My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 69: Ferocious Beasts

Violet

There were around ten wolves spread out at the long table. The one who had spoken up, a lean man with brown-streaked blonde hair, leaned back with an easy grin, his eyes fixed on me with open curiosity.

He turned to face Ana, his tone friendly enough on the surface. "We are all at the same table at the very least. And I think we all want to know more about our newest... arrival."

A few others at the table chuckled. One woman with dark hair and sharp eyes smiled, but it didn’t reach her gaze.

This wouldn’t bode well.

Ana shook her head. "I doubt you’re truly interested, Darnel. But, this is Violet. She’ll be—"

"Training with us?" Darnel interrupted, his eyebrows raising in what looked like genuine surprise. "Really?" He glanced at the others before eyeing me. "But you’re an omega, aren’t you?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but someone else cut in.

"An Omega, here?" A stocky man at the other end of the table, raised his head from his food, confused. His eyes fell on me and he turned to Darnel. "She doesn’t smell like one. What is that about?"

"Maybe she’s hiding it somehow?" the dark-haired woman suggested, her tone light but her eyes were calculating.

They weren’t being overtly hostile, and that part unnerved me more. Their words were wrapped with a mixture of curiosity, and casual observation. But underneath, I could feel the mocking weight behind their words.

"She does have an interesting scent," another wolf added, a younger man with auburn hair.

Darnel grinned at me. "Lord Kael must have seen something in you. I wonder what that is."

My hands clenched in my lap under the table.

’Talk!’

’No. Don’t react. It will pass.’

Beside me, Ana shifted, her smile gone. "That’s enough speculation. Violet is here because—"

"Because Lord Kael wanted her here," Darnel finished, nodding agreeably. "Of course. We all understand—"

"Cut me off again and I will rip off your head."

The sinister tone in Ana’s sudden low voice made me look at her, surprised. She glared at Darnel, a deep-set frown on her face.

My stomach went tight. She wasn’t joking.

"Yes, yes, darling. I’m sorry." With a smile still on his face, he picked up his cup, taking a long drink before adding casually, "It’s still strange, though. Your strange constitution aside, can you even shift? A wolf like you training with beta Ila’s retinue has to be a first."

I felt Meribel tense beside me, but she kept eating, her face carefully neutral.

Ana just glared at Darnel, her expression slowly easing.

Turin silently watched me. Was he trying to see how I would react?

I took a slow breath, forcing my expression to stay calm even as my heart hammered.

"You know." As if noticing I wasn’t going to give him a response, Darnel turned his attention to the others, gesturing with his spoon. "You should have seen her when she was brought in." He shook his head, his tone full of exaggerated sympathy. "Must have been rough. Whatever she went through. And then to jump from something like that straight into combat training."

A few snickers followed.

’Don’t react. Don’t react.’

But was he ever even going to stop?!

The dark-haired woman turned to eye Ana. Her voice dropped, but remained just loud enough for me to hear. "Think she’ll make it past the first sparring session?"

Ana continued eating her food. "You all talk too much. Violet, pay them no mind," she said without looking at me.

"She is here to train. She wouldn’t survive a sparring."

"What training is truly training without a few spars?"

A few snickers followed.

"I mean, look at her. She’s tiny. One good hit and she’ll be done," someone commented with a shrug.

My eyes widened.

They were talking about me. Right in front of me. As if I wasn’t sitting at the same table with them and hearing every word.

My hands clenched tighter.

"Not to doubt Lord Kael. It is fascinating coming upon a strange Omega, if she could even be classified as one," Darnel spoke up once again. "I would like to see how she’ll keep up."

"She won’t last a week," someone agreed.

"If she even lasts that long."

"Poor thing. Must be so terrifying for her."

"Maybe she should just focus on..."

They went on and on and on. And their words soon became a quiet mess in my head.

’Enough!’

Something inside me snapped.

I was tired. Tired of this. What was their problem?!

I had survived Damon. I had endured all that hell and mess back home. I had trained. I had improved myself a great deal. I had made considerable progress. All within a short time.

And I was supposed to sit here and let these wolves, who didn’t know me, wolves who hadn’t seen what I had been through, to treat me like this?

They should just shut up already!

"You’re all chatty this evening, clearly. But can it already, unless you want to turn out like Corin over there," the stocky man spoke up again, finishing his food.

The dark-haired woman shook her head, smiling. "Corin is a different matter. His was something else. We are just curious about the girl."

"You know what I think—" Darnel started.

"Darnel." Turin’s voice cut through the chatter like a blade, sharp and warning.

The mumbling reduced.

Turin’s eyes were fixed on Darnel with an intensity that made some of them straighten slightly. "That’s enough."

Darnel raised his hands in mock surrender, his grin still in place. "I am just making conversation, Turin. No harm meant." He finally looked at me. "Welcome to the settlement, Violet."

I flinched at the sudden volume of his voice, clearly audible in the already loud hall. A few wolves from a nearby table had been stealing glances at ours from time to time, but the moment Darnel’s voice boomed out loud, even more wolves from other tables turned their attention to ours.

My blood started to boil.

Turin frowned. "Darnel—"

I forced a small smile. "It’s alright."

Every head at the table turned toward me.