Betrayed

Chapter 12

Zenesha stared at me expecting a reaction, a flight or fight reflex. I couldn't give it to her, I couldn't give her another reason to hate my family. So I took a breath, to clear my head and remind myself who I'm dealing with. To remind myself what I'm dealing with, a girl a few years older than me, who's the ruler of people who already view me as the enemy. I took another break and despite all my desires, no matter how much I wanted to slap that smug grin off her face I couldn't threaten her in front of everyone and she knew it. "Well, consider it noted." Your majesty I almost added. I wanted to roll my eyes or show any kind of sarcasm, but I could feel the eyes on me. She smiles satisfied, "Good, keep him under control and we won't have any problems." I held my tongue what more does she want a curtsy.

I walked over to Cassidy who still stared at her in disgust. "So she can just threaten us and we can do nothing about it." I mumbled. Cassidy sighed, "She's allowed to do anything, she's untouchable". "I don't know what's worse the fact that we have to get used to her or the fact that I'm started to like Kira." Kira risked herself to save me, maybe we could get along after all...sometime.

I moved closer to Cassidy, "What makes her so amazing anyway." I scoffed. I couldn't help but wonder "What do you know about these people?" She seemed as if she despised Zenesha but why? I mean she's rude and very....intense but this runs deeper. There's something she isn't telling me. Cassidy has never kept secrets from me. I looked around and everyone has moved on all setting up for a tradition. There was food being prepared, torches being lit, and children putting facepaint on as the day descended into night. Cassidy hesitated as we begin to look at the different booths yet the stares continued.

The enemies sister..Cassidy sighed, finally opening up. "As children were all told the same story of how are people came to be. And how they split." She paused and we both stopped in front of a booth with drawings each different from the next. Cassidy pointed at one with a woman with a sword breaking chains. "Ravenna, her people see her as the savior of the wolves. Or the mother of the wolves." There was no campassion in Cassidys voice. The next drawing was of chains on the wolves humans mistreating them with weapons. The woman then freed the animals leading them onto there oppressors. As if to represent her freeing her people. "Others see her as nothing more than a woman looking for an excuse to cause violence. Ravenna was the first of the factions to change against our ways." It was the first time I've seen Cassidy so serious.

"What ways?" I whispered. "That we were send her to save the humans. She had other interpretations, she saw the humans as a threat that would turn on us." She truly believed this, that the people surrounding her worship not a savior but a killer. Cassidy looked at me with concern, "These people are savage, using violence as power. You saw them during the trail." Earlier in the trail, they were angry, ready to kill my brother without hesitation...was it emotion or instinct. "So the Narcos just cut them out of your society?" She nodded. My head swarmed with information: she's been told the wolves were nothing more than ruthless killers...but the hunters think that way too. I stared at the people around us, drums were being played there was a fire in the middle and everyone was dancing around it. I stared at the kids laughing by the fire, others playing games in. Like normal children.

"I think we can't judge them so quickly, especially since we meet them on such rough terms." Although they are hostile, the children are innocent. She gave me a smile as if to say, I could try. But her face was still strained as if she was having some inner conflict. I had to keep an open mind, after all we are hybrids. We are like them at least half of them. Half wolf, half monster. I thought of when I was a wolf, I wanted to kill Axel and I couldn't control the anger or my blood thirst. I shivered how strong were pure bloods.What about when the kids are grown, they become blood hungry just like you. I needed a distraction. So I grabbed her hand and we ran to the crowd and let the music carry us. We must have looked crazy because neither of us knew how to dance.

The drums beat changed to a constant beat as Zenesha entered with a full moon painted in between her eyebrows. She had bowls of paint each a different color. The children lined up in a row and everyone was silent, looking at her in awe. "Tonight, we celebrate the moon. Although the moon changes it's always there. The moon can always hear your call for help in your time of need. The moon grants us with a gift to change with it and eventually you will shift the moon will hear your howls and so will your pack." She looked at each kid seriously in her next few words, "The ability to shift from human to predator, is not a curse. It is a gift from the Gods above. A gift to run and be free with your brothers and sisters in celebration of your new bodies." She began to paint the children different phases of the moon and each child smiled from ear to ear. Arguing over who will be the biggest wolf when they come of age, or the strongest. Wondering which one of them would be the alpha. She smiled at the kids even whispering to the younger ones who began to giggle.

For a moment she looked happy, as if she didn't threaten to kill me for Axels behavior...Axel. I began searching the faces around me, pushing through the crowd as I realized I had no idea where he is.