ZINA
Tension filled the room as small groups were ford and whispered conversations were had. Zina simply hovered about on unsteady feet, feeling a pain at the bottom of her abdon. The pain only flared whenever she pressed at the offending area.
She groaned, trying hard to keep her eyes on the small groups as she hovered at the walls of the room like an insipid wallflower. No matter how much she tried though, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she had missed out on a whole yarn of conspiracy... well, more like she was left out on one but that was about the sa point she was making.
She couldn’t believe she had been that oblivious. And as she watched those little groups of people with a common mind make alliances, and create bonds, the Thralgor Spy guild she had created for the sole purpose of monitoring the elites of their society seed like so crude joke to herself.
Ten million grams of gold? It still sounded unbelievable the more she thought about it.
At so point during the gathering that stretched into hours, Daemon had left the Great Hall and hadn’t yet appeared again. He left without a word, and his cold absence coupled with the grim presence of Yaren and the Red Hand caused a chill to hang in the air.
The Red Hand was pacing about the front of the hall, a tal claw in hand like a glove as she admired the sharp points. Occasionally, their eyes would jam together and Zina could not shake off the feeling of familiarity she felt with the woman whose only response when they stared at each other was a scathing smirk.
Zina’s body could only take so much, so at so point, she had no choice but to lean against the wall, unmoving as the world around her turned into a twirling ss.
It was obvious they were being confined, and Daemon wasn’t planning on letting them out anyti soon.
She didn’t exactly imagine telling Yaren or the Red Hand to excuse her on the basis of ’sickness’. n, far older than her and on the cusp of death were summoned as well at the Great Hall, so in view of that Zina hardly made it to the list of the old and incapacitated.
Hours passed until evening rested on them. Red flecks of the receding sun filtered into the room, causing everywhere to look bloody like the mood that hung in the air. It was then that the first three Alpha Princes of the late Alpha King graced her presence, hovering over her with grim expressions like they ant to take her captive.
Popularly known as the inept, the drunk, and the gambler trio respectively in order of birth, Daemon’s three older brother’s born of the late Alpha King’s first ordinary wife were, for lack of a better word, unimpressive. Even though they were the Alphas of the three biggest mid-ranked packs in the Arctic North, even Eldric had not been threatened by their powers for they were incapable, and Zina on her own side barely had any encounters with them.
Zina frowned, brows drawn with confusion. "And to what do I owe this pleasure Alpha Axel, Alpha Breck, and Alpha Calden." Zina said, feeling another wave of nausea rock through her body.
She really wanted to be alone and not have to talk, but the Alpha Prince Trio going from how they were grinning like they knew so dirty secret Zina didn’t know off weren’t exact;y ready to leave her be.
"Zina WolfKnight," Calden, the gambler drawled and it took everything in Zina to not react to the jab. The three, although not monsters for power, were even more troublemaking than a child despite their old ages.
"Calden." Zina drawled back in spite of herself, returning the favour. The man frowned, eyes flaring with anger as his fragile ego beca bruised just from the fact that the Theta of the NorthSteed Pack didn’t address him with the respect his fragile title demanded which was just comical.
Zina usually played to their stupid whims in their less than two tis per year encounter, but she simply wasn’t in the mood to entertain them.
"The arrogance," Axel, the first son and the inept tsked, "is it the mate bond with my dear younger brother that makes you so emboldened?"
He laughed so hard like he found the fact the most comical thing he had ever heard. "Maybe if you beg , then I will tell you a thing or two about him. But since we’re on it, I will have you know that Daemon is as unfeeling as a rock so shed that attitude of yours now that your pretty little head is still attached to your neck."
Zina would have bit back with an equally scathing response if she didn’t feel like the weight of the world solely rested on her head. But she choose to allow the three ignoramus to ride the high of their ignorance to its fullest.
"You will cover us won’t you?" Breck, also known as the drunk, gritted in a low voice only ant solely for Zina’s ears. The pungent sll of alcohol drifted from his breath, desecrating Zina’s nostrils like a vile punch to her guts.
Zina frowned, trying hard not to breathe the sa air with the man. She certainly did not follow what he was saying. Cover for them? What on earth made them think that she would want to cover them for anything in the first place when they didn’t even know each other.
"You must be drunk this morning, Alpha Breck."
The man certainly was drunk if his bloodshot eyes were anything to go about. It was more than that, his fingers were fidgeting like he wouldn’t be able to hold anything properly, and light tremors racked his body. Zina wondered if he had graduated from alcohol to sothing even more sinister.
There was nothing werewolves wouldn’t do these days to give their wolves a boost. Breck probably took drugs after Daemon’s summons in hopes that if it ca to a fight, then he wouldn’t be on the losing side.
Zina didn’t understand much about the trend. Left for her, she was very content being an ordinary shifter in view of the fact that she never had a wolf to speak of before.
But then, a man’s greed was certainly a thing of wonder.
"Forget about my highness, Theta." Breck gritted, spittle flying through clenched teeth and landing on Zina unceremoniously.
Could the man stop talking already? Just listening to him and slling his pungent breath was enough to send Zina’s dizziness spiralling out of control.
"We are asking you for your reassurance that the new Alpha King sans our brother won’t get a whiff of all the money we extorted in your na, I an, as seeing you’re a party to our said cri surely you will cover for us."
Zina stopped breathing as confusion mixed with her dizziness, sending her into a heady haze. "What are you talking about?" She managed to splutter as her clothes suddenly felt like they were drenched in sweat as they clung to her body.
She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t see. She couldn’t hear. And suddenly, she was feeling too hot even though it was still the early hours of evening.
She was lost sowhere in her head when sothing like a more heated commotion erupted in the hall. Hands grasped her, touching her. A moan sounded, then a growl.
Where was she? Who was she?
The door to the great hall slamd with a startling jolt. There was a growl far deeper that called to her wolf. The sound of flesh ripping and bone crunching. The sll of blood. Footsteps approaching her. And strong arms carrying her away.
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