2. His Biggest Mistake

Reyna

I walk into the kitchen of the maid’s quarters and as soon as my best friend Lily-Ann sees me; her smile drops. She saunters over to me, her blonde hair flying behind her as she rushes to get to me.

“Oh, Goddess!” she cries out when she sees my bruised face. “What have they done now?”

I shake my head. “Don’t worry, I can still work and will be healed by the time we open the doors to the Bloodmoon Hall. Do you need me to braid your hair so we can start?”

Lily-Ann looks at me with a mixture of pity and sadness, and I could just die right there and then. She’s an Omega orphan and a maid just like me, but we’ve been friends since we were ten years old.

She knows about my plans to leave and wants to go along with me, but to be honest I would much rather do this alone. Her life isn’t filled with pain like mine is and she has her wolf and mate already.

I can’t let her throw all that away for me.

She wraps her arms around me and I suck in a breath since my ribs are bruised from Abby’s kicks. “You know how it is, but luckily, I don’t have to deal with this for long,” I say.

Sighing, she lets go of me and places her hands on my shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want us to leave with you? We have a carriage and will gladly accompany you–”

“No, I promise I’ll be fine! I’ve saved up enough to ensure safe passage into a new city and I’ll find a job in no time as soon as I leave here,” I say with a smile on my face. “You and Hans deserve to have a happy life here.”

The corners of her mouth pull down in a grimace. “I’m so sorry you were mated to an asshole like Aiden! No one deserves happiness more than you, Reyna,” she says, then pulls me into her arms again.

If a mate can break a sacred bond like this, I do not want one again. All they do is lie and hurt you, only to go to the next available thing.

“Let’s get this morning’s duties over with so we can get to the meeting with Headmistress Neave. She wants to assign roles for the Hallowed Bond Ball, and we know everyone will cringe when it comes to it,” I say, knowing full well I’ll be offering up my services to lead the maids that evening.

It will be triple my usual salary and we get paid half of it before the Ball even starts. More than enough that I need, so I am all in. My group might hate me for volunteering, but I have to do this for myself.

After a few hours of going about our duties, Headmistress Neave calls us all into the maid quarters. She’s an elderly lady who shouldn’t be working as a maid and always reminds me of a strict nun. There are about fifty of us spread into four groups, and Lily-Ann and I lead two separate sects.

“Attention, everyone! I have an important announcement to make,” she says, clapping her withered hands together. “As we all know, an important event is taking place for the first time in our lovely city, Ravens Hollow!”

The Hallowed Bond Ball is an important event for everyone in the Four Kingdoms of Aether. Our city, landlocked and surrounded by other three larger countries, was neutral ground throughout the War of the Alpha Kings.

That war only ended last year, and to celebrate it, Silvercrown is hosting the rocky alliance between the three Alpha Kings. My father is the Alpha of Silvercrown Pack, and our castle will be hosting the event.

“We’re getting two hundred more people to help with this event, but we need one of you to oversee and direct everyone. Do I have a volunteer?”

Oh, balls. I can manage a group of fifteen girls, but over two hundred? 

Swallowing my pride, I raise my hand and watch as the surprise slips into Headmistress Neave’s eyes. “Reyna? Are you sure?”

I nod and take a step forward. “I know Bloodmoon Hall like the back of my hand and will be able to direct them well. But if anyone would like to take over…” I trail off, looking at the other women who won’t even meet my eye.

None of them want this responsibility and I am revelling in the fact that I won’t have competition. Granted, the Alpha Kings are dangerous and ruthless men, but I would rather take that than another day of living in slavery.

“Oh, fantastic then! Come with me as we work out the schedules for the evening; there’s much to be done!” Headmistress Neave says before dismissing everyone and pulling me into her office.

***

By the time I get home that evening, I am exhausted, but know I need to keep up my strength for the slew of insults I know will come my way at dinner time. 

And as we are seated, they don’t disappoint. 

“You’re truly a disgrace, Reyna,” Maria, my step-mother, sneers as she looks down at me from her crooked nose. “Trying to seduce Aiden like that. No wonder my poor Abby hit you!”

I bite the inside of my cheek as my rage simmers inside of me, and once again, it feels like I am so close to shifting. Why can’t I just be like a normal shifter? I really picked the short straw when the Goddess handed out wolf spirits.

“It won’t happen again,” I say, looking at her and my step sisters, Abby and Leana. “If it does, please feel free to strike me.”

“As sure we will!” Abby shrieks. “I don’t know why Father keeps a seat at this table for someone as worthless—”

“Enough, Abby,” my father’s voice booms through the dining hall, shutting everyone up. He walks inside and takes his place at the head of the table, then he turns to look at everyone but me. 

He’s a large, burly man who has commandeered armies in his younger days before our city became a neutral one in the way of everything. Alaric Eamons is a powerful man, but not a good one. 

“Reyna is my biggest mistake, and the Goddess wants me to always see it. So this is not up for discussion.”

Once again, my heart breaks at his cruel tone, and I can do nothing but swallow his words like razor blades. I know I am his mistake. Not a day goes by where it isn’t staring me right in the face. My father has light features —green eyes and red hair and it is all evident in the beautiful ways my sisters look.

I’m raven-haired and have lilac-coloured eyes… the object of my father’s regret.

The Hallowed Bond Ball cannot come any sooner… I am so done with feeling this way.