The Unexpected Visit

Chapter 5: The Unexpected Visitor

Camila’s POV

I moved quietly through the large halls of the Alpha’s house, carrying a tray of freshly brewed tea. My small wolf nestled in my chest, timid as always, but a tiny spark of joy hummed quietly. Everything felt… right. Even though I was just a maid in front of everyone, and a contract mate in front of Théo, I could feel his presence lingering nearby. My heart fluttered every time I thought of him, and my weak wolf seemed to thrum softly in agreement.

I had almost forgotten myself when the sound of the main doors opening broke the calm. Footsteps echoed through the hall, and I froze, the tray shaking slightly in my hands.

A woman stepped inside. Aurelia. Her name had traveled through the pack like whispers in the wind. She was the daughter of a respected elder, beautiful, confident, and… Théo’s ex. My chest sank. My wolf curled low, trembling in fear and jealousy. I didn’t want to see her here. I didn’t want to know what she meant to him, even if I had no right to care.

Clara appeared almost immediately, her steps quick and sharp. “Aurelia!” she said brightly, her voice warm, but her eyes… her eyes had that sharp edge I had seen before. “I’ve missed you so much! And my brother misses you too.”

I stood frozen, the tray now forgotten. My small wolf hid completely, shivering inside me. I dared not speak. I dared not breathe too loudly. To them, I was nothing. Just the maid. A shadow in the grand house. And yet, I was supposed to be his mate.

I watched, helpless, as Théo appeared behind Clara, moving smoothly across the hall. His presence was immediate, overwhelming. He smiled—a small, polite curl of his lips—but I could feel the tension in his wolf. He wasn’t angry, but he was alert. Protective. And somehow… he stepped forward and hugged Aurelia, just as if she belonged there. My chest tightened painfully. My weak wolf whimpered softly.

I turned my eyes away, focusing on the floor. I was small. I was nothing. I could not compete with Aurelia, with her confidence, with the way she commanded the room just by being herself. I pressed my lips together, trying to swallow the sudden sting of tears. I did not want to cry. I would not cry.

Théo and Aurelia went into another room, leaving me behind. I could hear the faint sound of laughter and soft murmurs through the walls, and my chest tightened with anxiety. My wolf stirred nervously, weak but aware, nudging me from the inside. What are they doing? it seemed to ask. I swallowed, forcing myself to stay still. I was just a maid here, nothing more.

And then Clara came back. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed me lingering in the hallway, pale and trembling. Her voice dropped, sharp as a knife.

“You,” she said, stepping close, hands on her hips. “You need to understand your place. That girl—Aurelia—is here for my brother. He is going to marry her one day, or at least he… at least she’s important to him.”

My stomach knotted. My small wolf cowered. I tried to meet her gaze, but her eyes were too sharp, too full of authority.

“You are nothing but a maid here,” Clara continued, her voice low but cutting. “Don’t think for one second that because he called you his mate for a year, it changes anything. You are just a maid. You follow orders. You serve. You do not interfere. You do not hope. Do not dream. Do not overthink. Do you understand me?”

“Yes… I understand,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. My claws dug into my palms beneath my gloves. My wolf shivered at the words, weak but tense. It wanted to hide, to run, to retreat. I wanted to disappear completely.

Clara leaned even closer, her breath brushing my ear. “And do not even look at what they are doing inside,” she hissed. “Do not let your imagination run wild. You are not part of that. My brother… he is going to choose her. You are here to serve. Only to serve. Nothing else. Nothing.”

I nodded quickly, my throat tight. My small wolf whimpered softly, almost hiding entirely. My heart ached painfully—not from jealousy exactly, but from helplessness. I wanted to run to him. I wanted to be close. I wanted… to be more than just a maid. But Clara’s words, harsh as they were, reminded me again of the line I could not cross. I had to obey. I had to wait.

“Go,” Clara said sharply, shoving me slightly toward the laundry room. “Do not loiter. Wash these clothes. Think about nothing else.”

I turned, shaking, clutching the basket of laundry, my wolf quivering inside me. My heart raced with a confusing mixture of fear, longing, and… a small, quiet spark of joy. I was still Théo’s mate. For one year. And even if Clara’s words cut me, even if Aurelia’s presence terrified me, I would cling to that. I would obey, I would serve, and I would hold onto every moment I had with him.

The laundry room was quiet except for the sound of water and the soft rustle of clothes. I knelt to wash them, my hands trembling slightly. I could not stop thinking about Théo, about the way he had looked at me, the way his wolf had surged when we first signed the contract. Weak though my wolf was, it hummed softly with pride. I was his, even if only for a year. My chest ached with happiness, and my heart beat faster at the thought.

Even Clara’s warnings, even the knowledge that Aurelia was inside the house with him, could not shake the warmth inside me. I pressed the clothes into the water, letting the soap bubbles slip through my fingers, imagining him just beyond the walls. My wolf quivered, small and timid, but it was alive. For the first time, I felt… close to him. Truly close.

And as I worked, I promised myself quietly, under my breath, that I would endure. I would obey. I would serve. I would stay in my place as a maid in front of the pack. But I would never forget, never lose, the truth of what I was to him. My weak, timid wolf might shiver, but it was his. And I would do everything I could to make this year… ours.