They Wanted a Maid. I Wanted a Family

I cooked sixteen dishes for the people I loved. Then they decided I didn't need a seat at my own table. Alpha Adrian Vale was my future mate. His Beta, Caleb Reed, and Gamma, Jace Mercer, had grown up with us. They had been my family. I liked cooking for them. I liked having them in my home. When they took in Mia, a stray she-wolf, I welcomed her too. Tonight, we were celebrating the reopening of our northern border. I'd spent the day preparing everyone's favorites. My table seated four. There were five of us. “Jace, grab the stool from the porch,” I said. Adrian pulled out my chair for Mia. “You still have those border reports, right? We'll get started. Caleb can save you a plate.” Caleb reached for the dishes. Jace turned toward the roast. No one asked whether I wanted to eat with them. I had set that table expecting to sit beside the man I would marry and the friends I'd known all my life. They had seen a meal ready to be served and work I could do somewhere else. For a moment, I looked at my place. I had willingly given them my time, my care, and a home to gather in. Somewhere along the way, they'd started treating those things as theirs. I took my spare key off Adrian's ring. “Dinner's over,” I said. “All of you can leave.” I wanted a family. I was done earning my place by serving one.