THE ALPHA I STOLE TO BE MINE

Nicole's POV “Are you really dumb, or can you just not do anything right, you stupid fool!” The shrill voice of my nemesis thundered in the room. My entire body shuddered in fear as realizing what I just did dawned on me. I, a worthless and good-for-nothing maid, just splashed water on Camille's dazzling and luxurious ceremonial gown. The same gown she's using to get married to her betrothed heartthrob, Xavier Newman. “I… I'm so sorry, ma'am. I'll clean it now; I'm so sorry.” I whispered without raising my eyes to look at her. Even without looking, I knew she was giving me the dirtiest look ever. But before I could process anything else, I felt a sharp sting hit my face in a flash. The sound of her palm on my face broke the silence between us. “You stupid, good-for-nothing slave. How dare you?” She yelled again. Her lashes fluttered as they did every time she got angry. Her hands were clenching into a tight fist, and I could tell she had thoughts of pouncing on me. I fell to my knees immediately. “I'm so sorry, ma'am… p…pl…please forgive me.” I stuttered while holding on to the hem of her gown. She hissed and kicked me across the room. I coiled as pain shot up my stomach but held it all in; I dared not show my pain before Camille. “You're lucky that my mating ceremony is happening tomorrow. I won't let you ruin my mood.” She hissed again before turning to her vanity mirror. I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding previously. My stars were obviously working overtime for me to have escaped the beatings this time. “Get something to clean the mess you made before I change my mind.” She yelled again, and I rushed out. Outside, I pushed back the tears that threatened to fall. I found a corner to hide in and take a break, but with the festivities going on in the pack, especially the pack house, there was no hiding for long. Camille, my owner, is getting mated to Xavier, the Alpha of the Sandcastle pack, tomorrow. As the daughter of a fellow Alpha, Camille's and Xavier's mating ceremony was bound to be one of the most talked-about in the pack. But I hated it. Not just the wedding, I hated everything, most especially Camille for making my life a living hell. From the moment I stepped into this pack house, she has made sure every second of my stay here was the real definition of hell on earth. “Today is definitely my last day here,” I muttered, sniffing back my tears. The sound of a loud crash jolted me back to life, reminding me that I still had to face the wrath of Camille. I sucked in a deep breath and ran back to the room. When I got in, she was screaming on a phone call. “What do you mean you could not find the tiara I wanted? Are you crazy?” She screamed over the phone. I shuddered in fear and rushed to get my duty done before she pounced on me too. “If you know what's good for you, let that tiara be ready before sunset, or else you'll be spending a very long time in my dungeon.” She threatened. Her eyes were red and filled with anger as she spoke. She was clenching her fists really hard in anger, and I started to mutter prayers that I would not become her next victim. “Swallow your f*****g apologies and get my tiara ready.” She seethed angrily before ending the call. Nobody told me to start ironing her dresses for the ceremony immediately. With every line on the dress, I made sure to take notice of the littlest detail to avoid getting into the trouble I was avoiding. “You.” She suddenly called me. I froze in fear with my heart racing faster than a broken clock. “Turn to me, or are you deaf?” She instructed with a soul-piercing glare. I slowly turned towards her and saw that she had her mating gown on. The pink, fitted, and heavily bedazzled gown was one of the most luxurious things I'd ever seen. The beads, the rhinestones, the details. My eyes watered a bit as I wished I were the one in the gown. “Hey, hey, my face is up here. Stop staring at my dress like you want to steal it.” She snarled, and I caught myself. Of course, I could never be in that gown even if I wanted to. “S… Sorry, ma'am,” I muttered an apology with my eyes lowered. She paused, as though wanting to say something but changed her mind. “Now, what do you think? Does it look good on me?” She swirled before the mirror with a gleeful smile on her face. This wedding was her dream. No, her dream was to be Xavier's wife. She was head over heels for him, and to be honest, I wouldn't fault her for it. Xavier was simply a replica of a Greek god in human form. His grey eyes, his lips, his beautiful braided hair, his body—every single part of him reeked of divinity, like he was made out of the rarest gems. “Why should I be taking advice from a mere maid like you? You wouldn't know what beauty is even if you were to die twice.” Camille snorted and pulled out her phone to call her friends. “Oh, poor Camille. You have no idea what's coming for you.” I thought to myself as I watched her squeal and gush over the dress with her friends. I felt a pang of guilt stab my heart as I stared at her happy reflection in the mirror, but the pity immediately switched to anger and hatred. Not like she pitied me when she made me work like a horse from the minute I got assigned to her. She stole my dream and my life, and now, I would be doing the same to her. In a few hours from now, Camille Cinders would get the biggest shock of her life, and I, Nicole, would be the brain behind it.