Chosen By Fate, Rejected By Hate

Chapter 11

Mavi Pov

My hands ached, and my jaw was tight with frustration as I scrubbed the wall Alpha Magnus had ordered me to clean. Dayay had offered to take over the task earlier, but I had politely refused. Alpha Magnus had made it clear that I was the one meant to do every job he gave me, no one else.

My chest felt so tight it might burst. He had said I was here as Moses’ nanny, but this felt like something else entirely. Over these past few days, he had piled one hard chore after another on my shoulders. I had agreed to help with housework, yes, but I had imagined cooking meals or dusting shelves, not scrubbing walls until my arms burned.

I knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to wear me down. He wanted me to get tired of this mistreatment and walk away, so he could have Moses all to himself without any fight. But he was wrong if he thought I would give up that easily. He had no idea how deep my love for my son ran, or how much I was willing to bear just to stay by his side. Even if he made me scrub every wall in this mansion every single day, he would not chase me away. He was the one who offered me this place to stay so I could be with Moses. Now that I had this chance, nothing Alpha Magnus did would make me leave.

"Just stop now, Mavi. Let me finish that for you," Dayay said gently as she came over to me again.

"Your boss told me to do this myself. I have to follow his orders," I answered, my voice steady with quiet determination.

"But you are not a maid here. You are Moses’ mother, Alpha Magnus’ child’s mother. It does not look right for you to be doing this kind of work," she insisted softly.

"Please, just let me be. I am not exactly a guest either, so it is fine," I told her, giving her a small smile to reassure her I was not about to break down. Dayay was kind and thoughtful, unlike her employer. The more I saw how Alpha Magnus treated me, the more a dull, heavy dislike grew inside me.

Dayay was about to argue again, but then she heard Alpha Magnus call her name. He was out by the swimming pool, and Sonia was there with him too.

"Does he really have no work to do at his company?" I muttered angrily under my breath. Ever since Moses and I moved in, he seemed to spend almost all his time at home. Dayay had once told me he was usually buried in his work and rarely stayed here long, but that clearly was not true anymore. And because he was always around, Sonia came over often too. She never missed a chance to find fault with what I was doing just to start an argument. If she kept pushing me, I would not be responsible for what I said or did back to her.

I used to be very patient, holding my tongue no matter how much I was hurt. But after that terrible night when everyone seemed to turn against me and plot to break me, I had changed. I learned that if I wanted to be left alone, if I wanted to stop being tricked and stepped on, I had to be brave enough to stand up for myself.

About ten minutes later, Dayay approached me once more, looking uneasy.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"Alpha Magnus wants you to bring the snack I prepared for him and Sonia out to the pool," she said hesitantly.

"Alright. I will take it," I replied right away. If he thought giving me these errands would make me run away, he was mistaken. I would show him I was stronger than he thought. No matter what he asked me to do, I would not back down.

I set down my cloth and went to the kitchen to pick up the tray. I walked slowly toward the pool area, my heart already heavy with unease.

Alpha Magnus was still in the water, while Sonia stood near the edge, splashing water playfully at him with her palm, trying to get his attention. He did not even look at her.

Sonia looked striking in her bright blue two-piece swimsuit. It was very revealing, showing off almost every curve of her body. A foolish, sharp sting of irritation pricked at my chest for a moment. What did it matter to me if he enjoyed looking at her? I shook my head quickly to chase the thought away. I had no right to feel that way, and I would not let myself get tangled up in those feelings.

I set the tray down quietly on the small side table, pretending I did not see them at all. I was just about to turn and leave when Alpha Magnus spoke my name. I stopped and turned back to him, frowning.

"Hand me my towel from that chair," he ordered.

I walked over, picked up the thick white towel, and stood right at the edge of the pool.

"Here is your towel, Sir Magnus," I said, lifting one eyebrow at him.

I thought he would reach out and take it from my hand. Instead, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled hard. I let out a startled scream as I lost my balance and fell straight into the cold water.

Shock and cold hit me at the same time. I cursed silently as the freezing water wrapped around me, making my teeth chatter and my mind go blank for a second. How could either of them stand being in water this cold?

"Are you out of your mind, Alpha Magnus?" I snapped once I caught my breath. "If you want to play games, play with her! I do not have time for this nonsense! You already have your playmate, so leave me out of it!" I shivered violently as I spoke, and started swimming quickly toward the pool steps.

"I just wanted to see how much you can take," Alpha Magnus said calmly, as if he had not just pushed me into ice water.

I glared back at him, my patience snapping completely. "I am not some test for you to play with! And for your information, I am not the one who is thick-skinned here. You are the one acting childish and cruel! I know you are doing this to get back at me for hiding Moses, but be a man about it! This is not how you behave!"

I did not care if I made him angry. For so long I had held back my words, but being here with him had slowly melted away my fear. I was no longer the quiet, obedient girl who would take every insult without a word.

"How dare you speak to him like that! Who do you think you are? You are nothing but a nanny!" Sonia hissed at me, her eyes flashing with anger.

"You are right. I am just a nanny," I replied, lifting my chin high. "But never forget that I am the nanny to my own child."

Sonia’s face turned bright red with rage.

"Alpha Magnus! Are you just going to let her talk to me like this?" Sonia turned to him, her voice soft and pleading now. "I am your chosen mate. I am meant to be the future Luna of this pack."

Before Alpha Magnus could say a word, a happy voice rang out from the doorway.

"Mom! Dad!"

We all turned to see Moses running toward us, a wide smile on his face.

"I want to swim too!" he shouted. He pulled his shirt over his head, tossed it aside, and jumped straight into the pool.

"Moses does not know how to swim!" I cried out in panic.

Alpha Magnus moved faster than I could think. He swam over to Moses at once and lifted him up out of the water, holding him safely in his arms.

"Why did you jump like that? You could have gotten hurt," Alpha Magnus said to him, his voice firm but not angry.

"I was not scared," Moses answered simply, smiling up at him. "I knew you and Mom were here. I knew you would not let me drown."

"Please do not do that again, Moses," I said, my heart still racing from fright.

"Okay, Mom," Moses replied, but he was already shivering hard. "Brrr! The water is so cold! Is the pool water always this cold?"

Alpha Magnus ruffled Moses’ wet hair gently. "This pool is different from the ones you have seen before. That is why."

"Do not worry, Moses," Sonia cut in smoothly, stepping closer and reaching out to pat his cheek. "Once your father and I get married and I move in here, we will swim together every day until you get used to it."

Moses pulled his face away from her hand immediately. He looked at Sonia with a confused frown.

"Why would you marry my Dad? Why not my Mom?" he asked her plainly.

The question hung in the air like a heavy stone. Alpha Magnus and I exchanged a quick glance, but I looked away right away, my heart sinking.

"That is just how things are," Sonia said with a forced smile. "I am the one your father is going to marry."

"No!" Moses shouted, his voice firm and suddenly very serious. He looked between the two adults standing before him, his eyes already glistening with tears. "Is that true, Dad? Are you really going to marry her instead of Mom? If it is, then Mom and I will leave right now. We will not stay here anymore. Come on, Mom. Let us go."

"Wait. That is not true," Alpha Magnus spoke up quickly, shocking Sonia and me both. "I am not going to marry her."

"But Alpha Magnus—" Sonia started to protest, but she stopped the moment she saw the dark, warning look in his eyes.

She shot me a look so full of hatred it felt like sharp knives cutting through my skin. Without saying another word, she turned and stormed out of the pool area.

I let out a long, shaky sigh. I had no idea how to explain this to Moses without breaking his heart. How could I tell him that even if Alpha Magnus wanted to, he could not marry me? That I was the one he had rejected in front of everyone, and that I was hiding a secret that could destroy everything all over again?

But as I looked at Alpha Magnus standing there, something far more terrifying crossed my mind. If he was not going to marry Sonia, then who did he plan to take as his mate? And what would happen to Moses and me?