Octavia

Octavia: Chapter Seven

    "Are you stupid?" I was lifted from the tub and a towel was thrown onto my body, to which I wrapped around myself before Alakey could see my naked body. My mind was half asleep but my body was on guard, ready for what was about to follow. The running of water stopped and I looked around at the mess. There was water all over the floor. I had fallen asleep and forgot to turn the water off.

My wet hair clung to my back and chest, "I'm sorry." Alakey snarled at me before turning away.

"Don't be stupid next time." He left with the slam of the bathroom door. Damn you Alakey. My face returned to normal once his scent was out of my room. Slightly embarrassed, I looked around the room. My eyes caught my reflection in the mirror, had Alakey seen my naked body?

"I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have been gone long, a few maids stopped me and I got caught up in the conversation." Emerald ranted on as we sat in my room.

"It's fine." It really was, I wasn't worried about the situation and truth be told I never was. At first I was startled but really the only thing I was concerned about was the fact that I was naked.

"I promise it won't happen again."

"Jess, I'm not your princess anymore. Quit apologizing." I addressed her by her real name to let her know I was serious. As of right now, I had nothing to do with my father's kingdom.

Her face dropped for a moment, "Okay."

"You must get ready for dinner. The wolves who live in the castle eat with the Alpha. Now, go get dressed, I laid some fresh clothes out. Find me before dinner, there are rules we must discuss."

Emerald left quickly, obviously in a hurry for something. The clothes she left for me were stacked in a neat pile on the end of the bed. I pulled the cotton panties over my legs before covering them with the black leggings. I was left without a bra but the sweater she chose wasn't too clingy so you could hardly tell I wasn't wearing a bra.

"You are not permitted to leave your room without direct orders from the Alpha." I stared annoyingly at the tall guards who blocked my exit. They were stationed outside my bedroom door, making it hard for me to get by.

"Emerald has orders from the Alpha. She told me to meet her before dinner, said that we had to go over some rules." The men briefly paused, looking at each other as if one was supposed to give the another clearance. Unsure of what to do, hesitantly, they stepped to the aside. "If you are found without Emerald, you will be sent to the cells."

I pushed passed the large dummies and made my way through the hall. Where exactly was I supposed to meet Emerald? Realizing that she never mentioned where to find her, I searched the halls and rooms of this massive house.

As I was giving up, a red haired beauty came around the corner. "You're supposed to be with Em." Em?

"I know. I can't find her."

She gave me a look before turning on her heels, "Come on." I followed her closely. I watch her red curls bounce, her hips swaying naturally. How come I never learned about her? She wasn't ever mentioned in my classes. Who was she, and why did she seem like she had some sort of power over this pack? More importantly, who was she to Alakey? The last thing I needed was a stupid girl in the way.

As we came to a new room, the dining room, she pointed to an empty chair. "Don't talk unless spoken to."  I took my seat and stared at the long empty table. Chairs were placed side by side except for the two ends of the table, which each had one chair. Soon enough pack members begin to fill the chairs. No one gave me a second glance as the table filled up. I expected people to be talking but no one said a word.

I scanned the line of people for Emerald. The blonde haired girl sat halfway down the table on the opposite side from me. Her bottom lip was pulled into her mouth as she chewed on it nervously. She hasn't seen me yet. I was about to say her name but the new presence in the room caused me to bite my tongue. Alakey took his seat at the end of the table, and red took the other. All at once, everyone but me bowed their heads in respect.

A snarl pulled my attention to the end of the table. Red was glaring at me, waiting for me to show respect for her Alpha. I didn't have too, he wasn't my Alpha yet. But, I had to earn his trust. I dropped my head in submission. The servers carried in platters of food and lined them down the table.

"Eat." I pulled my head back up with everyone else and listened as forks begin to clatter and people sipped from their glasses. The amount of food would have seemed ridiculous if there wasn't so many people here. The platters were piled high with grilled chicken, baked chicken, barbecue chicken, salad, biscuits, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and what seems like a hundred more stuff. I pulled a few pieces of grilled chicken onto my plate.

No one said a word as they ate. It was quite annoying seeing how all you could hear was the chewing of someone's food. I ate my food quickly, wanting to leave.

"Yeah, she's a filthy rogue. How did she even cross our borders without dying mid-shift?" I listened as two men spoke about me as if I wasn't three chairs away from them.

"I have no clue but she's strong I'll give her that."

"Still doesn't explain why the bitch is here. Rogues aren't welcome here. They are trash and she belongs in the dump. I'm sure Alakey or a few others will have their way with her before sending her where her kind belongs."

"Excuse me you pigheaded fools, I'm sitting five feet from you."

Well, that caught the attention of everyone in the room.

"Why you little mutt." One of the men growled at me. I was about to growl back but I remembered my place. This wasn't the place or time to start shit.

Emerald wore a worried look as Alakey's eyes landed on me. "You will you not say another word."

Several minutes had passed and dinner was finally over. No one had moved from their seat, so I took it was my invitation to start the chain reaction. Inside of following me, not a single person moved. The worried look Emerald had earlier was nothing compared to the fear on her face now. Should I not have stood up?

Alakey pushes back and his chair so that he's able to stand, "Everyone may leave. Except the rogue." Everyone left the dining hall quickly and in seconds it was just me and Alakey. Emerald shot me a panicky expression as she followed her Alpha's instructions. I knew she was worried out of her mind about me.

I stared at the vile Alpha as he approached me slowly. He stood a foot away from me, staring straight into me, "You don't listen to instructions well."

My face twisted in confusion, "I'm sorry Alpha, but what exactly do you mean?" I knew he called bullshit.

"The instructions you were given. I like to eat my dinner in peace. A few have permission to speak as they please but wolves like you do not speak unless spoken to, especially during dinner. Those men that were conversing, they had permission to talk about whatever they wanted whether it was the weather or you. If they wanted to talk about what your body would look like strung up or ripped apart, I do not care. If they wanted to talk about what your body would like naked and ravished, I would not care. And neither will you, or at least you will not voice it. You will sit there and listen."

To say I was appalled was a major understatement. I was absolutely outraged and everything inside of me screamed to rip this bastard apart. But sadly, I had to discard those feelings for the sake of my mission.

My teeth scraped against each other and I plastered a fake smile, "Yes Alpha." I didn't forget to bow my head in submission. This was humiliating. I was humiliated by a man that was nothing more than dirt on my shoe.

He didn't say anything. Instead he stared at me with blank eyes. It felt like he was waiting for me to do something. Did he expect me to have a different reaction? Did he expect me to run crying or flip out on him? Neither would happen. I have too much pride to let this bastard make me cry.  And if that was his mission, he would never succeed. I had been through shit that no one else could even imagine. And I'll be dammed if I let some dog make me cry.

"Your trials will begin tomorrow." Without anything else he moved past me and out of the room.