Talons

Chapter 69: The Lesson

Rhea’s POV

Titi Beautiful is evil. She told me that she wanted me to be a floor girl, but I refused, so she made it seem like I was putting my cousins, who are also floor girls, down. I wasn’t, I just don't have the body type that they have, nor do I have the dance skill to ‘entertain.’ There is also the fact that I’m just not comfortable with it.

Still, my cousins, all girls, dragged me to a back room where they quite literally made me dance until it hurt. I wanted to cry, and I now see why being sent to this place is a punishment for me. I’m not sure how it affects Raven, who was having so much fun with our older cousins that she didn’t even care what they were doing to me.

By the end of the evening, my lower back hurt from twerking, and that in itself is terrible. I was drenched in sweat while my cousins, who are used to it, came back all smiles.

“Gordita, where is your endurance?” One of them asks, and I don’t even have the energy to look at her funny.

“If I learn how to dance like you, will you remove the charge against me?” I ask, and my cousin shrugs. She’s my aunt's daughter and in the ‘Silent Pack,’ which is funny because they are far from quiet, she holds a high rank since she is in line to take over.

I start limping to the room that I will share with Raven when I hear a loud male voice boom through the packhouse. He is asking for his nieces, and I start to whimper because all I want to do is shower and sleep.

“Jovan!” I hear being shouted loudly, and I’m not sure I can get used to people not linking, but then again, I’m jealous that they consider their omegas to such an extreme extent.

“Oh Muñeca, you look like you’re in pain. My goddess you have grown. I haven’t seen you since you were in diapers. Come give Uncle Johnathan a hug.” He pulls me in, and I let out a pained cry, which makes him scream for his son again. Jovan comes flying into the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes just in time to have the side of his head slapped. “I thought you said she beat Priscilla?”

“She did,” he responds in a groggy voice. “Titi Beautiful made her a floor girl, but she refused and Fortunate made her dance all night as punishment.” My aunt only has biological daughters. Their names are Fortunate, Blessing, Grace, and Miracle. I have not met Grace, but I really hope she is kinder than her sisters, who are just as crazy as Raven.

“Fortunate!” My uncle booms, and I find myself clinging to him for safety. 

“Que?!” (What?!) My cousin screams back. “What did I do now uncle beta?” I know my uncle’s name is Jonathan, but he’s also the beta of the pack, so I guess they have mixed titles, which makes me wonder why my aunt doesn’t go by Alpha Beautiful.

I pretend to be afraid as my cousin glares at me, and my uncle pushes me behind his back. Jovan just shakes his head before leaving the room, likely to go back to sleep.

“Do you know who this girl is?” He asks and my cousin throws a cheap shot by telling him that I’m Gordita.

“Callate,” (be quiet,) he shouts. “This is my Muñeca. The only one of Mavis’s daughters that didn’t run from me.” My uncle has a huge scar on the side of his face, and it is very intimidating. I don’t remember meeting him, but obviously we’ve met. “She is like Julee, so leave her alone.” I haven’t met Julee yet, but Jovan did point her out. 

My uncle is married to a human. His mate rejected him, and after she couldn’t find a second chance, she sought him out, but he was already married with children. She used silver to scar his face thinking it would ruin his marriage, but my uncle's wife loved him, not his appearance. 

Of their five children, Julee and Johnny were born wolfless. Johnny is a registered nurse and Julee is weeks away from graduating in the same field. Sadly, their mother is serving a year in prison after a pack dispute was witnessed by human police.

“She is nothing like Julee. She took down Priscilla after toying with her. I saw the whole thing.” That wasn’t exactly true. I wasn’t toying with anyone, I just thought Priscilla was holding back, then I got tired of waiting for her to give it her all, and I wanted the fight to end.

“Listen Fortunate, she is my favorite niece. I gave her the name Muñeca because she was so tiny when she was little. You won’t turn me against her.” Fortunate’s jaw drops.

“I thought I was your favorite niece,” she says, shocked by our uncle's confession.

“You are, when my Muñeca is not here.” I stifle a chuckle, and Raven comes looking for Fortunate just as she is about to curse me out.

“Uncle Johnathan!” Raven says, waving to the man excitedly. She takes in the sight of me huddling behind my uncle and makes a face.

“Is she doing the scared thing?” she asks, and Fortunate nods. “Just let it go, you’ll never win against her. I’ve been trying since she was born.”

As I listen to Raven tell our cousin that I’m the champion of puppy dog eyes, Titi Beautiful enters the room pushing a girl in a wheelchair. It's clear that she has a serious disorder, but I’m confused by her.

“Hey Grace,” Fortunate says, and her sister smiles, making her limbs spasm.

“Don’t get her too excited before bed, you know it’s difficult for her to sleep.” Fortune takes the wheelchair from her mother and begins pushing her toward a room on the ground floor. “Raven, Gordita, come meet your cousin,” Titi Beautiful says, and we both follow her.

When we get inside of the room, Raven is staring at Grace, who obviously cannot speak. I nudge her, making her flinch before my aunt starts to tell us what’s wrong with our cousin.

She said that she was young when she fell in love with a human. Years after they met, she became pregnant and gave birth to Fortunate. Her pregnancy was short, which meant that she knew her child was going to be a wolf, so she confessed it to her lover, who took it well. 

“I was shocked to have gotten pregnant in the first place. I’d never gone into heat, so I thought I was safe, but as Mavis pointed out back then, I would have known if I’d completed goddess studies to the end, but like everyone else I quit after the first two classes.”

I look over to Raven, who is intently listening to my aunt’s story. We have always been told by our mother that we did not want to end up like her sister. We thought she was suffering, but right now, we are both thinking something else.

“After Blessing, I became pregnant with Grace, and I was just beginning to show when I met my fated mate. He took one look at my belly and rejected me on the spot. It felt terrible, but I didn’t accept it because I knew it would kill my baby.”

She told us that her fated mate committed adultery every night until she had no choice; she contacted the local council branch, explained the situation to them, and they held an emergency rejection hearing complete with medical staff.”

“I accepted the rejection, and my fated mate was punished for not following rejection protocol. He argued that he was blinded by rage, so the council charged him with penalties, but left him his land.” My aunt said that she gave birth to Grace the same day, and no one knew anything was wrong until she started to have muscle spasms. Later, she was diagnosed with a form of cerebral palsy.

I look over to Raven who is doing a slow retreat. I thought she was eager to hear the truth, just like me, but I now see that she is worried. She flees the room crying, and Fortunate chases her. I don’t need to ask; I know that’s why my mother sent Raven along with me. She must know about Tucker, and she wanted to show my sister a glimpse of a possible outcome.

I, however, am focused on Grace, who is staring at me in a way that makes me feel compelled to sit next to her. Her arms start to flail, but I hold onto her hands and look directly into her eyes. 

“Hi, I’m your cousin Rhea.” I have never introduced myself by my real name, but I feel as though Grace would appreciate it. 

****

Weeks have gone by, and due to the heat, my wardrobe has changed drastically. I have cut the sleeves off every shirt, and my cousins have helped me turn some of my jeans into shorts. I could have just gone shopping, but for appearance’s sake, I need to seem broke. 

Raven doesn’t even know that I’m rich, nor does she know that I have been paying for her utilities. She is under the impression that Tucker has been paying, and my guess is that he hasn’t seen a need to correct her.

She booked a flight home recently, saying that she couldn’t stay because her wolf was slipping, but I know that she was just uncomfortable around Grace. Fortunate was hurt by Raven's decision to leave, and even Miracle was sad, but no one tried to stop her because they knew she needed to go.

I, on the other hand, was not permitted to leave, even worse, I now have a stage in my aunt’s bar. Grace had a fitful night and Sylvia suggested for me to sing to her. After she fell asleep my aunt arranged for me to sing during her open mic, which was received well. 

I was scared at first, but after two performances, I’m okay with it now. 

Jovan is worse than Robin and Lorrie combined. His father often has to tell him to go easy on me, but he has flat out said no. Priscilla is also a demon, and I’m not sure why she and my cousin don’t just mark one another. They are both of legal age and have clear tension between them.

It's not all bad though, I have almost gotten over my dislike of being stared at, I no longer wear my glasses, and I learned how to do my own hair.