THE FEAR OF HIM

CHAPTER FOUR

THE STEALTH PACK

~~~DIANE~~

I trembled under his dark, deadly glare. The hatred in his eyes was clear, and he did nothing to hide it. Terrified, I tore my gaze away and stared at the floor.

“I’m here to serve as a maid in the Stealth Pack mansion,” I said quietly.

“Oh. So you’re the new maid everyone’s been talking about?”

I pressed my lips together. I hadn’t known the others were already talking about me.

“How dare you come here of all places to serve as a maid?” he thundered.

“Coming here was against my wish… I was forced.”

“You expect me to believe that? That you were forced against your will? Are you doing all of this because I rejected you?”

My wolf whimpered. So did I. The pain of his rejection tore through my heart all over again.

“N-not… that.”

“It better not be. Because no matter how hard you try to get closer to me, I will never accept you as my mate. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do, Alpha.”

My feet stayed glued to the spot long after he left. My heart ached from his words. I already knew life here was going to be harder than before.

….

A few days in the pack, and it was exactly the hell I had predicted.

The other maids treated me like an outcast. They called me ugly, weak, and worthless. I made enemies quickly and no friends. To keep the depression and grief from swallowing me, I worked extra hours in the mansion—cleaning, cooking, washing, anything that kept my hands busy. When there was nothing left to do, I would wander into the empty garden, pick flowers, and decorate myself with them. It was the only thing that brought me any comfort here.

It was one of those free afternoons and I headed to the garden again.

I barely reached when I bumped into a group of maids. Âbout five of them. They blocked my path, each wearing the same mischievous smirk.

I tried to step around them, but they closed in again.

“She’s the girl, isn’t she?” one asked.

“It’s her. The new maid from Crescent Pack,” another replied.

They all burst into laughter.

“I can’t believe she’s the one throwing herself at our Alpha. She has no shame!”

I frowned. Who was spreading that rumor? I was the Alpha’s mate—

You mean the Alpha’s rejected mate, my wolf corrected coldly.

I huffed under my breath. Whatever.

“What should we do with her?” one of them said. “Teach her a lesson?”

“She’s such a freak. How about we beat her to a pulp?” another suggested then slapped me hard across the face.

“You’ve got it wrong,” I tried to say. “I’m not throwing myself at the Alpha. I’m only minding my business..”

They didn’t care. I tried to fight back, but I was no match for the five of them.

They scurried off once they were done. Tearfully, I scrambled to my feet and headed back toward the mansion. My legs wobbled. My face burned from the slaps. Scratches covered my elbows and knees.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t see the Alpha until I crashed straight into him. Realizing what I had done, I dropped to my knees immediately to apologize. Silence stretched between us before he simply walked past me without a word.

I struggled back to my feet and finally made it to the room I shared with four other maids. They were all there when I entered. Their eyes scanned me from head to toe, but none of them cared enough to ask what happened— except one girl about my age.

“You were bullied again, weren’t you?”

A tear slipped down my cheek at the question.

“It’s fine,” she said softly. “I’ll help you dress your wounds. Next time, try to stand up for yourself. Once they see you can fight back, they might leave you alone.”

An abrupt knock interrupted us. The door flung open, and one of the pack guards stepped inside, his eyes resting on my wounded form..

“The Alpha requests to see you, Diane.”