Tied By The Moon | Editing

Chapter 6

"Alastrine, are you sure you want to do this?"

The pack members had all gathered around us, their eyes alight with anticipation, their wolves shining through as they watched.

My brother, who was standing next to me, didn't need me to answer him. He already knew I wasn't going to back down, not after what the Alpha had done.

I briefly glanced to the side where my father was being treated by the pack doctors, the large gash on his side leaking onto the floor with blood. A stab of guilt went through me as I realised I caused that, my defiance always got in the way of my reasoning.

The Alpha's scent wafted into my nose; a foul mixture of blood lust and dominance, if I were someone else I'd be tuck tailed and belly up, submissive. But my wolf and I were craving the closure that only my Alpha's blood would diminish, and we were going to get it.

-

A harsh jab to my knee startled me from my memory, and I looked up to see the Alpha, Orion, giving me a pointed look and flickering his eyes between me and another girl that looked to be around my age.

All the pack members around the table were looking at me with scepticism except the girl, who looked upon me with hopefulness instead.

"My apologies, I was lost in my own thoughts," I said to her.

She nodded, her short hair bouncing upon her shoulders. She looked to have Indian heritage - with copper coloured skin and black hair - and that was immediately justified as she spoke with the slightest accent.

"No worries, I was just wondering if I could show you around?" She asked.

The pack members all looked around, expecting me to look to the Alpha for a decision. He was to decide if I could go, thus showing his dominance over me in the presence of his esteemed pack members.

Quickly, before Orion could make a decision, I nodded at the girl, a warm smile taking over my face.

"That would be very appreciated, thank you," I answered.

The smell of the Alpha's anger wafted into the air, tinting the atmosphere with a fire that could not be put out. The pack members squirmed and writhed in their chairs, their wolves greatly affected by their Alpha's anger.
I remained content and relaxed in my own seat, yet my wolf paced anxiously in my head. Out of the two of us, she was the one most affected by him, and I hated that.

After the lunch Orion - I was still getting used to his name - disappeared somewhere and left me in the hands of the girl. She seemed hesitant to show me around after seeing how angry Orion was, but after assuring her that she would be fine, she finally gave in.

"This is where our males come to train each day." She - who I now knew was called Anya - explained, pointing to a large area of grasslands.

A few men were in wolf form, sparring with each other whilst others stayed as humans and trained with knives. They all stopped to stare, some of them hostile and narrowing their eyes, whilst others nodded at me in recognition.

Anya led me through the forest that hosted training for amateurs, a large mesh of spruce trees and vibrant bushes. It gave my wolf a sense of home, and she whined inside me, longing to be back with our companions and away from here.

After a while of walking, we passed a building heavily fortified with men and wolves, their muscles tense and their faces expressionless.

I immediately knew what the building was for, it gave me the same eerie feeling as when I was put in, and I could faintly smell the blood and fear pouring out of it.

A Bastille.

My wolf tensed her muscles, scratching at me to turn away from the dreadful place. I obliged with ease, quickly pulling Anya away before she could further explain to me what it was, which I already knew. The scent of fear flowed out of my lungs like waves, earning a surprised look from Anya as I hurried her away. The Bastille at my old pack held too many memories, ones that I vowed would never surface because of the pain that came with them.

My wolf made herself small, less conspicuous, her ears were flattened against her head, with her tail tucked between her legs. Small whimpering sounds were coming from her mouth, and I could seldom do anything to stop her lest I was feeling the same thing.

"Alpha Female?" Anya called.

I hadn't noticed she'd walked off without me, her scent slightly faded at the distance. I forced my wolf to shake off her fear and hurried over to Anya, sending her a forced smile and heading in the general direction of anywhere but the Bastille.

The trees on either side of us got scarcer, leaving flatlands that were matted with weight. There were blood splats and overturned trees around this new area, with the looming scent of defeat and victory dancing around it.
"This is where aggressive wolves are dominated." She explained with a shudder.

I nodded, it explained the state of it. The act of dominating a contumacious wolf was a gruelling one, often filled with many heated fights in an attempt to break them. Even more with the stubbornly perverse ones - like me - the ones that were harder to dominate and often took whipping to put them in their place.

"A lot of them around?" I asked, kicking the ground with the nose of my shoe.

She nodded, mist wisping out from her mouth as she spoke. "Many, unmated males and females like to cause trouble during heat."

A shiver ran through her and I realised she was getting cold, the warm and tepid afternoon sun had given way to the gelid night, leaving us in dim moonlight and very few passersby.

"Your family awaits your return, no?" I asked, rubbing my arms.

A bereaved expression took over her face, one that ignited a tinge of pain I wanted to put out.

"I have no family." She said.

I nodded. "My condolences, I didn't realise."

She muttered something under her breath, picking up her pace and leading us back to the pack house. Its dark oak wood and large frame seemed to come alive in the effulgence, the windows sparkling as if it were an old friend, the steps cracked as if their wisdom increased with each year.

As Anya left my presence with a sullen mood, my wolf and I silently agreed I'd make it my duty to stay friends with her.

-

Bastille - Any prison or jail, especially one conducted in a tyrannical way.

QOTC - In the first few paragraphs at the top there's an insight into Alastrine's past life, what do you think she's doing?

Chuck in a vote?