A Mate in Disguise

Essie

14 years later..

“ESTELLA!!” Vivienne’s screeching voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Essie’s eyes shot open as she frantically looked for her phone to see the time.

6:45AM. Why the hell was she up so damn early? Essie groaned and rolled off her bed, shivering as the cold air of her attic bedroom wrapped around her like a vice. She hurried to throw on her last clean shirt and yesterday’s slacks, cursing as she realized she would have to spend what little money she had at the laundromat later.

“ESTELLA ANNE! GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!” Essie scoffed as Vivienne once again, got her middle name wrong.

“At least she got the first letter right” Essie’s wolf, Cynder snicked.

“Zip it wolf,” Essie muttered as she ran down the stairs and straight into her step-sister.

“You moron!” Daniela screamed at her, “Now I’ll have a bruise!” Essie seriously doubted Daniela would be bruised, but apologized anyway.

“I’m so sorry Dani, I’m such a klutz. Thank you for putting up with me. You are truly amazing,” Essie continued to look down so Daniela couldn’t see her rolling her eyes at the saccharine words.

“You are pathetic. I can’t believe you were supposed to lead a pack. Clearly they were deranged!” Daniela huffed as she stomped back to her room and slammed the door.

Essie sighed and started her way downstairs to Vivienne’s room when her other step- sister, Amelia popped her head out of the bathroom, releasing a cloud of steam. “Just ignore her,” Amelia whispered, “She’s just pissed because she got her period.”

“Good to know,” Essie whispered back “Why is your mother up so early? She usually doesn’t get up until the crack of noon.”

“Something about the Alpha I think. She keeps grumbling about him being the worst brother ever, no one appreciates her, yada, yada, yada.” Amelia shrugged before closing herself back in the bathroom. Essie started down the stairs again when Vivienne tore around the corner to the bottom of the stairs. She was sight to see with her hair wrapped in a towel, her pepto bismol colored robe, and some weird green gunk on her face.

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been waiting for my damn coffee for hours!” Vivienne huffed and stormed back into her bedroom. There was no way she had been waiting for hours, but nonetheless, Essie went down to the kitchen and made her her “coffee”. In reality it was mostly milk and caramel syrup but to each their own. Essie also cut a grapefruit in half and added the low calorie sweetener Vivienne loved so much on top. She took her weapons and gently knocked on the door to the master suite.

“Enter!” Vivienne called.

Her room was the most ostentatious monstrosity Essie ever saw. The walls were covered in a burgundy wallpaper with velvet details on the design. The crown molding was painted a rich gold, with matching baseboards. Her vanity brought new meaning to the word “tacky”.The mirror was adorned with big round lights like old movie stars had, and the dressing chair was a baroque stool with so much varnish on it, Essie could see her reflection in it. But the crown jewel of the room was a massive, four poster canopy bed. Its heavy crimson curtains fringed with gold tassels. The bed itself was covered in pillows of all sizes and shapes, with her pet cat growling at Essie from his fortress of pillows. Essie couldn’t understand why Vivienne had a cat in the first place. Most animals avoided shifters and hated being near them, Lucifer was no exception. Essie stuck her tongue out at him, then found her way into Vivienne’s en suite. She had washed the goop off her face and was using some kind of roller on her face, carefully moving in counterclockwise circles.

“Finally!” Vivienne exclaimed as she snatched the coffee out of Essie’s hands and drank the sugary concoction in one go. She let out a sigh before starting in on her usual demands. “The Alpha has decided he needs my presence all day for meetings. Daniela has tutoring until 2, and Amelia is volunteering at the daycare until 4. You will need to drop them both off and pick them up again on time. While we are out, you need to scrub these floors, clean the baseboards, dust the blinds, and clean the girls’ bathroom spotless. I expect dinner to be ready by the time I get home, do you understand?”

“Yes ma’am. Do you have any preference on dinner?” Essie asked, keeping her eyes downcast.

Vivienne let out a world weary sigh, as if she alone had to do everything around the house.

“I don’t care, as long as it fits my new diet,” Vivienne returned to staring at her own reflection, glancing over and glaring at Essie before shouting at her to get out of her room. Vivienne’s “new diet” was only eating food that was freshly prepared and had no preservatives. Essie, of course, would never tell her that she’s been eating this way for years, ever since Essie became their personal chef; in addition to being the maid, landscaper, handyman, etc.

As Essie grabbed her keys and coat, waiting for her step-sisters to come down so she could chauffeur them around, she daydreamed about the life she should have had.

The life where both her parents were alive and she was training underneath her father to take over as her pack’s Alpha. Her parents believed that any wolf who is worthy could become Alpha, no matter their gender. Her eyes started misting as she remembered her father’s face and the look of absolute devotion he had as he looked at her mother. Losing her was devastating for not only them, but the pack as well. Sturgeon Moon pack loved their Luna more than anything. Their grief was felt by everyone, even still when the Alpha met his second chance mate- Vivienne.

Vivienne had come from the Crow Moon pack, her brother, the Alpha, had a meeting with Essie’s father and decided to bring his younger sister along. She was grieving the loss of her mate as well. Ezekiel had been an Omega in their pack, but Vivienne loved him deeply. When he died, she was left with their two daughters to raise alone. While she put up a strong front, Alpha Victor knew his sister was hurting. He made her his assistant so he could keep her close just incase she ever needed someone. When Vivienne met Essie’s father and felt the pull of the mate bond, she burst into tears and begged the Moon Goddess to take back the bond, but Alpha Alec loved her immediately. He began courting her, slowly trying to win her over. After months of fighting the pull, Vivienne finally gave in and moved to Sturgeon Moon with her two daughters. Daniela was the same age as Essie, but while Essie was excited at the prospect of having siblings, Dani was pissed. She hated the thought that her mother could replace her father so easily and refused to acknowledge either Alpha Alec, or Essie for the first three months of their arrival. Amelia on the other hand, who was two years younger, bonded immediately with Essie and followed her everywhere. For a time, the five of them lived together happily; Vivienne was sweet to Essie and would play with the girls while her father worked. There was peace in their lives once again.

Until the Lycan King declared war on the neighboring Kingdom. All Alphas and warriors were called to battle, and in the chaos of war, Alpha Alec was lost to them. Essie could still hear Vivienne’s screams as she felt the mate bond sever. She cursed the Moon Goddess for mating them, then taking another mate from her. When Vivienne decided she was moving back home, she intended to leave Essie behind, but she was her legal guardian now, and Essie was forced to come with them. At first, Vivienne ignored Essie entirely, pretending she didn’t exist. One day, she started demanding that she “earn her keep” and so Essie started by keeping the house clean. Over time, she took on more and more responsibilities until she was no better than a servant in Vivienne’s eyes.

Essie, who was once confident and outgoing, became reserved and submissive in order to avoid her stepmother’s wrath. Her Alpha wolf, fighting to take control and give Vivienne a piece of her mind, was pushed to the back of Essie’s mind as a form of self preservation. Essie wished she could be herself once again, but as long as she was in Crow Moon, under Vivienne’s control, she would remain this shell of a girl.