'Alpha Sylvester wants to see you', The maid, Ann came to my room one day to tell me.'He said you should join him in the garden'.
'Alright', I said, thinking that what he wanted to see me for must be very important for him to ask that I should meet with him in his precious garden, though of late, he had not been too rigid about people entering the Reserved Area. No one went there, though except he sent them there for any reason, the fear of entering that place had already been instilled in them.
I put down the book I had been reading and straightening down the big round - neck polo shirt I had on over my jean short, I combed my hair, looking in the mirror to check that my appearance was good enough, I heaved a satisfied sigh, at least I wasn't looking unkept. Then, I walked out the door and through the back exit door, entered the garden.
I saw him pacing in the garden, lost in thought. But at the sound of my approaching footsteps, he turned round towards me with a welcoming smile.
'Millicent!' he called, spreading his arms for me to walk into them.
'Alpha Sylvester!' I greeted. When I was still a maid, I found it difficult calling him Alpha but now that I could call him by his given name without fear of repercussions, I call him by his title. Maybe because I feel that calling him by his name sounded intimate and that was not how I wanted to feel with Sylvester.
To prove to myself that I wasn't scared of any close proximity with him and to show him that I wasn't snubbing him, nor his attempt at friendliness, because I felt that was what it was all about, I walked into his arms. But unlike other times he had done the same thing, this time, he drew me close, enfolding me in his arms. I looked up into his face to assure myself that I wasn't misjudging this, I gasped at what I saw in his eyes. And as though he had been waiting for that exact reaction from me, he dipped his head and caught my lips with his, in a searing kiss.
I was shocked at first and stood rooted to the stop and he continued kissing me, then murmured, 'You taste so good. Just like I knew you would'.
That brought me out of my shock. I pushed him away. 'Alpha Sylvester, what do you think you are doing?' I asked, trembling with emotion.
'I am doing what I should have done long ago', he said, huskily, trying to pull me back into his arms. 'And you can call me Sylvester. Adding my title to it when we're alone like this, feels impersonal and that's not how I want to feel with you'.
'I'm sorry but I take exceptions to such behaviour!' I asserted, pushing him away again. I could not believe I was standing there, listening to what he was saying and allowing his hand on my body but I had started pretending that I was getting close to him, before Alpha Christopher came into the picture and stopping now might just raise a lot of questions.
'You don't have to be shy, we are mated and you will soon be my Luna', he said smiling at me. 'We are not doing anything wrong at all'.
'Well, until that time, I'd like us to maintain our distance!' I said, more forcefully than I intended. 'What I mean is that...'
'I know exactly what you mean', he said. 'If it were Christopher here now, would you have pushed him away?' he asked, roughly. What it pain I saw in his eyes? It couldn't be. The Alpha Sylvester I knew did not have a heart and hence could not feel hurt.
'Ann, told me you wanted to speak with me. I presumed it was something important...'
He hesitated as though he wanted to question me further but he must have changed his mind because he said, 'Yes, I wanted to ask you what you plan to do about Cathania!'
'Cathania?' I asked bemused.
'What punishment would you like her to serve for poisoning you?' he asked. 'I had promised to leave it up to you, else I would have given her a deserving punishment for poisoning the future Luna of the Moon Ville Pack'.
Did he mean that sincerely? What about his feelings for Cathania? Is he that fickle minded that his feelings changed with the tide?
'I have forgiven her', I said. 'I am only thankful that I survived it. There's no need punishing her. Moreover, she did it because she cares alot about you and felt threatened by my presence here!'
'That's no excuse and you cannot mean what you just said', Alpha Sylvester said with incredulity in his voice. 'If you do not punish her, others might think they could do anything against their leaders and get away with it. I like loyalty and punishing her will serve as a deterrent to others who might have any such thing in their minds'.
'Exactly, what I am saying!' I said smiling.
'What?' he asked bemused.
'She was being loyal to you', I said, 'At least that was what she thought she was doing when she did what she did', I concluded ,trying to point out to him, how Cathania's mind must have been working when she committed that grievous crime.
'So, you mean, you aren't going to punish her?' he asked, still not believing it.
'I shall not be punishing her and I plead with you to release her. She loves you and was only trying to protect her territory!' I said.
'I shall not let this go. She has to be punished', he said. 'If you do not want to punish her, then I will!'
'You shall do no such thing', I said with authority. He looked at me as though I had suddenly grown horns. Remembering he was not used to being ordered around, I said more gently, 'It is my prerogative to do with my chance to punish her as I desire! You said you will leave me to punish her as I see fit and I have just delivered my punishment. Which is for her to be released, let her conscience judge her. Moreover, she was your lover and I'll feel bad and morally unjust if I should make her serve a punishment other than the one I have given'.
'If you're sure', he said, uncertainly.
'I am very sure!' I said, confidently. 'Give the order that she should be released immediately.
'I'll do better than that', he said, looking at me with what I read to be grudging admiration and respect. 'Come with me, let's go tell her she is free to go!'
