Chapter - 1

Melody's POV

The Imperial Ball was here, and this time, it was our pack that was hosting it.

Which meant more work for me. 

"Go keep these cartons in the kitchen downstairs," Richter, one of the gammas barked at me. 

I sighed, picking up a carton. Thankfully enough, it was light. I wasn't a werewolf, or at least not in the truest sense of the word seeing as I'd never once shifted into my wolf even though I was a good twenty six years old, but one whiff inside and I knew the carton consisted of several condiments. 

Just as I was about to walk out the door that would lead me outside, Raymond walked in, making me smile. He was pretty much the only person other than my nanny who treated me with some semblance of respect and kindness. In short, he was pretty much my only friend in our entire pack. 

"I was just coming to get you. We've been told to serve food at the gala tonight," Raymond told me quietly, picking up one of the other cartons and motioning for me to walk out with him.

I trailed after him, already dreading what lay ahead tonight. We both knew that every time I was in public eye, I would be treated like absolute shit, thrown around like a rag doll and shouted at for absolutely no reason other than the fact that I existed. That was just how much our beloved Alpha and the rest of the people in my pack loathed me. 

"Do you think they would go easy on me tonight since it is the Imperial Ball and pretty much every important person would be there?" I wondered, hoping that that would be the case. The Imperial Ball was held once a year which was attended by all the neighbouring packs wherein the pack members mingled while the Alphas discussed important matters. As far as I could remember, a few years ago when our pack had hosted the ball, I hadn't been treated as badly as always. 

Raymond hummed, probably thinking the same thing. He was the same age as me and we had practically grown up together, so he knew pretty much all there was to know about my fucked up existence. "I think so. Let's hope for the best, yes? Try to stay in the kitchen as much as possible?" 

I nodded as we made our way into the kitchen, cartons in hand. "You don't have to tell me twice."

He hated seeing me getting treated like shit almost as much as I did feeling that way but there wasn't anything he could do other than watch and tend to my wounds later. He was a slave after all, and slaves did not hold any power whatsoever. The only difference between me and him was that the people in this pack practically lived to make my life hell, blaming me for the death of their Luna and hating me for it just like their Alpha did. 

And just like that, it was time for us to get dressed as servers and roam around with trays full of canapés and drinks in our hands even though our own stomachs were rumbling because of hunger. 

I kept my eyes trained on the tray in my hand as I went around making my rounds and offering the food up to the guests. For the most part, no one seemed to notice me and I quite liked it that way. 

That, however, did not last very long. Just as I was about to move on to the next group of people, offering up a tray half full of champagne glasses, someone bumped harshly into my shoulder and down I went, the tray of drinks crashing onto the floor with me and the glasses breaking. 

I swore under my breath, looking up to see who had pushed me only to find Nick, another one of our pack's gammas staring down at me with disgust in his eyes. 

Great, here we go, I thought dryly to myself as I apologised before beginning to collect the glass pieces in the metallic tray itself. "Watch where you're going you piece of scum," Nick barked at me. 

Even though I was used to insults like that, my cheeks flamed in embarrassment all the same, especially seeing as all those around us had stopped doing what they had been doing and were looking at me. 

"I'm so sorry," I apologised again and sped up my pace.

"The fuck are you good for, huh? Bitch can't even go around serving half a tray of champagne," Nick spat at me, making my eyes sting.

No, I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. My vision blurred because of the unshed tears but I didn't stop picking up the broken pieces of the glass, simply wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. 

I hissed as one of the pieces cut my hand, blood pouring out. It hurt, but I didn't care, didn't stop what I was doing, only blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision enough to see properly.

"Look at that, now you've cut your hand, can't do a single thing right, cunt," I heard Nick mutter, voice dripping with hate and disgust. 

Suddenly, I became acutely aware of a certain scent, something earthy and woody. Warm notes of bergamot, pepper, and amberwood surrounded me. I instantly felt warm, the scent cocooning me like a heated blanket. It washed over my senses, making me relaxed, so much so that I stopped doing what I was doing completely, hands coming to a stand still as I let myself inhale the scent like a starved animal. 

"The fuck did you stop for, huh?" Nick's voice was like a whiplash, jarring me into action, but the scent was still there, getting stronger by the second, so was the sound of a pair of footsteps. I instantly knew the scent belonged to whoever was coming our way.

I shook my head, trying to focus on the task at hand instead. 

Focus on getting out of here quickly, Mel, not on stupid scents no matter how intoxicating they are. I chided myself mentally.

Just as I picked up another piece of glass, I heard a voice, "Stop this." The voice was sharper than a sword, cutting through the tense air easily.

"Alpha Evan," Nick said, and I could see him bowing his head respectfully from the corner of my eye. And much as I wanted to turn and see who it was, my need to get out of there was more potent, so I continued picking up the glass shards. 

Suddenly, I felt a grip on my arm, pulling me to a standing position. 

Him. 

It was him—the man who smelled divine. 

And he was standing way too close for me to function properly. 

Wanting to put a face to the voice and some much needed distance between myself and the man emanating that intoxicating scent, I turned around. 

And what I saw there nearly made my heart stop. 

Standing before me was the most beautiful man I had ever laid my eyes on. His strong, chiseled to perfection jaw was covered in a light five o'clock stubble. That paired with his sharp nose and the most beautiful moss green eyes I'd ever seen made for a face that was damn near perfect. 

But even though he had an intimidatingly hulking frame and perfectly handsome features, it wasn't just those that drew your attention to him, no, it was the way he carried himself that did—with an air of confidence and surety that would put even the most bravest of men to shame. 

It showed in the way he glared down at Nick, his expression equal parts angry and disgusted. 

"She will not be doing this anymore. This is no way to treat your servers," he said, his curt voice meeting my ears. 

My eyes widened. Did he really just say what I thought he did? 

Was he really taking my side? 

My shock was quickly replaced by a warm, gooey sensation in my gut as the realisation that someone had actually stood up for me for the first time ever dawned on me. 

Before I could dwell on my feelings too much, though, another voice cut into the chaos, making me look up, "What is going on here?"

It was the Alpha of our pack, Alpha Adrian. 

"Alpha, this bitch broke the glasses," Nick was quick to spit out, throwing another disgusted look my way. 

"Don't you dare talk to her like that," said Alpha Evan and suddenly, Nick was being held up by the cuff of his collared shirt, his feet barely touching the ground as Alpha Evan glared at him, his gaze murderous. 

If I hadn't been so shocked at the sudden turn of events, I probably would've been cowering away in fear at the menacing expression on his face.

Good lord, what the hell was actually going on here? Why was this man trying to protect me? 

And more importantly, why was I feeling this warm sensation in my gut every time I looked at him or took a lungful of his oh so sweet, woody scent?