I squinted up to the surrounding, the whole place, it all felt gawky. Or was it just my perception telling me so? At the far left of the building, I could see bushes, with tall trees. Shades from the trees made the small woodland appear dark- very dark. I peered through them and there was no end in sight. I believed that it was an artificial forest purposely maintained for training purposes. Wow. A w e s o m e. It would be good for running, I thought. Then at my far right, situated tiny white cottages with identical structures awesomely built with fancy timbers. I couldn’t take an accurate mental picture of what those cottages could be used for but one thing was for sure, it would only take a little time to find out. Then at my front, stood a very mighty red bungalow house with a very sharp roofing structure. I guessed that it might be the main house. It would be very difficult to tell which pack House had the most spacious environment between the Octavian and the Blood moon because they both had a massive compound.
Simon stopped and looked back at me, regarding me with a pensive gaze. “Are you going to stand there all day?” he asked. “Or are you going to follow me so I would show you your room?”
I followed him without saying a word. I wasn’t just comfortable engaging myself in any conversation. He led me into one of the rooms inside the bungalow. But before that, we came through a long lobby that had several other rooms on opposite sides. “Here is your room.” He gestured with his hand. He opened a door and held it halfway. I looked inside the room. It was more like a store than a room. What the fuck? No TV, no Fridge, no AC, not even a radio. The only thing I saw was a wardrobe hanger where I could keep my clothes. An old red rug lay on the floor from one end to the other and a small bed almost occupied the remaining space in the room. Double old windows threw light inside the room and the iron protector guarding the window was old and rusty.
“Did you just say this is my room?” I asked, surprised at what I saw.
He nodded. “Yah.”
“C’mon, tell me you are joking.” Out of frustration, my bag fell free on the rug without even my permission.
Simon raised his brows but didn’t say a word I could hear. He was just too annoying. “It is too small and it won’t be comfortable for me. I need something bigger than this. At least I need a room with a mirror.”
“There are rooms with mirrors smaller than this,” he said. “If you want them, I could show you.”
What? A room smaller than this? “No. No. Thanks.” I bit my lips and rubbed them against each other, frustrated.
“If there would be anything else you would need, like taking your bath then. . . you will need to use that telephone on the desk. Press 1 and someone will be here shortly.”
I glanced at the telephone on the desk. “And if there will be anything else I will need apart from taking my bath, what should I do?”
“I will leave you now.”
Leaving already? “Please, wait.”
He stopped. “Yes?”
“What happens when I want to use the toilet?”
He glared at me for a second. “Is that question necessary?”
I nodded.
“Then press 1.”
When he turned and finally wanted to leave, I said, “Remember to shave off your whiskers, Simon.” I smiled. “You look like a grandpa.”
He looked back at me, his brows aligned and his cheekbone tightened up. He was obviously angered by my statement. But apart from this facial expression, he didn’t react further. He just turned and left.
I had no choice but to manage the room as I had seen it. I didn’t think it was my fault because since I was a kid, I had enjoyed luxury. I had lived a luxurious life and it kind of had affected my lifestyle. I began to unload my belongings, packing my clothes into the shelf and arranging things the way I wanted them to be. But a notion hit me. Who was Simon?
I sat back on the bed and began to think: Was he the Alpha of the Blood moon pack? I would be dammed if he was because I really, really dislike him. There’s absolutely no way I could stay with someone as annoying as that. But then again, could he be the man that had saved me on the night Stephanie was killed? It should be him, I thought.
Sitting on the bed, I closed my eyes for a while. I tried to focus my senses on my memory. I was good at concentrating and focusing on things. I could use my abilities to focus on certain things ordinary people would find difficult to do. Apart from turning into a wolf- which was still difficult for me but not impossible, I could use my senses alone to hear noises as soft as footsteps- a few hundred meters away. And I will be able to tell exactly where the noise is coming from. Turning into a creature of four legs would even go a long way in increasing my chances. My eyes would see hazy images even in the dark in a way more detailing than you can ever imagine- even in the darkest night. It was time to use it, I thought. I tried to remember the face of the man who had saved me, the man who had helped me kill Eric. But I failed. The more I tried to remember, the more the images became confusing. It didn’t surprise me because on that night, I was too blown off. My head ached really bad. The useless Eric must have hit me so hard that I should have died right on the spot. I had hoped I would find out soon. Yes, I remembered I had perceived a scent. It was a scent of a mate. The scent was strong that my wolf almost escaped from my body. I had never felt that way. I mean my body ached from cold and my body shivered as I noticed his presence. Why didn’t I feel that way with Simon? If he was to be the person who had saved me, why didn’t I perceive the scent? Or could it have been another person? Who was this ghost? I went back to sorting my clothes. “Wait. What’s that smell?” I asked myself loudly. “Rotten eggs?” I held my nose tight.
I hunkered down on my knees and began to look around. I glanced through every corner until I found what I was looking for. A rat. A dead rat. “Holy shit.” I pressed on my nose with my hands.
Drake’s POV
My heart rhythm had changed immediately that girl entered here. I had even noticed it even when I had not seen her yet. This would go a long way to mean that she was just more than a random girl to me. This would mean that she was more than that.
Someone knocked at the door. It didn’t take me time to find out who that was. He had a strong scent. “Come in,” I said. I was still looking out through the window. I had drawn the curtain to see the new beautiful lady when she entered the packhouse.
“I’m back, Alpha,” Simon said. I still didn’t turn to look at him. “She is here.”
“I know.” I exhaled and turned around. “Do you think she’s ready?”
He shook his head. Simon made himself comfortable on a chair beside my bed and stretched out his hands and relaxed them on the arms of the chair. “That girl is just unpredictable. I just can’t say anything sure about her.”
I smiled. “You can’t? Why did you say so?”
“She. . . she threatened to call me a deaf and dump mannerless scallywag. Can you imagine that?” Simon asked, one palm stretched out- a questioning gesture.
I tried to hide the laughter in a cough but I decided against it. I laughed out loud. I mean, I had never seen Simon this funny- he rarely complains. “And what did you tell her?”
“What did you want me to tell her?” he asked. “I shrug it off, of course.”
“Better.”
“Yeah. I think she should stay there more than you had originally intended. Maybe she would learn some manners if she does not get to be going out from her locker.”
“You mean the room?”
“Yes, the room. If you would keep her there, she would value freedom when she sees one. Secondly, she would also know that there is a degree to freedom of speech. She would learn how to guide her tongue too.”
I smiled again. “I did not intend to keep her there because I wanted to merely punish her for the fun of it. No. I put her there because I want her to learn some basic skills others learnt when they first came to this packhouse. She needs training and not punishment.”
Simon twitched his lips and scratched at his whiskers. I knew this wasn’t what he needed to hear. I had reasons to believe that Simon didn’t like the girl because of what she might do to me. Or the effects her presence would cause me. Simon and I had argued before that the presence of a Luna on an Alpha’s life weakens an Alpha. Though I had a contrasting view and I had won the argument. He didn’t seem like he would be yielding to the notion anytime soon. C’mon, an Alpha is considered whole and complete when he has a Luna. But it seemed like my beta didn’t agree.
Simon drew out a stick of cigarette from his pocket and lit it. “From your observation, do you think she was able to recognize who it was that saved her on the day the girl died?” I asked.
He allowed himself to puff away some good amount of smoke from his lips before he finally began to speak. “I think she was able to recognize me as someone who had paid for her bills before. That kind of surprised me,” Simon said. He popped another smoke. “But for the person that saved her life, I think she doesn’t have those answers, yet. She ain’t that fucking smart.”
“I see.” I paced around for a very few seconds. “I think she still doesn’t know who the Alpha of the Blood moon pack is.”
“O-kay,” Simon whined. “So, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think I won’t be revealing myself now to her. I will only get to reveal myself to her when the time is right.”
“Hmm.” His brows aligned. “I still don’t get you. What do you mean by when the time is right? How is anyone or she supposed to know when the time is right?”
“That’s not your problem to worry about,” I said. “I think she would need to find the answers herself. I want to know the type of Luna I brought home.”
Simon nodded and frowned as well. “You can kick me in the ass later, Alpha,” he said. “But what do you wish to achieve with such move?” he asked in a monotone.
“I was expecting that from you,” I told him. “I want my Luna to be a smart-ass kind of Luna and not some bitchy lunatic. Time will tell though.”
He raised both shoulders and let them relax. “Well, that’s up to you, Alpha.” He put in the cigar in between his lips again and drew in some smoke. “I have played my part here.”
“No.” I disagreed. “For now, you need to be observing her until she has passed every necessary test. Alright?”
“Why me?”
“Since you don’t like her, you will have no weakness for her. Therefore, you are the only person who I trust enough to bring me an accurate result of her progress.”
“And how would you know that sentiments won’t becloud my judgement?”
“Well, I don’t know you as someone who would do such.” I smiled at him.
He waved his hand carelessly on the air. “Whatever.”