Beg Me, Alpha: The Plus-Sized Queen's Return

"Get the water, you useless lump!"

The ceramic bowl shattered against the wall, missing my head by inches. I flinched, gripping the edge of the kitchen counter to steady myself.

"Did you hear me?" Martha, my stepmother, marched across the tiled floor and shoved a finger into my shoulder. "Not only are you fat, but you can't even seem to do a simple, common routine! Look at you. Sweating like a pig over a few appetizers. You are entirely useless!"

"I've been cooking since four in the morning, Martha. I just need two minutes..."

"You don't get two minutes!" she screamed, her face turning red. "Today is Zara's birthday. The future Alpha is out there. “He's here as a representative of his father, who is our biggest investor.”

“The entire pack elite is out there! And you are in here, wolfless, fat, and embarrassing me.”

“Do you want them to have a bad impression of this family?”

Thank goodness we have a daughter like Zara, or we'd be wallowing in your silliness. Now get the water!"

My chest tightened. It was always like this. No wolf. No respect. No love. Just endless chores and insults from the woman who was supposed to raise me after my father died.

"Hey! Stop standing around!" Chef Thomas barked from the prep station, wiping his hands on a filthy apron. "Grab that silver tray. Go serve the dessert first, then come back here to take the rest of the dirty plates back. Move!"

I didn't argue. I picked up the massive silver tray loaded with crystal champagne flutes and chocolate pastries. My back ached, and my feet were completely numb, but I pushed through the swinging kitchen doors and into the chaotic, glittering pack hall.

Music blared. Hundreds of wolves danced and drank.

I kept my eyes on the floor, trying to remain invisible. But the tray was heavy, and a group of rowdy wolves pushed past me. I stumbled.

My shoulder slammed hard into someone. A glass tipped over, spilling dark red wine across the floor.

"Watch it, fatty!" a high-pitched voice shrieked.

I froze. Zara.

She stood there in a skin-tight, glittering red dress that clung to her perfect curves. Her blonde hair was curled flawlessly. She glared at me, brushing imaginary dust off her arm like I was a disease.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, quickly bending down to pick up the fallen glass.

"Are you blind or just stupid?" Zara hissed, making sure her voice was low enough that the passing guests wouldn't hear her cruelty. "You almost ruined my dress. A dress that costs more than your life. Get out of my sight before I have the guards throw you in the dungeons."

"It was an accident, Zara."

"Don't speak to me," she snapped. "Go back to the kitchen where you belong."

She spun on her heel, her perfect smile instantly returning as she walked toward the VIP section near the indoor pool.

I stood up, my cheeks burning with humiliation. That was when I saw him.

Sabastain.

He leaned against the pillar, holding a glass of whiskey. The future Alpha of the Northridge pack. He was breathtakingly handsome and tall, broad-shouldered, with sharp jawlines and piercing ice-blue eyes that commanded the entire room. He wore a tuxedo that screamed power.

Zara walked up to him and touched his chest. Sabastain looked down at her and laughed.

My heart did a stupid, pathetic flutter. I couldn't help it. I had harbored a tiny, secret crush on Sabastain for years. But guys like him didn't look at girls like me. He was an Alpha. I was a wolfless, plus-sized maid.

I turned away, heading for the dessert table.

"Sabastain, man, drink up!" someone yelled near the pool.

I glanced over my shoulder. Sabastain's Beta, Kratvak, was playfully shoving him. It was a harmless push, a joke between friends.

But Sabastain's foot slipped on the wet marble.

His arms flailed. He lost his balance completely and crashed backward into the deep end of the pool. The splash echoed over the music.

People laughed. Zara giggled, covering her mouth.

"Get up, Alpha!" Kratvak joked, leaning over the edge.

But Sabastain didn't get up.

Five seconds passed. Then ten.

He was thrashing wildly in the water, his eyes wide with absolute, raw panic. He wasn't swimming. He was sinking.

He's drowning, I realized.

Sabastain had severe hydrophobia. It was a fiercely guarded pack secret. When he was just a pup, rogues had ambushed him near the frozen river, holding him under the ice for almost ten minutes. He survived because of his Alpha healing, but his lungs and muscles completely locked up in panic the second he was submerged.

"He can't swim!" I screamed, dropping the silver tray. Glass shattered everywhere.

"What?" Kratvak frowned, confused by my yelling.

I didn't wait for them to realize it wasn't a joke. I sprinted toward the edge and dove straight into the cold water.

The chill hit my bones, but adrenaline pumped through my veins. I kicked hard, swimming down to where Sabastain was sinking like a stone. His eyes were rolling back in his head.

I grabbed his shoulders. He was massive, pure muscle, and pulling him up felt like trying to lift a boulder.

Come on, I begged silently, kicking my legs as hard as I could.

I broke the surface, gasping for air, dragging my head above the water.

"Help me!" I choked out, hauling his unconscious body toward the edge.

Total chaos erupted. The music stopped.

Kratvak's eyes widened in horror. "Sabastain! Holy shit, grab him!"

Guards rushed forward, grabbing Sabastain's arms and pulling him up onto the floor. I climbed out behind him, shivering and dripping wet.

"He's not breathing!" Kratvak yelled, dropping to his knees.

"Move," I said, shoving past the Beta. I tilted Sabastain's head back, pinched his nose, and pressed my lips to his.

An electric spark shot through my entire body the second our lips touched. It was intense. Blinding. It felt like fire spreading through my veins. But I ignored it, blowing air into his lungs and pressing down on his chest.

"Come on, Sabastain. Breathe," I begged, pressing again.

Suddenly, Sabastain jolted. He rolled onto his side, coughing up a massive amount of water.

"Alpha!" Kratvak grabbed his shoulders. "Are you okay? Call the pack doctor! Now!"

Guards swarmed him. Someone threw a towel over Sabastain, and before I could even catch my breath, Kratvak and the deltas were carrying him out of the hall, rushing him to the pack hospital.

I sat on the wet floor, completely ignored. My lips still tingled from where they had touched his.

"What a mess," Martha hissed, marching up to me and yanking my arm. "Look at you! You're soaked. Get to the kitchen and clean this up!"

My mind kept flashing back to Sabastain's pale face. Was he okay? Did his lungs recover?

Finally, the kitchen doors burst open.

"Everyone in the living room. Now," Chef Thomas announced. "The current Alpha is here. Sabastain is awake and stable."

A massive wave of relief washed over me. He was alive. He was okay.

I dried my hands on my apron and followed the rest of the staff into the grand living room. The entire pack elite were gathered there.

Alpha Northridge, Sabastain's father, stood in the center of the room. He looked furious and relieved at the same time. 

"My son is resting," Alpha Northridge announced. "He will make a full recovery."

Murmurs of relief spread through the crowd. I smiled, my heart doing a happy little flip.

"But I was told someone jumped in," the Alpha continued, his eyes scanning the room. "Someone realized he was freezing up before my own guards did. Someone saved my heir's life."

My breath hitched. My hands started to sweat. He was looking for me. The Alpha was going to thank me. Maybe things would finally change. Maybe they would finally see I wasn't just a useless, wolfless burden.

I took a small step forward, ready to speak.

Alpha Northridge's eyes locked onto someone in the front row. A warm, grateful smile broke across his face.

He walked right past me.

He stopped in front of Zara.

Zara, who was standing there in a dry sweater, looked completely innocent.

"Zara," Alpha Northridge said softly, placing his heavy hands on her shoulders. "Kratvak told me it was a female who pulled him from the deep end. You saved my son's life today. The Northridge pack owes you an unpayable debt."

My jaw dropped. The room started to spin.

Zara looked at the Alpha, then glanced over at me with a wicked, victorious smirk.

"It was my honor, Alpha," Zara lied smoothly, lowering her head. 

"I couldn't just let him drown.”