Chapter 12: _The Kind Beta

Chapter 12: _The Kind Beta Beta Marcellus and I stepped out of the mansion and into the late morning sun, causing me to use my right arm to shield my face slightly. To my surprise, Caroline, who walked behind us, quickly drew out a fancy umbrella from hell knows where and opened it, using it to shade me. "Uhh..." I was speechless, my face heating up with a blush. "I'm good, thank you, Caroline. I'm used to worst conditions." She seemed hesitant at first until I glanced back at her and gave her a reassuring smile. She closed the umbrella and kept it by her side, bowing slightly before we continued walking. "I don't know when I'll get used to this," I muttered, almost forgetting that Beta Marcellus was walking beside me. He tilted his head, causing me to turn my gaze to him when I noticed him at the corner of my eyes. "Get used to what?" He asked with a teasing smirk. "Being treated like a princess?" I felt the urge to roll my eyes but kept it hidden, instead flashing a smile at him. "Yes. Quite the opposite of what I'm used to." I remarked. My mind went briefly to the kind of life I lived back at the Luminari coven, causing me to involuntarily shudder. Maybe living here isn't as bad as I think. "Well, believe me, I sometimes can't get used to it either after all this time." Beta Marcellus said as we walked past a few guards in the compound. They bowed to him, their expressions stoic like statues, but some of them had smiles of admiration on their faces. It was clear that the Beta was quite the respected man within the pack and possibly the entire North American region. Anyway, we finally got out of the mansion's grounds and stepped out into the rest of the estate. "A few blocks away from here is Elder Davina's sanctuary." Beta Marcellus pointed toward a white one-story duplex that was surrounded by trees and had an almost holy ambiance. I gawked at it in awe, feeling the energy pulsing out of it. The energy felt so similar to magic, just like the one I felt at the entrance to the pack. "It's so... Peaceful," I muttered, my gaze falling to the tarred ground we walked on. This entire pack screamed: MONEY! But to me, it also screamed of plundered resources that these beasts have stolen from the witches and humankind over the decades. Anyway, the Beta had a smile on his face, not noticing my inner turmoil. "Yeah, honestly, if we want to have a thorough tour of the pack, it would take days on foot. But if we're able to get a car..." He paused, glancing around expectantly. My eyes dimmed as I watched him until a black SUV drove toward us, parking in front of us. The tainted window of the driver's seat rolled down, revealing the face of a man who seemed to be in his early twenties, with a light brown skin tone and dark brown eyes, as well as a buzz cut. "Good morning, sir. Where are we off to..." the young man paused when his eyes landed on me, causing me to tense up. Ugh, what now? I stared back at him, awkwardly glancing at Beta Marcellus for some assistance. "Cullen, behave." The Beta remarked with a chuckle. "And yes, before you ask any questions, she's the Alpha king's Witch bride. We'll be taking her on a little tour around the pack today." The young man, Cullen, squinted his eyes hesitantly but eventually opened the doors, allowing Beta Marcellus to hop into the front seat while Caroline and I sat at the back. "Cullen is my butler and assistant." Beta Marcellus glanced back at me, gesturing at the young man. The young werewolf grunted with displeasure, seeming like he didn't want anything to do with me... Until Beta Marcellus glared at him. After coughing awkwardly, Cullen glanced at my reflection in the rearview mirror and blurted. "Lovely to meet you, ma'am. I hope your stay in this pack has been comfortable so far." Yeah, right... I merely smiled, ignoring the jerk as he started the car and drove off slowly, allowing Beta Marcellus to point out landmarks and places. "This section of the pack, which contains the Alpha king's mansion and the residential buildings of the elites and nobles of the pack, is called the 'Elite region' by most. It doesn't have a specific name though." Beta Marcellus explained with a cheery tone. He seemed really enthusiastic, a contrast to me if I must add. I already didn't want to go for this 'tour' in the first place, but now my encounter with Cullen has led me to believe that every other werewolf out there will have a worse reaction to seeing me. Anyway, after several minutes of driving, we finally got out of the Elite region and drove into a more... Simple part of the estate. "And this is where most of the common folk of our pack live." Beta Marcellus muttered, looking out of his window. "Speaking of which, I think I'll want to make a stop at the market to get some things. What about you, Odessa?" Huh? I shook my head, turning my gaze to him only to meet him staring at me expectantly. My eyelids fluttered with confusion at first but I eventually plastered a smile on my face. "I think I'll be good. I don't have any money on me and–" "Oh, it's fine. I'll pay for you." He offered politely. My hands subconsciously balled into fists, but I didn't want to decline his offer, so I nodded silently, breathing out a bit when he finally looked away from me. I glanced at Caroline who sat beside me and had been silent throughout the ride. She had her gaze on me but looked away when she saw me staring at her, her freckled face reddening with a blush. I wonder what she's thinking. Anyway, after a few more minutes, Cullen stopped the car at the outskirts of a busy marketplace filled with stores here and there as well as carefully placed shades of food products. We all stepped down from the car, with Beta Marcellus sticking beside me while trying to seem as discreet as possible to avoid too much attention. However, even with that, he still managed to gain some attention, with some people noticing him and greeting him with warm smiles and bows. It was a contrast to the solemn and almost fearful way people acknowledged Kaelos. As I thought about all this while we walked, I got briefly distracted and didn't watch quickly enough to avoid a huge man who abruptly bumped into me, causing me to stumble backward. "Woah!" I yelped, losing my footing. Unfortunately, before I knew what was happening, I crashed into a tomato shade, a gasp escaping my lips when I felt the wet stains of the tomato juices on my body as well as the numbing pain of falling on the table. Oh no... "You imp!" A woman screeched, immediately grabbing my shoulder before I could catch my breath.