The Women Between

Chapter 9: Taking a Stand

Cassandra dressed quickly after taking a nice relaxing bubble bath that eased the tension out of her shoulders. The porcelain white tub was big enough to hold four people in it. Her toiletries were already lined along the edges of it with a washcloth hanging above it and towels on a shelf not far away. The entire bathroom is white marble with brown wood trimming and a gold strip on the nozzles. A mirror is above the sink, as always, with the brown wooden drawers below the sink encasing two cabinets. The large shower stall that had looked like a blob from before was now clear enough for her to understand that it had been fogged glass doors distorting her sleepy vision. There is a long window at the farthest corner of the bathroom that shows the outside, too, except it is fogged glass, too. This looks like a princess's bathroom. It gives her a large space to play and dress with a couple of doors to access it as well as relax with the scented oils that are in the medicine cabinet at the corner of the mirror.

She is offset by the way this is luxuriously made for the Queen of the Wolves, which is her. She does not know how to take this news or the twin mating, so she does not think about it. She puts it in the back of her mind with the list of reasons for her not to be mated to them, as well as the list to make her a better mate and Luna Queen. It is easier not to dwell on the things that add to her chaotic thoughts. She has not come to terms with any of this, yet.

At least, her head and neck felt better from the dull ache the marking had done to it. She blames her mates for that, which did not make her mood any better. She wants to be with them, right now, feeling a lonely pang in her heart while the other part of her wants space. Her thoughts were too chaotic to think about what had happened to her in the last five days, let alone today. The warm water and the scented oils, thankfully, quelled some of the panic that made her want to scream and yell. She was ready to tell off all the gods and goddesses, whether good or bad, that her life is already unfair, and being mated to twin alphas doesn't help. Besides that, they already seem to care less about her wants or safety.

But they aren’t just any alpha twins, though. They are The Twin Alpha Kings of the Werewolves, who are known for their “double brutality”. That is what she overheard a lot from the omegas, who shook in fear and anticipation of their arrival. Mostly, the she-wolves of all the hierarchies wanted to have s*x with them. They were hoping that they would become the next Luna Queen. It made her huff and roll her eyes at the way they would throw themselves at the most powerful men instead of depending on themselves.

Still, she came to grips with one thing while soaking away her cares. She will not be able to escape them no matter if she tries to do it. It will be them letting her go or her leaving in a coffin before she can be free of them. Alphas are the worst for inflicting pain, she thought sadly as she wiped away the steam on the mirror after dressing. It did help her surly disposition to see the black marks on her neck that looked like a hickey from far away. On closer inspection, she could see the intricate design that showed a crown on a wolf's head. Or maybe it looked like that, but then, she looked at herself.

Her eyes have black circles under them with a hint of her tan fading away. Her eyes became distant then, seeing how they would beat her for whatever reason they drummed up. Their laughter would end when they walked away from her broken body no different than Derek and Jamie had done one time. That is not counting other pack members who did it, but they always remembered not to take it too far. If she ended up dead, then she was sure her mother would have ended things between Steve and her for good. That could be the life she will have with these men and this pack.

At least, they have omegas in all packs, she told herself as she remembered how the Luna was cared for by them. They are the gentler ones outside of the hierarchy, but they can be possessive over their pack at the same time. Some can be vicious if they want to be, as they try to climb the totem pole to be on top. It is not like they have the strength against other wolves, as they do against humans. She just hopes that no one in this pack will try to usurp her position when those men had put her there. She hopes that her mates will intervene on her behalf.

Cassandra walked out of the bathroom to her gleaming luxurious room, where two omegas waited for her. They were dressed in navy blue slacks and a navy-blue blouse. They stood against the farthest wall closest to the door like they were waiting for her. She looked at them startled before she realized that they might be there to help, like new Lunas are to be treated by their alphas. Her heart settled its thumping and let her take in a deep breath before she noticed the older woman at the brown wooden door acting like a guard.

Her brows perked as she looked between the three women, seeing their solemn faces. The black haired woman looks to be about her age, while her red haired coworker beside her is a little older by a few years or so. They kept their heads down and their bodies straight, like they were taught to do, so it was hard to identify their age correctly. It dismayed her to see people act like that, making her frown, until she looked at the graying brown haired woman. She had wrinkles on her round face with her brown eyes focused on the hard wooden floor of the room. It made her want to shout at them to see her as an equal, but she refrained from doing anything. This is the wolves' teaching- never look your superior in the eyes.

“Umm, what are you doing in my room?” Cassandra asked softly with a small smile on her face. She had nothing else to say to break the ice, hoping that this question would coax one of them to look at her.

“We are here to dress you, Luna Queen,” the older woman stated softly as she walked forward and turned to face her. “I am Head Omega Janet Awning. And they are Kara and Felicity, the maids assigned to you.”

She had waved to each one that curtsied, but still, they did not raise their heads. It dismayed her more to see this. It was a struggle not to let her frown show on her face when she was trying to be polite to them. She is not used to people being lower than her in any way, even their eyes. She is not like the high-ranking wolves of the pack, which she would see as a challenge. She likes to converse with someone who will look her in the eye, so she knows how they feel.

“Well, I am dressed and have dressed on my own since I was six,” she said firmly almost with an air of confidence. She almost laughed at the thought of her standing still while women saw her naked and clothed it to look, however. “I think I can manage without help.”

Felicity, the black haired girl, looked up suddenly and showed her brown eyes. They were shocked to see that she was in jeans and a t-shirt. She covered her mouth, acting like it was a crime for her to look like a normal everyday person. This only pushed a buttons on Cassandra that made her take another deep breath to ease her anger when she exhaled it. She does not like people trying to make her feel ashamed of herself by acting like this young woman. It only provokes a nastier side of her that wants to be spiteful towards people.

“You cannot wear that!” Felicity gasped holding to her chest. “You are going to breakfast with your mates. Then…”

“Remember your place, Omega!” Janet snapped, giving her a hardened glare. “I apologize, Luna Queen. She is overly excited about doing your hair and clothes, while Kara does your makeup for your mates.”

“I will do it, and it will be for my own self-worth, not theirs,” Cassandra clipped as she crossed her arms over her chest.

She does not do anything for the pleasure of a man. This is her life that they have messed with, causing her to upend all her plans. They will pay for what they have done, but she must do it artfully. The clench in her heart be damned, she thought angrily as she saw their faces holding remorse from this morning’s conversation. The mate bond wanted her to rethink what she was doing, but she could not let this go. However, the shocked look on the omegas’ faces almost made her retract her statement. She does not know how many times today people are going to look at her bug-eyed and filled with shock.

Then, they started talking all at once. Their loud voices shocked her, and almost made her cover her ears.

“You should dress the way they want,” Felicity said, sounding aghast. “They could reject you if you do not obey.”

“They are alphas and have expectations,” Kara said earnestly while gripping her fingers. “They will want you to look your best. Do you not feel it through the mate bond?”

“Luna Queens are expected to look well-dressed every day,” Janet said haughtily. “They do not go about in jeans or t-shirts. What will the other pack members say!?”

She let them go on a minute longer before she yelled, “Quiet!”

Cassandra waited a moment as they regained their composure with the two young women’s heads bowed. They knew their place was at the bottom next to the humans, but humans are the very lowest in a pack. Even witches, fairies, and other supernatural beings are above them. The reason for this is the physical strength of a person. That is what a wolf pack values above all else, and she knows that she has a snowballs chance in Hell with this pack. She is a weakling, no matter if she is mated to the kings or not. No one will respect her after the first week is over.

She breathed in, then out, feeling the trepidation starting to thump her heart harder. She knows that she is going against the rules of what a Luna Queen should look like and dress like. It is not that she has a handy book or pamphlet that gives her directions. The only thing she can go on is the human monarchies that she has seen on the news. Her new life has no direction about which is up or which is down, right now, so she needs stability. She knows that she is going to fight against people that will want to bring her down or want something from her mates. Today, though, is her first day awake as their mate, and she is not going to let anyone boss her around when she is not willing to accept them, yet.

“First and foremost,” she said sharply with her eyes grazing over each of them, “my mates are idiots.” That drew gasps from them, which made her lips twitch with the need to smirk at their response. “They do not care about my safety, or they would not have marked me against my will. I had to save myself by going into the mate bond in order to live. That is the only reason I am standing here today. Second, because of that, I will not please my mates in any way. They have blatantly shown me how little they care for me. Third, alphas care for themselves and only themselves. We all know it and have seen it by the way they act. I will not be subjugated nor submit to their will.

“I will act my normal, get to know the ins and outs of this pack, and learn my place. Today is the first day I have been awake since they marked me two days ago. I am dressing the way I want, and I’ll be damned if anyone is going to stop me from feeling comfortable when I am extremely uncomfortable. You will call me Cassandra. It is my given name, until I decide whether or not the kings are forgivable for their trespass. I still have the right to reject them, and I have half a notion to do so after what they have done.”

Their faces went from shocked to aghast to angered to shock, again. If she was honest with herself, she would say that she was shocked that she had spoken with such force in her voice. Her insides seemed to be wiggling from her nervousness about becoming queen and a Luna all-in-one. This was all so new to her that she did not know how to handle it. This alter ego that seemed to pop up from nowhere made her pat herself on the back for acting somewhat mature. Now, she just has to wait for her immaturity to flare, so she can try to tamper it with reason.

“You…” Janet began to say, but she refrained and turned to the young women who looked at her with their mouths open. A hardened look crossed over her face that drew their attention to her. “It seems we will not be needed until tonight for the Luna Ceremony, if Her Majesty wants us. However, Kara, you will stay behind and show Her Majesty around the packhouse and to the doctor when he arrives. She is expected in the breakfast room with her mates soon.”

“Yes, Head Omega,” she said with a curtsy.

“Luna Ceremony?” Cassandra questioned worriedly.

“Tonight, you will be presented to the pack,” Janet answered curtly, showing her disdain. “Their Majesties will explain everything to you including your Luna duties.”

“Then, I will most definitely need help tonight,” she said quickly, “but I have another question. Whose clothes are in the closet? I can see that some of them are mine, but the others are not.”

“Their Majesties had us pick up some clothes for you,” Janet answered, keeping her tone curt.

“Let me guess,” Cassandra said, almost laughing at what she could see in her head. “They gave you hours instead of days, right?”

“Yes,” she answered as she furrowed her brows, looking curious about her meaning.

“Well, not all of them are my taste,” she stated, trying to ease the blow. “I would venture a guess, but I do not know the kings well enough to say that they look like one brother’s taste or the other. I know you worked hard to pick them out, and I appreciate it, but I would not wear some of those things. The others are a maybe.”

“Pull the ones you do not like out and we will return them,” Janet replied, looking irritated. “We will pick up more clothes to your taste.”

“How are you to know my taste if I do not go to the store with you?” she asked, seeing the understanding dawn on her. “I will go with whoever. It will make it easier than sending someone to make a hundred trips to shop for me. That is ridiculous.”

“We can do it, Luna Queen,” Janet responded firmly as her face hardened with pride.

“No,” Cassandra said firmly. “I will because I know what I like.”

Janet just bowed her head, saying nothing more, before she turned around and walked away. Felicity followed behind her, letting the Luna Queen breathe out heavily. The Head Omega seemed to be a force to be reckoned with, and she did not want to seem like a push over. It would allow the woman to do whatever she wanted instead of letting her do her duties.

An ache started in her chest that she rubbed unconsciously. It is like her heart is hurting while there is no pain in it. It confused her as she walked to the door next to the bathroom.

She grabbed her brown sandals from under the clothes while contemplating everything. These are her favorite ones. They are flat with black straps that go from her big toe to the sides of her feet. Plus, they are worn in enough for her to walk around, which is what she plans to do today. She wants to explore her new potential home and think about whether she is going to become their mate. She also needed to decide about going from monogamy to polygamy. Her fantasies had always been two men and her, but she had never truly applied it to real life. It is something that she will have to consider while musing about it, and hopefully, she goes shopping to take her mind off those troubles, if she cannot make a decision.

“I think you made the Head Omega mad,” Kara called softly as she poked her head into the closet. It gave her a jolt that made her jump around to look at the maid she had forgotten about. “She had a lot of trouble getting those clothes, and even the other omegas were happy to hear that we had a Luna. They worked day and night with her driving them hard to get everything set up for you.”

“I know, and I do appreciate it,” Cassandra said, feeling bad about being a little snotty, “but I have got to be me. I cannot let this crown thing go to my head, especially when I do not know if I want the kings.”

“I understand,” she said solemnly, giving a small nod. “I just thought you would like to know so that way you can prepare for anything.”

“Ugh!”

That is not what she needs right now, while she is a befuddled mess of thoughts. She needs calmness and a schedule to help her think through her options. She does not need someone hellbent on making her life worse than it already is. This Head Omega could cause the other omegas to not listen to her or cause something she sets up to fail. That woman is one of the cornerstones to being a Luna. The one person that will help her through everything like the ceremony tonight and other endeavors given to the Luna. She wanted to scream at her idiocy, but yet, she knew she needed to set her pace and not someone else’s. She hopes that she can make amends with that woman and that she will not be so vindictive.