast.
The whole pack thinks I am a joke.
A pitiful little person is thrust into a world unfit for her.
What about Xavier?
He is nowhere to be found.
No appearance, no explanation, just silence.
The absurd amount of money that automatically deposits into my account is the only evidence that I am still his wife.
Money has been deposited into my account each week. I was stunned the first day I got it.
I secretly hoped he was bluffing so I could gain the upper hand against him, but a tiny part of me thought he was.
I try to relax after hearing all the hurtful things they said to me by taking a deep breath. I must leave this stuffy house and these clothes.
QUAKE!
I feel a chilly sensation on my legs.
My arms come next, then my hair.
I gasp and jerk back.
My chest is filled with horror as my eyes dart downward.
Flour and milk.
Eggs.
The gooey substance adheres to my skin and seeps into my hair and clothing.
The sound of suppressed laughter echoes.
Putting a hand to her lips, one of the maids mockingly exclaims, “Oh no. Luna, I sincerely apologize. I think my hands slipped.”
Her companion can hardly contain his snort. With my hands shaking by my sides, I gaze at them.
It was not a coincidence.
They had been anticipating my arrival.
I can see it in their eyes and the savage laughter that dances across their faces.
“You ought to tidy up, Luna,” the first made remarks, pretending to be worried.
“I would not want Alpha Xavier to witness your current state.” More laughter.
I do not say anything.
No, I couldn't.
I push past them instead, humiliation burning through my skin.
Back in my room, I scrub at my skin while breathing sharply and quickly.
This is not working.
No matter how hard I try, I cannot get their words out of my head.
I am nothing in this place…. a joke.
I am a person acting in a world that does not want me.
My damp hair sticks to my skin as I gaze at my image in the mirror.
I feel my chest get constricted.
I can't fathom why Xavier offered me the bloody contract to be his wife.
He married me, but why did he abandon me in this manner?
I make fists out of my fingers as I swallow forcefully.
If he believes he can simply drop me into this world and leave me behind, he is mistaken.
I am not going to take it sitting here.
I will track him down. And I will insist on answers.
The small talk works for a while, but then I start crying as I keep trying to get the egg smell out of my hair.
I collapse slowly to the ground, curl up into a ball, and sob uncontrollably.
I signed up for this humiliation, even though I have never experienced it in my life. The most foolish choice I have ever made.
A shadow appears beneath the door as I am drying myself up.
The fact that they are determined to make my life here a living hell makes me furious.
It was not me who requested to be chosen by their psychotic lycan king.
With a sigh, I approach the door and hesitate before yanking it open.
“Go away from me, please. You have—”
I look up at last, and it's Xavier.
With his arms folded across his chest and his broad shoulders filling the room, he leans against the door frame as if he owns the world.
His dark eyes move over me, resting on my robe for a moment too long, and then they meet my glare without a look on his face.
My anger pushes my breath back after it catches for a half-second.
“You have remembered you have a wife at last?” My voice is sharp enough to cut.
His head tilts slightly as he grins. “Wife?”
He repeats as if the word were a joke. “I do not remember we got married.”
“Yes, there was no wedding, but there is a contract, and I am your wife according to that contract!” I insisted.
My insides c***k.
With my fingernails digging into my palms, I ball my fists at my sides.
“Your pack treats me like a joke,” I say, my voice trembling, but not out of fear but rather out of frustration and embarrassment.
“They believe you should not have brought me here. They believe I am—”
“A mistake?” he answers with ease.
I shudder.
He smiles more broadly.
“You abandoned me here,” I growled.
“Without a single explanation or a word. I was thrown into a pack that despises me.” I lamented.
He tries to enter the room after pushing off the door frame, but I stop him.
“You are okay because you are not dead.” The worst thing to say to me.
“Is that something that should be beneficial?” He uses the fact that I raise my hands in frustration as an opportunity to fully enter the room.
“Yes, since they have not divided you into our enemies or ripped you to pieces. It is a positive thing.” He defended his actions.
It feels oppressive to have him around.
I cannot stop breathing in his scent as it permeates the entire room.
Maybe I should go? Being in the same room as him causes tension that I cannot handle.
I back off, but he follows, shutting the door right away and then moving away from me as though I were burning him.
He whispers, his gaze darting to my still-wet hair, “You haven’t been struggling too much, have you? I suppose the money has been helpful.”
My belly churns. “You only see me as a deal?”
“Did you anticipate anything else?” His tone is amused and mocking.
“A tale of fable? A devoted husband?”
My throat tightens, and I detest it.
I mumble, “Your pack thinks I’m a joke,”
And I detest the lurches in my voice. “That you do not want me at all.”
He takes a step in.
It is too close. “Want me to disprove their claims? Do you want me to respect you and stop them all? Do you even merit that regard?”
I stutter my breath.
I am left speechless by him and his cruel remarks.
I am still human just because I committed myself to him.
My eyes are watering, but I am not going to let them go. Not with this monster around.
“I despise you—you are what?” I shout at him.
My spine tingles as his eyes darken and he laughs ominously.
“My boots are trembling, wow.” He begins to stalk in my direction without any amusement in his eyes.
“Avoid getting near me!”
My cries are ignored as he keeps getting closer.
I move backwards with every step he takes forward.
I am held against the wall and my hands are above my head in his tight grasp because I am moving so quickly.
He drags his left thumb against my pulse once, slowly and languidly.
Will he kill me for countering him? One rule was broken by me.
I'll give you a start. “Please, don't—”
He whispers, “Don’t what? Strangled my wife?”
The way he says it, taunting me even more, makes me feel afraid.
- Writer
