Vexed

15: Dizzy

It was like a mental block. My mind was being fed details, but my brain was taking far too long to process it all. Today was finally the day. The chain of commands in the Valentino pack will be officially shifted after today's ceremony. Although according to the processed paperwork, I no longer held the title of Beta. I was just a werewolf in the royal Valentino bloodline.

Astrid and Kay had helped me with last-minute packing. At a point, they took out everything from my suitcases to readjust things. In those couple of hours, I thought I will have to end up in the Zonarus territory with one set of clothes and a bad attitude. I am not as big on fashion as Matteo and Jaquelin, but I held my style dear to me.

For some reason, the closer I got to today, the more work presented itself to me. Skylar and Josh also got involved. They did their best to help me, but quite a few information was sensitive to the Valentino pack and required me to handle it alone.

Everyone had been extremely helpful and willingly supported me through these chaotic days. With everything that has been going on, I barely had any time to rest. My sleep schedule got worse and that was saying something. Somehow, I didn't feel tired, but I had the sense that all the exhaustion would eventually catch up to me. Maybe I will finally get some sleep in the thirteen-hour flight, tomorrow.

"Why can't I stay?" Giorgia asked pouting. She was holding onto Andre's hand, but I could sense that my niece wanted to come and hug me. However, I also knew she wouldn't let go if she did.

I scooted down and ruffled her hair, "it's just boring stuff, Nugget. You won't miss much."

"But I want to be here for you," she whined. Her cute nostrils flared up. I leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. My eyes were closed, and I found myself thinking that this could be the last time I did this.

The ceremony to strip off someone's title has had casualties before. Even though I didn't ask, I was assured by the Elder of the Valentino pack that the ritual would be as painless as possible. However, amidst saying my farewell to the people in the pack, I found myself going the extra mile to part ways with everyone. Just in case anything happened to me during the ceremony.

"You will be here for me, just not physically. I'll come to see you before I leave okay?"

Giorgia was having an internal struggle but in the end, she agreed and allowed Andre to walk her away. I didn't want her to see me when I would be writhing in pain. That kind of thing traumatizes people and I am going to keep her as secure as I possibly can.

I stood up and turned around to look at my audience for the ceremony. Matteo, Jaquelin, Astrid, Kay, Josh, and Skylar. Except for Jaquelin and Matteo, the others waved at me and moved to enter the spectacle room. Unlike how this ritual usually went, we didn't authorize a big audience. I was allowed to keep my dignity intact. Werewolves who got their titles stripped are considered traitors and hence during the ceremony, there is a huge spectacle. It is used to serve as an example of what happens to those who betray the pack. My situation was vastly different, but I felt horrible regardless of the fact.

"I'm going to join them in the other room," Jaquelin announced.

It was close to three in the afternoon. I had twenty-nine hours before my flight. We were running a little behind schedule. It was due to the people of the pack who were waiting for me at the entrance of the ceremonial building we were in. While we were entering, they wished me the best of luck or asked me to stay strong.

Once it was only Matteo and me in the room, he cleared his throat. I smacked my hands over my mouth and pressed on it.

"I think I am going to puke," I mumbled as I suppressed a dry heave.