Failed duty

"Do you take joy in delays?" Dinar asked Cathulf. That was a way of reprimanding Cathulf for her late comings without making Mara take it out on both of them.

"I'm sorry, my Lady," Cathulf knelt, apologizing. Mara nodded and she stood up. Even if everyone knows how slow Cathulf can be when it comes to observing her duties, how much disregard she has for the punctuality of time, they still love her for her meticulousness. But it's not the love that is making Mara overlook the lateness. But the interest of what is to come, or what she would gain in the coming minutes.

She is going to the town, the market to be precise, to see Leowulf. Her man. Or someone she is dying to see. Someone who would be the way out of her misery. And the only thing that could have stopped her didn't. Her father didn't stop her, so nothing would now.

Maraa, Cathulf, and Dinar arrived at the market the same time they arrived days ago. The day is dark. Today is one of the long nights. It has been going on for a long time now. The market is decorated with enough candle lights to even take away shadows. It wasn't a special period but they had to have lights on, for security reasons.

"Blessings Lord Farkas," Mara greeted

"Blessings…" Farkas raised his head from arranging his stores. He saw Mara.

"You are her," he stuttered.

"I am who?" Mara raised her brows.

"Lord Aaron's lady," he said, turning his face away from her. He looked down at his feet.

"Fear not good sir, me and Aaron have nothing. He is a friend." Mara smiled.

"Now, will you look me in the eyes?" She asked him.

"Oh! You are my lord's friend. You still deserve respect,"

"Respect is earned not given. I haven't done anything," She argued.

"My lady, that you are a beautiful daughter of the Volde Pack is enough. You are royalty. You don't need to earn respect. It will be given to you anywhere you go," Farkas replied, raising his head. He smiled at her.

"I guess that's a curse I will have to carry around." She replied.

"Oh! My lady," he said, coming out of his store and standing close to her.
"It's not a curse at all. It's a blessing. There shall be those blessed and those like us who can achieve blessings. And then, some are forever cursed," Farkas said, smiling at Mara. She knew those he was referring to. Cathulf and Dinar. They were those that will forever be cursed. No matter the act of valour done, slaves and maids never attain higher positions. Nothing could make them. The highest rank a slave can be in a pack is be the patriarch or matriarch of his family.

There have been patriarchal slaves who tried to form a pack. They called it League of the Free Borns. It was a threat to the balance of power in Asark. The Alpha's of Asark couldn't allow it. They had to destroy them. They hunted them down. Clawed down those they could. And those who survived were made slaves once again.

Ever since then, no such organisation by slave were formed and the respect for slaves went a bar lower. But not to Mara. Maybe she might hate other slaves but not these two who are particularly careful about her. They show her the act of love she received from her grandmother. They are her friends, not just maids. Hence, she wouldn't allow anyone to insult her friends. She sees herself as their beacon of hope.

"Those who are cursed forever haven't just gotten the right time to end their forever. Anyone can be cursed. It's a matter of power balance between packs." She corrected Farkas.

"Of course. Of course, it is my lady. By the way, since Lord Aaron isn't with you, is there anything I can help with?" He asked. Mara could feel the awkwardness her reply caused him. Since he didn't want to press the matter, there is no need for her to.

"The last time I was here, something happened,"

"Ah! Your highness lost consciousness,"

"That's not the one I want to remember," Mara thought. She sighed out of embarrassment.

"Yes! And a Wolf was here. He is Lord Leowulf of the Ultimate pack,"

"Lord Leowulf,"

"Yes, him."

"How is he? When was the last time he was here?"

"The last time you saw him," Farkas replied.

"The last time?"

"Yes! He doesn't come every day,"

"He will be in the palace. My Lady, is there a reason you need to see him? I am his very good friend," Farkas smiled.

"I am very close to him. In fact, soon enough, he will be seeing my daughter. My prayer is that he chooses her,"

"Eh?" She exclaimed.

"Is there anything, My Lady?"

"Nothing. Just… it's nothing. When do you suppose he will come again?"

"The next moon,"

"Oh thank you," Mara smiled. She nodded her head in appreciation of the joy-threatening information she just received from Farkas. She still wanted to ask him questions but that would reveal her secret. Leowulf marrying Farkas daughter. True, she hasn't known Farkas and Leowulf for long. She doesn't care about Farkas. But about Leowulf. The man she had been dreaming about for the past four days, might be getting married to the daughter of Farkas? Is this another proof that she is cursed? Another thing to prove how much of a pawn she has been destined to be? No wonder her father had always been the one making decisions for her. The few decisions she had ever gotten to make in her life had failed abruptly. She had chosen to love this man that she knows nothing about. A man whose backstory she doesn't know. A man she hasn't met since the day she collapsed in his arms.

"My lady!" Cathulf called out to Mara. She couldn't hear. She walked away from Farkas. Unaware of her environment.

"Lady Mara!" Dinar called out. But she heard this time around. She didn't want to listen to them. Right now, the only thing she wants to do is what her heart tells her to do. To leave the Town. Nothing was interesting about it anymore. It's become a place of pain.

"Grandmother said that I will always get what I want, as long as I put my heart and mind into it. Grandmother, you lied to me. I prayed for Leowulf."

"Lady Mara," Cathulf grabbed her hard. She brought her back to consciousness and made her aware of her environment.

"My Lady, I know your fears. But it's not worth it. He hasn't picked her yet. He hasn't accepted his daughter yet." Cathulf comforted her.

"It's all the same, isn't it?" Mara said. Her voice faded. It's shaky. It's a bit croaky and not lively. She had lost her spirit.

"It's not. My lady, you can still have him, if you let us help,"

"Let me help? The last time I had my maids interfere in my love life, I know what happened to them. My father hanged them. And what did he do to my lover? Bloodmoon. While he was dying, his father added silver to his heart. To increase the pain." Memories of what Fenris told her about her lover's death flooded in. Fenris didn't want to tell her. But she had begged him. The worst brutality she will experience isn't words of mouth, she told him. But it's the fact that she doesn't know what pain her lover passed through, that would kill her.

"We are not them!"

"I don't know what father would do. He hates the Ultimate Pack. Loving one of them will worsen the case for me," she cried. She buried her face into Dinar's shawl. She felt Dinar's neck rise. She knew both of them were sympathizing with her.

Mara still had her face in Dinar's shawl when she felt continuous taps from Cathulf. This was followed by a gasp from Dinar. She secretly cleaned catarrh on Dinar's shawl.

"What is it?" She asked.

"My Lady, it's Lord Aaron!" Cathulf whispered.

"Aaron? What is he doing here?"

"Maybe the same reason we are here," Dinar explained. Mara gave a lost look? The same reason? Why would Aaron come here to look for Leowulf?

"He is here to prevent you from seeing Lord Leowulf. If Lord Leowulf were to be here, if he sees you and Aaron together, he might have the impression that you both are a thing,"

"I am ready to avoid that from happening," Mara replied. They turned their backs to Aaron and began moving fast.

"Mara!" She didn't stop walking.

"Mara!!" Aaron sped towards her and stopped right before her.

"Ahh! Aaron. You are in the market. Didn't know it was you," she smiled at him. Cathulf and Dinar knelt before him.

"Don't play me for a fool," he asked fiercely, more than she had ever heard him.

"What am I playing you at?"

"You saw me. And these bastards supported you." He growled.

"Why are you accusing me and my maids of what we know nothing about?"

"Why are you here?" He asked, ignoring her question.

"Isn't the town beautiful enough for me to want to visit it every now and then?" She replied shakily. Her voice isn't stable and her armpits were wet due to nervous sweats.

"You should leave now?"

"That's what I was about to do." She sighed within herself. But she didn't respond to him.

"Mara, listen to me. You need to leave here, as soon as you can," Aaron warned. His voice didn't sound anything like he was angry. She couldn't even sense fear or bloodlust in him. He isn't here for Leowulf, neither is he here for him. He sounded like he was worried or disappointed. Surprise. Maybe he wasn't expecting her here.

"I have things to do in this market, and I am not leaving till I am done."

"Are you deaf woman? I am telling you this for the sake of your safety," he shouted at her.

Mara didn't reply to him. For some reason, she isn't scared of him. But she couldn't feel the courage to tell him off. Her father must have heard about the incident at the market with Leowulf. He didn't react. Her grandmother had once said a wolf who can't control or that needs the help of others to instill fear, isn't a true wolf.

Mara turned back. She walked towards the market. But definitely not going back to Farkas. Someone else's store would suffice. She needed to show her resolve. And let Aaron understand that she is no longer scared of him.

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Skoll had been in disguise ever since his father asked him to escort Mara. He was to protect her from what duty Aaron is supposed to carry out. Skoll knew Aaron loved his sister but his pride was better. But her life isn't something he would risk for his pride. If anything, he prefers his neck and heart to be intact than his pride.

Skoll got to the market before Mara. He had to hide.

"How slow can she be," he murmured when he saw her arriving with her maids. They weren't walking majestically, but with care so they didn't dirty each other's clothes. He had begged his father not to let her leave the pack till Aaron's duty was done. But his father explained some things to him.

But what he discovered was more surprising. For every pack, the wolf with the best hearing is usually made the Alpha's right hand. And in the case of sudden death, the right-hand stays on as the Alpha. Till the succession ceremony, the right-hand act as Alpha. But if the right hand was the Alpha's son in the case of Skoll, he would become the Alpha immediately. He had helped his father with his super-hearing abilities but never had he heard such treason. And from a family.

His sister is in love with the son of the Ultimate Alpha's family. He knew something had been wrong lately, but he didn't know it was this. The very tribe that they had been taught to hate. As confused and angry as he was, he calmed himself. He will get home before asking questions.

But now, the reason he had come to protect his sister had just appeared. Aaron. His walking gait graces his height. Even though Skoll hates to admit it, he knows Aaron is more handsome than he is. A comely wolf. But when it comes to strength, Aaron is nowhere near him.

Aaron is meant to cause chaos and disorder in the market. This is a protest against the reign of the Ultimate Alpha. This is a way of sending messages to the Ultimate Alpha that the barrier meant to keep werewolves in isolation is an unfair passage of justice. Why should the werewolves have to live in isolation whereas the humans have the whole outside world to themselves? A world of twelve hours of the day and twelve hours of the night. A world where the moon comes every thirty days. A world where the stars do not serve as a way of differentiating day and night. Not this world of eternal darkness. Not this world that few days are there lights and most days, they stay in darkness.

Skoll's father for some reason had decided to put his daughter in front of this chaos. And he is meant to protect her.

"Idiot," was the first word that came to mind when Aaron came to his sister. Skoll also believed Aaron wouldn't be able to attack while Mara was there. Also, he wasn't expecting him to come out to Mara.

Now, he seems to be threatening her. Skoll knew the mission given to Aaron has failed woefully and his father's predictions have gone exactly as he said it. Now all he has to do is return to the Volde Pack unnoticed.