Chapter 202 Commotion at the lower pack market
_Rowena’s POV_
The private lab beneath the Ashthorne estate was completely ready when I reached it. Kasper and Ezekiel had done an incredible job setting everything up, the room was bright, clean, and filled with metal 3D printers, micro circuit boards, with testing tools.
When Alaric and Ezekiel came down to check on me, I politely pushed both of them out the door. I told them I needed total silence to focus.
Building a mechanical leg required my absolute attention, and having people hover over my shoulder was only going to slow me down. Once the door clicked shut, I put on my protective glasses, rolled up my sleeves, and went straight to work.
For two days, I barely slept. I melted titanium, programmed microchips, and carefully mapped out the artificial nerve sensors. But right in the middle of the process, I hit a sudden roadblock.
The main joint of the mechanical foot was sticking.because the high tech oils I had ordered were way too small, making the metal gears grind together with a harsh screeching sound.
I needed a very specific type of thick, raw animal based oil that was at least mixed with graphite powder to make it glide smoothly without overheating.
It was an old school trick my brother had taught me years ago. You couldn’t find it in high end luxury stores or tech places. it was only sold in bulk at the old pack hardware shops in the local market.
I stepped away from my workbench and grabbed my phone to call Kasper so he could send a driver. But my call went straight to voicemail.
"Hey, this is Kasper," his recorded voice said. "I am currently out on a run with Prince Ezekiel and Beta Gabriel. Please leave a message."
I sighed and hung up. I didn’t want to bother Alaric with a minor shopping trip, and I certainly didn’t want to sit around waiting for hours while my three weeks timer was ticking away.
I decided to go get it myself.
I walked upstairs, threw on a plain dark jacket, and grabbed my small leather bag. As I reached the front doors of the mansion, Nana Seraphine stepped out of the kitchen, her eyes narrowing as she saw me heading for the exit.
"Where do you think you are going looking like that, child?" Nana Seraphine asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you are leaving the estate, you need to take at least two armed guards with you. The city is still buzzing about that party."
"I am just running a quick errand to the lower pack market, Nana," I told her gently. "Taking guards will only draw a huge crowd and make a scene. I will be completely fine on my own."
Before she could scold me, I slipped out the front doors and walked down the long driveway.
Instead of taking one of the luxury cars from the garage, I walked straight to the public transport stop at the corner of the street. I actually hopped right onto the local bus.
The small bus was crowded with normal pack members heading to work, the air smelling of coffee and rain since it rained earlier. I paid my small cash fare, sat near the back window, and kept my head down.
Nobody even recognized me with my blonde hair pulled back into a simple ponytail.
Twenty minutes later, the bus dropped me off at the entrance of the lower pack market.
The market was loud, beautiful, and packed with people. Vendors shouted out prices for meat, baskets, and traditional tools.
I pulled out my phone, opened my GPS map, and passed through the small crowded alleyways until I found the small dusty hardware shop I was looking for.
The shopkeeper was very helpful after he recognized me, I managed to buy two large jars of the thick graphite oil I needed, carefully wrapping them in strong plastic and stuffing them into my bag.
Feeling relieved, I turned around to head back toward the bus stop. But as I walked down a side row of vegetable stalls, a loud, angry commotion caught my attention.
"I don’t have any more money today! Please!" a young woman cried out.
I stopped in my tracks and looked through the crowd. Three big rough looking men were standing around a tiny vegetable stall, kicking over crates and crushing fresh tomatoes under their boots.
The shop was completely ruined, a young girl was trembling on the floor, holding her bruised arm while crying.
The biggest man of the group held up a crumpled sheet of paper with a fake royal stamp printed at the top. "The Alpha King has raised the daily market tax!" the man yelled loudly, so all the nearby shopkeepers could hear. "This declaration comes straight from King Alaric! Every stall must pay fifty extra dollars today, or we shut you down permanently!"
"My father is deathly ill in bed!" the poor girl sobbed, begging them with her hands clasped together. "His wolf spirit died last month, and I am just trying to make enough money to pay for his medical treatment! Please, leave us alone!"
"We don’t care about your useless father!" the big man sneered. He stepped forward, reached his dirty hand out, and grabbed the poor girl roughly by her shirt collar, pulling her off the ground as she screamed in terror.
My blood immediately ran cold. Using Alaric’s name to steal money from poor struggling pack members was bad enough, but putting hands on a helpless girl was unforgivable.
I moved forward before I even had time to think.
I stepped through the crowd, reached out my hand, and clamped my fingers tight around the man’s wrist, stopping his arm dead in the air. My grip was like solid iron.
The man froze, shocked by the sudden force, and turned his head to glare at me. "What the hell do you think you’re doing, lady? You also don’t know how to mind your damn business?!”
I didn’t say a single word, I just looked him dead in the eye, tightened my grip until his bones cracked, and whipped my other hand across his face with a loud nasty slap.