Chapter 13: _Powerless Witch

Chapter 13: _Powerless Witch Everything happened so fast, but the one thing that stuck was the sharp pain that shot through my right shoulder when the woman grabbed it, yanking me away from her stall. "Look at the mess you've made!" She snapped, turning me around so I could face her. She looked to be in her late forties, with black hair tied in a messy bun. I breathed heavily but I was speechless on what to say, instead glancing back to get a better view of the tomatoes I'd ruined. Dear goddess, that seemed like it was going to be a lot of money. "Hey!" The woman called my attention harshly, causing me to jolt in fright and swerve my head back to her. "I'm not even in the mood to argue. That'll cost you at least one hundred and twenty-five dollars. Pay up!" One hundred and... What?! Where the fuck was I going to get all that money from? I parted my lips, my body still shaking as I stuttered. "I... I don't... I don't–" "Oh, shut up, witch!" The woman spat— literally. Her saliva splashed on my face, causing me to squint my eyes. But she didn't end there, yanking me around by my shoulder with her werewolf strength. "You better pay up, if not, I'll be dragging you straight to the Alpha king. I'm sure he'll know what to do with you." Dear goddess, not Kaelos. I stiffened, glancing at Beta Marcellus just then. He'd been watching the situation unfold with a curious expression on his face, his eyes glinting with something unknown. Meanwhile, people had already begun gathering and saying all sorts of things. "That's what these witches always do. They bring nothing but bad luck along with them!" A male voice yelled out. A female voice added at that same instant. "Why don't we just burn her before she brings any more misfortune?" "Scum!" "She'll destroy us all!" My heart felt like it was being stabbed and the dagger was then being twisted, causing me to whimper silently, my teeth gritted with frustration. These people, these werewolves, were only saying all this because I dared to be a little clumsy and fell on a woman's tomato display. Was that really deserving of being 'burned'? "Are you going to pay up or not?" The annoying voice of the woman who still held me by my shoulder filtered into my ears just then, bringing me out of my thoughts. I balled my hands into fists, trying to see if maybe this once, I could connect with my magic and show these beasts who's boss. But no matter how much I tried to connect with my magic and channel it out, all I could feel was a tingling sensation around my fingers, letting me know it was still there. How I could channel it was beyond me. It's always been a problem and why I was seen as a 'powerless' witch by most. But I knew I had magic somewhere in there... Suddenly, a voice that I'd been expecting to hear finally spoke up, booming around the market. "That's enough!" That instantly caused all the commotion to die down as all eyes went to Beta Marcellus. He scanned his gaze around briefly before he stepped forward, his eyes fixed on me for a few seconds. I lowered my gaze in embarrassment, wondering what he could do in this situation. I mean, he's the Beta after all, and everyone seemed to respect him. Maybe he could get this woman to forget about the– "How much did you say the cost of the damage was again?" The Beta asked with a calm tone, a slight smile curling up his lips. The murmuring among the crowd increased, but they didn't dare make their voice loud, many of them glancing at the Beta with fear while many stared at me with disdain. Oh, how I would've loved to cast a hex on every one of them! Anyway, the owner of the tomatoes glanced at me briefly before she released me from her vise-like grip, causing me to sigh in relief as I stepped away from her. She proceeded to give me one final glare before she turned her gaze to the Beta whose face was still beaming with a kind smile. "One hundred and twenty-five dollars, sir. Give or take." The woman said with a slight bow. I still felt like it was a rip-off, especially in this era torn by war. However, my eyes widened with surprise when the Beta brought out a wallet and counted some cash before handing it over to the woman. "There. That should cover it." He blurted, winking at the woman. Some of the women in the crowd giggled amongst themselves as Beta Marcellus finally stepped away from the scene, turning his gaze to me. "Oh, wow. You'll need one hell of a bath." He remarked, chuckling soon after. My body was stained all over with the red juices of the tomatoes, and my shoulder also hurt from the grip of the woman. I smiled wryly as we walked back to the Beta's car. "Yeah, I know. T– Thank you for your help back there, Beta." I said in a tone filled with gratitude. He merely nodded his head, waving his hand dismissively. "Nah, it's fine. I would've interfered way sooner, but I wanted to see if you'd react... Violently or try defending yourself with magic." He explained. What the heck? My eyebrows furrowed into a confused frown as he hopped into the front seat alongside his assistant, who sat in the driver's seat. It looks like we won't be buying anything at the market again. "S– Sorry about what happened, ma'am," Caroline spoke up just then, bowing her head with an embarrassed blush on her face. I parted my lips, a little surprised by her reaction, but I decided to respond with a reassuring smile. However, to my surprise, Caroline didn't end there and brought out a white handkerchief from her bra, using it to wipe some smudges on my face. I gawked at her, blinking awkwardly until she pulled her hands away with a smile on her face. "Perfect." She blurted, staring at me for a few seconds before she hopped into the car's backseat. I quickly regained my composure, hopping into the car as well, sighing heavily when we all locked the doors. "I'll get a maid of mine or something to come buy the stuff I need later." Beta Marcellus commented as his assistant, Cullen, started the engines and drove. "But as I was saying, not once did you even attempt to use magic back there. Are you truly a powerless witch, ma'am Odessa?" His question made me self-conscious, my jaw getting tense with embarrassment as I turned my head to the window beside me. But I ended up responding weakly. "Technically, in every sense of the term, I am." The air seemed solemn as soon as I said that, Beta Marcellus drumming his fingers on his seat. "Then I'm afraid your coming trials in this pack are going to be much harder for you to pass." He remarked somberly. I blinked in confusion. Trials?