Ravenwood(82)
Elinore let the story sink in and wash over her like an ocean wave. When she spoke, she kept her voice soft and low. “Is that why this manor is called Ravenwood? For the raven?”
“Ravens are companions to wolves even today. Where you find wolves, you also find ravens.”
Elinore thought of the raven in her dreams and of those she’d seen around the grounds. At first, she’d been fearful of the raven in her dream, but now found it a welcome companion. She wasn’t sure how to phrase her next question. She didn’t know how to explain it herself, but she knew there was something about the call of the wolf that bit her. Though she hated its discordant howl and she shivered and felt repulsed by it, she was compelled by it. She tried to explain as much to Caleb in halting words.
“The wolf that bit me, when it howls… its like it calls to me and though I don’t want to answer, I feel I must. Once, when you were gone… I found myself wandering the grounds. Thankfully, one of the staff brought me back inside. I’ve not been outside again at night since, but…” She paused a sudden realization coming to her. “Mrs. Davenport. She brings me tea and stays with me until I sleep. I think… it keeps me here.” She glanced up and saw Caleb’s eyes troubled and grim.
“Mrs. Davenport knows a great many things. Herbs, tonics, mixtures. If she suspected you were being called out against your will, she would have done her best to keep you inside. Ravenwood takes care of its own. We are a pack.”
“George mentioned you asked him to look over me while you were gone.”
Caleb nodded. “I did. When Hayter spoke of ranks, he mentioned that yours is not yet set.” Elinore opened her mouth to protest that she would never be an Alpha pair with Hayter, but Caleb kept speaking. “I know you’ve no interest in Hayter, but, that is not the only consideration. The wolf that bit you, the omega, though it has no pack of its own, and though you are by default part of our pack, my pack, here at Ravenwood, the wolf that bit you … holds sway over you. An omega can start a pack of its own by biting members and compelling them to join. It can be difficult for them to keep their pack with no territorial land to speak of, for generally, omegas are nomadic, but it can be done.”
“For always?” Elinore asked, feeling dread coil in her belly. “Will I always be tied to the one that bit me?”
“Until you submit to an Alpha, to Hayter, then yes.”
Elinore’s stomach clenched at the word. “What do you mean ’submit’?”
“Wolves show their submission by baring their neck. At the full moon, if you shift, you will have to submit to Hayter as your Alpha to be a part of our pack. It’s our way.”
Elinore’s lips curled in disgust at the thought of submitting in any way to Hayter. She feared her submission as part of the wolf pack would lead Hayter to take other… liberties. Or to try, at any rate.
Caleb’s arms tightened around her. “It is pack dynamics to submit, but he cannot force you to be his mate.”
Elinore nodded at his words, but did not, could not, believe him. It was so simple for men, she thought. Caleb declared that she had nothing to fear and she was sure he believed his words. But Elinore had a deeper sense of Hayter, a woman’s sense. She’d known he was a predator long before she knew he was a wolf. She didn’t think she could submit to Hayter and she feared what that would mean for her longevity at Ravenwood. Her understanding was if she didn’t submit to Hayter, her only other choices were to submit to the omega, or become an omega herself. But to voice that out loud…
Caleb pressed his nose against her neck, inhaling her scent. “You’ve gone worried and fearful again.”
Elinore forced her lips to curve into a small smile. “It’s all very new to me,” she said, hoping he would not press her on her feelings. “It’s quite an adjustment.”
Later that morning, Hayter was nowhere to be seen and though Elinore should have been pleased, instead it made her wary. She thought she almost preferred seeing him and feeling his overbearing presence. For now, he was like a ghost in the shadows who might creep upon her when she least expected it. Caleb seemed troubled by Hayter’s absence as well and by lunch, he inquired of the servants for any knowledge they may have of his uncle’s whereabouts. One of the stablemen indicated Hayter had left, journeying back into Haleton, for what purpose he did not know. Sitting across the dining table from Caleb while they ate supper, Elinore watched his lips go thin at the news. Elinore waited for the staff member to leave before asking why Caleb was worried.
“I fear Hayter has gone to speak to one of the other packs by himself.”
“Is that… unsafe?” Elinore asked. “As Alpha, is he not able to travel alone?”
“On the contrary, most wolves are quite respectful of an Alpha’s status, but Hayter can be… abrasive.”
A sarcastic retort was poised on her lips, ready to issue forth, but seeing the concern on Caleb’s face, Elinore left her words unsaid. “Are there so many packs? Were you not just visiting some?”
“There are three packs within a few days travel of Ravenwood, and there are two more within a fortnight. We have spoken with the three close by, as they are allied with us, but he may have gone further. We are inquiring over the countryside for anyone who may have information about the omega. Any unreported bitings, any news of other packs missing anyone. On our recent trip we found out that other packs in the area had been experiencing animal deaths as well. It seems this omega is well-travelled over the countryside.”