Haylia’s eyes glinted with a sharp, calculating look as her gaze remained fixed on Cassandra. Her lips curved into a sly smile, one that spoke of secrets and unspoken knowledge.
Her posture was relaxed, yet there was an unmistakable air of confidence, in the way she held herself.
Haylia’s appearance was striking, her sharp features framed by dark, flowing hair that seemed a darker shade of what Siroos had inherited.
Cassandra, on the other hand, felt a shiver run down her spine under Haylia’s scrutinising stare. Despite her careful and composed demeanour, a sense of unease crept into her mind. She instinctively straightened her posture, her hands clasping together as Siroos let go of her hand.
Cassandra’s eyes, usually soft and observant, darted briefly away from Haylia’s penetrating stare, seeking a moment of escape. Though outwardly poised, her heart raced, aware that she was in the presence of someone whose intellect and cunning were formidable.
The encounter left her feeling both wary and oddly fascinated. She wondered what kind of woman she must be once Cassandra got to know her in the literal sense.
After meeting Haylia, Siroos introduced Cassandra to a few other elders of his clan. She was respectful, being raised as a royal she knew how to conduct herself amidst a group of people.
But her heart fluttered like a tiny butterfly for she didn’t know their customs and could only hope someone would teach her later and she wouldn’t end up offending anyone.
She could sense a shift in Siroos’s attitude, he had smiled at her when she had exited the carriage but that smile didn’t touch his gold-dusted eyes.
He was busy showing her around but there was a certain edge to the way he was speaking as if trying to create some kind of barrier. He didn’t make any effort to speak with her regarding his family members earlier.
A group of young girls tittered standing at the side. Their faces had different coloured paint lines on them. Starting from the middle of their lower lip and extending to their chins. Their necks, arms, bellies and ankles were decorated with different styles of jewellery made from dried flowers, beads and precious stones.
Although their eyes held respect and something more for their Alpha, Cassandra observed there was only animosity she observed for herself.
A particular female in the front who had her arms crossed against her ample chest watched Siroos with a complicated blend of emotions.
Softness and longing were the prime ones.
A flame of bitterness burnt bright in her yellow snake-like eyes as they swivelled towards Cassandra. Her nails dug into her smoothly tanned skin as one of her companions murmured something in her ear and she nodded.
Moving forward, Siroos and Cassandra separated.
"I have something important to discuss," he addressed the male elders and they nodded. Filing behind him they moved into the direction of the oasis where a stone hut lay.
Haylia took the initiative of taking Cassandra inside the cave system they lived in.
"It’s not as grand as your father’s palace but we have a decent place considering we are a desert clan." Haylia proudly stated.
Cassandra politely smiled and didn’t dwell on the matter.
They passed through a passageway, the rocky walls had torches mounted on them to light the area. Their fire slowly crackled and bristled as the slow gale blew through, keeping it airy.
The temperature exponentially dropped as they entered the place.
Soon the tunnel led them to an open area where many other tunnels merged as well.
The whole place was lit with oil lamps and torches. The small holes in the ceiling covered with mesh iron removed the smoke from accumulating and at the same time prevented the bugs from getting inside.
Cassandra watched wide-eyed how the place was like a labyrinth. So many passageways, stairways and floors this place had. It seemed like a hub, a kind of hall where all of them gathered for meals and other activities.
Long wooden tables and chairs lined the side of this meeting area. The floor was hard granite but seemed to have been smoothed out so it was even to walk along.
The centre had a well dug in with a bucket and rope attached to its thick stony boundary. It had been covered with some thick material to prevent anything from falling inside.
’That’s where they must get their water from,’ Cassandra concluded, watching it with admiration.
She was offered a chair. With a warm smile, Cassandra thanked them and settled on it. Females gathered around her, staring as if she was some miracle. She was so different from them in appearance. Maybe that’s what made them stare at her so openly.
Cassandra tightly held her hands in her lap, feeling nervous as so many eyes were focused on her.
Haylia was handed a wooden plate with dried paint made from grinding rocks.
"The unmated female shifters in our culture wear black paint on their chin. Since you have not mated with my son you will wear it too," Haylia announced, turning to face Cassandra. The latter had observed how some of the women had black lines while others had red. While a few had white. She could only guess the meaning of red and white.
Rubbing her index finger in the black powder Haylia brought it near Cassandra’s chin and made a straight line from her lower lip down to her chin.
A murmur went around the females, they spoke a different language, the one Siroos had spoken when they had arrived. Cassandra couldn’t tell if they were excited at the development or irated.
Haylia then went on to hand Cassandra a small round wooden box with a lid on it. The top was elongated so it could be easily lifted.
"This is the onyx powder, the one I just used on you. Every morning you would need to paint your chin with it," Haylia explained, handing the plate back to another female.
Cassandra curiously lifted the lid to peek inside the box. It was filled with the same black powder.
She was in no hurry to mate with their brooding alpha who was slightly unhinged and wore a crown made from the bones of his victims.
But she was slightly astonished that the first item they handed her as a welcome was this powder.
It seemed they were in no hurry as well for their mating ceremony which was quite contradictory from Siroos’s claim that everyone was expecting her.
Maybe they had to go through some rituals she wasn’t privy to know about yet.
Her line of thought was interrupted when one of the females snickered at her. It was the same female she had observed outside. The malice in her yellow eyes astonished Cassandra. For someone whom she had never seen before the girl seemed to have developed a certain dislike already.
Cassandra wondered who the girl really was.