The Crown's Obsession

After spending some more time in the open forest area, Beth went back to the house. She was finally at a place where there were people similar to her, but she would be lying if she thought they were like her. After Vladimir had mentioned about her having his blood running in her veins along with the werewolf's venom, it was something that had worried her.

Beth had been unable to sleep at night. In the morning before the break of dawn, she got ready wearing the clothes that Violet had given her the previous evening. The dress was grey, and it had trousers and a shirt which would make it easier for her to run and fight. Braiding her hair, she left the house.

Walking past the river clearing, she joined the women and men, children who were running around the hill. For someone who hadn't done much work in her life, three rounds around the hill was the most she could run before she started to huff and wheeze for air.

"How are you doing there, Lady Elizabeth?" James, who had come to run next to her, asked her. Compared to her, he seemed like he didn't break a sweat while she looked like she had dipped her head in the water.

Beth moved her lips, but talking seemed hard, "I think….I am seeing...white light."

The people around her chuckled, and James did too, "You are half human and half werewolf, a rare combination. This is how you learn to bring your werewolf traits out. Learn to control it."

It was easier to tell than to be done, thought Beth in her mind. It was only her first day, was running these many rounds necessary? She asked herself before the person who was in charge of the werewolves scolded her to run faster.

While most were finishing their last round of run, Beth was four rounds behind them. She wondered if this was what people meant when they said that every person got served for what they did. In the past, it was often Madeline who used to work the most tedious jobs in the house, and Beth had been happy enough to pass it to her sister.

I think I am going to die, thought Beth to herself in her mind.

When she finished running, her legs shook, and she went to the river clearing to drink water. Bending down, she scooped a handful of water before drinking it.

"What is a half-werewolf doing here? Jagger must be out of his mind to allow a rogue train with us," came a girl's voice from behind where Beth had sat in front of the streaming water.

"I heard she is that infamous girl who tried to poison the King of Devon," said another girl.

Hearing this, Beth bit her lip.

"Shouldn't they take strict actions against her? Maybe throw her back in the dungeon?" asked the first girl. Their footsteps got closer, and Beth, who was looking at the water, sensed them move to her right side to drink water. One of the girls started to clean her handkerchief in the water before lifting the mud in the path, where the muddy water passed through the stream where Beth was.

Beth was regretful of her past actions, but that didn't mean she didn't know what the girl was trying to do.

Her head snapped to look at the girl humming a song with her friend as if they had no clue what they were doing. Gritting her teeth, she put a smile on her lips before getting up from there and walking back to where everyone was.

"That little…" Beth muttered under her breath.

After a week, the werewolves were grouped in sections to train separately. And Beth ended up with the two girls whom she had met near the river clearing.

The person in charge of Beth's group was a woman in her early thirties, and her blonde hair had been tied up in a ponytail. With a scar on her neck, the woman stood in the centre of the twenty people who had fallen under the same group.

"Tomas, draw the circle and everyone step out of it," the woman instructed them, her face serious with not a single drop of humour in it.

"Ms. Reina, are we going to fight today?" asked one of the two girls whom Beth had met earlier. "We are still working on our transformation, I don't think it is a good idea-"

"I didn't know Jagger turned you to an instructor today, Laurel," came the sharp words from the woman named Reina. The girl quickly closed her mouth. "Today is going to be this group's first spar. I want you to control your wolf's side without letting it out as you try to lock the person on the ground. Make sure to avoid the vital parts as I would prefer no dead bodies today."

Two people were called to step inside the circle before the woman raised her hand for them to start fighting.

The girl named Laurel was probably a year or two younger than Beth, but she was quick to lock her opponent with no way out before Ms. Reina called for a break.

"Elizabeth and Rosella, you both are next," said Ms. Reina. Laurel whispered something to Rosella before the person entered the circle, and Beth turned slightly nervous. This place was a completely different world, and somewhere she yearned to get back home. But then that would lose this journey's purpose, thought Beth to herself.

Clenching her hands, she stared at the other girl, who looked right back at her with a small smug smile on her face.

"Go!" came the signal, and soon they two ended up in combat.

As it was a first fight between the two girls, the fight felt nothing less than a silly one without using their werewolf's abilities. Rosella stamped Beth's feet before elbowing her stomach, which she wasn't prepared for, making her stumble backward.

"Fight back, Elizabeth! Don't stand still!" Beth heard Ms. Reina's voice.

"Are you sure about it?" asked Beth, and the woman huffed.

"Yes," replied the woman, and Beth saw Rosella come straight at her with her hand lifted to catch her neck.

But before that, Beth raised her hand and struck a harsh slap across Rosella's cheek to have the girl freeze in shock at what just happened. Everyone's eyes widened as they hadn't expected this. Quickly Beth pushed her opponent to the ground, and she held the girl's hand behind her and used her legs to lock the girl from any movement.

"Let go of me, you bitch!" Rosella struggled to get out of Beth's grip.

"Ms. Reina, is this okay?" Beth politely asked the instructor, who regained from the little event, before nodding her head.

"Yes, you can let go of her now," responded Ms. Reina.

When both the girls stood up on their feet, Beth was about to walk away when she heard the sudden swish of sound right behind her. She turned around in time to catch hold of Rosella's hand and twisted it.