03 First Day

Meadow woke up late the following day. She got off the bed and realised Ethan was not lying in his bed.

She looked at the clock, and it was eight in the morning. How could she have overslept on her first day?

It was a weird thought being she just got married, but realising it was a job took away the joy.

What made her sad wasn't the fact that her parents had deceived her, that her husband was a cripple or that he was mean. She would have made it work nonetheless.

Ethan was a very handsome man, more so than his brother, and he was more feared than Joseph. She would have found a way to make it work.

What hurt her the most were Luna Amber's words and how she presented the matter.

If they wanted a nanny, they should have hired one on a strict contract instead of marrying a wife for Alpha Ethan.

Then again, a nanny could not carry the Alpha's children, and children born out of wedlock could never inherit.

Nonetheless, taking her phone from her and giving her strict rules was a low blow.

Instead of waking on her matrimonial bed next to her husband, she was on a strange bed looking at the clock with fear, just like people that had overslept on the first day of their job. It sucked, really.

Meadow was terrified of what luna Amber would do, but she knew it was better if she showed up late than not show up at all.

She rushed to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and took a quick shower. Then she slipped into the first simple dress she found in the closet and ran out. Her hair was still damp. She did not have the time to blow dry it.

There were servants in the corridor, and they led her to the dining room.

Meadow was so afraid that tears were forming in her eyes.

She fought her tears with all her might because she knew tears made her seem weak.

For all she had endured in her life, she knew she was anything but weak. But that was her opinion of herself. She fought the tears and won.

Her heartbeat was something else. It raced in her chest, and if anyone cared to listen hard enough, they would have heard the rhythm of her heartbeat.

Steadying it was a battle she would not win because it was an involuntary reflex, one she had no control over, just like the situation she was in with the McClouds.

As she approached the dining room, all she could think of was what Luna Amber's reaction would be.

She braced herself for luna Amber's rage and foul mouth. She did not know what to expect from Alpha Ethan. So far, he had been an enigma, and she knew he was to be feared the most.

Everything the Luna had said to her the night before played on her mind, and she knew she was in trouble.

She was also worried about Ethan. If only the woman did not take her phone, she would have set the alarm to wake up.

Meadow arrived at the dining room and met everyone eating.

Ethan was there, and so were Joseph, Amber and her husband, Levi Hendricks.

The sight of Levi gave her chills and increased her fear.

He was one person she avoided seeing at all costs, and here she was, living in the same house with him.

Meadow dared not look them in the eye, so she bowed politely and went to stand by Ethan's side.

"Sit down," He said gently without looking at her. From his tone, she could sense he wasn't mad, and she thanked the goddess for that.

Meadow obeyed her husband and sat down, but she did not reach for the food on the table. She was too afraid to eat.

Although married to Ethan, she did not feel like a family member. She was uncomfortable eating at the table with them, so she sat still and waited for an invite.

"What did I tell you yesterday?" Luna Amber asked, knowing the poor girl would not be able to answer her. Joseph felt sorry for his sister-in-law.

"Take it easy, mother. Under normal circumstances, she should be in bed with Ethan or be on her honeymoon. It is okay for her to rest after having a hectic day yesterday," Alpha Joeseph said, coming to her aid, but she knew the Luna would not listen.

"Besides, she is mute; you will just be wasting your energy unless you know sign language," He added, and Levi laughed.

Joseph did not mean it as a joke, but his stepfather had turned it into one. Ethan's face remained expressionless as he ate his food.

Amber did not find it funny.

"She was late, so she will not eat," Amber said, and Meadow looked at her empty plate and kept her trembling hand on her lap under the table. She was hungry.

"We aren't in the habit of starving people, mother. She is your daughter-in-law, be nice," Alpha Joseph cautioned his mother, but she wouldn't have it. Amber refused to let the servants serve Meadow.

Tears threatened to well up in Meadow's eyes, but she held them. She knew her tears would not change her situation. It would not make Luna kind towards her.

Instead, she sat still and waited for breakfast to be over so she could accompany Ethan back to his room or wherever he would go after breakfast.

While she waited, she wondered why her parents would agree to such a deal. Was she that insignificant?

She might be mute, but she was an only child. It should have counted for something.

Their need to protect her should have been overwhelming; instead, they threw her away like a piece of trash.

A servant suddenly started serving food on Meadow's plate. While she plated the bacon and eggs, the luna scolded the servant.

"Are you deaf, Beatrix? I said no food for people that suffer from tardiness," The luna said, and Ethan cleared his throat.

"She is my wife; I am the only one allowed to decide on the matters that concern her. She will come to the table whenever and eat however she likes," He said with command, and everyone was silent.

After what Ethan said, Meadow figured he was the one that ordered Beatrix to serve her, and she did not know how to feel about it.

She wanted to thank him but knowing she wasn't allowed to use sign language and doubting if Ethan understood it, she bowed to him to show her appreciation.

When she saw the food on her plate, her tummy rumbled, and she dug in. She tried to control herself, but she couldn't. She was famished. The last time she ate something was the morning of the wedding.

She had not eaten anything since then. Her hands shook with the fork while she managed to eat. She fought the urge to dig in with her hand.

Meadow had never missed a meal a day in her life. This was the first time she would go without lunch and dinner, and she did not find it easy.

She finished the food on her plate, and Ethan had them serve her a second helping because he realised how hungry she was.

Luna Amber and her husband, Levi, excused them, and soon Joseph left too, leaving Ethan and Meadow at the table.

Although he did not speak to her, Ethan had remained at that table because of Meadow. He wanted to protect her from his mother.

After breakfast, they returned to their room, and he went to work at his desk.

Meadow sat on the chair, wondering what there was to do. The room had been cleaned up and fixed while they were at breakfast.

Ethan seemed self-sufficient and did not need her, so she just remained seated on the couch and hoped the day would pass quickly.

Two hours passed, and servants entered the room with piles of books. They arranged the books on an empty shelf in the room and left.

"Sitting there and staring at nothing is distracting me. Find something useful to do with your time," Ethan said, gesturing towards the books.

The delivered books made her feel she was in a mini haven.

Meadow loved reading books. It was what she spent most of her past time doing. If she wasn't writing something, she was reading.

She did a lot of research and read a lot of fiction. Her inability to speak made it impossible for her to share her knowledge.

She went to the shelf and looked at Ethan, where he sat. Although he could not see her, she smiled at him. He had made them serve her food, and now he had sent for books on her behalf.

The marriage might be strange, but she was grateful that it seemed it would be bearable.

She made a note to herself to make sure she did not aggravate him or get into his private space; noticing the fact that they shared a room bothered him, she had to make it seem she wasn't there.

She read and finally fell asleep. By the time she woke up, lunch had passed. It was four in the evening.

She wasn't usually like this, but her body made her pay for not getting enough sleep at night.

Ethan was not in the room, and she decided she would explore the room a bit. She did not explore much so she would not happen upon something that would cause him to be mad at her.

When she was tired, she returned to the couch. It wasn't long before she sat down, the staff brought her lunch. They served her with smiles, and she wondered why.

Meadow doubted Luna would be happy about it, but Ethan had decided he would ensure she was fed and cared for; there was nothing Amber could do about it.