Chapter 43
Chapter 43
My first reaction when I saw Avalon was to rush and hide. I'd forgotten she was in this pack with her family as punishment for what she did to me. "Sihana," she sneered my name while she looked at me. Despite the bucket and mop she carried with her, Avalon maintained a dignified air with her fiery red hair pulled up in a slick bun.
"Avalon, how are you?" I asked, tucking a hair strand behind my ear. I squashed the urge to run by reminding myself of my new station. I was the Luna of this pack - her Luna. She could not hurt me anymore. I won't give her the chance to hurt me!
"Why do you care?" She sneered again.
If we were still in Silver Moon pack, her hand would have lashed out faster than I could blink as she dealt me a painful blow but this time, all she could do was glare at me and sneer. Her green eyes were alight with hatred that spread goosebumps all over my skin.
"As the Luna - As the Luna, it's my duty to care about every member of Alpha Blood pack," I answered her, raising my chin.
Yes, she was a member of Alpha Blood pack now and I was her Luna. She could not hurt me anymore. I tried to tell that to my racing heart but it did not calm.
“Ava, where are you?" Two girls came bursting in through a door. The girls who could have been copies of each other skidded to a halt when they saw me. They looked from Avalon to me and I watched a familiar expression turn their faces sour.
"Is this her?" One girl asked Avalon, giving me a once-over with eyes filled with disgust.
"Who else? She's the new Luna, remember." The other girl replied to her sister, also giving me a look filled with disgust.
"What the fuck is wrong with these bitches? How dare they ignore us!" Asena growled at the blatant disrespect with which the girls treated me. So much for coming to the pack house to get acquainted with 'my people.'
"I thought she'd be pretty at least." One twin said and the three girls giggled.
"You can't be pretty and be a bitch, really." The other twin added.
"Excuse me?" I felt annoyance clog my throat as the girls insulted me.
"Sorry, are you lost?" One twin asked me with a sugary smile that did not reach her eyes.
"Ava, you'd make a much better Luna, truthfully. You're a strong Alpha female and -"
"What bullshit are you both sprouting?" I asked the girls who were giggling and fawning over Avalon.
Avalon was pretty and she carried herself with confidence. It wasn't hard for her to attract people to herself so I wasn't surprised she already made friends and formed a clique here but ver expected that her clique would insult me right in my presence despite knowing who I was.
“Oh, please. Avalon already told us about you. You're a wicked and conniving woman. Alpha Blood deserves better." The women lost all pretext of niceness. They dropped their saccharine sweet smiles and wore glares as they stood by Avalon's side as if they were her protectors.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
"Leave her be. You don't want to cause any trouble with her," Avalon said in a voice false enough to win an award.
This girl! Even Alpha Warren wasn't this good at pretending!
"You are too nice, Ava. You deserve justice for what this witch did to you," one girl said as she crossed her arms, looking like she wanted to breathe fire to burn me for harming her little duckling.
"Did you just call me a witch?" I asked her.
Avalon has done a good job of brainwashing these ones. Goddess only knew how many more she had told such lies against me. I had to do something about this. I couldn't have all these people hating me for something - I shut down those thoughts as fast as they came.
No, no. Never again!
I already vowed to live for myself without caring what others had to say about me. If these girls hated me, then that was their business. I was not a bad person. Never would I go out of my way to hurt someone and I had to teach myself to be comfortable with my stance. If others chose to lie and slander my name, so be it. Their words should not continue to hold so much weight to me!
"Yes, I called you a witch!" The girl looked at me with challenge shining in her eyes. "What are you going to do about it?"
From her scent, I could tell she was
a Beta and from my scent, she knew I was the Luna but she disrespected
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me. I didn't care about making people love me, that was a bondage
eded to break myself free of, but in this pack, I would not allow people to disrespect me. My life was tied here forever and no one wanted to be disrespected forever!
"Never mind that whatever she has told you may be a lie but if she told you I am a witch, should you be testing me?" I took a step towards her and she mirrored my action, her eyes blazing with a challenge.
"What can you do?" Her twin also came to flank her side.
"If you forget everything, don't forget I am your Luna.” I stepped closer to them, crossing my arms. I wished I could replicate Cahir's intimidating stance but I did not have the power or the aura to match it. “If you cannot respect me, there may be no room for you in this pack.”
"Do you think you can kick us out of our home? You're the one who doesn't belong here and once Cahir realizes, you'll be out!" One girl said.
"Yes, I can kick you out. Not just you,
but I will be sure to include your entire family, I said in a quiet tone that made me feel like a fraud. "Ask Avalon. She and her family will serve Alpha Blood till their third
generation. If you want to be the bearer of misfortune for your family, get on my bad side and watch my witchcraft ruin your life."
"You -" The girls went silent, brewing with anger. "You overestimate your power."
"Do I?" I smiled, feeling giddy for standing up for myself for the first time. "Do you want to test your theory? You want to fuck around?" I held back a grin as their face reddened more and more from anger they could not control.
"You are nobody!" The twins screamed at the same time.
"That's your Luna you're talking to." Aristo appeared beside me with rage in his tone.
"Beta Aristo!" The girl straightened in surprise at his sudden appearance. "How long - How long have you been -" They looked from me to him with surprise on their faces.
"Long enough for me to listen to you insult Alpha Cahir's mate, your Luna." His eyes blazed as he looked down at the girls.
"She - She -" The girls stuttered.
“And you –“ He turned his glare on Avalon who met it with a glare of hers. “Have you forgotten why you are here?”
“I am here because of that bitch!" She exclaimed. “I am to be the Luna of Silver Moon and you all will regret ever treating me in such a demeaning manner!" Her shoulders were stiff and her glare at Aristo unrelenting.
"Oh, I know your type." Aristo's anger evaporated to be replaced by a carefree smile. "You don't bend over. You need to be broken, crushed to pieces."
"Yes, I won't bend over." She pushed her chin into the air.
"Very well, Avalon." He beamed
down at her as if she just said something too interesting to ignore. "You're in Alpha Blood pack now lucky for you, our Alpha is a blood-thirsty fiend. Since you ca bend over, I am sure he will have the pleasure of breaking you. It'll be more fun than me making you learn your place." He took my hand and pulled me away from the girls.
"Why are you here?" He asked as he walked me out of the room.
"What do you mean why am I here? Is the pack house prohibited for me?"
"No, but after yesterday, you should be resting."
Remembering yesterday made my skin heat in a dark blush. Cahir was - I didn't know lovemaking could be so intense! But did he - was he the type
of man to share intimate details with all his friends? Just that thought made me self-conscious enough to rub my arm.
"I'm talking about the Luna Ceremony, not whatever dirty thing your mind has gone to!" He exclaimed in a teasing tone.
"W - What!?" My eyes widened and I felt I could burst from the embarrassment flooding me.
“Gosh, Cahir already corrupted you!" He grabbed my bicep to steady himself as he bent over laughing but his laughter died when he saw the dark figure looming a few feet away.
"What - are you two doing together?" I snatched my arm from Aristo's when I saw Cahir's glare.