Dancing Under the Moonlight

Chapter 7

A 19-year-old girl in a short pink dress walks around the market, her cane tapping against the brick ground. She focuses on her surroundings, carefully listening to the different sounds that surround her. She could hear footsteps going back and forth, children laughing, running around the stalls, the market is very lively today.

Helena smiles to herself. It's so different here from the village. She could sense the sound waves bouncing off the walls of the many different stands and large, tall buildings. The hard brick grounds she walks on making louder taps compared to the soil of the village. The people are wearing elegant gowns and suits, heeled shoes making loud clacks around her. All so different from the simple tunic and sandals the villagers wear. Even the children are far more disciplined, sticking close to their mothers daring not to run off too far. She smiles remembering the twins and Robbie fleeing into the forest to play at every chance they get and would get scolded by Violetta and Yidhra when they came home too late.

She keeps walking carefully avoiding the many large gowns and long canes of many men and women as she moves through the crowd. All of a sudden, a strong fragrance fills the air, the scent very close to her. Helena takes a small whiff of the scent, spider lily, and pine. The woody scent so calming and hypnotic, beckoning for Helena to come closer. Helena moves forward, cane no longer tapping onto the ground as she follows the scent. No longer could she hear the buzzing of the market around here nor the footsteps that surround her as her world turns silent to her(?), the hypnotic scent now her guiding light.

She walks closer and closer to the scent, it grows stronger and stronger as she goes nearer. To distracted by the fragrance, she doesnt realize the footsteps in front of her have stopped. She collides with the figure, her face coming into contact with the expensive, soft silk-clad back. Stumbling from the impact, she loses balance and falls on to the hard brick ground, cane and glasses no longer in her grasp. She hears another item drop as well, presumably from the figure she bumped into.

Helena notices the calming scent grow rotten in fury. She panics, shes upset an alpha! Shes never seen one before let alone infuriate them! Tears start to spring in her eyes in fear. She could feel multiple pairs of eyes on her, staring on at her misfortune making her turn red in embarrassment as well. Flustered, she stutters nervously.

I-Im s-sorry! I-I didnt see y-you. I m-mean I cant see. U-Umm... I d-didnt hear you s-stop. I-Im very sorry!

Suddenly, she could smell the rotten scent dissipate and return to its calming fragrance. A delicate hand reaches out and takes Helenas. The larger, clawed hand gently pulls her up to her feet. Helena stumbles for a tad bit before regaining her balance. She lets out a breath of relief she didnt know she was holding. A few moments later, she feels the familiar wood of her cane and thin plastic of her glasses being gently pushed into her hands.

Helena stands shocked at the act of kindness, her eyes glimmering with joy and gratefulness. Not only has the alpha spared her, but helped her as well! Overjoyed, she grins from cheek to cheek as she joyously thanks the nice alpha.

T-Thank you so much! Oh! Helena recalls the sound of a pin dropping earlier and gets on to her knees to find it. Her fingers reaching out to the place she recalls hearing it drop quickly find the item and grasps it before standing up. I heard you dropped this.

Before handing it back, she feels the item. Perfectly polished, smooth wood, the coldness of a metal clip, and two circular wooden ornaments to decorate. She recognizes this hairpin, its Aesops! What a lovely hairpin! I recognize it as a craft of my dear friend, the vendor of the crafts stall. Its very pretty. Oh my! Im sorry. You must want it back right She quickly hands over the hairpin back to its owner. Her face flushing pink in embarrassment.