Chapter Four

Everett's POV. 

I asked Dad if he was joking but the look on his face said he wasn't. 

Panic washer over me. “Where am I supposed to go?” 

Dad turned, his face cold and remorseless. “I owe a debt to Alpha Sebastian. Since I'm unable to pay, he demanded a year of labor and you'll pay for that” 

I stared at him in shock, refusing to believe his words. There's no way my father is trading me to settle his debt. Not just any pack, but the dangerous Dothan pack?

“No!” I said sharply. “I'm your daughter, you can't just send me away like this!” 

Before Dad could reply, Mom stepped closer, resting a hand on my shoulder. 

“Everett dear,” she said.  “Your sister is the pride of the family right now, you've caused us enough embarrassment and we don't want you causing more. So be useful for once.”

“Yes,” Dad spoke again. “After the disgrace you've caused me today, you should be grateful I found a way for you to be useful” 

My jaw dropped at how my family was treating me. The realization hit me in an instant. This conversation had already been concluded, and the next one year of my life had been decided without my consent. 

Seconds later, I was forced upstairs with the maid to pack my things. Everything fit into a small duffel bag, a reminder that I owned almost nothing in the house. 

My gaze moved around the room I had lived in all my life, the one place that had been my comfort zone since childhood. My heart ached at the thought of leaving. 

Moments later, a knock came on the door. “Time's up!” Mom roared. 

The maid walked out first. I grabbed my duffel bag and was about to follow when I heard laughter from the window, distant and cheerful. 

I shouldn't have looked, but I dragged my feet towards the window. The rest of my heart shattered into pieces. 

Lissa was standing there in Cassian's arms, both leaning against his car. She giggled at something he had said and the next second, their lips crashed against each other. 

The scene became too painful to watch and I leaned away, walking downstairs. 

A realization crashed through me as I walked. There was nothing left for me in this pack. Maybe it's best that I leave. 

By the time I arrived outside, a car had been parked, with Mom and Dad standing beside each other at the entrance. 

“One year.” Dad remarked. “Then you can return” 

I said nothing. I was still processing how my father could reduce me to nothing more than a debt settlement. 

Mom chirped in beside him. “Lose some weight while you are there, Everett. Don't come back looking like an overfed pig” 

My stomach twisted again but I refused to cry. 

“Leave now” Dad said. 

I turned, moving swiftly towards the car. For a brief moment, I hoped they'd be saddened to see me leave. Maybe Dad would stop me, or maybe Mom would realize while I'm still here that she'll miss me when I'm gone. 

Nothing happened. 

I clutched the bag tightly in my hand and settled quietly into the backseat. 

The realization hit me hard. I had gone from someone full of hope this morning, to a rejected Alpha's daughter being sent away as a servant. All in one night. 

The car started and drove out of the pack. Hours later, we arrived at the Alpha's estate of Dothan pack. 

Outside, a woman was standing, dressed in a plain blue robe that reached her ankles. She looked over my body, disgust clearly visible on her face. 

“You are Everett Meadow?” She asked. “The servant sent for the debt settlement?” 

I nodded softly. She motioned for me to follow her and I obeyed, letting her lead me inside while I listened to her speak. 

She talked about my role, the rules, and everything I'd have to put up with for a year. 

“No one here cares if you are an Alpha's daughter. Here, you are nothing but a servant who will work like everyone else” The woman, Miranda, said coldly. 

She stopped in front of a room, making me stop behind her. Then she turned. 

“We'll stop here for now. Tomorrow, you get the rest of the briefing.” She opened the large wooden doors. “The Alpha is waiting” 

My heart hammered at the mention of Sebastian Dothan. He's known for being a ruthless man and as far as I know, no one in my pack had ever wanted to cross his path. 

I stepped into the study. Guards and servants lined across the edges, and everything in the room screamed authority. 

The man seated at the desk could only be Sebastian. He was devastatingly handsome, with cold blue eyes, and a composed figure. 

Sebastian stared at me for a while before he stood, stepping closer to me. “You are Alpha Eric's debt settlement” he remarked. 

“You'll be here for a year. Do you understand what you've agreed to?” 

I lifted my gaze and locked eyes with him, answering defiantly. “I didn't agree to anything. My father sent me here” 

He stared for a moment, his face filled with amusement and as much as I wanted to see through him, I couldn't figure out what was on his mind. 

“Why would an Alpha's daughter be reduced to paying a debt as a servant?” He frowned. “What have you done so wrong for your father to treat you like this?” 

For a moment, the room fell silent. He asked a question which demanded an answer but I refused to respond. 

I didn't want to tell him about what happened at the mating ceremony. It was too embarrassing to say my family discarded me because of my weight. 

Seconds passed and when I didn't speak, he stepped backwards.  

“Take her to the servant quarters. Tomorrow, your job starts” 

The head maid returned and together, we walked towards the entrance. I didn't need to turn, I could feel Sebastian's eyes on my back—burning and intense. 

For a quick moment, I glanced at every servant and guard who were in the room and the looks on their faces told me one thing; living here wouldn't be any  different from how I used to live back in my pack. 

If only I knew how wrong I was.