CHAPTER 5
~GABRIELLA’S POV~As I stared at him, my heart beating even more rapidly than it ever did whenever I stood before my mother, tears gathered in my eyes. I tried my best to hold back the sadness, but my efforts were futile. Staring at him filled me with mixed emotions of happiness, anger, and grief. Until this moment, I thought my life was over. I thought my mate would be here waiting for me.I rushed toward him, asking with excitement, as I grabbed his hand, “Where have you been? I thought you would return to my father’s mansion, but you never came. Is this your pack?"Steven stared at me with a piercing gaze, his eyes suddenly filling with contempt. I could feel a dark aura surrounding him, one I never noticed the first time we met. Something about him was different—something I couldn’t put a finger on. The omega aura I sensed around him at the peacekeeping ceremony was completely gone, and something a lot more powerful and ominous filled the air.“Unhand me, woman!” he said in a grim tone, throwing me aside. “Take your bags and head to your quarters. You shall be among the serving maids. Gregory here will explain your duties to you,” he continued, turning around and walking away.“Maids?” I asked whoever cared to listen softly, sitting on the ground where he remorselessly left me. One of the warrior wolves who accompanied me here walked to me and gently helped me off the ground as I stared at the entrance to the mansion with confusion edged on my face.“Please don’t mind the alpha; he can be a little difficult at times, but I’m sure you’ll love him once you get to know him,” he said. His name was Gregory, and he was a beta to the alpha of the pack. I knew this because he had already introduced himself to me before we left Montgomery's mansion.“He’s the alpha?” I asked, even more confused now.“Yes, he is Steven Mortimer, Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack. Have you two met before? Because it was a little too bold of you to launch at him like that,” Gregory asked.I stared at him for a moment, then turned back to the mansion’s entrance, saying softly, “No, no, we haven’t."Gregory helped me carry my bags into the mansion and led me to my room upstairs. This mansion was far larger than the one I used to stay in, and the area where the maid rooms were lined up was far more beautiful than anything I ever expected. Each room had a small chandelier, its own bathroom, and a bed for each servant.Judging from the outside of the mansion, one would think this place was an abandoned house, haunted by ghosts, but from within, it was a world separate from what I once knew.This place was like a heaven for anyone who attained the alpha’s favor and a hell for anyone who dared to cross him. Gregory guided me to my room. He gently placed the bags on the ground and told me that there were maidens inside who would show me around the mansion. After giving me a few instructions, he waved at me and walked back in the direction we had come.I let out a sigh, then whispered to myself, “Okay, the good thing is that I’m no longer with the dark-hound pack. Let’s just focus on that.”I picked up my bag and placed my palm on the door to gently push it open when one of the maidens on the inside suddenly pulled on it, yelling with a bright smile, “Welcome! How was your trip? I hope you guys weren’t ambushed."I skipped back in shock and asked with surprise on my face, “Ambushed?”“Yes, these territories are filled with all sorts of rogue wolves that keep making trouble from time to time, but the alpha and his warrior wolves are in charge of handling that stuff,” she answered.“Don’t listen to her if you don’t want to have nightmares,” another female voice sounded from inside the room. Her voice was a lot firmer and more mature than that of the one who stood before me. I picked up both my bags and walked into the room, carrying a nervous look on my face.As I walked in, I saw two other she-wolves, one dressed completely in a black sleeping gown and the other dressed in red. The one who wore red sat before a mirror, gently brushing her dark brown locks, and the one in black laid on her bed, staring at the chandelier that hung from the ceiling.“Clarabelle has a habit of scaring newcomers; she’s quite the prankster, you see,” the lady who sat before the mirror spoke, then turned around. Her scarlet-red eyes glittered in the orange hue of the chandelier light, and her lips sparkled like twinkling stars in the night sky. She was the most beautiful lady in the room, and from the sound of her voice and the way she spoke, I could tell she was the eldest or at least the most mature."Welcome, dear; my name is Christine,” she said. She got up from her seat and walked toward me. As she got in front of me, she took my hand and gently shook it. “Umm, thanks,” I finally responded with a smile.“Wait, what did you mean by newcomers? I was told I was being given to the alpha as a bride,” I asked as Christine walked away from me. She suddenly stopped and turned around, saying as she let out a soft giggle, “Well, dear. We were all told the same thing. But here we are serving away the rest of our lives as the Alpha’s maids.”“Oh,” I said softly, as a look of disappointment crawled onto my face.“Don’t feel disappointed; life here is pretty interesting if you open your heart to it,” Christine said as she sat back down in front of her mirror.“Yeah, just don’t get on the alpha’s bad side,” the female who laid on her bed finally spoke. I turned to her, and she said, “My name’s Marie." She continued, using her left index and middle fingers to make a peace sign. She also had dark brown hair and a black cloth around her eyes. As I stared at the mysterious cloth tied around her eyes, she suddenly spoke as if sensing my intense gaze: “I’m blind, if that’s what you’re wondering. And before you ask, I use my sense of smell and hearing to move around and work in the mansion."“Oh, okay,” I replied and walked toward my bed.After arranging my bags where they were supposed to be, I fell on my bed and let out a long sigh of exhaustion. I stared at the ceiling, moving my eyes around, until it fell on a candle sitting on the chandelier.I think the person I was sold to was my mate. He was different, though. The cheerful and carefree attitude he had when I met him was no longer there; it was like this was a completely different person, and my mate was still out there, waiting for me. At this point, there was only one way to confirm: the mate bond.CHAPTER 6~GABRIELLA'S POV~In the blink of an eye, it was morning again—my first morning at the Mortimer’s mansion, at the dark-moon pack. The sounds of birds chirping all the way from the forest that surrounded the mansion were even more disturbing than my alarm back at Montgomery's mansion. I forced my eyes open and got off my bed, not a single second later than I usually did. To my surprise, the other maids were still asleep.“Huh?” I asked as my eyes moved from one maid to the other. I walked around the room for a few seconds, wondering what the time was, as there was no way of telling from this part of the mansion. I rushed to the bathroom to take my shower, and after, I got dressed in a maid uniform that was handed to me by Gregory the day before. I walked out of the room and down the hall, where all the maid rooms were lined up. The entire place was completely empty and quiet; it seemed no one had awakened.I decided to use the opportunity to explore the mansion myself. I went
CHAPTER 7~STEVEN’S POV~I sat silently in one of the many living rooms in the mansion, my legs crossed and my arms folded against my chest. I had a blank expression on my face, moving my eyes to the side frequently to check the time on the ticking pendulum clock that rested on a wall a little distance from my right. The room I was in had a dark brown ambiance and dark brown curtains with golden rose patterns hung over the windows and doors that led outside the living room. Today was a very important day. Today a meeting would be held between me and the council members on the matters of uniting all the packs and reigning over them as the only alpha. This was my goal ever since I was born. While all the other kids made friends and had dreams of being united with their mate, I spent days and nights plotting, looking for a way to merge the packs. After a few minutes of waiting, I heard clicking sounds coming toward one of the entrances. Soon after, the door opened and Gregory stepped i
CHAPTER 8~STEVEN’S POV~“The Dark-Hound Pack has already signed the agreement and is already under my control. I’ll have them help spread the message to all the other packs,” I said, scribbling my signature onto a letter I was going to send to Montgomery's mansion."But why don’t we spread the message ourselves?” Gregory asked, looking a little troubled.“The message will be from an unknown sender, proposing the deal to the alphas and asking those who agree to meet at an undisclosed location. The alphas who refuse to comply might get violent and want to attack the only pack they think the message is coming from. If they lay siege on the dark-fang pack, I can use the opportunity to assess them and know exactly what I’m up against,” I replied with a cold stare.“But… sire. Innocent lives will be lost; the dark-hound pack will be destroyed if they are attacked by more than one opposing pack at the same time,” Gregory argued.I let out a sigh, got up from where I sat, and walked toward a
CHAPTER 9~GABRIELLA'S POV~As my eyes met with Steven's for the second time since I came to the mansion, I felt nothing but admiration and love for the man that stood before me. He had the same expression as the day I arrived; he seemed nothing like Steven from Montgomery's mansion, but for some reason, I felt like they were the same person. But why didn't he recognize me?I had lost all focus on my surroundings and even on my own body as I fell deeper and deeper into his intense gaze.His brows suddenly furrowed, and that sudden movement snapped me out of my reverie. I immediately bowed and greeted him politely, but he completely ignored me, walking past me without uttering a single word.I turned to stare at him as he walked away, wondering where he was heading. I stealthily followed behind him, moving from rose bush to rose bush, trying to avoid his eyes. After a few minutes, he arrived at the gates of the mansion. He stood in front of the gate for a few minutes, and I could see hi
CHAPTER 10~GABRIELLA'S POV~The silence in the air was unbearable. I could hear my own breathing, and with every step, I took crushed dried leaves under my paws, making sounds that echoed through the forest as if informing the other wolves of my location.I moved steadily, my eyes focused on the prey before me—a large, dark brown deer. As I got in close range, I leaped toward it, but before I could reach it, it jumped out of the way and took off. I landed head-first on a rock and yelled in pain.“Hunting is so hard; how am I supposed to survive this?" I thought to myself, using my paw to gently rub my head.“The other girls are gone; there's no way of finding them now, and the bell is going to ring anytime soon. What to do, what to do..."I said this as I sat there with a worried look. It had already been the first hour; I had never gone hunting before in my life, and my wolf wasn't fast or strong enough to run from other wolves.I let out a sigh,got up from where I sat, and walked th
CHAPTER 11~GABRIELLA'S POV~After waiting for a while at the door, other wolves started to show up with their kills hanging below their jaws. Some carry animals as small as rabbits, and some drag in games as large as boars.They all shifted back into their human forms and began walking back through the door. I looked around for the other girls but couldn't find them until I was inside, holding my kill tightly.“How was it?” Christine's voice sounded from behind me.I turned around to face her, and I found all three girls smiling at me.“Whoa! That's amazing, and it's only your first time?” Clarabelle exclaimed, staring at my game.“Well, a lot of things happened, but I don't want to go into detail,” I replied with a smile as sweat rolled down my face."Let's go dump these bad boys and get some rest; tomorrow's a big day!” Christine said, tapping her catch twice on its stomach.We all nodded, then followed her to the area where the kills were submitted. As we walked through the croud,
CHAPTER 12~GABRIELLA'S POV~I ran after the bright orange light through the passages, and each time I came to a corner, the light was already at the other end of the hall. It would remain shining for a moment, then vanish, fading out with the giggle of a little girl.I wasn't the least bit comfortable with what was going on, but for some reason I kept on following the light until it came to a halt in front of a large door.The lantern sat there, shining brightly on the carvings on the wooden door. I walked slowly toward it, and when I reached it, I picked it up and let out a sigh.“What place is this now? I'm completely lost,” I said as I exhaled. I stared at the large door for a moment, then turned to a small knob that hung from it.I wrapped my fingers around the knob and was about to turn it when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.“What are you doing?” Marie's voice sounded behind me.I felt a chill go down my spine, and I instinctively sprung up from the ground in fear. I fell b
CHAPTER 13~GABRIELLA'S POV~“What do you want?” She asked, her voice sounding very stern.“Well, I just wanted to ask you some questions,” I answered as she tightened her grip on my arm.“Snapping your bone in two would be much too easy of a task if you get on my nerves. Do not disturb me while I'm working, or I will end your life. Do you understand?” She said this as she continued to tighten her grip.I groaned in pain and replied, “Yeah, yeah. Understood. Please let go!”She twisted my arm in the wrong direction and pushed me to the ground.“Owww!” I whimpered as I held onto my arm.“Hey, can I come see you after your work?” I asked, but she refused to reply. She resumed her position as the brick wall that she was, and nothing I said could get through to her.My brows furrowed, and I squinted my eyes at her. Hurting me like that wouldn't go unpunished; I was going to get revenge.I picked up my tray of hot cakes and snuck behind her to dump it on her head. I raised the tray up, and