Chapter 44 44.Wedding Aftermath
Tabitha’s POV
Two days after the wedding, my mom and Alpha Emery set off from the Sharpe Hotel for their honeymoon tour across Europe. I also didn’t see my stepbrothers when I was eating my breakfast at the restaurant. I overheard that they left early in the morning after receiving a report of rogue activity somewhere on the island. With my mom and the stepbrothers out of the picture, I’m practically left behind at the hotel with only a few remaining Crystal Ridge Pack members and staff.
I’m not sure how I’m supposed to entertain myself now. I mean, the Sharpe hotel offers a lot of luxurious amenities but I honestly feel out of place here. Arthur is also no longer around, so there goes my plan to chat with someone I actually know. It’s not like the members of the Crystal Ridge pack are eager to talk to me.
Or at least, that’s what I thought. Because as I walk back to the hallway leading to my room, a group of familiar-looking people block my way. They’re definitely werewolves, alright. And old.
There are five of them in total, two women and three men, all of them appears older or at least at the same age as Alpha Emery. And they have that air of authority around them. I think they’re one of the elders in the Crystal Ridge pack. Some of them actually look familiar.
“Uh, do you need something?” I ask tentatively. If they do, I have a feeling it’s not something I will like just by the way they are looking at me.
“Yes, we want to speak with you,” the man who appears to be the oldest of the bunch replies. “I’m Eli, the Delta of Crystal Ridge pack. I believe we have something very important to talk about, Tabitha Huxley.”
Delta? He’s the third in command in the pack? I knew he looks familiar. And he wants to talk to me… exactly at the day when Alpha Emery, my mother, and the Aldair brothers left? I don’t have a good feeling about this.
“I’m not sure exactly sure what you need from me, sir. But, uh. Would you mind waiting until my stepbrothers come back from their guarding duty?” I offer. I don’t trust the Aldair brothers with all of my heart, but at least I think they won’t find this ambush talk appealing.
“They have other important things to worry about and duties on their shoulders. They shouldn’t concern themselves over this matter. Over you,” the woman with long brown hair speaks this time. She’s probably just a few years older than my mother.
I squint. That scar on her left eye immediately registers in my memory. She is Ava, one of the elite sentinels of the pack—and she’s giving me that look of pure disgust. Yeah, this one hates me.
Or maybe all of them hates me. Shit. This is bad.
“Okay…” the word lingers on my tongue a bit longer than necessary as I take a careful step back. “What exactly do you want from me?”
“We just want to ask… when are you planning to leave the island?” Delta Eli asks bluntly.
“What?” What the hell are they talking about? “Why would I leave this island? My mother is here.”
Ava’s lip curls as if the very sight of me leaves a bad taste in her mouth. “Isla has married our Alpha. Although I still find it hard to wrap my head around why our Alpha chose such woman to replace the late Luna, Isla was still a she-wolf who used to belong to this pack. And even if I don’t agree with it, she does deserve a place here. are not one of us. You are human. You have no place in this pack, no bond to its blood, and no role in its strength. For the sake of the pack and the family that leads it, you would do better to leave this island.”
Her words sting, though I refuse to let her see me falter.
“Thousands of humans live on this island too. Most of them do not even know werewolves exist, and yet nobody is chasing them out. Why am I any different?” I clap back, although my voice wavers a little.
“That is true. Humans do live here, but they are not lodged within the Aldair estate nor seated beside the Alpha’s family.” A man with fiery red hair answers. The features on his face reminds me of someone I know—Yennifer.
My eyes widen. This must be Alfred Wix, Yennifer’s father who is also one of the elite sentinels in the pack! This man is giving me the same look of disdain his daughter usually gives me. I guess the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Alfred folds his arms over his chest as he appraises me, he doesn’t look amused. “You, however, linger where you do not belong, Tabitha Huxley. Your presence offers no benefit. In fact, it is a liability to the Aldair family. And to many of us, it is distasteful to see a powerless human girl treated as though she is part of the Alpha’s inner circle.”
I bald my hands into fists as they rest on my side. They look insanely intimidating but I refuse to cower under their presence. It’s obvious that they chose the perfect opportunity to corner me when no one—not even my stepbrothers—would be able to stop them. They want to scare me off like I’m some kitten they need to shoo away. I can only rely on myself to protect me now.
“I’m afraid you don’t get a say in the Alpha’s decision about who he lets into his inner circle. He officially welcomed my mom and me into his family, and I’m sure you would know that if you had paid attention during the pack assembly. I won’t leave this island or the Aldair family when the Alpha himself has stated that this is to be my home now.” I want to applaud myself for managing to say all that without stuttering.
“Then, I guess you are more shameless than we thought,” Ava spits.
Excuse me?
Okay, I’m not really desperate to live in this island. I’ve tried to escape from here years ago for pete’s sake! But I’m not leaving my mom. And I won’t let other people decide where I should or should not be.
“Shameless? You’re the one who is ambushing a defenseless girl right now. If that’s how you show your loyalty to your Alpha, then this pack is seriously screwed,” I chew back.
Ava snort. “I see. So this is how you usually play it, huh?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You think of yourself as a defenseless girl? Is that how you charm your way into the Aldair family? To the Alpha and his sons? You play the weak human girl really well, and you’re using that to your advantage to secure your position within this pack. We were right, you are a liability.” Malice drips in every word she spouts.
“And you should mind your own business,” I bite back.
A snarl escapes from Ava’s throat and I see how her eyes flicker in a shade of crimson. “You don’t get to talk to me like that, human.”
She takes quick and heavy steps towards me. Terror spikes through me when I see her hand transforming into sharp claws.
Shit!
I instinctively shove her away. It doesn’t really do much—if anything, it seems to have angered her more.
“You insolent wretch!”
Ava lunges straight at me. I dodge at the last possible second, my whole body trembling as a chunk of the wall behind me shatters under her strike. Ava’s burning eyes lock on me, dripping with pure hatred, and my knees threaten to give way.
She was seriously trying to hurt me! I would’ve been seriously injured if I didn’t dodged in time!
“Enough!” Eli’s authoritative voice echoes through the hallway. “Get it together. This isn’t the place, unless you want to start a scene.”
Ava snarls but does not resist when Eli pulls her away.
“We’ll be taking our leave,” Eli announces. Then his eyes settle on me, lingering longer than I can stand. “But this doesn’t end here, human girl.”
I stand frozen, my breaths ragged and uneven, as they finally turn away. My chest rises and falls too fast.
For the first time, I wished that my stepbrothers would come back earlier.