A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

3.

LAIKA

The pack was in a festive mood when the Alpha and his entourage arrived and settled into their tents. Tables were set up around the center of the pack, and meals were served. The werewolves and werewolves gathered around, and everyone seemed cheerful. Mistress Teresa forbade me from attending the ceremony because I wasn't fit to be there. I helped dress her daughter, Erika, and did her makeup. I was left with a lot of laundry to do and finally went to my new master's tent to find out what I would need for the evening.

The feast continued without me, and I didn't care. I wasn't worthy of any of those masters. I cleaned the floor of Mrs. Teresa's shop. I could have done it in the morning, but Mrs. Teresa had asked me to clean the floor to keep me away from the party celebrating the arrival of the Alpha and his entourage.

By the time I finished working at Mrs. Teresa's shop, the night had passed. The welcoming ceremony was about to end, and I hurried to my new master's shop to make a final check before he went inside. We were to stay in the shop and introduce ourselves to our new masters. I was nervous about meeting my new master, and my hands were shaking as I went around the shop tidying things up.

"Laika!" I heard my name from outside the store. It was Erika, she was looking for me.

I took one last look at the store and ran out, but I crashed into a pillar that shouldn't have been there and screamed—only it wasn't a pillar. It was a man, a huge man. His scent intoxicated me, and his touch sent a tingle through my entire body. It was the same scent I'd smelled before. What was Karim doing here? I looked up, and his cold green eyes locked onto mine. I was grateful that he put his arms around me and held me steady, because my knee would have buckled.

"Um... I'm sorry," I apologized, as everything started to make sense. Karim was one of the companions who had returned with the Alpha. I took a step back, moving away from him. My eyes fell on his feet. He was wearing mud-caked boots, still caked with mud from our previous encounter.

There was a mistake somewhere. I couldn't be paired with one of the warriors; I wasn't worthy of them. I was an Omega of the lowest rank, and I was ugly—no one would accept me. It was better to remain unpaired than to go through the pain of rejection again.

"Go and open your legs wide for me," Karim ordered. His voice was deep and resonant.

I opened my eyes with a start. What did he want me to do? I wasn't ready to sleep with just any warrior. I wasn't ready. Erika was outside waiting for me, and I couldn't sleep with anyone while she was there. Mrs. Teresa would kill me if she found out. I also couldn't let Karim see my ugly, scarred body; it might disappoint him. He probably already hated me, which is why he hadn't recognized me as his mate. He hadn't said anything about it. Would he reject me?

"I told you to lie down and open your legs," he repeated.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I can't," I stammered and stepped back.

"I can smell your excitement, Omega. Now, stop being stubborn, open those legs wide and welcome me with gratitude."

I stared at him in silence. I was very wet, but I wasn't going to let any other man use me like that.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline your offer."

He stood motionless and stared at me blankly for a moment. He seemed so bewildered, more because he couldn't believe anyone could reject him. What was I going to do? My hands were shaking, and my knees were almost wobbly. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I thought it might burst. I was torn in two. Part of me regretted rejecting him; I knew this would cause me a lot of trouble. But the other part of me, which never wanted to do anything with a high-ranking werewolf, remained steadfast.

"Are you rejecting me?" he asked.

The way she said it made it sound demeaning and inappropriate. It wasn't my intention, but I wasn't willing to be broken inside anymore. I had to stand firm in my decision and face the consequences; I was used to torture anyway.

"I'm saying I don't want to have s*x-".

"Alfa Karim." Someone called from outside, interrupting me. I froze and stumbled backward.

Was Karim the Alpha of the Titan Pack? Was he the son of the late Alpha Ehiz? I just rejected the Alpha of all Alphas, and to top it all off, he was my mate!

"Yes?" replied the Alpha, poking his head out of his tent to answer whoever was calling him.

I seized the opportunity and gathered my cleaning supplies from around the room as quickly as possible, then ran out in a hazy fog, my heart pounding. Not only had I rejected him, but I'd also disrespected him. What was he going to do to me? Would I suffer the torture of an Alpha again, just like Alpha Khalid had tortured me? Would he hate me too? Would he make my life unbearable for rejecting him? All these questions raced through my mind as I walked back to my mistress's tent.

"There it is!" someone said. Their tone was angry, and only then did I realize I was standing in front of Mrs. Teresa's shop.

I looked up and saw her and Erika staring at me. What had I done this time? Joy whimpered inwardly, sensing the danger we were about to face. With my mistress and her daughter around, anything I did was wrong. Goosebumps prickled my skin when I saw the long whip in Mrs. Teresa's hand.

"I warned you not to go to that feast, didn't I?" he growled.

"I didn't go to the feast," I lamented.

"Please run," Joy urged me.

I can't run away from Mrs. Teresa because I'm not fast enough anymore. She'd tell the men to catch me, and she'd torture me to death. She's tried it before, and I almost died from the consequences.

I can't run away, Joy, I'm sorry.

"Why were you at the Alpha's store then?" Erika barked.

"I... wasn't there... I was assigned to that store."

The whip landed on my shoulder. I screamed and fell to the ground. Erika came to me and held my legs. Mrs. Teresa whipped me again. This time I didn't scream. My body was used to all the punishments Mrs. Teresa and her daughter inflicted on me. She whipped me until she was satisfied and left me writhing in pain on the floor.

"First thing tomorrow morning, you're going to tell the lady you want a shift change, do you hear me?" Mrs. Teresa shouted at me.

"Yes, mistress..." I could barely speak. My entire back burned, and I begged death to take me. If I'd been given this punishment just for being seen in the Alpha's tent, what would they do to me if they found out I was the first girl Alpha Karim had ever asked to f**k?

Of all the she-wolves, why did the moon goddess choose me as Alpha Karim's mate? He was a leader, the Alpha, the highest-ranking, while I was the Omega, the lowest-ranking. He was the Alpha of all Alphas. We weren't a good match, and we could never be together. I wasn't worthy of his acceptance. The other she-wolves who were after the Alpha would turn livid if they found out I was the first she-wolf the Alpha had ever shown interest in. I didn't want that; I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

~~~

I woke up early the next morning, with the first crowing of the rooster. I got up from the shaggy fur lying on the floor and folded it, then ran to the corner where I usually bathed and brushed my teeth. I didn't bathe because my skin still hurt from the beating I received last night. I wasn't worried about my appearance anymore because it wasn't necessary. Mrs. Teresa and Erika wanted me to remain as ugly as possible.

I went to the shop where I kept my small belongings and took one of my shapeless dresses. Mrs. Teresa had removed the waistband so it wouldn't give me any shape. It hung on me like a formless lump, but I didn't mind. I went out on my morning rounds that day, waiting patiently for Mrs. Teresa and her assistant to wake up.

When the pack was a little busy, I approached the lady's tent; she wasn't there, but her assistant was sitting there. A hooded woman who also hated seeing me.

"Greetings," I said. She looked at me and said nothing. "Um... I was wondering if I could request a shift change." She turned to me and her eyes pierced my skin. I realized she was wondering why I was making this request. "I... I... The Alpha doesn't want me and wants me replaced," I lied.

"Of course, he won't want some stupid Omega scum anywhere near him. I'll tell the lady, get your stinking ass out of here."

I nodded and turned on my heel, leaving the place. The sun was rising in the east, and the warriors were preparing to train. The morning sun bathed their powerful muscles, making them look gigantic as they warmed up. This was all they did in their entire lives: dedicate their lives to fighting in an isolated place, without any pleasure, only pain.

My eyes caught the powerful Alpha Karim as he emerged from his tent. He was a massive man, with a defined physique. He wore leather pants and a weapons belt around his waist. His chest was bare, like those of the other warriors, but he held my gaze. He had cuts on his back and tattoos on the right side of his chest that I couldn't decipher. Now that I knew he was the Alpha, he seemed even more deadly and terrifying.

As if on cue, he turned and looked at me. Our eyes met, I looked away and hurried off. My heart started pounding in my chest again. I'd die of a heart attack before anything else happened. I was curious to know what was going through his mind.

I entered his tent; it was a mess. His weapons were scattered all over the place. It was as if he'd fought a war in there, because there were different pairs of trousers strewn about the room. I sighed and started going through the tent, picking up his belongings and putting them back in order. Alpha Karim was a slob. I went into the other room, where his bathtub was. The bathwater was milky, and I'd have to drain it and replace it with cleaner water. I could hear the Alpha barking orders to his warriors, and I was overcome with a sudden urge to take another look, but I shook the thought off. I didn't want any more drama.

The tent door opened and Erika entered carrying a tray. Warriors don't like people in their space unless you work for them or they've given you permission. I wondered why Erika was in the Alpha's tent. Had I given her permission? Had I granted her request? She glared at me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I... I work here."

"I told you to go see the lady today."

"I did it, but-"

"Take this tray, put it on that table, and leave right now. I don't want to see you near the Alpha; he's my future mate. I don't want you to bewitch him."

"But I haven't finished working-".

"I'll do the rest. Get out!"

I carried her food tray and placed it on the wooden table in the Alpha's room. Erika doesn't lift a finger in her mother's shop; I did everything, and I was surprised she wanted to work in the Alpha's shop. My heart sank a little at what she said. I knew I wasn't worthy of any fight because Alpha Karim would reject me, and Erika was beautiful and graceful. The Alpha would be captivated by her beauty and would rather be with the prettiest girl in the pack and the daughter of the previous Beta than with a weak, damned Omega like me who, to begin with, wasn't even from his pack.