CHAPTER EIGHT
1232 Words
ALICIA
It had been a week since the Alpha King called me his mate in front of everyone. A week since everything turned upside down. But somehow, things felt… quiet. Too quiet.
The whispering had lessened. The hateful looks were still there, but now people avoided me like I was some ticking time bomb. No one talked to me unless they had to.
Blaire hadn’t so much as looked at me since she got punished by the taskmaster. I had expected things to change, maybe even get worse, but instead, it felt like everyone was just pretending nothing happened.
I was back in the kitchen again, chopping vegetables like I’d done a thousand times before. My hands moved on their own as I repeated the motions. Peel, slice, toss. It was almost peaceful. Almost.
“Do it faster,” the head cook barked at a younger maid beside me, not even glancing in my direction.
I blinked. That was new. Normally, I’d be the one getting yelled at. But now I was just ignored. It was strange how silence could feel louder than insults.
Just as I reached for another carrot, the front doors of the pack house slammed open.
Every head in the kitchen snapped toward the sound.
A second later, a guard rushed in, panting. “The Alpha King! He’s here! He just dropped by unannounced!”
What?
Pots clanged. Knives hit the floor. The kitchen exploded into chaos. Cooks scrambled to clean up. Maids started fixing their hair, adjusting their aprons, and dropping into shaky bows. But me? I didn’t move. I just kept chopping, a little slower now, but I was still going.
Let them panic.
I didn’t ask to be his mate. I didn’t ask for any of this.
The tension in the kitchen grew heavier with every second. Then I felt it. That strange pull in my chest. My wolf stirred. She was alert now. A scent filled the air. It was sharp, filled with pine and something warm.
He was close.
And then, the doors to the kitchen burst open.
Ivan Dragonstone stepped inside like a thunderstorm. His dark hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, and his long black coat flowed behind him. His blue eyes scanned the room, then they landed right on me.
I didn’t stop chopping.
Gasps filled the kitchen. Some maids fell to their knees. The Alpha of our pack stood off to the side, trembling like a leaf.
Ivan’s boots thudded on the tile as he marched forward. But I didn’t even look up.
“What the hell is she doing working?” he growled, loud enough for the whole kitchen to hear.
The knife paused in my hand.
“No… No one told me, Alpha King,” the pack Alpha stammered. His face was really pale now. “I… thought she was still a servant—”
“She’s my mate!” Ivan snapped. “She’s not supposed to be anywhere near vegetables or scrub brushes or dirty floors!”
Everyone turned to me.
Still, I didn’t stop chopping.
Ivan stormed across the room and slammed his hand down beside the chopping board. The carrot rolled off and hit the floor. The knife stopped.
“That’s enough,” he said. His voice was low. “Come with me.”
I looked up at him calmly. “I’m working.”
As he leaned in close, his eyes narrowed. “Not anymore, you’re not.”
Before he could grab my arm in front of the entire staff, I dropped the knife and stepped away from the table. I grabbed his wrist myself and tugged him toward the back door.
Gasps followed us as I led him through the narrow hallway that led to the dry storage room.
I shoved the door open and pulled him inside before slamming it shut. The room was dim. It was filled with shelves of rice sacks and bottled spices.
“Are you crazy?” I hissed. “You just embarrassed the entire kitchen again.”
“You’re the one embarrassing me,” he shot back as he stepped closer.
I moved away, putting a shelf between us. “I already told you that I don’t want to be your mistress. Why can’t you just let me go?”
Ivan’s eyes darkened. “You won’t just be some fling, Alicia. You’re my mate. That means something.”
“To you, maybe,” I whispered. “But not to me. I didn’t ask for this. I never wanted this.”
He took another step forward slowly like he was trying not to scare me. “Then what do you want?”
I opened my mouth, then shut it again. What did I want? Peace? Freedom? A normal life?
Not this. Not him. Not his piercing gaze or the way my wolf trembled every time he got close.
He walked around the shelf and stood in front of me. “Why are you pushing me away?”
I looked down. “Because I don’t want to be someone you hide away. I don’t want to be your secret. I don’t want to be your plaything either. I’m not going to be your mistress just because fate says I belong to you.”
Ivan reached out and gently cupped my cheek. His fingers were warm and rough with calluses.
“You’re not a secret,” he said softly. “I’ve never hidden what I want. And I want you.”
My chest tightened.
“I don’t trust you,” I said. I was breathing hard now. “Not yet. Maybe not ever.”
The tension between us grew heavy again. His thumb brushed against my jaw.
“Then I’ll earn it,” he said.
I stepped away from his touch. “Don’t bother.”
And with that, I turned and pulled the door open. The hallway outside was still empty. I needed air. I needed space. I needed…
Suddenly, I slammed right into someone.
“Ohh…” I stumbled back, but the man caught me easily.
He had strong hands and a broad chest. He was tall.
“Easy there, love,” a smooth, unfamiliar voice said.
I looked up, and froze.
He wasn’t from our pack. His hair was dark and slightly curly, falling over one eye. His skin was tan, and his lips were curved into a smirk like he knew something I didn’t. And his eyes…
I looked into them when they locked with mine. They were golden, sharp, and dangerous.
My wolf, who had been silent for the past few minutes, suddenly woke up with a jolt.
Mate, she whispered in my head.
No.
No, no, no.
“What’s your name, pretty girl?” he asked, still not breaking eye contact with me.
I took a step back, and nearly tripped over my own feet.
Another mate?
This wasn’t possible.
“I… I need to go,” I stammered.
His smirk widened. “We’ll talk later, Alicia.”
He knew my name.
I rushed past him without looking back as my heart pounded in my chest. Behind me, I could feel both sets of eyes watching me. One was filled with anger, and the other one was full of curiosity.
Two mates?
This wasn’t normal.
This wasn’t right.
Something was very, very wrong.
And I had no idea what to do about it.
- Writer
