THE ALPHA'S DEFIANT MATE

Stepping up

|Aria|

I trained like my life depended on it because indirectly, it did. There was no single respect for me in the mansion ever since Damien traveled with the Beta and Niamh. The other maids were below Naomi so they dare not interfere whenever she was giving me hard times.

At first, I thought she was just trying to make me a stronger and fit person so I bore the shame and bully until one afternoon.

I was coming from the training ground when one of the alpha mother’s maids blocked my way.

“Mother wants you in her chambers right now.”

Her voice was more of a command than informing me. I didn’t say anything and just followed her lead until I got to her residence. I had never stepped my foot on that side of the mansion ever since I came.

It was entirely different from whatever I had envisioned. It screamed luxury. The grand, ornate gate in front of the apartment was made of polished silver and gold, with the carvings of wolves, moons, and vines everywhere. The gate was flanked by two imposing stone statues of wolves with gleaming inner light in their eyes.

As we walked deeper into the cobblestone path with vibrant flowers everywhere, it smelled so good with the chirping of birds. The solid wood door with a heavy ornate knocker in the shape of a wolf’s head was right in front of us, leading to the room.

“Wow.”

I didn’t know when I exclaimed at the luxury that greeted me when the door was opened. The walls were adorned with lavish wallpapers, bouncing their art on the polished marble floor. Everywhere screamed lavishness. Rich fabrics of curtains and exquisite artwork decorated everywhere.

It was clear as day that she had impeccable taste and loved luxury. If Damien were beside me, he would have teased me for wowing at everything. The thought of him flashing my mind made a thin smile cross my lips but it disappeared at the sound of her voice.

She was standing in front of a huge mirror hanging on a stone wall with a gilded frame glinting in the flickering candlelight. It covered almost half of the wall, both in width and height.

“You must have been expecting me to say my greetings first, welcome, my lady.”

Her voice dripped with sarcasm and that reminded me that I didn’t greet her as I stepped into the room. Quickly, I apologized and greeted her properly but she only disregarded it and moved on with what she had in mind.

“Have your seat.”

Her hand pointed to the stool at the side of the huge table at the center of the room. “You are not planning to sit your smelly self with me at this table, right?”

Her merciless words stung me badly but I didn’t let it show. I just had my seat where she pointed to and watched her go about how she hated my presence in the pack.

“I still don’t understand why he’s so stubborn when it comes to you. He has always been obedient since birth and he does every single thing I tell him to do. Who are you to come disrupt that?”

Her voice was hardening with every word. She didn’t call me here to talk; she wanted to vent and let me know that it was never my place.

I dare not talk. I wanted to; I badly wanted to but it was best to just listen to her. Naomi was standing right beside her with her eyes piercing deep into my skin like they would tear me into pieces.

My fingers aggressively picked on themselves as I sat there with my thighs tightly closed in fear. I hated the situation I was forced into against my wish and there was no one around to help me out.

It was clear as day that I needed Damien’s help badly. However, I didn’t even want to be in this situation anymore. I had found a way to let him release me; it would be best to be on my own instead of going through all this cruelty for the sake of someone I didn’t even love.

“You are in no way fit for the pack. You are a stranger, omega, and to cap it all, a filthy rogue! Don’t dare to dream of it. I trust you understand what I mean and find your way out of Damien’s presence before the end of this month.”

The month only had two weeks left. She was issuing me a fourteen-day quit notice and what she promised to do if I didn’t adhere to it was unspeakable.

Sudden disappearance from the face of the earth entirely was too extreme. I wasn’t ready to lose my life to the people who killed my parents. No one saw my pain; I was only being played on their game board.

I became an object of a power struggle between mother and son. One wasn’t ready to let me go and the other wants me to disappear without a trace.

My legs were heavy as I dragged myself to my chamber with my maids. I was tired of everything and just wished to disappear from the face of the earth; it was getting too much.

“The Alpha sent his words that he will be back in two days.” one of them informed me and I only nodded

I needed him to come back quickly. My resolution was to love him for ten days so he could lower his guard and I’ll use that to disappear from his life. That was the only option—pretending to love him with all my heart.

As I came out of the alpha mother’s residence, two ladies stood by the gate waiting for me to go out first before they stepped inside.

One was clearly older, while the other was in her youth. The older one had a tall, slender figure, making her robe flow gracefully. The garment was long with a rich fabric texture of midnight blue hue. Silver threads depicted crescent moons and wolf motifs round the edges and some random parts.

Her neck was wearing a gemstone-encrusted pendant in the shape of a wolf’s head. It shone softly as if it used her inner energy. The silver cuffs with tiny gemstones on her wrists shone as they basked in the sun. Her right hand reached for her long, black hair flowing down her back, brushing it off her face. Her eyes were gleaming with several colors.

“She’s the pack’s priestess,” one of them quickly introduced

I stopped to greet her immediately and she looked up to meet my eyes. It didn’t take up to two seconds before she averted her gaze and threw her face to the side.

“Too bright,” her eyelids closed in a lightning speed

I didn’t understand what she meant and just stepped aside for her. “Sorry, the sun must be entering your eyes since you stood here waiting for me.”

I apologized and went my way but a thick and sudden cold washed over me. My body shuddered and all my hair felt like it would stand up at any moment.

The feeling passed by in a flash but it got me afraid. Just how powerful was she to make my spirit that uncomfortable?