The Garden
Rory
I watched my sister curiously as she applied makeup expertly in the vanity mirror. Rouge on her lips and blended in at the high points of her cheeks, charcoal at the corners of her eyes. She looked stunning, as always. “I don’t know why you bother with it. You look lovely even without makeup, and if you meet your mate, he certainly won’t care.” Ivy smiled as she glanced over her shoulder at me, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
“My dear Rory, I wear makeup for my pleasure, not the entertainment of potential mates. Would you like me to style your hair?” Ivy spun around as she spoke, stalking towards me as I giggled. At twenty five years old, three years my senior, Ivy was keen on finding her mate and exploring the world outside our small pack. Tonight, the Winter Gala would provide that opportunity, it was a rare event held for packs to mingle outside their usual territories, and meet potential mates. “Or, maybe you would like some makeup, I’m not the only one who is eligible and looking.” She curled a lock of my hair around her fingers, and I blushed deeply.
“If you have the time.” I tried to appear nonchalant in my response, but Ivy knew me better than anyone. The youngest daughter of the Beta was hardly worthy of much attention, but Ivy loved me dearly, and she got to work on taming my curls. Father was preoccupied with his duties as the Beta, and his attention was often split between his work for Alpha Vaughn and training my eldest brother Cedric to one day replace him. Cedric was cruel, deriving a strange pleasure from tormenting me. Our other brother, Pyke, was more level headed and indifferent to me, but his loyalty lay with Cedric. I often thought he might make a better Beta, not that it was my place to say. I wanted desperately for Ivy to find the mate she dreamed of, but I was conflicted by the selfish desire for her to stay, lest I be left alone with our eldest brother.
“You’re quiet. Nervous?” Ivy’s smooth voice cut through my thoughts, and I shrugged. I’d never attended the Gala before, my father wanted Ivy to be able to focus on her search for a mate, and he knew she doted on me.
“I want you to find your mate. But…” I hesitated. Ivy and I were honest with each other, generally. But I didn’t want my fears to hold her back. “If you do, I… I will miss you. You’ll have to leave.” I finished softly, unable to meet her eyes in the mirror.
“Oh, Rory. I’ve thought about that, you know. I wasn’t sure what you wanted, but if I found my mate, I would ask father if I could take you with me. It’s not like he has plans for you, and I could take custody of you until you find your mate.” I felt a mild sting of rejection at the mention of our father’s apparent lack of interest in me, his fourth child. Our mother, his mate, had died giving birth to me, and I’ve always believed it prevented him from bonding with me properly. I was an afterthought and a cruel reminder of the love he lost, he already had the children he needed. Still, Ivy’s words were meant to be comforting, and I allowed myself to daydream about a life outside of Goldcrest Pack, of running away with Ivy and her new mate.
“Finished!” Ivy leaned down, leveling her face with mine in the mirror. We shared the same blue eyes, inherited from our mother, but Ivy’s sharp, classically pretty features were clearly more indicative of our father. She sported long auburn hair, pin straight and impeccably styled in a fancy updo. I had taken after my mother with my golden tresses and softer features. Ivy liked to playfully tease that I resembled a bunny more than a wolf with my large, rounded eyes. She hadn’t pulled my hair up, she knew I would only end up pulling it down, instead opting to tame my curls with a hair oil, pinning a few pieces back while leaving a few face-framing locks out.
“I like it.” I promised her, and she beamed, swiping a small amount of rouge over my lips before pinching my cheeks. I slapped at her hands as she laughed, and we finished dressing before meeting our father and brothers out front.
My father addressed Ivy warmly when we appeared, and spared a curt nod in my direction. I could feel Cedric’s cold gaze, and chose to keep my eyes pointedly fixed on the ground as we walked to the the Gala. The Gala was held in one of the four major pack territories, rotating each year. This year, we were far from home, having traveled to the Nocturne Pack’s territory.
All packs belonged to one of two Houses, the Sun and the Moon. Our pack, Goldcrest, was a lesser pack under the jurisdiction of the major pack Dawnborne, House of Sun. I’d never left our lands, much less our jurisdiction, and I was captivated by the differences in the landscape. It was cold here, snow decorating the ground and the thick forests of Nocturne’s territory. The moon was high in the sky, bright enough to illuminate the path leading us to the grand manor, where the Gala was to be held. Ivy squeezed my hand, casting an excited grin in my direction as the smell and sound of hundreds of other shifters began to waft through the air as we drew closer.
“I need to meet with Alpha Vaughn. Pyke, you remain with Ivy. Cedric, chaperone your younger sister until I call for you.” I felt my heart drop into my stomach at my father’s words as we approached the main hall. My father hadn’t even bothered to speak my name, and I would have much preferred to be chaperoned by Pyke. Still, there was no arguing. I knew he didn’t expect me to find a mate yet, given my youth, and therefore it made the most sense to put Cedric with me. He could be called away, and I would remain on the sidelines while my sister explored and socialized with Pyke.
Ivy gave my hand one last squeeze before she left with Pyke, and Cedric looped an arm through mine, tugging roughly as he led me inside. “I see Ivy at least attempted to make you presentable.” Cedric spoke quietly to me, and I suppressed a shudder. My brother was a quiet, calculating man. He was well mannered and polished in public, but he possessed a hollowness that other people didn’t seem to notice, a void he filled by engaging in cruelty behind closed doors. He led me through the hall, occasionally stopping to engage in pleasant conversation, and only introducing me to those who explicitly asked. “My youngest sister, Rory.” He would respond curtly before dragging me away.
I was desperately hungry, but Cedric seemed to have a destination in mind, and he repeatedly passed the various banquet tables. “Brother, maybe we could stop for food?” We were in public, he was limited in what he could do by way of punishment, so I chanced asking. I regretted it almost immediately, and I recoiled as he fixed me with a cold glare, his grip on my arm tightening enough to hurt.
“Do not speak to me unless I address you. You will go where I go, and you will stay put when I leave.” He growled the instructions lowly, and I nodded my agreement, although my cheeks flushed with anger as I lowered my gaze. I wasn’t helpless, nor was I above fighting back, even if I never won. But here, in public, I risked more than my own physical well being if I caused a scene, and Cedric knew it. He continued to drag me through the hall until we reached the back gardens, and he practically shoved me down onto a bench, turning away from me as he scanned the crowd. It was quieter out here, most of the attendees were inside eating and socializing.
“Father is ready for me. You remain here, I will return for you at the end of the night.” Cedric instructed me cooly, and I scowled, less willing to submit now that we were out of the crowds.
“At the end of the night? That’s hardly fair. I’ll just go find Ivy and-” Cedric’s hand shot forward as he grabbed my shoulder hard enough to bruise, and I winced.
“You’ll do no such thing. Ivy has a purpose to serve, and you’ll get in the way. You will be here when I return, if you are not, or if I learn you have left, I will beat you bloody when we return home.” He snarled the threat, leaning close enough for me to see the black of his eyes; his wolf was close to the surface. I held his gaze for a defiant moment, but the threat was enough to halt any further argument, and I lowered my eyes as he released me. My own wolf was sneering, but I suppressed the rising growl, now was hardly the time to challenge him.
I watched glumly as my brother disappeared back inside, before rising from the bench to explore the gardens. After all, he hadn’t specified I needed to stay seated, surely he couldn’t argue against me exploring the area, if he even found out. The landscaping was breathtaking, a variety of plants and flowers were meticulously plotted and cared for. I knelt low, examining what appeared to be an odd variety of blue roses, when a low voice startled me from behind.
“Could I interest you in a stroll through the gardens?”
