Surrogate For My Blind Stepbrother

CHAPTER 1 : A Crush On My Stepbrother Naomi “Get on your knees, wolfless girl.” The command came from a servant standing over me. I stared at her, my fingers tightening around the tray I carried. “Did you hear me?” she snapped. “Or has being wolfless made you deaf too?” A few servants nearby glanced at us laughing. I lowered my eyes. Not because I feared her, but because I knew what would happen if I answered back. “I'm sorry,” I muttered. “Then get down and clean it up.” I glanced at the mess scattered across the floor. The servant had knocked the tray from my hands, and now she expected me to kneel before her. Without another word, I bent down and began gathering the broken pieces of porcelain scattered across the floor.” I had once been treated as a princess in the palace long ago when my mother —-- “Didn't you hear your name” a voice rattled behind me. I turned around realizing the head servant had been speaking to me “I didn't know–” The slap snapped my head to the side. For a moment, I could only stare at the floor. "When someone calls you, you answer," the head servant barked. I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek, fighting the sting. "I'm sorry, ma'am." "Sorry?" She scoffed. "You should be grateful the king allows you to stay in this palace at all." My fingers curled around a broken piece of porcelain. Grateful? Once, this palace had been my home in a very different way. My mother had been the king's lover. After his Luna died, he promised to marry her and give us both a place in the royal family. For a while, he kept that promise. I had fine dresses, servants who bowed when I passed, and a place beside him at the royal table. Then my mother fell ill. After she died, the king's promises seemed to die with her. And when the pack discovered I had no wolf, whatever affection remained for me vanished. I was no longer treated like his daughter. I was a wolfless handmaiden. "Naomi!" I flinched and looked up. “I'm sorry” I scrambled for words. The head servant was glaring at me. "The crown prince has been asking for someone. Take these fresh linens to his chambers and don't make him wait." I rose, carefully gathering the remaining pieces of porcelain. Alexander. Even thinking of his name made my chest tighten. I told myself it was nothing. He was the crown prince. He was my stepbrother and I was merely a servant. Whatever I felt for him had no place in my life. I picked up the linens and headed toward his chambers. The palace corridor was unusually quiet. Servants moved past me with their heads bowed, and the guards stationed outside the royal wing barely spared me a glance. I hurried along, careful not to let the neatly folded silk slip from my arms. As I approached Alexander's door, a loud voice stopped me. "How many times must I tell you that I don't need your help?" I froze. It was Alexander. Another voice answered, quieter this time. "Your Highness, your condition—" "Get out!" I swallowed. Whatever had happened inside, his physician clearly wasn't in the mood to argue. I waited until the voices fell silent before raising my hand to knock. "Who's there?" "Naomi, Your Highness. I've brought your fresh linens." There was no answer. I waited a few seconds, then knocked again. "Come in." I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The physician emerged from a side room, his medical bag clutched in one hand. He shook his head as he passed me, muttering something under his breath. I glanced after him, but I didn't dare ask what was wrong. Alexander sat near the window, his face turned toward the light. His eyes were open, but they didn't follow my movement. I lowered my gaze, reminding myself of the truth. Alexander was my stepbrother, the crown prince, and I was nothing more than a servant. I repeated those words silently as I crossed the room. I placed the folded silk in the drawer beside his bed, making sure not to disturb anything else. "Naomi." I stopped. "Yes, Your Highness?" "Come here." My heart gave an embarrassing little leap. I forced myself to walk toward him, stopping a few steps away. "What do you need?" For a moment, he said nothing. His jaw tightened, and his fingers tapped impatiently against the arm of his chair. "There's something I need you to do.” He stroked his jaw lightly. My chest rose gently pushing away all the nasty thought from my mind "I need someone to spend the night with me." My steps faltered. I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing. "Someone, Your Highness?" My fingers were vibrating profusely. Did he mean he wanted me? Was he offering to spend the night with me ? Asha,’ he continued, feeling his way toward the bed. He had been poisoned months ago in what was believed to be an assassination attempt by the rogue pack. "I want you to bring her to my chambers tonight." I stared at him before quickly lowering my gaze again. Of course. It had to be Asha. "Tell her I want to spend the night with her," he continued. "Make sure she arrives at exactly midnight." "Yes, Your Highness." I turned around to leave "Yes, Your Highness." I turned to leave. "And Naomi?" I stopped. For one foolish moment, I wondered if he would tell me he had changed his mind. That perhaps he wanted me to stay instead. I held my breath and turned around. "Make sure nobody knows she's coming," he said, his head turning slightly as though he were checking the room. I nodded but there was something about the way he gave that order that made me wonder what the crown prince was hiding.