*Danika*
When I reached the mansion that evening, I alighted from the car that had come to pick mewhich still alarmed me, considering I hadn’t told the driver to pick me up in the morning.
When the door slid open, Alfred was standing there and quickly blocked my path. I tried avoiding him, I was still very mad at him.
“Get the fuck out of my face, Alfred,” I yelled at him not wanting to attract untoward attention to us.
“Just listen to me, Danika. I am sorry. Please.”
“I don’t want to listen to you…”
“Please. I came to the infirmary but then… I saw the car waiting for you and had to leave.” He looked really sad. My heart went soft. But I shook my head, not willing to easily fall for his charms and forgive him after what he did. He has to learn a lesson.
“I don’t want us together anymore, Alfred. You betrayed our friendship, did you forget that?! You kissed me! Who kisses another’s mate? It’s a sacrilege. What were you thinking?!”
“And I am sorry! I wasn’t myself. Fuck! I wasn’t thinking straight and would never forgive myself for it, but you have to forgive me.” Gone was the calm goofy attitude, to be replaced by what… desperation?
“I can’t, I’m sorry. I’m still trying to forgive myself for letting you do it, don’t aggravate my hurt. I think it’s best we avoid each other henceforth,” I deadpanned, averted my face so as not to look at his pleading eyes and budge.
“And your training?”
My heart lurched further. He still cares about my training. Of course, he would. He was the brain behind it, after all. Who knows if it was his plan all along, to trap me with it. “I will manage on my own. I can’t allow myself to trust you ever again.”
“But you said we are friends. Friends forgive each other.”
“Not ones that shove their tongue down their friend’s throat, for what? Pleasure? Friends don’t do that. They don’t admire their friends carnally! Who is to save me from you, when you lose yourself?”
“I am sorry, please, Danika. I will do anything to earn your forgiveness…” He inched closer, his eyes filled with raw despair. Does he truly feel remorseful for what he did?
I stood there watching him, thinking so hard whether or not to forgive him. Alfred is a good man, who might have been deceived by the monster lurking inside of him. I don’t want to lose his friendship because of what happened. That would be very wrong of me and won’t make me any different from all I stand against. All I will need to do is to be more careful around him and try to dress more appropriately. Maybe he was tempted by my curves which were always sampled to him every time we were together.
“I…”
“What is going on here?” I flipped backward, twisting around to see the Alpha King coming from the direction of the study. His prowling eyes skimmed from me to Alfred, while I hesitated on my feet. What would he think now? “You haven’t learned your lesson enough?” His calculating eyes were pinned on Alfred who I noticed his eye color was changing to that of his wolf’s, while his jaw clenched.
What does the Alpha King mean by him learning his lesson? Come to think of it, why didn’t I notice earlier the black patch on Alfred’s left eye? Does this mean what I think? No. The King can’t be that petty. It might have been from his training.
The two brothers were eye to eye now, seething, one having a smirk and the other fuming with rage that might soon burst through if nothing is done to rectify this madness.
“I… I..”
“To your room, Danika! Your mate would be proud if you would for once learn to be obedient!” He was glaring at his brother while ordering me. I balled my fist at his tone, huffed furiously, and stormed up the stairs. How dare he make such atrocious insinuations? It wasn’t like he caught us in any suspicious position. This is the open hallway and anyone could see us!
I entered the door, going to fling my bag on the bed in anger. I stomped my feet repeatedly, crossing my hands on my chest like a petulant pup deprived of her favorite candy. I looked about the well-arranged room, feeling confined and needing air. Maybe I should go for a run or…
Yes! I should go to Lance’s quarters. I haven’t been there since I left. I will visit Mary as well as talk to her about the position and hear her take on it. At least, hearing her bubbly voice would help me offload this ache in my chest at Alonso. Just when I thought he was improving, he goes rogue with his stupid assumptions!
I left my room wishing they were no longer on the stairs, and thankfully when I got there I didn’t see anyone and crossed from the lobby to the front door.
Getting to Lance’s quarters, the place was still like I left it a month ago. Quiet with only the random noise coming from the Omegas in the kitchen, or other parts of the house they were engaged in. The tranquility was heightened with the absence of the housemaster which means the Omegas would have nothing to keep them busy around the house, except for the daily cleaning and painting of the furniture to keep everything sparkling till our supposed return.
An Omega crossing to the kitchen from the dining area spotted me and was startled. She ran forward to greet me-the supposed housemistress, and I asked her about Mary. She scurried away to inform her of my presence and I used the opportunity to climb up to my former room.
Everything was still in place, including the vase of tulips on the firehouse mantelpiece. I smiled, remembering what Lance told me about it. The opening of the door interrupted my thought and I whipped around to see Mary enter, her face stretched in uncontained glee.
“And I thought you would never come around. The only Mistress that doesn’t like her house.” I giggled, waving away her comment as I sat on the chair next to me.
“I’ve missed you too, if that was what you meant,” I said cheekily, a feeling of calm coming over me. I looked to the adjoined door, which reminded me of what brought a change to everything. My friendship. When will I see him again?
“We all miss him so much,” Mary crooned as if reading my mind, going to the bed to sit down. “The maids had been talking. They said something like they are not sure if you are the true mate of Beta Lance.” I became agitated.
“Why will they say that?”
“I don’t know,” Her shoulders bobbed. “Maybe because you never come here, plus they don’t see you exercising Beta Lance duties in his place. I don’t know why exactly. I have overheard them saying it twice now but quickly dismissed the idea before it flies.”
I blinked severally, looking away, fear taking charge of my mind. What if they spread the rumor? Everything would explode in my face and I would suffer the most. The people would hate me. They would spite me. My new position in the hospital which I might have gotten because of my assumed position as the Beta’s mate would be taken away and I will be hated once more like in my former pack.
“Are you okay, Ms. Danika?”
I nodded, placing on a charming smile. “I am just as you surprised they would think that. I mean, I know I don’t come around often but it’s because of my work. And Alpha King has never asked me to do anything in place of my mate.” I made sure my countenance masked my inner turbulence, showing off one of confidence. Seeing that she was buying it, I quickly changed the topic. “By the way, I have come to confide in you about something, as my friend.”
Her eyes dilated as she nodded her head signaling her approval.
“I was promoted today at the Infirmary to the post of birth supervisor. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t know if I can handle all that… What do you think I should do?” I observed her closely, taking note of her look of bewilderment.
“Post of a birth supervisor? But you are a Beta female…”
“I know, I know, Mary. There are a lot of things you might not understand right now. I just need you to be my friend and advise me on what to do…”
After her eyes searched mine for a long time and didn’t find what she was looking for, she huffed and looked down at her hands before replying. “Truthfully speaking, it’s a good position for anyone but you. But if you like it, then you should take it. I thought you hated pups? How come they are placing you in charge of them?”
I snickered. “I am starting to love them, Mary. They are not as bad as we all think. All they need is a little love and persuasion.” I made the gesture with my hand.
She snorted apparently in disapproval. “Count me out. Well, you seem comfortable with it. It’s not bad though. My mother used to tell me that a long time ago, even the Luna Queen worked in the infirmary.”
“Really?”
“Yea. It’s just that with the evolution of time, came change in roles and all that. I trust you can handle it.”
I nodded, trying to take courage from her last words. Muse is not in support of it and judging from how she reacted first, she isn’t cool with it either. But I can’t reject the position. I have to put the people that entrusted it to me into consideration before making any rash decision.
Soon after, I left the Lance quarters, hoping this visitation might change their opinion on any doubt they might be having about me. I have to tell Alonso about this. Maybe I should come back to this place… or maybe not.
When I got to the Alpha King’s mansion, I quietly slipped in, sniffing toward the dining room, checking if dinner was ready. Perceiving nothing, I proceeded upstairs to shower and come down later. Opening my door and closing it behind me, I ripped my gown off me, needing immediate liberation from all the bodily confinement, but just as the gown was off my head, my hand on my bra clamps, and my eyes looked forward; sitting on the armchair watching me was my dear mate, his blue eyes blackened across the room as though about to pounce at me.
Holy shit!
…