Chapter 3 Chased By Him

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• Diane trembled under his dark, death glare. The hatred in his eyes was evident and he did nothing to hide them. Terrified, she tore her gaze away from his, concentrated on the floor beneath her.
• 'I'm here to serve as a maid in the mansion of the stealth pack'
• 'Ohh, so you're the new maid everyone's talking about?'
• Diane pressed her lips together. She doesn't know the others have already been talking about her...
• 'How dare you come here of all places to serve as a maid?!' he thundered..
• 'Coming here was against my wish.. I was forced'.
• 'You expect me to believe that?! That you were forced to come here against your wish? Are you doing all of these because I rejected you?'.
• Her wolf whimpered, so did she. The pain of his rejection tearing through her heart again.
• 'N... Not t.. that'.
• 'It better not. Because no matter how much you try to get closer to me. I'll never accept you as my mate. Do you understand that?!'.
• 'Yes, I do, Alpha.'.
• Diane's feet was still glued to that spot moment after he left. Her heart shedding tears from the hurtful words. She knew life had just gotten harder for her. Much more difficult than it was before.
• Few days living in the pack and it was hell like Diane predicted. She was treated an outcast by the other pack members, hated, called ugly, weak and was also bullied. She made so many enemies already, yet no friends. To help suppress her depression and grief, Diane would always work extra time in the mansion. Clean, cook, wash and so on. When eventually there's nothing left to do, she would wander around the empty garden, pluck flowers and decorate herself with it. It was the only thing that managed to bring her happiness in this pack. It was one of those days where she was free enough to head to the garden. Half way to her destination, she bumped into a group of maids. About eight in numbers. They crossed her path, each of them wearing a mischievous smirk. Diane tried excusing herself from their midst but was crossed again.
• 'She's the girl. Isn't she?' one of them asked.
• 'It's her. The new maid from Crescent Pack' Another responded.
• Almost immediately, the eight of them busted into laughter. 'I can't believe she's the one trying to throw herself at the Alpha of our pack. She's got no shame!!' Another uttered.
• Diane appeared confused. Whoever's spreading the rumor about her throwing herself at the Alpha?! She is the Alpha's mate!.
• 'You mean the Alpha's Rejected Mate!' her wolf corrected.
• Diane huffed. 'Whatever!'
• 'What shall we do with her? We need to teach her a lesson. No one messes with our Alpha!'.
• 'She's such a freak!. How about we beat her to a pulp' one of the maids suggested, being the first to slap Diane in the face.
• 'You've got it wrong. I'm not pushing myself on The Alpha. I'm only minding my Business...' Diane tried to defend herself in the last minute but they cared less. She tried to fight back but she wasn't a match for them.
• The scurried off once they were done beating her. Tearfully, Diane scrambled to her feet, heading back into the mansion. Her legs wobbled, her face heating under the pressure of the slaps. She secured several scratches on her elbow and knees. She was to caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see the Alpha coming. She bumped into him. Realizing what she had done, she immediately dropped to her knees to apologize. Moments of silence passed before he walked out of her presence. Diane struggled to her feet again, successfully made it into the room she shared with four other maids. They were all present by the time she entered. She was scrutinized under their glares but they cared less about her situation or what really happened to her except for one of them who was also about her age.
• 'You were bullied again. Weren't you?'
• A drop of tear escaped Diane's lids at the question.
• 'It's fine. I'll help you dress your wounds. Next time, you should try to stand up for yourself. Once they see you can fight for yourself, they won't bother you anymore'...
• An abrupt knock on the door distracted them. The door soon came open and one of the pack guards entered the room.
• 'The Alpha requests to see you, Diane'.
• ****
• 'The Alpha requests to see you, Diane'.
• Diane Stanfield shuddered visibly, obviously overwhelmed by the Alpha's request to see her. She searched her mind thoroughly, trying to come to a conclusion as to why. Maybe he is willing to finally acknowledge her as his mate? Perhaps, he's starting to see her in a different light and is ready to take her in?. Or he noticed the bruises when she bumped into him earlier and wants to know who did it to her so as to teach them a lesson.. one that'll serve to the others not to ever mess with her again. The idea alone made color rise to her cheeks. She enthusiastically trailed behind the guard, her heart ramming excitedly against her ribs. In few minutes, they arrived at the Alpha's office. The guard stood by the entrance, then motioned towards the door.
• 'The Alpha is waiting'.
• For some reason, Diane felt the enthusiasm she sensed earlier, slowly slip away. She prolly had been so stupid to think he wants to accept her as his mate or come to her rescue. Not when he already made it painfully glaring that he wants nothing to do with her. Reluctantly, slowly and quietly, she turned the door knob, walked into the office with her gaze intensely on the ground beneath. She clasped her hands, placed them on her thighs and bowed in respect.
• Silence... Utter Silence...
• The silence was so deafening that Diane began to doubt if there was a soul in the room asides hers. Just when she was about to see for herself, a small pouch bag landed before her with a loud thud..
• 'Take it' He ordered.
• Diane didn't dare to look up. She didn't want to see the hatred that's vividly portrayed in those eyes as he addressed her. In those eyes of her supposed mate. It was enough, hearing the hostility lace his every word.
• 'Can I know what it is?'.
• He snarled. 'No questions! You're only allowed to do as I say'
• Diane stooped low, picked up the pouch bag to check it's content. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
• 'Money. What do you need me to do with this much money?!'.
• 'I need you to leave this pack.'.
• Her stomach tied in small knots, her heart writhed in anguish. Why? Does he hate her that much that he doesn't want to be around her?
• She shook her head, still avoiding his gaze. 'I'm sorry but I can not!'..
• 'Why can't you? Didn't you swear it wasn't your idea to be here in the first place?'
• 'I promise. It really wasn't.' Diane responded.
• 'Then why not grab this opportunity and leave!'.
• 'I... I j... Just c... can't' she stammered.
• She heard the sound of his chair skid across the room, his scent intoxicating all her senses as he drew nearer to where she stood.
• 'Look at me!'
• Without much hesitation, she tore her gaze from the floor and made eye contact. Just as he requested. A wave of desire hit her as she did so, almost knocking her off her feet. She swallowed hard, holding her breath in. Chanting the twenty six Alphabets in her head like a mantra, hoping it would calm her nerves. It did nothing to help. With each passing second that their eyes remained locked, her wolf continued to fight out of control. Her wolf yearned for him... His claim.. his approval. A wolf's call. It's harder to control. Exactly like they said. Eyes as blue as the ocean, sharp cheek bones, Perfectly carved brows and long blonde hair. He'd be so hard to resist on a normal circumstance.. The question formed in her mind and blurted out her lips without control..
• 'Why, Xavier? Why do you keep chasing me away?!'.
• She regretted asking that immediately. His powerful palms grabbed her neck, choking her hard till she pleaded to be released.
• 'It's Alpha to you! Not Xavier. Don't you dare make such mistake again!' his grip tightened around her neck.
• She nodded amidst tears. 'I understand, Alpha'.
• He released her, causing her to drop to the floor helplessly. Diane gasped for breath desperately, simultaneously wondering what really did come over her that she dared to ask such a question..
• 'Take the money and leave this pack before tomorrow noon. Go back to the crescent pack or go into the city. Mix with humans. No one will find out what or who you really are. I'll cover up if people start to notice your absence which I doubt. Nobody wants you here either.
• Diane crawled to where the small pouch bag laid, picked it up and scurried out of the Alpha's office, tears gliding down her eyes effortlessly. It's true that she's cursed. Cursed by the goddess to never be happy or find happiness. As she walked through the lobby that'd lead to the room, she remembered her step mother's words. 'Try to run away again and you'll suffer the consequences!' will it be okay for her to run away from both packs and not get punished by her step mother? Could she escape into the human world when she's yet to learn control? Won't the humans see her as a monster if she shifted by mistake? She arrived into the confines of her room. Fortunately for her, it was empty now. The other maids had gone out to complete their chores for the day.
• She stripped off her clothes, turned on the shower and buried herself in thoughts on the next step to take..
• *The next day*.
• 'Alpha. Luna Melanie is here to see you' one of the pack guards announced.
• Xavier gulped the last of the whiskey in his cup and pushed it away, displeased at the information brought to him.
• 'Why is she here? What does she want?'.
• 'That, I know nothing of. Should I lead her in?' the guard enquired.
• Xavier rose to his feet, taking long strides to the couch. 'I'm too busy to see anyone for now'
• 'How busy are you that you aren't willing to see your own mother?' Luna Melanie asked, walking into the Alpha's front room without permission
• Xavier sat up, glaring daggers at her. 'What do you want?!' he demanded irritatedly.
• She scoffed. 'Really, Xavier. That's no way to address your step mother. Did your mother not teach you some respect at all?!'.
• Xavier knew where she was getting at. She knows how much he hated his mother being shaded by anyone.
• She waved dismissively. 'Ohh right. She didn't because she was too engulfed in claiming what's really not hers... My mate'.
• Xavier palmed his face. 'Not today. I've had too much to deal with already. What exactly do you want?' he demanded, ready to get this over with.
• 'You do not deserve the Alpha title, Xavier. Hand it over to my son, Ace..'
• Xavier's brows quirked up in question. 'And why should I?'
• 'Because it is rightfully is...'
• Their conversation was cut short by an abrupt barge into the room.
• 'The rogue wolf. It's here' The guard screeched from the doorway, panting heavily.
• Xavier furrowed his brows. 'how do you mean? What rogue wolf? We've never encountered one in this pack before...'
• 'I think it's the one Alpha Asher had talked about. The one on the loose, attacking pack members'
• 'Then do something! Call the pack warrior to action. Has there been any attack?!' Xavier asked, jumping to his feet and throwing on his shirt.
• 'It has one in its reach as we speak. The new palace maid'.
• Xavier froze momentarily, carefully spelt out his next question. 'What palace maid do you speak of?'.
• 'Diane. Diane Stanfield'.
• His hands clenched into fists, a muscle in his jaw ticked 'Get my sword this instant. I shall slash it open with my own hands!' he growled, his eyes flashing dangerously as Erin, his wolf, took over.
• ....