Chapter 9: Crushing on him
Serena’s POV
As we unpacked everything we bought, the other servants upon noticing we were back, came to help us, and by the time we were finished, I was tired and retired to my room.
It wasn’t hard to find it, as I had carved an ‘S’ on my door with my room key. The hallways were also starting to get familiar, and I could locate my room with ease.
I opened the door and threw myself on the bed, closing my eyes in bliss. The mattress was so soft and comfy. I started to slip away from reality when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
With sleepy eyes, I took it out, not recognizing the strange number that flashed against my screen. I hardly ever received any calls, especially from strange numbers.
I sat up, concerned, as all the traces of sleep vanished from my eyes. My phone continued to ring, and I contemplated picking it up. I thought it might be Kate, but she’ll never call me with a new number, and my stepfather rarely ever calls me.
So who could it be? I wondered as the phone went off. I sighed. Maybe it was a mistake. I tried to go back to bed when my phone rang again-the same number.
Curiosity finally won as I picked up the call and placed it on my left ear, waiting for the person to speak first.
“Hey, Serena. It’s me, Martins; have you gotten home yet?” Martin’s concerned voice sounded over the phone.
I slammed my palm against my forehead, remembering that I had given Martin my phone number earlier today.
“Oh, Mart, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was you. I could have picked it up earlier.” I apologized.
“No problem, S. I’m glad you at least picked up. Are you home now?” He asked, and I nodded before remembering he couldn’t see me.
“Yes. I am. Thanks a lot for asking. This is your number, right?”
“Yes, it is. I just wanted to make sure you got home safely.” He sounded concerned and it made me happy.
“Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.”
“Yeah, S. I’ll chat with you later. Bye for now, pretty.” He said this before ending the call.
I dropped my phone, took my pillow, and pressed my face against it, blushing like crazy.
Did he just call me pretty? Am I pretty? I sat up once more, jumping down from my bed to stand in front of my full-length mirror.
My black hair had come out of my ponytail, falling freely over my small, round head. Hazel’s eyes stared back at me. I was incredibly skinny, nothing special, and my ears were a little too big.
But despite that, someone had said I was pretty. That means I was truly pretty because he wouldn’t just lie, right?
Would other people start noticing I was beautiful and start liking me too?
I jumped excitedly around the room, feeling a sense of pride and happiness at the thought.
*Writer’s POV
“Is it done?” An elderly man who was facing the windows asked Martins, who stood like a dutiful dog behind him.
“Yes, it’s done. I’ve got her wrapped around my little finger. I think after our plans, she’ll do whatever I ask her to do.” Martins assured.
“She wasn’t hard to get. How can she, anyway, when she is too ugly and no one likes her? She has no choice but to cling to me until I’m done using her as I please.” Martin continued an evil gleam in his eyes.
“Don’t lose focus. Remember what we are up against here? The king has to pay for all he’s done to us. To your mother.” He turned to Martin.
“And it’s not going to be easy.”
****
“Love! Love!” Isaac knocked loudly against Serena’s door.
“You have to wake up now. The king just arrived at the castle with a guest.” He continued as Serena tossed sleepily in her bed, jumping up immediately after she heard the word ‘King’
She went to the door immediately, bursting it open to glare at Isaac, who, in turn, frowned at her.
“What?” she asked.
“The king just arrived at the castle, and he is with a guest. It doesn’t usually happen, but it’s happening now. You have to be around to serve him. Grandma Felicia asked that I call you out.” Isaac said, pushing past Serena to walk into her room.
“You wouldn’t want the king to demand it from you, or you’ll be in deep sh*t,” Isaac explained.
All the sleep vanished from her eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was still in an oversized shirt, and her hair was flying around like a bird’s nest.
“Oh… Geez! Oh, Geez!” She started to panic. Grabbing a comb, she combed her hair and then pulled it in a ponytail.
“What am I supposed to do then? I am…” Serena paused her question as she turned to face Isaac, who was standing behind her.
After dancing around the room and calling herself pretty, she was tired and fell asleep. Not remembering, she still had to work this evening.
“Just stay around the king. A king’s slave is very different from a servant. You know the king prefers his slaves to do personal things for him because he believes his slaves can never leave him until death. What I’m trying to say is that being a slave is very different from being a servant because when a servant has served the king enough, he will permit you to leave his castle. So as his slave, you are to do every little thing he wants. And I heard he likes your coffee, so you’ll start from there. Make coffee for him and his guest.” He said it calmly, placing his hand on Serena’s shoulders.
Serena took a deep breath.
“Thank you. But I’ve not gotten used to being around him. This morning, this morning, he…” She trailed off, touching her neck. She was happy there were no traces left of the assault. It had been scary enough, and the last thing she needed was a constant reminder on her neck.
“Hey!” Isaac yelled, snapping her from her thoughts by shaking her shoulders.
“Get over what happened. Face the future; don’t let the past haunt you or it’ll harm you. Be brave. I won’t like to see you die here. I know it’s not easy to get out of here, but I hope you’ll be able to get away from here someday.”
Serena nodded her head as she stared back at him, smiling sadly.
“Thank you.” She mouthed then went into the bathroom to change before leaving her room. Isaac had to leave to attend to some business, so she was left alone.
She headed out of the mini-mansion and to the castle without help, and the guards, upon recognizing her, let her through.
A familiar, powerful scent filled her nostrils, and she felt the temperature drop. The king was on the other side of the castle, and she could feel the power radiating off him from here.
At first glance, you could tell that there was indeed a visitor because of the number of cars added outside the garage. It was no joke, and that simply meant that the guest must be someone of a very high position too.
A president? A governor? Whoever visited the king must be a respectable person of wealth.
“Hey.” She heard a male servant call to her, and she ran to him.
“I was about to ask of you. Come over here now.” He said, eyeing Serena before leading her to the kitchen through the back door.
“Make three cups of coffee as quickly as possible.” He ordered before leaving for the storeroom.
Confusion flashed over her features as she recounted his words.
One for the king. And two for the guests.
Oh, there are two guests and not one. Serena thought before moving to the coffee maker.
She started with the Alpha’s coffee, mostly because she knew what he liked. She finished it perfectly before starting the others.
I can just make another one if they reject this one, Serena thought as she placed all three coffees in a tray for the servant to take them. Just then he walked out of the storeroom with a full tray of different fruits.
She pushed the tray gently towards him, but he shook his head negatively.
“You are to take them yourself. In case they ask questions about the coffee, you will be able to answer them because you made them. I don’t know a damn thing about coffee. And please, be careful. The king’s guests are all animals.” He said, whispering the last part as if expecting someone to burst in any minute.
With shaky hands, she took the tray and left the kitchen for the large sitting room. As she got closer, she mumbled a word of prayer to the moon goddess, asking for protection.
She started to hear deep voices and this caused her to heave a sigh, but none of what she did worked. It was difficult to calm down, difficult to keep her fears at bay.
Her insides churned with fear as the king was the first person to come into view. He sat in a throne-like chair, his head resting against the chair, as he listened to the other men in front of him. He looked so powerful in a black suit, a few bangs of his black hair falling across his gray, cold eyes.
He turned to her, and those cold eyes sent chills running down her spine as the memories of this morning flashed in her mind.
Almost stumbling in fear, she gained her balance before the tray could fall from her hands.
Don’t think! Don’t think! She chanted in her head, trying to block out all thoughts from her mind.
Nearing the table, she perceived the powerful auras of the two guests. They were Alphas too, but they weren’t as powerful as the King.
As she neared them, she decided to greet them first before dropping the coffee but thought against it and decided to serve them and just leave in peace.
These two guests might be the Alphas of the two most powerful and largest packs in California and Canada.
She took in the features of both of them. They were just as built as the Alpha but with lean muscles and cold eyes. They bled with danger and superiority.
She could feel the Alpha King’s gaze on her, but she didn’t bother to look at him. It was in the rules; she couldn’t look him in the eye.
She placed the coffee on the table with trembling hands but managed not to spill any before taking two big steps backward.
She waited for one of them to say something, but they didn’t. Not waiting for another second, she fled to the kitchen.
“What are you doing here?” She heard the servant ask her.
“You are to stand far from them but also remain in view until the King asks you to leave. Didn’t you read any rules? Weren’t you sent any?” The male sighed in exhaustion.
“I was given. But I’m not a servant; I’m a slave. I shouldn’t be serving coffee.” Serena replied, her brows furrowed in confusion.
“Come on, don’t you know that the king fired his formal coffee maker the moment you stepped foot into this castle? He’s gone, and you are the only one who knows how to make coffee to his taste. You have to remain there.”
“Oh no,” Serena mumbled. She grabbed her tray and went back into the sitting room, but stayed far away from the king and his guests.
“Hmm, who made this coffee? It smells nice.” Serena heard one of the Alphas say, and the other one nodded his head in agreement.
“Yes indeed. I suppose the king has all the best cooks in the whole of LA.” The other Alpha agreed. He was not too huge or too small in size. His hair was tinted; it was a mixture of red and black. He was the younger of the three.
The first Alpha who spoke up looked in her direction.
“Come here. She doesn’t look like a servant, my Lord.” He noticed.
“Because she is not one.” The Alpha King simply stated.
“Oh, she must be his slave, then.” The younger of the Alphas chipped in again, standing up as his eyes ran through Serena’s frame as she came closer to them.
He then turned to the Alpha King, bowing respectfully.
“My lord, I’d love to request something, and I hope you grant me my very wish.” He started, and Serena couldn’t help but panic.
The Alpha King gave him a suspicious look before nodding in approval. “Go on.”
“I would love to return home with her. It will be a pleasure for the king’s slave to make such amazing coffee for me. I will be forever grateful to you.” The younger alpha said, bowing once more.
Serena stood there completely frozen, glancing up at the king, she anticipated his reply.
Will he agree to his request?