Soulless Mate

Nine: Late Night

Bertha stared at the door for several long seconds, completely taken aback. After working in this castle most of her life, nothing shocked her anymore. She knew what to expect, when to expect it, and how to expect it. But with this newcomer from the Darklands, everything was different. Bertha was never thrown off before, but now she was. Reina rendered her speechless.

"How awful," said the mother Luna from behind her. Bertha watched Sayora's expression turn from horrified to heartbroken. "No female deserves that. She's endured more than she can take. That's unacceptable. Just...unacceptable." Her voice took on a wrathful edge. "Absolutely unacceptable. Bertha, you shouldn't have been so rough with her."

"If I had known then do you think I would have been, my lady?" Bertha asked indignantly. "She was dirty and covered in grime."

"Because she was brought here against her will like an animal. You've seen how Zeron brings in felons when he finds them. I doubt he made his mate an exception. It disgusts me that he can even treat her that way, considering how he was handling her physically when I came to her room." Sayora shook her head before glaring at Bertha. "And you, you don't even realize it, do you? How traumatizing it is to leave your own pack because your mate happens to rule another? Being taken against your will and give all control to a man you've never once met? I've gone through it, so I should know. But has the thought even crossed your mind that she might be on edge for a reason?"

Bertha narrowed her eyes. "I may have understood her if I knew the situation. Giving her a bath was all I was trying to do, but she started screaming and fighting."

"And you started screaming and fighting," Sayora pointed out. "There were scars on her, Bertha. Did you put them there or not?"

"There are scars on me, my lady. Did she put them there or not?"

Sayora shook her head, losing her patience. "Oh Bertha, what am I going to do with you? Reina is right, Bertha. You need to give someone their own space, especially with a newcomer. She doesn't know anything about our pack. None of the culture, none of the traditions. None of what it really means to be soul eaters. She knows none of it, and she knows that there is a lot to learn. And that mystery of not knowing? It's unsettling. To add to that, she has no one. Do you know how it feels when you are alone in an unfamiliar territory? You are scared. You feel preyed upon. Hunted. And in that time of vulnerability, you made it worse by showing aggression!"

"But Luna—" Bertha protested.

"—Hold your tongue, Bertha, and let me finish. You must learn from your mistakes, and I have always been a mother to you, so you will at least allow me this."

"A mother," Bertha said with a bitter edge to her voice. "I don't have one, my lady. Never cared for the one who birthed me, and you've never really wanted me as a daughter. You never take my side, even after what your son has done to me."

"Wrong," Sayora said. "You became my daughter the moment your birthmother betrayed you. And I have taken your side over my son's. I protect you from him. Even now," she took Bertha's hand in hers. There were claw marks on Sayora's hand. Claw marks that Bertha would have put on Raymond. "I protect you. I'm here for you. You mean so much to me, and that is why I take you away from him. I don't want you hurt, not after what we both endured with..." Her voice choked, as she couldn't say her mate's name. It was traumatizing to speak the name of the male who destroyed her. "How can you even say that I don't take your side? I've always taken your side, Bertha. I've always tried to be a mother to you...I've always..."

"My lady," Bertha began, falling to her knees. She spoke too insensitively, and it caused Sayora grief. Bertha couldn't do that to her, not when Sayora had saved her life. "Forgive me for speaking like that. I didn't mean it. Didn't mean most of it, at least. Whatever I said about you, forget it. I'm just...ruffled. She didn't look traumatized to me. Rather, she looked energetic and even a li'l patronizing, so out of impulse I just..." Bertha shook her head, recalling how Reina couldn't even stand the sight of her.