That words from her lips gave me hope, gave me the strength that I longed for. It offered something I thought I needed most at the moment. S U P P O R T. We do in most cases neglect the importance of spoken words. I do that most of the time. I am guilty of using words the way I like them without putting into consideration what it would mean to the person you are talking to. But this isn’t the reality. Words could go a long way in healing wounds, scars, failed relationships, suicidal thoughts, or even its tendencies. Cynthia unknowingly proved this to me.
I followed Cynthia, walking slowly behind her. She led me through a long hall that stopped at a big double door which led to the dining room. The door was wound with thorns around the frame and then at the center of the twin doors, was a full moon drawn with colour red. The image sent a jolt down me and it made me start regurgitating on something I never considered important before.
Blood Moon?
Why the name? Why? Why? I brushed the thought aside quickly. I didn’t want it to add to the list of my worries. I have had a lot to worry about anyway. Cynthia knocked thrice in a fashion I think gave me the impression that she had just given anyone inside an entry code. The door rattled and finally swung open. I sighed before I entered. I looked inside, I saw Drake, sitting, dressed in a red ceremonial suit, his fleckless brown hair relaxed back at his back. His oblique emerald eyes almost made me lose it right there. I buried my gaze on him and in return he rested his on mine. I could have almost forgotten the reason why I had come to the room if he didn’t end up smiling at me. Having done that, I glanced across the other people around the table. Beside the Alpha who sitted at the end of the table, was an empty chair. The chair was closer to him than every other chair around the table. Simon sitted close to the Alpha at his left but not closer than the empty seat at the Alpha’s right. Across the twelve seats around the table, women occupied more seats than men even though two more seats remained empty- except the chair behind the Alpha.
Cynthia left me and walked over to one of the two empty seats and made herself comfortable. I didn’t take note of the person who had opened the door for us when we entered until I heard, “You are welcome, Honoured Luna,” the smooth, glamourous female voice said, “This is Princy at your service.”
I flinched for a while and looked aside, I saw a beautiful blonde girl, dressed in a silky blouse, detoured stylishly somewhere around her waist. She might be of the same height as my deceased friend; Stephanie. This girl isn’t just beautiful. She’s beautiful beyond the flare of humans. I looked into her gray-blue eyes, they looked burningly attractive. I supposed her name was Princy from what I heard her say or maybe not. “Hi.” I waved my hand nervously.
She responded by smiling but no teeth shown and no words muttered. She bowed and looked down at the tiled floor before she finally raised her eyes back at me. “Honoured Luna,” she said, her beautiful voice echoing in the big dining room. “The empty seat behind the Alpha is waiting for you.” She gestured with one arm. I glanced up at the empty seat and then shifted the gaze back to the Alpha. I had never seen him that attractive. He looked like a Navy General in blue. He wore a smile that made me less nervous. I smiled back at him and then nodded back at Princy before I gently walked over to the empty chair beside the Alpha. Before I could sit down, he stood up and adjusted the seat for me so I could fit in comfortably.
“Thank you,” I said and smiled. His perfume smelt nice and I had to sniff it in more than once- though discreetly. I glanced up at him and I became overwhelmed with slow shivers that caught short my breadth. I didn’t like trading a close glance with him because I only end up with dangerous thoughts that are appealing if I were to be with him alone in a bed.
“You are not welcome,” he whispered to me and choked on a laugh.
I could have laughed too but I couldn’t. I didn’t have much comfort left because the faces I was seeing didn’t leave me with that choice. The women sitting on the chairs wore official expressions on their faces when I tried to look at them. The four men, apart from Simon, were none I had seen anywhere before in my entire life. It struck me when I remembered that all these people were werewolves, their scents oozed together in the room. And from the way I see it, they weren’t just any type of werewolf. They probably were among the decision-making part of the Blood Moon pack. If they were to be here in the dinner hall, while the rest were probably left out- the rest like Bridget, then it meant one thing; they are probably good, one way or the other. Drake wouldn’t have chosen them if they didn’t have one or more things to offer.
This was probably meant to be a good thing, right? Guess so. But to me, that instant, it wasn’t. It might come as a good thing later, but not right there. I had a sunken feeling that I was amid professionals. Masters. Examiners. Judges, top officials, or something of that nature. And then, it struck me, hard, that I had to conduct myself in the most modest way as possible any woman could dim fit.
Eyes were on me. To be honest, I loved it when people look at me but this was not the case. To be more literal, not today. I didn’t find a fun looking around the faces in the room. But one thing about me is, I try to manage things. I manage situations even when they try to get ugly. I tried to remain myself. I fought against allowing my body to shake beyond my control.
Drake leaned closer and whispered to my ear. “Introduce yourself.”
I stood from the chair, inclined my head in a respectful bow, and then said, “Good evening everyone. I am appalled to be in your midst today.” I raised my head and willed it in an effort to look at everyone’s faces. Among the seven women in the room, only Princy and Cynthia looked younger. The other five were probably in their early fourties or perhaps fifties. Even as they were all sitting, they looked tall and elegant, pretty too. Some of them wore nice makeup but it didn’t help in making their faces any friendly. All the other men in the room seemed they were in the age bracket with the Alpha. Simon too was looking good, his whiskers combed and his hair dyed in golden brown. He had a stack of unlit cigarettes in his mouth. Princy walked from the door and went over to the remaining seat, she made herself comfortable. Since I was done with the job of looking at their faces, I decided to continue. “My name is Thelma Richards, the daughter of Alpha Lucas Richards.” One of the women, white long hair knotted at her back, brows of white, shot me a hard glance as I mentioned my father’s name. She scribbled in some words into a small notebook she concealed on her laps. To be honest, I wish I knew what she had written in there. Even my abilities as a werewolf didn’t give me that permission so it was useless to use it.
One of the women stood up, she was nicely dressed in a mourning black gown that had no design or carvings on it. Her charcoal hair hung short on her face but more straightened and taller at her nape. Her lips were razor-sharp and so was her gaze. I swallowed as her gaze fell on me but I didn’t look away.
“I have heard much about your father and I have had the honour to be in a meet with him in recent time,” the lady spoke with a lucid voice that sounded motherly-like. Her English was neat and central. “My name is Cecily and I am a prefect,” she said. “You and your father seem like you have a lot in common if I retain my memories right.”
I smiled. For fuck’s sake, that was the polite thing to do. I wish she knew that I probably didn’t give a fuck if I looked like my father or not. There was no plan to tell her anyway. “The Alpha had told us about you, though the information came on a quick notice. Looking over the people seated around this table, you could call them ‘council of twelve.'” She afforded me the time to frankly look around the table once more, I did. “They are part and parcel of our great pack and they help in the decision makings here, and choosing a Luna is one of them.” I thought that this was going to be a dinner where we’d all eat, laugh, chat, get to know each other, and then probably get drunk. But I thought useless. “In order not to muddle up things here, the Alpha made room for the creation of this council and brought out a mandate that empowered everyone here with the power to choose to agree with or against something when issues bedeviling the growth of this pack are thrown at this table. Under my authority as a Prefect of this great council, I am bound with the task of conducting a vote void of irregularity but mowed with truth and transparency. In order words, before we could move to the main thing, we must know if more than half of the council members accept your Lunarship. If the odds turn out to be in your favour then we will all bow to you like our new mother but if it doesn’t, then there are only two things that could happen.”
I waited for her to say what would happen if I failed to meet up with their target but she failed to say it. I was starting to get impatient. “What are the two things that could happen if I may ask?”
Cecily shot me a non-emotionless glance and pulled her hair down at her nape. “If you failed to pass the test then you will leave the packhouse at once at first light.” I gulped down, shivers caging up my ribs. The sight of the thought in my memory almost stopped me from breathing. This woman looked serious and there was nothing in the way she conveyed herself that spoke otherwise. But then what was the second option?
As though she was in my mind, she decided to continue. “Holy dear,” she said. “If you are then lucky, the Alpha could override the whole thing and perhaps ask the honorable members of the council to afford you more time to redeem yourself.” I let out a soothing breath, feeling a little bit relieved. “But again, let us both get things straight here. In case you don’t like any of these, then you can let us know before we continue the whole process. It is within your reserved right to choose not to participate and then chicken out before we proceed.”
“Of course, I’m-I’m ready. I am ready.”