Chapter 45

• HAERA
• Moving from one part of the woodlands to another can be enjoyable when you find yourself among the right companions. It can also be the complete opposite of enjoyable if you have to travel with a grumpy coachman, a worn-out carriage, and sick horses. "I'm never traveling again." Dezra purred in my head as my feet landed on solid ground again. I attempted to stretch my sore joints and muscles but I ended up causing more pain to myself. "I thought you were excited that our beloved mate asked us to come to his pack." I stated in response to my wolf complaints. "Not after I had to ride in a wretched carriage that was full of that spot brat belongings." Dezra's irritation marched mine completely. I couldn't wait to get rid of the princess's rich scent...it was choking and during the ride here, I felt like I was going to die. How my destined mate thought we smell alike was a mystery because I surely didn't have her sweet flowery scent. As if dealing with that wasn't enough, the carriage broke down every now and then with little to no interval. The grumpy coachman directed his frustrations at me whenever we had to stop to check the condition of the living-dead horses and the coach itself The coachman kept lamenting that his horses hadn't been showing any signs of sickness before and blamed me for jinxing them. Now that I think about it, I was certain Princess Ilvira's load of unnecessary but expensive belongings was the reason the carriage was slow and why the horses had problems pulling out weights.....multiple issues. I lost count after the seventh time. Even when the maids came to offload the carriage, most of them couldn't lift the huge boxes the princess purposely made me ride with. I hated her and my hate continued growing after she somehow stole my mate. "You have to shift soon, Haera. I'm going crazy in here...your head has been a mess in the past few days." Dezra complained and I couldn't agree more. Even as I stood in front of the imperial pack palace gate, my head was still fuzzy. "You can't blame me. Blame it on our ill fate and your beloved mate for not having the guts to defy his fake marked mate when she sent us to that carriage." I was barely keeping my anger in check. Alpha Zachary made me come here but he couldn't make me ride in grand style as he and princess Ilvira did. They must have arrived ages ago before we did because the chariot was the fastest I had ever seen. Perhaps they had eaten and rested while I remained hungry and stressed. My stomach grumbled in agreement. I didn't even know where to go. Should I go to the room I used when I was here the last time or wait for someone to allocate another room for me. I was starving, angry, and confused. It was just my first day in his pack and I had begun to suffer. I hoped it would get better but my hope was cut short instantly. "Help them unpack. You can't be standing idle now, can you?" Her hoarse and unmistakable voice made me raise my head. It was her. The one person that reminded me of my mother despite being far away from her. Dina had her usual frightening scowl but at that moment, I couldn't care less "Are you deaf or have your pimples affected your ears?" Dina shouted at my still form while I gave her a challenging look. I didn't know why I wasn't affected by her outbursts but didn't she see that I was exhausted? I ignored her and decided to find my way to my old room but I was stopped by another mean-looking but a familiar maid. "Follow me. The Alpha had ordered for your presence in his throne chamber." She said swiftly and led the way without another word. Why do I have to keep meeting mean people? I wished I could see Opaline. She was the only familiar face I was comfortable with. "Can I freshen up before I go to the Alpha? If you would show me to my room-" "I don't take orders from an ugly good-for-nothing maid but you are right. You should freshen up before you meet the Alpha. You smell disgusting." Her insults didn't make me mad as I was used to being called names. I was thankful she agreed with me. No matter how well I hide it, I couldn't let Alpha Zachary perceive me as disgusting. I couldn't fight the princess for him even if I wanted to....it was a lost battle. "Thank yo-" "Find your way to the throne room in three minutes. You can't keep the Alpha waiting." She commanded and slammed the door in my face after she showed me to my sleeping chambers. Only it wasn't just mine. I had to share with other maids. "You have to make it clear that you are a chef and not a maid. You can't let them bully you, Haera. This should be a new beginning for us." My wolf voiced out in my head. She was right but do I have the gut to maintain a strong profile? "That's why the moon goddess blessed your weak ass with me. The strongest wolf ever." Dezra praised herself while I took my time to clean up. The maid had given me three minutes but both she and the Alpha can go to for all I care. Three minutes? After the hell I went through to get here? No way. I didn't check the time but I left the room when I was satisfied with the way I smelled and I tried to find the throne room but trust me, it wasn't easy. I got lost and by the time I found the throne room, I was certain I had spent almost two hours walking in circles. "You kept me waiting." The tingles I felt were enough to know that he was the one. Alpha Zachary sat on his throne as he stated bluntly, folding his fist like he was about to beat the shit out of me. I tried to apologize for keeping him waiting but I couldn't find my voice in his presence. That doesn't change the anger I felt towards him and I was still hungry. And as they said, a hungry wolf is an angry wolf. "Do I have to spell out your duties as a chef to you?" My mates asked. The question sounded stupid to me and I wondered why I had to be in the throne room in the first place. I nodded anyway but he still went ahead to list what was expected of me and how it must be done to perfection. The longer I stood in his presence the more I forget that I was mad at him. The mate bond was making it hard for me to concentrate on his words. I stared at him like he was the perfect mate he was supposed to be but sadly he wasn't. Dezra mumbled incoherent words as she tried to separate our mate's natural scent from the other ones that surrounded him. "Are you listening to-" And just when I heard what he was saying, Alpha Zachary sniffed the air and groaned deeply. My arousal was in the air and mine triggered his own naturally. We both held each other's gaze, inhaling harsh breaths. The sparks were alive although we weren't touching each other...even a day-old child would be able to feel the sexual tension between the both of us. I had been dreaming and daydreaming about the one time he touched me and how a mate should but even that made me yearn for me. My mate suddenly rose from his throne and he took calculated steps toward me. My breathing became more rapid as he closed the gap between us. "He is finally giving in to the bond we share. He is going to make us his. I knew he had a tangible reason to bring us here with him." Dezra murmured in my head while I stood rooted to the same spot. I believed my wolf's declaration and hope sprung in me. "You are making my life difficult but I can't resist you. Your scent is delicious and I want to savor more of it but I have a mate." Alpha Zachary was saying sweet words but his tone was harsh just as his facials hardened. He has a mate, which is me. Was he truly accepting our bond? He moved closer to me and his scent took over my scenes. Hunger was long forgotten. "You will stay as far away as possible from me! I don't want to see you in my presence. I don't want to perceive your scent anywhere near me. Understood!?" My mate gritted out cruelly and I shuddered, stepping away from him as the last bit of hope in me scattered. My anger returned and I shook my head at how blind he had chosen to be. "Why did you bring me to your pack if you were planning to keep us apart? Why am I here?" I roared as Dezra's voice mixed with mine. The stupid name bond was trying to make me emotional in his presence after what he just said to me but I couldn't let that happen. He was playing mind games with me. "You have no right to question my instructions! You are nothing but a lowlife maid." He yelled at me but I saw him cringe when he insulted me. I scoffed at his foolishness but at the same time, I wanted to cry because of his betrayal. "I have every right to question you because I'm your true mate. Your only mat-" "Hold your tongue before I cut it out of your mouth! You aren't my mate! Don't you dare say that again!" Alpha Zachary barked at me. His words felt like rejection to me and Dezra winced when she heard him. "He didn't reject us. Right? No one has the right to make my wolf feel hurt except me. I had told Dezra that our mate meant no good before we left the moonstone pack but she believed in the bond she shared with him. He had to hurt her? "I can't believe the moon Goddess is putting me through this after all I have been through. I can't believe my fate is tied to that of someone like you." I whispered coldly, holding my stance and keeping the tears that were threatening to spill away from Alpha Zachary's taunting eyes....or should I say blind eyes? He didn't respond to my words but I aimed for him to be hurt. I wanted him to feel the pain he was putting Dezra and me through. "You are pathetic!" You screamed, aiming for his ego. Men are known to be egoistic and Alpha males hate it when anyone speaks down on them. That was exactly what I was doing. The worst he could do is kill me and I would gladly die because he would die too. Maybe then he would realize I hadn't been lying. Maybe when we both are on the brink of death, he would believe what he had been feeling. "Don't dare me-" "You think I'm a lowlife maid? Well, I will be that because a lowlife maid like me has more gut than you do. I'm not pathetic!" I cut him off and I could see and sense that his egoistic nature didn't like that. That was what he deserved for hurting my wolf. "Don't go extreme, Haera. I'm fine and I know you don't want to lose your head." Dezra cautioned me. "I'm just telling the truth. It isn't my fault if he finds it bitter." I replied right before his left hand held my throat in a firm and choking grip. I guessed that was it...the end of my life. "I see you don't value your life. Do you think you can disrespect me and go Scott-free? He added more pressure on my life as he roared furiously. I was losing precious air and my eyes were becoming teary. Dezra pushed to come out but I stood my ground against both of them...my wolf and my mate. Despite being in pain due to Alpha Zachary's hold on my neck, I still felt the sweet tingles on my skin. The mate bond had been a dumb thing right from the beginning of our kind. "Alpha!" Alan's calm voice reached our ears but the egoistic Alpha ignored his Beta's call as she strangled me like I was some sort of lifeless stuffed toy. "Alpha! You have to calm down or else you are going to kill her." Alan remained calm but I wasn't. I began to struggle for air but the man who was supposed to be my protective mate derived pleasure from my struggle. "Do I look like I care!" Alpha Zachary responded blankly. It was a miracle that I could still hear their words despite being close to death...I was really close to death. "Get her out of my sight!" He shouted, released my neck suddenly, and pushed me away from himself. Alan was quick to catch me and I couldn't be more thankful to him. Alan supported my weak body out of the throne room while Dezra began to condemn my actions. I didn't know what made Alpha Zachary change his mind about killing me but what I knew for certain was that I had had enough for one day. I needed rest....and Food.