Chapter 6 (A Dark Secret)

Ahena’s POV

I found myself on the couch, covered in an uncomfortable shame. 

Did he just turn me down? Was he under the impression that I threw myself at him? His words echoed in my mind. 

"Get up from my bed and sit on the couch for a while before returning to your room." A peculiar blend of confusion and humiliation settled over the room.

He justified his actions by explaining that he didn't want his pack members to be concerned about our relationship. 

However, he confessed the truth. He wasn't ready to bridge the physical gap between us.

The atmosphere was thick with awkwardness, each passing moment stretching like an eternity. I yearned for time to elapse, granting me the freedom to escape this discomfort. 

Yet, there he lay undisturbed, absorbed in a book. After what felt like an unending wait, he casually spoke. 

"You can leave." I stood up, making my way to the door, his hushed command following me. 

"Not a word of this to anyone!" As if I would willingly share the embarrassment that now clung to me like a second skin.

Back in my room, I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Is this to be our new normal? 

A wave of relief washed over me at the thought, oddly it's preferable to enduring awkward lovemaking.

I drifted into sleep, only to be jolted awake by midnight due to a nightmare. I was concerned for my parents, the worry casting a shadow over the way I had left home.

At the bed's edge, I clutched my pillow, in an attempt to reassure myself that everything would be okay, and eventually succumbed to sleep once more. Yifa came to my room in the morning. 

"Good morning, should I get you any painkillers?" she inquired while preparing my bath.

"Pain...killers?" I pondered, the realization dawning on me. 

"Oh! Thanks. I'll let you know if I need them," I responded with an awkward chuckle. After the bath, I wore a shirt and trousers.

"I recommend having breakfast downstairs since the Alpha will be doing so," Yifa suggested

"Is it obligatory?" I hesitated, reluctant to face him after the events of the previous night.

"No, but…"

"Then I'll have my breakfast here," I interrupted. She returned after a while, tray in hand, bearing my breakfast.

"I'm allowed to leave this house, right?" I questioned Yifa once she had cleared my table.

"Of course, ma'am."

With a swift departure, I headed to Tala's place, and met her engaged in training behind her house.

"You should be spending more time with the Alpha, you know," she teased the moment she caught sight of me.

"Heh! Very funny," I responded with a stoic expression.

"Let me guess, he doesn't want you in his space."

"Since you're his friend, I'm guessing it won't be hard for you to figure that out," I replied, settling onto a tree log.

"He'll come around," she assured me, the air filled with a shared understanding as she continued her training.

Days turned to weeks, yet my relationship with Ralph showed no signs of improvement. On odd days, I'd go into his room, stay for a while, and then retreat to my room.

Strangely, I found solace in this routine, even though he continued to avoid me like a plague. He had never truly had a good look at me. 

As the full moon approached, bringing with it a celebration and banquet, an elusive anxiety settled within me.

"I'm so glad I'm dressing up with you," I confided in Tala, who arrived early to assist me. She expertly worked on my hair in front of the dressing mirror.

"Sometimes I get tired of Yifa trying to dress me up like I'm a baby," I added.

"Who is that?" Tala inquired.

"My servant."

"Oh, you can ask her to stop if you feel uncomfortable," she suggested.

"She's persistent in following Alpha's rules, but I do affirm my need for privacy at times."

"Humph!" Tala exclaimed.

"Is something wrong?"

"You know a lot of women want to be with Alpha, including Ulf, his late wife's sister. She believes she stands a chance," Tala explained.

"Okay?"

"So you have to be careful, she can go to the extent of planting spies around you," she cautioned, wrapping me in a protective hug. I smiled, grateful for someone who genuinely cared for me.

Adorned in a majestic blue ball gown attire, my silver hair added a captivating complexity to the colour. Tala's skilled hands had transformed me into a vision of beauty just in time for the banquet.

The grand banquet hall, reserved for such occasions, hosted a multitude of pack members, especially those of age. 

Ralph, at the head of the first table, had extended his invitation generously. As fate would have it, I found myself seated by his right, the closest space we had shared thus far.

Tala's reassuring presence beside me brought a sense of calm as I focused my gaze solely on my food, attempting to avoid unnecessary interactions.

The banquet unfolded, a lively affair, and as it concluded, I retreated to my room. Tala remained outside, engaging with others and assisting in the arrangements for the subsequent festivities.

In the late afternoon, the games proved entertaining, though I made a conscious effort to steer clear of active participation.

After games, we had a quick shower before dinner, setting the stage for the upcoming wolfing out ceremony in the large arena. Much like the games, I hoped to avoid this spectacle.

Ralph's wolf, a strikingly large and magnificent black creature, stood proudly. Tala's red wolf, equally captivating, joined the assembly. 

I observed as they all seamlessly shifted into their wolf forms, embarking on a collective run. 

Ralph and Tala returned. They grabbed the clothes the servants made available and wore them. Ralph approached me.

"I noticed you did not shift to your wolf form. Why?" His voice sliced through the air, carrying an unsettling weight of authority.

An uneasy chuckle escaped me as I sensed the impending revelation that I lacked a wolf form. 

Desperate to evade the conversation, I began to walk away, only to be abruptly halted by his command.

"You don't leave while I'm talking!" His shout pierced the atmosphere, freezing me in place. 

Reluctantly, I turned to face him, attempting to mask the nervousness etched across my face.

"I want to see your wolf," he demanded. My heart raced, and a cloud of confusion muddled my thoughts.

"I... I," I stammered, searching for words as his impatience cut through my attempt at explanation.

"You what?" he snapped, impatience dripping from every syllable.

"I don't have a wolf," I confessed, the words barely audible, my gaze fixed on the ground. He let out a laugh. 

"That was a funny joke," he commented, but as our eyes briefly met, realization dawned, revealing I wasn’t joking.

"You what?!" His exclamation echoed through the space. 

Tala, who stood shocked, having been kept in the dark about my woofless existence did not say a word.

"Is this who you forced me to choose as a breeder? A woofless woman?!" he directed his question to Tala, leaving an echoing silence in its wake.

I witnessed a side of him I had never seen before, a furious hurricane of anger, but it was justified considering the matter at hand.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't order your execution right now after deceiving us?" he demanded. 

A noticeable fear gripped me, realizing that his anger wasn't a mere threat but a looming storm ready to unleash its full force.