Chapter Two
1546 Words
LILITH’S POV:
Three days went by and I was forgotten in the basement where I remained shackled. My whole body was numb except my back. I was sure the torn flesh had swollen due to infection from neglecting treatment and the dirty environment of the basement. I was thirsty, hungry, weak and I had a growing fever. My eyelids that were swollen from silent tears, felt heavy and I knew I was losing consciousness.
It wasn’t that they’d forgotten about me, I was sure the alpha just wanted to drag my punishment as a lesson to the pack on the importance of obeying his words. I was nothing but a scapegoat.
I missed my mom, missed her love and protection, missed the days I was actually happy, missed the peaceful life we shared. Unfortunately, those days were gone. She’d died to protect me from Ace’s men when they’d attacked our pack. I could still remember that b****y day; her dying slowly in my arms. Her final words still ringing in my head as she pressed the strange necklace into my hands. “d-don’t let them find it.”
I don’t know who she’d meant about but I listened to her and hid the necklace. Mom had never lied about anything and for her to ask me to hide it meant whoever was after it, was dangerous.
I heard the basement door open the next day and footsteps followed after.
“Have you learnt your lesson?” I heard the alpha’s voice.
I forced my eyes to open and tried speaking. “y-yes alpha…” My voice was cracked and my throat hurt from being dry. I swallowed softly and added. “I won’t defy your words again.” That’s what he’d accused me of anyways.
“Take her to the healer” I heard him say before leaving. Surprise filled me. As the weakest in the pack, I was never allowed to visit the healer for any treatment. I was to carry the bruises and pain as my shame for being different. So why? Why was he letting me use the healer?
A pair of hands freed me from the shackles and I lifted over a shoulder and carried out of the basement. Being carried like this only hurt the injuries on my back and I whimpered from the pain. There was nothing I could do next except to grit my teeth and endure. The healer would heal me after all.
Racheal was our pack healer. Though in her late youth(seventies) was still supple and strong. She was already informed of our visit and was waiting in her healing tent. She wasn’t a werewolf like the rest of us but rather a witch. There were different types of witches but Racheal was a healer. Normally, werewolves didn’t need a healer and all that since they had super self-healing abilities. But a werewolf was vulnerable to silver and wolfsbane (an anti-werewolf poison). If attacked by one of the two or even both, they wouldn’t be able to heal. They could end up dead or even lose their werewolves.
It wasn’t easy to come across a healer and so, Racheal was treated very well. She was the only one that could stand up to Ace and get away with it if she wanted to. Ace had his way of keeping her in check. For every time she opposed him, he would hurt five werewolves in the pack, whether children or adult. Kind-hearted Racheal could not stand that done and thus, didn’t try to oppose him anymore.
If only her witch magic was offensive, then maybe Ace would be dead by now or living with a deadly curse.
I heard her gasp and watched her emerald eyes widen in shock when she saw my injuries. “Careful with her, lay her on the bed.”
Tears brimmed my eyes at the tender care in her voice and for a moment, mom’s face flashed across my mind.
“Little one, you have no wolf. You do not heal as you should.” She said, her voice devoid of the contempt that usually came with those words. She turned to her helpers and said: “I need a basin of hot water, clean napkins and some fresh clothes”.
She then turned back to me, spreading her hands over me as she spoke softly. “This may take a while little one, but it won’t hurt you.” She assured me.
Maybe it was the tenderness of her words or the kindness in her eyes, or probably it was her magic which felt like a warm gentle touch caressing my broken body; whatever it was, had my calmed and soon I was lost in a peaceful sleep.
When I woke, I was cleaned and in fresh clothes. The pain was gone from my body; only a bit of soreness remained.
Probably hearing me wake, Racheal approached me. She smiled softly at me as I sat up slowly. “Pretty eyes you have there, matches your hair” she says softly.
I reach out to touch my hair which had been washed and dressed. My hair was a beautiful shade of violet, same as my eyes. It had always made me stand out in the pack. When I’d asked mom why I looked so different from her, she had assured me that I had gotten them from my dad who had passed before I was born.
Racheal’s deep gaze left me feeling strange.
“I’d say you’re a witch, little one. Your eyes speak for itself. Have you ever heard of Hecate, little one?” she asks and I stare at her in confusion. “I wonder how a witch like yourself got here. Were you born here?” she asks again.
This time I nod and speak. “I’m not a witch. My mom and dad were werewolves. And my mom said I looked more like my dad”. I was a werewolf just without a wolf.
She looked at me like she could see through me. Her studying gaze made me nervous. She was silent for a while and then spoke. “Have you ever met your dad? Or seen a photo of him?” she asked.
I shook my head no and she gave me look that said: ‘you never bothered finding out either’. It was obvious she wasn’t buying the story.
“I don’t think your parents are werewolves, that’s probably why you don’t have a wolf. Because you’re a witch.” She said with another look that said: ‘I know what I’m saying’.
Shock flooded my system and I begin to question my existence. Was she right? Why did I never look for my dad’s picture? Why did mom never speak of him either except in regards to my hair and eyes? If my parents were truly werewolves, why didn’t I have a wolf then?
“Come eat little one. Your stomach has been emptied for days”. She says pulling me from my thoughts. “Eat first, we’ll figure out everything later”.
My stomach growled agreeing with her words. It was then I noticed the table in the tent filled with food. My mouth watered as the delicious aroma wafted through my nose. But…was I permitted to eat?
Racheal must have seen my skeptical look as she spoke next: “No patient of mine goes hungry!”.
With that, I gently got off the bed, following Racheal to the table. My eyes widened at the sight of so many dishes on the table. Maids like myself were only allowed to feed on left overs or stale breads. I’ve never had to eat such good food since Ace became alpha. So, despite the drool pooling beneath me, I was still very nervous to eat. It felt like a taboo for someone like me.
“You can eat, little one. No one will punish you.” Racheal reassured me.
There was something about her that made me trust her words. so, I sat down and began to eat.
By the gods, the foods were delicious. I was stuffing up my face and Racheal had to remind me to slow down a bit so I wouldn’t throw up.
I couldn’t move by the time I was done and half of the table was cleared out by me. Racheal had eaten but a little, her emerald eyes had been watching me gobble down the food. I was sure I looked like a maniac if not a rabid being, but Racheal only smiled kindly at me. It felt nice.
“what’s your name little one?”. She asked as she led me back to the bed.
“Lilith”. I answered wondering why she was leading me back to bed. I should be out the door and back to work, even though I still felt a bit weak.
“Well Lilith, you should rest now. You can go back to work tomorrow”. She spoke.
I stared at her with wide eyes and blurted out a question. “Do you read minds?”
She let out a soft laugh. “We witches always know.” She said with a wink.
- Writer
