"You still want to sleep?" she continued, hands planted on her hips, tapping her foot on the tiles. "The other servants have already started their tasks, and here you are, still lying in bed? Do you want us to be stripped of our duties?"
I got up reluctantly, dragging my feet and letting out an annoyed huff. "Fine, fine..." I'm up," I muttered, rubbing my sleepy eyes.
"Anita is staying at the pack house this weekend and she asked that you attend to her until she leaves," my mother announced, and my frown deepened. Why, out of all the servants, did I have to be her personal maid?
"Don't start complaining," she said, pushing me toward the bathroom. "Get moving. There's no time to waste."
I headed to the bathroom, grumbling under my breath. The thought of spending the day serving Anita tied my stomach in knots.
Once, Anita and I were born on the same day, and it was that bond that had brought us close. We had been inseparable, running through the forest, sharing our secrets and our dreams for the future.
But all of that had shattered.
I looked at myself in the mirror, painful memories hitting me in waves.
That night, my father had been framed for a theft he didn't commit, a crime punishable by death. Despite his protests, no one believed him. The evidence had been carefully fabricated to bring him down.
We lost everything. My father was imprisoned for life, my mother demoted to the rank of Omega, and I had to share her fate.
Anita had been there that night. She had said nothing, done nothing to defend us, her gaze sliding away from mine while we were humiliated and ridiculed.
Years later, our former Beta having died of an incurable illness, her father was named the new Beta.
Anita was now the Beta's daughter.
As for me... I was nothing now, just a simple Omega.
What made it worse was the ease with which she'd settled into her new role.
Our Alpha's triplet sons, Louis, Levi, and Lennox, worshiped her. All their attention and admiration were directed toward her.
Soon, at her eighteenth birthday, it was said she would be their mate, and it seemed the brothers were already jockeying for her affection.
Watching this rivalry disgusted me... or maybe I was just jealous of her life.
I finished washing up quickly, put on my maid's uniform, and joined my mother in the kitchen where she was preparing breakfast.
"Olivia," she said, handing me a tray with a steaming coffee, "I know it isn't easy, but we've already lost so much... Don't give them a reason to take more."
I nodded silently, swallowing the urge to argue. She couldn't understand. Once the daughter of a respected Gamma, I was now nothing but an insignificant Omega.
"She asked for this," my mother added.
I took the tray and walked toward Anita's room, bracing myself to face yet another cruel reminder of my place in this world.
"We will find our mate," my wolf murmured to comfort me.
I laughed inwardly. My wolf was wrong. My mate would be just another Omega, another invisible being like myself. My life seemed condemned to the shadows, with no way out in sight.
Reaching her door, I knocked softly, holding my breath.
"Come in!" Anita yelled.
I pushed the door open, keeping my gaze lowered.
"Your coffee," I said quietly, setting the tray on the table.
But what I saw stopped my breath cold. The sound of Anita's stifled laughter and a low male voice reached my ears.
I barely lifted my gaze, and there, Louis and Anita were tangled together on the bed. Her robe was slipping off one shoulder, her body brushing against Louis's muscular chest as he leaned in to kiss her.
I dropped my gaze, set the tray on the table, and turned away at once, wishing I could disappear.
"Wait," she called out, her voice sharp.
I froze, turning back slowly.
She kissed Louis deeply, a soft moan escaping between the kisses, before pulling away.
My wolf snarled, furious, while I kept my face expressionless.
Anita stood up, dressed only in her matching red lingerie set, her hips swaying with provocative grace. Louis watched her with obvious hunger.
She picked up the coffee, a satisfied smile on her lips, and swirled the cup. Her eyes scrutinized every detail of my appearance. For his part, Louis stayed in the background, leaning back against the headboard.
"What is this?" she asked, tone sharp.
"The coffee you requested," I answered politely, despite the fire burning inside me.
"This?" she sneered, holding up the cup as if it were something disgusting. "You dare call this coffee?"
I clenched my jaw, maintaining my composure.
"It's made just the way you like it," I insisted.
Her look turned severe, and with a brusque gesture, she flung the scalding liquid onto my chest and arms. The pain made me wince, but I bit my lip to keep from crying out.
"Next time you serve me something like this, it'll be on your face," she threatened.
Louis remained silent, avoiding any intervention.
I stood frozen, the coffee dripping down my body. In the back of my mind, my wolf urged me to fight back. But what could I do?
"Sorry if the coffee wasn't to your taste," I murmured, reining in my emotions. "I'll make it again."
She let out a light, annoying laugh.
"Don't bother," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Just try to be a little less useless next time."
She turned back to Louis, sliding onto his lap as though I no longer existed. He pulled her close, his lips finding her neck.
"You're dismissed," he said finally, his voice lacking its usual firmness.
I nodded and left the room, my heart pounding. The humiliation burned just as much as the scalding coffee on my skin. I drew a deep breath, gathering my emotions before heading back to the kitchen.
There, I ran into Bala, Lennox's personal guard.
"There you are," he said. "Lennox is asking for you."
I frowned. "Why?" I asked, a knot forming in my stomach. "He rarely calls for me over anything important."
"Not sure," Bala replied with a shrug. "He seemed furious."
A weight settled in my throat. I straightened as best I could and headed toward Lennox's room.
At his door, I hesitated a moment before knocking.
His authoritative voice immediately ordered me inside.
/1/124754/coverbig.jpg?v=0aa397dfeb2255dc23c80f088a13b2c4)
View More Comments on App
