A sudden splash startled Danika from the depths of her sleep. For a fleeting moment, she thought she was dreaming, floating in a calm river or swimming in a bathe that had been prepared for her. But the icy sting against her skin sharpened her senses, causing her eyes to flow open. Water was being poured over her, and it was very cold.
She sprang to her feet immediately, standing before the head of the workers. It was the same woman from the previous day.
"What time is it?" She snapped at her in an unruly voice. Danika stared around her for the clock she had provided them with, for her to be asking what time it was.
"Did no one tell you that you were supposed to be up by 3? Your old hag beside you didn't tell you the time workers begin their duties?"
Her words stung but Danika didn't mind, except when she had called Urmaa an old hag.
She had flinched, wanting to hurl words at her too, but Urmaa seemed to have noticed and held her back. Nodding her head in the negative trying to advice her not to.
She seethed in anger as she obeyed her but deep down, she wanted to either answer back at the unruly woman or beat her up to show her where she belonged. Her feet felt wobbly and she looked down to notice that the water she had poured on her while trying to get her to wake up had began flowing not just all over her corners of the room, but where Urmaa's properties were.
"I do not want to return here! Get to work immediately!" She bellowed before turning towards the door to leave.
"Yes Ma'am Nandi" some of the Omega's who had come with her muttered.
Danika only bowed her head and waited till she did. She did not say anything.
"You just came yesterday and you're already causing trouble for us. Do you know what she might do to us if she gets angry?" One of the young ladies rolled her eyes at Danika before walking off.
"I swear you, if I get punished or denied food today because of you, I will make sure you regret joining this pack!" Another spat before following suit.
Danika walked out of the room and stared at them as they left. They did not go into other rooms or go around waking others up to begin working, instead they had left the slave quarters.
She wondered why she was the only one they had come to meet. Why she was the only one they had come to wake up and send off to work.
Had someone commanded them to do so? It didn't look as if they would be doing this on their own accord. It wasn't something they would decide on their own either. Just because she had been sent to help her get dressed the previous day? It was more than it.
When she turned, she noticed Urmaa behind her and had almost clashed with her if not that she had been able to control her self before she did.
She saw Urmaa walking out of the room and she could not tell why. More over it was still very early and the moon was still evident in the sky. She feared that Urmaa might encounter trouble being out by this time.
"Ma'am Nandi!" Urmaa called, stalling the attention of the lady who was leaving with two other girls.
She turned, face wrought with malice.
"What do you want,old hag?" She asked.
Danika hated her calling Urmaa that. She might have come here to become a worker for her sake, but she wasn't an omega and was old enough to be the lady's instructor, she deserved to be respected and treated with care.
Urmaa didn't mind what she had been called, she didn't even seem to care, blazing with anger of what she had just discovered.
"I don't see any other worker out of their houses by this time. Neither is it dawn enough for my daughter to begin working.. This might be a different pack but I know pack rules. Workers whether or not they're omegas are never called on by this time to work. They are allowed to rest so that they would be able to have the strength to face the tasks that would be set out for them during the day. I'm curious, why is my daughter's case different?"
Danika shot a glance at Urmaa, coming down from the step that led to the room. Mordred did same as well, as sleep had left his eyes.
Urmaa just challenged the lady. From her demeanour, she wasn't one who loved people doing that. Urmaa had just invited troubles for herself.
Mordred whispered something to her. "Perhaps she will realize that mother is right and she made a mistake" he voiced.
Danika nodded in the negative. It didn't seem so. This lady wasn't one to be told what was right or wrong. And if anyone were to do that, they would be calling trouble for themselves.
She walked over to where Urmaa stood with Mordred and Danika standing behind her. They wondered what she was about to say. Apologize for her mistake? Make up for it by giving them the day off? Afterall she wouldn't deny waking Danika up from sleep with cold water.
She had practically barged into their room for that because the doors were without locks. So she owed them not just one apology for the protocols she broke.
But instead of an apology which Danika had been expecting, she heard the sound of a harsh slap fly to Urmaa's face.
Seeing Urmaa clutching her cheeks was the signal Danika knew that she wasn't dreaming or seeing things and that the lady, Nandi had truly slapped Urmaa.
"How dare you talk to the head of the workers in that manner?…..Don't you know your place in this…."
Without thinking or waiting for her to complete her sentence, Danika had slapt her back, giving her an even harsher one that sent Nandi staggering and almost falling if not for the two women who held her from doing so.
She raised her head immediately and shot a glare at Danika. But she did not allow her to speak.
"You are the head of the workers, that we know but did no one teach you how to respect your elders? Had you no mother who modeled a good behavior for you or is this how you treat her back at your house because you're the head of the workers?" She asked, fuming in anger.
She was ready for whatever punishment she would give her. She didn't even stop as Urmaa tugged at her to. How dare her. It was against protocols to disrespect an elder.
"You slapt me?" Nandi asked, surprise etched in her voice. No omega had done so before. How dare she, she who was even lowlier than normal omegas. She who had no wolf.
"Do you want us to take it to the Alpha? I am ready for whatever punishment I will receive for disrespecting the head of workers, but are you ready for yours? You just disrespected an old lady and the wife of a late respected gamma of Crimson Veil"
Nandi knew that she was trapped. Even the ladies standing by her side nodded their heads to what Danika was saying. Everyone knew Urmaa's late husband and how he had died in a war. She herself was a well known healer.
She just couldn't understand why she had come here to live in the omegas stables with her. And if she were to drag the issue, she would receive an even bigger punishment from the Alpha for disrespecting a Crimson Veil revered person. As their pack was directly under their rule.
"You will clean the entire hall and throne room today and alone!" She stamped before walking out angrily.
Anger seethed in her bones. She had just embarrassed her before these two lowly omegas. An omega had slapt her. She would pay for this humiliation. She would make her!