Whispers among us

Zara's POV

"Listen up, everyone!" The head maid's voice rang through the servants' quarters, sharp and commanding. We all stopped what we were doing and turned to face her.

She stood at the front of the room, her hands on her hips, her face looked stern. "The young mistress wants everyone to be on their best behavior today. One of the most powerful Alphas in the district is visiting for dinner tonight. Alpha Kael Northwood himself."

Whispers broke out among the servants. Alpha Kael. Everyone knew that name. He was young, powerful, and commanded respect across all the packs in the region.

"I don't want to hear any complaints," the head maid continued. "You will all look presentable. You will serve with your heads down. You will not speak unless spoken to. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," we all said in unison.

"Good. Now get yourselves ready. We have less than three hours."

The servants scattered, rushing to their tasks. I stood there for a moment, my mind already dreading the evening ahead. Important guests meant more work, more pressure, and more chances for Seraphina to find fault in everything I did.

The door swung open with a bang, and Seraphina walked in. Her dress was beautiful, a deep emerald green that hugged her curves perfectly. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders.

"Listen to me, all of you," she said, her voice cutting through the chatter. "Tonight is very important. Anyone who misbehaves will be punished. Severely."

Her eyes swept across the room, landing on each servant before moving to the next. When her gaze finally found me, it stopped.

My breath caught. The image of her and Damien in bed flashed through my mind. Their naked bodies tangled together. His hands on her waist. Her moans filling the room. I clenched my fists, forcing myself not to glare at her.

She walked toward me slowly and stopped right in front of me, her eyes running up and down my body.

"That dress," she said, her lip curling in disgust. "It's too tight."

I looked down at myself. The dress wasn't tight at all. It was actually a bit loose around my waist.

"I don't want you making our guests uncomfortable," she continued. "Change it. Now."

"Yes, Young Mistress," I said quietly, keeping my eyes down.

She turned and walked away, her heels clicking against the floor. The other servants went back to their work, trying their best not to look at me.

I stood there, waiting. I had no other dress to change into. This was all I had.

Twenty minutes later, Seraphina returned. She held something in her hands, a bundle of brown fabric.

She threw it at me. I caught it, the smell hitting me immediately. It was horrible, it smelled like dirty gym socks. I held the dress up. It was huge, at least three sizes too big for me. The fabric was faded and torn in places, with stains I didn't even want to think about.

"Young Mistress," I said carefully, "this dress... it smells really weird."

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Did I ask for your opinion?"

"No, but—"

"You will wear whatever I tell you to wear!" she shouted. "Do you understand me?"

I swallowed hard. "Yes, Young Mistress."

"Good. Now put it on and get back to work."

She left, and I stood there holding the disgusting dress. Some of the other servants looked at me with pity, but no one said anything. Speaking up for me would only get them in trouble too.

I changed into the dress in the small bathroom. The smell made my eyes water.

When I returned to the kitchen, the other servants wrinkled their noses but said nothing.

Hours later, we stood in a line in the kitchen, waiting to be called to serve dinner. My stomach twisted with nerves. The smell of the dress was making me sick.

"Zara, you'll serve the main course," the head maid said. "Keep your head down. Don't look at the guests. Don't speak unless spoken to."

"Yes, ma'am."

The bell rang, signaling it was time to serve. I picked up the tray of food, my hands shaking slightly. The other maids filed out ahead of me, and I followed behind.

The dining room was huge, with a long table in the center. Candles flickered, casting warm light across the expensive furniture. At the head of the table sat Marcus Drake, Seraphina's father. Beside him sat Seraphina herself, looking beautiful and confident.

And across from her sat the Alpha.

I kept my head down as I approached the table. I could feel the weight of eyes on me, but I didn't look up. I carefully placed the plate in front of the Alpha, my hands steady despite my nerves.

"Thank you," a deep voice said.

I nodded once and quickly walked back to the corner where the other servants stood. We lined up against the wall, hands folded, eyes down.

But I couldn't help myself. I lifted my eyes just slightly, stealing a glance at the Alpha everyone spoke of with such Admiration.

My breath caught.

He was young, probably only a few years older than me. But it wasn't his age that made me pause. It was everything else. His black hair was perfectly styled, falling slightly over his forehead. His jaw was sharp, you could see his muscular features from the shirt he wore. But it was his eyes that held me frozen. They were silver, bright and piercing, like they could see right through you.

He was the most handsome man I'd ever seen.

I noticed some of the other maids staring at him too, their eyes wide, their cheeks flushed. I rolled my eyes and looked away. Typical.

Seraphina leaned forward, laughing at something the Alpha said. She touched his arm lightly, her fingers lingering. She was flirting, and it was painfully obvious.

"Alpha Kael," she said sweetly, "I'm so glad you could join us tonight."

"The pleasure is mine," he replied, his voice smooth.

I tried not to listen, but their conversation drifted over to where we stood.

The meal continued, course after course. My feet ached from standing, and the smell of my dress was giving me a headache.

Finally, the head maid gestured to one of the servants. "Bring the dessert."

The servant picked up the tray and started walking toward the table, but before she could take more than a few steps, the Alpha's voice rang out.

"Wait."

Everyone froze.

He pointed directly at me. "I want her to serve me."

My heart stopped. All eyes turned to me.

"Alpha Kael," Seraphina said quickly, her smile tight. "I'm afraid that's not a good idea. Her dress is filthy and smelly. She might infect you. Let one of the other servants—"

"I insist," Kael said firmly.

Seraphina's face went red. She opened her mouth to argue, but her father cut her off.

"Seraphina," Marcus said quietly, a warning in his tone. Then he turned to me "Serve the Alpha."

Seraphina’s jaw clenched, but she said nothing. She just glared at me with pure hatred.

The head maid nodded at me sharply. "Go."

My legs felt like they might give out, but I forced myself to move. I walked over to the table and picked up the tray of dessert with shaking hands.

Every step toward the Alpha felt like I was walking through a thorn bush. I could feel Seraphina's eyes burning into me.

I reached the table and carefully placed the plate in front of him, keeping my head down. The smell of my dress seemed even worse now, and I was sure he could smell it too.

"Thank you," he said.

I nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait," his voice stopped me in my tracks. "What's your name?"

I froze. Why would he want to know my name? I was just a servant.

Slowly, I turned back to face him, still keeping my eyes down. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Seraphina's glare at me.

"Zara," I said quietly. "My name is Zara."

"Zara," he repeated, like he was testing how it sounded.

I bowed my head quickly and turned to leave, desperate to get away.

But my foot caught on something. The hem of the oversized dress. I stumbled forward, I held my breath as I started to fall.

I braced myself for the impact, for the pain of hitting the hard floor.

But instead strong arms caught me, steadying me before I could fall. I gasped, my hands instinctively grabbing onto something solid. His arms.

I looked up, and my eyes met his.

Silver eyes stared back at me. My wolf stirred inside me for the first time in months, whimpering softly.

The Alpha stared at me, his expression unreadable. Neither of us moved, we both just stayed in that position.

And in that moment, the entire world seemed to stop.