Royal Reveng; The Supreme Alpha King Chooses Me

“Make yourself useful and stop loitering about,” a woman's voice echoed from behind Stella, causing her to flinch and step away from the balcony.

It was Luna Emilia, wearing an ugly frown on her wrinkled face as she watched Stella in displeasure.

“I just finished washing the bathrooms, Luna,” Stella replied politely, but seeing no change in Luna's face, she fell silent, bowed her head, and walked away.

Stella was a very beautiful she-wolf with elegant black hair, striking emerald-green eyes, and a curvy yet petite figure that most maidens envied. Some said her beauty was a curse, just like she was, but in truth, Stella was just as beautiful as her late mother, the former Luna of the Golden Anchor Pack.

She was the only daughter of the late Alpha Kingsley, the original ruler of the Golden Anchor Pack. But after a fatal accident claimed his life, the pack was taken over by his younger brother, Alpha James.

Stella had been only eight years old when she lost her parents, only to grow up hearing rumors that she was responsible for their deaths.

Stella's mother had been pregnant at the time of the fire and lost both her life and her unborn child, while Alpha Kingsley died trying to save them. That was how his brother was able to take over the pack, fueling the rumors that somehow Stella, despite being so young, had a hand in her parents' deaths.

Being the only survivor, the trauma stayed with Stella. But her uncle and his wife were determined to make her life a living hell. They acted as though they loved her in public, but within the mansion, she was treated no differently from a slave.

Over twelve years after her parents' deaths, Stella had learned to live knowing that no one was coming to save her and that everyone believed she was a murderer. So despite everything she went through every day, she never complained because people said she was lucky her uncle had let her live. He could have her killed at any time if he gave the order. What she lived wasn't a life, but somehow, Stella still wanted to keep living.

Just as Stella stepped into the kitchen, she stumbled into Charlotte, who had suddenly blocked her path, causing the bucket of dirty water she had been carrying to fly from her grasp.

Its contents splashed all over Charlotte, knocking the dishes she was carrying onto the floor.

Shocked by what she had done, Stella shifted her gaze from the ruined meal to the furious woman glaring daggers at her.

"Shouldn't you be more cautious, Stella?" Charlotte spoke angrily.

"I didn't see you coming. Let me help you," Stella quickly apologized as she rushed to clean up the mess she had created.

Charlotte had intentionally stepped in front of Stella to make her fall so she would be criticized. However, she hadn't expected the dirty water to spill all over herself.

"Now you're blind too," Charlotte snapped as Stella tried to help clean her up. Before anyone could see it coming, the sound of a slap echoed through the room.

Charlotte slapped Stella hard across the face, causing her to stumble backward as her hands flew to cover her burning cheek.

Stella was malnourished since she barely ate nutritious food, which was an order from Luna Emilia. She had to work for every meal she ate. Anyone with a heart would fear she might collapse under the amount of hard work she was forced to do everyday.

"Why did you slap me?" Stella asked, confused as to why Charlotte would hit her despite her apology. Luna had told all the maids that if Stella apologized after doing something wrong, they should let it go. Now Stella understood that the only reason Luna gave that rule was because they had a visitor and she didn't want them thinking Stella was mistreated in her own father's house.

"Of course I have every right to slap you, and I'll do it again if you question me," Charlotte spat, approaching Stella, obviously looking for a fight.

"I won't stand here and watch you insult me Charlotte," Stella warned, boldly defending herself despite knowing the punishment Luna would give her if she fought with the head maid.

"Your family doesn't care about you. If they did, what would you be doing here with us? And guess what? I overheard Alpha saying you'd be given away to a Rogue leader as a wife since you haven't found your mate. Looks like your life is only going to get worse. This is your punishment for murdering your parents," Charlotte said with an evil smirk after seeing a frown on Stella's face.

Stella's hands clenched into tight fists.

"I didn't kill my parents," Stella grumbled. She didn't see the point in arguing. For the past twelve years everyone had believed the same thing.

Charlotte burst into laughter, completely ignoring the warning in Stella's voice.

"Everyone knows you killed your parents, Stella. Don't even try to earn our pity. You're cursed," Charlotte spat.

Seeing that this was only leading to a fight, Stella picked up her bucket and began walking away, only for Charlotte to yank her back by the hair.

“Charlotte let go,” Stella cried out in pain, trying to pry Charlotte's hand away, but instead of letting go, Charlotte pushed Stella on the floor.

The world spun around Stella, making her dizzy, but Charlotte didn't stop. Instead, the other maids joined in. They were already pulling violently at her clothes, trying to strip her naked.

"Charlotte, make them stop!" Stella begged, desperately trying to cover herself and stop them from humiliating her. Anyone could walk into the kitchen at any moment, yet Charlotte was determined to disgrace her.

The painful sound of cheap fabric tearing echoed through the kitchen as Stella's maid uniform ripped in two.

"Look what you've done!" Stella cried, pushing Charlotte away from her.

Just then, the kitchen door flew open, and the angry Luna walked in.

"What's going on here?" Luna asked, helping Charlotte up after she pretended to have fallen because of Stella's light push.

"Stella and the other maids were fighting. I tried to separate them, but Stella pushed me," Charlotte lied.

"No, she attacked me first," Stella tried to explain, but Luna interrupted before she could finish.

"Enough, Stella. I never asked you to speak. And you, Charlotte, this isn't the time for bullying. We have guests," Luna said harshly to Stella but calmly to Charlotte because she was her daughter's friend.

She pretended not to notice Stella's bruises or her torn clothes, and Stella's heart tightened.

She wished Luna would speak to her with such kindness, but that couldn't happen even in her dreams.

She was nothing but a useless slave. That was what Luna always told her.

Just as Stella glanced at Luna, the woman's evil eyes snapped toward her, making Stella flinch.

"Come with me. The rest of you, clean up this mess."

Without another glance, Luna turned and walked away, her long gown flowing behind her.

They left the servants' quarters and entered the main section of the mansion.

The air felt lighter there, gently brushing against the bruises on her skin.

For one fleeting moment, Stella felt free. She didn't feel like a prisoner, she felt like a queen, but that feeling didn't last long.

Luna Emilia pushed open two massive doors, and together they entered the grand dining room.

Several people were already gathered around the long oak tables. Warriors laughed over mugs of ale while elders discussed. At the head of the room sat the pack's honored guests, the infamous Alpha Ivan Sterling.

These must be the guests the maids had been talking about earlier. Stella had heard them say that today, the Sterling Alpha, a powerful man with a cruel reputation, would be visiting their pack. From the way the maids giggled while others shrieked in fear, Stella had become curious about who he was. She had heard so many things about him but never had she set eyes on him.

"Keep your eyes on the floor," Luna's instructions snapped her out of her thoughts, and she obeyed, staring only at the polished marble beneath her feet as they approached the long dining table.

"Greetings, Alphas," Stella greeted Alpha James softly, bowing before quietly taking her place behind Luna once she sat down.

Alpha James acknowledged her greeting with only a slight nod of his head, while the other Alpha glanced at her.

Everyone in the room was seated except Stella, who struggled to discreetly steal a glance at Alpha Sterling.

From what she had heard about him, Sterling was the name he shared with his brothers, not his actual name. His original name was Ivan Sterling.

He looked nothing like his father among all his brothers, and his father's friends had always used it to tease him, calling his son by his name. There were also rumors that he wasn't the biological son of his father, that his mother had an affair outside with another man.

When Stella was finally able to know which one among the men seated around the table was the Sterling Alpha, she was startled to find him already watching her.

Her eyes widened. As a mere maid, she knew better than to make eye contact with any of the Alphas seated inside the hall.

But before she could look away, he raised a questioning brow at her as if he'd already known she was searching for him all this while.

Her face flushed in embarrassment at the way his eyes briefly checked her out, but just then Alpha James spoke, stealing his attention from her.

"How many slave women will you be needing alongside the Bride?" Alpha James asked, his greedy gaze fixed on the young handsome man seated opposite him.

The young man's attention, however, seemed to be distracted ever since Stella walked into the room with Luna.

"Ten will do. Male and female," the man replied, before shifting his gaze back to Stella. He quietly observed her while Alpha James spoke, but Stella's attention was somewhere else.

Stella suddenly remembered what Charlotte had said about Alpha James wanting to give her away to a Rogue as a wife if she couldn't find her mate. How does he expect her to find a mate when she's already locked up and not allowed to leave for any mating festival? What was she going to do now?

Meanwhile Vivian, Stella's cousin who was at least two years older than her was also in the dining room, seated with a frown on her face as she watched between the Sterling Alpha and Stella who he had been staring at. Vivian was living the life originally meant for Stella, but still she was dissatisfied.

Alpha Sterling was there to ask for her hand in marriage. Though it was a contract, the man hadn't even glanced once at her at least to see who he would be getting married to.

But the moment Stella walked into the room, his eyes were all over her, and he no longer listened to what her father was saying anymore. This made Vivian hate Stella even more.

"Serve them more wine. Quickly," Luna said to Stella who was deeply in thought, thinking of her to save herself from getting married to a rogue.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Stella lowered her head as she carried a silver tray filled with crystal goblets and an expensive bottle of red wine.

She moved around the table, refilling the glasses of the men, unaware of the eyes watching her.

There were nearly twenty men seated with Alpha James at his table.

Stella began feeling uncomfortable under the gazes of everyone. It was as though she had a fly on her face.

Even the men from her own pack were making things more uncomfortable because whenever she leaned over to refill a cup, they would deliberately brush their hands against her exposed thighs beneath the table.

Each unwanted touch made Stella flinch, causing drops of wine to spill onto the table, but neither Alpha James nor Luna noticed, or they simply pretended not to.

After pouring wine into Vivian's cup lastly, Stella turned to leave, oblivious to Vivian's evil plan against her.

Vivian stretched out her foot deliberately in Stella's path, and in the next second Stella was falling with the bottle of wine.

But Instead of crashing onto the floor as Vivian had foreseen, Stella fell straight into the Sterling Alpha, emptying the entire bottle of wine all over him