Blood Floweret

« Chapter Six »

She hadn't seen a single member of her pack since the day they arrived. Well, she didn't need to call them her pack anymore. She was officially free of that burden. They were just people to her now, she hadn't even taken the time to know their names. She didn't have to pretend around them anymore and she didn't need to worry about honoring her promise with Fabian. That was gone, over, and she didn't want to think about it any longer. 

They had caused enough chaos in her life. They inflicted enough pain and gave the memories that might very well haunt her for the rest of her life. They had given her plenty of enough reason for her to hate them and her emotions were strongly in agreement. Unconsciously, she latched onto that grudge, those feelings of distaste and anger. The very first emotion that was the easiest to express and yet it was a dangerous game. 

When she sat down next to Cassius, she let her eyes wander the dining hall. It was almost three times larger than the one at Harrow Pack, it took her longer to locate familiar faces. There was a constant murmur of voices, chattering about their days, and laughing about jokes being told. They looked friendlier now instead of unfamiliar stares. 

Cassius had been out in the training field all day and he was happy to see her again. She even accepted a quick hug from him and he then babbled about being able to beat all of the warriors. He was quite proud of his skills in combat, he told her he had been working hard over the past few years. He invited her to join him tomorrow but she wasn't sure if she was ready for that just yet, so she left a maybe hanging between them. He didn't push, he only grinned like a fool. 

As tradition followed, everyone waited for Alpha Leroy and Luna Beth to take the first bite, and then everyone else dug in. She stared at her plate, feeling no hunger as nerves curled in her stomach. She needed to spread the news but she was kind of waiting to see if Leroy would first. 

She met his golden eyes, Leroy raised an eyebrow. They seemed to silently communicate. 

"I think it's best if you tell them," Leroy finally answered her unspoken question, other people at the table glanced her way, "You traveled with them for days, they'll take your word better." 

She wanted to slump in her seat. She didn't want to face them. They were no longer her responsibility and she didn't want to associate herself with them anymore. She cast one last pleading glance at Leroy, he pretended not to notice. She sighed and then she pulled herself out of her chair. 

"I'll be right back." She whispered to her mate. He nodded. 

She felt extremely out of place as she walked across the dining hall. It grew increasingly harder when she saw their faces and she wanted to turn and run. She kept repeating to herself that they still thought she was their Alpha. Maybe someone remembered the agreement she first made before they left Winsor Territory. She didn't want to face them alone but at the same time, she knew she had to. For herself. For closure. Or so she thought.

Laura spotted her first and the woman smiled, "Valencia! It's so nice to see you on your feet. I heard you met your mate, that's so wonderful!" Her heart twisted, she had grown unexpectedly fond of Fabian's mother, despite the circumstances and their pasts.

The other members at the table turned and looked her way but then they quickly resumed eating. If she wasn't mistaken, they almost looked sheepish. Why? She hadn't the slightest clue. Still, she took a deep breath and slipped into the empty seat next to Andy.  He always saved her a spot now, in case she would join them, and she ruffled his hair. 

"Hi, Val," Andy grinned with a mouthful of food, his words muffled. 

"Andy!" Andy's mother scolded, "Don't talk with your mouth full, it's not nice." 

Her eyes flickered to the woman. Andy's mother quickly looked away, a tint of blush covering her cheeks as if she were embarrassed. Her brow furrowed slightly. Why was everyone acting like this? They hated her guts, right? So what happened to the glares? 

She ignored it and looked at Laura, answering the question, "I did. His name is Cassius." 

"Wow," Laura reached across the table and pat her hand, "I'm proud of you. I hope he makes you really happy because you deserve it." 

Her breath caught. Sure, she had grown to like Laura, but she never expected those words to come out of the woman's mouth. Laura was still one of the pack members who stood and watched her get whipped at Winsor. Her feelings still flourished with pain and anger. Her thoughts began clashing, she didn't know how to process this. 

She cleared her throat, trying to compose herself, "Thank you." And then, after a glance around the table, she realized nobody could meet her eyes. As if they were ashamed of themselves. She clenched her fists under the table and continued, "I came here to tell you all that I'm no longer your Alpha." 

Laura gasped. There was a tense stretch of silence, everyone seemed frozen. What the hell was going on? 

She grit her teeth, "Alpha Leroy has agreed to accept you as members of Aloysius Pack and he promised to take care of you." Jesus, what was she saying? She bit her cheek before continuing, "He'll hold a ceremony. I just wanted to share the news. So, you can stop sulking around me. I agreed to be your Alpha until you found a new home, so here it is. I don't care what you think of me. This is goodbye." 

She stood abruptly. She was suffocating in the mixed emotions that crowded around the table. Once more, she studied their expressions. Laura was shocked, speechless, and the poor woman almost looked extremely sad to hear the news. Andy's mother wouldn't look up from the tabletop but she saw thin lips drawn with guilt. The men, she never learned their names either, they had their jaws clenched. One of them met her eyes. She tried her hardest not to flinch, she let her anger keep pushing her. 

He nodded respectfully, "Thank you." 

Her entire body froze. Her jaw locking into place as her heart seemingly stopped altogether. They had never displayed respect for her before. Never. They always questioned, always tested, always pushed her until she snapped back. Now, they almost looked apologetic. Almost grateful. She wanted to scoff but she was overwhelmed, how was she supposed to handle this? 

She didn't. 

She spun on her heel and she stormed away. Her chest was growing tighter with every shallow breath she took. She was going to have another panic attack from this overwhelming sensory overload. From this situation that she had no idea how to handle. She didn't want to look weak in front of a hundred members of Aloysius so she didn't bother returning to her table with Cassius.

 She fled out the doors and never looked back. 

♦         ♦         ♦         ♦         ♦        ♦

What a ridiculously tense scene!

 Do you think Valencia's actions are justified? Are theirs? Does anyone pick up on the subtle cues of what's happening? 

I absolutely cannot wait to bring around these character arcs! I might start touching on foreign concepts for you guys but I promise, it's all something I've experienced myself. In one form or another. I hope I can explain it and I hope you don't hate me when it's all said and done.