Lazarus

Chapter 9

I gave her a bored expression, I'm far from in the mood to plan my supposed luna ceremony. If I were, to be honest, what we decide to do shouldn't be anyone's business. However, it's not my call and I refuse to ever disrespect the council. I have heard horror stories of how they handle disrespectful werewolves, they don't discriminate between rogues and pack wolves either. If you mouth off to them, attack them, slander them, whatever it is that is deemed as rude, they take care of you. Not in a gentle way either, I have heard of others returning without their tongues before. Though, I'm sure they were dramatized rumors which many werewolves are known for.

"Earth to Persephone," Alex sounded.

I frowned, my thoughts switching quickly to how much I loathed my name. I know my parents loved Greek mythology, but why did they have to make me suffer from it? Why couldn't they give me a normal name, like Sarah or even Stephanie. That's close to Persephone.

"Persephone?"

I blinked, I should probably answer her so she doesn't take me to the infirmary, claiming I was brain dead. Letting out a tired breath I slowly sat up in my bed and threw my hair into a messy bun.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

She sighed in relief, "I was beginning to panic for a moment there, I was close to bringing Lazarus in."

"I would probably kill you if you did."

"Yeah, I choose life today. So anyway, we need to figure out a dress for you. Now, you know during a luna ceremony you wear a white dress. So, I-

"I want a black dress."

Alex froze as she stared at me in shock, "Black?"

"Yes, I'm not celebrating a new beginning with him. It's a funeral for my freedom and I want him to know how I feel about this."

"He'll kill me," she whispered, her eyes reflecting her fear of him.

I frowned, "No, he won't. I'll take the full blame."

She was silent for a moment, contemplating her options while nervously biting her bottom lip. After what felt like a decade, she finally nodded slowly, still uncertain.

"I have never disobeyed my alpha like this," she said softly. "But if it's what you truly want, then I'll make the exception."

"Guys!"

We both snapped our attention to Margaret as she stumbled towards us, panicking. We moved to ask her why she was so pale, but she quickly put her hands on our mouths to silence us.

"The council is here, well, two of them."

My eyes widened, "Why?"

"To ensure there will be a Luna ceremony. Apparently, Alpha Jared had said something."

"About what?" I quizzed, growing anxious at my father's name.

Questions swarmed through my mind, the thought of him potentially reporting me being the main one. I know my parents can be cruel when they wanted to and reporting me to the council so we would all be investigated is a trick they'd use. The very idea had my heart pounding against my chest as if it were begging to escape as my legs itched to run. I could feel my wolf stir deep within, apprehensive of the reason for their visit, knowing they weren't people to take lightly.

The council isn't some group of older werewolves, they're descendants of royals. The royals were known to be larger than a regular werewolf, their strength was that of a hundred men, and their speed unmatched. They can be a descendant from anything ranging from king/queen to a gentleman/lady and are normally trained their entire lives. Like the humans have their royals still in England, we still have our own in this world and it's horrendous. However, I guess someone has to stay in control of all the packs, or else the wars would be overwhelming. Even so, I dread needing to personally meet them while hiding the true reason behind this ceremony. However, if I told them what Lazarus was doing I could potentially get him in trouble and escape.

Is Lazarus really who you're running from though?

I froze as Alex and Margaret continued talking about which members were visiting, their names barely reaching my eardrums. The silent question that delicately floated through my mind was baffling, to say the least, I can only assume it's possibly my wolf's thoughts but I knew better. I shoved the ridiculous thought from my mind; of course, I'm running from him. He's the one who's keeping me prisoner, here, my parents are just something I want to avoid.

"Persephone, you okay?"

I slowly looked at Margaret, my resentment for my name returning. However, I swallowed the irrelevant thought, knowing I needed to control my thoughts. Without my medication, it's growing more difficult to stop the explosive thoughts that swam through my mind. I could barely think straight, my brain almost always in flight or fight as I walked through the halls or sat in my bedroom. Taking a deep breath, I forced a smile and nodded.

"As good as I can be when I'm here," I replied softly, earning a frown from them.

Alexandra clapped her hands together, "Well, enough talk of the council being here. We have a dress to find, you two get dressed so we can go to the mall."

"I'm allowed out of the territory?" I mumbled.

Alex rolled her eyes, "Get dressed."

A/N: Totally watching Moana while doing this