Good things came in many forms, in Eileen’s case it was in the form of a beautiful hand knitted handkerchief- a trophy of sorts for all her hard work since morning. She had visited the houses of the soldiers as per their request and at one of them, she received this gift by the grandmother of the girl who she treated for a cold. It was a beautiful white silky square, embroidered with pink and red flowers and the letter ‘E’ in the middle.
The grandmother who was the talent behind it had arthritic fingers, so severe, that they shook as she handed it over to her. Yet the tremors went away as soon as she grasped the knitting needles and spun them around, creating magic. Eileen reached into her bag for one of her special medicines, and offered a blend of tea to the older woman, instructing her to drink it regularly to help with the tremors. The woman had teared up in response and had grabbed her hand, telling her that she would become a wonderful Luna one day. Eileen smiled back in response, but felt a tightness in her chest. She didn’t have the heart to correct the woman, but her fate as a ‘Luna’ was already sealed. If the influence of company was a predictor of one’s self, then being under Felix’s constant shadow meant that was she was quite doomed from the start.
After bidding farewell to the woman, she got onto her horse and stuck her bag in the saddle bin. She flipped through her little notebook, which was filled with names that had been striped with a black pen, and crossed out the name of this particular household to mark her progress. There were no other names left for today, so she decided to give the barracks a visit in case anyone needed medical assistance.
It had nothing to do with the fact that Marcus had mentioned this morning when he came by with a horse for her to use, that alpha Nathaniel had meetings all day at the main royal mansion, which happened to be at the opposite end of the town from the barracks.
She rode swiftly across the open fields where the soldiers had their houses and moved deeper into the heart of the city. She was going to have to pass by the posher areas- which belonged to the pack’s elites and this caused her a dread like no other. Her last visit to the barracks had been in a carriage with Marcus, so here, alone and on horseback, she felt too exposed. Considering her history with elitist snobs, she wasn’t planning on sticking around for too long.
At least that had been the plan, until she found herself being stopped by a barricade placed outside a building which gave the impression of a club. Elegant music streamed from the windows oof the building and carriages were lined outside, with well-dressed chauffeurs still on them. There was a commotion by some random people who had formed a line at the door and were being inspected for invitation cards before being allowed inside. She stood at the end of the line, tapping her foot impatiently while trying to find an area to leave from, but to no avail.
Eileen got off the horse and tried to cut an authoritative figure before she pardoned and excused herself through the crowd and reached the front of the barricade where some soldiers were standing. She showed them the note she had been given by Marcus on the first day, with the alphas crest on it, as an identification to use for getting out of security checkpoints or any unnecessary trouble. She figured this fell under the category of the former and asked them to let her through so she could reach the barracks on time. The two soldiers looked at each other and shrugged, clearly not sure what to do.
‘Sorry lady, we open this gate then everyone behind you is going to march in.’ The older one of the two said, dismissing her request completely.
‘Like i said, the alpha has asked me to arrive at the barracks. Im a healer, they only need me if there’s a medical emergency, you’ve got to let me through.’
Her frustration grew until even she couldn’t figure out just why she was so agitated. Something about being here for too long gave her chills.
From her side, two women emerged, wearing gaudy dresses and heavy makeup. From their snobby gait and high noses, it was clear that they were some socialites. Eileen groaned at the sight of them and her tone turned more urgent. The two women eyed the note she was holding and gave her a dirty look, clearly realising who she was.
One of them turned to the other and said,
‘Talk about jumping from one guy to the next.’ They snickered, while peeking in her direction.
Okay, she was so not going to take this.
‘Excuse me?’
The women turned to her, having not expected that question, but they continued to mock her,
‘All I’m saying is..don't you think it’s enough having bagged one alpha. Do you really have to go after ours?’
‘I’m simply here as a favour and to work as a healer. Whatever you’re implying, I suggest you watch it.’ She narrowed her eyes at the two women, mirroring their expressions. Clearly the cat fight wasn’t over because they walked towards her and grabbed her by the arm, trying to drag her away.
‘Hey! Let go off me,’ Eileen struggled to free herself from their grip when they loosened their hold suddenly for some reason and pulled back. The reason was the sound of a carriage being drawn and Marcus getting off of it. His eyes were zeroed in on the two women, his fury imminent. The two of them scurried off in defeat, leaving her alone, but not before one of them muttered loud enough for her to hear,
‘Gold digger.’
Marcus placed his hand on her elbow with a concerned look and asked her,’ should i take you home now? It’s late.’
She nodded meekly and allowed him to lead her to the carriage, when a chill crept down her spine and she turned to look in the direction where the two women had gone off in.
A dark figure stared back at her, eyes narrowed in a menacing glare- the sight made more horrific by the upward curl of his lips.
Her brother. The alpha of the bioluminescence pack. Her worst nightmare and personal enemy.
Cursing, she broke eye contact first, turning away quickly as to not make Marcus suspicious. This was it, her illusion about being at peace here had been shattered.
All that was left in her now was utter fear. And utter disappointment.
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