The Orphan Mate

*CHLOE POV* I wake up. No alarm. Just my circadian rhythm screaming at me to get up. If I sleep in past the time I’m supposed to be up. I’ll regret it. I’m so tired I could drop, but the anxiety in me to stay awake is prevalent. I ponder what chore to do first. It doesn’t matter too much where I start, as long as breakfast isn’t late. Maybe I’ll tidy the kitchen and dining room, sweep the floors, then prep for breakfast, and then start cooking. Ugh. My legs are stiff and sore. I ‘wasn’t fast enough hand washing the dishes last night’ and I earned myself extra tasks deep cleaning the triplets rooms. Ew. They’re so dirty sometimes, which is to be expected since they’re boys, but ew. Between their grimy training clothes, girlfriend’s random bodily fluid clothes, and bedding. It’s a lot. Plus the bathrooms. Goddess, it’s so ew. They were out late last night, praise be. It takes longer when they’re here and micromanage everything that I do. Criticize what I look like. So sorry I’m not glamorous while being a slave maid. Slave maid. A title they came up with. At first I was just titled as a helper. Then maid. Servant. And then one night, Luke giggled some snide remark at me, followed by ‘slave maid’. And it stuck. I’m not in shackles physically but mentally and emotionally I am. I was adopted at 7. Luna Victoria was my godmother, Alpha Alaric my godfather. I wish I was put into the system instead. I’ve heard it’s common to not be placed into great families, but you usually get moved around a lot. Not me. Stuck. With the same bad family. I’m not sure why I’m so hated. I was a happy kid. Then my mom dropped me off here to stay for a few nights. Promised it wouldn’t be forever. Then she never came back. Victoria and Alaric sat me down one night and explained that she was killed by rogues. I never got to see the body. There’s a headstone in a nearby cemetery but there was no funeral. Too expensive. I try to visit as often as I can but I usually get ridiculed for ‘staying out late without permission’ but every-time I ask I get told no. So I just go and deal with the consequences later. My father was killed when I was a baby, car accident. Mom never talked about him. I try not to think about how little I know of my family. Not much I can do currently. The triplets, Asher- oldest, Luke- middle, Grayson- youngest. They’re cruel at times. They’re the future alphas. They’re a year older than me but our birthdays fall within the same week. My birthday has never been celebrated. I ‘get to have the day off’, yet I have to work twice as hard making up for it the next day. So is it really a day off? I usually work light that day, to make the next day easier on me. Tomorrow is my 18th birthday. I got my wolf, Storm, when I was 13. Right when I got my period. When you turn 18, you’re able to find your fated mate. I’m not sure if I’m excited to find mine. Will they be cruel like the triplets? They make all their friends mean to me too. I thought one time I did have a chance at having a boyfriend. A cute guy, interested in the quiet loner maid girl. I had hope. A little spark. Until I discovered early on it was a cruel joke orchestrated by the triplets. I never found interest in anyone else ever again. Humiliated and heartbroken. I don’t really have friends. It draws negative attention towards them being associated with me, the triplets make sure of that. It’s lonely but it’s better than fake friends. I haven’t felt as alone once I got Storm. She’s beautiful. Pearl white fur, with purple glowing eyes. Strong. I run alone, too ‘defective’ to run with the pack. Singled out. But I always feel a presence near me when I’m in the forest. I pretend like I don’t feel it, but I do. Nothing malicious happens, but I don’t let my guard down. I start my chores, a quiet routine I’ve perfected over the years. Thorough but efficient. It’s quiet through the house and I soak in the serenity as much as I can. My stomach is rumbling but I’m not allowed to eat at the table. I have to stand by it, and serve drinks and food when needed, cleaning up after. I don’t move much but I must be present. A statue. Quiet. Ridiculed. I’m very good at cooking and baking. A skill I’ve honed in greatly. I used to help my mom in the kitchen, when I was young, and it taught me the fundamentals. I observed her all the time. It helps to cook and bake well, it avoids extra punishments for ‘ruining the food’. I eat little bits while cooking and whatever scraps remain at the end. The triplets make sure to eat as much as they can, knowing I get whatever’s left. I work part time at a bakery. I try to do full time but the early hours is hard to prep to bake breads and desserts while also having the house chores done too. If I’m late. I’ll regret it. I like the early hours so I can’t be seen as much coming and going. I did walk to the bakery, which took hours, but then the owner, and the closest person I have to a friend, gave me my first birthday present when I was 16. A long board. Busted ass so many times learning to balance. But I got it. Something that took over an hour, takes at most 20mins to get to. Thankful for her. Erin. She’s really nice, and understands my situation entirely. She went to school with Luna Victoria, apparently she wasn’t very nice to Erin and her friends because they weren’t popular snobs. Erin holds onto my money, in a separate account, to keep it safe from sticky fingers. I asked her if she could and she agreed. I don’t want to risk losing what I earned. I don’t owe a debt but I know me being at the house isn’t free. Electricity, water, shelter, food? So I work. I do get hand me down clothes from everyone in the house. They’re usually battered and ripped from transforming while clothed or just from excessive use. I learned how to sow, frankensteining the clothes to make something new. Similar to patchwork. I wear the most presentable clothes in public. The uglier ones are for bedding like pillowcases and blankets. The rest of the clothes? Folded neatly to make a small cot on the floor. It’s sad. I know. But I work with what I’ve got. Breakfast is done being made, the table is set, and as if on cue, everyone descends down to the dining room. The clock reads 7:01am. I finished right on time. The Luna and Alpha sit down first. Quiet. They need their morning coffee to become chatty. The triplets tumble down the stairs, laughing and giving shoves to eachother talking about random nonsense. I can’t make out what they’re saying. When they’re down the stairway, they all glance my way. I glance but not linger. I can see well from my periphery, and notice that Asher and Grayson linger longer than Luke did. Please stop looking at me. I try not to panic. Anxious what they’ll say this morning.