My heart shatters anew. Did Rafe really say those things? The thought of him laughing at me behind my back, mocking my feelings… The same person who once declared his love to the moon. Who swore he’d keep me safe.
“That’s not true,”
I whisper, but it sounds weak and unconvincing.
I guess there’s still a part of me in denial about the wolf he’s become.
She laughs, the sound like tinkling bells. Even in her venom, it’s a beautiful sound.
“Oh, sweetie. Did you really think he cared for you? A human? He was just amusing himself.”
She circles me again.
“A little game to pass the time until he found his true mate. Me.”
The possessive way she says it makes my stomach churn.
Maybe her pretty designer clothes wouldn’t be so elegant with my vomit all over her. I clench my fists, nails digging into my palms, breathing in sharp, shallow breaths.
If I throw up on her, I’m just going to have to clean it up.
That wouldn’t be worth the brief joy.
“Face it, Grace.”
She spits my name like it’s poison on her tongue.
“You were never anything more than a temporary distraction. A human toy for a bored wolf.”
I flinch. Why can she hurt me with these stupid words? Why is the mention of Rafe such an intense wound? I should be cold. Angry. Waiting for revenge or something.
But none of that comes. Only the further shriveling of my soul.
“Now,”
she says, her tone suddenly businesslike,
“let’s establish some ground rules, shall we?”
I blink at her, confused.
“Rules?”
“Yes, rules. Pay attention.”
She taps my forehead with her perfectly manicured nail.
“You’re to stay away from Rafe. No talking to him, no looking at him, nothing. As far as you’re concerned, he doesn’t exist. He’s mine now. The sooner you accept that, the easier your miserable little life will be.”
She leans in close, her green eyes boring into mine.
“And if I catch you so much as breathing in his direction, I’ll make sure you regret it. Understood?”
I nod mutely, unable to form words past the lump in my throat.
“Good girl,”
she coos, patting my cheek condescendingly.
“Run along now. I’m sure you have some important omega duties to attend to.”
She turns on her heel and saunters away, leaving me standing there, shattered and alone. I watch her go, her graceful movements a stark contrast to my own awkward, human gait. Her little posse of she-wolves follow behind, giggling and whispering among themselves.
Oh, yes. Laugh at the pathetic human girl. Ha, ha.
As soon as she’s out of sight, I crumple to the ground, my legs no longer able to support me. The tears I’ve been holding back finally spill over, hot and bitter on my cheeks.
A human among wolves. Alone. Unwanted. Forgotten.
My new life routine is simple.
Wake up every morning before the sun rises. Cook and feed everyone in the omega lodge-both male and female. Clean when everyone leaves for the day. Do the piles of laundry. Lunch, thankfully, isn’t my problem-but it also means I don’t get to eat. And then, of course, dinner, and more cleaning.
There are other staff who work at the omega lodge, but unlike me, they’re proper omega wolves. Anything they don’t feel like doing lands on my shoulders, and if I don’t get them done, it’s somehow my fault.
The first week of my new lifestyle ended with me being whipped five nights straight.
It isn’t a normal punishment for shirking your duties. They just wanted an excuse to do it.
It wasn’t a secret that many of the pack hated having a human brought in, when Alpha first adopted me. Like me, they lived in ignorance of my mother’s identity. I’m sure they would have recognized her if they saw a picture, but I don’t have anything like that. Only my memories.
It wasn’t until the night of the Mate Hunt, when Alpha kicked me out of his home and family, that the pack learned the truth.
Mom was once mated to Alpha. Not as a proper Luna, of course. Mom, like me, was human. But she still bore his mating mark and was treated as his mate within the pack-until one day she disappeared, never to be seen again. From the gossip running rampant these days, I quickly learned that everyone thought she was dead.
My father-my real father-is also my biological father. They were killed in a house invasion gone wrong on my twelfth birthday. Three days later, I was taken in by a supposed family friend: Alpha.
His apparent care and warm home were more appealing than any foster home, even if I had to live among wolves.
If I’d known, I would have begged the foster system to keep me, but I doubt it would have made a difference. I had a home to go to, and someone willing to foot the bill. Why would they keep me in that situation?
I sigh, my hands sinking into the mountain of clean laundry before me. The scent of detergent tickles my nose as I sort through the pile, grimacing at the sheer number of boxers. Men’s underwear. Great.
“At least they’re clean,”
I mutter, folding each pair with quick, efficient movements.
My fingers brush against the soft cotton, and I can’t help but think of Rafe. Did I ever fold his laundry? Of course not. That was a task reserved for the pack’s domestic staff, not Alpha’s daughter.
But I dreamed of being his wife. His mate. Dreamed of doing the laundry, of greeting him at the door with a home-cooked meal.
Now here I am, reduced to handling strangers’ intimates.
I shake my head, banishing thoughts of my ex.
Focus on the task at hand, Grace. One pair at a time.
The basket marked ‘Jason’ slowly fills with neatly folded clothes. T-shirts, jeans, socks, and yes, those dreaded boxers. I smooth out a wrinkle in a shirt, wondering idly about the man who wears it. Is he kind? Cruel? Does he even know my name?
Probably not. To most of the pack, I’m just the human. The outsider. The one who doesn’t belong.
I place the last item in Jason’s basket and set it aside, ready for delivery. A small victory in a day full of endless chores.
“Human girl! Get up here!”
The shrill voice of the head omega cuts through the air, echoing from the kitchen.
My feet drag as I make my way to the kitchen, dreading whatever new task awaits me. The linoleum floor creaks under my weight, announcing my arrival before I even reach the doorway.
The head omega is a stern-faced woman named Margo. She dresses like a secretary, with a black suit and hair pulled back into a classic bun, and always with a phone in hand. She’s also burly enough that, if I was asked with a gun to my head, I would have assumed her to be a bear shifter.
While I was still Alpha’s daughter, she treated me with respect.
Now, I’m dirt beneath her shoe.
“There you are,”
she says, her tone clipped.
“You’re needed at the main lodge. They’re short-handed.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I’ve learned to treat her with respect, she’s the one who orders my punishments at the end of the night. I’ve watched as she ordered ten lashes, five nights in a row. Her expression never changed.
This woman wouldn’t care if I died of exhaustion, as long as my work was done.
She looks me over, her lips pinched in disapproval.
“Is that all you have to wear?”
Glancing at my oversized hoodie and sweatpants-one of my three outfits these days-I can only say,
“Yes.”
She sighs, clearly frustrated.
“You’ll need to find something else to wear. Wearing that reflects poorly on Alpha.”
I blink at her words, the only outward evidence of my surprise. Since when do any of these wolves care? They’ve been mocking me since my downfall, saying human trash doesn’t even deserve the clothes on my back.
Margo grimaces, shooing me away.
“I’ll find you something. For now, help them at the main lodge.”
* * *
Arriving at the main lodge is a bit of a nerve-wracking affair.
Being holed up at the omega lodge buried beneath a mountain of chores had one bright side: I never had to worry about running into Rafe.
Being in the main part of town, where all the wolves gather, increases that risk exponentially. I have no desire to run into him, either alone or with Ellie. My heart’s still wounded and bleeding, it doesn’t need to be torn apart any further.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.