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Abena POV 

5 years ago

“This, Athena, is your new home.”  

Aunt Rosa was far from done with her words when the massive mahogany doors with intricate patterns were thrown open from inside. 

I had rather been keen to discern the partners even while Aunt Rosa spoke her piece to my hearing, so, I was disappointed when the doors were thrown open and two unattractive faces emerged in the regalia of maids. 

“Good day, lady, and—” the first omega paused like she’d known me from somewhere sometime in the past. 

Aunt Rosa’s gaze drifted towards me and thus came her shunning hush. 

It turned out she’d gone down on both knees as the two ugly figures emerged, as custom demands, but I was on my knees, seeking out the patterns and what event they portrayed in the history of our great pack. 

“Get down on your knees, you little ruffian.” Aunt Rosa hid her disgust with a smile that looked as fake as her kind words. 

I’m an orphan. I first learned that word from her the day she spoke to me as a common orphan placed in her care. 

Her hush words nudged me back to life and I descended on both knees while the ladies watched. 

“She doesn’t seem properly informed.” One of them whispered to the other. 

I held the urge to tell her her words were far from whisper. We could hear them loud and clear though it was meant to be mere whispers. 

“Never mind, she’ll learn.” The second figure dismissed the fuss. 

“So,” the first started with a sigh, “what have you come for, lady and her girl?”

Aunt Rosa placed a hand on my shoulder. She’d never done that kindly except now. 

“My name is Rosa Roey,” she said smoothly “And here with me is my orphaned niece, Athena.”

Both ladies looked at each other. Maybe it’s their first time getting whipped off such an intro. 

I could have done better if I was asked to do it myself, but how good could it be without the remark of being an orphan! 

“I’ve come to present her to the alpha as a piece of aid from a voluntary mind.” She declared.

Voluntary? That’s not what she told me. She told me she was taking me to a place of solitude. A place where no one would remind me of my orphan status. A place where I’d be paid for everything I do and be offered the care she couldn’t offer me.

The ladies looked at each other like they were just about to strike an agreement with my aunt, but then, their countenance changed.

“No one gives a girl child to the alpha’s care as you can see,” the first lady seemed more of a speaker, while the second seemed shut of words.

Aunt Rosa smiled. “I understand the alpha might not need anyone to be placed in his care, I trust you heard me when I said I brought her as a piece from a voluntary heart.” Aunt Rosa elucidated.

The ladies said nothing. They seemed to have just realized what she meant. They might have seen an offer they couldn’t deny.

The offer is unfortunately me.

“That means, you’ve offered her as a vessel to the service of the alpha of alphas?” the first lady posed.

Aunt Rosa nodded. “Indeed.”

The ladies nodded and the second lady rushed a paper out of the big pocket of her gown.

The gown was a black one that looked like a nun’s clothing, but unlike the nuns, it was yellow and thick.

“Sign this with your blood,” the first lady took the paper from the second lady and passed it to Aunt Rosa. “With this, you hereby assert that dead or alive, your orphan niece is given to the service of the great alpha and his pack house.”

Aunt Rosa pierced her thumb finger, received the paper from the first lady, and pressed her injured thumb on it.

I saw the grin on her face. She was glad to give me off to the place of the alpha; a place quite far from our side and less noisy.

“Come with us.” 

That was how I ended up in the massive palace of Winterhaven pack.

He’s said to be the alpha of alphas and I was glad to have escaped Aunt Rosa’s ill treatment and constant nagging though she gave me out herself.

It felt great to be tossed into a place of luxury and my hope for freedom flourished until they stepped into the hall and saw me admiring the pictures on the wall while the ladies shunned five other omegas who hadn’t fixed the cushions properly.

They look older than me, but something odd glistened in their eyes.

The odd thing was familiar. It was the same look the homies of my old neighborhood gave me whenever I reported to the field to get sand for the big pots.

I looked myself up and stole glances at them. Four well-dressed boys who look just like each other except for slight differences.

One of them was hairy, the other was slim, and the rest were without blemishes but I could guess their characters won’t be the same.

The ladies finished up with the omegas and turned to me, but they sighted the four boys and fell on their knees.

“Greetings,” the ladies’ voices were toppled by that of the omegas behind them.

It was then I realized I and the boys were the only ones standing.

The boys fixed their gaze on me till I did just what the ladies did.

They didn’t say a word. They merely left the hall.

“Rise, all of you, and get back to work.” 

“And you, come with us.”

The two ladies showed me to my room and asked me to drop my bag and grab a quick rest, but before they left, the send lady paused and closed in on me.

She placed both hands on my shoulder and said: “Beware of the four princes.”