HIS HATED FATED MATE

Chapter Three

The two men stood in front of the lake, their tall figures silhouetted against the serene backdrop. Eric, Keon's Beta and second-in-command, had charming blonde hair slicked back neatly, revealing arched cheekbones and sweet brown eyes. In contrast, Alpha Keon's dark auburn wavy hair cascaded down his face, framing domed cheekbones and stormy gray eyes. Both men exuded confidence, but Keon's aura was unmistakably cold and commanding.

"Eris went to receive her?" Keon asked without looking at Eric.

"Yes," Eric responded.

Keon didn't say anything else, his silence oppressive. Eric sighed inwardly, worried about the arrival of Alpha Robert's daughter, Lillian. He understood Keon's desire for revenge, but he didn't see the need to involve Lillian. Keon's hatred for her seemed misplaced, and Eric feared it would cloud his judgment.

The sound of footsteps approaching pulled Eric out of his reverie. He looked up to see Eris walking towards them.

"I don't understand," Eris said as soon as he got to where they stood.

Eric was puzzled, looking at Keon who didn't seem affected by Eris's words.

"Don't understand what? Where's the girl? Has she settled in already?" Eric asked back.

"I should be asking that, Madame Delphine just came to take her away, she said it was on the orders of the alpha," Eris said, looking straight at Keon who continued to look unbothered.

"Keon?" Eric turned to look at him.

"I thought we agreed..."

"You spoke, I listened," Keon interrupted him.

"I never agreed to anything," he added, looking at them.

"But..." Eric wanted to protest.

"But what? I didn't have her dragged to the dungeon, did I? Which mind you no less than she deserves as the daughter of a murderer," Keon said coldly.

"Keon..."

"Alpha," Keon corrected.

"Alpha Keon, I am your alpha, and this is my final say on this matter," Keon said before walking off, leaving Eric and Eris.

Meanwhile, Madame Delphine took Lillian to the servant quarters, introducing her to another maid.

"This is Madeline, she will be your roommate and also your guide, she will show you how things work here," Madame Delphine introduced them.

Lillian smiled at Madeline, but she quickly looked away.

"I'll leave the two of you. Madeline, take Lillian with you on your duties and show her what to do," Madame Delphine told Madeline.

"Yes, ma'am," Madeline nodded.

With that, Madame Delphine left, leaving Madeline and Lillian alone. The two stood together in an uncomfortable silence.

"My name is Lillian," Lillian introduced herself, eager to break the silence.

"Oh," Madeline said in response.

"I'll show you our room," Madeline said, leading Lillian into the quarters.

As they walked in, it was a bustle of girls and women of different ages scurrying about. Lillian noticed they all stopped to stare at her, whispering in hush tones. Their gaze made Lillian uncomfortable, and she felt glad when Madeline said, "This is our room."

Lillian quickly ducked into the room to hide away from the rest of the girls. She looked around, taking in the small space with a bunk bed, a small table and chair, and a small cupboard.

"I usually sleep on the down bed, but we can swap if you want," Madeline told her.

"No, it's okay," Lillian shook her head.

"Okay. And you better change into this," Madeline said, handing Lillian a set of clothes from a hanger. The clothes looked exactly like Madeline's, and Lillian guessed they were the uniforms.

"Thank you," Lillian said, taking the clothes.

Lillian stared at the clothes, then something lit up in her head.

"Do you by chance know why everyone was acting like that?" Lillian asked Madeline, who looked startled.

"Like what?" Madeline asked back.

"They were all staring at me," Lillian said.

There was a short silence.

"Well, you are new..." Madeline said.

"Oh," Lillian nodded.

"And you are the daughter of Alpha Robert of the pack," Madeline added.

Lillian looked at her.

"I guess everyone knows," Lillian said.

Madeline nodded.

"Everyone must hate me."

"It's hard to tell," Madeline said.

Lillian nodded before going in to change.After Lillian finished putting on the uniform, she neatly folded her previous attire and jewelry, and stored them in a drawer in the cupboard. She then gazed at her reflection in the small mirror on the wall.

She stared at herself for a long time as the reflection of herself she saw just this morning floated in her mind. How different she looked now. From the daughter of an alpha to a maid to the alpha. Still, Lillian was grateful, it could have been worse. She encouraged herself and went out to join Madeline.

For the next few weeks, Lillian went about with Madeline, who showed her how things worked in the castle and how to do things properly. Madeline's primary duties were in the kitchens, so Lillian mostly stayed in the kitchens with her, learning how things were done. It wasn't easy, however. Since she was not used to doing chores, it was extremely hard for her to adjust, but she tried her best and worked hard.

Lillian also got closer to Madeline. In the weeks that they were together, she noticed that Madeline was actually a very quiet and timid person, but she was extremely kind and patient with Lillian. Madeline took her time to show Lillian the ropes, and soon Lillian began to show great improvement as she was now able to carry out certain duties in the kitchens efficiently.

However, since she arrived, Lillian had not seen Alpha Keon. She only heard about him from the gossip of the other maids, but she had not seen him. Lillian was also not allowed into the castle; Madame Delphine had explicitly warned her against going into the castle, so she stayed in the kitchens. She found it a bit suspicious at first, but she was ultimately grateful; she didn't know how to face Alpha Keon anyway. He probably hated her deeply.

One afternoon, as Lillian was working in the kitchens, another maid came up to her and asked her to help take tea to the alpha's study. Madeline wasn't in the kitchen, and although Lillian was hesitant to go, she also considered that the maid was asking for a favor. And since most of the maids were hostile to her, Lillian was eager to get on their good side. She agreed.

She reluctantly took the tray and entered the castle. She nervously climbed the stairs up to the third floor. She stopped in front of the third door as she was told by the maid. She knocked and waited anxiously, her heart beating rapidly.

"Come in," a voice said from inside.

Lillian slowly opened the door and walked in. The study room was big with a large round table in the middle. Three men sat around the table. Lillian recognized Eris immediately and another good-looking man sitting opposite him. The one who captivated her, however, was the man sitting at the head of the table, his aura was strong and dark. Lillian knew at once that he was Alpha Keon, and couldn't help but notice how good-looking he was.

The strand of his dark hair that fell across his face made him look absolutely handsome.

'What are you thinking?' Lillian immediately scolded herself.

She proceeded towards the table slowly. She noticed the way Eris immediately tensed up when he saw her face. He stared at her. Lillian began to serve the tea, while avoiding eye contact with Keon. Her heart beat loudly the whole time; she made sure she didn't look directly at Keon but avoided him. She was glad when she finished serving the tea and hurriedly began to leave the room when,

"Wait!" a deep, cold voice said suddenly, sending chills down Lillian's back.

.