ROWAN.
“Louisa?!”
At the name, whatever I had planned to say died out.
Turning slowly, I come face to face with a familiar face.
FLASHBACK
“I don’t know how she can still be so calm,” the woman sneered. “If the alpha hated me as much as he does her, I will be finding a way to escape the pack or better still, kill myself.”
“Go away, Melissa,” I mutter at her, as I finish putting away the last of the dishes.
“Oh, look! She speaks! I thought you had grown dumb from the death of people to communicate with.”
“What do you want?” I ask her in a completely bored and detached torn as I turn to face her. “Is there an issue with your panties? You have forgotten how to wash them again? Or wait, maybe it is the mountain of dirty clothes in your room and you have forgotten the way to the laundry.”
A smatter of gasps and giggles echo around us and I watch in mild amusement as her face flushes red in embarrassment.
“Don’t talk to me like that!” She snals as she pushes me against the sink, her hands on my neck. “You are just a wolfless maid!”
“A wolf less maid with better hygiene than you. I get it, you want to be tough but maybe you should think twice before antagonizing the person who cleans your room. A lot of dirty secrets in there to risk, don’t you think?”
The threat is enough to give her pause and then she slowly pulls back.
“Don’t think that just because you have the Luna mothers protection, you can get away with anything!”
“Okay, I won’t.”
My lack of fear seems to aggravate her even more and she gets in my face again, her eyes glinting with malice as she leans down to whisper to me
“One of these days,” she begins, her voice filled with menace. “You would be in a position where you will beg for my mercy and I will kick you to the curb like the worthless bitch you are!”
“I will rather eat glass than beg you for anything Melissa,” I whisper back. “Especially for something you are clearly incapable of.”
PRESENT
Wow.
How times have changed.
Who is at whose mercy now?
“Louisa?” She calls again as she edges closer to peer at my face.
“Hello, Melissa. It is Rowan now,” I tell her, my voice detached and indifferent.
“What?” She asks in a gasp.
“My name. It is Rowan.”
“Rowan… Rowan?!” She exclaims with hereys wide open. “But that is the name of-”
“The leader of this coalition, yes,” Rian supplies for her. “Why don’t you gather the rest of your people and we will make the introductions,” she finishes.
“Ri- right. I… I will go do that – I mean, go get them now.”
We watch as she hurries away, stopping every few steps to turn and look at me.
“Are you okay?” Lisa asks as she lays a hand on my arm.
“Hmm. I knew I was going to meet them but…”
“Knowing something is vastly different from coming face to face with it,” she finishes.
“Hmm.”
“Can you handle it? Handle them?”
“What? A bunch of packless wolves?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t worry about me. I have been handling Melissa long before I left the Obsidian pack.”
“I take it she is not a friend of yours,” Lisa remarks.
“She was one of the many who bullied me in the pack,” I tell her. “She in particular resented me because of the way the Luna mother treated me. She resented the fact that I was wolf less but still held in esteem by her.”
“Ah, so a petty one then,” she mutters.
“Viciously petty,” I say. “We have to watch them. Closely. Just because they had to escape from Dominic doesn’t mean that they are saints. It just means that there was no one else to bully except them.”
“You think they will cause trouble?” Alde asks.
“Yes. Especially now that they know who I am,” I tell them. “Maybe out of fear or jealousy… they might also try to get in contact with dominc in the hopes of getting back in his good graces.”
“Hmm. I will have at least two wolves assigned to them,” he says
“Can we handle the count?”
“It is better to be safe than sorry. Any wrong move from them and they will be instantly kicked out.”
“Hmm. Also, make sure that have no contact or get in close proximity with the sensitive parts of the settlement. I am not above thinking that some of them might be spies.”
“Got it.”
“They are coming,” Rina says and we all look over to see them heading our way, shock and disbelief coloring their faces upon sighting me.
“By your faces,” Lisa begins. “I take it that you all recognize Rowan here.”
There is a low murmur among them before the older woman from before speaks up.
“We do.”
“Good. So, there is no need for long winded introductions. She is the Guia of this settlement and her word is final. Anyone caught deliberately going against them will be thrown out immediately.”
“How do we know you won’t cast us out now?!” A voice calls from the crowd.
“Yeah. You must hate us!”
“I don’t care enough about you to hate you,” I say, my voice calm and controlled. “As far as I am concerned, you all are just a bunch of rogues like all the others and I will treat you as such. You will not be mistreated here but like Lisa said, if you are caught going against the rules of this place, you will be cast out without trial.”
“What about the alpha- I mean Domi – I mean-”
“What about him?’ I demand
“He has been coming here-”
“And? Has he been allowed in?”
“No, but-”
“Then there is no point to that question,” I say. “Dominic is of no importance to me and I am sure he is starting to get that. But I should warn you,” I add, my voice growing darker. “If I should find any of you trying to feed him information about us here, about me. There will be no trial, no casting out. It will be instant death.”