When they returned to the dining room, with Hazel suitably dressed this time; she noticed the strained atmosphere and the avoided eye contact from everyone. After a while of stilted conversation and avoidance of eye contact, she lost patience and asked: “What is it? What have I done to cause this terrible atmosphere? Please don’t deny it; I don’t need these new heightened senses to feel it either!”
All eyes turned to Luke. Oscar took it upon himself to reply.
“I will explain, Hazel, as Luke has neglected yet another duty to you.” He said.
“After your first ‘Wolfing’ or Full Moon, your body is so exhausted from the new exertions placed upon it because of the changes to and from Wolf, the exercise you’ve given it with hunting and even merely running and the digestion of large quantities of meat that it goes into collapse. You sleep so deeply that awakening from that sleep is another shock to your body. Sometimes a new Wolf will sleep for days, unaware of anything around them and this can lead to distress for the ‘Humes’ in the house or worse, it can lead to the death of the Wolf if they are caught with evidence of their prey. You were not awake when you came downstairs to us earlier this afternoon. Luke just assumed that you would sleep until tomorrow morning at least, he forgot that sometimes a dazed state ensues.”
Darius interrupted: “You sleep-walked into our mid-afternoon meal. You were dazed and obviously confused… oh, and you were naked.” Hazel did not need to see his face to know that he was leering.
She shrugged and replied “You have seen me naked before, Darius; it could not have been such a shock!”
Victoria smiled at Hazel’s nonchalance and continued with her supper. Darius was less than amused however, and slammed down his fork. He pointed his knife at Hazel and snarled: “You need to find your proper place in our society! You are a whelp and as such, you will learn proper respect for your elders and betters. I suggest that you do not push me too far or you will be taking a harsh lesson sooner than you expect!”
“If you insist on trying to puff-up your already over-inflated self-importance at my expense, Darius, then I’m afraid it is you that will find himself on the receiving end of a harsh lesson long over-due. Do not EVER threaten me again. I may be only a whelp, but until I break Wolf Law, you cannot touch me. Respect works both ways. Treat me with contempt and you will find I return it with interest paid!” Hazel raised her voice only a little, but everyone could sense the venom in her voice, she almost growled the last sentence.
Darius was livid. He jumped from his seat and launched himself over the table at Hazel. Just as quick, Hazel leapt back, pushing her own chair over and standing to face Darius’s attack. However, Oscar knocked him sideways. They landed on the floor away from the table, Oscar was half-changed, but Darius was only a whisker away from full-transformation. Oscar was by far the supreme animal in this fight and with this realisation; Darius suddenly became calmer and more supplicant. He stayed on the floor even as Oscar got to his feet.
Then Darius had a change of heart; he hissed, “She should have been mine! I said all along that Luke could not control her and that he has no idea of tutoring her! I should have been given the job! I thought she was just going to be his little hobby, a pastime to while away the winter months in order to keep him here instead of traipsing all over the continent as he has been doing! I did not realise he was going to marry the bitch!”
“You already have a wife! If you want her as part of our family say the word and Katherine will be made Wolf.” Victoria interjected more to prevent her husband from being forced to take sides than any other reason.
“I may just do that!” Darius replied as petulant as any spoiled child.
Luke tried to lead Hazel out of the dining room, but she removed his hand from her arm, righted her chair and sat back to the table. The twins were clearing up the plates that had been scattered and smashed, a fresh plate already in situ at Hazel’s place. Throughout the remainder of the meal Darius glared at Hazel but she ignored him. Luke did not ignore him though and there were impolite exchanges of snarls at a various points during the meal. One look from Victoria, however, quieted them both.
When the was meal over there was little chance of the niceties of civilised after-dinner conversation, so Luke and Hazel made their way upstairs to their room, bidding everyone a good night.
“You play a dangerous game Hazel, one that carries high stakes. You must realise that Darius is a powerful Wolf. He has been Wolf longer than anyone you have met here, apart from Victoria and Oscar of course.” Luke sat watching Hazel brush her long red hair.
“I did not intend to anger him, I had to answer him, I could not help myself, and I could not let that go.” Hazel shrugged her shoulders and continued brushing. “He is so arrogant. What exactly did he mean that I should have been given to him?”
“He wanted you as his protégé. I saw you first and asked Oscar about you. To see if you would be suitable, but when Darius heard that I was about to start watching you to see if you could cope with our way of life, he then approached Oscar and Victoria himself. Apparently, Victoria was about to give him her permission when Oscar intervened and told her that I had already asked. I can imagine his face when you were snatched from him like that. Once Victoria had given her permission, it could not have been reversed. He should have approached Victoria alone to ask. Then maybe you would have been his protégé instead of my wife.” Luke said. “So then Darius offered to be the one to make you Wolf. I thought he was being generous, it looks like I was mistaken.”
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