I woke up with severe pain shooting up my spine.
I groaned and stretched, trying to alleviate some of the pain until I hear a satisfying crack. Then I realized I wasn't the only person in the room. Someone was humming about by the bathroom.
I sat up and spotted Dinah preparing my bath. She was humming away, oblivious to the fact that I was awake. The door was wide open. I wonder if I could lock her in the bathroom and run. But she was stronger than me. I'd have to knock her out by surprise.
As soon as I thought it, I immediately hated myself. I was starting to turn into these ruthless wolves after only a day of being in their company. I didn't want to lose my humanity. "Dinah."
Dinah startled and turned to me, clutching her heart. "Oh my, you scared me. I didn't know you were awake."
"Good morning."
"I hope you slept well, mistress. Today's a busy day." She made her way towards me. "I've soaked lavender. Good for sore bones."
She gave me a look that told me she knew exactly what I was up to last night and I pretend like I don't know what it means. What did she expect I'd do? Just sit around and wait to marry a guy I'd just met? I was going to fight until they dragged me down whatever altar tied with my wedding veil.
Instead, I smiled at her. Because escape needed a different plan. This time I would be prepared. I shed my niy shirt and walked, naked, to the iron tub. It smelled amazing and was just hot enough to loosen my tense muscles. I could get used to this sort of treatment.
Dinah washed me clean with a bath sponge and all I had to do was just sit there and enjoy the bath. Fifteen minutes later, I was clean, all the grime from yesterday gone and the bath had gone cold.
She helped me get dressed in a cute frilly blue gown and when I returned to my bedroom, there was a tray of hot food waiting for me. I really could get used to this treatment. I didn't want to think about my father and the life I left behind, but what life did I have left behind?
A grandma who would be so happy to see me rotting in the earth, a home that wasn't even really mine and two dead parents. I had no one, and no one would look for me if i disappeared. No one seemed to be looking for me as it was.
I shook my head. I didn't want to get depressed with thoughts of the past, I needed a clear head to figure out my present. I gobbled up the food as fast as I could without choking. Which would just be my kind of luck. I didn't get killed by werewolves, or attempted kidnapping. I died by choking on a grape. Classic Amara.
Dinah was long gone by the time I was done and standing outside my door was the smiling Elion. When he wasn't beating up another man or threatening to chase me down, he was incredibly handsome. And he knew it. It was obvious he knew it. "Princess, I am to show you around."
He put out an arm for me to take. I hesitated, and he grinned—well wolfishly. "I won't bite. Not even if you want me to, because you're Kaison's."
"I'm not his." I frowned.
"That's debatable." Elion sighed. "C'mon princess. Despite what you might thin, is rather be anywhere else than here playing babysitter."
I lifted my chin, and the hem of my skirt and began walking away. "You coming? And stop calling me princess."
"Ah, no can do on that one." Elion said, but he didn't add the princess again. We passed several grown, strong looking people on our way down the halls who greeted Elion with the sort of revered respect I noticed from the twins yesterday. It was obvious he was a big deal.
"Explain this hierarchy to me." I said. "Is it like a democracy thing? With a president and stuff like that?"
"What?" Elion looked genuinely confused. "I'm not sure what that means but Kaison is Alpha. Usually, his mate, the Luna, is second in the hierarchy. But since Kaison is a perpetually unmated loner—well—" He narrowed his eyes at me as if trying to figure me out. I immediately realized that he didn't actually believe me to be Kaison's mate. At least not fully.
"Then the Beta." He points to himself. "There's an Omega, but he's on a kind of retreat. He'll be back in a few weeks." It seemed Kaison didn't like this Omega. But he didn't let it show, only spoke rather rushed about his role. "The Deltas are warriors, and Omegas are usually kept for menial tasks and so on."
"Who gets to decide who's a delta and who's an Alpha?" I was pissed that even in werewolf world, there was an order to how well you were treated. Just because you were an Omega didn't have to mean you were lower than the rest.
Elion smiled, amused. He seemed to be amused at everything that came out of anyone's mouth. "Are you crying for them, princess? It's usually a matter of who your daddy was, that sort of thing. Kaison's father was Alpha and before that, his father was Alpha, you get the point."
I nodded but didn't comment any further. When I realized we were climbing more impossible stairs, I looked around. There were various paintings on the wall of people of different genders and ages. I asked Elion who these were.
"Warriors who died in the Battle of the Fallen. Years ago."
He stood to look at them for a little while, and I stopped too. I wondered if he knew them personally. I was oddly curious, this castle was like a mystery waiting to unfold. Elion moved on again, and I followed. "How old are you, Elion?"
I was behind him so I couldn't see, but I could almost feel him grinning his white, sharp grin. "I'm ages older than you, princess. Stop flirting."
I gasped in outrage which made him dissolve into high peals of laughter. The people who were within earshot stopped to look. My cheeks were heated as I slapped his arm hard. "I wasn't flirting. It was a genuine question. Kaison told me time was different here."
"He's right. I'm twenty in werewolf years."
"You don't look twenty."
"Ouch." Elion clasped his chest like it hurt. "Low blow. And just when I was about to give you a present."
I perked up at that. Don't come at me, I was a stickler for presents. Elion pushed open a set of double doors that we stopped at and inside was the most beautiful library I had ever seen. It extended so far up to the ceiling that I had to strain my neck to look that far. There were rows and rows and a huge ladder on wheels to take you where you wanted to go next.
The ceiling was a large glass dome that allowed light to stream in, giving it this ethereal, out of world feeling. "Wow." I whispered. In the corner was this stone platform with a tiny spout gurgling water. A tree in the literal middle. I had truly never seen anything like it. "It's beautiful."
"Kaison said you might enjoy it." Elion said, he didn't step in when I wandered in. Instead, heading for the doors again. "Now be good, princess. I'm watching you so no escaping."
I was already transfixed by the rows and rows of books at my disposal. This was a great way to find out more about Kaison and his pack. They had to have some history books lying around and I couldn't wait to read some interesting books also.
It took some minutes to find one, The history of the Whitebane. Perfect. I sat down by the unusual tree and the water spout and dived in.
Long ago, the Moon Goddess gifted a very special Luna the ability to grow nature and heal the sick. This magic ability also came with the peculiar white fur that is now extinct today. This white fur was a symbol of the Luna's majestic power to heal and rejuvenate. Over the years to come, this special ability and unique fur was passed down to the Lunas of her pack.
Three generations ago, however the Lunas suddenly began losing their special power and mimicking the common grey fur of normal Lunas. This brought on an influx of chaos, which eventually led to war. Other packs were delighted they were losing their power and planned to snuff out the light of the Whitebane pack once and for all.
This war was known as the Battle of the Fallen. The Whitebane wolves however were strong enough to fight back and win, although many of their wolves had been killed. The Alpha Damien decided to bring back order, demanding the respect and order that the Lunas before him never needed to work for.
It went on to list the legendary Lunas and their achievements in the pack but I'd already gotten the gist of it. The Lunas weren't white furred anymore, and that was very bad. It seemed they were the ones calling the shots instead of their Alphas.
It also said it stopped three generations ago which meant Kaison's mother wasn't one. I wondered if that's why that rogue wolf attacked me yesterday. Because he thought Kaison was weak. But that was because he didn't have a mate and not because of this Whitebane whatever.
The whole thing was confusing to me and I dropped the book and decided to get a breather. Elion wasn't outside when I opened the doors and he wasn't in the halls either. I was glad for it, he put me on edge constantly with his jokes and his malicious grins.
I followed the hallway down until I reached a door halfway ajar. I stopped as I heard voices in deep argument.
"—Preposterous." A man with a tiny voice yelled. "Never in werewolf history have we heard of not one, but two human Lunas! It is a disgrace!" They all began murmuring and arguing amongst themselves.
"Enough." I heard Kaison's voice order in that commanding voice he used on me last night. "I will not have you sully the name of—" He paused and I heard him stand.
He was probably coming over to the door so I picked up my skirts and ran back into the library. I shut the doors and leaned against them to catch my breath. Two human Lunas? If I was to be one, who was the other?
That was what I was going to find out.