4

The rain began as a light drizzle by the time it was past 7pm.

Nadia was whistling a soft tune as she set the table, a genuine smile lighting up her face as she arranged the table for dinner.

When the door creaked open and Estelle walked in, looking exhausted and damp, Nadia rushed to greet her.

"Mom! You should not have come in the rain! Jeez!” Nadia queried.

“I couldn’t wait to get home” Estelle cooed.

“Well you are back just in time," Nadia said, helping her mother out of her wet shawl.

Estelle sighed, rubbing her aching lower back. "It was a long shift at work, Nadia. Your uncle had some elite pack elders at the main house, and the linens I washed were endless."

"I’m so sorry Mom. Well, I have some good news to cheer you up," Nadia said, pulling a small envelope from her pocket. "The freelance research gig I applied for? They paid my remunerations today. It is more than I expected. This means I can afford your entire next month of medication without having to ask Nelson for a single penny."

Estelle froze, her eyes widening. "No, Nadia. No, no. You keep that money. You have been wearing the same two pairs of shoes to work for a while now. Use it for yourself. Go to the market, get some good clothes, and enjoy a day of shopping. You deserve to feel like a young woman like girls your age in the pack"

Nadia shook her head firmly, pushing the envelope into her mother’s hand. "I have more than enough clothes, Mom. I don't need a new dress to be happy. Your health is paramount. Without those pills, your heart struggles. Your wellbeing is the only thing that matters to me."

"You are too stubborn for your own good," Estelle whispered, her voice lulled with emotion.

"I learned from the best," Nadia teased. She guided her mother to a chair and made her sit down. "Actually, I was thinking about something else today. I was thinking of assuming a cleaning role at Aunt Katerina’s house. If I take over some of the shifts there, you could rest more. You could finally take a week off."

Estelle’s face paled. "Absolutely not. I will not have you working in that house."

"Why not? It pays better than the warehouse," Nadia argued.

"Because I know you, Nadia. You have your father’s pride. You won't be there five minutes before you and Danielle start fighting. I won't have my daughter being humiliated by her own cousin."

Nadia knelt beside her mother’s chair. "I understand Danielle can be a lot. I know she is condescending and cruel, but I am not going there to be her friend, Mom. I am going there for a job. I will do my best to avoid her. I can keep my head down if it means we stay afloat."

"Danielle is still very condescending," Estelle insisted, her voice trembling. "She treats us like dirt beneath her heels. It is best you do not work there. I would rather work twenty hours a day than see her look down on you."

"Mom, I know the real reason you are keeping me away from that house is because of Uncle Edward, and for the fact that you do not want me reminiscing about the life we use to have, but all that is in the past, I believe where we are now is temporary, I am all for striving for a better future for both us, I want us to be able to live on our own terms" Nadia said softly. "If you can accept to work there to keep us alive, why can't I? Why am I any different?"

"Because you are my heart," Estelle began, but she was cut off by a sudden, violent thud.

The door groaned under the force of a loud bang.

“Are you expecting someone?” Estelle asked.

Both women jumped, their hearts racing.

"Open up! Pack security!" A gruff voice shouted from outside.

Estelle stood up, her face blank.

She walked to the door and pulled it open.

Two Gamma’s in dark uniforms stood there, their faces cold.

"Estelle Williams?" the lead gamma asked.

"Yes?" Estelle whispered. "What is this about?"

"I’m Vince.” He said, showing his ID. “We have reasons to believe a stolen item belonging to Lady Katerina is in this building," the gamma said, holding up a signed search warrant. "Step aside."

"Stolen?" Estelle gasped, clutching her chest. "That is impossible. I have never stolen a thing in my life. I have worked for that family for twenty years!"

"Search the place," the officer commanded, ignoring her.

Nadia stepped forward, her eyes flashing with anger. "You can't just barge in here! My mother is no thief. Show some respect!"

The gamma didn't even look at her. He shoved Nadia aside with a rough hand, sending her stumbling back against the kitchen table. "Stay back, girl, or you’ll be joining her in a cell."

Nadia watched in horror as they tore through their meager belongings. They overturned the mattress, dumped out the drawers, and swept the contents of the shelves onto the floor. It only took five minutes.

"Found it," the second gamma said, holding up a velvet box. He flipped it open to reveal a diamond heirloom that caught the dim light of the kitchen.

Estelle stared at the ring, her breath hitching. "I... I have never seen that before. I didn't take that. I swear on the Moon Goddess, I didn't take it!"

"Save it for the judge," the lead gamma said, grabbing Estelle’s arm and twisting it behind her back.

"It was a set-up!" Nadia screamed, trying to reach her mother. "Someone put that there! You can't take her!"

The officer pushed Nadia back again. Estelle looked over her shoulder, tears streaming down her face as they dragged her toward the door. "Nadia! Call Nelson! Tell him what happened! Call Nelson!"

"Mom! No!"

Nadia ran to the door, but the gamma’s slammed it shut. She threw it open and ran out into the pouring rain, watching as they shoved her mother into the back of a black SUV. The tires kicked up mud as they sped away, leaving Nadia standing alone in the downpour.

**

An hour later, Nadia stood in the grand entrance of Katerina’s.

It’s been ages since she came to this side of the pack house.

She tried to avoid the gaze and greeting of a pack member wanting to enquire why she was under the rain; she did not care about the piercing stares of servants moping around.

She was able to find her to the entrance because she used to live here when she was little, life beautiful until her father was brandished a traitor and killed.

Uncle Edward offered them a space in the BQ, while his family enjoyed her fathers wealth.

Her clothes were soaked through, and she was shivering violently, her hair plastered to her face.

Danielle stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at her with a look of pure disgust, while Katerina sat on a armchair, calmly filing her nails.

"Look what the rain dragged in," Danielle scoffed. "A wet rat in our living room."

Nadia ignored her and fell to her knees before Katerina. "Aunt Katerina, please. Please, I am begging you. My mother didn't do it. She has a heart condition. She needs her medication every day. Being without her meds in a cold cell... her health will deteriorate. She could die."

Katerina didn't look up from her nails. "The item your mother stole cost over twenty million dollars, Nadia. It is a family heirloom. You should be thankful this has not gotten to the ears of my husband, Edward. If he knew his own sister-in-law was a common thief, I would have no control over his ruthlessness. He would have her executed by morning."

"My mother is not a thief!" Nadia sobbed, her voice cracking. "She has worked for you for twenty years without taking so much as a piece of bread! Why would she start now?"

"News flash, honey," Danielle said, walking down the stairs and circling Nadia like a vulture. "Your mom stole it because she’s a desperate Omega. That’s why she is behind bars."

Danielle was really pushing it.

Nadia looked up at Danielle, her eyes red and burning. "You know she didn't do it, Danielle. You know her."

Nadia turned back to Katerina, throwing herself at her aunt’s feet and clutching the hem of her expensive dress. "Please, Auntie. I am begging you for her life. She won't survive three days in there. Have mercy."

Katerina finally looked down at her. "Nothing will change my mind, Nadia. I least expected Estelle to break my trust like this. I have already instructed the lawyers. I will be pressing charges without bail. Three years behind bars should be enough to deter her from being a petty thief."

"Three years?" Nadia screamed, the sound echoing through the house. "She won't last three months! Please, I will do anything. Anything!"

Danielle stopped pacing and tilted her head. "Anything?"

Katerina paused, her eyes narrowing as she looked at her niece. "Repeat that, Nadia. What did you say?"

"I am willing to do anything," Nadia wept, her hands pressed together in a desperate prayer. "I will cook, I will clean. I will work for free for the next three years. Just release her. Please, withdraw the charges. Give her back to me."

"Anything at all?" Katerina asked, her voice dropping low.

"Anything," Nadia whispered, her forehead touching the floor. "Anything at all. Just save my mother."

“We have a little service we would like you to provide for a couple of hours. And you will carry out those instructions with No questions asked. Agreed?”

“Agreed”.