“Hey, you can't take two plates, you gotta wait for leftovers!” one woman yelled.
“I most certainly can! I’m helping my new Turned friend here, Beta Nicholas’ orders! You got a problem with that? Take it up with him,” she snarkily replied. The other woman balked and sat back to eat. Camila kept piling their plates with meat, vegetables and warm, fluffy bread. It smelled delicious. “Man, being with you can really come with some perks. We got some really good cuts this time!”
“You’re welcome, I guess?” She couldn’t help but smile a bit as she stuck her fork into her meal. It tasted as good as it smelled. She found her plate of food half eaten in little time. As she worked on the other half, she decided to allow her mind to wander. Why was the one girl so upset about Camila having two plates? She looked like she could stand to gain a few pounds, based on her petite size. And all those men, there must have been at least 20 of them, all staring at her. The hunger in their eyes, not entirely caused by the thought of food. The encounter left her very unsettled. Should she mention it to Camila? What about Nicholas? He seemed to be very concerned about her, but why did he care so much? Was it just because his Alpha had ordered him to watch over her?
“So, wanna go back to your den after this and finish the season off before bed?” Camila asked in between bites of food.
“Um, I’m really exhausted from...everything. I think I’ll turn in early, maybe some sleep will help me wrap my head around all of this.”
“Oh, yeah. I can understand that, I guess. Sure. I’ll walk with you just to make sure you get back and then maybe we can watch more later,” Camila conceded. She looked like a kicked puppy, and it hurt Elizabeth more than it maybe should have. She didn’t mean to upset Camila, but she did need some time. It was her first day here and trying to adjust to all this was… well, she didn’t know what this was but it wasn’t her normal. Her plans for escape temporarily forgotten, she finished her plate just in time for Beatrice to rise from her seat. The entire room got quiet and turned their attention forward, even the children whose parents had just been arguing with them to finish their carrots.
“I hope everyone enjoyed their meal,” she stated as her voice rang clearly all the way to the back. Loud affirmations echoed across the smoothed stone walls. “Very good, I commend our chef's for their excellent job. Their culinary genius is never looked down upon here. I called all of your attention because I have a very important announcement.” Beside her, Nicholas whispered something to her that Elizabeth couldn’t hear. Whatever he said, it made her frown and shake her head, almost unnoticeably. He closed his eyes as Beatrice prepared to continue. When his eyes opened again, they found Elizabeth. She felt him watching her so intently, it made her squirm. “We have welcomed a new member into our pack today, and I know you will all make her feel as welcome as when you were added to our family! Her name is Elizabeth Winters, and she is a Turned so please give her some time to fully understand our ways while making her feel welcome! Elizabeth, will you stand please, so that everyone may know you?”
Elizabeth became very numb. Ice shot through her veins from her head to her toes and before she knew it, her legs were already responding. Slowly, her body rose from her seat, and she could feel all eyes on her. She stood there, stiffly as everyone in the room was quietly whispering. She flinched when she felt a hand touch hers, it was Camila lending support to her friend in this difficult time. At that moment, something snapped inside of her. Why was she acting so timid and scared? This is what Beatrice wanted by calling her out like this, everything she had said about Elizabeth had made that obvious. She wouldn’t let her win, she wouldn’t shy away and back down!
Elizabeth breathed in a calming breath and stood up straighter, confidence flooding her and the biting cold ebbing away to a stern coolness. She brought her eyes to Beatrice and felt a tingle in the back of her mind. It seemed to whisper ‘meet her eyes, stare her down. She wants to make us submit, but we won’t.’ So, Elizabeth met Beatrice's citrine gaze. The shock barely registered on Beatrice’s face as she kept her eyes locked on. They stood like that for several seconds, Elizabeth practically felt the tension crackling in the air around them. Beatrice seemed to be trying to keep her composure and dominance, but Elizabeth would not let her. The Alpha’s eyes suddenly changed from warm amber to a pale golden hue. The moment the shift happened, Elizabeth was smacked by a force she couldn’t see. It was hard and fast, and she tried to fight against it but found that she couldn’t as she was slowly forced back into her seat.
As soon as she was seated, her eyes returned to the warm amber they were before. “Well now, I think it’s time to retire for the evening as our new packmate must be exhausted. Thank you all for all the kind words and gestures you will surely offer her and I wish you all a blessed night.” With that, she and her Beta’s took their leave first, all but Nicholas. As the others made their way out, Camila shot up holding Elizabeth back while Nicholas made his way over to them.
“What the heck was that?!” she practically shouted.
“I don’t know. It was like I was hit by an invisible truck or something. I couldn’t stand up to it, it was too strong,” she replied, stunned.
“Not that! Why were you meeting the Alpha’s eyes? You can’t do that, she’s our leader!” Just then, Nicholas made it through the crowd to them. He grabbed her hand and began dragging her away with Camila trailing along behind them. They turned down a few hallways, before finding a quiet spot.
He pulled her to a stop and took a deep breath before he spoke. “Elizabeth, I know you're new to this whole thing, but you can’t do what you just did.”
“What are you talking about?” she snapped. “I didn’t do anything, she’s the one who called me out and threw that power at me!”
“She wasn’t calling you out or trying to harm you, she was just introducing you to the pack and it’s members, so they understood to act accordingly.” He was talking to her as one would to a child who was asking why they couldn’t stay up late.
“The way she said it, it felt like she was challenging me!” What was she talking about? Why did she feel the need to challenge Beatrice at all?
“She’s the Alpha, so you have to do as she says. It’s my fault, I didn’t explain things properly before. I’m sorry. You’re new and I keep messing up,” he sighed. Leaning over a bit, he met her eyes. “She’s higher ranked than you, so you aren’t supposed to meet her eyes. Ever. It’s as simple as that. Especially in the way you just did. You were challenging her, and she used all the tools at her disposal to retaliate. I’ll try and speak with her about using her power against a newly Turned, but she sometimes likes to throw her power around.”
“Well, clearly she isn’t very powerful, since she let one of her own roam freely and attack me.”
Before she could formulate a new response, Nicholas blurted, “That was a mistake!” Camila covered her mouth, even more stunned than Elizabeth. Nicholas seemed to realize what he said, and paled as he took a step back. “Look, I’m sorry if your life was so disrupted by the attack, but nothing anyone says or does can change what happened. You are changed, no longer are you human. You can’t return to your old life no matter how hard you try. I’m not saying you will get along with everyone here, but it’s worth a try. Alpha Beatrice is just doing the best she can with what she has. Respect the Alpha, stay out of her way, and keep your nose down when in her presence for a while. Goodnight, Camila. Elizabeth,” Nicholas concluded as he stalked away, leaving the pair of women in the hallway, as the recessed lights in the ceiling began to dim.
Camila placed a hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder and the pair started walking again.
“I’ve never seen Nicholas like that, losing his composure and all. It makes sense now why he is Beatrice’s Beta,” Camila mused.
They passed by the medical ward, from which she had been released from just that morning, and she realized it seemed like so long ago. So much had happened in just the span of a day, she silently prayed ev
eryday would not be so troubling. But something told her that this new chapter of her life would not go as easily as the earlier one did.
It seemed fate wished to test her further, because as the two women topped the stairs and exited the doorway, a voice rang out from behind them that set her frayed nerves even more on edge.
“Hello, loves! Fancy seeing you here,” the slick-voiced man spoke, sounding very pirate-like. Camila snapped her head around, glaring daggers at the man.
“Jeremiah, dammit you can’t do that! With all that she’s been through today, you can’t just sneak up on her!” The outrage in her voice was also apparent on her face as she shook her finger at him while stepping in front of Elizabeth. She was acting defensively against this man, which made Elizabeth’s inner wolf react.
“Ah, I’m just having a little fun with the new wolf, Mila. Relax, I’m not gonna try anything funny. Look, I just wanted a better look at her, see if we have a connection, y’know?” He dropped the accent, but his voice was no less as suave as it was before. Then, he really looked at the pair, and his face immediately fell. “Look, I’m sorry, really. I shouldn’t have done that, okay?”
“Damn right you shouldn’t have!” Camila practically growled.
Elizabeth fought down her shock and anger before speaking. “It’s alright. I’m Elizabeth, and you’re Jeremiah, right?”
“Jeremiah Price, at your service ma’am,” he revealed, bowing low before them as tawny bangs fell over his baby blues. Camila scoffed and tried to pull Elizabeth away towards their dens.
“She’s delighted to meet you, now she needs her rest before she’s ready to face you or anyone else today,” Camila scolded.
“Of course, of course. All women need their beauty sleep, but I dare say you two don’t need much,” he said with a wink. Camila just kept pulling her friend along, mumbling under her breath about how much of a pompous, show off he was.
“It was nice meeting you, Jeremiah!” Elizabeth stammered, voice raised slightly to be heard.
“The pleasure is all mine, Elizabeth,” he called before turning away.
Chapter Five
The beeping of her alarm woke her slowly as she dreamed, not for the first time, of turning it off. She rolled over once more before finally hitting the snooze and sitting up in the bed to stretch. The room was very dark, as she liked it, but she could still see some forms and shapes around her room. It’s still dark outside, why am I awake now? She thought as she slid out of the bed, her feet hitting the cold floor. She had had the craziest dream, and she was looking forward to getting breakfast and heading into work. She shook off the rest of the sleepiness from her head, yawning once more before opening her bedroom door.
She walked into a room she knew, but one she shouldn’t be in. This should be her hallway, that led to the living room, then the kitchen and her morning caffeine. In front of her was the couch she had sat on with the werewolf Camila and snacked while watching Netflix. She looked around again and realized that that was not a dream, but her new reality. She had been bitten by a werewolf. She had a werewolf friend. She had a werewolf caretaker and a jerk of a werewolf Alpha. Oh, and of course that made her a werewolf too. She was also a werewolf being kept against her will and preparing an escape plan.
She walked into the kitchen, found nothing in the cabinets she wanted so she went to the fridge to heat up some left over from last night. After starting the microwave and popping the tab on her soda, she let her mind wander over what she knew so far. She knew she had to escape, but where would she go once she was out? Back home to her hot Florida farm? Back to Maryland where her parents were? Surely they would hide her from these crazy werewolves. Elizabeth decided that she would head home first and decide from there. The microwave beeping brought her back to the present. As she turned to retrieve her food, there was a knock at her door. The scent at the door was familiar, she noticed, as she moved to open it.
“Morning,” Camila chortled in an entirely unnecessary amount of perkiness first thing in the morning. Upon seeing her friend’s stare, she sobered a little, saying, “Oh, sorry. Not a morning person?”
“Not until I’ve finished my first soda at least. Come on in,” Elizabeth droned as she stepped aside for the other to enter. She decided this was a good thing, she could question Camila more about the pack’s routine and learn about the guard patrols. Werewolves had to pratol to keep themselves hidden, right? Camila came in and Elizabeth shut the door behind her before moving back to her spot at the table. “If there is anything in the fridge you want, have at it.”
“Sure, I’ll have a snack before breakfast, got any fried rice left?” Camila replied, heading to the fridge.
“Snack? What do you mean,” she questioned.
“Well, we are going to breakfast for some real food, not these leftovers! I figured that since you were a bit overwhelmed by yesterday’s dinner that breakfast would be easier since not everyone shows up. It’s good for us to be around others, makes us feel calmer,” Camila explained. Grabbing a couple of boxes from the fridge and a large plate, she started heating up her food before coming to sit next to Elizabeth.
“I don’t think I’m really up for more social interaction right now. I woke up thinking this was all a dream,” she admitted. Camila nearly spit out her mouthful of food as she stifled a laugh.
“A dream?! Says the girl who had her first shift yesterday after thinking the Beta was gonna attack her!” Elizabeth glared at the other as she tried not to snicker.
“I told you yesterday, that I’m a little uncomfortable about men, especially muscular ones like him,” she muttered angrily.
“He’s not that buff, we have others who are physically stronger in the pack for sure. But Nicholas is the most well-rounded in stamina, strength, and kindness. That’s why Alpha chose him for her Beta. Brought him all the way from Europe to do so!” Camila said excitedly.
“Europe? You mean he’s not native?” This surprised Elizabeth because he spoke so normally without a hint of an accent.
“Yeah, I dunno exactly where he’s from though. Somewhere around London, I think?” She tapped the end of her fork against her lip in thought, then shrugged before saying, “I don’t really remember, but you can ask him. He’ll probably be here-” there was a knock at the door. “About now,” she snickered under her breath as Elizabeth stood to go to the door.
Sure enough, when she opened the door Nicholas was standing in the doorway. He had a stern look on his face, that eased only a little when he saw that Elizabeth had answered. “I thought I heard Camila-”
“Hey Beta, it’s me!” Camila called. Nicholas peeked around the door, causing Elizabeth to lean away lest he touch her.
“Ah, right. Should have known. You heading to breakfast Mila?” He asked in a friendly tone.
“Yep, we were just having a snack.” She said as she held up her plate. With a curt nod, he turned back to Elizabeth.
“You might want to change before you leave though, Elizabeth.” He said, his eyes scanning her quickly before returning to rest safely on her face again.
“I know, I’d only just gotten up when Camila came over.” She responded calmly, hoping her attitude might ease his. If she was going to have any chance of escape, she had to get him to relax around her. Trust her. She hated lying, but it was her only option. It seemed to help, as he eased down a bit.
“Right, of course. Mila has always been a little… energetic.” Even though he phrased his words carefully, she could see the amusement in his eyes. She was surprised that they were able to joke again after last night.
“I can tell,” she said.
“I can hear you!” Camila called. “And Liza, call me Mila. Everyone does, unless they’re angry with me.” The redhead grinned, leaving Nicholas shaking his head with a wide smile on his face.
“I think I’ll go get changed now.” Elizabeth let go of the door and strolled into the bedroom to change, closing the door behind her. She heard the den door close and quie
t mumbling, meaning Nicholas had entered and was talking to Mila. She opened the closet and saw all the clothes she still had to go through. But was there really a need? Her plan was quickly starting to come together, she just needed to find a good time to do it. Maybe she could ask about the guards at the entrance.
After selecting a pair of khaki shorts and a tank top with a crescent moon on it that had a upside down V cut into the sides, she decided she might actually have to go through these clothes. They just kept getting more and more ridiculous and short. Her shorts were comfortable, surprisingly, but the shirt. She felt too revealed, considering her other options. With a sigh, she came out, causing the hushed discussion to come to a halt as both pairs of eyes looked to her. Nicholas nodded with pink dusting his cheeks, seeming to approve while the look Camila gave her was downright illegal for so early in the morning.
“Oh my goodness, that looks amazing on you! Wish I looked that good in mine. The moon is a much better choice than the CT logo I got too,” she gushed.
Pureblood (Pureblood series) Page 5
