EDA
HER
When I finally managed to get away from Derik, or rather, when he finally let me out of the room, I carried Rael to find Rebecca. The little Alpha was very talkative, recounting his adventures from the previous day, when he had the company of other pups from the White Wolf pack. The poor thing had no company of his age in our pack, and was very happy to meet other pups and play with other chubby-cheeked ones.
I didn't have the courage to tell him they were already leaving...
— I caught the ball three times, and he only caught it once, I'm very fast, right, Mommy Nadja?
— Yes, my love! You are my hero!
He puffed out his chest, proud like his father, and hugged me.
Should I correct him? Yes, but I don't have that coldness of heart. We were alone, I didn't think it could do any harm. Maybe I'm wrong, but every time he called me mom, my heart felt warm.
I would love to be his mother, but I am aware that he already has one. I don't understand this rule of etiquette that dictates that Alpha pups must be formal with their parents from birth. Pups are just pups! They should leave etiquette for when they have the maturity to understand it.
If I could remember my parents, and have them, I would call them mommy and daddy with all my affection all the time and with great pride. Bad rules can be broken, right? They shouldn't even exist!
We were almost in the dining hall, where I intended to find Rebecca, when a female shouted my name (without the title) and ran towards me. Her figure was very different from when I first saw her. Her clothes were disheveled and dirty, she was thinner and paler, her hair was very short.
— Nadja, wait, I need to talk to you!
— Luna Nadja, Eda! I don't have time for your offenses and squabbles! — My nature was on alert in my mind.
— Pardon me, Luna Nadja! I... I'm desperate, I need your help!
If I was already bothered by her, I became even more so when Rael hugged me tighter and hid his face in my shoulder.
— What do you want from me, female? — I asked, trying to sound firmer and more confident than I actually felt.
— The visiting pack will leave today and will leave a pair of wolves behind. I offer myself for the exchange of members, allow them to take me away!
— I can't do that, Eda, I'm sorry! — As if I would send a viper like that to my friend...
— Luna, I can't stay here, everyone despises me, curses me, and spits on me when they see me. My daily quota barely covers one daily meal, and my entry is forbidden in the dining hall.
I knew she had been punished for the crime she committed, but I didn't question the sentence handed down by the then Luna, Hira. It was not my place to question, as I was not in a position to do so. In any case, I trusted Derik, assertive as he was, to take care of the pack members.
Eda deserved to be punished and would have to bear the fruits of what she sowed.
— What was your sentence? — I asked, since now, as Luna, it was my duty to look after the females, condemned or not.
— I was condemned to the position of a breeder. — She said with lips trembling with hurt and shame.
I stared at her, looking for any trace of a lie in her expression, but she was telling the truth. I felt a weight in my chest, no one deserved such a punishment. The image of the captive omegas being tortured and violated, their screams of pain and despair invaded my mind.
No... Derik promised me that our pack had abolished this type of punishment and dishonor. There must be some mistake!
— Don't lie to me, Eda, our pack doesn't have breeders!
— I'm not lying, Luna Nadja! This was my sentence, and I can't live like this anymore. Send me away with the other people so I can start over! I beg you!
Rael squeezed the skin of my shoulder with his little fingers, frightened by her desperation as she grabbed my arm.
— Eda… — I said her name sharply, and she let go of me.
— Please, Luna, I will behave well, I won't cause them trouble or shame your name, but help me, get me out of this life!
It was as if a cold claw struck my heart, I was disappointed with my Alpha.
He promised me!
— I cannot send you to the White Wolf territory, the members for the exchange have already been chosen, and the registration has been made. — She took two steps back, in tears. — Don't worry, no female under my tutelage will be abused or humiliated in this way. I, Luna of the Black Wolves back, revoke the previous sentence. Go to the harem, say that I ordered you to take a bath, change your clothes, and have a decent meal. When the visitors have left, I will wait for you in the Alpha's room to discuss your position.
Eda fell to her knees on the floor, grabbed my feet and kissed them, an exaggerated gesture that made me uncomfortable.
After a few seconds, she stood up, bowed her head in front of me and said:
— I will never forget your generosity, Luna! With your permission!
She left, and I stood still, looking in her direction.
Derik lied to me….
I was no longer hungry, nor did I have the energy to meet Rebecca. I was ashamed as Luna. Not knowing what was happening in the pack was no excuse, on the contrary, that was precisely my mistake. Being Luna was much more than receiving the Alpha's attention, it was past time to sit on my throne and assume the functions of my title.