Chapter 8

Aurora's POV:

When I reached the barn, about three men were busy with four horses. One was large, midnight black, with a white dark tail and one long stripe.

The second was brown, with white Patches. The third seemed regular, and the fourth looked just like the third.

I ran up to one of the men. “Why are they four horses?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“The first two are for Alpha Jason and ma'am Lydia. And the other two…” He dragged out. “For the Pack guards that would be escorting them.”

“What about me?” I asked, genuinely confused.

I had worn a high-collared linen blouse. And over it, a fitted, dark green woolen waistcoat, then a muted brown riding jacket. My skirts were notably shorter than fashion dictated, the hem brushing just above my leather boots.

It wasn't as elegant as I used to dress, but I had dressed up too nicely to end up walking all the way.

I heard voices behind me, so I whipped my head around. Jason and Lydia were chatting away with wide smiles, with a maid following them closely.

There's a rule made by the Alpha's. It's either you are at the destination or you are at least ten steps behind.

No one lower than, at least a Delta. Was allowed to walk side by side with the Alpha.

In the Vampire kingdom, we had a hierarchical structure which we upheld virtuously. But something about the werewolves' rules screamed dictatorship.

There are several levels, and I, Melissa, happen to belong to the lowest, an Omega.

I bowed my head low, as soon as I noticed how close by there were. But before I could mutter a greeting, Lydia's voice rang out. “Where are the Alpha's gears?” She questioned.

I looked up, wide-eyed. “Wh-what gears?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

She scoffed, then smirked. “Guns, arrows, bows, gunpowder and the most important one of them all… A safety kit.” She replied. “Just in case of emergencies.”

I was dumbfounded and caught off guard so I remained silent. Then she turned to Jason. “You still have time to rethink your decision. She is not a perfect fit for a personal maid.” 

“Really?” He said, massaging his temples like he was in a deep thought.

“I still don't get why she was given such a position in the first place.” She chimed in.

“Because she was efficient.” I heard Jason reply.

The reply seemed to have shocked both I and Lydia as our mouths were left open.

“She knows a lot about being a leader, taking risks and decision making.” He continued.

Lydia stomped her feet. “That’s enough about her.” She muttered under her breath, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. “I suspected that your maid would be inefficient as always, so I took it upon myself and got gears for the both of us.”

She gestured towards her maid, who stepped forward and my eyes landed on the backpack hanging on her shoulders.

I stepped closer, with my hands stretched out. “It looks heavy, should I help?”

She slapped my hands away and turned to Lydia who offered her a smile.

‘Fools.’ I muttered under my breath.

A few seconds later, the three men came around saying that they were done preparing the horses. Jason helped Lydia up, after confirming that she was comfortable, he turned around and headed to Stallion.

I rushed to his side. “The guards aren't here yet, should we use the horse instead?”

He chuckled. “I have no idea who mentored you in BloodMoon Pack, but slaves and servants aren't allowed to know how to ride a horse.” With that, he climbed up.

Before I could protest, two hefty men dressed like Pack guards arrived, and mounted their horses without saying a word.

And just like that the journey began, and soon we were already deep inside the forest. 

I was already panting heavily, thanks to this weak body. But I was still trying my best to hang on.

I turned to the other maid and asked. “What's your name?”

She took a few deep breaths and exhaled a few more times before she replied. “Leah.”

“Ok, Leah.” I began. “Pass the bag, it's too heavy for you.”

“You are not going to be any better.” She clapped back. “Without any heavy loads, you are already panting. With loads, you would be dead by now.”

I chuckled. “You don't look better either.”

“That's because someone forgot to Pack Alpha Jason's gears.” She retorted. “It's usually easier to carry just one set for one person, not two whole sets.”

Oh, so that's why personal maid's are needed in such a journey?

But then, how heavy could it be?

Lydia had taken her bow, and her quiver filled with arrows were strapped securely to her back. Jason had his gun and a few bullets.

“Let's do this...” I paused. “I hold the bag from here on and when we are on our way back, you take it from me when we reach this exact spot.”

She nodded, and without another word she handed the bag over and I took it.

Way to go Aurora, you just made a friend. Not like I ever cared about having one, but in order to survive Lydia's schemes and not get tossed out, I needed all the ears I could get.

“Alpha Jason said something earlier, that slaves and servants aren't allowed to learn how to horse ride. Why?” I inquired.

“Not just horse riding.” She replied. “We aren't allowed to read, write, or travel.”

“That's absurd, what if you already had all this knowledge before you were sold out? Would they just chop your hands off to stop you from horse riding? Or gouge your eyes out, so that you don't read?”

“Sold out?... I guess things are different from where you are from. But over here, the slaves aren't sold or bought. They are bred from birth.” She explained.

So basically, young men and women are obviously chosen based on their Wolf ranking and made slaves without being allowed to have other dreams.

Now, that's just cruel.

Before I could ask another question, I heard Lydia scream. I turned to see a boar running towards us.

My legs froze to the ground, and my eyes widened. ‘I guess both Melissa's body and mind are weak.’ I said to myself, still grounded.

I heard a series of gunshots and suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my side. I glanced down to see the blood spreading across my clothes.

Why did I not feel the impact of the bullet?

Tears welled up in my eyes as my knees buckled and I fell to the ground. The boar had fallen from the gun wounds and so had I.

“Would the Moon Goddess really give me a second chance?” I asked, aloud. 

And whose body would it be this time?

Lydia? Lea? Or maybe another random woman or man in a distant Kingdom?