Chapter 14 – Burn
The pack house has been absolute madness with only a week left until the mating ceremony. I was cleaning guest rooms today and preparing them for guests who will be occupying them later this week. The room I was currently cleaning was the same room Alpha Knox had given me after my father's death, when I came to live at the pack house. It serves as one of a dozen guest rooms now, while I sleep on a dog bed in the laundry room.
With a towel in one hand and glass cleaner in another, I wiped down the mirror in the bathroom. Then I moved to the closet door that also had a full-length body mirror on it. I cleaned the mirror and stopped to look at my own reflection.
I was wearing black stretch pants and a loose fitted brown sweater that complemented the amber colors in my eyes. I stared a moment later at my breasts which looked fuller and my hips that had slightly widened. I turned sideways and lifted my sweater up. A small bump was starting to show on my one month belly, werewolf pregnancies are shorter than humans. Alpha pups are born in three and a half months. I could just be bloated, I told myself.
"Or have eaten a really large meal." Lia chirped.
Ursa only gave me scraps, no way she'd give me a large meal. Thanks to Max, I was able to eat well and become stronger. Looking in the mirror, I noticed that my hair was shiny, and my skin had a glow. I looked healthy and well for the first time in a long time.
"We need to stay strong and prepare for our journey north." Lia reminded me and she was right. In a week from now, we would be making a run for it.
Max had helped me plan the best route of escape to get passed the patrols and any trackers that might come after me. I was going to run south to leave my scent and then get in the river to throw them off. They would naturally assume I floated south down river as an easy way of escape. No one would be strong enough to try and swim upriver, but Lia was strong and could easily swim back upriver against the current. I was going to run straight north for a few days until I reached Crescent Moon Pack.
I left the guest room and was finished with the others. I was on the second floor by the library door. I was thinking about sneaking in to see if I could find anything in there about elemental wolfs when the door was pulled open. I busied myself with the cart of cleaning supplies I was pushing and tried to act normal.
My nose filled with Ranger's scent and I could feel him behind me. "You've been trying to avoid me."
I turned around to face him and bowed my head. "Forgive me Alpha, I've been trying to avoid another lashing." A little passive aggressive of me I know, but knowing I was leaving soon gave me the courage.
"Something is different about you and I can't seem to place my finger on it." He looked quizzically at me. "Your scent is off." He inhaled again.
I knew it was the pup who had changed my scent and Ranger couldn't recognize it because it was a mixture of his scent as well. "Perhaps it's the new hair shampoo I've used."
He stared at me and I could see his eyes trail down my body. "Please excuse me Alpha, I have much to do before your mating ceremony." I bowed my head again, ready to leave.
He grabbed my wrist and turned me back to face him. "A little excited for the mating ceremony, are you? Hoping to see Alpha Jordan again?"
"I'm excited you have such a strong and caring Luna for our pack, Alpha." I replied with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.
"Look at me." He ordered.
"Do you not love your mate, Lucy? You refuse to let him be with you." I could see him struggling with his wolf. Rex was close to the surface and Lia was anxious. She could feel Rex's love for her and desire to be with her. It just made everything hurt more.
"I don't have a mate, I'm a rejected wolf."
He pulled me to his chest. "Lucy, you belong to me."
"If I belonged to you, Alpha, I would certainly be wearing your mark on my neck."
A growl rumbled in his chest; he obviously didn't like hearing me say that. He leaned down to try and smell my neck. At least, I think it was to smell me, no way he would bite me now. We heard a door open from one of the pack rooms and he instantly let me go.
He was standing there, still looking at me when I noticed Miranda and Beth had come out of Beth's room.
"What are you bothering the Alpha about, maid?" Miranda asked.
"I-I was just telling the Alpha how excited everyone is for the mating ceremony." I bowed my head down.
"There's still plenty to do, so get moving." She ordered.
I kept my bowed head down and pushed my cleaning supply cart down the hall to the broom closet. I could feel Ranger's eyes on my ass as I walked away. Stupid mate bond.
"Lucy, his wolf Rex was trying to connect we me." Lia told me. "I blocked him out."
"I'm so sorry Lia, I know this isn't fair to you. I'm sorry for the hurt this is causing, Rex doesn't deserve this either." I tried to comfort her.
"It's okay Lucy, we just need to keep our pup safe." She tried to assure me.
I went back down to the basement to finish the laundry. The weather was getting colder and made everything feel chilly down here. I turned on the dryers to fluff the clothes out and warm up the laundry room.
I had a basket of items that needed to be ironed, so I lowered the ironing board from the wall and plugged in the clothes iron. While I waited, I got my cup out and filled it with cold water from the laundry sink to drink. I really wish I had a cup of hot tea, but I wasn't allowed anything from the kitchen.
I went to my plastic tub and retrieved the old broken clock radio. I plugged it in the electrical outlet so that I could have some music while I ironed. After I set the dial to classical music, I started ironing and hanging clothes.
"Classical music is so soothing and I'm sure our pup is enjoying it too." Lia gushed.
I was so lost in thoughts about the pup, that I didn't even hear Miranda come down to the basement. She stood in front of the ironing board with an angry look on her face. Even though she had a strong family resemblance to Max, she was the polar opposite of him. She was a total and complete, self-centered, bitch!
"Luna, can I help you?" I asked.
"Yes Lucy, I am your Luna. As your Luna, I order you to stay away from MY MATE, unless you want to be whipped again?" She said with a nasty look on her face.
"I will do my best to avoid your mate, Luna." I replied and the word Luna, seemed to leave a bitter taste on my tongue. She was going to be a terrible Luna. She can have that cheating bastard, I thought to myself as I mentally rolled my eyes at her. Of course, since she's not his true mate, she couldn't feel the mate bond cheating pains. Joke's on her, he's even cheated on her.
"If I find out you tried anything with him, Goddess help you Lucy, I will rip out your throat." She threatened me.
"Yes Luna," I said.
"And don't even think about attending the mating ceremony. We don't want you embarrassing us in your rags." She growled.
Was she insecure or what? I thought to myself. I had no plans to attend the mating ceremony, the event was going to be catered by a professional company and I would not be needed. I would easily be forgotten in all the hustle and bustle of the event which would make it easy for me to slip away.
"Do I make myself clear?" She growled again and picked up my clothes iron, then set it on top of my right hand, burning it.
I whimpered in pain and Lia wanted to be let out to kick her ass. I had to struggle to hold Lia back and rushed to the sink to place my hand in cold water. "Now's not the time Lia, we only have a week left and we will be far away from here." I reminded Lia to calm her down.
Miranda grabbed my clock radio on the way out and smashed it on the basement stairs. I didn't own much, but that old clock radio meant a lot to me. It had helped me pass the time away these last four years. It helped soothe my soul and loneliness, like an old friend. I wanted to cry but kept reminding myself that I was leaving soon.
"How is Max related to that evil person?" Lia huffed.
"I don't know. But she can keep Ranger. He's no prize." I told Lia.
My hand was stinging and red, it would probably take a day or two for the burn to heal. I went to the bathroom and reached into my medicine cabinet for the burn cream. The mating ceremony couldn't get here fast enough.