Alora’S POV.
“Come in.” I shout out the signal even though I’m still not in the mood to interact with anyone right now. The room door opens up and a young female servant walks in with her head bowed down.
“Good day to you, Luna Alora ” she greets with courtesy.
“Good day.”
“Alpha Jayce said to tell you that the maids he spoke to you about are ready to start their duties. He has sent them over to come introduce themselves to you.” I groan silently.
I sigh.
And then it hits me!
Maids. Plural. Meaning there’s more than one. Last night, when he spoke, he didn’t mention that fact.
I let out another heavy sigh and step down from the bed.
“Where are they?” My tone is as cold as ice. There’s a gloomy look on my face that’s going nowhere even in the next five hours.
I don’t need any servants. At least not yet. I’m still trying to recover from what Louis did to me, but it’s not my decision to make. I have to obey the rules.
I grudgingly follow the servant downstairs to the Living Room. Before, I would have instructed her to bring them to my bedroom so we could talk in there, but not anymore.
I don’t think I’m ever going to trust anyone ever again to the extent of letting them into my bedroom like I did with Tania.
“Good day to you, Luna Alora.” I am bombarded by a unanimous greeting the moment I descend the last step of the staircase. There are two young girls, about my age, maybe older by a year or two, but still very pretty young girls standing at the centre of the living room with their heads bowed down and their hands crossed before them.
Humility.
That’s what Tania used to fool me.
I will not fall for it this time around.
“Good day to you too. You can raise your heads up.”
“Thank you very much Luna.” They both say in unison. Again. I almost roll my eyes. One of them flashes me a smile.
“Alpha Jayce has appointed us as your personal servants for now. We are available to serve you anything you need, at any time of the day. All you have to do is summon us and we will be at your service. It is such an honour to be your personal servant, Luna Alora.” She gushes, just the way Tania did the first day we met and it makes me even more irritated.
It intrigues me how much people can fake their emotions in order to fool others and get what they want from them.
Manipulation is a skill I do not possess, will never possess and I will never tolerate anyone who is out to manipulate me or anyone I know.
“Right.” Is all I say and I give them a nod.
I’m bored.
I’m not intrigued by their possible fake display of humility.
I want to sleep.
“If there’s anything you want us to do right now, please tell us and we will do it with immediate effect.” The other girl is almost squealing with excitement as she speaks.
I wonder what’s so amazing about being a servant that’s making her jump with excitement.
There’s none.
All the more reason why their over excitement is suspicious.
Now that I’m thinking about it, I realise I should have figured Tania’ intentions if I wasn’t so blinded. She was overly excited to be my personal servant which is odd because no one likes being a servant.
If a servant is too mean to you, there’s a problem. The same way if he or she is being too nice, too considerate and almost perfect to you, there’s a problem.
Life is hard. I swear.
I look at the girls who are gazing at me expectantly. Their eyes beaming with excitement, which right now I believe to be fake.
Not this time around girls.
I won’t be a fool again.
“There’s something I need you girls to do for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Leave. I need to rest. I’ll call you if I need anything.” Their shoulders sag. The smiles on their faces disappear. The excitement in their eyes fades.
I just burst their bubbles.
I’m not sorry.
An elderly maid comes over and ushers them out.
That was a rough start. I’m sure they hate me now. But I’d rather they hate me and keep their distance than pretend to like me while stabbing me in the back.
Sighing one last time, I turn around to leave, but stop on my tracks after giving the third step when I hear a familiar voice call my name.
“Luna Alora.”
That voice belongs to no one else, but Halle.
My life saviour.
The scorn of my face immediately wipes off and as I turn to look at her, there’s a big smile on my face.
“Halle!” I call, almost excited.
I am surprised… no… shocked that she is here to see me.
“What a surprise.” I’m walking towards her, still smiling despite promising myself not to smile at anyone this morning.
“I know, right.” I stop a few inches away from her, looking at her, not knowing what to do next.
Sharing a hug would definitely repulse her, so I better keep my arms to myself.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m here to see you. To know how you are fairing.” My heart melts like butter.
Do you have any idea what it means to have someone like Halle come over to personally check on you?
It’s a blessing.
“Please. Come over, let’s sit down.” I lead her to the sitting area where we both sit on a sofa. I’m still looking at her in awe.
Halle is a beautiful soul.
On the outside, she appears to be this tough, nonchalant girl who doesn’t give a fuck about anyone else, but within, she’s a puppy. A kitten. A baby rabbit.
She’s a protector. Once you’ve gained her loyalty, there’s no backing out for her.
“How’s your health? I heard you were admitted.” I ask, concerned.
“That only happened because Omega Reed overreacted. I was fine. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“I’m so happy to hear that.”
Now I understand why my heart, my instincts, my body kept pulling me closer to Halle. It’s because she’s a genuine person, but she already made it clear to me that friendship is not something she can offer me, that’s why I’m keeping my distance as well.
No matter how much I love her, and want to be friends with her, I have no right to infringe on her rules.
Anyway… that’s just an aside.
“You look more cheerful than usual.” I tell her after examining her face and body language for a while. She squints at me.
“I don’t. I look like always.”
“No, you don’t. What about you and Reed?” She furrows her brows.
“What about us?” She’s feigning innocence and it’s funny to me because I know the drama going on between them.
“Did you two finally get together? As in, are you two finally dating?”
“How the fuck do you even know about Reed and I … I mean… who told you we were…. I…” she stutters. I’m confused.
I’m fighting my urge to laugh.
If only she knew.
“Stop making this conversation about me. I am here to see you. To know how you are fairing, let’s talk about you.” She insists. I laugh and raise both my hands in the air as a sign of me surrendering to her wishes.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Even if I don’t get the gist from her, I can always pinch Alpha Jayce to tell me what I want to know.
Reed tells him everything. They are best friends.
“Training starts on Monday! No excuses.”
“Yes Ma’am!” My voice is firmer and for the first time in forever, Halle bursts into laughter. I watch her, shocked and amused as she laughs her heart out. Tears even spill out of her eyes.
She can’t offer me friendship – my ass!
I’m going to break down her walls, infiltrate her heart and fill it with my love and friendship.
She wants a friend, but there’s something holding her back and I’m going to find out what that thing is.