Chapter 20: Friends
Raven
I was stunned.
This information was both shocking and hard to comprehend. Still, I didn’t think she was lying. It was something she truly believed to be the truth.
"My name is Loel," she said, introducing herself as I nodded in response. "Raven," I replied, staring at her face, which seemed so full of life and joy. It made me wonder what kind of experiences she had gone through to make her look so hopeful—with such a radiant light in her eyes.
"...I’m one of the people in charge of laundry, but at least we get to waste time by the river as much as we can. You can join me if your schedule is free," she said, and I nodded, though unsure. Maybe it was fear—fear that whatever excitement she had at meeting me wouldn’t last.
They never did. When it became clear that I could not carry or help as much as they thought, they would begin to look down on me and whisper about how lazy I was. It had happened before, and a part of me was terrified that it was what was bound to happen again.
"Sure! Once I’ve gotten the schedule, I’ll get back to you," I told her, not really meaning it, since I had no way of actually reaching her—only for her to smile brightly, showing all her teeth, as she turned to point at a particular house, which I could see as she vividly described it.
"It’s right at the end of the row. I live there with my younger brother, Raphal. You’ll meet him," she said, her brown eyes twinkling, her short curly hair barely brushing her shoulders. She wasn’t conventionally pretty—her features were too plain—but to me, she might as well have been the prettiest young woman I had ever seen.
I nodded in response, realizing that it would be nice to meet her younger brother, wondering if he was the same as her or a bit more reserved. "I can introduce you to the pack environment better. People are still getting used to your people, but I can assure you that we are not monsters."
"...I understand. It’s the law of nature. The conquered bows to the conqueror," I sighed, and Loel slowly nodded, relieved that I understood—her reaction making it even clearer that she truly wore her heart on her sleeve.
"Thank you... for retrieving my clothes," I told her as I reached out to take the bundle from her, and she handed it over without hesitation.
"The least I could do. You must be tired, and I seem to have taken more of your time than I should," she said, and I lightly shook my head—even though the truth was that she had indeed taken more of my time than I wanted.
The trip had been exhausting, even though I had been seated on Lilian’s back for most of it. Sitting in front of Rex, Axel, and Thor had been far worse. My bones felt like they were turning to mush, and all I wanted to do was lie down and rest. A bath would be nice too.
Watching Loel prepare to leave, I stopped her with a question. "...what about bathing? Is it done at the river?" I asked, and she instantly shook her head.
"Only men do that," she said firmly. "...women are entitled to one bucket per day, which can be collected from the kitchen."
"It’s the other large building in the pack apart from the Alpha’s. It’s the only other place people are willing to put extra effort into," she added.
"It’s a privilege since we have our blood season, and we need the water more than they do," she said with a shrug, and I nodded as she continued, almost eagerly, without needing to be prompted.
"You can ask anyone to help you bring it to your room, and I can assure you they won’t hesitate," she added, winking at the end of her statement, which made me chuckle as I shook my head—more at her playful nature than anything else.
"...the rest of the time, you’ll have to bathe at the river," she finished, and I nodded with a genuine smile this time.
"Thank you!" I said, and she responded with a small curtsy using her skirt—something only human women did—which made it unexpectedly amusing, and we both burst into laughter.
"Take care, Raven! I’ll see you later," she said, waving as she turned to leave. I waved back, a small smile still on my face, wondering if—just maybe—aside from whatever Rex had planned for me, living in this new pack might be better than my previous one.
I desperately wanted it to be.
I watched Loel’s back as she walked away before finally closing the door behind me. Turning back into the room, I stepped into my small space, illuminated by the soft light filtering through the thin curtains that covered the window—allowing light in while keeping prying eyes out.
I changed out of my red dress into a much lighter one before dropping onto the wooden bed. Barely had I closed my eyes when sleep wrapped itself around me, dragging me down into its depths.
Loel’s POV
I had barely stepped away from her sleeping place—which was what the rows of small houses were called—when I saw Xarna already walking toward me, a look of impatience clear on her face.
This annoyed me, since she should have at least waited for me to come to her—that had been the plan. I wasn’t surprised when she immediately began asking questions the moment she was close enough.
"So? How was it? Will we be able to keep track of her?" Xarna asked directly, her curiosity barely contained as she waited for my response. I slowly nodded.
"She seems simple. It seems simple enough. We shouldn’t have any problems doing it," I replied, not surprised to see Xarna release the breath she had been holding, a wide grin spreading across her face.
"That’s great! Because the reward is amazing. Getting one of Gessia’s creams for my face would be incredible. You’ve seen Clara’s skin—I’m so jealous," she gushed, moving closer to grab my arm and pull me along as she leaned in to whisper.
"We can do this! Together, we can!" she said, and I nodded, not seeing anything particularly wrong with keeping an eye on Raven, considering she was from a conquered pack.
Everyone would be doing the same—we would just do it better. And besides, if we got too close, we could always stop.
"This is great! This should be fun!" Xarna said excitedly.
And although I nodded as she dragged me along, I didn’t feel quite the same way.
