Valerie

Chapter Eight

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"They were intent to change me. Transform me. Maybe destroy me."

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The King...Aeneas...walked into the bedroom...our bedroom...that night, undid his tie and set it on the vanity. He loosened his collar and sat on the edge of the bed, back turned to me. "I heard you got sick," he said.

I bunched up the comforter under my arms. "It's too rich. Too much flavor."

"Those sandwiches were made plain. What exactly was your diet like before?"

"Limp lettuce, soups, berries." I pursued my lips. I doubted anyone human ate too much better, although maybe they are more of it. An exploding werewolf population that required, not desired meat, milk, and eggs, meant everyone subsisted on a vegetarian diet. Even those who couldn't afford to do it properly. "Bread too. Lots of bread."

He was silent. I didn't think he had regrets, nor was he feeling sorry for the servant girls still left behind. After all, it was the natural position of a werewolf to assert power over witches and the natural position of both to assert power over humans. It was what it was. Inevitable, like a lot of other things, I've come to find out. So, he must've believed. "Let's try shakes and smoothies," he said. "High calorie. You never had a problem with sugar. You ate that cake, remember?"

"On your behest."

He didn't miss a beat. "Then eat these too, at my behest." He took off his shoes and set them on the floor. I turned onto my side, back to him. "You start lessons and your procedure, tomorrow. I suspect the full round of treatment will take about a year with one session a week. The faster it's done, the better."

"When do I get to see my friend again?" His weight creaked the bed and he turned out the light.

"She's getting her treatments. The next time she's well." I propped myself up with my elbow.

"The next time she's well? What does that mean? What does that mean?"

He put a hand on my shoulders and pushed me back down. "Later, I'm exhausted."

I frowned, mouth pinched. More important information was being kept from me.

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In the morning, I found a thick sweater dress and ankle boots sitting on the bed. The King...Aeneas, was nowhere to be found. But a stocky, medium height young man, with tanned skin, dark hair and dark eyes waited outside the door. "Luna," he greeted, bowing. It took a minute for the voice to register.

"Beta Artimidge," she said at last, accepting his handshake.

"Please, Luna, call me Yohan. I'm going to drive you to the education center. The Alpha will join you later." We walked into the cold and I entered the back of a black car. There were more of them, lined up. "For security," he said, sitting in the driver's seat. "So no one can guess which car you're in."

"Are people angry, by the fact I'm human?"

"No Luna."

I folded my legs. "Please tell me the truth. I won't be angry."

"There is...some dissent. But you won't be human, not permanently."

"I won't be a wolf either. l'll be a strange mix. I'll be lucky to shift, but even if I do, I won't be strong. I'll have human inclination, human thoughts, maybe human allegiance perhaps."