The Christmas Eve Cinderella and the Lycan King

3

I felt the coldness of the proposal. It wasn't s****l servitude, but it was a prison of status. I would trade my life as an omega waitress for a life of visible slavery under my ex-mate and his fiancée.

"Just what you heard. You know how to cook, clean, and keep quiet better than anyone else in this pack. You will become her private servant, living in our new home. You will serve Nathalia, making sure she has everything she needs, and you will also have access to the Lycan kingdom, and you will give me all the information you can hear about King James and all his treaties with the other packs"

I took a deep breath. Liam didn't just want to humiliate me; he wanted my intellect, my ability to observe, and my invisible access, the only tools I had gained in my life by maintaining my unnoticed status.

In fact, I had been secretly in love with Liam for years, and even when we became boyfriend and girlfriend, I was the happiest person in the world.

Then, when our bond was revealed, he proposed to me, and I accepted without hesitation. But now he was proposing that I be his fiancée's servant?

I felt a pain in my chest, and tears threatened to spill from my eyes. "What if I refuse?"

He smiled, without a trace of affection. "Then I'll make sure your father rots in the darkness of the dungeon. And your mother and sister... will be expelled from the pack as outcasts"

I looked into his dark eyes and saw his cynical expression intensify. He was enjoying this. "You'd better accept my proposal. I promise I'll release your father today,“ he said, reaching out to caress my cheek, but when I felt his fingers on my skin, I recoiled.

”No,“ I said, opening my eyes.

Liam stopped smiling. ”Excuse me?"

“I don't accept. I'm not going to be your wife's servant.” That shout was enough to make Liam's eyes turn completely black.

A roar of anger escaped his lips as the atmosphere around me darkened completely. The air became dense and heavy, and the thin layer of snow surrounding us seemed to shudder.

Damn it, for a moment I even thought I saw black mist coming out of his pores.

I wanted to take a step back and run away in panic, but I couldn't. I stood motionless.

“What? How dare you refuse? I am your future alpha! If you don't accept, I'll make sure to increase your father's debt,” he said threateningly.

“You can't do that! You're not even the alpha! I'll solve my own problem and I don't need anything from you!” I replied.

I didn't want to fall for his silly lies again. However, upon hearing my words, he looked at me as if he expected me to say something else.

For a moment, I thought Liam would attack me to force me to accept his proposal, but instead, he let out a deep snort.

“I know you'll come back to me... you always do... and when you do, the proposal will remain the same... But in the meantime, I'm afraid your father will remain in the dungeon and your family will lose all kinds of resources,” he said with a cynical smile.

I clenched my fists in anger as he waved his hand and walked to his car.

The glow of Christmas lights from nearby houses reflected off the polished metal of his vehicle. But before getting in, he turned to me with a smile on his lips

"Tick-tock, you have until New Year's to accept the proposal. Or I'll send your mother and sister to the dungeon with your father. You don't want to see in the New Year in a dungeon, do you?" he announced.

And without another word, Liam got into his car and drove away. The engine roared and the car glided over the snow as if it were nothing, leaving me alone in the cold and despair of Christmas Eve.

As soon as he was far enough away, I felt the tears start to fall one after another.

I knew it! That bastard had planned it all! No one in this pack does anything without Liam's orders! It was obvious that this i***t had set my father up.

How the hell was he going to get eight million dollars?

I had no idea what to do, so I stood there like an i***t, staring at the sky. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and remained silent.

***

“God, Bridge, are you listening to me?” my best friend, Agatha, suddenly said.

I shook my head and snapped out of my trance. “What were you saying?”

She raised an eyebrow and patted me on the head. “Come on, where did you go last night? I was covering your shift for hours!”

As soon as I heard her ask that, I bit my lower lip as I remembered James. Yesterday was Christmas Eve, and I discovered that Liam was even more of an i***t than I had imagined, and today, Christmas Day, I had spent the morning waiting tables.

How could I explain to her that I had gone to the suite with the great king of the Lycans?

“I drank a lot, and someone took me to a room to get some sleep,” I said, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“What? You went to f**k a stranger?” she shouted, her eyes wide with surprise.

I quickly covered her mouth with my hands and silenced her as I shook my head.

“f**k? What are you talking about? No! I just went up to rest for a while... He was very kind to me,” I said.

Agatha was silent for a few seconds before pulling my hands away from her mouth. “Oh, no. You're going to tell me who that kind man is who took you to his suite.”

I knew Agatha wouldn't stop until she told her everything that had happened. I looked down and grabbed the tip of a strand of hair.

“King Jaime...” I said.

Not a second passed before a shrill scream escaped Agatha's lips. She jumped off the bench and started jumping up and down.

Really?! You slept with the great werewolf king?

I got up from the bench and kissed her again, ignoring her screams. “Agatha, stop! I didn't sleep with him,” I said, trying to calm her down.

However, my words had no effect, and she continued to scream like a little girl. “Why should I keep quiet? Let everyone know that you and...”

No! Shut up! I just went upstairs to get some sleep and..."

I told her everything that had happened, especially the horror: the increased debt, the New Year's deadline, and Liam's demand that I become Nathalia's personal servant.

But with every word I said, her eyes widened in surprise. “He's an i***t! He was the one who rejected you! I'm sure he set your father up!” she suggested, as sure as I was.

I couldn't help but feel like my world was falling apart. Liam ruined my life. I hated the very idea of having been in love with him for so long.

He wants to humiliate me. He wants me to use my cleaning and cooking skills to serve the woman he chose, I said, feeling the rage of injustice.

Agatha listened intently. She pointed to King James' jacket, which was still lying on my bed.

“You don't make eight million with an extra shift, Bridge. And you're not going to serve that b***h. Liam wants to break you. But look at this,” Agatha stroked the luxurious fabric of the jacket. “He saw you, and he was interested in you, enough to take you to his suite. He is the King, with much more power and wealth than Liam.”

At that moment, I remembered James' words in his suite: He thought I was important...

In fact, I had spent my entire life being hidden by my parents, believing that my power would blossom at some point, but I only ended up as a silly waitress, who now... Liam wanted as a servant; I had to offer something that no one else could.

"I have already surrendered my dignity by serving my father. I have nothing to offer, and I would never give my body if that's what you're thinking" I said with a mocking grimace.

Agatha nodded, understanding the aversion of my soul.

"Fine. Forget about the money. Think about power. King James is here for political reasons, not for fun. You are the only person in this pack who knows everything about Liam's operation. Besides, your prophecy speaks of finding a powerful man to reflect your power. What king would refuse to have a powerful woman by his side?"

Her words left me confused. For years I had ignored that silly prophecy, and now she wants me to use it to my advantage?

"Do you really believe that silly prophecy is true?"

"Does it matter? James doesn't know, and you're going to propose a deal to him. You offer him your supposed power and loyalty against Liam in exchange for him protecting your family and freeing your father" Agatha said with a confident smile

I was paralyzed. My trauma was my only real weapon.

***

Only a day and a half had passed since Christmas Eve.

The Christmas spirit was already waning; the city lights seemed dimmer and the winter cold harsher, mirroring the emptiness in my stomach.

How could I accept this? I couldn't even believe what I was about to do.

I sighed, got out of bed, and after taking a long shower, I put on the only dress I had that wasn't worn out and tied my hair back. Then I just took James' jacket, folded it carefully, and carried it in my hands like an offering.

“I'm not going to be Nathalia's servant. I'm going to become the King's ally,” I said firmly, my voice resonating with a new determination.

I wasn't looking for a rescue; I was looking for mutual redemption. I would risk my life, not my body. And I would go and sell James my only possession: my truth.