The Lost Rogue Heiress

EIGHT - A Broken Nose

Olivia made it back to her room in the Jadewood servant’s quarters without running into any other pack members. Alex’s scent of lemon and cedar was no longer present in the kitchen, so he must have retired hours ago, for which she was grateful. Olivia wasn’t sure she could keep herself composed if she had another altercation with the Alpha’s son tonight, especially after all she had learned.

Although her mind was reeling with the events of the evening and the adrenaline was still coursing through her veins, sleep found her almost immediately as her head hit the worn and deflated lump that used to be a pillow. Her sleep was restless, however, and when her alarm clock began buzzing to wake her for morning assignments, Olivia felt as though she hadn’t slept at all.

She made quick work of washing her mate's scent off of her in the communal servant’s showers before heading to the kitchens to find Miriam, the head Omega that all of the female servants reported to. Olivia found her standing in the large walk-in pantry with a clipboard and pen in her hand.

“Morning Ms. Miriam,” she said sleepily, “Where do you have me today?”

Miriam turned to look at Olivia and sighed before rolling her eyes and shaking her head in disapproval.

“Out late again, Ms. Greenwood?”

Olivia only looked at her supervisor, neither confirming nor denying her allegations. All of the Omegas knew that Lizzie had been acting out of character lately and that when she did, Olivia was who she turned to clean up the mess.

“I see. Well, Ms. Greenwood, it seems that the little Princess didn’t get enough of your unsanctioned services last night. She’s requested your assistance today. There is a tray on the warmer with breakfast for both of you, she’s already waiting for you in her sitting room.”

“Lizzie is awake?”

“Yes, and she looks like she never went to sleep. I don’t know what’s going on with her lately, Olivia, but I’m beginning to worry. We’re all beginning to worry. Is she okay?”

Miriam had dropped the formalities and was now looking at her with genuine concern for their only ally within the Alpha family. Most of the Omega adored Lizzie because she never treated anyone as though she was above them. She was kind and gentle and would consistently defend them in front of her family if she felt as though they were being mistreated. Miriam did not dote on Lizzie like many of her peers, but that didn’t mean she cared about her any less. She knew, along with the others, that Lizzie was oftentimes the only thing preventing them from being treated like damn cattle. If she wasn’t around to subtly influence her father, who in turn influenced her brothers and mother, their treatment could go from bad to worse.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. I think she just has to get it out of her system,” Olivia answered Miriam.

Miriam nodded knowingly. She had been around long enough to know that when an wolf shifter was in their teens, especially one with Alpha blood like Lizzie, there were sometimes some growing pains as the young adult began to embrace their strengths and learn to balance them at the same time. She also knew that Olivia was telling her as little as possible, which she was fine with at the time. It would keep her plausible deniability intact.

“And I’m sure you’ll tell me if there’s anything I need to know. Anything I need to worry about?” Miriam asked as she resumed her work on her clipboard, taking inventory of the food and kitchen supplies.

“Of course,” Olivia responded.

“Alright. Go on then. Don’t want her food getting dried out.”

Olivia turned and went to the food warmer and picked up the single large tray that had two covered plates and moved it to a counter by one of the refrigerators. She pulled out two bottles of orange juice and placed them on the tray, along with two small bowls of pre-cut mixed fruit. After grabbing some utensils and napkins, Olivia fiddled with the placement of the items on the tray, attempting to make it all look symmetrical.

“Stalling for some reason?” She heard Miriam call from inside the pantry.

“No, heading up now,” Olivia responded.

Of course, she was stalling. This would be the first time she would see Lizzie after finding out that her mother and she shared their wolf, Aries. Did Lizzie know? Did Aries even know? How was she going to broach the subject without the obviously troubled wolf losing control and pushing Lizzie out?

All of these questions and more plagued her mind incessantly as she walked up the stairs that led to the long and empty pack dining hall in the main part of the pack house. Passing the entryway to the dining hall, Olivia continued until she came to the servant's stairs that led to the upper floors that housed the Alpha family along with the other higher-ranking wolves. She had always thought their pack house was huge, but now that she had seen the castle that belonged to the Rogues, it seemed modest in comparison.

The Jadewood packhouse contained a basement and four levels above ground in the main house, and a separate wing above the basement that housed the Omega’s living quarters. The basement was where the female Omega’s spent most of their time when they weren’t serving or cleaning the main house; it contained the kitchens, the large laundry room, and the many storage rooms for food, linens, cleaning supplies, and other various items that would only clutter the main living spaces. The main floor held the common dining and lounging areas, along with an indoor pool and gymnasium for training; the second floor held about 10 decent size rooms for ranking wolves that were unmated; the third floor contained three large apartments for the Beta, Gamma, and Delta and their mates; the fourth floor had three more luxurious apartments for the Alpha’s children; and the fifth and final floor was solely for the Alpha and his Luna, each with their own bedroom, bathroom, office, dining, and lounging areas.

Now that Olivia had met her mate, she wondered if it was typical for Alpha’s and Luna’s to separate their living quarters as the Jadewood’s did. Despite their start being a little rocky—a little? Athena thought through the bond—Olivia knew that her mate, however frustrating and misguided he may be, made her whole. It was already difficult being away from him now, and they hadn’t even completed the bond yet. She didn’t know Desmond; she literally knew nothing about him, and yet her instincts told her that he was it for her, there would be no other, and together they would be each others strengths.

As she entered the servants stairs she pushed thoughts of Desmond to the back of her mind just in time for her to hear commotion coming from the floor above. Olivia turned the corner after walking up the first flight of stairs to find the Jadewood Delta, Steffan, leaning over a young Omega in the corner. Athena growled through the bond, and Olivia realized it was at this point that she would typically push Athena back down, suppressing her instinct to protect and defend. She would cower no more, however. Her time with the Jadewood’s was coming to an end, she could feel it, so there was no point in maintaining her meak and submissive persona.

Steffan had the girl cornered with one hand resting on the wall above her shoulder and the other groping her thigh underneath her skirt. Olivia caught a glimpse of the girls face, and realized it was Katie, and her annoyance turned to anger in an instant.

“Delta Steffan! Remove your hands from the girl now,” Olivia demanded, her eyes beginning to glow.

Without taking her eyes off the Delta and Katie, Olivia set the tray of food and drinks down on the top stair. Steffan craned his neck around while still groping the girl to find her within two feet of where they stood.

“Carry on, Olivia. Katie here doesn’t mind, she likes the attention. Don’t you Katie?” Steffan cooed to the girl.

Katie, remarkably, showed no emotion. Olivia recognized the face of someone who had turned on their numb setting in order to survive. She didn’t give Katie a chance to respond with a lie. Steffan was facing away from her and back towards Katie when Olivia grabbed a fistful of his hair with her right hand and used all of her strength to pull him away from Katie. In less than a second, Steffan was thrown back into the opposite wall, knocking the wind out of his lungs and cracking the drywall where his back had landed. His eyes showed how stunned he was, at not only her audacity but also her strength. Olivia had no intentions of throwing him that far; she had acted on the pure instinct she had been suppressing for far too many years. Apparently suppressing those instincts had also suppressed an incredible amount of strength that she was unaware she possessed.

Athena—show him.

Say no more.

Athena merged just enough with Olivia’s human form to make the Delta submit. Their eyes glowed a bright royal purple, the color of amethyst, and their canines elongated about an inch. Athena pushed their Alpha energy forward as she released a deep rumble from their chest, and Steffan began to tremble slightly as he fought the urge to lower his head and submit.

“What the hell! Olivia?!” Steffan questioned with anger and disbelief as he continued to resist their energy. Katie had come to stand behind Olivia, and she heard her gasp at the Delta’s anger.

Go, Katie. Go find Miriam and tell her what happened. Ask her not to say anything until she speaks to me.

Olivia used the bond to dismiss Katie; she would only be a liability if she stayed at this point.

But, Liv, he’s going to hurt—

He’s never going to touch you again, do you understand? And I can handle myself. Now go!

Olivia added just a touch of her Alpha energy to the command, causing Katie to whimper slightly before rushing down the stairs. When Katie was gone and out of sight, Olivia slowly walked over to the Delta, who still had his back to the wall. Steffan was angry and snarling at her through clenched teeth. She could feel the strength in their energy as it coursed through her body, and she knew that she was only using but a fraction of what was in her reservoir.

With a small, sad smile, Olivia looked into the Delta’s eyes before addressing him. There was a new confidence in her posture as she raised her hand to his throat and squeezed, releasing a touch more of her Alpha energy to prove her point further. He tried to push her away, clawing at her skin when he realized that his physical strength wasn’t enough.

“You will never touch her again. If you do, I will kill you and dump your body in the river where no one will find it. If you tell the Alpha or his family I have threatened you, I will kill you and do the same. Nod if you understand.”

Unable to get words out of his restricted airways, Steffan nodded feverishly before she released her grip. He nearly fell to the ground before catching himself on his knees and gasping for air.

Olivia didn’t move as she looked down at the pathetic man before her, preying on girls that were practically still children.

“The hell is the big deal,” he choked. “Katie’s always up for some fun.”

Anger surged through her again as she grabbed the back of his head before slamming her right knee into his face. This time he toppled to the ground, groaning loudly as he held his now bleeding and broken nose.

“She’s only seventeen years old, Delta. And silence does not mean ‘yes!’ Katie’s an Omega that deserves your protection and strength and instead you choose to assault and harrass her! You are disgusting.”

Olivia made sure to push her Alpha powers forward as she used his Delta title, making it obvious what she thought of their pack hierarchy. She knew that even with threats, she was now on borrowed time. She turned to grab the tray and head towards Lizzie room. Before she left, Steffan uttered one last defiant question through the pack bond.

You’re no Omega. Who the hell are you, Olivia? Why are you pretending to be something you’re not.

Olivia paused long enough to turn and face him as she responded.

You’re right. I’m no Omega, and I won’t pretend any longer. You’ll know soon enough who I am, Delta, and then you’ll consider yourself lucky.

Lucky? Steffan chuckled. How is this lucky?

You only have a broken nose.