Chapter 3 Erasthai

Shyla’s P.O.V. “Erasthai? What does it mean?” I craned my neck for an answer to my query, but he didn’t like it. Alpha’s ocean blue eyes were ablaze with fury as he commanded, “How dare you look into the eyes of an Alpha?” His furious tone forced me to submit; I bared my neck in submission. “Please forgive me, Alpha.” Although he was standing at a distance from me now, his piercing gaze was sizing me up, as if he was collecting all the information of my past by just looking at me. “Are you from Blood Moon Pack, Erasthai?” The inhumane touch in his voice hinted towards his feral side, his interest in me was questionable. Perhaps he was surprised that I wasn’t branded as a slave. Then it occurred to me, “A free omega must be called an Erasthai in his pack. He must be from south, where thy use different terms for the ranks in packs.” But his query flashed the scenes of my mortification flashed across my eyes, where my ex-husband betrayed, banished and tried to kill me. My throat tightened up; my voice was barely above a whisper in response. “Alpha Raymond has banished me from the pack.” “You just saved your life, Erasthai!” Alpha’s menacing tone made me fear for my life, how could he simply threaten to kill me? Wasn’t Alpha Raymond enough that another Alpha was ready to end my life? His words stung like hell as the reality of being worthless slapped me on my face again, shattering my heart. But I needed to escape! My baby's safety was more important than anything else. To judge the possibility of surviving this meeting, I asked respectfully. “Are you Alpha Kaden or Alpha Xavier from the...” My question was halted by a thundering growl, Alpha lunged at me and clutched my neck painfully. “Stop mentioning other Alphas’ names before me! You can’t bear the consequences of your actions, Erasthai! Then he gestured to his minion and thundered in his Alpha tone. “From now on, she will live in Hawthorne Pack. It’s your duty to make sure that she reached there safely.” ... Seven days later... Raymond had ruined my life in the worst possible way, crying and mourning my loss became my only routine. But there was one more thing scaring me out of my wits. Even after a week, my heart trembled at every slightest sound, imagining that Alpha’s cruel punishment for fooling his man. Yes! I tricked his warrior that night! When that Alpha spat out his Pack’s name, the ground below me shook with the intensity of revelation. He was Alpha Magnus, the notorious leader of the Hawthorne Pack in the south. The Alpha was widely known for his bloodlust, his friendship with Lycan King was a source of his overconfidence. Mostly, he represented the King in official meetings. And out of all the Alphas in the Werewolf Community, I was doomed to be spotted by him. Height of my bad luck! I was reminiscing all the details Alpha Raymond gave me about Alpha Magnus, that was when a shrill voice brought me back to reality. "How long are you going to mourn for that cheater Raymond, Shyl? He doesn’t deserve your tears.” I took a deep breath and turned to face the owner of this kindness; my friend’s Moira’s worried face snapped me out of the daze. That night, I swore on the Moon Goddess for boarding a train to the Hawthorne Pack, my lie helped me to save my life. Warrior James was a simple man who trusted me easily and bought me ticket and dinner. He was a nice man, and I felt bad for lying too. But I could deceive anyone for my pup’s safety, even if it was my savior or a benefactor! Sensing my inner struggle, Moira opened a box of pizza, its heavenly aroma filled my small room. “You are an angel, Moira.” I changed four buses to come and meet Moira at Blazing Paw Pack, she welcomed me into her life with an open heart. This pizza was also proof of her love for me. “The Moon Goddess has finally blessed us with a blood relative, and what are you doing, Shyl? Starving my nephew while grieving your loss. You are such a selfish person.” Moira used a slice of pepperoni pizza to lure me out of my bed. I forgot my pain and was looking at pizza greedily when she handed me a box. “I have brought Caesar salad for you. Let’s eat.” Salad? Was I a buffalo? "Screw you, Moira. I can graze my grass without your reminder, why are you bothering me?” Moira munched on her pizza and eyed me to eat, I sighed and listened to her news bulletin. “My master has agreed to give you a trainee card and a job as a cleaner at her office. Your ownership issues have been solved.” She was so proud while boasting about her master’s favor, but I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. This system of slavery was literally out of my mind, as I was also a living being like any other creature walking on this Earth. Based on power and money, some high-ups were exploiting our basic rights, this thought always nauseated me during my stay in Blood Moon Pack. But now I had to survive in this harsh world for my child. I would raise my pup alone, proving my strength as an omega mother. ... After some arguments, Moira convinced me to go to work the same night. It was fortunate that she was also ordered to work an extra shift there. However, the location of workplace sank my heart, Moira’s condition was no different from mine. “It’s not an office, Shyl. This mansion is haunted, locked by Alpha for Goddess knows how many decades.” I wanted to laugh at her pitiful condition, her expectations of an easy task from her master were more like a daydream. Why would anyone take pity on low lives like us? We waited for a team of workers, but only three more slaves came. So, we gathered our cleaning supplies and started labor. As Moira stated, the mansion was only dust and litter, the only motivation for this work was the hefty payment her master promised us. It was important for me to save every scent as money was the power, and in my current situation, I could kill for money. Our group of five omegas worked for the whole night without a break. In the end, Moira took the heavy work and sent me out into the backyard to water the plants. The gardening staff was done with fixing the jungle. I came out and the sun was yet to rise from the east, the freshness of air calmed my soul outside. “Thanks for this work, the Moon Goddess. Please give me strength to raise my child well.” Grabbing a hose in my hand, I was talking to my Goddess when my gaze fell at a fleeting figure. From some distance, it appeared that a tall man was dragging something on ground, and he was moving towards the storeroom. “Who is he?” This question popped up in my mind as we were only five girls working there, sending a shiver down my spine. Thief, kidnapper or an assassin, every possibility was hinting towards my ultimate doom, it activated my survival mode instantly. I spun on my heels to flee; the safety of the building was the only thing on my mind. However, these slight movements caught his attention, he flashed before me in a heartbeat. I hit his iron chest of steel muscles; my head hurt like hell. This was the least of my concerns as the stench of blood invaded my nostrils. What a weird choice of perfume! But my own blood coursing through veins froze as my eyes caught sight of blood on that chest. I raised my head slowly and forgot to breathe for a moment! “Alpha?” The scarred man, Alpha Magnus, was standing tall in his Alpha glory, his white shirt and his hands were stained with blood. My legs refused to bear my weight as he spoke, there was a dangerous edge to his voice. “Long time no see, Shyla Alford.”