I Am Worthy

Chapter 12: Feast

Before we left the boardroom, Xander asked us where we had been staying in the territory. “I… Don’t want… To tell… You?” was all that I could say. My face scrunched up as I did and my hands twisted with one another. Sydney let out a slight chuckle before quickly covering it up with a cough. River was emotionless, I don’t think he knew what was going on. “I mean, after last time, I went to you willingly and then you drugged me and kidnapped me… So… Yeah.” I added just as Xander was about to speak. He shut his mouth and nodded, understanding my reluctance. Just as we were getting up to leave, the door opened and in walked the red head from the fountain. I looked up to River to see a pissed-off look in his eyes. The she-wolf glanced at us then walked straight up to Xander, wrapping her hands around his neck. “Baby! How much longer are you going to be?” she whined. I watched Xander closely, not giving away my internal battle of thinking ‘what an asshole’ and ‘is he going to reject me for her?’. He stiffened slightly under her touch but made no moves to get her off of him. “Not now, Jade. And I am your Alpha, so you will address me as such.” he replied through gritted teeth to her.

River was looking worse off than before we entered the room. “See you later.” I quickly said before grabbing Rivers hand and trailing him out of the room, Sydney following behind us. It took some effort but we got River back to the house and sat him down. I turned to find Isaac but as I did I heard sniffles coming from River. I sat down beside him and watched as Sydney made himself scarce. “Riv… Will you tell me why she rejected you?” I asked , looking into the broken eyes of the only person who has been with me since I started this chapter of my life. I couldn’t help it when the tears filled my own eyes, but I wouldn’t let them fall. I needed to be strong for him. He began sobbing. I hugged him and he pulled me closer. I wanted to ease his agony but something was not letting me. “She… Said she is too good for me… She said she deserves to be a Luna.” He choked out. “If she can’t see how good you are, hon, then she does not deserve you. The Goddess has a plan and I believe she has bigger plans for you.” I told him, with an inkling that he would be over this rejection and survive if only he accepted it instead of suffering.

I sat with River for the whole night and the next day. He had not let me go nor had his tears stopped. Eventually, night fell again. I managed to get River to his bed and his tears had run out. Just as I was about to leave, I heard him whisper, “Kiara, will you stay? Please?” “Of course, I am just going to change and I will be right back.” I replied to him, feeling gross as I hadn’t even had the chance to shower or change in more than 24 hours. “You can wear one of my shirts?” He said, more of a question than anything else. “Okay.” I agreed. I walked to his closet and grabbed a comfy looking t-shirt, then pulled it over my head, I removed my own shirt underneath and then put his on fully. I climbed onto the bed and lay with my back against the headboard. River wrapped his hands around my waist and laid his head on my stomach as he sniffled. He had no more tears to cry yet he still had so much pent up emotion. I ran my hands through his hair until his breathing eventually evened out, signalling he was asleep. “Syd? Are you awake?” I asked quietly on our mind link, wanting to hear if he had any advice to give on how to help. “Everything okay kid?” He replied after a moment. “Sorry if I woke you, I just… I don’t know how to help him. He won’t let me take his pain and yet it is all I can feel from him.” I said, exasperated. “You will just have to be there for him. If it wasn’t for Alpha Dominik’s father, I don’t think I would have survived when I lost my mate. And I am grateful I did, because I got to meet a sweet young wolf with a big heart.” He said softly. It was odd how close Sydney and I have gotten but he was like an Uncle to me and he wouldn’t say it himself, but I know that he thinks of me as family too. It’s hard not to when you spend so much time with certain people.

I fell asleep after what felt like an hour and awoke the next morning to someone knocking on the front door. I managed to detangle myself from River's arms and legs, then made my way to the door. Upon opening it, Giovanni’s stoic features greeted me. “Alpha Xander has asked me to inform you that dinner will be in the pack house at six thirty tonight.” he said, showing no emotion in his face nor his voice. “Thanks Giovanni.” I said tiredly, just as he began to turn and walk away I called out to him, “Wait! Could I ask you something?” He halted and turned around, giving me no indication of his current emotions. Because we are barely acquaintances, I can’t get a feel of his emotions like I can with River, but I will learn his mannerisms soon enough. He stood looking at me, waiting for me to speak my mind. “What is the name of the she-wolf that was hanging off of Xander at our meeting?” I watched as confusion swirled in his eyes as he tried thinking of who I could be talking about. “She has fiery hair, and one hell of an attitude.” I stated further, remembering how rude she had been to interrupt a meeting that did not involve her, whilst also breaking the heart of her new found mate by putting herself all over another male.

I watched Giovanni’s face contort into an expression of unease as he debated whether or not to tell me. Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose, “Speak Giovanni. All I am asking for is a name.” He shifted his weight then cast his eyes down briefly. “Jade Ackley.” He then spoke quietly. “Thank you. I guess I will see you tonight.” I said as I stepped back from the door, getting ready to close it, and as I did I watched him nod once toward me before he proceeded on his way. I walked back through the house to Sydney’s bedroom door and knocked. I waited for a second as I heard some shuffling and then footsteps on the other side of the door, then it was opened. Sydney stood in a pair of blue pyjama bottoms with no shirt, showing victory stories through the many scars he had all over his torso from his many fights and wars. It was at this point I realised I hadn’t said anything yet. “Sorry…” I blurted out as I averted my wide eyes to his door frame, feeling the heat of embarrassment rush up my neck and spread over my face. He chuckled quietly before turning back into his room and throwing on a shirt.

“What’s up kid?” He said quietly, allowing the rest of the house to continue their sleep. “We have that dinner with Xander tonight. I have not really brought anything appropriate and I don’t know if River has either.” I told him whilst wringing my hands together. I was hoping he might have a solution, seeing as I need my clothing to fit a certain way due to my tail. “Don’t worry, I sorted it out while you were with River. I put the stuff in your room.” He said a little above a whisper, the hoarseness of his voice causing not allowing him to speak any lower. I moved forward and hugged him tightly, then whispered a small thank you. I then informed him of the time Giovanni had given me so that he would have time to prepare. Once I had left Sydney’s door, I made my way to Isaac’s, hoping he would join us later in the evening. I spoke with him about the meal with Xander and some of his pack, trying to convince him to join, “Listen pup, how about, if you need me, for whatever reason, all you need to do is rub this necklace.” “How will you know?” I asked as I took the jewellery from him, examining its gem with curiosity. “It is a link to me. Much like you have with Damian and his pack. The only difference is it is wordless and needs no ceremony.” He explained with a soft smile on his face. I thought it over for a moment before looking up into his icy blue eyes. “Okay, I know you aren't a people person but I just wanted to know I definitely have you at my side should I need you.” I told him, feeling much calmer about the upcoming event. “Always my sweet girl.” Isaac then stated giving me a warm smile, which I mirrored.

After a further few hours had passed, I had managed to wake River and convinced him to clean and get himself ready. Once he was dressing, I then took myself to the bathroom and took a long, hot and well-needed shower, allowing my muscles to relax under the scorching heat of the water. Once done showering, I put on some light make-up, then curled and styled my hair so that the upper half was in a ponytail and the lower half hung loosely over my shoulders. I looked at the dress Sydney had managed to get me and couldn’t help but admire how ‘me’ it was. I put it on and it watched as it fell loosely from my hips to my mid thigh, the sleeves were long and lacey, allowing me to cover my scars. The dress was a beautiful deep black and was tighter around my chest to show some of my body’s shape. I had also found that Sydney had brought me a new pair of sneakers, also black, so that I wouldn’t have to attempt spending the night in high heels or worn out shoes. “Did you pick this out?” I called out from my room as I caught Sydney’s scent flowing under my door. He then appeared at the threshold of my room and took a minute to look me over.

“Turn.” He said and I did, allowing the bottom half of my dress to flare a little as I did so. My tail had been comfortably accommodated through a small hole that was tight around its base so that I would not have to worry about showing my rear end to onlookers as I moved around throughout the night. I looked at Sydney as he hummed to himself. “Do you like it?” He asked, a little sheepishly. I grinned at him and turned back to look at the dress in the tall mirror in my room, “I love it!” I squealed, “You should become my personal stylist if this is how good I will look!” I then stated giving him a smirk over my shoulder. He chuckled at my words, “I am glad you like it, but I will be declining the offer of a personal stylist.” He then said with amusement lacing his tone. I laughed with him, then we began to make our way downstairs. I heard River let out a breath of air as Sydney and I descended the staircase. “You look good!” he said as we got off the last step. “See Syd, you are looking fine enough to cause River’s mouth to drop!” I exclaimed, trying to hold in my snicker as I watched River turn a slight shade of pink. “Uhh…” River began but I cut him off, “He is speechless! Good job Syd!” I then tried saying, giggling as I did so. I took a good look at Sydney, watching as he gave me an amused look, “Stop your antics, you’re making him uncomfortable.” Sydney tried to say sternly but he couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped him. River looked between the two of us then rolled his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips as he turned around to leave.

I was glad I managed to cheer River up somewhat before we left. I knew he would struggle with what was to come tonight if Jade, his mate, decided to show her face.I had him put the little gemmed necklace Isaac had given me around my neck when we climbed into the car. And with that we took off for the pack house. The drive was short and the nervous energy was thick. Upon our arrival, we parked the car and were greeted by Giovanni and one other, “This is the gamma of our pack, Thaddeus.” Giovanni introduced us to whom I gave a small smile and a single nod of my head. Thaddeus was pretty intimidating to look at. He had blonde hair with icy blue eyes, he was built. His muscles were trying to break through the fabric of his shirt and his jawline was sharp enough to cut. He stood at about the same height as Sydney and his peachy skin had a slight burn going across his nose. “Thaddeus, these are the Alpha’s guests for the night, ensure that there will be no trouble.” Giovanni continued as he gestured towards us whilst turning to face Thaddeus.

We followed the Beta and Gamma into the building, but I felt a fuzzy feeling from Thaddeus as he walked ahead of us, “Riv, what else is a gamma to a pack, other than a top warrior?” I asked through our private mind link. “It is their job to keep their Luna safe, they have a unique bond with the Luna that snaps into place wh…” and then silence. I glanced up to River, who looked slightly stiff. I took a look around and subtly sniffed the air, trying to see if his mate was around, but found nothing. I then gave him a confused look as he looked briefly at me before snapping his eyes forward again, “Tell me.” Was all I said through the link. “A Gamma will know who their Luna is as soon as they set their eyes on her. Thaddeus knows exactly who you are to his Alpha, so the glamour that Isaac has over you won’t work on him. He can see you for who you are right now…” Came his rushed response as we entered the food hall. I felt myself pale slightly but proceeded into the room with my head held high and my arm linked with River’s.

Xander was standing at the head of the biggest table talking with some of his pack. Xander glanced at us as we approached the table next to his, then went back to his conversation. Thaddeus looked at me, then at Xander's table. I could feel the mental battle he was having with himself. He pulled Giovani to the side and had a hushed conversation with him. I watched them closely and then Giovanni looked at me with a grimace. Thaddeus then stood back looking at him with a unhappy look and walked back over to where River, Sydney and I stood. “It appears there has been a mix-up, you will be at the main table with myself, Gio and the Alpha.” Thaddeus said, his voice smooth like velvet, as he looked straight into my eyes. I gave him a look of confusion but proceeded to follow him to Xander's table. He pulled out a chair and gestured for me to take a seat in it, which I did, however, I did so quite awkwardly. Xander finished up his conversation and passed a look to Thaddeus, one similar to the one I had given him, pure, utter confusion.

Once everyone was seated, the food was brought out, there was lamb, potatoes and vegetables piled onto everyone's plates, although looking at it, it wasn’t to my taste. I sat and attempted to eat the meat but it was a struggle. Xander finally spoke to us after taking a few bites of his meal, “How have you found the packlands?” he asked, glancing up to me, then to River and Sydney, who were sitting on either side of me. “So far, everything seems good. Nothing bad to say, yet.” I replied to him quietly whilst pushing some of the food around my plate. He hummed in response before speaking again, “You look lovely this evening, by the way.”. I glanced at him and gave him a sheepish smile, then brought my attention back to my food. I noticed River stiffen next to me, I felt his emotion change from apathetic to hurt and angry and straight away knew the reason. The red-head with the tight curls and lifeless eyes entered the hall. She wore a deep red dress that stopped a little below her ass, it had spaghetti straps and was low cut in the front, showing off her bosom. I placed my hand over one of River’s and allowed a relaxing vibe wash over him so that he could look as nonchalant as she did. He immediately relaxed and let go of his hurt and his anger towards her. “Thank you.” He said through our link as he continued to eat his food. I squeezed his hand lightly before letting go.

I then brought my hand back to my own utensils and began playing with my food once more as the red-headed she-wolf made her way to our table. Xander had his eyes on me through my interaction with River but said nothing. However, I did see the hard look in his eyes when I peeked at him through my eyelashes. The red-head walked straight past River, Sydney and I, not once sparing a look in our direction. She walked right up to Xande, wrapped her arms around his neck and placed herself in his lap. She leaned in to him and placed a kiss on his neck, sparking up a jealousy within me. I fought to keep a growl down and refused to give her any attention, so instead, I turned my body slightly so that they were almost out of my peripheral vision. I watched River look over my head to Sydney with a worried look, but he said nothing. Conversation began to flow between myself and River as he finished his meal. I then turned back to the table fully so that I could include Sydney in our chat, but stopped myself from speaking when I saw the redhead sitting in my mate's lap, giving me a look full of hatred.

“Can I help you?” I asked her, raising a brow and allowing my back to fall against the chair I was in.

“No, I just think it’s funny that a group of lowly wolves like yourselves are sitting with my Alpha.” she snapped with a smirk plastered across her face. I rolled my eyes at this, which earned a scoff from her, “I am the Luna of this pack and will not tolerate disrespectful behaviour.” she then continued with a cold tone. This caused me to laugh, not a cute little chuckle, no, a full belly laugh, snorts and all. It took me a minute to gather myself again, but before I spoke I opened my mind link with River, “Give her hell.” He said before I even asked him if he would be comfortable with me tearing her down from her high horse. I leaned forward in my chair, smiling sweetly. “I think you have mistaken yourself, doll face. You are no Luna. You are, however, a massive whore.” I said, not once allowing my smile to falter or my eyes to leave hers. The look of disgust that crossed her features caused me to giggle. River and Sydney both sat with their hands over their mouths, trying to stop themselves from laughing.

Xander sat back in his seat and watched the drama unfold. Giovanni did his best to ignore us but Thaddeus looked on edge. “You can’t talk to me that way. You have no right!” She began to screech, hurting my sensitive ears with her pitchy voice. “Don’t I?” I replied, keeping my voice level, but I could not stop the hungry grin that spread over my face. I watched the confusion meld with her anger behind her eyes before continuing, “I don’t hear, nor see, anyone else saying that I can’t talk to you that way. Not even your beloved Alpha.” I teased her, enjoying the reaction I was getting. She stood from Xander’s lap and walked quickly around the table in her 6-inch heels. She began pointing her finger in my face and yelling, “You little slut! You have two males at each side and yet you seem to be wanting my mate?! My alpha!” She then went to slap me and as her hand went to connect with my face, a series of growls resounded at the table and I grabbed her wrist to stop the impact barely an inch from my face. “Sit down, bitch.” I said slowly, only loud enough that the table we were at could hear me. And she did, right on the hall's floor. She also turned her neck to me, a sign of submission among wolves. River was conflicted but he would not interfere. I could feel his hesitancy to say something but he decided not to, meaning that whatever she had said to him when rejecting him was enough to make him leave her to suffer.

I stood from my chair and crouched so that I was level with the she-wolf. “What is your name?” I demanded, giving her no choice but to answer. “Jade Ackley.”

she said through clenched teeth. “Well, Jade, I believe we are due a conversation, so why don’t we go somewhere more private?” I said, putting a smile back on my features, hiding my malicious intent. I could see Xander’s discomfort but still, he stayed out of it.