Sold by Blood
Lilith's POV (Domezo Pack)
"LILITH! LILITH!"
Two shouts meant I had two seconds to run.
Three would've meant bruises.
Four, broken bones.
I dropped everything and ran.
The other maids… they just looked at me with pity and disdain.
I was the boss's daughter, but lived like a maid, what could be worse?
I didn’t blame them for even thinking they were better than I was, they had wolves even though Omega wolves, but I had nothing.
In our pack, no scent meant no place. No wolf meant no worth. I was as good as a normal human.
“Have you suddenly lost your tongue? Didn’t you hear Nath call you?” Mark sneered, his voice laced with disdain as he stood behind Nathaniel with his hands folded just as I ran out of the maids quarters.
It dawned on me then, Nathaniel wasn't alone. He had his twin, Mark and my younger sister, Julian, behind him.
“I… I… heard and ran down here immediately.” I couldn’t help but stutter. They liked it better as it made them look more powerful.
I hated giving them that but I knew that look in their eyes.
Cruelty.
“And you didn’t think to answer before coming?” Nath asked as they both began walking towards me.
“Nath, this is not necessary, she came faster than I even thought.” Julian said, trying to defend me.
It was what she always did, but most times it never worked, just like today. She only came to make sure it didn't go too far. It always did anyway, and I didn't want it, her pity made it worse.
“Not today, baby sis. I told you to stay back if you weren’t cool with this.” Mark snapped at her and she sighed and rolled her eyes at them before her pity gaze returned to me.
Most times, I hated that she had to see me so weak and helpless, I was the older sister that was supposed to protect her and yet...
“Answer my question, you little freak.”
A sudden kick to my side sent me tumbling on wet sand with a painful landing. My head jammed against a stray stone sending jolts of pain through my skull.
But I was too smart to stay on the ground, it would only give them an easy course to hit me more, so I ignored the gasp that came from Julian and scrambled to my feet.
My hands instinctively came up as I braced myself for the next hit from Mark, his own abuse was always more callous and unseen until they hit.
He laughed when he saw me protect my face and squeezed his face mockingly as his hand reached out.
“Oh look at our sweet little sister already preparing herself for me.”
I stiffened and my stomach twisted in disgust and dread but I stood my ground.
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers staying just long enough to make my skin crawl.
Nath laughed behind him. “I told you she’ll soon get used to your antics.”
“That can never happen, you know. I always get bored and find new ways.” He responded sharply with his eyes out in warning and Nath raised his hands in surrender.
“Mom and dad will be angry, they are waiting for us.” Julian tried again, almost near tears on my behalf.
“That is true. So, why don’t you run back to your duty post sister and respond to Nath when he calls you. Go!” Mark ordered and I forced myself not to sigh in disbelief or think about it as I turned on my heel and took the first step to reduce my troubles for the day.
But the moment my next leg was out, it came in contact with an obstacle and then, I was tumbling towards the ground one more time with sand flying into all the holes it could find on my face.
It took me a minute to realise it was Mark’s leg as my brothers roared into laughter again.
“I told you she can never get used to me.” Mark screamed in excitement as he gave Nathaniel an excited high five.
“I definitely didn’t see that coming too. Nice one, bro.”
Tears blurred my vision as I found my feet again, ignoring the thick wet liquid that I could feel dripping from the side of my head from the first fall.
Blood.
I blinked my tears away, tasting wet sand and dust as my view cleared once again to reveal the other maids, watching like they weren’t watching.
“Mum and dad want to see you.” A soft voice whispered beside me as she tried to help me wipe some sand off my hands.
Julian.
I resisted the urge to snatch my hands away from her, took a step back instead and furiously wiped the one tear drop that had stubbornly escaped despite my efforts to keep it back.
“Thank you.” I mumbled to her and began heading towards the main house as Mark’s voice followed me.
“Don’t keep them waiting, little sis.”
And that was my cue to race up the stairs to meet my parents.
I could feel my body trembling, not from what had happened downstairs but from what was to come.
The last time I was called this way, I lost my room in the main house and ended up in the maids quarters, so, I knew summons like this never ended in good news.
When I entered the sitting room, I could see myself running around like the excited little child I was. I immediately shook the thoughts of my head. Now wasn't the time for memories.
I didn’t see anyone but the clink of cutlery led me to the dining room in hurried little steps.
I froze at the door when my parents noticed me.
They lifted their eyes and I could see the disgust in my mum's eyes and the nothingness in my dads.
“It took you hours to get here, only to appear dirty like a useless weakling. One would think you were changing into better clothes.” My mum murmured, her sharp eyes running over me like a piece of dirty rag.
“Nath and Mark kept her, mom.” Julian responded on my behalf as she walked past me into the dining room, pecked our dad on the cheeks and whispered ‘Good Morning’ and glared at mum before taking her seat on the table.
“You keep defending her like she is a child when she is supposed to be the older sibling to you, showing you good examples.” My mum’s attention turned to Julian.
“You never even give her a damn chance to.” Julian snapped, rolling her eyes before she began eating her food.
“Julian, don’t talk to your mum that way.” My dad finally spoke for the first time.
“Sorry dad.” She frowned and mumbled incoherently.
Then he turned to face me, and sighed, like he was too tired to speak to me.
“If you are here because I called you. Come in.”
“Honey, she’ll just mess the whole place with the dirt all over her. Plus, I’m eating; I’ll lose my appetite if she comes any closer.” My mum said in a loud angry voice while my heart sank as I just stood there at the door helplessly looking at the people I called family.
“That’s fine.” He sighed tiredly while Julian hissed and stood up from the table with her plate of food, muttering inaudible words.
I wanted to scream at her for making so much noise with the plates and spoon which was adding to the hammering going on in my head.
Plus my father hadn't said why I was summoned. Not yet.
We all watched Julian walk out angrily with a hiss. She was almost past me when my father spoke again.
“Alpha Rowan needs you as his surrogate. He is paying us for it.”
My heart stopped. My breath caught in my throat. And the plates in Julian’s hands crashed to the floor.
Surrogate?
For an Alpha?
Alpha Rowan... the one whose hands dripped with more than just wolf blood but dirty mafia deeds... wanted me?