Luci, the Alpha and Beta's Concubine

CH 9

Luci

Luci was all hot and sweaty, and it seemed this whatever it was, causing her to not feel so right. And she wasn’t, had a headache that was niggling away at her, and she felt a bit off.

But it was not only affecting her, and she knew it, but Kali as well, for although her wolf couldn’t emerge from her yet, Luci could feel that her wolf was all cranky and irritated inside of her mind. Could see her in there shaking her head as if something was wrong with her. Like she herself had a headache just like Luci did, rubbed her head on her front legs even as though she to was trying to ease the pain.

Then she was just stalking around inside her mind a little on the annoyed and angry side, turned and looked out of Luci’s eyes and glared at everyone about her. All the others that could shift and run freely in the woods, something she longed to do, was angry at them for being shifters, and didn’t think that it was fair that she wasn’t.

Then she had just started pawing at the inside of her mind, more than she normally did, was near on constantly pawing at her, in what seemed an effort to get out of her right this minute, like Luci’s mind was a burrow to dig herself out of.

Not that it was helping her wolf at all, it was getting her nowhere other than to frustrate herself and make Luci’s headache worse, more than the slight throbbing she was putting up with now.

Luci wanted to let Kali out, but even thinking about letting her wolf rip out of her and focusing on Kali herself, trying to give her wolf full control of her mind and body, so that Kali could rip out of her at will, she couldn’t.

Luci didn’t even care that she was inside, if Kali could rip out of her here and now inside this packhouse, so be it. It might shock those around her, but they’d deal with it. One couldn’t contain a first shift. It happened when and where it was supposed to, inside, outside, at whatever age the Moon Goddess deemed fit even.

There was nothing at this point, just like there hadn’t been in the past two years, that either one of them could do to release her wolf. Luci had tried many times, both she and Kali had thought about it, how to get her out into her wolf form. They had gone out into the woods many times over the past two years. Under the weight of every full moon that had came and went, even been out under a blue moon, that had happened last year: thought maybe, just maybe two full moons in a calendar month might help, no such luck. They even went out under a full Luna Eclipse every six months, but not even that had released her wolf.

They’d even gone so far as to be outside under the new moon each month for the past two years, seeing as they’d heard they’d been born on a new moon. She knew it was when werewolves were at their weakest, with no moon in the sky, but she and Kali had tried everything to help her shift for the first time.

Nothing ever worked and this evening that headache and Kali’s pawing at her mind to get out and her father’s constant hovering since they had arrived, mixed in with Kali’s irritation and crankiness at not being able to get out of her. She’d lost it with her father’s words about being wolf-less.

To her, it seemed that he took great pleasure in telling all those around them that she was wolf-less. Luci had a feeling he did it on purpose. Letting every one of his allied packs know that she was not going to be the Heir to the pack, without having to state it officially.

But they all knew him and how strict he was, how bloody old-fashioned he was even, telling them she was wolf-less or reminding them if they already knew was just, as far as she was concerned, his way of letting them know that Thatcher would be inheriting the pack not her, because he’d never put a wolf-less girl in charge of a pack of wolves.

Luci had the distinct discomforting thought that it was the only way he could let them all know she wouldn’t be taking over, that he would be waiting on Thatcher to come of age. Without actually having to voice those words, which he knew would set her mother off into a hell of a fit. She was certain that all their allied Alpha’s understood this; was why he said it as well.

She’d seen many apologetic looks, many sympathetic looks and a few dismissive ones as well. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, most eyes fell on her, and she knew it was what he wanted to happen. Sometimes she wondered if it was simply because he wanted to remind her, she was useless to him.

This evening, those words had unleashed her own temper right back at him. She couldn’t take it today, she was over him telling anyone and everyone. It wasn’t like they wouldn’t be able to smell it anyway, but no! That man just had to voice it out loud. So today she’d yelled at her own father.

Had said all the things she knew better than to say, words she knew were going to bring that man right to her room, to punish her for her disrespect and disobedience. She’d even shot snarky words at Alpha Rafe and his Beta, Jack. That she knew was a no-no, but she just couldn’t help it. She was furious with the world today, it seemed.

Between not feeling very well and her father’s attitude towards her, she’d finally just had enough, and now he knew it too. Luci stalked out of that office and thought briefly about going outside and stalking off into the pack’s woods. If she was at home, that’s just what she would do, go off to the river and sit there or swim.

But she turned herself away from the open front doors of the packhouse and marched herself up that lovely staircase and off to her room. Knowing full well it’s where she would be sent to anyway, her father would yell at her and send her right to her room, likely be grounded to this room for the rest of the stay.

She banged right into her own suite and threw herself down on her bed and screamed with all her frustration and anger right into her own pillow. Then just lay there and stared out the window, at the forest that was always, it seemed, out of reach for her beast.

Something Kali craved, to run out there in the woods in wolfen form. It just wasn’t the same having Luci run around in it, it wouldn’t be so bad if Kali could push forward and be in control, run around in Luci’s human body. That would help, but no, her wolf couldn’t even do that. Was completely locked inside of her.

Luci sighed heavily when Kali whined inside her mind as they both looked out at the dark dense forest that backed onto the packhouse. Was only like 25 meters away from them if that. Kali once again pawed at her mind, wanting to get out and run off into it, if only she could get out, that was. It was really frustrating her wolf, more so here and now than any other time, and that annoyance and frustration was filtering from her wolf into her own mood.

Sat up as she wiped the sweat from her brow yet again, she was so bloody hot and sweaty it wasn’t funny, she pressed her own hand to her forehead and wondered if she was running a fever, had never done so before in her life. ‘Kali, are we sick?’ she asked her wolf knew that their beasts could usually tell what was wrong with them, heal them as well.

Not that she thought Kali would be able to do that, she got bruises sometimes, and they stayed on her. Kali couldn’t heal them because she wasn’t fully realised was only at this point a voice inside of her mind.

‘I don’t know, we’re hot, head hurts.’

‘You’re making our headache worse with all your scratching to get out. Ease up on that, and maybe we’ll start to feel better, hey.’ She offered.

‘Easy for you to say, you’re out all the time.’ Kali shot right back.

Luci sighed ‘I don’t mean to offend Kali, my head is really starting to feel like it’s killing me, so I’m grumpy just like you are.’

Kali huffed ‘I try less.’

‘Thank you, I think we're both grumpy and feeding off of each other, that’s what’s making us angry and yelling at everyone.’ She thought through her and her wolf's emotions and reactions to everyone.

Luci watched as her mother pushed through the connecting door and into her room as she sat there on the bed, “I bloody know,” she snarled at her mother. “I’m in trouble yet again.”

Her mother frowned at her and the attitude she got, it wasn’t often that she and her mum yelled at each other, actually she didn’t think they ever had. Though her mum didn’t yell back at her, just stood there for a moment and looked at her a little shocked by it, then she just sighed softly “Sweetheart, are you feeling alright? You look…unwell.”

“I don’t actually feel well.” She told her honestly “I’m hot all over and have a massive headache to go with it.”

“Alright, how about you have a cool shower or hop in the bath and try to relax. I can get you something for the headache if you like.” Her mother’s head was tilted to the side slightly and Luci knew what she was doing, assessing her condition to see if there was something wrong with her.

“If father comes in here, I’m likely to start a war with him.” Luci muttered and took herself to the ensuite and closed the door behind her, leaving her mother out there in the room. It was the only warning that would be given. She knew her mother would likely intervene between her and her father.

She stood there and turned the taps for the bath on and watched it fill up, though even watching the water fill, which would usually relax her, didn't. She turned and looked out the massive window, even from in the bathroom she’d be able to stare at that deep dark forest that was darkening by the minute as the sun started sinking in the west, that was really beckoning to not just Kali but Luci herself.

Perhaps after their bath they should just go out and wander in the woods. It might make them feel a little bit better about Kali not being out of her. She caught the sight of Alpha Rafe and Beta Jack heading off into the woods themselves, sighed as she watched them strip off and then shift before racing off in wolf form.

It really wasn’t fair, why everyone around them could shift, but she couldn’t, she didn’t understand it. Both her parents were Alpha-blooded wolves. Why couldn’t her wolf appear at 16 like everyone else’s did?

She could feel Kali watching those two wolves running off, tracked them herself until they couldn’t be seen any longer. ‘I would run everywhere, chase everything that moves.’ Kali huffed, more than annoyed by the sight.

‘I’d be able to handle an Alpha male.’ Luci sighed and heard Kali chortle inside her mind for the first time since dinner, when that headache had started. ‘Get your mind out of the gutter.’

‘I can’t, you know that. I have serious needs; I don’t think anything is ever going to sate them. I’m as stuck as you are, Kali.’