Happy holidays fellow readers! I promised myself I wouldn't upload a single chapter until this book was finished being written, but writing has been a little difficult lately! Because it's the holiday season, I would like to give you all a gift! Here's Chapter 11 of Leonidas! Enjoy!
----------------------------------------
I knew he didn't want to be bothered. It was clear I was supposed to leave him alone, but I didn't know where I was supposed to go or what I had to do. Ana was going to show me until she had challenged the Alpha, causing her to spend a week in the cells.
He was already in a bad mood because of that and the fact that Jackson had also challenged him. I would never challenge my Alpha, and I was hoping that he wouldn't think I was challenging him if I was asking a question.
Despite my attempt to appear as submissive as possible, it seemed as though his mood had worsened once he'd caught sight of me. Alpha let out a low growl and he strode up the stairs and towards me.
I took a step back once he'd reach the top and finally gained the courage to ask him a question.
"A-Alpha? I was wondering where I'd be staying tonight. Ana said she would be showing me, but I assume that is no longer happening."
I stood silently, my head bowed, and waited for a response. My eyes widened and I gasped quietly; I had forgotten to ask permission to speak.
I looked back up at him with fear, mentally bracing myself for my punishment. I heard his growl and jumped a little but desperately tried to scale back my fear. His hand twisted in a follow-me motion, and I quietly stepped behind him.
It was quite a long walk to where I was staying, but all of this trouble was worth it when Alpha opened the door. He gave me a small push in, and as I took in my surroundings I was filled with gratefulness. This room was huge!
I had completely forgotten Alpha was there, so I turned and gave him a small bow just before the door shut. I swiveled back around to face the room and my mouth opened in awe; it even had a large closet, not that I could hang anything in there right now.
A frown took over my face as I remembered that I had borrowed clothes from Ana – how was I supposed to return these and maybe ask for new some more clothing? I shook my head and didn't let the bad thoughts get my mood down.
Letting my slightly more childish side out, I squealed and jumped onto the large bed. It could fit my entire body, and had a little more room! There was a nightstand with a lamp on it, and I let my fingers stroke the shade as I stared on in awe.
After calming myself down I slipped into bed, still wearing Ana's clothes, and turned the lamp off. The room was filled with darkness but for once I wasn't filled with fear; then again, I haven't gotten to know the pack or Alpha very well.
I drifted off into sleep, waking up a few hours later when my mental alarm clock went off. I had been using an actual one for so long that it had been ingrained in my head. I predicted it to be about four o'clock in the morning, so I fixed my slightly wrinkled clothes and got to work.
I needed to make a good impression on this pack; I didn't want to go back or be kicked out and become a rogue. It wasn't too difficult to familiarize myself with the kitchen and quickly locate all of the ingredients and supplies I would need to feed the entire pack.
As I was setting everything on the counter, one of the frying pans I was balancing on one arm fell and crashed to the floor. I quickly picked it up and carefully set it on the counter. I waited a second before continuing to make sure no one had woken up and was going to yell at me.
I didn't hear any footsteps, so I quickly washed my hands and got to work.
"What the hell do you think you're doing," he snarled, "do you even know what time it is?"
I shivered at his tone, but was confused. Was he angry that I had dropped the pan loudly?
"I-I'm sorry Alpha, I woke up early to make breakfast for the pack." My voice clearly depicted my fear, and my body was shaking. It was practically my first real day her and I was already going to get punished.
"Go back to your room, we already have cooks that take care of that." He said, his tone sharp. I bowed my head and began to walk quickly towards the steps, but made sure not to run. As I opened the door to my room and closed it, I contemplated what I was supposed to do at this pack.
I couldn't be a normal pack member – that wasn't what I was raised to do. I slowly walked to my bed and sat on it, trying to think of something, anything to make myself worth something.
The next few days I didn't leave my room. I had no purpose, I hadn't been ordered to help in any way, so I had no clue what to do. Not wanting to make Alpha angry, I stayed quiet and focused on the ceiling of my room.
It had beautiful wallpaper one it, full of golden swirls and circles. I ignored my meals and my change of clothing, only leaving my room to go two doors down to the bathroom. The door creaked open quickly, and Ana's head peaked in. Her eyes widened and a growl escaped her lips as she left and slammed the door behind her.
By the time Alpha had come barging into my room, I'd lost track of time again.
I bolted up in my bed, facing him with slightly wide eyes as he strode purposefully into the room.
"Yes Alpha?"
He stopped in his steps, a surprised look overtaking his face.
"Find something to do. Help someone. Do something to get out of this room, this room is used to sleep." His voice was rough and the command clear – I just didn't want to get in trouble if I did something he didn't like. He was never very specific about what he wanted me to do.
"Yes Alpha."
With that he stormed out of the room and I stood, patting down my hair and smoothing my clothes to go find someone that could help.
Ana met me in the hallway, looking frazzled and angry.
"What did he do to you? Did he lock you in your room? Goddess, you've lost more weight than I'd thought!" She said. Her voice raised every time she looked me over as I stood there awkwardly shifting from foot to foot.
"Ana, I just didn't know what to do, I promise. I didn't want to anger him, I feel as though I'm off to a good start in this pack. I haven't been punished yet, and I wasn't trying to be." As I spoke her face changed from one of anger, to one of sorrow.
She reached down and interlaced her fingers with mine, and began to lead me down the hallway.
"Eleanor, in this pack, women are never punished, at least, in the way you're thinking of," she must have send the look of confusion on my face because she hurried to explain, "If you commit a heinous crime or treason, you'll become a rogue – but we don't hurt women here, Eleanor."
I was now even more confused than before. If they didn't hurt women, how did they learn? Punishment is how women learn what to do and how to do it; I didn't know there was any other way.
Ana stopped and faced me, looking into my eyes.
"I'll show you. Come." She said. We interlocked hands again and she led me to the kitchen, but I was hesitant. The Alpha had told me to find something to do, and this is definitely the wrong thing.
We entered the kitchen and I saw three women and surprisingly four men cooking, and the aroma they were creating smelt delicious. Eleanor walked past them to the dining room and headed towards the china cabinet.
Once there she let go of my hand and opened one of the glass doors. She calmly reached inside for a plate, and showed it to me. As I was looking at it she raised it into the air, then throwing it down on the ground.
It shattered into millions of little pieces, scattering all over the floor. I took a step back and glanced over all of the exits. I really didn't want to be punished for something I didn't do. Ana grabbed my arm and forced me to stay, but I squirmed.
We needed to leave before we were both punished, and it would hurt more because shed done it on purpose.
"Ana let go! We have to leave now!" She must have linked Jackson because he jogged in, his eyes assessing the situation.
He gripped me in a tight hug, trapping both of my arms by my sides.
"Calm down Eleanor, you won't be punished," Jackson's words were soothing as he spoke in my ear, "It'll be alright, just calm yourself down."
He held me until my breathing had calmed and I didn't look like I wanted to escape anymore. I was released and I took a deep breath.
"See, Eleanor? No punishment. You don't have to worry about serving anyone or being punished here Eleanor, we treat women like equals." Ana said in a calming voice while Jackson walked around me to stand by her.
I nodded, but didn't believe them one bit. As if she could tell what I was thinking, Ana grew sad and sighed.
"Why don't you go help the cooks then, Eleanor. It seems like something you like to do." Jackson suggested.
That was not true. I had grown to despise cooking, because it had never been for myself and I always had to stress about perfection.
Despite my feelings on the subject, I followed orders and joined the cooks in the kitchen. For a moment, I stayed in the doorway and thought bout hoe to approach the subject. I decided to approach one of the women, as I felt the most comfortable with that.
"Hello, m-my name is Eleanor. I was told to come help in here?" The woman turned at my voice and smiled at me, holding her hand out for a handshake.
"My name is Megan, nice to meet you! Are you a new pack member?" She had let go of my hand and was back to focusing on her food. She glanced back at me, and I realized I hadn't given her an answer.
"Yes, I came here yesterday. Can I help you with anything?" I got right to the point, not caring to waste any time. She nodded her head and pointed towards a pile of potatoes on the counter a few feet away.
"Peel those, and if you need anything else to do come ask." She said, turning back to her cooking with a smile.
We finished the meal quickly and set it out for the pack to come and eat. Megan had to explain to me that we didn't set the table because there were too many members, so we just set the food and some plates out for them to get.
She must have linked someone, because slowly people started filing into the kitchen. My fingers twitched as we walked back to the kitchen to leave the pack to fend for themselves, desperately wanting to help serve them.
Megan and I, along with the rest of the cooks, cleaned up quickly. It turns out it goes a lot quicker with many people helping out. After we finished she led us all into the dining room as the last of the pack was grabbing the food.
There was awe on my face at the amount of food left out. It looked like the pack had grabbed scraps and left plenty for us. The rest of the cooks grabbed a plate and began shoveling food onto it. They spoke to each other and laughed, acting merry as they sat and ate.
Megan motioned for me to follow her and grab some food, but I was hesitant. What was I supposed to eat? How much was I supposed to take?
Before I could move Megan had grabbed a plate for me, piling almost one of everything onto it. Without a word I followed her to a table and sat, watching as she placed my food in front of me.
"Eat. We have to make dinner soon." Like always, I obeyed orders and tried to eat as much as I could. It wasn't very much, but she hadn't ordered me to eat a certain amount.
I grew brave enough to ask a question.
"Where is the Alpha? Does he eat?" The question caused Megan to chuckle.
"Of course he eats, I just have to bring him a certain meal at a certain time. He is very specific, and we usually plan the meals I make once a week."
I nodded. We headed back to the kitchen after eating and Megan gave me something else to do; I was to boil water and cook the pasta while everyone else focused on side dishes and sauces.
This was a lot easier than my old pack, everything was. Quicker and I'd already had more free time than I'd ever had before.
I noticed while stirring the noodles that Megan was leaving the kitchen with a dish in her hand. The smell made my mouth water, and it was covered with a silver dome on top of it. She had a napkin over her arm like she'd really worked in a restaurant, and when she came back, she smelt like Alpha.
I felt my wolf growing restless as the small seemed to fill the kitchen before drifting away. I shook my head slightly to rid myself of the thoughts I was having about the Alpha. He was my superior, he would choose who he wanted to be with.
I heard Megan gasp and drop what she was doing to rush to the fridge.
"What's wrong?" I knew I was supposed to ask permission to speak but I was concerned for her.
"I forgot his drink, I've never forgotten his drink."
She turned in a panic, trying to decide what was more important; her Alpha, or the food for the pack. She made her choice when she turned to me.
"Could you just watch this and make sure it doesn't burn? I have to run this up to him as soon as possible." Her eyes were frantic so I quickly responded with a nod and watched as she dashed up the stairs to his office.
She came back to the kitchen a few minutes out of breath, but with a relieved smile covering her face. Without a word we continued our jobs, then set out dinner.
I stood by and watched over the food, making sure enough was set up for everyone when someone caught my arm.
My body moved in a slight, unnoticeable flinch. I looked up into the caring eyes of Ana, who quickly pulled me to the side and out of the way of the hungry pack.
"Has Leo forced you into the kitchen? I told you, you could do whatever you'd like..." She trailed off as she looked at my face, which grew confused as time went on. Was there something wrong?
"Alpha recommended me to the kitchen, and I don't mind it, truly. I've always liked cooking." She still looked unsure but gave me a nod, filling up the plate and moving on.
"As long as you're sure," she said, still placing items on her plate, "If you ever need anything, even simple things or questions, just let me know, okay?"
I gave a small smile and nod – it was nice to have someone care for you.