Thelma’s POV
I thought I used to be that tough Thelma who hardly takes shit from ANYONE. I don’t think anymore. Recently, some things had made me start wondering if I had been deceiving myself about the whole strong-headed girl thing or if I was slowly turning into another the opposite. The crazy white-haired old woman had just talked crazy to me. I hadn’t been able to shake off her message from my head. It kept bothering me even when I thought it shouldn’t. I had tried to solve the puzzle in my head but it wasn’t working. I thought the best thing to do was to go to the bathroom and take my bath.
I did. After I have had my bath, I tried to change into something new. I was in the process of doing so when a gentle knock came at my door. As gentle as the sound came, I almost shivered when I heard it. “Who’s there?” I snarled.
“It’s me, Cynthia.”
I breathed, a little bit relieved. I went to the door and opened it for her. “Come in, Please.” She had changed into something different other than the one I saw her wearing last night.
“Good morning, Luna.” She smiled at me and walked inside.
“Good morning, dear,” I said and closed the door. I regarded her for some moment until I saw her flat expression change into worried concern. “You don’t need to be calling me Luna. My name is, Thelma,” I told her. “Honestly, I feel more relaxed when someone addresses me with my name.”
Cynthia looked into my eyes, the concerned expression fading away. I nurtured a feeling that she wasn’t going to do as told. “You don’t need to worry about the name. You will soon get used to it,” she said. “I have to inquire from you if would willing to eat your breakfast here in your room or the dining room.”
Breakfast? That sounded nice. “Oh, yeah. That’s nice. what difference would it make?”
“If you need it here in your room, then the Alpha would have to eat alone but then if you want it in the dinner hall, then you will have to sit next to him and have your breakfast.”
Oh. I did want to eat with the Alpha. “The dinner room it is then.” I smiled.
She nodded and turned. I suddenly remembered something. “Can I have a word with you?” I said.
She frowned when she turned to look at me but it didn’t last.
“Just a minute long. Won’t take that long.”
She studied me for a while before she nodded feebly. I gestured to the leather chair beside my bed. She sat down while I went to the door. I fastened the bolt and made sure it closed. I went back to Cynthia. “You know the white-haired woman from last night?”
She frowned. “The white-haired woman?”
“Oh yes. Audrey, you did remember her right?”
“Oh! I did,” she said. “What’s wrong with her?”
I didn’t want to lash out my anger that moment explaining what Audrey might have done or not done. The right thing to do was to shout, scream, shriek if I could. But I didn’t. I controlled myself instead. “Who is she?” I asked.
“Who is she?” she raised her brows, confused.
“I mean who is she to the pack?”
“She is a member of the pack as I am a member.”
I nodded. “I understand that part even without being told, alright? What I mean is, this woman behaved as if she had had an encounter with me before or something close to that regard. So, I wanted to know where the problem came from.”
“Oh,” left Cynthia’s lips. She smiled too, an expression I didn’t quite understand at that point. “Mrs. Audrey is a nice woman. She had been a loyal and respected member of the council of the twelve. She is esteemed just as much as the prefect is honored. She got lots of well-wishers here, friends, pals. She didn’t vote for you doesn’t really mean she is an enemy or something like that.”
I nodded. Of course, it would make a lot of sense if Cynthia defends her friend, I reasoned. I would have done the same for my friend. “How’s she related to the Alpha?” I asked.
“Related?” she raised a brow. “She isn’t related to the Alpha. She is the mother of Bridget. I think you may know her.”
Fuck! I didn’t know how to swallow down the knot I felt in my stomach. How in the universe was this possible? At least, I was just getting to somewhere. Sometimes, you should understand the source of your problem before you will have your ways to come up with a solution. “I see. I think you have given me the answer I wanted. Thank you.”
“Sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Always at your service,” she said and smiled.
“Just let the Alpha know that I will be with him shortly.”
She nodded, stood up, and walked away. I closed the door as she left. I stood beside the door and then began to think of a solution. If Audrey was the mother to Bridget, that automatically makes her my enemy. But then as a respected member of the pack, she should have more than a friend or two loyal friends. She had been here more than me and it would be easier for her to make me an enemy even to some of her friends in the council. That was a big problem. This means that I might probably be facing more than one enemy.
Sweat slowly began to trickle from my head down to my face, my nose, my lips. I took notice of the salty taste but I didn’t care to wipe it off. I felt like reporting this to the Alpha but I wasn’t sure how much trouble I was in. I didn’t want to complicate things. I wouldn’t want to involve the Alpha and earn him a hate medal. Not yet. I wanted to try this on my own. I wanted to fight my troubles. I hurriedly walked to the wardrobe and took a milk coloured lingerie. It looked sexy. I wore it over red underwear and a red bra. I found my way to the dining room this time, unaided.
I met the dinner hall door open. I walked in after a small push. I saw the Alpha sitting on a chair with the table in the middle containing different food varieties I couldn’t count from where I stood. He had changed into a tuxedo red jacket worn over a body-fitted pure white shirt. His belt had been unfastened and his red boxers showed through the zip. He saw me and blinked one eye at me, smiling. He pointed to an empty chair beside him. I tried to smile even though I didn’t feel like doing so. As I approached him, he stood up and adjusted the chair for me. I smiled again and sat at the chair. What a perfect gentleman he was. I had been so blessed.