5 The Pack

                                    

                                          
Ophelia
                          
I was lucky last night. No hint of the beast, just Gideon, but that makes what happened upsetting in a different way. Was this becoming worse? Would the humanside start to hurt me next?
                          
I turn to look at him in the morning light. Dark blond hair curls over his forehead. His features, even relaxed, held that harsh dominance of an alpha wolf. His nose was sharp, his brows a touch heavier than a human man's. His jaw is broad, his mouth not too wide or too small. He is sprawled on his back, fully nude. His body holds a few scars from battles. He is a golden giant who in his sleep looks so handsome.
                          
I feel sick as I crawl out of bed, for once not because of my injuries. I am sure that the other wolves are still here. I don't want to deal with guests this morning, but I should take advantage of my relatively healthy state to run some errands. I slip into the bathroom and shut the door, showering and dressing in relative peace and comfort.
                          
"Pheli?" he grumbles from the bed as he sits up and shakes his head groggily.
                          
"Yes, Gideon?" I respond softly, emotionless.
                          
He stiffens at my tone. "Where are you going?" he asks, surprised to see me dressed in dark-washed denim jeans and a nice red and black blouse, my hair and makeup done.
                          
"I need to run some errands," I keep my answer vague. I can't tell him that the first aid supplies in the bathroom are almost out.
                          
"It would be nice of you to spend some time with our pack," he says sharply.
                          
"Maybe," I hedge. Goddess, no. At first, the high-ranks that eat with Gideon in the dining room every day intimidated me, now I only felt a heavy disdain that I would have to hide from them.
                          
"Have breakfast at least, Ophelia. When was the last time you ate with us?"
                          
Our pack. Us. As if I was one of them.
                          
"Ophelia! We have guests. You need to make an appearance," he says exasperatedly when I do not respond.
                          
"Fine," I huff.
                          
He glares at me as he stalks past me to the bathroom. I don't bother to wait for him. I just grab my purse and leave the room.
                          
The two nameless guards at the end of the alpha's hallway do not bother to wish me a good morning. I don't even look at them. They can be furniture for all I care. It hurts less than when I tried, so many times, to be friendly, only to be treated as though I carried a contagious disease. I can't trust any of these wolves. I know better, now.
                          
I flow into the dining room at a casual, but determined pace. Around twenty packmembers are there already. I can see the difference between the regulars who live at the packhouse with Gideon all the time, the petitioners that are here to speak with the alpha, and the wolves from other packs. The regulars look astonished, then discomfited, at my presence. The petitioners, for the most part, just stare shyly, while the other pack's wolves stare in curiosity.
                          
I grab a plate and a banana and muffin. The coffee I will get when I go out. I settle at a small table in the corner with only four chairs and stare out of the window.
                          
A very timid girl creeps over to me. She is wearing an apron. A new omega who is just starting out at the packhouse. She must be sixteen. That is when omegas drop out of school to start working. Privately I think that they should be allowed to continue until they are eighteen like every other packmember. Then again, it's a sensitive subject to me. I quit school two years ago at sixteen when Gideon found me. I had to be the Luna and had no more time for school or a regular life.
                          
"Good Morning, Luna," she greets me, bowing her head and placing a cup of coffee on the table.
                          
"Thank you..."