Chapter 4

“No! No! No!” I screamed out until my eyes opened. I panted heavily, sweat covered my face, and the hairs on my skin rose.

It was the same nightmare. A revisit to my ugly past. A past that had been haunting me for so long. It was the night it all crumbled. The night I lost my biological parents and entire pack.

I placed my hand on the scar at the back of my neck. Whenever I had this nightmare, it stung almost as if it had healed but not completely. It was evidence of that night.

I had planned to escape and start a new life yesterday, leaving the past behind, but it just seemed like good fortune was never on my side.

My mind wandered to the event of yesterday.

Different thoughts flowed through my mind. Second-chance mates were rare, a rare opportunity I didn't want. I wondered why the Alpha King hadn’t rejected me yet.

I got down from the bed and looked at the clock, and it was already 9 a.m.

“Ariana,” Lady Daphne’s voice echoed through the hallway.

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, running out like I was eager to leave my room.

“You know the way to the packhouse?”

“Yes, ma’am, we passed by it before coming here yesterday,” I replied.

“Good, go get dressed. You are going there to join the rest of the omegas to work under the supervision of Master Noah.”

“Alright, ma’am,” I replied and headed back to take my bath and put on my uniform. By the time I was done, I left for the packhouse.

“Hey, you!” an old pot-bellied man shouted from afar.

I looked around confused, not sure whether he was talking to me.

“Yes, you. Come here.” He looked at me lustfully. “I see you are one of the omegas who just arrived.”

“Yes, I am,” I replied impatiently. “I’m looking for Master Noah.”

“That would be me.” He smiled cockily. “Follow me.

Let me assign your duties to you,” he said, his eyes trailing down my body and licking his lips perversely.

“Perverted old dog,” I mumbled under my breath.

“What did you say?”

“N—nothing,” I replied.

“You are going to pack all the waste from here to there,” Noah said, pointing from one distance to another.

“Yes, sir,” I said and began to start, but he held me back.

“Wait… You know, for an omega, you look quite delicious,” he said, placing his hand on my shoulder tightly, his eyes holding a glint of lust.

“Back off, Noah,” Lady Daphne shouted from afar, walking towards us.

He looked at me irritably and moved away, whispering into my ear, “This is not over yet.”

Lady Daphne walked closer to where I was, stretching out a bunch of keys to me. “I’m going to the market, and I won’t be back early. Take these house keys to let yourself in, serve Alpha at exactly 6 p.m.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I bowed and watched her leave.

After I was done with the day’s work, I began to head back to the mansion, exhausted. I decided to pass the shortcut around the packhouse.

As I turned toward the west, a lady bumped hard into me, making me fall. “Watch it, bitch!” she sneered, swaying her hips and kicking my legs aside like I was some sort of rag.

I looked up to give her a piece of my mind, but the girl beside me bent down and said, “If I were you, I would avoid her at all costs.”

“Why is that?” I asked curiously, earning a laugh from the girl.

“Are you seriously asking me that? Ohh, let me guess, you are new here?”

“Yes, I am,” I replied, still confused.

“Well, that is Melissa, queen bitch of the pack. Rumor has it that she is the future Luna of our pack, although Alpha Arthur never spares her a glance, but anyone who dares try to be close to the Alpha in any way always faces her wrath.”

“Does the Alpha know about this?” I continued questioning.

“No, any maid who is appointed to work at the Alpha’s mansion always ended up being sick or beaten black and blue, so they had to call in sick. Since then, no one has applied to work at the Alpha King’s mansion.” She continued talking, “I’m sure you don’t work there, so you are safe. Just make sure you avoid her.”

“I will keep that in mind, thank you,” I replied, throwing a little smile.

“I guess I have to keep it a secret then,” I mumbled to myself. After I watched the girl leave, I hurried back to the mansion.

I entered the kitchen and washed my hands to serve Alpha Arthur’s food.

Knock, knock.

The sound of the shower was loud. I decided to let myself in since he wouldn’t hear even if I called out. I placed the tray on his study and turned to leave, but something kept pulling me back. I looked back and saw my clothes stuck to the chair.

“Dammit!” I cursed under my breath.

I began removing the clothes gently from the knots around the chair that I didn’t notice when the bathroom door opened.

“What are you doing?”

I slowly looked up, my eyes trailing down from the legs before me slowly upwards. I gasped, covering my mouth. My face burned crimson. Pure sensation washed within my thighs at the view before me, and my body tingled.

My mate. Alpha Arthur in all his glory, naked and bare before my eyes. My throat dried up immediately.

“Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last forever.” He winked, enjoying every bit of my squirm. His eyes flashed with amusement and something else—restrained lust.

It was like he was holding back on something.

“Huh, it seems I'm not the only one affected by the mate bond,” I mumbled inwardly.

I cleared my throat to leave, but he grabbed my hand.

Electricity ran through my spine at our contact. This is the second time I have felt this way. The first was when he saved me from Xavier.

He walked towards the closet and began dressing up.

“You might as well stay until I’m done eating. You’ve seen it all already, haven’t you?”

“I…. Urh… I haven’t… I’m sorry, Alpha.” I stammered uncontrollably. Suddenly the room felt so small, and I felt so little under his gaze.

“It’s Arthur to you when we are alone, after all, you are my mate,” he said casually, continuing to dress. “You can take a seat.”

I found myself staring at his body frame. He had a well-toned posture, although almost filled with scars.

His defined abs formed a six-pack and flat stomach. His arms were broad and muscular, strong, with veins running across them like an adventure. His face glowed under the dim chandelier like it was carved from a magazine.

Butterflies burst inside my stomach, and my inner thighs tingled. “Bloody pervert,” I cursed myself.

“What did you say?” He turned and faced me, making his effect on me worse than it was.

“Nothing,” I replied instantly. “May I ask you something?”

“Go ahead, Ariana.”

“I know I’m not worthy of anything more except an omega, but what do you plan to do with me?” I asked, testing my luck.

“Nothing except what you are doing now—being my maid,” he said coldly.

“Ohh,” I replied. What was I thinking? That the Alpha King would claim me and make me his Luna? Me? A wolfless omega.

I pushed further, “B—But you didn’t reject—”

“Why don’t you take my food downstairs? I will eat it there,” he said, cutting me off.

That was my cue to carry the tray, leave, and never bring such a topic up again. I couldn’t complain. It was better than watching the betrayal of my mate and my sister every day.