Chapter Four

The wrought-iron gates of the Dern Alpha Estate loomed over me like the jaws of a giant beast.

Even from the gravel driveway, the sheer scale of the property was staggering. A sprawling, stone mansion sat nestled against the backdrop of towering pine trees and snow-capped mountains. It looked more like a fortress than a home. The air here was dizzyingly thick, saturated with the overlapping, dominant pheromones of the three ruling Alphas. The invisible pressure of their power pressed against my chest, making it hard to draw a full breath.

My inner wolf trembled, wanting nothing more than to curl into a ball and submit. But I gritted my teeth, clutching Maya tightly through the fabric of my coat, and pressed the heavy brass button on the security intercom.

"State your name and business," a gruff, filtered voice demanded.

"My name is Ruben," I said, my voice shaking slightly despite my best efforts. "I’m here to interview for the live-in housekeeper and nanny position. I saw the flyer in town."

There was a long, excruciating silence. I held my breath, terrified the guard would sniff out my lies through the camera. But with a heavy, mechanical groan, the massive iron gates slowly swung inward.

"Follow the path to the side entrance," the voice muttered. "Don't wander off."

I didn't need to be told twice. I hurried up the winding stone path, keeping my head down. When I reached the heavy oak door of the servants' entrance, it was opened almost instantly by an older woman with sharp, calculating gray eyes and her hair pulled back into a severe, flawless bun. She wore a crisp, dark grey apron and radiated the practical, sturdy scent of a Beta.

"You're Ruben?" she asked, her gaze sweeping over my pale face, my worn boots, and the slightly oversized coat I wore to hide the sling holding Maya.

"Yes, ma'am. Are you the head housekeeper?"

"Mrs. Gable," she replied, her voice clipping each word short. She stepped aside, letting me into a warm, immaculate mudroom. "Let me get a look at you. We've had half a dozen applicants from the town today, and frankly, most of them ran off the second they felt the Alphas' territorial pheromones. You look pale, but you're still standing."

"I'm stronger than I look," I promised, keeping my arms crossed over my chest to prevent Maya from shifting or making a sound.

Mrs. Gable stepped closer, her nose twitching slightly as she took a deep, assessing sniff. I froze, my heart hammering violently against my ribs. This was the moment of truth. If the black-market suppressants failed me now, she would smell the sweet, floral undertones of an Omega, and I would be thrown out,or worse.

She frowned, sniffing again. "Your scent. It’s... barely there. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a human."

I let out a soft, practiced sigh, adopting a look of quiet embarrassment. "I'm a recessive Beta, Mrs. Gable. My scent has always been naturally faint, almost nonexistent. I've been told it's a genetic fluke. I hope that isn't a problem."

"A problem? It’s a blessing," she muttered, her stern expression softening just a fraction. "The Alphas are highly territorial, especially with young Chloe and her newborn baby in the house. A strong Beta or Omega scent would only agitate their wolves. A faint scent like yours means you won't disrupt the household balance. But can you actually work?"

Before I could answer, a frantic, high-pitched wail echoed from the upper floors of the estate, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps and a frustrated, youthful groan.

"That would be Chloe's baby, Leo," Mrs. Gable sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "And that groan is Chloe. She has a massive medical board exam in three weeks, and she hasn't slept more than two hours a night. The girl is brilliant, but she cannot study with a screaming infant, and the brothers are useless when it comes to soothing a newborn. They just growl and try to command the baby to stop crying."

"I can help," I said immediately. "I have... a lot of experience with babies. I can manage the nursery, keep the house spotless, and ensure Chloe has the absolute silence she needs to study."

Mrs. Gable looked at me skeptically. "It’s grueling work, Ruben. You'll be on call day and night. And the pay we're offering is..."

"I don't care about the money," I interrupted, perhaps a bit too quickly. Seeing her eyebrows rise, I softened my tone, projecting a sense of desperate sincerity. "Honestly, Mrs. Gable, I just need a safe place to stay. My family... we lost everything in a border dispute further south. I don't have a pack anymore. If you give me this job, I will work for pennies. Just give me a small room, three meals a day, and I will keep this estate in perfect order. You won't even know I'm here."

My desperate willingness to work for practically nothing seemed to hit home. Mrs. Gable looked at the messy stack of clipboards on her desk, then up toward the sound of the crying baby, which was only getting louder.

"You're willing to start immediately?" she asked.

"Right now," I said, offering a small, determined nod.

She stared at me for another long second, assessing my resolve, before finally letting out a defeated sigh. "Alright, Ruben. You're hired on a trial basis. If Chloe's grades drop, or if the Alphas find any fault with your work, you're out. Understood?"

"Understood. Thank you, Mrs. Gable."

"Follow me. Let's get you settled into the servants' quarters before the Alphas return from their afternoon border patrol," she said, turning to lead me down a long, dimly lit corridor.

I followed her, my heart racing with a mixture of intense relief and absolute terror. I was in. I had bypassed the security, fooled the head housekeeper, and secured a roof over Maya's head. But as we walked deeper into the heart of the estate, the heavy, dominant scents of Sky, River, and Tanner clung to the wooden walls, warning me that the real danger had only just begun.