Chapter Three

Hearing the Alpha’s words, I froze on my spot, seething, and trying to suppress my anger from emerging inside me. 

The rage that was lingering within the corners of my body stayed until I reached the omega’s quarters. I heaved a sigh, remembering how he punished me that easily just because his slut said so.

Are mates supposed to be like that? And even if we aren’t mates, isn’t it proper to take my side of the story too in the name of fairness and just?

‘I know you are still mad at him,’ Arwen uttered softly in my head, trying to justify Alpha Dominic’s action. 

“Mad?” I rolled my eyes hearing her. “I am not mad at him. I fucking hate him!” 

‘Don’t be like that, Elora. He is still our mate and the Alpha King. It is much better if you will obey his every word. It’s for the best.’

“Obey him? Are you out of your mind?” I responded, opening the curtains of my new room in the process. “I would never submit to a shallow man like him. You know what? I didn’t have to put up with all of this. It is much better to be alone than to be mated to a jerk like him. The next time I see him, I will reject our bond so I would be free from his power-tripping.”

‘No, Elora! You can’t do that!’ Arwen whimpered. ‘If you will reject the Alpha King, it will weaken the royal pack. Wars will break between the packs and a lot of lives will be shed. Do you really want that?’

I bit my lower lip in frustration. I knew that rejecting Alpha Dominic would weaken his power, something that his enemies were waiting to happen. Instantly, the memories of that fateful night when my parents were killed flooded my senses. Tears formed in my eyes as I shook my head trying to toss it out. 

‘Please, Elora. If you can’t do it for me, do it for the sake of those who would fall victim to this impending war only you can avoid.’

I raised my hand in defeat, admitting that my wolf was right. “Fine, I will no longer reject him. But…”

‘But what?’ She lowered her snout and looked at me with begging eyes.

“I’ll get out of here when I get the chance,” I declared as I walked around the quarters and fixed my things.

I could sense that Arwen wanted to argue with my decision but I didn’t give her a chance. Just in, a familiar omega, Maira, stepped inside the quarters. She greeted me with a genuine smile which I returned without hesitation. 

She walked towards me and held my hand. “I heard what happened. I hope you are okay. If you need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to let me—”

“I’m fine.” I shrugged my shoulders off. “Becoming a maid to a slut is nothing compared to what I had to endure living as a rogue. It’s nothing, really.”

Maira chuckled, and I did the same. We talked more and learned that our ages were close. She easily gets me, which surprised me big time. With that, I felt like I found a new friend which I haven’t had for too long. 

We were fixing our beds when I felt her gaze over me. “Are you sure you are okay?” 

I looked at her and sat on my bed. “Honestly, I am quite disappointed with him. I might be wrong to stand up for myself in front of his woman but to be punished like this seemed a bit too much.”

“There must be a reason why he had to do this and you will learn that in time. For now, rest assured that he will change the way he treats you. As my mom always says, nothing beats the mate bond so don’t lose hope.”

I winced as I turned to her. She may be right but I don’t think it is fair to wait for the mate bond to kick in while enduring the suffering my mate was giving me. 

‘I won’t let him get away with this. I will sure to get even and let him regret what he did to me,’ I whispered inside my head. Arwen could only shake her head as I continued to punish him inside my head.

******

THE NEXT day, I was woken up by Ashley’s irritating shouts. Minutes later. I felt some cold water hit my face making me gasp and violently got up from bed. 

“It’s about time, rogue!” she exclaimed before throwing me a piece of paper. Written on it was a list of things she wanted me to do for her. I rolled my eyes as I finished the list. She was really going to treat me like a slave. 

“What, now?” she asked, giving me a challenging stare. “Have you forgotten the Alpha King’s words? Starting today, you will become my personal maid. So you better get up from your filthy bed and start serving your Luna.”

I heaved a sigh of disbelief, with fists clenched into my sheets. Goddess forbid, I would destroy her bitchy face until her alpha lover would no longer recognize her. 

‘Elora, get yourself together! You wouldn’t like the outcome if you choose violence today,’ Arwen reasoned inside my head. 

With that, I immediately fixed my bed and looked at the list again. Ashley grinned in victory, as she continued to mock me. 

“That’s right, rogue. Know your place. Stop dreaming that you will get Dominic from me. In his eyes, you are nothing but a filthy slave. He belongs to me and will soon name me as his Luna.”

I gritted my teeth as I watched her out of my room. I couldn’t hide my anger towards her so I dove to my bed and yelled into my pillow. 

The day went on and I finished all my tasks on her list one by one. Part of it was to clean the Alpha King’s room, which I did without hesitation. Ashley might have thought that fixing the bed where she and Dominic fucked each other every night would hurt me even more. But after all that had happened, she was wrong to think that way. All I was thinking was to finish my tasks and rest inside my quarters, 

I was near his room when I saw Alpha Dominic coming out of it. Surprisingly, all the anger that seethed inside my chest gradually disappeared the moment his eyes met mine. Remembering how he forsake me the other day, I bowed my head to avoid his gaze. 

I walked past him in silence, ready to do what I came for. But before I had the chance to step inside his room, his rough hands grasped my arm. Volts of electricity crawled inside my flesh, making me whimper. It wasn’t because I was in pain, rather, it was more of an indescribable sensation that only he could provide. 

However, I chose to shove his hand away, making me see the burned skin on his palm. My eyebrows met in the middle, wondering how he obtained those scars. Was it because of fire? Or silver? Those were the only things that could scar a werewolf's skin.  But my thoughts were interrupted by his sudden display of fury. 

“Did you just walk past the Alpha King?” He growled, demanding an answer.

My eyes narrowed as I looked at him. “Why? Did I stomp on your big ego?”

‘Elora!’ Arwen shouted in my head. ‘You are facing the most powerful alpha in the continent. Show some respect!’ But her words didn’t change my mind. 

He balled his fists, with his veins bulging onto his neck. Seeing this, I silently cursed myself. It seemed that I went too far this time. 

“I can’t believe that a mere rogue has the guts to disrespect the Alpha King like this.” He tilted his head, looking at me with a darkened face. “Don’t you know that your arrogance can cost you your life?”

A spiteful chuckle escaped my throat. “The Alpha King craving for respect from a mere rogue,” I retorted, with eyes fixed on his, “How can I give it to you if you can’t even respect your own mate?”

“You little—”

“Tell me the truth, Alpha King,” I interrupted, “Why are you doing this to me?