CHAPTER SEVEN - NOSTALGIA

THE LYCAN CITY

VALERIE

The drive to the old mans little shack was longer than I had expected. The drivers radio played old country music and he hummed along. I folded my arms to cover my tits and found myself glancing back through the glass window. The thought of rather giant wolf galloping after the old truck was horrifying enough.

A few men walked by, spying the car as we drove by so I lowered my head to avoid being recognised by a Hunter. As long as the bounty stood, Hunters would always tracking me. If I wanted to live the best way was to avoid being seen altogether.

The Hunters riffle was tucked beside his seat, in the worst case I could defend myself with the gun that’s if I even knew how to use it. The truck driver glanced at the bruises on my face on body. I avoided his eyes, keeping my focus on the road ahead. The Lycan city was much gloomier than I had expected, though we were only in the outskirts.

The calm and quiet seemed too in unreal, like I was in that moment right before Lyxia would pull her next scheme to make sure she made the greater population of nobles use me as their object for insults. With everyone that we passed I half expected the next scornful stare or comment to be thrown at me.

I had rarely left my room, the nobles in my neighbourhood waited for the next opportunity to make cast their mocking jibes at me and there was always nothing I could do about it. The people that were supposed to be my lifting hands only made it worse and I was the abomination of my own house.

Sleeping in any place that was not my messy room felt like I was sleeping in a den with a pack of blood lusted Alphas  Any sound I heard would make me want to hide under the bed the truck driver had allowed me sleep.

The truck drivers name was Jahn, the old man was a lot less terrifying when he wasn’t pointing a muzzle to my face. His wife was equally as old as he was.

The couple lived closer to the outskirts of the Lycan Kingdom and frankly that was okay for me. The further away I was from the main town the harder it would be for Hunters to locate me.

Once we got inside, Jahn gave me a room and I was particularly grateful.

I stepped into the shower and for the first time in a while I allowed myself the pleasure of soaking in the warm water that poured from the showers. But as soon as the water touched my face I broke, I could finally cry in a place that I would not be seen. My tears blend with the warm water and I wept in silence. How did my life become so horrible?

The water washed away the grime and dirt that stuck to me like a second skin and I wished it could wash away the trauma and gore that had petrified me. I would give anything to return back to my very imperfect life with my pack family, at least then I wasn’t running for my life.

Jahn’s mate had given me some old patchy dresses to change out of and I was grateful for that. So far they hadn’t asked me much about who I was or why Jahn had found me in a diamond studded wedding dress, half naked and thoroughly beaten.

I had taken the time to extract the diamonds from the remnants of the dress, I was not sure where I could  them for any money I could salvage but the markets if this kingdom must have had an jewellery shop I could use. If I could get the diamonds to sell then I could use the money to get a fake passport and take on a new identity, that would probably help me rub off the bounty.

My life had become from a nightmare to a living nightmare so quickly I wished I could go back to the way things were before my betrothal. I found myself missing the irritating voice of Lyxia, of the constant jibes of humiliation Jack would very often throw at me.

If I had thought I was living a nightmare then, then I was wrong!

I jump as I hear a soft knock on the door, before the pleasing voice of the truck drivers mate. “Dear? Come for breakfast.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.” My voice was cracked from all the screaming I had done the night before and my left foot that had caught the root still throbbed constantly. The pain was a constant reminder of the unjust treatment I was being subjected to.

The room was decorated with multiple stretches of cobwebs. This place didn’t look like it had been inhabited for ages, though there was a neatly dressed bed, mirror on the wall and an empty cabinet; clear signs that there once was a younger inhabitant that occupied this space. Maybe they had a daughter or someone younger that was no more living with them.

The house had an all together two bedrooms and the parlour had a shelf that was stocked with books containing information of the Lycan city's history. Apparently the city, or kingdom wasn’t always ruled over by the Alpha Lukkar.

The Lycan city was once ruled by an Alpha monarch, at then the kingdom had been at wars with my kingdom for ages. Before the Alpha brothers father conquered it. For a short time both the Lycan and Emeral kingdom were one until the death of the Alpha brothers father. The Alphas split up, Emeral taking the kingdom to the west and Lukkar taking the kingdom to the East. The reason why the brothers parted ways was still a mystery to many people.

The sun was rising fast. Sooner the Hunters would be on my trail.

I limped through the gloomy passage, I had never walked through a lobby so small my hands could touch either walls. I had never even seen a house this small. The area I lived in my kingdom was only occupied by nobles, the houses we lived in had at least a first floor upon the ground floor. With most houses being more of mansions with a large area of cover.

When I reached the small parlour the sweet aroma of tea and freshly baked bread hits my nose, instantly activating the underlying hunger that had been oppressed by the rushes of adrenaline and need to survive.

Jahn held a newspaper in his hands, and the old man’s attention seemed to be entirely drawn to what he was reading. I looked around the parlour and saw several oil paintings of a younger Jahn couple, each with a little girl in them which I assumed must have been their daughter. The house was arranged in a minimalist style, small sofas a few cabinets and single glass table in the middle of the room. Jahn’s wife poured the faintly yellow tea from an ornate teapot. For a brief moment I thought I saw my mothers smile and the wrinkles that usually appeared at the corners of her eyes, but my smile was quickly neutralised and I took the seat beside Jahn.

He glanced at me. “Slept well?” His voice was almost caring, like he spoke to a dear daughter of his.

I nodded to him, surprised that this was the same man that had tried to kill me hours ago.

With a small smile Mrs Jahn took large mug and placed it in front of me, filling it up with the sweet tea I wanted so badly to taste.

“You know dear we once had a daughter like you…” Mrs Jahn said and like a cloud, the tentative fog of curiosity tie me down to her story.

“She had the same name as you, Ariel, she was sweet and young and loved living till her fullest… sadly she is no longer here with us…”

So that was why the truck driver instantly lowered his gun. My lie had saved me, they thought I was the namesake of their daughter. Whether she was deceased or not I couldn’t tell but still I was curious so I asked,

“Why isn’t she here?” I looked their expressions, a mild sadness clouded Mrs Jahn’s eyes but she quickly rebounded.

“We were getting poorer, once Jahn was retired from work I also lost my job. I guess works don’t want to hire old geezers like us. Ariel is a kind girl, good of heart. She  with she went off to work for the Alpha Lukkar. The Alpha pays us and has provided her a space in the Alphas mansion, good food and good clothes than we could have ever provided for her.”

As much as the story was uplifting it was also much sad. The pain of not being able to be with your child was equal to the pain of the child being without the parent and that was something I could relate to.

“But oh well, we do see once a month and that always puts a wide smile on Jahns face.” And the old man smiled with a grin.

“So..? Why don’t you tell us more about yourself Ariel?”

For a moment I almost wanted to ask who Ariel was before I remembered my alias. The Hunters that were after my bounty were still out there and the best part way to avoid being nicked back to the Alpha Emeral or having my head bitten off by a wolf was to lay low and live by an alias.

“Mmhmm, tell us about yourself…” Jahn concurred with a small smile and for a moment I wondered who I actually was? Even if I hadn’t gone by the alias, I was Valerie Mo'monte—daughter to Mr and Mrs Mo'monte and betrothed mate to the Alpha lord Emeral. And yet still I was a nobody. An abomination and a wolf-less noble girl.

Maybe Ariel wouldn’t be so bad anyway…

“I was a peasant, the only child of my parents and we lived a lowly life.”

“In the ‘Emeral’ kingdom?” Jahn highlighted and I couldn’t help but nod very slowly.

“Well? Why were you being hunted?”

I was trying to avoid the question, the memories that it brought back were like seizures.

“Well… well…” I stuttered, the only thing on the fore of my mind was the gruff voice of the Alpha Emeral as he pinned me down on the bed.

“I-I—”

“Oh dear, I understand… I’m sorry if I caused any discomfort. I shouldn’t have asked—”

“No! It’s fine. My parents sold me off to be betrothed to a noble wolf. He wasn’t bad himself, he was old for sure and seemed harsh but altogether he wasn’t a general bad man. Naturally, I had no say in it and my only option was to live with it.

“But before our marriage day he forced himself on me, I was almost defiled but he was drunk and could escape. He lied I was escaping our betrothal and called me a traitor, a stray.”

At this point I had not even noticed the hot streams of tears that trailed down my cheeks. I sniffed, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand before I calmly recollected myself.

“Oh dear I had no idea you had suffered so much!” Jahn said at once.

I felt his hand on my back, he patted me so softly it was like he could share my pain.

“Well I’m sure you’ll find a better home in this kingdom. The locals aren’t really friendly with foreigners but you seem like a good soul. I’m sure you’ll find good fortune.”

His words may have sounded ignorant to me but I knew what he had been aiming at.

Jahn took a piece of bread and bit into it. I looked at the clock that hung loosely from the wall above. It was just about six hours from noon. If I wanted to get the diamonds I had removed from my dress sold I’d better do it before the kingdom got any busier. The last thing I wanted was to be chased through the market by a squad of bounty hunters.

I took the mug from the table, allowing myself to savour the sweet aroma of the tea. This moment, was this how it felt like to be free?

Taking the mug to my lips, I allowed the sweet flavoured tea to soak down my tongue and a huge sense of nostalgia came over me.

“Just like mother used to make…” I sighed.