The Wolf's Strange Song

The Party

Another restless night of sleep, if you can even call it that. The Alpha decided to throw a party tomorrow, so the pack house has been prepping for the last 5 days. So long to the one day I get off a year. My birthday is the only day I get off and that privilege came at a price that I paid whether I wanted to or not. I was 14 at the time and I begged my Alpha to just have one day off a year and I wouldn't ask for anything ever again. He finally agreed after the most traumatic thing possible happened.

I wasn't given an answer right away. A rag was shoved into my mouth from behind me by my Alpha. With one hand, he held my 2 arms behind me and the other bent me over while ripping my bottoms off. He took the most precious thing to me that night . . . . my innocence. When he was done with the painful act, he allowed me to have my birthdays off. He kept his promise up until this year. I don't really care this time though. I will be turning 18 tomorrow, which means I will be free.

Well, kind of free. I will be a legal adult and can leave, it's just that leaving won't be that easy. If I can do it though, then I am free from this hell hole. I will be a rogue which will have its own issues, but it's better than being here.

I am thinking about all this as I am cleaning and organizing the pantry to make sure we have everything food related for tomorrow. All of the Alpha's in the eastern half of the country will be coming to the party. It is not uncommon for my Alpha to throw parties so he can boast about his pack and Luna. The pack isn't special and he takes credit for others' hard work and the "Luna" is a rude witch. The other Alphas and their Betas clearly show their annoyance when it comes to the pair, but they remain blissfully unaware. The only reason the Alphas come is because they also bring unmated pack members to see if they can find their mates. And sometimes mates for the Alphas and Betas as well.

Slight hope that I will find my mate so he can take me away is one of the few things that keep me going. If I don't find him tomorrow, I wouldn't expect any less from my life. Abandoned young, then given a smidge of happiness, before hell rained down on me.

Now, I am going through the guest rooms in the packhouse, making sure they have everything they need. Clean sheets, dust free, toiletries, and repairs needed to be done. After that I keep going through the list of chores planned out for me, still thinking of everything from before and focusing on the hope of what my mate might be like. It's better than thinking about how late I am going to go to bed tonight. IF I get to go, that's looking like a big if.

Lost in my thoughts, I don't notice Vanessa entering into the hallway I am currently scrubbing. It's now late afternoon and I had just finished cleaning up after lunch so the chef could start dinner. As I am scrubbing the last corner, I feel a wave of water splash past me. I look at my knees and see they are doused in dirty, soapy water. A shrill, ear-splitting laugh rings from being me. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know it was Vanessa with her 2 friends (Gamma's Daughter Rashell and Top Warriors' daughter, Amanda). I give them a soft glare and roll my eyes as I get up to get some towels to clean the area. Vanessa wasn't pleased that I didn't give a more dramatic reaction, but I still had too much to do.

"Get back here and use your filthy clothes to clean this up. DO YOU HEAR ME! I SAID GET BACK HERE!" Vanessa screamed as I ignored her and kept heading to get the clean towels. I know I will get punished for it later, but I have too much to do to care.

After cleaning up, I worked well into the night. By the time I got into my room it was 2 a.m. I put on my new nightgown and underwear I had gotten after the twins destroyed my other ones. After cleaning up and getting changed, it was 2:30 and I was exhausted. I set my alarm for 6 in the morning and drifted off to a deep sleep quickly.

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Breathing heavily, I am running through a forest as fast as my legs can carry me. Trees flash before me swiftly as I am running at top speed. My perception changes as I start running on what I assume is all fours. Everything is clearer and smells are more potent. A light up ahead signals the end of the forest. Without a second though, I leap through the tree line and end up diving into the ocean. It's a far drop down, but I do it flawlessly. Underwater, I swim around a bit looking at the fish when a giant pair of soft blue eyes looms over me. The blue is so light in the eyes that it almost looks white and matches my own. It is mesmerizing as it just watches me. Everything around me goes black except for those eyes and bubbles surrounding me again. An annoying beeping starts to go off in the distance and I recognize it as my alarm. Slowly, I am ripped from my dream and brought back to reality.

Only staring at the ceiling for a moment, I jolted out of bed to get ready for the day ahead. It only takes me 20 mins to get ready. I feel normal once again. I am wearing a nice maid outfit so the Alpha can keep up the appearance that he has money and that he is a decent person. They only give me this outfit for parties or visits and I am happy every time they do. My face looks tired and gaunt from being malnourished and worked to the bone, but it can't be helped. Though I am underweight, I still have small curves. A pretty sizable chest for my size and a nice set of small hips. I am only 5'3 so the mirror is barely in my few as I braid my beautiful stark white hair. I always wondered who my birth parents were to give me such unique hair. My hair has a slight wave to it and is thick. It goes all the way down my back to the top of my butt. It's so white that it makes my light skin seem more tanned than it is. As I am about to leave, I do a once over in a makeshift mirror I made from broken pieces.

Shining like a light blue beacon in the snow, I see a strand of light blue hair. I see a few strands of light blue hair the more I look. Before I could study the new addition to my hair I could see the clock behind me almost reading 6:45 a.m. I am going to be late for the 7 a.m. dinner if I don't move soon.

Today I will mainly be in the kitchen and fetching guests things they need for their rooms. Currently, I am washing the dishes from breakfast so we can have the kitchen cleared to start lunch. By the commotion and fake annoying laugh the "Luna" is making, I can tell the guests have arrived. As the guests get shown to their rooms, they have to pass by the kitchen. I hear them muttering to themselves about how annoying the Alpha and "Luna" are and how they just want to find mates for the unmated. The kitchen staff, along with myself, snicker quietly at this.

The kitchen staff starts preparing the lunch menu for the guests and the second menu for the rest of the pack. We have a formal dining area for occasions like this and then our own dining for the pack. Our area is almost like a high school lunch room versus the other room being a fancy dining room.

Leaving the kitchen behind, I go out to the back area that is walled off for prying eyes and is were we hang up the laundry. The Alpha sees these types of things as unsightly, so he walls off servant areas like this. Once all the linens are taken down and folded, I leave to go put them away inside. Suddenly, I am stopped by the most fantastic and delicious smell. It's faint but it's there. Citrus and herbs, with an undertone of pure masculine scent. It's so mouth watering, but I am snapped back to reality when I see the staff running around and I realise I have to get the linens inside.

"Jess, the linens are in the closet and I am on my way to wash the rest of the spare linen downstairs." I said to the tight-black bunned middle-aged lady with a clipboard. Jess is the head of staff and makes sure we are doing what we need to on time.

"Alright . . . " she mumbles, then waves lazily to get to my next task.

Checking that there was no one in the lobby area I had to pass, I made a B-line for the door to the basement. The laundry room is down there and so is my room. I don't want anyone to see me, or the Alpha will be upset and I am already in hot water with his daughter. As I open the basement door, I am hit with that same scent from before, but much stronger. Before I can try to find the source, I could hear the door knock and the Alphs and "Luna" approaching to answer the door. I scoot into the stairwell that leads down and head to my next task.