Chapter 60: Chapter 60
I had not told her the cause of my wounds, and neither had the guard who had come with me, but I didn't bother asking her how she had found out. I had learnt not to expect answers to questions like that from living with my mother for so long. Athena handed me a woolen dress. She explained that she had ripped my old clothes off of me in order to get to every wound.Some of the fabric was glued to the sores and I screamed as she tried to pry them as carefully as possible. The new dress was soft and cool to the touch, like the ones my mother used to make. Nostalgia brought tears to my eyes, and Athena wiped them on my behalf.
"Save your tears, young one. Your journey has just begun. Crying will not change your destiny. Do not stray from your path again; the next time will be fatal.May the Goddess be with you. " She blessed me and touched my forehead delicately. The lycan waiting outside grunted to express his impatience, and she clicked her tongue at him.
"Do you mean to hurry me, Kareem? Wait until the Alpha hears about your behavior toward me," she said sharply, and he quickly muttered an apology.She had been bluffing, of course, but the mere mention of the Alpha had people falling over themselves. I could remember the cunning glint in his eyes when he had interacted with me earlier. He would have taken me in that room were I not weak and abused. I had told him all he wanted to hear, and that was all that was important in the meantime. I had gotten some food and medication for my act of humility, and I wondered how much grovelling could get me. I was already thinking like a slave. What exactly had he done to me?
I left with Kareem at once and was reunited with the rest of the slaves in that dark room. Some were surprised to see me alive and it showed on their faces. I searched for my friend amongst their many faces and I found her laughing with another slave. Kareem left me with them, and I stood, trying to decide how to associate with them. Suddenly, she waved at me, gesturing at me to join her. They were having their meals together in groups, and I went over there, smiling back at her. When the rest of the people around her saw them, they created a space for me and sat beside her. She offered me a morsel from the general bowl, and I accepted it, nibbling at it tentatively at first.
"This is cornbread?" I asked, waiting for confirmation. She nodded and ate some herself.
"Yes, it is. They don't feed us any meat so that we won't have our full strength, but it’s better than nothing. Some days, we don't even get anything to eat except crumbs and leftovers, and that is if you are fortunate enough to be on dish duty during that period. " She laughed briefly, but there was no amusement in her eyes. She got up abruptly and went to fetch a jug of water for the group. It was my chance to know who she was. I asked a girl sitting close to me, and she looked sideways to ascertain if anyone was listening in.
"You have never heard this from me, but she is called Adrianna. It is rumoured that she is the bastard daughter of the Alpha and the healer. She has supernatural powers just like her mother, and to prevent her from being a threat to his dominance, he turned her into a slave and forced her mother to mute her wolf. She can never shift again, at least that's what I heard, "she added as an afterthought.
The story she told me was thrilling, and I wanted to know more, but Adrianna was returning with the jug. Every member of the group pulled out a metallic cup, and she poured the water into their cups one after the other. I was left with having no cup, so she gave me hers instead.
I have already drunk my fill at the water pump outside. Besides, you need water because you are still healing. Soon enough, your cup will be made and your name branded into its side. "
I reflexively glanced at the side of her cup to confirm her name, but it was blank, unlike others. She noticed my curiosity and smiled tightly.
"Ah, you seek to know my name, but I'm sure one of these would have confided in you already. Perhaps Ramona? " She mentioned a name, and the overly tense culprit peeped at us, guilt written all over her face.
"0I'm sorry if you are offended, but I can't coexist with you without knowing your name. You know mine, so why shouldn’t I know yours? " I reasoned, drinking from her cup. She was being paranoid over a name. There was no harm in knowing her name.
"Fine, but try not to call it too often. However, if you must, abbreviate it, please. You can call me Anna or Addy. There are a lot of Annas here by the way, so Addy should do it. "
"Okay," "Whatever you say, Addy," I tried the name and returned her cup to her. She gave me a half smile in return and was gone again to return the jug. I was feeling relaxed, listening to the conversations around me and chipping in occasionally. My opinion was beginning to be sought more often and I learnt more names. Previously, I had counted only twenty, but we were close to fifty now. I could not tell where the others had come from, and it really wasn't any of my business.
When I thought things were getting better a little bit, someone walked up behind me, clapping her hands in succession. The sound was annoying, and I glanced behind me to see the girl Addy had introduced as Yvette. She was beautiful and tall, her hips swinging gracefully as she sauntered towards me, her group following closely behind her. The others in my group stood up and bowed briefly to her, but I took my gaze off of her and focused on something else. She was no longer of any interest to me and I sought entertainment somewhere else, but the room had gone silent.
"Isn’t this the imbecile that challenged the Alpha and his Beta?" She asked no one in particular, but a girl nodded in answer and stood back in rank. "Doesn’t she know who I am?"
"She's new, perfect Yvette. Forgive her, "Ramona answered, curtsying at the end of her sentence.
"And who asked you to speak, you weasel? Is she hard of hearing or is she so dumb that she cannot speak for herself? " She rebuked Ramona, who cringed behind me, fighting back tears. My fists turned to balls at my side, but I kept my temper in check, still giving her my back. Addy returned and, after accessing the situation, stood in front of Yvette, always smiling. I wanted to see how she would handle the situation, so I stood up, her arms crossed at my chest.
"Yvette, is that a new necklace?" She began, gushing over the shell necklace the obnoxious woman was wearing. "A gift from the Lycan prince, I assume." She raised her voice a notch, and everyone rushed forward to see the pretty necklace. Yvette soon forgot about me, basking in the adoration of her underlings. Addy pulled me out of sight and more slaves drew closer to catch a glimpse of the beautiful necklace.
"Stick with me, Miatta, and you can't go wrong," she assured us before we collectively burst into laughter. I had made a friend in the land of bondage.