Chapter 6: The Wrong Moment to be Petty

Thora POV

When her eyes flicked open, a nasty looking dreamcatcher dangled above her head, swaying lightly. The scream died in her throat, partly due to exhaustion, partly because her head banged.

With great effort, she levered herself to a sitting position. When she tipped her neck, her vision swam. Voices rose and fell from a distance.

Her eyes cut to the tall shelves where bottles of varying sizes sat, capping an array of herbs, spices, and colorful liquids. The air was filled with a collision of the aromatic fragrances. Yet, the odors weren’t altogether unpleasant. A little fire was going. When she finally looked down at her leg, the horrors of the night hit her again.

The pain had been unbearable, and some time during the throes of it, she had been eager for a quick death. But as the bold morning sun intermittently broke the dimness of the room, Thora was grateful for another day.

She heard heavy footsteps approach, gulped when the creaky door swung open.

“You’re finally awake.” The elderly woman who had saved her life, mused. She hobbled to the table at a corner and dropped a bunch of plants.

Thora wet her lips but when she tried to talk, no audible words spilled out. Matilda picked up a jar, poured some water into a cup and passed it to her.

“Drink up. You’ve been out for two days.”

The cup nearly fell out of Thora’s trembling hands. She’d been out for two days?  

“Drink up!” Matilda shrilled out. Like a scared child, Thora gulped the water, spilling some on her chest. It cooled her parched throat, soothed her aching tummy.

She wiped her wet lips. “T-Thank you.” She croaked out. Her voice didn’t sound like hers.

“Don’t thank me, human. Everything I did was for the alpha. You’d understand soon enough, Mrs. Valcourt.”

A fresh stab of pain lanced through her chest at the reminder. Mrs. Valcourt. The nightmares weren’t over after all.

“The omegas will come get you soon. Your leg should be good enough to hold your weight. It better be. You’ll have to stand through your introduction to the pack.”

The rest of her words tuned out while Thora’s eyes went glassy. She only blinked when the door opened again. This time, it was a face she had come to dread. Unconsciously, she inched back, shoulders tensed.

Regan huffed out a breath. “I might have his good looks but I’m certainly not your uncharismatic, chronically unsociable husband.” He finished with a flirtatious wink, before crossing to her.

Crouching, he examined the whites of her eyes, ignoring her weak resistance.

“I’ll send someone to help you freshen up. Your presence is awaited in the meeting hall, beloved sister-in-law.”

Matilda cleared her throat behind him.

“What? Would you rather I call her Luna?”

“There’s no point soothing her. It won’t change the fact that her path is a very difficult one.” She turned, began plucking greens. “I know how you can get but don’t blatantly defy pack laws by befriending a human. It’s highly unbecoming of a noble heir like you.”

Regan rolled his eyes and stood ramrod straight. “I don’t have to be discourteous to remind myself of what she is. I’m secure enough in myself as a Lycan to be bothered by her kind.” He grinned when something defiant sparked in Thora’s eyes. “This one must be a fighter. Interesting.”

He spun around and headed for the door. “Bring her down after she’s cleaned, Matilda.”

“I will.”

Five minutes later, three young ladies about Thora’s age poured in, bearing towels and a change of cloth. They helped her into the bathroom. Then half-filled the bathtub with water and poured in a cherry-colored powder. Bubbles tumbled out of the flowery scented bath. Thora took a cue from their sharp look and sat in it.

They scrubbed her like she had been hauled from a sewer, and didn’t listen when she grunted in pain. Wordlessly, she changed into the dollar tree mink colored gown they shoved at her. When one of them took a scissors to her hair, Thora shot to her feet.

“No!”

“Yes.” Matilda interrupted with an icy look. “Omegas can’t have hair that’s longer than their chin.”

Tears coated her eyes. “Omegas? W-What does that mean?” But as her eyes darted from one girl to the next, she quickly connected the dots. Her gown was as cheap and unflattering as theirs. In the human world, they’ll pass as maids. Her new status flashed before her eyes.

“Sit!” One of the girls brazenly spoke for the first time. “We’re running out of time.”

The fire in Thora’s eyes flickered with defeat. Slowly, she lowered herself back on the chair and bit her lip as they chopped her beautiful long hair. .

***

The meeting hall was crammed when Matilda escorted her in. The pack greeted her with the same eerie quietness, like she was a lamb about to be slaughtered. Quickly, she scanned the room. Roman was seated at the helm. Regan was at his side while another man stood behind the alpha. Elderly men flanked the alpha’s seat. She eyed Penny and two other stunning women perched at the front row, draped in sheer fabric. Their necks and wrists were ringed with jewelries.

The hierarchical divisions continued across the hall, leaving people dressed as shabbily as Thora in the back row.

She was pulled to the center of the room and left to the assault of hundreds of cold eyeballs.

An elder rose up, cleared his throat. “Members of the Valcourt Pack, I present to you the second human Luna of our pack, and the first to result from a punishment in response to a sitting alpha’s defiance of our hallowed pack laws; Mrs. Thora Valcourt.”

The hall hummed with subdued groans. If looks could kill, Thora would have been gutted.

“This is not the true Luna we continue to await for our honorable pack. A human Luna is lower than even an omega. She is simply a symbol of our alpha’s sentence, a daily reminder of his fall from grace and hopefully, a deterrent to all who dare to defy pack laws. No one is above our law and this punishment lends credence to that fact.”

He turned to the alpha. “Alpha Roman has shown humility and remorse by accepting his punishment. He is prepared to walk this path and do the needful to restore the honor of the Valcourt name. He has been served with the details of his sentence, and though he has appealed for leniency, the matter will be revisited in private with the high council of elders. We assure you that our alpha will come out of this stronger and better.”

Thora shuddered with fright when s cheerful roar erupted from the crowd.

He continued. “Omegas, you’re to take the human under your tutelage, show her the ropes. Aside from your routine duties, the human will be subject to other punishments being that she’s an abomination in our world. Anyone who is found fraternizing with her as forbidden in our laws, will suffer her fate as well.”

His eyes found Thora’s. “Human, do you have anything to say before we decide your first challenge as Luna?”

Thora swallowed hard, looking around. She finally worked up the courage.

“Why me?”

“What?”

She inhaled sharply. “Your alpha fucked up, right? You needed to punish him. Why do you think the best way to punish him is to trick an innocent human and force her to wed him?”

Roman sat up now. Murmurs rippled through the crowd but Thora didn’t back down.

“I understand you hate humans like me. My kind doesn’t even know you exist and maybe if they do, they’d hate you too. But I did nothing wrong to deserve to be pulled into his life as punishment! Why do you have to punish me alongside him?”

Roman shot up a hand, silencing the elder’s rebuttal. He surged up, and walked to her. Though everything in her wanted to step back, she took in his frightening stance and matched the fire in his eyes.

“Because in this world, nothing is more worthless and embarrassing than a human!” He relished the anger in her eyes. His hot breath made something sizzle down her spine.

“Anything else, human?

Maybe it was the arrogance in his tone or the dare in his eyes, but something about him stirred her petty side in that awful timing.

“I believe it’s Mrs. Roman Valcourt, right alpha?” The words tumbled out like a reflex, before cautiousness kicked in.

Of course, the reminder gutted his ego. She saw his eyes flare with heat and did back up. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed her hand, shoved her forward and turned to the crowd.

“For her first challenge, the human shall be used as bait at tonight’s hunt.”

A thunderous roar echoed across the hall. It was so loud the room almost shook. Thora’s heart almost bounced off her chest.

What the hell had she done?