Hope

I wonder if he would be doing the same if mother was still here. He was a devoted and prudent father when she was alive and many months after she was gone. Until he replaced her with a vixen that he now calls a wife.

"Hey! Did you not hear a thing I said?"That vixen flaps a finger in front of my face."Don't step anywhere close to the hall ! Only the kitchen floor needs mopping.Hurry up because I don't want any guest that may decide to mill about to find you there." She orders and waits for my response.

"Okay." I say, Knowing that I have no option but to obey her for now.

"Good.Be done in thirty minutes."She turns and walks away.

I check my watch again as I descend the stairs to the ground floor. It's only a quarter past eleven.I can manage that floor within thirty minutes if I hurry.Then the fifteen minutes to run back to my room,grab my bag of clothes and leave the pack house before it's midnight.

What really sucks is I will have to pass through the living room that my step-sister and her maids are waiting for the Prince to arrive in order to get to the kitchen.

The maids make faces when I step into the room. They are all in matching white dresses and pink flat shoes.The only one in red heels and wearing the loveliest, flowing,white designer dress is my step-sister.The dress has no back to allow her space to spread her wings.

"You look really beautiful."I complement politely as I pass by where she is seated facing the mirror on the wall.

"I know." She answers in a cold tone without sparing me a glance.

I keep walking towards the kitchen door ignoring the snide comment from the maids that doesn't seem to care that I can hear them.

"Layla! Here is a cake for your birthday!" Little Talia squeaks, running towards me with a cupcake in her tiny hands. I had not seen her behind the group of maids until she screamed my name.

Talia is a seven year old orphan that the Alpha and his Luna adopted after her parents died in an accident while traveling outside the kingdom..She is the only friend I have got in and outside of this house.The only one not old enough to know how valueless I am to the park and start hating me.

"The little idiot stole the cakes we baked for guests!" One of the maids points.

"It's just one for Layla." Talia defends in her innocent voice.

"They were made for noble guests ,Talia. Not just everyone!" Another maid reprimands.

I pick the cake from Talia's hands."I will return it to your kitchen. No need to get rude to a kid."

"And who will eat something that has been tampered with?" Another question.

It's amazing how everyone now find it fit to confidently disrespect me. It's like I am no longer the daughter of the pack's Beta.

I squat and give Talia a hug. "Thank you very much honey.Carry the cake to my room,I will be coming back there soon so we eat it."I whisper and she smiles.

"I will find a candle for you to blow." She says as she runs past me and out of the room.I look around and notice all the glares directed at me like I'm a massive piece of rubbish standing in the room with them. My step sister is still admiring her beauty on the mirror. I turn and walk into the kitchen.

Two maids are still inside, chatting while sipping coffee. I gnoring their presence I grab the bucket and mop stick from their place at the corner of the big, classic kitchen and start the job.

"So you've seen the prince before?" I hear one of the maids ask but don't look up to see which one.

"Yes. He is like perfection in flesh and bones." The other answers, sounding a little too excited to be talking about the man. "He is flawless and almost all kind of good you can think of."She adds.

"But I heard he phased on nineteenth birthday. Quite late don't you think?" Her friend questions.

"Yeah. But who knows when golden winged angels are supposed to phase? I am sure they need to be mature enough to handle the powers responsibility without using them for selfish gains." She answers.

"He would have been kicked out of the palace if his parents were not such nice and patient people."

I look up at them only to see one point at me.

"Maybe. But she wouldn't be here if all parents were like that." She argues without caring about the fact that I just saw her point at me.

The other snorts. "Her father already ordered that she be escorted out of the pack house if she doesn't phase today." She says and my heart nearly quits beating.

So I am to be kicked out only if I fail to phase tonight. I don't see a reason that would happen. I will phase, have fun running freely for a while before coming back here to let my father know I am no longer a waste of space as that what he is already convinced I am.

I don't listen to the rest of the maids conversation as I hurry to finish up cleaning. I am on my way out when loud cheering erupts from the hall. The excitement in the voices is so vivid.

"The prince has arrived! Let's hurry!"The maids rush past me and out through the door. I step out to see Ava and her maids are already on their feet heading towards the hall. She leads the way and the maids line up behind her, their eyes literally glowing with excitement.

I feel like sneaking into that hall for a moment just to see the prince.This may be the only opportunity I may ever get to see him.

I however don't have enough time to do that as my watch shows I have only eleven minutes to grab my bag and get away from the house before I start phasing and howling in here.

I take off the black heels I was wearing and run up the stairs to my room. Talia is already asleep on my bed while the candle burns away on top of my small dresser.

I put off the candle before grabbing my bag, a torch and a pair of flat boots before rushing back out. I use the backdoor to leave the pack house since my stepmother made it clear that I shouldn't let the guests see me.

I glance at the watch again and see that I have only five minutes to get to the park's forest. It's only a half a kilometer away, so I take off running.

The things those maid said while I cleaned keep replaying in my head as I hurry towards the first line of trees not too far away.

I am to be kicked out of the pack house if I don't phase today. I will no longer have a roof over my head or somewhere to get food. Can't believe father is already tired of being patient with me.

I heard one of the maids say that the powerful and super gorgeous prince phased at nineteen and his parents were always treated him like their golden son. My father and pack members are however not going to wait that long. Because who would believe I am meant to phase into a golden winged angel? I wouldn't dream that far either.