Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Mira's POV

3 Days later.

“Wake up, you lazy and useless bitch!” Was all I heard before the coldness seeped through my clothes. A raw, guttural scream ripped through my throat as the cold instantly overwhelmed me.

“Get up now! Do you think you're a princess?” Someone yelled at the top of their voice, and from the tone I knew it was Rachel, the head maid's daughter.

I sat upright in my bed, blinking to focus my eyes, realizing that I had just been woken by a bucket of cold water being dumped on me. I jolted up from my bed, scurrying off to create distance between us as I realized she wasn't alone, but with her minions.

Rachel has been one of my biggest tormentors in this pack. Since the day Gerald took me to her mother and told her that I would be serving in the palace, she has taken it upon herself to make my life miserable. Everything I was asked to do felt strange because I had never done any of it before. Even so, I was willing to learn and adjust, but Rachel and her minions kept making it difficult for me. They never failed to bully me and remind me that I was a rogue—an outsider—not a member of this pack.

How they found out, I didn’t know. But one thing was certain—I couldn’t survive in this pack. Living here felt like staring at my deathbed from afar.

“Can't you be any less pathetic?” Rachel gritted her teeth, pulling me out of my reverie.

“I…” I tried explaining but she cut me short with a wave of her hand.

“Keep whatever you want to say to yourself. I just came to inform you that the pack will be hosting a welcoming ceremony. Even though you're a rogue, you're expected to be in the kitchen with the other maids to help with preparations. So I expect you to play your role as a rogue maid and quit acting like a fucking princess that you're not.”

“I'm… I'm sorry. I'll go help with preparation,” I sputter out trying to keep my teeth from clattering.

She spun on her heels and walked to the door, followed by her minions. “You've got five minutes to come down and start working.” She said then slammed the door closed so hard that the walls shook and some plaster fell to the floor, creating a small crack.

I rushed to the bathroom to get myself ready and head downstairs as quickly as possible. One thing I’ve learned over the past few days is that if Rachel gives you ten minutes, it automatically becomes seven the moment she leaves—and when she comes back, it’s never funny. I was the only maid in this room, which made things more complicated for me. While the others had people to talk to, plan with, and work alongside, I was completely alone.

The moment I stepped out of my room, I saw Rachel’s crew walking toward me. Trying to avoid them, I accidentally bumped into Rachel’s mother—the head maid.

“You are the new girl, right?” She questioned.

I nodded slowly.

“You're supposed to be in the kitchen helping with the preparations. So why are you still here?” She asked.

But before I could reply, she thrust a big bag of clothes that needed to be washed into my hands. “Here—take this to the last room on the left, where the laundry is kept,” she said, then left.

On my way to the room, I caught the scent of something incredibly enticing—a mix of lavender and chocolate, with a hint of something almost musky and woodsy. What was this amazing scent, and where was it coming from? I thought to myself. I rushed to drop the bag in the room and then started following the scent. It led me to the door just before the headmaid’s room, which happened to be Rachel's room.

I took a deep breath and was about to knock on the door when I heard moaning and giggling from the inside. And somehow I couldn't help the anger that suddenly built within me. I opened the door with force and I was met with a naked Rachel on her bed with a naked huge and muscular-looking man beneath her as they lose themselves in the throes of pleasure.

I gasped in horror as she finally turned back and paused for a moment.

“Don't stop?” The man said and she smiled broadly and kept going.

I stood there shocked to the deepest part of my bones. I still couldn’t understand what was happening, but I had the sudden urge to wipe that smile off Rachel’s face with my claws. I couldn’t explain it—I just felt hurt, angry, and betrayed, as if I was supposed to be the one with the man she was with. But I didn’t let any of it show on my face.

Begrudgingly I made to turn around and walk out the door.

“Stay!” The man commanded. I froze mid-step, not sure why I did—but I did. And for some reason I didn’t understand, I found it hard to disobey this man or go against his orders. I stood there and listened to their every grunt and moan in pleasure until they were done. From where I was, my eyes rolled back in pain, and yet I somehow felt hungry for the touch of this strange man.

“It's not true, right?” The man asked, and I turned to look at him.

I furrowed my brows, not sure of what he was talking about.

“Like you're supposed to be my mate?” He asked as he looked at me from head to toe.

“Is this true Athena?” I asked my wolf because I was shocked. I have been so focused and concerned about surviving that I had forgotten I was of age and eligible to meet my mate.

“Of course, dummy. What do you think the scent we were drawn to was about? Why do you feel angry, betrayed, and in pain when you see him with Rachel?” Athena replied angrily.

“You're my mate,” I confirmed and his face twisted more in disgust and disdain.

“Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but if you came here thinking I was going to accept you as my mate, you're dead wrong.”

“Yeah, that's right babe, so she can finally know her place in this pack. You're a slave. A common slave and you think the Alpha of this great pack is going to accept you as his mate?” Rachel asked, placing her hands over his biceps.

It wasn’t until now that I realized I was actually speaking to the Alpha of this pack. A slight panic settled at the back of my mind because what if he finds out that I wasn’t from this pack, or that I wasn’t even a slave?

“Well it's a good thing I didn't get my hopes high so let's just get this over with,” I replied trying to keep my voice neutral, but deep down the pain of rejection was already eating me up.

From the expression on their faces, I know they were both shocked by my response.

He looked at me squarely, then said, “I, Reed Thorne, the Alpha of Crimson Moon Pack, reject you….” He paused, "What is even your name?”

“Mira,” Rachel replied before I could say anything.

He cleared his throat and said, “I, Reed Thorne, the Alpha of Crimson Moon Pack, reject you Mira, as my mate and Luna of this great pack.”

My knees buckled after hearing his words, and a sudden weakness spread through my limbs. I clenched my fists, trying to anchor myself against the overwhelming force of the rejection. Even though I knew he was going to reject me, I thought the mate bond would make it harder for him to do so. I didn’t realize the mate bond could be this weak.

“I, Mira, accept the rejection of Alpha Reed Thorne,” I replied and didn't even wait to know what his reaction would be like before dashing out of the room with an unsteady gait. Tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring my vision as I ran with no sense of direction in mind. I eventually settled down in a garden that felt peaceful and like it was what I needed at the moment.

Once in the garden, I collapsed onto the ground, crying until I had no strength left. Then I fell asleep. A few minutes or an hour later, I heard loud voices of people talking, so I opened my eyes, thinking it was one of the maids who had been looking for me. But lo and behold, it was Alpha Reed, Rachel, and a handsome man who looked exactly like Alpha Reed, except his hair was blonde, unlike Alpha Reed’s brown hair, and he wasn't as muscular as Alpha Reed. He was staring at me.

I quickly stood up and bowed my head in respect. “I'm sorry Alpha I didn't mean to intrude. I'll take my leave now “ I said, bowing down repeatedly and then turning to leave the garden.

“Wait!” The handsome man stopped me. “What is your name?”

“My name is Mira, sir.”

Clearing his throat, he said, “I, Alpha Ryker, accept you, Mira, as my mate and Luna.”

I gasped, then looked up at him in shock. His eyes were almost black. I stood still, my brain still trying to process what I had just heard—or perhaps I had heard wrong. But the gasp of surprise from Rachel confirmed that I hadn't heard wrong.

Then, suddenly, there was a loud growl from Alpha Reed which caught everyone’s attention, and he quickly dragged me to his side. “She can't be your mate. That is impossible.”