Chapter 9: An Unexpected Friend

She was about to fall asleep when she heard them. The people from the Clear Moon Clan were finally here. She mentally ran over all of the meals she prepared as well as the explanations she gave, making sure she missed nothing, before finally relaxing again.

Since she was completely awake, she decided to climb on top of her rundown table to reach the window opening. From there, she climbed through the window to the space just between the dining area and the kitchen, listening to what was happening. From that vantage point, she could vaguely see parts of what was happening outside, but she could hear Nathan's voice clearly as he greeted the Clear Moon Clan's leader.

"Welcome, Anthon! Welcome to the Moon Lake Clan. It is nice to finally meet you after our previous correspondence exchanges. This is my chosen mate, Salana, my son, Nathaniel, and my Beta, Jason. "

She could easily distinguish between the members of each clan just by the air around them and their clothing. The members of Moon Lake were all dressed semi-casually with combinations of jeans and shirts or sweaters and a relaxed air, while the members of Clear Moon were well dressed in slacks and shirts. Their air was refined and they stood out among the others like a sore thumb.

Anthon greeted them in return.

"It really is nice to finally meet you. Thank you for having us. You have a lovely turf indeed... How lucky you are to be able to enjoy such a picturesque area anytime you want. This is my Beta, Mickel, and a few of the members of our clan. "

His tone was reserved and polite, and yet they felt like there was an insinuation or an underlying element that made them feel a bit uncomfortable. Nathan froze momentarily, quickly replying before the air got too tense.

"Indeed, it is a beautiful place to be. The lake in particular that we're named after is a breath-taking sight. Our clan has been watching over it for hundreds of years. protected it for generations. You should come out with us sometimes. I'm sure you'll enjoy it! Now, please come in. "

Nathan finally invited them in, and Soteria shifted her position to the center to see what was happening in the dining room. Sje could hear them chatting as they settled there, with Nathan introducing some clan members as they settled in. However, he was the only one speaking. Anthon and his members seemed to be simply observing and replying perfunctorily.

On the other hand, in the kitchen, she could hear something fall and Estelle sound flustered. She said, "I'm going to get Soteria. Don't touch anything else. "

Hearing that Estelle was about to come, she hurriedly scrambled back into the room, sitting on her makeshift sofa. Estelle knocked quietly and entered immediately. "We need help. Maya dropped the main dish, and we aren't sure what exactly to serve in its place."

Soteria got up and hastened to the kitchen along with Estelle. On her way there, she realized that Estelle had been speaking to her politely. She wondered why that was when just yesterday she was calling her a b*tch. When she got there, Maya hissed at her venomously, "This is your fault, you useless b*tch," while raising her hand to slap her. Soteria flinched in advance but was surprised to see Estelle stop Maya from hitting her.

"How dare you touch her? Are you crazy? "

Maya looked shocked. She struggled to pull her hand back, saying, "Are you crazy? Why are you defending a mutt? "

"That 'mutt' is the only one who can fix the damage that YOU have done. You, not anyone else. The one thing I can't stand is when someone shirks their responsibilities, including myself. If you don't settle down now, I will slap you until you do. "

"I wish you would slap me for this bi-"

*TWACK* The crisp sound of a slap rang out in the kitchen. Estelle washed her hands, wiping them before turning to the other person in the room.

"Lara, go serve the rest of the appetizers. Soteria made a lot, so take your time and serve it while we figure out what to do here. "

Lara hurriedly grabbed a few dishes to place on two platters before leaving the kitchen.

She heaved a sigh of relief to be out of the kitchen. "Gosh, I could barely breathe in there; everyone was so tense! If only they would relax a little, "she said.

Back in the kitchen, Soteria was still stiff from the shock.

"...teria. Soteria! "

"Yes," she looked up, replying out of habit.

"Can you help us fix this?"

"I believe so. Instead of the stuffed, roasted boar, we can do lamb chops. I had prepped them beforehand for the meal tomorrow."

"What do you need us to do?" Estelle asked.

"If you think I'm taking orders from this bi----" Maya started replying until she saw the look on Estelle's face. She knew that if she continued, she would be hit again.

"Leave the kitchen. Now. I don't need someone here to keep us back. When this is over, the fact that you almost ruined the dinner and possibly put us at odds with a much more powerful clan will be relayed to the Apha. And no, I don't want to hear it. Leave. Now. " Estelle's face was as dark as her tone at that point. She couldn't understand just how stupid Maya could be. She ruined the dinner, and she was still delaying. She was not suited to be anything but a pretty face, clearly.

Shaking her head as Maya left the kitchen, she turned back to Soteria. "What do you need?"

"I-i n-need thyme, rosemary, cilantro, pimento, ginger and celery diced finely. Then ginger peeled and sliced. " Soteria was so surprised she stuttered a bit.

"Got it." She made quick work of slicing and dicing while Soteria took out the, thankfully, already prepped meat. She would make ginger and herb-crusted lamb chops for forty different people in roughly twenty minutes. It was quite a challenge, but if Estelle helped, they could definitely do it. She tied up her hair and got to work.

Twenty minutes later, sweaty and tired, they finally managed to send the lamb chops out along with their accompaniments. Soteria and Estelle looked at each other and smiled.

"Thank you, Soteria. You could have ignored us or screwed up and you wouldn't have been blamed, but you still went out of your way. I know this will not make up for what I did yesterday, but I am truly sorry. I was upset and took out my frustration on you. " After Estelle left the previous night, she realized she had forgotten her key in the kitchen. When she was going back for it, she heard Soteria crying and asking herself why she was alive and why they all hated her. It shocked her and made her stop and think about why she despised her. When it came down to it, she realized she didn't even have a reason. It was something she had known since she was a child. She had never questioned it, not even once, until that night.

She went home feeling ashamed of herself. Soteria had never done anything to anyone, so why was she treated that way? To be frank, she couldn't imagine living in her shoes. She looked over and saw Soteria crying.

"Thank you," she said. "This is the first time that anyone has ever apologized to me or even truly looked at me and my situation. Thank you for seeing me. "

Looking at her crying hurt Estelle's heart. She put her hand over hers and was about to comfort her when Soteria's body started emitting a soft, silver-white light. Her hair shone like gold, and her blue eyes glowed. She looked at Estelle, looked all around her, and plucked what looked like nothing from the air.

Estelle was confused at first, but when Soteria grabbed at the air, she felt a strange sensation. It was almost as though her senses were in her body, but at the same time, not. She could feel her own emotions, but there was someone else's among hers. She felt an itch on her hand and saw a mark with a crescent moon and what, oddly enough, looked like a sun on her hands. She gasped. This was a mating symbol. What had Soteria done? Before she could ask, she felt as though all of the blood in her body was on fire. She was burning up so much that she felt she was seeing things in her delirium. For some reason, it looked like her body was also emitting that moonlight-silver glow and her hair turned the same color. What was happening? Just when she thought she was about to pass out, the light and the heat faded and Soteria collapsed onto her.

At the same time, Anthon stood up suddenly in the middle of dinner. Everyone stopped and looked at him, wondering what was going on. His gaze turned heavy before lightening as he turned to Nathan, asking, "May I see who prepared this meal? I realised it was freshly prepared from my first bite."

Nathan couldn't think of a way to decline such a simple request, so he agreed. Anthon was excited. Who would have thought he'd find someone with a bloodline much higher than his here. It was far beyond what he could even gauge. Huh? That was weird for some reason he thought their was an overlap, meaning two people, but how was that possible ? As they headed into the kitchen, he saw two young women sitting on the ground looking like they had just fought a war; one of them passed out, while the other sweating and seeming slightly feverish. Nathan's face turned unsightly.

"What happened here?" he asked.

Estelle panicked for a few seconds before deciding to hide what happened. If Nathan knew, he'd never let Soteria go. He might even force her to marry his son. She lowered her head, saying, "It seems like Soteria overexerted herself in the kitchen and her body was unable to sustain it."

"Oh, well, then take her down. There's no need to stay here."

She sighed in relief. It looked like he had bought it. Soteria would at least be safe for now. She picked her up in her hands, and quickly left the kitchen.