Chapter Four- Duties
Allura smelled food which roused her from her sleep. She sat up and saw sunlight and herself human again. She sat there to reflect on last night. She never would have imagined that werewolves could be so warm and friendly as well as willing to welcome a stranger into their ranks. Yet, that is what she found. Their willingness to allow new wolves could be born from a need to protect themselves so they all gather here and form their own community, but they do interact with humans during the day.
So, my first day as second alpha begins and I will learn what is required of me. I'll also learn who is who in human form as well as explore the village in greater detail. She got out of bed, washed up, and headed down the hall toward the smell of food. The houses here were one-story but long and wide. It made sense to have one-story as climbing stairs in wolf form seemed tricky and likely inconvenient.
She entered the kitchen to find a young teen boy at the stove, scrambling some eggs. He looked over and smiled at her. "Morning Allura," he said in Pidge's voice.
"Morning. You know, you're kind of cute."
Pidge blushed a little. "Yeah, I get that from a lot of girls my age."
"So, you don't have a mate?" She opened cabinets to familiarize herself with where everything was as well as getting out plates, glasses, and silverware.
"No, but then I'm not of age to want a mate yet."
"Really? When's that?"
"Sixteen. I've got two years to go until then."
"I'm sixteen," Allura admitted.
"I thought you were," Pidge said as he split the eggs between the two plates and began buttering some bread. "You had the scent of an available wifewolf last night in addition to your own unique scent." He gave a sniff. "Yes, definitely the scent of an available one."
"Available," Allura repeated as they sat at a low table on cushions. This revelation made it clear that her engagement to Keith was over. She thought of her words and initial attraction to Lance and wondered if he was of age and picked up that scent.
Pidge nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry, but your previous engagement is null and void. Your scent is proof of that."
Allura nodded sadly. She had known that she couldn't marry Keith since last night. He wouldn't accept her curse; he would turn her in and she would be killed. But to hear it spoken aloud, drove it home to her that she was no longer engaged. "So, could I choose any wolf or is that already determined?"
"Oh, yes. Your mate is your choice." Pidge's voice turned sly. "You're interested in Lance, aren't you?"
"Well, he was the first one I met after I changed. Is he of age?"
"He is. You should know that Lance is a lady's man, but he is willing to settle down with one girl especially now that he's of age. I could fix it so that the two of you could spend time together. In fact, I could fit it with one of your duties."
"My duties. What are they?"
"A lot like mine. I study the laws and traditions of our kind and I settle disputes. I also bless matings, births, and deaths. I assign jobs to others. I usually assign Lance to perimeter guard as he's got the sharpest nose in the village.
"I do plan to have Lance head into the nearest village later today to sell some herbal remedies. I normally send two or three members to the village as a matter of safety. I sometimes accompany the one I select for village interaction. Allura, would you like to go with Lance to sell our remedies?"
"I would be honored."
Keith paced his room while Romelle styled her hair at his vanity. "I'm worried," he said. "No one's seen Allura since she went for her walk. It's like she's disappeared."
"Perhaps she's getting cold feet," Romelle remarked.
Keith shook his head. "I doubt that. She was looking forward to the wedding." He paused at the window and stared out it at the woods nearby. A guard reported seeing Allura heading into them but not leaving them. That concerned him as, despite what they were told, werewolves could be roaming the forest at night. Those beasts wouldn't hesitate to kill a princess or, worse, bite her into one of them.
She cursed me to be a wifewolf once night falls. Allura's words were now chasing themselves in his head and he wondered if it was true. Was Allura a wifewolf now? An evil, dangerous beast? It didn't seem possible. Allura was a sweet, kind girl; for her to be a wifewolf her nature would have to change drastically. A curse could do that and that would mean that she could be evil now. That is, if she really was cursed and if so, then Romelle would be responsible for that.
He sighed. "Romelle, I'm heading out. There's a village nearby that requires my attention."
"Of course, Keith." Romelle stepped away from the vanity, her hair twisted into a bun. "What do you think?"
Keith regarded her for a moment. "That style suits you. Really does."
Romelle kissed his cheek. "You're so sweet." She left his room and Keith watched her, finding her behavior toward Allura's disappearance odd. She seemed completely unconcerned about her missing cousin, claiming Allura was getting cold feet about the wedding and acting as if nothing was different…except her behavior toward him. She seemed to be trying to charm him to love her. Why is she doing that? She knows how I feel about Allura. He shook his head. He would talk to her later. He had a village to visit that lived near the forest, the castle's woods part of that forest. The villagers were concerned about werewolf attacks, though no such attacks have ever occurred. He was to assure them that they need not worry about attacks and he would ask them if they had seen Allura lately. He left the room.
Allura carefully packed some bottles in a vertical honeycomb holder. She was impressed with the design as it would keep the bottles from breaking. The honeycomb sat in a wagon with handles, like those one would hitch horses up to and she looked around as Lance loaded the last of the bottles. "Where are the stables?" she asked.
"We don't have horses. They react negatively toward us despite our human forms. Besides, we're strong enough to pull the wagon ourselves, especially if we each take a handle."
"Yes, of course." Allura had given no thought to her supernatural abilities. She was stronger and faster now in addition to her enhanced senses. She seized one handle while Lance grabbed the other. Together, they pulled the wagon out of the village, through the barrier, and onto a slightly worn path.
"So, did Pidge tell you your duties?"
"He mentioned them before asking if I would accompany you to the village. I have to say that I feel very welcome in our village. Everyone is so warm and friendly."
"We try not to judge. We only want to live in peace with the rest of the planet. The humans fear us due to their views about us. We live in our own village behind the barrier out of safety."
"What about those who were bitten?"
"They were outcasts from their villages and were being hunted. We offered to bite them and have a safe haven among us. We leave the choice up to them. All of them accepted the offer and they are happy as well as safe."
"I feel the same way even though I was cursed."
"Turned, born, cursed. The way one becomes a wolf doesn't matter. We're all equal, like I said. You're one of us now, Allura."
Allura smiled at Lance as they traveled. He was right. She was one of them and she definitely felt safe and happy. She had spent the morning to familiarize herself with the human form of her fellow wolves. It had not been too hard as the voice doesn't change. She had been taken with Lance's human form when Pidge showed her to where they stored their wagons. She definitely saw herself mated to him and having a long happy life in the village with him.